Wild flowers of Tokdo Island, Korea

Book Description

The handy pocket-size guide is packed with useful information, tips and recommendations, accompanied by color photographs, charts and maps for the first-time traveller who wants to experience the major highlights that Cape Town has to offer. This travel book surpasses other guides in that it incorporates essential information in an easy-to-carry and easy-to-read format that is attractive
and useful at the same time. It provides a visitor with an invaluable introduction to Cape Town by concisely highlighting the region’s ‘must see’ areas in a practical and user-friendly format, thus encouraging the tourist to make the most of his/her available time. All the essential information you need to get around an unfamiliar region is compacted into useful and practical ‘At-a-Glance’ sections at the end of each chapter. The fold-out map of Cape Town is ideal for tourists and visitors. In addition to the main map of Cape Town, which highlights scenic routes, it features 3 detailed area maps and 2 town plans.

Customer Reviews:

A good guide.......1998-09-15

Very colourful,many pictures, good maps of Cape Town. Excellent charts. A lot of content set out in a totally unboring way. If you find this guide boring then you are simply not interested in Cape Town. However, if you are interested in Cape Town then you will find out how usefull this book actually is, unless you are planning to live there. This is clearly a tourist guide.

Kruger National Park Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs)

Average customer rating:

Kruger National Park Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs)
L.E.O. Braack
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Reference | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 184537522X

Book Description

The handy pocket-size guide is packed with useful information, tips and recommendations, accompanied by color photographs, charts and maps for the first-time traveller who wants to experience the major highlights that the Kruger National Park has to offer. This travel book surpasses other guides in that it incorporates essential information in an easy-to-carry and easy-to-read format that
is attractive and useful at the same time. It provides a visitor with an invaluable introduction to the Kruger National Park by concisely highlighting the region’s ‘must see’ areas in a practical and user-friendly format, thus encouraging the tourist to make the most of his/her available time. All the essential information you need to get around an unfamiliar region is compacted into useful and practical
‘At-a-Glance’ sections at the end of each chapter. The fold-out map of the Kruger National Park is ideal for tourists and visitors. In addition to the main map of the Kruger National Park, which highlights scenic routes, it features 3 detailed area maps and 12 camp plans.

South Africa Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs)

Average customer rating:

South Africa

South Africa Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs)
Peter Joyce
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1845375831

Book Description

The handy pocket-size guide is packed with useful information, tips and recommendations, accompanied by colour photographs, charts and maps for the first-time traveller who wants to experience the major highlights that South Africa has to offer. This travel book surpasses other guides in that it incorporates essential information in an easy-to-carry and easy-to-read format that is attractive
and useful at the same time. It provides a visitor with an invaluable introduction to South Africa by concisely highlighting the country’s ‘must see’ areas in a practical and user-friendly format, thus encouraging the tourist to make the most of his/her available time. All the essential information you need to get around an unfamiliar country is compacted into useful and practical ‘At-a-Glance’ sections at the end of each chapter. The fold-out map of South Africa is ideal for tourists and visitors. In addition to the main map of South Africa, which highlights scenic routes, it features 6 detailed area maps and 7 town plans.

Customer Reviews:

South Africa.......2007-05-10

Having traveled extensively I purchased this book to outline and plan my trip. It provided very little which was useful and lacked most of the details that a modern travel book would contain such as web sites and a relative ranking of the establishements recommended. After reading the book I ended up using the internet for information and booking. This travel pack might be useful if one were taking a prepackaged tour and wanted supplemental information. Although the included map is useful, I would save my money and use the internet.

Cape Town Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Cape Town Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Guides)
Globetrotter
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Globetrotter | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1845379497

Average customer rating:

South Africa Travel Pack
Globetrotter
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1859741355

Book Description

All the information you need on a destination in one handy pack. This exciting new addition to the Globetrotter range offers exceptional value for the money by combining the Guide and Map in a pocket-sized, plastic wallet. Each pack contains the relevant Globetrotter Travel Guide and a full-size Travel Map folded to fit the wallet.

