New Brunswick Hussar: Corporal Harold Jorgen Skaarup, G753, 5th Armoured Regiment (8th Princess Louise's New Brunswick Hussars)

Book Description

Corporal Harold J. Skaarup of Carleton County, New Brunswick was a Sherman tank commander in "A" Squadron of the 5th Armoured Regiment, 8th Princess Louise’s New Brunswick Hussars during the Second World War. On the morning of the 31st of August 1944, he and his tank crew were fighting the Germans in Italy near a hill known as Point 136. His Squadron had already lost twelve of 19 tanks, ten to German 88mm anti-tank shells and 2 to breakdowns. That morning, Harold’s tank was hit by a shell fired from a German 88mm anti-tank gun, and Harold was badly injured. Although he and his tank crew bailed out of the burning Sherman, mortar rounds began to land on them. Harold was hit again, this time taking shell fragments in his chest. He was evacuated to a field hospital in the rear area, but died later from his wounds on the 6th of September 1944. He was 24 years old. Today he lies buried in a Commonwealth War Grave in Montecchio, Italy. He never got home to tell his story. This record is a partial chronicle of his service, by his nephew. We never met, but I do carry his name.

Book Description

More than a century after his death in 1900, Nietzsche remains a seminal figure in the history of European intellectual life. Celebrated as a liberator by some, maligned as a pernicious influence by others, he was the subject of controversy during his lifetime, pursuing a hedonistic individualism and espousing concepts such as the Superman and the Will to Power until he died after a decade of institutionalized insanity. In this groundbreaking biography, Joachim Köhler seeks for the first time to understand Nietzsche's philosophy through a reconstruction of his inner life. In a revealing reinterpretation of his letters, diaries, and writings, Köhler shows that Nietzsche's suppressed homosexuality, generating a hatred of Christianity and conventional morality, was a central influence on his work. Further, Köhler argues, his philosophical position was fundamentally compromised by the concealment of his forbidden sexual desire. Throughout his life, the unhappy genius was also plagued by horrible nightmares, stemming from his much-loved father's death, which led to a profoundly disturbed conscience and an intense loathing of metaphysics. Seeking to disguise the truth of his innermost torments, Nietzsche contrived the persona of Zarathustra. The story of the great Persian philosopher, contends Köhler, reveals Nietzsche's own suppression and dionysiac liberation, and presents the culmination of his secret yearnings in the new myth of the Superman who, in his naked beauty, resembled the gods of classical Greece.

Customer Reviews:

Borderlands of nightmare.......2003-02-20

Charged with some degree of speculation, this work is nonetheless a significant perspective on Nietzsche that any student of the subject ought to consider. Isn't the author's point, despite a near animus toward his subject, rather clear from the data examined? We need not finalize opinion to be grateful for an examination of a man who lived the discovery of the unconscious, without jargon or theories. You can be genuinely confused by Nietzsche, and the strange riddle of his philosophy deserves a bit of demystification. This was a dangerous subject that routinely confuses all discussion of social equality, 'good and evil', to say nothing of the complex history of Zarathustra, from a starting point that misconceived the nature of Greek tragedy.
With Nietzsche style triumphs over the stark danger of intoxicated encounter with the fringe-border world of the noumenal,and the fragments of the explosion are strewn across a modern philosophical wasteland. I think the author unsufficiently consider this point, the wreckage of a true genius on the shoals of psychological confusions and ambiguity. It takes more than genius to resolve the philosophical heritage Nietzsche encounters, and the result shows the burnout of a facile Schopenhaurian rockstar type, which almost makes the man more interesting. In any case, this was a compelling, somewhat chilling account, that made Nietzsche interesting in a new way. One need not agree with Freud's theories, which their own such legacy, to suddenly see why his efforts to 'lance the wound' of the Victorian psyche made such sense for its time. Fascinating work, if a bit cold for Nietzsche fan clubs.

Was Nietzsche Gay?.......2002-05-30

At first sight, it would seem to the reader that Nietzsche's biographers have finally run out of things to say. We've had the French Nietzsche, the Positivist Nietzsche, The Existential Nietzsche, the Postmodern Nietzsche, ad nauseum. And now the Gay Nietzsche? But hild on here; not so fast. While I may not agree with many of Kohler's arguments, he has still managed to write one hell of an entertaining book without insulting my intelligence in the process.

