From Habsburg Agent to Victorian Scholar

Book Description

A celebrated art historian and scholar of Japan, G. G. Zerffi also had a secret life as a well-paid Austrian secret agent. More than a biography of Zerffi, this book offers a rare glimpse into the secret service of the nineteenth-century Habsburg monarchy -- the precursor of all modern secret services in Europe and beyond -- while also serving as a guide to the history of the Hungarian revolution, the war of independence of 1848-49, and the international exile of European revolutionaries. Through the example of Zerffi's life, Tibor Frank examines how the secret police were used by the state to repress individual rights through intimidation and coercion, and by way of tracing Zerffi's rise as a scholar, also provides a survey of the possible ways and traps of nineteenth-century intelligentsia.

Frank, Tibor. From Habsburg Agent to Victorian Scholar: G. G. Zerffi, 1820-1892.(Book Review): An article from: Austrian History Yearbook

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Frank, Tibor. From Habsburg Agent to Victorian Scholar: G. G. Zerffi, 1820-1892.(Book Review): An article from: Austrian History Yearbook
Peter I. Hidas
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Austria | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000BF03K6
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Customer Reviews:

Climate based on measured datda.......2001-10-18

Thornthwaite "Climatic Water Budget Analysis" is rational, systematic and quantitative, based on measured data. Unlike Köppen which attempts to use vegetation to predict large general climate areas, Thornthwaite uses temperature, precipitation, latitude, day length and soil water-holding capacity for an objective perspective of climate. Model enhancements include net primary productivity in grams per square meter per year, continentality (continental vs. oceanic influence), aspect, an Index of Moisture that accounts for precipitation (income), potential and actual evapotranspiration (spending), soil water-holding capacity (storage or withdrawal), indices of moisture in arid and humid climates. While Köppen lumps mountains into "Highlands", Thornthwaite reflects objective conditions - over a 30-year period. Climate constraints (maximums, minimums, ranges) are comparable world wide. Agriculture, urban residents, water, soil and ecosystem managers find Thornthwaite logical, rational and useful (vs. Köppen, a "memorized" system of map areas).

Historical perspectives of Thornthwaite's time and teaching in Oklahoma, working with Birdseye, doing regional geography in Kentucky, heading the Soil Conservation Service, and applying the tools of weather and climate worldwide make his life and biography long-term valuable. Understand Thornthwaite and you realize just how much "fluff" and spin current Natl Weather Service and media weather-climate reports are. This biography is defensible, robust, rational and reveals hard work and a fresh perspective.

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The Genius of C. Warren Thornthwaite, Climatologist-Geographer. (book reviews): An article from: The Geographical Review
Anthony J. Brazel
Manufacturer: American Geographical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00097UHMK
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Geographical Review, published by American Geographical Society on January 1, 1997. The length of the article is 963 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Genius of C. Warren Thornthwaite, Climatologist-Geographer. (book reviews)
Author: Anthony J. Brazel
Publication: The Geographical Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1997
Publisher: American Geographical Society
Volume: v87 Issue: n1 Page: p132(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Does your child really need drugs to get through the school day? More than six million children in the United States are taking stimulant medications—including Ritalin—to treat behavioral and learning problems such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But there may very well be a better way to manage your child's emotional and learning problems, and you owe it to yourself and your child to find out. Ritalin-Free Kids offers you a safe, effective, and natural alternative to stimulants.
"Before you give your child stimulants, read this book." —From the preface by Edward Chapman, M.D., clinical instructor, Harvard Medical School
"I recommend this book to all parents searching for an alternative treatment to ADHD. The Ullmans demonstrate that every child can benefit from care tailored to their unique characteristics and temperment." —Charles Moore, M.D., child and adolescent psychiatrist, New England Medical Center
"As a physician who evaluates many inattentive and overactive children, I feel that we, as a society, are using stimulant medications far too often for the treatment of ADHD. I was very impressed by Ritalin-Free Kids and definitely recommend it." —Richard Solomon, M.D., director, Allegheny Behavioral and Child Development Services, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
"This clear, balanced, and persuasive book will really open your eyes to the possibility of homeopathic medicine to treat . . . ADHD and a number of emotional and learning problems." —From the foreword by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., coauthor of Driven to Distraction
Visit the authors' Web site at www.healthyhomeopathy.com.