Average customer rating:

South Africa Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs)
Peter Joyce
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland

ASIN: 1845371941

Average customer rating:

South Africa Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs)
Peter Joyce
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Maps | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

World | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1843306301

Book Description

Globetrotter Travel Pack South Africa is packed with useful information, tips, and recommendations, accompanied by color photographs, charts and maps for first time travelers who want to experience the major highlights on offer. This travel book surpasses other guides in that it incorporates essential information in an easy to carry and easy to read format that is attractive and useful at the same time. It provides a visitor with an invaluable introduction by concisely highlighting the "must see" areas in a practical and user-friendly format. All the essential information they need to get around is compacted into a useful "At a glance" section found at the end of each chapter. The fold out map is ideal for tourists and visitors.

Kruger National Park Pack (Globetrotter Travel Pack)

Average customer rating:

Kruger National Park Pack (Globetrotter Travel Pack)
L.E.O. Braack
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1843306654

Average customer rating:

South Africa Travel Pack
Globetrotter
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1859749550

Book Description

Practical, informative and user-friendly, the Globetrotter Travel Pack to South Africa highlights the major places of interest, describing their principal attractions and offering sound suggestions on where to tour, stay, eat, shop and relax. This guide is ideal for the first-time visitor and includes over 30 full color area maps, town plans and locator maps, over 90 full color photographs and a full size pull out map all in a handy plastic pack. (5 x 7, 128 pages, maps, color photos, pull out travel map)

Average customer rating:

South Africa Travel Pack
Peter Joyce
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers (UK) LTD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Average customer rating:

A Great Pan-African

author, a shrewd intellectual in defence of liberation icons

Great book about a great leader

comprehensive work on Nyerere

Phenomenon!

Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era : Biography of Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922-1999) President of Tanzania
Godfrey Mwakikagile
Manufacturer: Protea Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Tanzania | Africa | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Africa and America in The Sixties: A Decade That Changed The Nation and The Destiny of A Continent

ASIN: 1931768749

Book Description

This work looks at the legacy of the late President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, one of the world's most influential leaders and Africa's most revered statesman besides Nelson Mandela. One of the first books written after his death but probably the most comprehensive to date, it is also a critical study of some of Nyerere's major policy initiatives in a Pan-African context, including events in which he played the most prominent role influencing the course of African history. As Professor Ali Mazrui described Nyerere: "In global terms, he was one of the giants of the 20th century....He did bestride this narrow world like an African colossus."

Customer Reviews:

A Great Pan-African.......2006-04-20

This book is about one of Afica's greatest statesman. Julius Kambarage Nyerere was born in 1922. He was President of Tanzania, from the country's independence in 1964. He retired in 1985 and died in 1999.

Nyerere has an enduring political legacy on the continent. His pan-African credentials are impeccable as he played a critical role in the hosting of the liberation movements fighting against colonialism in Southerrn Africa. He led Tanzania as an oasis of peace in a troubled region. He was affectionately known as Mwalimu (Swahili for teacher) and he taught Africa that power does not necessarily corrupt. He is one of those rare African leaders that are untainted by corruption but is rather well known for his humility and love of his people. He lived a simple life and was admired throughout the African continent.

Nyerere implemented a socialist economic programme (announced in the Arusha Declaration), and introduced a policy of collectivization in the country's agricultural system, known as Ujamaa or "familyhood". He had tremendous faith in rural African people and their traditional values and ways of life. He believed that life should be structured around the ujamaa, or extended family found in traditional Africa. He believed that Africans were naturally socialists, and that all they needed to do was return to their traditional mode of life and they would recapture it. This ujamaa system failed to boost agricultural output and by 1976, the end of the forced collectivization programme, Tanzania went from being one of the largest exporter of agricultural products in Africa to one of the largest importer of agricultural products on the continent.

Nyerere's disastrous socialist economic policies which kept Tanzania as one of the poorest countries in the world were his major flaw. However, by bowing graciously out pf power in 1985 and facilitating a smooth tsansfer of power, his legacy as a wise African leader endures.

This book is recommended reading for those who want to learn about Tanzania's recent history.

author, a shrewd intellectual in defence of liberation icons.......2006-02-22

This book is loaded with details about Nyerere and his policies, domestic and foreign, including a detailed analysis by the author.