When I first began reading this tome, I thought to myself that this may well be another of those works in which anyone in history who was anyone was, of course, gay. But then I remembered Siegfried Mandel's "Nietzsche and the Jews," in which Mandel made many of the same assertations. Kohler, however, wants to pursue the issue of possible homosexuality as the centerpiece of his biography, instead of leaving in on the sidelines as Mandel does.

It is a difficult task, as Nietzsche was one of the most open philosophers in terms of private life, but one who had his life heavily edited by his manipulative sister after madess rendered him helpless. Anything that went against the ideal she had made for her brother was rewritten to have its meaning changed, or was simply discarded it to the dustbin. Because of this huge gap in out knowledge, Kohler can only rely on information rescued from the scrap-heap, and to this addes a great deal of speculation. Granted, some of it is learned speculation, and some of it appears dead on target, but it is speculation, nonetheless and must always be viewed with the proverbial grain of salt.

Ther author is also aided greatly in this effort by reference to the definitive three-volume biography of Nietzsche by Curt Paul Janz. Published in Munich in 1978, it appears never to have been translated into English and is, alas, now out-of-print in Germany. Much of Kohler's biographical information comes from this book, which helps explain why it blows away all English biographies in terms of depth. I have learned many more facts about Nietzsche's life from this book than I have from, say, the biography of Ronald Heyman, which itself adheres to the familiar paradigm about the life of Nietzsche.

Does Kohler prove his point? Sadly for him, no. Most of his evidence is purely circumstantial and some second-hand. But he gives the reader enough good information for many evenings of argument until those documents that will prove the argument one way of another are found. As that day is not very likely to come, at least not soon, the speculations in this book should serve to entertain and provide ammo for countless future arguments. And sometimes there is no greater intellectual fun to be had.

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Zarathustra's Secret: The Interior Life of Friedrich Nietzsche.
Joachim Kohler
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORV4Y0

Average customer rating:

2 books exactly the same

All your Favorite Foods - Lots of Fun!

Not What I Thought

Great for the beginning cook!

Terrific!

Cooking With Joy: The 90/10 Cookbook
Joy Bauer , and Rosemary Black
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Low Fat | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Weight Loss | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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The 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan: A Scientifically Designed Balance of Healthy Foods and Fun Foods

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The 90/10 Weight Loss Cookbook

Complete Idiot's Guide to Total Nutrition, Fourth Edition

The 1200-Calorie-a-Day Menu Cookbook : Quick and Easy Recipes for Delicious Low-fat Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, and Desserts

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0312312539

Book Description

Why have so many people tried and loved Joy Bauer's 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan? The answer is simple: it works! On the 90/10 plan, dieters follow a balanced diet of 90% nutritious foods and 10% "Fun" foods-whatever you want, whenever you want. Since you don't feel deprived of your favorite foods, The 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan is a program you can stay on successfully. Now, Joy, one of New York's hottest nutritionists, reveals the secrets to creating meals that will help you lose weight and keep it off. Cooking with Joy delivers a 14-day menu plan and over 100 satisfying and delectable recipes. Forget about chalky diet shakes and bland frozen meals. Using Joy's healthy recipes plans, you and your family will enjoy dishes like Apple Cinnamon Crepes, Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps, and Creamy Pumpkin Pie. Cooking with Joy is the perfect book for those looking to shop smart and create delicious and healthy at-home meals. Only Cooking with Joy features: Over 100 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert! A fourteen-day menu planner Nutritional information including variations to fit 1200, 1400, 1800, and 2000 calorie-a-day eating plans Joy's aisle-by-aisle guide to navigating the grocery store Kids in the Kitchen-a chapter devoted to kid-friendly meals and snacks, including Cheerios French Toast and Pretty in Pink Soup Gourmet dinners perfect for parties and holiday gatherings Gourmet meals for parties-From Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa to Roasted Red Pepper Frittatas Kids in the Kitchen-- Banana Choc-Topus, Rainbow Chicken Nuggets, Frozen Pudding Lollipops, and more! A 14-Day Menu Plan Joy's Top Ten Tips-How to get the most flavor from the foods you eat Joy's aisle-by-aisle guide to navigating the grocery store-where to stop and where to steer clear!

Customer Reviews:

2 books exactly the same.......2007-08-06

I bought the Cooking with Joy and The 90/10 Weight Loss Cookbook. These two books are exactly the same with different looking covers. I'm shipping one back. Just wanted to save others the hastle.