Customer Reviews:

Years later. . . . . . .......2007-06-27

This is one of those books that stuck with me years after reading it and I felt compelled to write a review.

Chapter 2- Life in Overdrive is a great blue print of common ADHD behavior from a toddler to adulthood. Additionally, Chp 12 & 13 offers coaching techniques which focuses on the individual. p 102 "those are only your behaviors, not the real you."

Part 3 Real Stories of Real People-Successful Homeopathic Treatment of ADD - offers some insight on how specific Homeopathic Medicine helped their child.

I found in my experience that it would have been better to go to the practitioner 1st before reading Part 3 because it was too easy to reiterate some of the behaviors mentioned in the book which masked the child's unique characteristics. After the initial visit then I would have read Part 3 to see if the recommended homeopathic medicine matched the child's characteristics. Nevertheless, the practioner does a great job asking questions that relate to the child.

Note: Years ago when I read the book some of the sources recommended on p288 required an address and telephone numbers to be updated.

Lifesaving!.......2005-04-01

As the mother of four young children, I realized when one of my children was very young that he was an extremely high-energy, precocious bundle of energy. I found this book at my local library when I was trying to educate myself about the implications of ADHD, yet he was only three or four, so we waited a few more years before actually seeking treatment. Early on in our research, my husband and I agreed that we would do anything possible to improve his well-being without resorting to drugs. After a year under Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman's care, my seven year-old son has improved tremendously! Homeopathic treatment does not happen overnight, and it requires patience, and in our case, the first remedy did not make significant enough improvement, so we tried another, which has been nothing short of amazing! PLEASE READ THIS BOOK IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW IS DEALING WITH ADD/ADHD. Not only does the book include many case studies and real-life examples, I felt that it provided an overview of ADD/ADHD symptoms, conventional medications, and introduction to homeopathy. I have several copies that I loan to my son's teachers, coaches and family friends.

This changed our lives.......2005-04-01

As the mother of several boys with ADHD, I can tell you that this book changed our family dynamics forever! I had been searching for help for so many yars and not wanting to use drugs. I looked at many natural options but didn't find any lasting help. We resorted to Ritalin out of despiration. They were on this for a year before a friend fround this book and brought it to my attention. The book is well written and easy to understand. I saw my boys in so many of the stories in this book and found hope again that my children could get the help that they needed without drugs. Dr Reichenberg has subsequently treated our entire family with amazing results. Homeopathy is not just for treating ADD/ADHD. You have to read this book if your family or someone you care about is struggling with this or any other physical, or emotional issues. It will change your life!

Very much worth a shot.......2004-10-10

Considering that Ritalin is grossly overprescribed in the US, perhaps other treatments should be considered. Homeopathy is one of them. I don't know how homeopathy works, and I don't think anyone does, but it many cases it does work. That's all that matters. If your child has been diagnosed as having ADD or other behavioral and learning problems, and you have reservations about Ritalin, then it wouldn't hurt -- and just might help -- to take a look at this book.

Homeopathy is amazing.......2004-01-19

This book is fantastic. I recommend it to any person who has a ADD/ADHD child. I truly possible to make your child better without Ritalin. I may take awhile because homeopathy seems so hard, but it works. As a engineer, I don't easily believe things like this, so when I saw homeopathy work I was amazed.

Customer Reviews:

Good Cookbook.......2004-09-02

This cookbook has some excellent recipes. I've made five or six of them with very good results (some of them more than once).

To get good results with the stir-fry dishes, you must usually use the restaurant secret mentioned on p. 17 (blanching in oil, sometimes referred to as velveting) which makes the meat tender, and provides a nice glazed look to the finished dish. Unfortunately, this technique is not called for in the individual recipes, but is, nonetheless, a very crucial step. This secret is omitted by many, if not most, Chinese cookbooks, however, so I wouldn't fault the author too much.

