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About Netsurfer Books

Netsurfer Books is an e-zine offering short reviews of books and related items. We include listings based on recommendations from our staff and reviews from other individuals. Are we bribed to include any of these items? No. Do we receive a commission if you purchase an item through one of the links included here? Yes. Are we waiting to hear from you about what you'd like to see reviewed? Definitely.

Editor's Choice

Cadillac Jack

Cadillac Jack Larry McMurtry Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 0684853833 I've long had a great affection for this novel and decided it was time to reread it. Happy to say it's as good as I remembered. Jack McGriff, having become world champion bulldogger, has moved on from his rodeo career to become an antiques scout. He happens to have a very good eye as well as the knowledge to recognize pearls in the unlikeliest places: a Sung vase found in a junk barn in De Queens, Arkansas paid for his pearl-colored Cadillac. His roots are in Texas, but he ranges around the country scouting flea markets, attending auctions, and visiting the possessive owners of such articles as Billy the Kid's last boots, keeping a mental list of who collects what. A particularly stellar find will prompt him to locate the collector who will pay anything to obtain that particular treasure (e.g., he knows the greatest collection of truncheons in the world is the pride of a snob in Washington D.C. who does not, however, own one of the two known Luddite truncheons in the U.S.). But the heart of the book is curly-headed, obstinate, three-year-old Belinda, who steals Jack's heart as he tries to court her prickly mother. Being tall (and handsome, judging by his effect on women - Jack as narrator is way too modest to describe his own looks), and wearing cowboys boots, he tends to stand out in a crowd in Washington, where the story opens. His love of the wide open spaces and capacity to find interest in the cities of this country, his love of the artistry to be found in the objects he seeks out, and his love of beautiful women come together to make this novel a delight. Any E-Bay aficionado who hasn't read it should indulge immediately and may pick up some useful information in addition to the pleasures the novel offers. McMurtry is a great hand at the nuances of human relationships as well as providing the stores of information that move a novel from a good story to the plane of fascination for the reader. [CW]

Biography, History, Society

Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar

Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar Peter Macinnis Allen & Unwin; ISBN: 1865086576 Here's a look at recent world history through the lens of sugar production and trade, and it's an engrossing tale. Macinnis describes the ease with which a hunter-gatherer could enjoy a chew of sugar cane, and notes that the combination of sharp blades of volcanic stone, heavy rainfall, and rich soil led to the discovery of the possibility of cultivating cane in New Guinea some 400 generations ago. But it's the story of the last five centuries that we get here. Once a labor-intensive process, primarily in tropical climates fraught with malaria and other diseases quick to strike down workers (who were until the last century mostly slaves), economics mandated mechanization. The increasing costs of slave labor, the opposition to slavery, and the hazards of ocean freight on seas where piracy was condoned as a part of warfare, all encouraged mechanization and cultivation closer to home and an increase in beet sugar production. One of the pleasures of the book is Macinnis' interest in etymology. Among the words for sugar he gives us early on are the Sanskrit shakkara , Arabic sakkar, Turkish sheker, French sucre, and more, as the book follows the spread of cultivation around the world. Illustrated with excellent maps and bemusing recipes for edible and medicinal uses of sugar, the book concludes with an epilogue on the costs - the movement and death of millions of people, land clearing and soil damage - and the benefits - gustatory pleasure and economic gain - of this universally-desired commodity that sweetens our lives, if only for a moment. [CW]

By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions

By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions Richard Cohen Modern Library; ISBN: 0812969669 One of the definitions of the word romantic is "marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized." Given that definition, the sword is surely the most romantic of all weapons. It is perfectly appropriate then that Richard Cohen's book tells the history of the sword in all its romantic glory. Cohen was a member of the British Olympic fencing team four times, and his thematic rather than chronological story of the sword is informed by his obvious love for the subject. There are terrific stories here, ranging from the macabre (sword wounds), to the scientific (metallurgy of the blades), to the historically romantic (all about the Musketeers), to the cultural, verging on tabloid (Nazi fencing scandals). It's a wonderfully affectionate look at the history of one of humanity's most symbolically loaded tools, a must read for anybody who has the least interest in fencing, historical and modern. Incidentally, the most realistic swordplay movie ever: Ridley Scott's visually stunning first film, The Duellists. Trust us, you'll really like it. [AB]