But the analysis is somewhat flawed from an intellectual standpoint because the author, Godfrey Mwakikagile, seems to be biased towards Nyerere.

In fact we learn from the book that he knows President Nyerere's eldest son Andrew and went to school with him in Tanzania. They have known each other for years since they were teenagers. He was also in touch with him when he was writing the book. Some of the correspondence between the two is included in this work. That alone raises serious questions as to whether or not the author has written an objective account about President Nyerere. I strongly suspect that he is a friend of the Nyerere family although he doesn't say so in the book.

Godfrey does, however, admit that the last president of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, knows him well and even helped him to go to school in the United States. And as is well-known, Mkapa himself was very close to Nyerere and was virtually handpicked, or highly recommended, by Mwalimu Nyerere to be the next president of Tanzania.

From reading the book, one comes to the conclusion that Godfrey Mwakikagile is one of those shrewd African intellectuals who gloss over mistakes made by the continent's liberation icons such as Nyerere and Nkrumah; in fact, he defends both in his book. The advantage they have, obviously because of their high intellectual calibre, is that they use very clever arguments to defend these leaders and it's not easy to refute them. Godfrey is no exception.

I must admit that he's a strong Pan-Africanist. But I dont think that he has been honest enough about Nyerere in his book.

But what else would you expect from Pan-Africanists like him when they write about legendary African leaders like Nyerere and Nkrumah? Tarnish their reputation? Of course not! But as intellectual authors, they should tell the whole truth instead of being selective in their presentation of facts in pursuit of their Pan-Africanist agenda.

When Godfrey Mwakikagile was interviewed by an American journalist, he said he intended to write another book about Nyerere and Nkrumah. The interview is included in his book about Nyerere. Well, if he does, I hope that he will have something critical to say about both leaders.

I understand what he's trying to do for the sake of Pan-African solidarity. But, please, don't sacrifice truth for that. One of the reasons Africa is in such a mess is because of the policies pursued by leaders such as Nyerere and Nkrumah, domestic and foreign, because they influenced others. For example Mugabe, who has destroyed Zimbabwe, makes no secret that Nkrumah and Nyerere inspired him a lot, although it is also true that these two leaders cannot be blamed for what he has done to his country. As Nyerere, quoted by the BBC, once told Mugabe: "You have inherited the jewel of Africa. Keep it that way." Well, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

But there is no question that both Nyerere and Nkrumah had enormous influence across the continent and still do. Even when they were wrong, other African leaders followed in their foot-steps. They were probably the most influential leaders in post-colonial Africa and in this century together with Nelson Mandela (Madiba) who was also a very close personal friend of Nyerere.

Their names are engraved in gold. They have left an indelible mark on the minds of millions of Africans and others and will always remain a source of inspiration to them; and even to me, sometimes!

But also be honest enough to write books about their mistakes. That is your role as intellectuals. I hope Godfrey Mwakikagile is going to heed that advice if he does indeed write another book about African heroes such as Nyerere and Nkrumah, and even about Madiba!

Great book about a great leader.......2005-06-07

Mwalimu Julius Nyerere was one of the greatest leaders in the history of our continent. He was also one of the greatest world leaders. Without Nyerere and Tanganyika, later Tanzania, under his leadership problems in my country, neighbouring Congo (DRC), would have been much worse. In fact, in the sixties, my own home province of South Kasai almost seceded and could have become like Katanga Province.

Nyerere played a great role in supporting Lumumba and his followers to help keep my country united and free from foreign domination. Tanzania has also always played a major role as a sanctuary for refugees from Congo and other neighbouring countries. Without Nyerere's and Tanzania's hospitality, the fate of my people and others in the Great Lakes region would have been much, much worse. They would suffered immeasurably through the decades.

This book is a masterpiece on Nyerere's political career and brilliant leadership. But it is more than that.

One of its strongest points is its comprehensive nature covering Nyerere's entire life since his childhood. It is also an excellent analysis of his policies and leadership domestically and internationally. The author, Godfrey Mwakikagile, has also provided us with an excellent analytical history of Africa since independence. His knowledge of the African liberation struggle and movements in southern Africa is equally impressive, and it is one of the subjects he has addressed in a comprehensive way in this large volume.