Many of the dishes can be prepared with ingredients available in most supermarkets (Hoisin Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Light Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Sesame Oil, Dry Sherry, Five-Spice Powder, etc.), but for a number of recipes, you will need to venture to an Asian market to get things such as Sichuan Peppercorns, Ground Bean Paste, Spicy Bean Paste, Sweet Bean Paste, Shaoxing Rice Wine, and other "exotic" ingredients. This is good, however, since getting authentic results is often impossible with many of the Americanized substitutions advocated by many lesser cookbooks.

Overall, I'd say this is a very good cookbook. I am sure there is a better Chinese food tutorial out there, however, so I am holding back one star. No photographs.

Great authentic chinese food that anyone can make at home........1998-12-02

The receipes are both easy and authentic. The recipe for broiled salmon steaks with mushrooms in ginger and scallion sauce is delicious! The sichuan eggplant in chili garlic sauce tastes like it came from my favorite restaurant. The recipes are very authentic yet easy to follow, even for a beginner. To top it all off, these tasty recipes are also healthy!

Great, easy, tasty recipies.......1998-11-10

This is a fabulous book. The recipies are authentic but approachable. Everyone I made has turned out really tasty.

Do better elsewhere..........1998-10-02

Well, the recipes in here work. They taste like run-of-the-mill takeout Chinese food in a box. There's little discussion of techniques, ingredients, or variations. (In fact, the author warns at the beginning that all the quantities have been carefully measured, and don't even think about changing them!) Vegetarians beware: the chapter entitled 'Vegetables and Tofu' is mostly made of recipes that contain veggies and tofu, but also a hunk of pork, chicken, etc.

Save your time and get one of Barbara Tropp's books instead.

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Handbook of California Birds (Audubon Field Guide)
Vinson Brown , and Henry G. Weston
Manufacturer: Naturegraph Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

An Introduction to Southern California Birds

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: California (NG Field Guide to Birds)

California Birds

Birds of Los Angeles: Including Santa Barbara, Ventura and Orange Counties (U.S. City Bird Guides)

Birds of California Field Guide (Our Nature Field Guides)

ASIN: 0911010165

Book Description

This handbook with 600 color paintings gives scientific name, range and habitat, distinguishing characteristics, behavior, voice and details flight patterns, feeding behavior, courtship, migrations, and also groups birds by habitat.

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Wonderful, little regional bird guide

Birds of Napa County
Hermann Heinzel
Manufacturer: Heyday Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1597140309

Book Description

In this pocket-sized guide, renowned German illustrator Hermann Heinzel applies his knowledge and skill to capturing the avian life of Napa County, California. Europe's foremost bird illustrator, Heinzel combines the expertise of a true birder with illustrations that display the range of color, character, and habitat of the birds.

From grebes, herons, loons, and ducks to creepers, owls, flycatchers, and sparrows, there is a liveliness to Heinzel's Napa. Its playfulness, sophistication, and emotion add depth to our understanding of this place that two million people visit each year. It is more than just a convenient bird guide: it reveals a world beyond vineyards, an affirmation that there is a beauty and a magic to these forests and rolling hills.

With over one hundred birds depicted realistically in their natural environment—poking at the ground or pecking at pinecones—and organized by species as well as by season and region, Birds of Napa County includes everything for the experienced or novice birder, including a locater map, a checklist, and a section on rare birds.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, little regional bird guide.......2007-07-25

The author/illustrator is very talented and makes that evident in this small, but comprhensive for this area, regional bird guide. The information is valuable, relatively complete and the drawings excellent. That, plus the convenient size, and the low price make it a steal.