The Disappearance of the Outside

The Disappearance of the Outside Andrei Codrescu Ruminator Books: ISBN 188691348X When the cold war ended, the iron curtain vanished. Suddenly, people in former communist countries could travel as far as their money could take them and write whatever they wanted to. While few regret the end of this impediment to movement, enterprise and unrestricted expression, it has come at a cost. There is no alternative, no 'other' ; the whole world has become one vast tawdry market. This book considers how the distinctness of East and West shaped the lives and work of many distinguished writers, many of whom eventually became exiles or pursued their work as dissidents in their native countries. The world without such clear conflicts and sharp divisions will not give rise to the same sort of thinkers or thoughts. Adversity has its advantages; it makes things matter which are taken for granted. This is why, for example, the popularity and political power of poetry persisted in the East but not in the West. Codrescu expresses regret that this aspect of life in the East has been lost. His book offers a series of essays about the development of American and European literature after World War II, specifically as it was influenced by the East-West divide. Codrescu is most entertaining when he writes about himself, his experiences in Romania and as a young exile in the United States. This book introduced me to many outstanding authors whose works I later read. Best of all, this book contains a last-gasp polemic against the West and its many superficial and awful aspects. One can no longer criticize or look at our culture from the outside. In 1990 the West ceased to exist along with the East. [EG]

At the Controls: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book of Cockpits

At the Controls: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book of Cockpits Eric F. Long, Mark A. Avino, Tom Alison, Dana Bell Boston Mills Press; ISBN: 1550463659 Even if you're a licensed pilot, access to more than a handful of cockpits is probably more of a dream than reality. Cessnas, Jet Rangers, or even multi-engine commercial jets may be part of your repertoire, but you've certainly never seen the variety of aircraft controls shown in this book (unless of course you happen to be the curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum). The photographs are from the pilot's perspective and are amazingly detailed, and the range of historical aircraft and technologies found in the cockpits is astounding. Stick and rudder, yokes, cyclic and collective are all represented. They will bring aircraft controls from the Wright Flyer to the Shuttle Columbia right to your easy chair. While the focus of the book is certainly the cockpit photos, the text includes a brief history of the aircraft type, and often provides anecdotes about the specific aircraft in the photograph. You'll also find descriptions of the controls and any other features that make the aircraft unique or noteworthy as well as many photos taken from the outside. A visit to the museum will give you a look at most of the exteriors, but in order to "sit in the left seat," you'll need to get this book. Way cool. [GB]

Justice on Earth: Earthjustice and the People It Has Served

Justice on Earth: Earthjustice and the People It Has Served Tom Turner Chelsea Green; ISBN: 1931498318 This beautiful book tells of some successful battles to preserve wild places on public lands as well as places where people have lived for generations symbiotically with their natural surroundings. Most of these are David and Goliath stories, pitting multinational corporations or wealthy individuals against ordinary folks who educated and organized themselves to protect country they didn't want to see destroyed, and searched out Earthjustice and other lawyers to help them. They range from opposition to the New World Mine three miles upriver from Yellowstone Park to two tiny African-American communities in Louisiana whose residents were threatened with a uranium enrichment plant to be built right on the road that connected their towns. In Hawai'i the issue was the recovery of water redirected for decades to serve sugar cane plantations. In Northern California it was the effort to rehabilitate the heavily-logged Garcia watershed before the salmon were totally lost. In Oregon, the battle was to save some viable remnants of giant, ancient forest and demonstrate the necessity of deadfall to a biologically-diverse forest. In Alaska's Tongass residents organized to save forests from being clearcut and the air and water despoiled by huge pulp mills. The book concludes with a chapter on the consequences of NAFTA and the other international trade agreements that allow multinational corporations to trump local and national labor and environmental protections. This book is a timely reminder of what individuals and small groups can do to mobilize against efforts to put unfettered development ahead of all other considerations. It's illustrated with striking color photos, gorgeous watercolor maps, and fine color drawings of birds and animals. A very satisfying book. [CW]