Anyone interested in African studies, especially since independence, and in the life and career of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, The Great Teacher, should read this book written by a leading African scholar and political scientist from neighbouring Tanzania. As a Congolese myself just across the border from Kigoma, a town and port on Lake Tanganyika where the author was born in what was then Tanganyika as he states in his book, and as a fellow African, I am really proud of him.

Asante sana (Thank you very much) Ndugu (Brother) Mwakikagile.

comprehensive work on Nyerere.......2005-03-25

I have done scholarly research on African politics for more than 40 years and this is one of the best books and reference texts I have ever read. And it is probably the best one, so far, on the late Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere.

World-nenowned African scholar, Professor Ali Mazrui from Kenya who is also chancellor of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (appointed by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki) once said that among all African leaders, Julius Nyerere was the most original thinker in Anglophone Africa, and Leopold Sedar Senghor in Francophone Africa. It was an objective evaluation. But I wish to go further than that.

Julius Nyerere was probably the most original thinker among all African leaders. In terms of high intellect, he was second to none. And in terms of philosophical thinking and ideological originality and clarity, he was also second to none. President Senghor may have been his intellectual equal, but Senghor's contribution was limited to a few areas, especially on Negritude (which was not even his original concept but Aime Cesaire' from Martinique) and speculative poetry.

In this expanded edition, Tanzanian writer and scholar Godfrey Mwakikagile has provided us with an in-depth study and a wide range of knowledge about Nyerere and his policies, domestic and foreign, as well as an interesting background on the early days of one of the most influential world leaders in the twentieth century who had humble origins in a simple African village of Butiama in northern Tanganyika, what is Tanzania today, near the shores of Lake Victoria. And in spite of his towering stature on the international scene and in academic circles where he was greatly admired and respected as an intellectual president, he remained humble and extremely close to the grassroots, venerated by the masses until his last days.

Reading this book is virtually standing in front of Nyerere, listening to what he is saying, what he is teaching, and what he is thinking on domestic and international issues. Probably his greatest contribution on a continental scale was the unsurpassed role he played in spearheading the liberation struggle in southern Africa. No other African leader came even close to him in that regard besides Kwame Nkrumah who, unfortunately, was overthrown with the help of the CIA in February 1966 before his full impact on the freedom struggle in southern Africa could be felt.

Nyerere's death was indeed the end of an era of which some of us were an integral part. But to appreciate the scope and full extent of all this, you have to read this book which should be on the shelves of public and university libraries everywhere, but especially in Africa to whose well-being Mwalimu dedicated his entire life.

Farewell Mwalimu. We miss you.

Phenomenon!.......2003-10-31

An eye opener for those who think nothing positive ever emerged from Africa! A well researched piece of work! It is a manual for all of us who aspire to see the genuine and authentic people-centered leadership in Africa. Mwalimu, as correctly exhibited by Godfrey was an icon not only for Africa but for the entire world.

Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era. Biography of Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922-1999) President of Tanzania

Average customer rating:

Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era. Biography of Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922-1999) President of Tanzania
Godfrey Mwakikagile
Manufacturer: Protea Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1931768757

Book Description

Jan Little tells her story with a full measure of courage and vinegar. This is an inspiring book about conquering adversity.

Average customer rating:
The Smiling Pets Recipe Book: 101 Easy Make Treats..Five Minutes or Less Prep Time
Connie Fewell Reisenbigler
Manufacturer: Connie Reisenbigler
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Three Dog Bakery Cookbook: Over 5 Recipes for All-Natural Treats for Your Dog

ASIN: 0974444510

Average customer rating:

a review of Amazon's 'search inside' feature.

Nice reference

clear patterns, well explained

I like this little book.....

Excellent reference guide for newbies and oldies alike!