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Handbook of California Birds
G. Henry Wenston
Manufacturer: Naturegraph Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KOYBB0

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Handbook of california Birds
Vinson Brown
Manufacturer: Naturgraph Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VSPEHK

Handbook Of California Birds, Revised Edition

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Handbook Of California Birds, Revised Edition
Vinson, M.A. and Weston, Henry G., Jr., Ph.D.; Edited by Walker, Stella Ford Brown
Manufacturer: Naturegraph Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IWYZ9M

Land bird monitoring handbook--Channel Islands National Park, California

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Land bird monitoring handbook--Channel Islands National Park, California
Charles Van Riper
Manufacturer: Channel Islands National Park, National Park Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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Pyrography Designs
Norma Gregory
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Projects | Woodworking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Pyrography Workbook: A Complete Guide to the Art of Woodburning

Wildlife Designs: Original Patterns for Your Favorite Craft

Great Book of Woodburning: Pyrography Techniques, Patterns & Projects for All Skill Levels

Learning the Art of Pyrography

Wood Burning With Sue Waters: Rural Scenes

ASIN: 1861081162

Book Description

This imaginative collection provides complete themes to copy easily onto a wood surface. Illustrated instructions show how to trace, enlarge or reduce, and transfer designs; add color, and apply finishes. Patterns feature wildlife, landscapes, seascapes, close-ups of flowers and fruits, holiday symbols, as well as borders, multisided themes, and details to enhance any project.

Woodburning: Art and Craft: Techniques, Designs, Decorations, and Inspiration

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Woodburning: Art and Craft: Techniques, Designs, Decorations, and Inspiration
Elaine Broadwater
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Designs for Pyrography and Other Crafts
Norma Gregory
Manufacturer: Guild of Master Craftsman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1861083203

Book Description

Crafters are always on the lookout for great designs to use in their work-and this collection of copyright-free patterns is a valuable sourcebook that will fill that need. Including motifs, boxes, borders, and swags, these design elements are so easy to mix, match, combine, and tailor to fit any particular craft or desire. But pryographers in particular may want to use them as they are, and take special advantage of instructions that illuminate the best methods for tracing and transferring, enlarging and reducing the patterns for their art. And for truly professional results, follow the advice on shading, perspective, creating shadows, and adding color. The beautiful subjects include birds, butterflies, and insects; buildings; country scenes; trees, flowers, and fruits; celebrations; and alphabets.

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Basic Wood Burning by Sue Waters

Basic Wood Burning
Sue Waters , and Joanne Tobey
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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

ASIN: 0887405681

Customer Reviews:

Basic Wood Burning by Sue Waters.......2006-06-25

As the Title suggests this is a book to have if you want to learn the Art of Wood Burning. This book takes you through the gear that you will need and onto doing the patterns contained in the book. Easy to read and understand ,you will be Wood Burning to your hearts delight in no time!! Teena (Sth.Aust. ,Australia)

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Designs for Pyrography and Other Crafts
Norma Gregory
Manufacturer: GUILD MASTER CRAFTSM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZ5T8E

Book Description

Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

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A totally different way to look at asthma

Great book.

Asthma Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment Program for Asthma
Robert S. Ivker
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Holistic | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Asthma | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Respiratory | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Sinus Survival: A Self-help Guide

Reversing Asthma: Breathe Easier with This Revolutionary New Program

Yoga Beats Asthma: Simple Exercises and Breathing Techniques to Relieve Asthma and Other Respiratory Disorders

The Allergy and Asthma Cure: A Complete Eight-Step Nutritional Program

Asthma: Relax, You're Not Going to Die

Accessories:

Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device

ASIN: 1585421243

Book Description

Modeled directly on the bestselling Sinus Survival, here is the most integrative, complete asthma-relief guide available today.

Here's why asthma sufferers can't afford to be without Asthma Survival:

It features a Quick Fix, fast-start program. The Quick Fix allows the reader to begin the most important aspects of the program immediately without having to read the whole book.
It is one of the only books to address the huge overlap of allergies (90 percent of asthmatics have them) and sinusitis (nearly 70 percent of asthmatics have them).
It provides specific, integrated instructions for a dietary supplement plan.
It lays out its New Life Eating Plan as one of the most profound ways to slow the disease.
It gives a balanced, comprehensive approach to herbal choices that are most accepted within the holistic medical community.
It offers a simple, powerful introduction to the most important breathing exercises.
It offers the only book to propose a unified theory of emotional causes of this disease based on worldwide trends and statistics of familial patterns

Customer Reviews:

A totally different way to look at asthma.......2007-03-08

This book is a really different type of book, and lets you look into your whole health, both mental, and physical to see where problems may lie. I found it to be a big help for my son, and refreshingly different.