All your Favorite Foods - Lots of Fun!.......2006-05-12

Love this book! Lots of great recipes and easy planning.

Not What I Thought.......2006-03-16

I had thought this book would be full of common recipes but instead the recipes have lots of ingredients & are just more than I was looking for.

Great for the beginning cook!.......2005-12-29

I was a little intimidated when I saw the recipes, because some of them have a lot of ingredients. Well, a lot for me, who's more of a '4 ingredients or less' type of person. But they're explained really well, and the steps themselves are simple. The ingredients that I've encountered so far are simple to find, and the results are tasty, simple food. Some of the receipes might be a little too elementary for people who have a clue in the kitchen, but I really don't, so it helps me out a lot. Plus, there's a section for kid-friendly dishes, and another that puts together menus for 'fancy meals' with 2-3 dishes. They're a bit more exotic than the tuna salad and angel hair pasta picatta I've tackled thus far.

Oh, and before the section on recipes they have general cooking tips, which is really great. I really like the 'aisle-by-aisle' guide section. It helps to know how to properly store the fruits and veggies I get (and for how long), and what the different health aspects are to different types of fish or poultry or beef, or what different spices are typically used for.

So, for me, this was a great book. Now my only problem is I have so many leftovers piling up because I want to try everything!

Terrific!.......2004-05-16

This is a great companion to Joy Bauer's groundbreaking 90/10 Plan. This is a diet plan that doesn't feel like one and offers stunning results without giving anything up. The recipes are accessible, easy to prepare, and offer a wide range of options for even the fussiest of eaters. This is a book to be used for years to come.

Average customer rating:

Good recipes, but no color and no photos

Tasty resource for low-carb recipes plus good foodie reading

Against the Grain: 150 Good Carb Mediterranean Recipes
Diane Kochilas
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Mediterranean | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Low Fat | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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The Mediterranean Prescription: Meal Plans and Recipes to Help You Stay Slim and Healthy for the Rest of Your Life

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0060726792
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Book Description

Healthy food doesn't have to be boring and bland. Look to the Mediterranean for innovative, fresh, and nutritious ideas. In Against the Grain, award-winning cookbook author Diane Kochilas offers up a collection of satisfying, good-for-you recipes inspired by the exotic dishes of the Mediterranean.

Whether you're trying to lose weight or simply improve you're eating habits, sticking to a good carb diet is a great idea. The Mediterranean diet isn't all breads, grains, and pasta -- it includes plenty of fish, chicken, lamb, vegetables, and fruits. Against the Grain includes recipes for everything from light bites, such as tapas, soups, and salads, to hearty entrees and sides. The ingredient lists are supermarket-friendly and prep time is minimal, so busy home cooks can whip up healthy meals in minutes, every night of the week.

In addition to classics like Fresh Tomato Soup with Moroccan Spices, Chicken Cacciatore, and Pan-Seared Shrimp with Romesco Sauce, there are innovative, exotic new dishes like Grilled Skewered Lamb with Mint and Garlic Pesto, Pork Medallions Marinated with Olives and Orange, and Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Soufflé.

One of the basic principles of the Mediterranean lifestyle is that everything should be enjoyed in moderation. In Against the Grain, no foods are forbidden or totally off limits. Instead, you'll find formerly "sinful" ingredients like rich cheeses, potatoes, rice, fragrant nuts and oils, and wine incorporated into savory meals. Yes, the recipes are healthy and nutritious, but, more important, the dishes in Against the Grain are hearty, satisfying, and flavorful.

Customer Reviews:

Good recipes, but no color and no photos.......2006-02-25

I have lots of cookbooks, and this one has unique recipes and good extra information. The outside cover is colorful and nice quality, implying the same inside. The inside pages are, however, thin (like newspaper) and have no color and no photos. I appreciate glossy cookbook pages because you can clean off grease and spills. This one is hard to keep clean in the kitchen and is less inspiring without photos or color.

Tasty resource for low-carb recipes plus good foodie reading.......2005-12-25

`Against the Grain' is the fifth book by leading culinary writer in English on Greek food, Diane Kochilas. And, it is written as a source book on Mediterranean recipes for low carb diets, primarily in response to the author's taking up first the Atkins and then the South Beach diet regimens which limit carbohydrate intake. The title of the book is a pun on the fact that grains, especially wheat, rice, and corn are such a big part of the Mediterranean diet.