Goethe and The Ginkgo: A Tree and a Poem

Goethe and The Ginkgo: A Tree and a Poem Siegfried Unseld Univ of Chicago Press; ISBN: 0226841944 "Single and twofold," said Goethe of the ginkgo biloba leaf. In this elegant small volume, stories of the ginkgo tree and one of Goethe's best poems are presented in three savory essays, smoothly translated from the German, illustrated with superb botanical drawings and photographs (including a facsimile manuscript page showing two ginkgo leaves pressed into the paper). Eminent Goethe scholar Siegfried Unseld wrote this book just before his death in 2002, acclaiming the revered ginkgo, our oldest known tree, for its purportedly aphrodisiacal nuts, its fan-shaped leaves used as a medicinal plant since forever, and its anatomy that's botanically unique in myriad ways. This serves to introduce the story of Goethe's 1815 love ode to the young newlywed Marianne Willemer (née Jung) and their mysterious tryst. For the poet, both the ginkgo leaf and his heart's desire are "single and twofold." The final essay details the former GDR's "Ginkgo Society," the miraculous Hosenbo ginkgo survivor of the Hiroshima bomb, the ginkgo in recent literature and art, including a 1949 wood relief by Joseph Beuys with its deliberate misspelling "Gingko" (according to the Chinese, ginkgo means "silver apricot" and should have been known by the euphonious name "ginkyo"). For Unseld, the ginkgo "in our time has become a new symbol of universal significance, a symbol of the invincibility of hope." Indeed. [JGA]

Harker's Barns: Visions of an American Icon

Harker's Barns: Visions of an American Icon Michael P. Harker (Photographer), Jim Heynen University of Iowa Press; ISBN: 0877458340 Don't blink, or you'll miss another piece of Americana passing away. Drive-in theaters, carhops, and the old five-and-dime are few and far between. If you hadn't noticed, there aren't very many "traditional" wooden barns being built any more either. Most of the existing barns were built between 50 and 150 years ago and have succumbed to the elements and the ravages of time. Iowa alone, where these photographs were taken, is losing over 1000 barns a year. These old outbuildings represent more than holding places for beast or crop, they represent the decay of a way of life. Michael Harker hopes to preserve them through the art of his photographs. His gorgeous black and white images capture the spirit of the family farm, and often reflect the personalities of the farmers that built them. Unique architecture from Europe, Scandinavia, and Britain grace these pages along with essays by Jim Heynen. He puts it best in his introduction: "A good photograph can maintain an old barn through blizzards and hail storms and tornadoes. It is the best support beam and wood preservative an old barn can have." You can't help but be touched by the proud majesty of these icons of America. Stunning. [GB]

Gene Wars: The Politics of Biotechnology

Gene Wars: The Politics of Biotechnology Kristin Dawkins Seven Stories Press; ISBN: 1888363487 Here's a concise elucidation of the reasons for the intense, widespread opposition to genetic manipulation and patenting of seeds, plants, even animals. The multinational corporations that have committed to genetic modification are using global "free trade" as the means to transcend local and national environmental and labor protections against the consequences of their patented products. Scientists' warnings of the dangers to the world's food supply of releasing these seeds are ignored by governments whose support has been bought by the multinationals. After the huge demonstrations against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and Uruguay, the WTO has learned to exclude public access to their meeting sites. Kristin Dawkins demonstrates that it is profit and market control rather than concern with world hunger that drives companies like Monsanto, since the consequences of GM corn in Africa and Mexico have been devastating to small farmers and have ultimately exacerbated hunger. As huge chemical companies buy up the world's seed companies, seed is controlled by ever fewer companies. And should pollen from GM plants escape to a neighboring field, that farmer can be sued for illegal use of patented seed under the new trade treaties. And meanwhile pests evolve to survive the pesticides bred into the seed. Do we really want to be guinea pigs? Many in Europe, Africa, and Asia do not, and their governments are responding to their concerns. Dawkins lays it out in 60 pages. Definitely worth your time if you haven't yet read up on these issues. [CW]