Great book........2006-03-15

This is a great comprehensive book. I really like the author's approach. He gives both a short-term solution to some problems and some ideas on how to continually improve your health and vitality throughout your life.

Amazon.com

Hailed as an important young author and thinker with the publication of The Painted Bird, winner of the National Book Award, Jerzy Kosinski ended his life amid allegations of fraud and plagiarism. With accuracy and understanding, Sloan undertakes the unraveling of a complex and confusing life, one that experienced the horrors of the Holocaust, the oppression of totalitarianism, the fruits of celebrity, and the consequences of lies, offering an all-too-human view of a man described as "part victim, part charlatan, and part genius."

Customer Reviews:

brilliant book.......2007-08-16

This is a gripping and very well written book. The fact that Kosinski was disliked by some Poles is irrelevant. A remarkable biography.

two stars for trying.......2002-10-27

Most academics can't write--and this proves it. Charles Bukowski was right. These guys are usually out there "teaching" others how to write, not unlike Kosinski himself. Basically the man, "Kosinski," was illiterate--and yet, for a while there, he was teaching at a coupleof first rate universities. You figure it out. The whole thing is a scam, bogus--with the literary, East Coast set. In the beginning he was published because he hung out with the "elite," and he was a great B.S. artist. In the final analysis, this was Kosinski's greatest talent: lies and ... The man couldn't even write a decent letter...this explains why, years ago, when I attempted to read a couple of his novels I simply could not get through them...and I could not pinpoint exactly what it was that these books were lacking. Of course, now we know: too many chefs had had a hand in Jerzy's stew.

As far as this Sloan guy goes: he tried, but this isn't the definitive book on Kosinski (a worthwhile subject for a biography by someone who can write, even if his books are unreadable).

Losts of information, most of it okay.......2002-10-06

Sloan, while not the most gripping writer, provides a digestible account of Kosinski's life and works. Much of the mythos accorded to Kosinski is addressed, if not fully explained. The largest benefit this book can bring to the reader is a refutation of the oftentimes confused early history of the author. Kosinski allowed and encouraged the public's belief that The Painted Bird was mostly autobiographical in a literal sense. This belief gained popularity to the extent that it has appeared as fact in "about the author" blurbs and websites devoted to Kosinski. Sloan disabuses the reader of this notion and places a much closer version of the reality in the reader's vision. However, he makes many mistakes. As noted by another review, "Sloan Should Have Proof-Read The Manuscripts," he makes several factual errors. He dispells some myths but clings to others despite facts to the contrary. Sloan interviewed Kiki (Kosinski's widow), as well as many others. Kiki told him that the story of Kosinski's arrival, in Poland, at his publisher's buisness in a limo with American flags was not true. In reality, Kosinski had come downstairs from a meeting. No car was involved, yet Sloan kept the myth. Such disregard for his sources and perpetration of myth makes me wonder what else Sloan did not accurately explain.
For the reader casually interested in Kosinski, I encourage reading Sloan's work as it does explore Kosinski's life quite in depth. For the scholar of Kosinski, it's a useful addition to the library, but not the first one to be turned to for understanding.

Sloan should have proof-read the manuscripts.......2002-07-02

I grew up in Poland in the 70s and 80s and was unaware of Kosinski of that time. I was, however, aware of how the population felt towards the "collaborators", for example students who went on exchange programs to the Soviet Union.
I personally was punished for refusing the obligatory field trips to the USSR throughout high school.

While some people may see something good in collaborating with the enemy or doing anything to get ahead in life, I see 1 major flaw in this book: misspelling of Polish names, newspaper titles, names of towns. This may not bother Americans, but is annoying to a Polish speaker. This book should have been proof-read by a native Pole.

I paid ... for the hardcover, and I consider it was a decent investment.