This book raises the issue that while the Mediterranean cuisines are commonly thought to be so healthy, why is it that not only carbohydrates, but especially carbohydrates from processed white flour are such a bit part of classic Mediterranean cuisines in bread, pasta, couscous, and dumplings of various sorts. The author answers part of this question when she cites that until quite recently, white flour and its products were simply not available to people with average or low incomes except on special occasions. However, one of the most basic poor people's staples, chestnuts and chestnut flour are very high in carbohydrates with little collateral nutrition in the calories. Another part of the answer is that the `healthy Mediterranean diet' story arose from a demographic study of residents of Crete, which is a very small sample of the whole Mediterranean cuisine.

In opening this book, I feel it is actually more difficult for it to attain a high rating than a straight cookbook on Mediterranean food. This is because in addition to presenting good recipes, the book aims to present recipes that will help you loose weight. Bobby Flay's latest book, `Grilling for Life' takes a very similar tack, in that he is using a nominally healthy (low fat) food preparation technique and telling us what the (negative) nutritional analysis of each dish is. By negative, I mean the amounts of all the things we wish to avoid on one or another style of diet, that being calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and total carbohydrates, plus the good stuff, fiber and protein. Neither book deals at all with the principles behind the various diet regimens. This means that these books are probably not really going to help you unless you know the ropes of your diet of choice. Kochilas does spend a little time discussing the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats and how the latter (olive oil) is better than the former (animal and tropical fats), but neither book explains how the nutritional analyses were done and neither book has a nutritional expert as a co-author.

Kochilas nine chapters are:

Eggs for Breakfast, Brunch, and Dinner
Small Plates of the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Garden in a Bowl
Side Dish and Main Course Vegetables
The Mediterranean Soup Kitchen
Fruits of the Wine-Dark Sea
Chicken and a Few Duck Dishes
The Sacrificial Lamb
The Ubiquitous Pig and a Few Beef Dishes

The first two chapters really puzzled me, as the calorie, fat, and sodium counts on so many of these recipes seemed rather high. On the other hand, it was interesting to see some of the tricks to keep some basic carb flavors, such as potato, in some recipes without adding much potatoes (its done with potato peels). In the vegetable, soup, and fish chapters, it was not surprising to see all the bad stuff drop to reasonable levels. Even the chicken and lamb dishes were pretty reasonable, especially with calories. I guess Ms. K. wanted to end on a luxuriant note when her last recipe is the French Bistro classic, Steak au Poivre done with shell steaks and weighing in with 594 calories per serving.

In spite of the winnowing of carbs from grains and selected fruits, I confess that almost all the recipes look very, very tasty. As with all of Ms. K.'s books, I find this a fascinating read, even considering the dismal subject. There is plenty here to enrich your insight into Mediterranean cuisine. And, it is important to note that the book does cover the entire Mediterranean and even goes pretty far inland to get some all time favorite recipes.

Ultimately, I give this five stars because of the great culinary storytelling, the quality of the recipes without limiting oneself to one method of cooking, and the fact that the list price, $24.95 is far below the conventional $35 for a new celebrity cookbook.

Recommended.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful quilts and great rotary cutting instructions

Clever Quarters, Too: More Quilts from Fat Quarters
Susan Teegarden Dissmore
Manufacturer: That Patchwork Place
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Clever Quarters: Quilts from Fat-Quarter Cuts

Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts (That Patchwork Place)

ASIN: 1564776271

Book Description

Sew a work of art using fat quarters as the palette! This bestselling author's follow up to Clever Quarters features all-new scrappy quilts that focus on fat quarters—those irresistible cuts of fabric that are celebrated as the ultimate quilter's candy.

• Fourteen projects include a table runner, a wall hanging, and bed quilts

• Choose the number of fat quarters you want to use, from as few as 5 to 26, 38, or even a whopping 62 cuts

• Find tips for combining a multitude of colors, values, and patterns to get that classic scrappy look

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful quilts and great rotary cutting instructions.......2007-01-04

This is a wonderful book that has easy to follow directions for those of us who are "directionally challenged". Very tradtional and contemporary designs.

More Fat Quarter Quilts (That Patchwork Place)

Average customer rating:

more fat quarter quilts
Great Patterns, minor error
I love this book!
Nice Quilts but too many errors
Great resource!