Analog Days : The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer

Analog Days : The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer Frank Trocco, Trevor Pinch; foreword by Robert Moog Harvard Univ Press; ISBN: 0674008898 Is an operational amplifier what you get when you push the power button? Do monostable multivibrators come in plain brown wrappers? If you answered yes to these questions, you'll have to be satisfied with the intriguing historical significance of this book. If you have the foggiest notion what these terms mean, you probably have a modicum of knowledge about electronics and electrical engineering. You will find this book absolutely fascinating, from both a historical and an electronic music development perspective. This book describes Robert Moog's love affair with electronic music, beginning with the otherworldly tones from Leon Theramin's device (Led Zepp fans?) and culminating with Moog's famous room-sized instruments shrunk down into the "Minimoog." The analog days lasted from 1964 until the mid-70s when most electronic instruments made the shift to digital technologies, but during these few years, the Moog synthesizer became ingrained in the psyche of the music world. Vintage black and white photos scattered throughout the book provide priceless visual reinforcement to the well-written text. Music, history and invention. What more could you ask? Highly recommended. [GB]

The Erotic History of Advertising

The Erotic History of Advertising Tom Reichert Prometheus Books; ISBN: 1591020859 Would you be surprised to learn that sex was used to sell products in America through most of recorded American commercial history? No, probably not. But that still makes it fun to look at all those old ads from 150 years ago featuring topless girls in suitably classically Grecian poses extolling the virtues of their favorite beer. This is not a particularly serious work delving into the cultural implications of sex in advertising but rather a light-hearted survey of sex in American advertising history. A lot of it is visual of course, but nothing particularly hardcore, and much of it rather quaint by the standards of today. Yes, students of advertising and graphic design will find the changing nature of sex in advertising over time professionally interesting. But for the rest of us this book is a neat historical conversation piece. Toss it on a table during your next social gathering and serve with champagne. [AB]

45 RPM

45 RPM Spencer Drate, Editor Princeton Architectural Press; ISBN: 1568983581 You're in for a visual treat. This is a historical compendium of cover art from seven-inch 45 rpm recordings collected from the 1950s through the 1990s. This book was created in a format to match the size of the record sleeves it depicts, so you'll get a real feel for their presentation. Arranged in chronological order, these selected gems dazzle the eyes and scream out "nostalgia" from the 200-plus pages. Just in case the pictures aren't enough (they are) Drate includes a history of the development of vinyl discs and the corporate intrigue and competition that led to the ubiquitous 45. This history, plus the chapter introductions to each decade, are written by graphic artists and others intimately familiar with the times and give insight into what drove the creative spirit displayed on these pages. It's a fascinating trip through time, from Sammy Davis to Stereolab and everything in between. If you're a music or art buff, this is a must have. [GB]

Creative Problem Solving and Engineering Design

Creative Problem Solving and Engineering Design Edward Lumsdaine, Monika Lumsdaine, J. William Shelnutt McGraw-Hill Primis Custom Publishing; ISBN: 0072360585 Engineering academic programs are quite good at instilling the basic skills necessary to perform in the profession. Upon graduation an engineer is expected to be able apply these skills to solve specific problems. This is great in theory, but anyone who's been there knows that there is more to problem solving than simply knowing a bunch of facts. There are many approaches that can help make the process more efficient, but many undergraduate programs "save" this higher order training for graduate studies. Most folks learn through experience, and this "learning curve" can take a long time and cost a great deal of money. Reduce the pain to the time it takes to go through this book. Obviously intended as a textbook, the friendly format and step-by-step approach make it accessible to anyone. The authors first establish foundational skills in part one. Part two lays out a six-step problem-solving process that includes concrete examples and exercises. Part three describes how these tools can be applied to the engineering design process, and six appendices describe process analysis tools (like SPC, benchmarking, etc.) to verify that the process works in practice. This book contains a wealth of information that should be on the shelf of any engineer or engineering manager serious about their craft. [GB]