The Crocheter's Companion (The Companion series)
Nancy Brown
Manufacturer: Interweave Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Crocheting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Knitter's Companion: Expanded and Updated (The Companion series)

The Crochet Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask (Answer Book)

Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet

The Crochet Stitch Bible

Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker

ASIN: 1931499136

Book Description

This pocket-sized spiral-bound reference for crochet-lovers is designed to fit into a project bag or basket, lie flat for easy use during project-making, and provide the essential information that crocheters need to have at their fingertips. Step-by-step instruction, helpful hints, and simple illustrations demystify this beautiful folk art. From basic and advanced stitches, finishing techniques, and special touches to time-honored favorite patterns, motifs, and medallions, this is an indispensable resource for the serious and beginner crocheter alike.

Customer Reviews:

a review of Amazon's 'search inside' feature........2007-07-31

What's the point of having a 'search inside' feature when you can't see anything but the index and title pages? This book may have some terrific projects in it, but you'd never know it from attempting to 'browse' the pages online. It's a constant problem - one which makes me nostalgic for bookstores, where one can examine a book before making a purchase.

Nice reference.......2007-07-11

Small and easy to use. Have all the basic and most of the advanced techniques and much more (finishing, decorative, motifs, afghan/Tunisian, Irish, filet, hints etc). The only disadvantage is that the illustrations are drawn and in black and white; I believe colorful photos would be much easier to understand at least for advanced and decorative techniques, and also for motifs. Other than that the book is a good reference and because of the size you can carry it anywhere.
I wouldn't suggest this book for learning crochet but it's a useful tool for beginner as a reference for stitches and troubleshooting.

clear patterns, well explained.......2005-10-10

good companion. like the clear graphics and explanations to do things the right way when you are a begginer. do not like the fold page of the book, but just a minor thing.

I like this little book............2005-01-18

Although this jam-packed little volume is small enough to slip in your knitting/crochet basket, it holds enough information to rival larger books. Practical tools and suggestions fill the book as well as illustrations that are easy to understand (for me and I've been crocheting a long time). In case you forget the difference between the double crochet and the half-double crochet, the book includes example of those and other basic stitches as well as more ornate procedures such as making a popcorn stitch. One set of pages covers making Granny squares including `Granny square triangles' and other forms of the popular pattern. The book is printed in black and white and may not appeal to those who are color dependent. The pages are heavy with clear plastic surfaces which makes them easy to clean and long wearing, but hard to flip through if you are looking for something specific. I find THE CROCHETER'S COMPANION useful for travel, but have better books for home use.

Excellent reference guide for newbies and oldies alike!.......2004-12-30

I purchased this neat little guide when I was first learning crochet. Very convenient little book! No messing with those big books trying to keep the page open, holding your yarn etc.. etc.. I recommend getting this guide.. great for travelers~!

Average customer rating:

Crocheter's Companion
Nancy Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000PUEJHK

Customer Reviews:

adorable.......2007-01-26

The pictures in this memory book are adorable. I'll admit, I still haven't finished filling it out, but it was the best one I've found.

Book Description

The Silence of Barbara Synge is a unique work of cultural enquiry, combining archival research, literary criticism, and religious and medical history to pull the strands together and relate them to the family's literary descendent J.M. Synge. Taking the alleged death of Mrs. John Hatch (née Synge) in 1767 as a focal point, this book explores the varied strands of the Synge family tree in 18th and 19th century Ireland. Key events in the family's history are carefully documented, including a suicide in 1769 which is echoed in an early Synge play, the effects of the famine which influenced "The Playboy of the Western World" in 1907, and the behavior of Francis Synge at the time of the union.

The Aran Islands (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

Average customer rating:

Another world
Stories in another tongue
Lively Reading
An Insight Into The Irish Soul
I was named after the island

The Aran Islands (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)
J. M. Synge , and Tim Robinson
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