More Fat Quarter Quilts (That Patchwork Place)
M'Liss Rae Hawley
Manufacturer: Martingale and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1564773914

Book Description

Get ready for all-new fun with your fat quarters!

For quilters, there's something irresistible about small cuts of fabric that are folded and tied into enticing bundles of perfect color combinations--we just can't get enough of fabulous fat quarters! Now M'Liss Rae Hawley returns with more fast-and-easy quilt patterns especially for those fun bits of fabric.

· Choose from eight wall-hanging to bed-size projects featuring traditional patterns in fresh color schemes, with two projects designed especially for beginners

· Follow four simple steps that will guarantee your success: decide on a pattern, choose six coordinating fat quarters, pick background fabrics, and select a border fabric

· Create unique color combinations by adding individual fat quarters to coordinating packets for a one-of-a-kind look

From the author of the bestseller Fat Quarter Quilts (ISBN 1-56477-269-1)

Customer Reviews:

more fat quarter quilts.......2006-03-18

Has some great embroidery blocks for quilting. I have some ideas for these quilts that will be EASY to make.

Great Patterns, minor error.......2006-01-13

I love ALL the patterns in this book. I too discovered the error in the middle of making a quilt and had to make do with what I had. I love all the patterns and as a fairly new quilter, I found these quilts easy and fun to make. The colors in the book are great. I love how there are multiple quilts shown for each pattern, each with great colors. I can't wait to make more. Just be careful and read all the directions to make sure there aren't any other mistakes.

I love this book!.......2003-02-27

The first quilt that I made was from this book, and I plan on making at least two or three more. Actually, I like all of the patterns, and it is very rare that one likes every single pattern in a book! The quilts range from quite small baby/wall size to one that's big enough for a bed, with most of the designs falling into the lap quilt category. A couple of the quilts are easy enough for a brand-spanking-new beginner, and the others are in the advanced beginner/intermediate range. Two are paper pieced, the rest are strip pieced, and there is one quilt specifically designed to showcase machine-embroidered blocks.
One thing I really love about this book is that each quilt is shown in three or four variations, so the reader gets a chance to see how dramatically fabric choices affect the outcome of a quilt. Hawley also gives tips on fabric selection. Brief sections on piecing and finishing are included, though this is not really a how-to book. It is, however, an excellent book for a new quilter, as well as for a more advanced quilter who is looking for a fairly quick stitch, or for ideas on how to use some of those pretty fat quarters she has collected!

Nice Quilts but too many errors.......2003-01-22

I ran into the same problem as the previous review with the Rail Fence quilt. Also the design called Island Star contains errors both in the finished size (51.5 x 41.5) and some of the cutting instructions. It is a lovely quilt so I would suggest making a sample block first to be on the safe side.

Great resource!.......2003-01-10

I love looking at the quilts in this book and her previous books. I find a lot of inspiration in the gallery. I just finished making the top of the bargello quilt and had a lot of fun.

More! Laps From Fats- 12 More! Lap-size Quilts to Make Using Fat Quarters

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More! Laps From Fats- 12 More! Lap-size Quilts to Make Using Fat Quarters

Manufacturer: Good Intentions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Laps From Fats; 11 Lap-Size Quilts to Make Using Fat Quarters

ASIN: B000GLNPWI

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More Fat Quarter Quilts
M'Liss Rae Hawley
Manufacturer: Matingale and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NSMO3K

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Glorious Harvest: an illustrated guide to vegetables, fruits and Herbs
Francesco Bianchini
Manufacturer: Crescent Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JVEMY0

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Glorious Harvest: an illustrated guide to vegetables, fruits and herbs
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Crescent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0517033135
Release Date: 1990-09-19

Book Description

This guide for parents offers practical strategies to help teach children relaxation techniques, correct ways of thinking to combat worry and anxiety, and empowering behavioral interventions. Parents are encouraged to understand why children worry and to recognize if a child needs help with excessive worry. Explained are how to create a plan to help a child, effective strategies to reduce worry, and how to build a child's self-esteem and confidence so he or she can become more resilient. Additional guidance for medical professionals and for teachers is provided.