History: The Great War

All This and the World War Won

July '14

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War: 1890-1914

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War: 1890-1914 Barbara Tuchman Ballantine Books; ISBN: 0345405013 Whose fault was the war? According to Barbara Tuchman (the most readable of all historians) it was everybody's. This analysis of the years leading up to the days before the war began is not concerned with the military nature of the war, but rather the social conditions that led to it. She writes to dispel certain popular illusions about the period leading up to the war. The first is that this era was a "golden age." She notes that the only time one finds discussion of the era in those terms is after the war was fought. She particularly wants to put to bed the notion that the working class and bourgeoisie peoples were largely against the war, and the war was forced upon them by their rulers. Tuchman doesn't force her conclusion on the reader, but she paints a picture of an era in which societal institutions are being dismantled by rapid technological changes. The war is the final symptom of collapse. The book ends with the death of Jaures, who is not seen as the last hope of peace but the end of an era of more gentle illusions. Then read The Guns of August by Tuchman. [MA]

August 1914: The Red Wheel

August 1914: The Red Wheel Alexander Solzhenitsyn Penguin USA; ISBN: 0140071229 Who fought the war? All of Europe, including Russia. The war has already started when this novel begins, a novel which can and should be read as history. It has been difficult for me to understand Russia in the First World War, there is something about Russian nature that is too foreign for me to easily empathize with. Solzhenitsyn lets the reader see the war as a Russian might have seen it. As a novel it's big, long, and somewhat incoherent. Characters are developed and disappear. Some of the devices the author uses to present a broad picture of a military action that any one individual would only see a tiny slice of seem a bit forced. But read as a military/social history this is brilliant and engaging. [MA]

First Day on the Somme

First Day on the Somme Martin Middlebrook Penguin UK; ISBN: 0140171347 Who lost the battle of the Somme? Martin Middlebrook sides with the soldiers and points his fingers at the generals. The Battle of the Somme took place on the First of July 1916, and was the first great attack by the British. The army that fought it was nearly all patriotic volunteers who thought that this was their moment of Glory. The 8-day artillery bombardment was the longest and heaviest in history until that point and had been expected to cut all the barbed wire, disrupt logistics, destroy the artillery, smash the trenches, break the dugouts, kill most of the German soldiers, and disorient the rest. It did not. Once the signal came to go "over the top" of the trenches, they were met with a rainstorm of lethal metal. By the end of the day 62,000 soldiers would be dead, two for every yard of the British line. The Battle was ultimately to last for over 3 months and kill 420,000 British soldiers, but each subsequent day of battle merely tragically refought the first. [MA]

My Company

Fiction

The Delight Makers: A Novel of Prehistoric Pueblo Indians

The Delight Makers: A Novel of Prehistoric Pueblo Indians Adolph F. Bandelier Harcourt Brace & Company; ISBN: 0156252643 Adolph Francis Bandelier (1840-1914) was probably America's best field ethnographer and archaeologist of his generation. After publishing several interesting scholarly monographs on the Aztec culture of Mexico in the 1870s, he was funded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the newly-founded Archaeological Institute of America to pursue comparable work in the American Southwest. He began his first archaeological excavations in northern New Mexico in 1880, lived with the Pueblo Indians along the Rio Grande for the next eight years, became fluent in several of their languages, studied their cultures, and logged over 20,000 miles on foot exploring the geography, geology, natural history and most importantly the archaeological sites of the region. In 1885 he began work on a novel to lay before the general public the fruits of his research. On publication in 1890, The Delight Makers was quickly recognized by anthropologists and archaeologists as a classic of both science and literature. It has been in print more or less continually ever since and is still frequently required reading in university courses dealing with the prehistoric Southwest. As literature, it is reminiscent of the work of other late 19th and early 20th-century naturalistic novelists: Emile Zola, Frank Norris, Hamlin Garland, and Jack London come to mind. So, read this really good novel chock full of sex, politics, religion, warfare, intrigue and information, about the Queres and Tehuas under attack by the Navajos and Apaches centuries before they were all overwhelmed by the flood of European civilization. [WW]