Kosinki's work.......2002-05-26

I think Sloan's work is helpful but shouldn't be taken as final word. It's been awhile since I've read it but my impressions were that it was fair. I was disappointed to hear of all the controversy over Kosinki's use of translators. I've read all but his last, "The hermit of 69th street," before I'd heard of Sloan's book. The real question is why did he keep the use of translators a secret? In the end, it's still Kosinki's work and nobody can take that away from him, which is noted in Sloan's book. One other piece of criticism that bothered me was the questioning of fact versus fiction. And so I ask, what difference does it make? His seven novels were released as fiction, that is what a novel is. As far as I'm concerned, Kosinski covered his tracks with the word "novel." It sounds like petty jealousy to nitpick over something like that. Kosinski told brilliant stories and "Being There" was the most brilliant of ideas.

The Painted Bird: 2nd Edition, with new introduction by the author

Average customer rating:

Violence is real, and literature reflects life in this case.
A Terribly Beautiful Fiction
Brutal and Brilliant.
A Hoax, but does that matter?
A Tour de Torture

The Painted Bird: 2nd Edition, with new introduction by the author
Jerzy Kosinski
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0395242916

Amazon.com

Many writers have portrayed the cruelty people inflict upon each other in the name of war or ideology or garden-variety hate, but few books will surpass Kosinski's first novel, The Painted Bird, for the sheer creepiness in its savagery. The story follows an abandoned young boy who wanders alone through the frozen bogs and broken towns of Eastern Europe during and after World War II, trying to survive. His experiences and actions occur at and beyond the limits of what might be called humanity, but Kosinski never averts his eyes, nor allows us to.

Customer Reviews:

Violence is real, and literature reflects life in this case........2007-10-10

I have taken the time to read several reviews of this book. Some people seem to "get" it and others seem to think it's nothing more than some excuse to write "perversion" (how many classics were called perversions during the era in which they were written, I wonder? The answer; more than I care to count. )

Face it people. Life is violent. War is NOT pretty, nor are the effects of it. I do not much care if Kosinksi made up every scene in the book from his imagination and/or studies of the effects of war, or if he did live some of it. This sort of horror happens EVERY DAY in the real world to those caught in a country ravaged by violence. Don't believe me? Watch the world news. Go do some research. Even if he did "make this up" he didn't "make it up". I give the guy props (in his grave or not) for having the BALLS to write the gritty, nasty details of the horror that is war which many people are too cowardly to admit is -reality-. So much for the noblity of the struggles of war, eh? This is how it goes down for the little folks. This is what it does to people. These are the depths that humanity WILL and have lowered themselves to for survival's sake and for the base, cruel nature that lurks within humanity. It's not pretty. It's not nice. It's not "fun" to read but it should at least change your view on the world around you and how it is, has been, and probably always will be violence hidden under a golden, glittering surface created by the media and less gutsy authors into making you think everything is for a noble cause.

A Terribly Beautiful Fiction.......2007-09-03

Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird is, as other reviewers have noted, an unrelenting meditation on violence as it is filtered through the strange, superstitious world of Eastern European Peasant society. Although the time frame deals specifically with the years between 1939-45, the setting seems ancient (as opposed to merely backward) and often mythic. Thus, what some see as an uninterrupted string of grotesque brutalities is, in actuality, a fictionalized world that posseses greater dimensions. The unnamed "hero" of the novel--a dark-haired adolescent boy who may be a Gyspy or a Jew--emerges as a young everyman trying to find his way in a world that does not accept or understand difference. In classic bildungsroman formula, his adventures not only place him in the way of physical danger; they enable him to formulate his slowly-evolving theories of God and existence.

Two of the main charges against the book (at least in the reviews here) are as follows: 1) The events did not really happen to the novelist and are a product of an imaginative--and perverse--mind; 2) The author sought help with style and organization from other people and then affixed his name alone to the title.

With regards to the first charge, Koskinski himself explains in the book's afterword (published 10 years after the first edition) that the events are invented. He explains quite clearly that he wished to create a novel. It was through the fictive experience that he felt he commuunicate the truths orf the holocaust more humanely. That aside, the events recorded are a synthesis of observation, study, and personal experience.