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

ASIN: 0140184325

Amazon.com

Nothing much happens on the Aran Islands--at least, not much went on there in the late 19th century, when John Synge sailed out to these mist-shrouded, salt-sprayed, and wave-battered chunks of rocks south of Ireland. Therein lies the charm of the setting and of this lovely book, which captures the saltiness of both the marine air and the time-lost characters, who deeply believe in the magical "wee people." In cottages where nets and fishing tackle hang from beams, the women (who always wear red dresses and petticoats, as do some of the boys) sit at their spinning wheels or sew cow-skin sandals, while the fishermen spin yarns about fairies, sunken vessels, and bags of gold gained from adulterous wives. The big happening of the year is when roofs are rethatched--an event that blossoms into a festival with twisted rope stretching from kitchen table through lane to nearby field. Synge seems an ambassador from a different world: addressed as "noble person," he brings tokens of modernity--be they clocks or simple magic tricks that beguile the locals. First published in 1907, this re-released travelogue gives a poignant peek into another time and begs a visit to the Aran Islands to see how, or if, they have changed. --Melissa Rossi

Book Description

A few of the younger men looked doubtful, but the older people, who have watched the rye turning into oats, seemed to accept the magic frankly, and did not show any surprise that 'a duine uasal' (a noble person) should be able to do like the witches.

Download Description

Customer Reviews:

Another world.......2007-01-31

Not only does this book describe a time long past but Synge has a deeper sense of the psychology of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands and how it differs with that of "civilized" people of the time. Anyone who is interested in this topic and enjoys this book would do well to read Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan, which is a personal account by Mr. O'Sullivan of his life on Ireland's Great Blasket Island and is a wonderful, lyrical read that shows alot of humor as well as love for the natural world around him.

Stories in another tongue.......2006-02-11

This book describes the adventures of J. M. Synge on the Aran Islands around the turn of the Twentieth Century. William Butler Yeats suggested that Synge visit the island in order to learn Irish and become acquainted with traditional Irish culture as it had been preserved on the islands. Synge followed his suggestion, and made four lengthy trips to the islands. In this book, he recounts his experiences on the islands, together with some of the stories and poems that were recited to him there.

The book is a unique collection of travelogue, journal, and research notebook. Synge describes his relationships with individuals on the islands, as well as some of the common traits and customs observable there. He tells us about harrowing sea passages that he took from island to island in small rowed boats, and records a number of folk-tales that were shared with him by island residents. Synge was to draw on all of this material in his later writing career, making the book quite interesting for those who enjoy his plays. The book also provides informative details of what daily life was like in this remote region at the time.

Lively Reading.......2004-07-06

The search for authentic experiences is regarded as an important theme in postmodernism. John Millington Synge's book demonstrates that this quest for authenticity has been an important part of cultural inquiry for a long time. This wonderful book was written almost one hundred years ago, but it reads like a contemporary ethnographic inquiry. He provides vivid descriptions of daily life and wonderful presentations of the folklore of the Aran Islands. The book is primarily descriptive, but there are interesting textures and conclusions throughout Synge's writing. I would recommend reading this book and then watching Flaherty's film "Man of Aran." Follow up that visual feast with Stoney's "The Making of the Myth." To complete your excursion, top things off with a reading of Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and "Riders to the Sea," two fine plays that he set on the Aran Islands. The stories, descriptions, and textures within Synge's book will become very clear when you're finished.

An Insight Into The Irish Soul.......2003-03-15

"The Aran Islands" is a delightful rendition of the experiences of J. M. Synge during his visits to the Aran Islands just over a century ago. Synge's journey had been encouraged by William Butler Yeats. "Go to the Aran Islands. Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression." Here Synge gained an insight into the Irish character which would enrich his later works.

The Aran Islands are a chain of islands off the coasts of Connemara and Clare. Isolated by the sea, the Arans, like the Galapagos in the natural world, preserve the language and customs of traditional Ireland.

The book is a narrative of what Synge saw and the stories he heard during his stays in the Arans, told by a master storyteller in the finest Irish tradition. The language is delightful, the stories are entertaining and the insight into the Irish soul is profound. A must read for any lover of the Irish.

I was named after the island.......2003-02-09

My dad was born there in the 1950's and i was named after it. not a bad place, not much to do but nice to visit. the book is informal but informative.