Einstein's Dreams

Einstein's Dreams Alan P. Lightman Warner Books; ISBN: 0446670111 Einstein wrote and published some of his most important articles while employed as a patent clerk in Basel a hundred years ago. He investigated and significantly adjusted our conception of time through his contributions to theoretical physics. The premise of this collection of short stories, or rather its starting point, is that Einstein dreamed many possible worlds in which time behaved differently. Aside from the brief interspersed prologue, interludes and epilogue, Einstein plays no role in these stories. Each story is set in Basel, at the beginning of the twentieth century, with one significant difference: the way time functions. Lightman considers one or a few people at a moment in their lives. What would it be like if there were no future, or no past, or recurrence, among the many other possibilities? Keeping the context of the stories fairly fixed, the stories succinctly probe the central role time plays in every aspect of life. By adjusting this one variable, one sees purpose fall away, the end of restraint and moderation, or intensification of loneliness. The dreams do not visit exotic places, they rearticulate the ordinary in remarkable ways. Lightman expresses the dramatic character of mundane life by considering worlds where clocks run backwards, in fits and starts or not at all. The stories often return to superficial intimate gestures to adorn them. I guess this increases the book's accessibility. Despite its flirtation with philosophical discourse, Einstein's Dreams remains light reading. [EG]

October, Eight O'Clock

October, Eight O'Clock Norman Manea Grove Press; ISBN: 0802133711 Is this a biographical novel or a collection of short story portraits? The book progresses chronologically through six or so decades in Romania. The protagonist of the first few stories is a child, followed by an adolescent, then a progressively older man. The connection between the stories is tenuous, however. Each is a refined self-contained piece, with a distinct writing style, conflict, and dramatic approach. While aspects of the central character remain consistent, each chapter concerns a markedly different person. The story which made the deepest impression on me was 'Death,' concerning a children's game played in a concentration camp. Though only four pages long, there is more vivid experience and psychological and moral insight to be found here than many entire novels I've read. Another story brilliantly captures ethical development in early adolescence. The focus here is on a series of private Hebrew lessons that the protagonist endures unwillingly. He has found it expedient to adopt communist ideas and natural to the extent that he is irreverent and wants to have moral authority and share power over his education and life. It emerges in the lessons that the protagonist has abused this power already and he must face the consequences. As the book progresses, life becomes more complex and the writing less concrete though always firmly in the present, concerning immediate experiences. While set in an unpleasant time, the book doesn't dwell on the details except in individual episodes. This book uniquely and powerfully captures a life from childhood to middle age. [EG]

Redemption Ark

Redemption Ark Alastair Reynolds Ace Books; ISBN: 044101058X Alastair Reynolds' very first novel Revelation Space was a tour de force of the hardest of hard science fiction. His second Chasm City, set in the same universe, again did not disappoint fans of hard sci-fi, throwing in elements of genuine horror into the mix. While the two earlier novels were only loosely related to each other, this third novel is a more direct sequel to Revelation Space. In the earlier novel, humanity and their artificial intelligence creations have attracted the attention of very old and very mysterious alien entities, some of which are dedicated to the eradication of all competing life in the galaxy. Fifty years later the weapons are approaching and various factions - human, AI, alien, and even the sentient weapons themselves - all have their own agendas. Reynolds' story unfolds on a vast canvas of space and time, chock full of relativistic ice-shrouded space ships, sentient machines, mysterious nano-plagues, and bioengineered humanity. His earlier novels have already become sci-fi best sellers, and his many fans will not be disappointed by this latest effort. [AB]