With regards to the second charge, plenty of authors (especially ones struggling, like Kosinski, to write in a foreign language) have sought the expertise of editors, etc...

Most of the animosity towards the book seems, in fact, misdirected rage towards the unrelenting violence in the book. The writing succeeds, however, because, as Anais Nin has astutely noted: "It surpasses most of the books in which experience of terror and physical cruelty are told because by the great beauty of its style, it lifts the entire epxerience to philosophic, mythological realms of knowledge."

Brutal and Brilliant........2007-08-18

I have just revisited this book, having read it first as a teenager and was astounded once again by its potency, both as a story, and as a terrifying inditement of human nature. In view of increasing world conflict in the post world war era, this book is more relevant than ever.

A Hoax, but does that matter?.......2007-04-30

From the "cut-rate Elie Wiesel", Kosinski's own description of himself. Does it matter that this is a hoax manufactured from whole cloth? Apparently not. Feeds existing prejudices and so is welcomed as a revelation. Here's to Mr. Holocaust, Jr., the Sr. title having been appropriated by that lachrymose pseudo-saint Mr. Weisel.

History is replete with examples of man's inhumanity to man. Claims of this book being "semi-autobiographical" have been shown to be entirely false. Kosinski is just another of the feeders-at-the-trough of the Holocaust Industry.

The truth is quite horrible enough. Why then the hoaxes like the book at hand and "Fragments"?

See The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, New Edition for a critical and honest evaluation of the duplicity embodied by this and similar books seeking to exploit for personal financial and political advantage. Those who think this book is within the bounds of decency may wish to seek out that now out-of-print other hoax "Fragments".

A Tour de Torture.......2007-03-29

I read Kosinski's masterpiece on the recommendation of someone who was reviewing Beah's "A Long Way Gone"--remarkable similarities between the two though one is fiction and the other memoir, one takes place in Europe WWII and the other a civil war in Sierra Leone. In this particular edition (1976), Kosinski added a fine afterward which is a must read. Though fiction, this work is fact-based. Also, though Kosinski never names the country of his setting, one can guess it must be Poland. Apparently, the Polish government recognized it also since they banned the book in that country, citing it as a serious insult to the humanity of the Polish peasant society. After reading the afterward and the story, I can only conclude if the shoe fits...

Still, there were a few things I thought to be unrealistic. Kosinski's ten-year-old protagonist is made to undergo some unspeakable tortures, tortures that would have reduced an ordinary kid to a psychological bowl of mush. Yet somehow this kid always pulls through, packing up his comet only at the last minute and heading into the Polish hinterland to rough it until he can hook up with his next tormentor. It got so bad that I began to look for parallels with Dante's Inferno. It seemed that each new torture was worse than the last, designed to atone for some imaginary sin that this innocent boy had committed. Dante borrowed from Greek mythology to formulate his keepers of hell--I wonder where Kosinski drafted his?

The damage to the boy only became apparent at war's end when he was placed in an orphanage. There he found himself in a community of similar victims his own age. The war was over, the peasants were safely locked outside the city, yet the cruelty went on, and on, and on. The gang-rape scene of the teacher was particularly poignant. Somehow the protagonist regained his humanity--at least I believe that was what Kosinski signaled his reader when the boy regained his faculty--though I never was sure how. Maybe his message was that immersed in evil a good child can be made to mimic evil--if for no other reason than survival--but when that need becomes obsolete, eventually his true nature will reemerge.

--Ejner Fulsang, author of "A Knavish Piece of Work" Aarhus Publishing 2006

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The Kosinski Mystique Lives On - Here's the Painted Man!