Letters to Molly: John Millington Synge to Maire O'Neill, 1906-1909 (Belknap Press)

Average customer rating:

Letters to Molly: John Millington Synge to Maire O'Neill, 1906-1909 (Belknap Press)
John Millington Synge
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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

Book Description

When John Millington Synge and Molly Allgood fell in love, he was thirty-five, she nineteen. Neither knew that he had Hodgkin's disease, of which he was to die in three years. Synge had already achieved recognition as a playwright--translations of two of his plays had been performed in Berlin and Prague--and he was codirector, with Yeats and Lady Gregory, of the Irish National Theatre Society. Molly had started her acting career the year before, in the newly opened Abbey Theatre, with a walk-on part in Synge's Well of the Saints. She had been promoted from crowd scenes to bit parts to lead roles in Riders to the Sea and The Shadow of the Glen. She was still only a member of the company, however, while Synge was a director, whose codirectors disapproved of fraternization. Synge and Molly also faced the disapproval of two widowed mothers. Barring an occasional holiday trip or company road tour, they could seldom be alone together, except on secret afternoon meetings for long walks in the country. Hence their hundreds of letters.

Molly's letters do not survive; they apparently were destroyed when Synge died. But his letters convey her mercurial charm, her openness, her love of life, her impulsiveness, and her temper--as violent as his own. What they convey of him (when he is not reproving her or remonstrating with her, as he does in the early months of their relationship) is the love of nature, the poetic language, the bittersweet irony, the elemental quality of emotion, that we know from the plays. His concern for his craft is seen as he struggles with The Playboy. ("Parts of it are not structurally strong or good. I have been all this time trying to get over weak situations by strong writing, but now I find it won't do, and I am at my wit's end.") Synge was quite unperturbed by the violent outrage and near-riots the play provoked. ("Now we'll be talked about. We're an event in the history of the Irish stage," he wrote cheerily.)

As his illness progresses, following operations in 1907 and 1908, there is great poignancy in the gradual abating of references to marriage plans and in the shift of salutation from "Dearest Changeling" to "My dearest child."

After Synge's death his friends and biographers discreetly avoided mention of Molly, who under her stage name of Maire O'Neill became one of the leading actresses of the Irish theater and lived until 1952. His letters to her have not been published before, except for the few quoted in Greene and Stephens' 1959 biography. A primary source for the study of Synge and the Irish theater movement, the letters include poems inspired by Molly and extensive information about Abbey Theatre business.

In addition to a biographical introduction, Ann Saddlemyer has included a map of the Wicklow and Dublin areas and numerous photographs of both Synge and Molly.

Synge and Irish Nationalism: The Precursor to Revolution

Average customer rating:

Synge and Irish Nationalism: The Precursor to Revolution
Nelson O'Ceallaigh Ritschel
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Screenplays | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0313324247

Book Description

One of the most important playwrights of the Irish Renaissance, John Millington Synge is receiving renewed attention as his works are reread in light of the political and cultural contexts of his time. This book argues that his plays are far more deeply rooted, thematically and aesthetically, in the ancient native literature than was previously believed. It demonstrates that Synge borrowed themes and ideology from the ancient culture, serving as a nationalist agenda far more radical and modern than the agendas of the most common nationalists in his day. Synge rejects these nationalists, whom he believed were embracing foreign influences that were drowning Ireland in conservatively capitalistic initiatives and values. The book's most important section examines The Playboy of the Western World. It discusses the play's characters as representative and recognizable types and reconsiders the play's thematic depiction of violence. Synge's representation of both commenced the process of separating and identifying the nationalist camps in Dublin from 1907 on. The volume argues that Synge's play drafted what became the Easter Rising. This argument is furthered through Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows and the influence that his works ultimately bore on the plays and ideologies of Thomas MacDonagh, Padaraic Pearse, and James Connolly. The book also explores the acting style originally used to perform Synge's plays, thus gathering further evidence for its argument.

The Playboy of the Western World and Other Plays (Signet Classics)

Average customer rating:

Sounds Like Shakespeare
Playboy of he Western World and other Plays, J. M. Synge

The Playboy of the Western World and Other Plays (Signet Classics)
J. M. Synge
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0451530071

Book Description

This volume from one of Ireland's greatest playwrights includes "In the Shadow of the Glen," "Riders to the Sea," and "The Playboy of the Western World."