Steps

Steps Jerzy Kosinski Grove Press; ISBN: 0802135269 A child's basic fears, hopes and desires get played out in the best fairy tales, which gloss the conflicts encountered in life and reduce them to an unambiguous almost inevitable sequence of events. Fantasy stories for adults which are equally probing tend to be much darker if they ring true. Kosinski's collection of extremely short works place a male protagonist in a variety of generally unpleasant situations and conflicts. While perverse and disturbing, these tales convincingly elicit the more brutal and boundless underlying concerns of adults. It's not as if it's easy to relate to Kosinski's characters and situations personally, as one can to, say, Hansel and Gretel. One keeps one's distance from these protagonists, who may be demeaned, voyeuristic or creepy, and their violent world. Adversaries are generally not overcome here, nor conflicts resolved; these stories concentrate on conjuring up a vivid tableau. The heartless and even grotesque sexual situations highlight the problems Steps takes on. What happens when one accommodates and endures alienation, injustice and powerlessness in a cruel world which, if it makes any sense, has only terrible rules? While Kosinski doesn't overcome these conditions, his fantasies of those who accept them make for fascinating if disconcerting reading. [EG]

Flashman: From the Flashman Papers, 1839-1842

Flashman: From the Flashman Papers, 1839-1842 George MacDonald Fraser New American Library Trade; ISBN: 0452259614 The first in a series of books documenting the exploits of Sir Harry Paget Flashman, Brigadier-General V.C. K.C.B., K.C.I.E., 1822 - 1915, noted coward, liar, scoundrel, poltroon, cad, and utterly cynical observer of the great events of the 19th century. If only actual history classes were this much fun! Flashman is, of course, a completely fictional character, the masterwork of British author George MacDonald Fraser. The books all find Flashman trying to run away from one historical crisis after another, but always managing to get entangled with the key figures of 19th-century history, usually to the detriment of his personal well being. But somehow he always comes out of his adventures with yet another completely undeserved medal and a reputation for being "a stout fellow." Fraser packs an amazing amount of real history into his novels, with the first one finding Flashman involved in the first Anglo-Afghan war, and specifically the disastrous retreat of the British from Kabul (see the first rate The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia for this real history in context). There's a reason why Fraser wrote 11 best-selling Flashman books over the last 30 years - the books are uniformly funny, frequently historically insightful, and always amazingly entertaining. And Flashman himself is one of the great modern literary characters. A must-read series. Incidentally, this first book specifically has what is perhaps the best Amazon reader review headline ever: "Unputdownable!" Wish we'd thought of it. [AB]

The Burning City

The Burning City Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle Pocket Books; ISBN: 0671036610 Is it just me, or do other science fiction fans object to the practice of lumping sci fi with fantasy? Case in point: previous collaborations between Niven and Pournelle have brought true gems to the genre of science fiction, and my expectation was that this would prove to be another. I kept expecting to eventually get to the scientific basis behind the "magic" central to the story. Imagine my surprise when it never materialized. This is a fantasy work, and while it's not quite up to their previous standards, it is entertaining enough to keep one reading. Our hero is Whandal Placehold, a thief in a stratified society where thievery is a way of life for the lower echelon. The social construct is an interesting reflection of modern values flung back into an ancient world of wizards, magic, and the California coastline. We follow Whandal as he escapes the drudgery of "gathering" what he needs and forms a band of travelers that trade goods up and down the Hemp Road. His adventures build with his reputation, until he finally returns to Tep's Town to confront his past. This proves that fantasy isn't so bad, just as long as it stays on its own shelf. [GB]