Book Description

'You should know that men like Benvenuto, unique in their profession, need not be subject to the law.' Thus spoke Pope Paul III on learning that Cellini had murdered a fellow artist, so great was his reputation in Renaissance Florence. A renowned sculptor and goldsmith, whose works include the famous salt-cellar made for the King of France, and the statue of Perseus with the head of the Medusa, Cellini's life was as vivid and enthralling as his creations. A man of action as well as an artist, he took part in the Sack of Rome in 1527; he was temperamental, passionate, and conceited, capable of committing criminal acts ranging from brawling and sodomy to theft and murder. He numbered among his patrons popes and kings and members of the Medici family, and his autobiography is a fascinating account of sixteenth-century Italy and France written with all the verve of a novel. This new translation, which captures the freshness and vivacity of the original, is based on the latest critical edition. It examines in detail the central event in Cellini's narrative, the casting of the statue of Perseus.

Customer Reviews:

A page turning pleasure........2005-10-01

I was in Florence recently, when my eyes came across this book. I'am no expert in art, history or biography, but this was a great read. I chuckled often as Cellini vividly portrayed the many adventures of his life. The one amazing thing about this book is, how real Cellini becomes. You feel his many pains and triumphs. Cellini is very normal and flawed, which make him more endearing. I love the guy and wish he were alive today, cause he's the type of guy you'd enjoy a beer with. Buy this book. For everyone.

Ian Myles Slater on: A Benvenuto (Welcome) New Version.......2004-08-01

This much-translated book is the story, in his own words, of a real person whose life seems more like fiction. For clarity, I am going to offer readers unfamiliar with the work some facts, before briefly describing the excellent Oxford World's Classics version (the sixth in English), translated and annotated by the team of Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella. I hope that this will help others find their way through a confusing bibliography. (Those familiar with Cellini should skip to the end.)

Benvenuto Cellini, Florentine goldsmith, sculptor, and enthusiastic self-promoter, can safely be described as a man of the sixteenth century, since he was, conveniently, born, in November 1500, and died in February 1571. Other statements about him, however truthful, often sound like fiction. The autobiography he wrote and (he says mainly) dictated between 1558 and 1566 breaks off in November 1562. It covers several tumultuous decades in later Renaissance and early Counter-Reformation Italy, with excursions into the Swiss Alps and France. Alongside Cellini's frequent descriptions of his own prowess as an artist, a duelist and brawler, and a lover, it is notable for Cellini's almost equally frequent confrontations with celebrated figures; it sometimes seems the most appropriate title would be "And Then I *Told-Off* the Pope, the Emperor, the King and Queen, the Duke and Duchess, and the Judge." Amazingly, a lot of it can be confirmed from contemporary documents; Cellini's penchant for getting into trouble, and the fact that he worked in precious metals, both helped leave paper trails.

Cellini's treatises on goldsmithing and sculpture were published in his lifetime and include autobiographical passages; his account of his life had a limited circulation in manuscript, including one corrected by his own hand, until it was published, from an inferior copy, in 1728. A series of Italian critical and popular editions have followed, up to the present. He has yet to achieve the status of Michelangelo and Raphael, which he coveted, but he is being read. His great bronze statue of Perseus, the casting of which he told and retold, was recently restored. Unfortunately, this was soon overshadowed by the theft of his last surviving goldwork, the "salt-cellar" he created for Francis I of France (not the original patron for which it was designed, as usual).

[Stolen in 2003, the ten-inch high object was finally recovered in January 2006; at which time its worth was estimated at 60 million dollars. Or -- in the same BBC story -- as either 33.9 or 36 million pounds; I'm sure Cellini would have insisted on the higher figure. He certainly would have been delighted by the constant repetition that it is "the Mona Lisa" of sculpture," until he decided that the reference should be the other way around.]

The first English translation, by Thomas Nugent, appeared in 1771. A German rendering (serialized beginning in 1796, according to the Bondanellas), published in book form in 1798, ensured the work immediate European attention; the translator was Goethe, THE international best-selling celebrity author of the age. A second English version, by Thomas Rosco, appeared in 1822 ("Memoirs"). By this time a specifically Romantic vision of Cellini was developing, immortalized in Hector Berlioz's splendid opera of 1838, "Benvenuto Cellini." (Was Berlioz's own highly entertaining autobiography influenced by Cellini's example? Or Goethe's?)