Customer Reviews:

Sounds Like Shakespeare.......2007-06-25

At one point in Ulysses, Stephen thinks or says something to somebody about how you can always tell Synge because he sounds like Shakespeare. That's a jab probably, but I don't think it's intended to be far off from the truth either.

I agree that reading these plays aloud is wonderful.

In a class I took, we read extended portions of "Playboy of the Western World". Some of us, including a great old professor, were busting, tearing up with laughter. The play is fall-over funny even if you're reading to yourself.

I just have to say though, that the plays are for performing.

A friend of mine and I did a scene as an acting exercise for a class she was taking--it was one of the scenes in which Christy courts Pegeen Mike. The audience--about 15 people--were spellbound. We looked out at dropped jaws.
This friend of mine and I did a competent job of acting. What blew the class away, really, was the ecstatic language and the infatuation one feels for the characters, their solidity, and the dramatic electricity between them... Lines from this bit come back to me, what? 20 years later? It's like music: delightful! The action goes from high tragedy to knockabout.
Well, it's what makes the Irish the Irish.
And the play's been just as good when others did it.

"Riders to the Sea" is like a religious ceremony, similar to the way that the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles are like religious ceremonies. They use choruses to much the same effect. The action is ritualized and repetitive. Idealized characters utter formula phrases.

Religious ceremonies should be moving even to sensitive atheists. "Riders" sounds out some elemental terrain: it packs a deep sort of wallop.

Playboy of he Western World and other Plays, J. M. Synge.......2007-03-19

These are classic plays by Irish playwrite and poet John Millilngton Synge, with the attention to language and folklore that is typical of Synge. Best enjoyed by reading the plays aloud.

Collected Plays and Poems and The Aran Islands (Everyman Paperback

Average customer rating:

Collected Plays and Poems and The Aran Islands (Everyman Paperback

Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0460875116

Average customer rating:

The Writings of J. M. Synge.
Robin. Skelton
Manufacturer: Bobbs-Merrill Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0672513374

Average customer rating:

In Wicklow, West Kerry, and Connemara
John Millington Synge
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

One of the best books ever written.

Aran Song
John Canter
Manufacturer: Clo Iar-Chonnachta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

One of the best books ever written........1998-06-07

My copy of Aran Song is dog eared with phrases underlined for their beauty. John Canter is a genius of the memorable phrase in this account of a writer headed back to the Aran Islands to discover the soul of Synge to inspire the writer to pick up the pen again. "Now he was a man who sat alone on a dune of sand on an island of stone in Galway Bay and waited for the spirit of John Synge. -To wait for Synge. What does it mean, Noel asked . . . I am an hourglass filled with the sands of my own mortality, he mused. -I am running out. As are the sands of Aran. As are the sands of man." Mr. Canter lives in Pittsburgh and frequently travels to the Arans. This is a book of poetically beautiful prose. One is transported to Kilronan and walks with Synge through the character, Noel. I count it a treasure.

Assessing the Achievement of J. M. Synge (Contributions in Drama and Theatre Studies)

Average customer rating:

Assessing the Achievement of J. M. Synge (Contributions in Drama and Theatre Studies)

Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0313297142

Book Description

J. M. Synge is generally considered one of the most important Irish dramatists, and his standing within the larger canon of world literature usually goes unchallenged. But his reputation may not be standing the test of time. A relative dearth of presentations on Synge's work at major national and international conferences and even at regional Irish studies conferences suggests that he is not studied as much as he once was, especially relative to other Irish authors such as Joyce, Yeats, O'Casey, and even Paul Muldoon and Eavan Boland. Tolerance for some of Synge's once-hailed extragavance is also lessening among students of his drama. The expert contributors of this book demonstrate that Synge's work is of continuing relevance to contemporary audiences and readers. Each of its essays illuminates the worth of Synge's dramatic canon either by some form of reassessment of individual plays or by comparison of Synge's work to that of authors whose reputation is still indisputably well established, such as Yeats, or to that of contemporary authors whose work is much in the public eye, such as Salman Rushdie. New approaches, including a feminist study of the language of Synge's heroines, also help establish the continued relevance of his drama to contemporary readers.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books