Passing By: Selected Essays 1962-1991
Jerzy Kosinski
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0679413898
Release Date: 1992-11-24

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The Kosinski Mystique Lives On - Here's the Painted Man!.......2002-02-03

A Polish emigre who survived numerous horrors as a Jewish child during World War II, Jerzy Kosinski escaped the Holocaust, as well as communism, becoming a celebrated American writer of often bleak, haunting, and nightmarish works. The sardonic author of The Pained Bird, Steps, Pinball, and Being There consciously created an aura of mystery with his "autofictional" novels and flamboyant lifestyle. Kosinski's 1991 suicide, following a period of declining healthy and increasing literary criticism, shocked many of his firneds - and added to enigmatic image as a cult figure.
Passing By:Selected Essays, 1962-1991, Kosinski's post-humous book of previously published and unpublished writings, claims to answer many questions about his controversial life. Partially compiled by himself and finished by his wife and two friends, Passing By contains 51 literary essays, magazine articles, New York Times op-ed pieces, and political speeches organized in ten chapters rangigng from "Life and Art" and "Self vs. Collective" to "People, Places, and Me" and "The Sporty Self."
One of many surprising, and fascinating, chapters is titled "God &" where Kosinski reflects on his persecution as a child and his "spiritual inheritance" as a "circumcised Catholic." "I'm a missionary to only one particular life: the life within me; and I proselytize only one faith: my faith in the sanctity of life."
Given Kosinski's intimate writings about painful childhood memories and erotic adult fantasies, however, Passing By maintains a strange silence on his private life. The only direct reference to the author's suicide, for example, is on the book jacket. No defense, explanation, or context for Kosinski's decision can be found. (Kosinski does praise the great French biologist Jacques Monod, a longtime friend, for his philosophical acceptance of his terminal condition in "Death in Cannes." "Mercy killing interests me," said Monod. "Mercy living does not.")
Clearly designed to hint and allude, rather than decipher or explain, Kosinski's essays mirror his fictional style. A man who loved secrets and disguises, Kosinski retains his control of readers' perceptions with illuminating symbols and brilliant metaphors.
For better and worse, Passing By resembles Kosinski's montage-like novels of fragmented perceptions by refusing to offer a grand summation or any final judgements. Instead, readers are left with contradictory statements and tentative conclusions.
The Kosinski mystique remains.

Conversations With Jerzy Kosinski (Literary Conversations Series)

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Conversations With Jerzy Kosinski (Literary Conversations Series)
Jerzy N. Kosinski
Manufacturer: Univ Pr of Mississippi (Txt)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0878056254

Critical Essays on American Literature Series - Jerzy Kosinski (Critical Essays on American Literature Series)

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Critical Essays on American Literature Series - Jerzy Kosinski (Critical Essays on American Literature Series)
Lupack
Manufacturer: Twayne Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0783800738

Book Description

Series Editors: James Nagel, University of Georgia; Zack Bowen, University of Miami and Robert Lecker, McGill University

The full range of literary traditions comes to life in the Twayne Critical Essays Series. Volume editors have carefully selected critical essays that represent the full spectrum of controversies, trends, and methodologies relating to each author's work. Essays include writings from the author's native country and abroad, with interpretations from the time they were writing, through the present day. Each volume includes:

An introduction providing the reader with a lucid overview of criticism from its beginnings-illuminating controversies, evaluating approaches and sorting out the schools of thought
The most influential reviews and the best reprinted scholarly essays
A section devoted exclusively to reviews and reactions by the subject's contemporaries
Original essays, new translations, and revisions commissioned especially for the series
Previously unpublished materials such as interviews, lost letters and manuscript fragments
A bibliography of the subject's writings and interviews
A name and subject index

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Czarny ptasior
Joanna Siedlecka
Manufacturer: Wydawn. CIS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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

Polish | More Languages | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 8385458042

Biography - Kosinski, Jerzy (1933-1991): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online

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Biography - Kosinski, Jerzy (1933-1991): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0007SD4EE
Release Date: 2007-06-13

Book Description

Word count: 6466.

Jerzy Kosinski: A Biography by James Park Sloan

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Jerzy Kosinski: A Biography by James Park Sloan
James Park Sloan
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M558ZK

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Zycie po smierci Jerzego Kosinskiego
Czeslaw Czaplinski
Manufacturer: Atena-Str
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 8385894004

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