The classic rendering in English, by John Addington Symonds, "The Life of Benvenuto Cellini, Written by Himself," was published in 1888. The Bondanellas attribute Cellini's present fame in the English-speaking world to this translation. It has certainly appeared in a variety of forms, including abridgments, and under various titles, and is sometimes listed by editor. It is still in print; there is a Gutenberg e-text available on-line, which is easily searchable, but you need to know Symonds' renderings of Cellini's sixteenth-century spellings of names. (There was even an edition of the Symonds translation illustrated by -- Salvador Dali!)

Unfortunately, the popularity of Symonds' translation overshadowed a richly documented fourth translation, with extensive commentary, by Robert H. Hobart Cust, published in 1910 (as "The Life of ... "); I remember consulting its notes in a library reserve copy, but have no impression of its quality as a translation. (I also have no idea why Dover never picked it up for reprinting, when they offered a translation of the Treatises.) According to the Bondanellas, Cust's version is still, for most purposes, *the* scholarly edition, in any language (Italian included), although more often used than cited.

Since 1956, editions of Symonds have had to compete with George Bull's translation, for the Penguin Classics, as "The Autobiography," which also was the basis of a Folio Society illustrated edition of 1970. Bull's version seems to be regarded as more accurate than Symonds'. Some (myself included) prefer Symonds' prose style; I have adapted much of this review from my notes comparing these two versions. (In revising, I have drawn heavily on the Bondanella's documentation, using their spellings and dates for other translators and editions.) Unhappily, like most Penguin editions of its vintage, it lacked notes or an index; a limited bibliography was supplied in some later printings. It was not until 1999 that the Penguin Classics edition was reissued in a revised version, with extensive notes and a detailed index. There are slight changes in pagination between the two editions of the Penguin translation, but it is my impression that Bull's translation was supplemented, rather than extensively revised. The Penguin edition may or may not be in print as you read this; anyone ordering a used copy should be aware of the difference. (The last page of the original version is 397, of the revised is 496.) For the notes and index, I prefer the 1999 edition to any form of the Symonds translation currently available. And now there is a third choice.

The Bondanella translation is based on the latest critical editions of the Italian text, and, quite explicitly, on Cust's documentation and explication. I am delighted with the result. The translation is more to my taste than that of Bull, or even Symonds. The Introduction and Chronology are clear, and the Select Bibliography is an invitation to further reading. The index is extremely useful. The annotations are tightly integrated with the text, and concisely explain allusions, identify people, supply facts, and answer many questions. (There are, inevitably, a very few points I would question: shouldn't the note on "unicorn's horn" on page 408 have mentioned that it may have been a narwhal tusk?) They even briefly discuss some problems with Cellini's breezy Italian (composed at the same time other Florentines were writing the first "official" grammars of the language), pointing out alternative understandings. A first-rate addition to the World's Classics list.

The Life of Benvenuto Cellini: Written by Himself

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The Life of Benvenuto Cellini: Written by Himself
Benvenuto Cellini
Manufacturer: Heritage Press
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B00086JJK8

My Early Life/The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini/Edison: A Biography/Florence Nightingale/Memoirs & Letters of Dolley Madison (Reader's Digest Family Treasury of Great Biographies, Volume 7)

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My Early Life/The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini/Edison: A Biography/Florence Nightingale/Memoirs & Letters of Dolley Madison (Reader's Digest Family Treasury of Great Biographies, Volume 7)
Winston S. Churchill , Benvenuto Cellini , Matthew Josephson , Cecil Blanche Fitzgerald Woodham-Smith , and Dolley Madison & Lucia Beverly Cutts
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest Association
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Binding: Hardcover

THE LIFE OF BENVENUTI CELLINI VOL. 1 & 2

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THE LIFE OF BENVENUTI CELLINI VOL. 1 & 2
Benvenuto Cellini
Manufacturer: Brentano's
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ASIN: B000VHBKKQ

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THE LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI
B. CELLINI
Manufacturer: DENT
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SC2QL6

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THE LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI
CELLINI
Manufacturer: EDITO SERVICE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RXVI4C

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THE LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Manufacturer: Charles Scribners sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IG59TS

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI
SYMONDS
Manufacturer: MACMILLAN
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RWWMOS

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI
CUST
Manufacturer: NAVARRE SOCIETY LTD.
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S4Q8YK

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THE LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI
John Addington (TRANSLATOR) Symonds
Manufacturer: John C. Nimmo/Scribner's
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QSLYFG

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