Children's Books

Morris the Artist

Morris the Artist Lore Segal; pictures by Boris Kulikov Farrar, Straus & Giroux; ISBN: 0374350639 Here's a fable about a little boy who doesn't want to hand over his present to the birthday boy Benjamin. A not-uncommon phenomenon, I suspect. Morris, preoccupied with his painting, doesn't want to go shopping with his mother for a present. But he does, and, after rejecting her suggestions, makes the right choice. However, his reluctance to give it up at the birthday party , instead holding it on his lap, inhibits his ability to eat his piece of birthday cake and to play with the children as they enjoy Benjamin's other presents. Finally he gives his present to Benjamin, paints and brushes of course, to general disinterest until he puts the paints to use and demonstrates what wonderful things they can achieve. Luminous, witty illustrations enhance the story to make this book a delight and one that will resonate for more than a few little kids. [CW]

Perrault's Fairy Tales

Perrault's Fairy Tales Charles Perrault Dover: ISBN 0486223116 For many readers, this collection contains the definitive and finest incarnation of several commonly-known fairy tales. There are of course several versions of these stories, the best known being the adaptations by the Brothers Grimm and Disney. What distinguishes these earlier works is their humor, moral logic, brisk pace and cleverness. Perrault wrote these at the end of the seventeenth century in France. Strangely, the text hardly feels dated at all, aside from the unabashed moral certainty expressed in the 'morals' following the stories. Perrault doesn't sugar up the endings of, say, Little Red Riding Hood, or play down the risks of a young girl conversing with a wolf or marrying a creepy guy with a blue beard just for his money. Nor does he water down the passions of his characters or the compulsions which drive them. This is captured in the illustrations of Gustave Doré which leave an indelible impression. These dark and evocative plates bring to life dreamy landscapes and frightening scenes. Those who appreciate illustrated children's literature will treasure this book. [EG]

The Yellow Fairy Book

The Yellow Fairy Book Andrew Lang Dover: ISBN 0486216748 Andrew Lang edited and compiled a rainbow of fairy tale collections in the last years of the nineteenth century. Dover reproduces the original editions, unabridged, with their remarkable illustrations and typography. Contributors to these collections translated stories from dozens of languages and adapted them to unify the style and presentation. Both traditional folk legends and more modern works meet here. So why am I recommending the Yellow Book? Aside from a few great and well known stories, such as The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, the collection contains obscure and strange selections. There's no knowing what to expect from one chapter to the next, as many of these turn unexpectedly, with bittersweet or even tragic endings. You will enjoy The Tinder-Box, I'm sure. Its delightfully grotesque characters, including the 'hero' and his helpers, wreak havoc and pretty much get everything they want. Such stories are exhilarating. Like the oldest Charlie Chaplin movies, they delight in quirks, fulfill impulses, and don't worry about tidying up the moral house so that only the pure go unpunished. [EG]

River of Words: Images and Poetry in Praise of Water

River of Words: Images and Poetry in Praise of Water Pamela Michael, Editor Heyday Books; ISBN: 1890771651 This beautiful book is filled with poems and paintings by children in celebration of water. During his tenure as U.S. poet laureate, Robert Hass and the book's editor Pamela Michael co-founded River of Words, an organization to encourage children to better understand and appreciate our most essential natural resource, water, and to express their appreciation and delight in words and images. A generation or two ago most children had some acquaintance with and understanding of the watershed in which they grew up, but increasing population density and urbanization have overwhelmed a sense of their local environment for most children now. River of Words is meant to recover it by training teachers, youth leaders, park rangers and other educators who work with children around the world. The collection culls work from six years of an international contest, open to children from kindergarten through 12th grade, for poetry and art about watersheds . Poet Hass and children's book illustrator Thatcher Hurd each provide a brief introduction to the book and Pamela Michael explains the intent of the project, but then 75 pages are devoted to the children's very impressive poems and paintings. It's important to children's development to have their abilities recognized and appreciated and their work taken seriously, as this book does. And the book can remind numbed adults of the benefit to children and all of us to try to reconnect with the natural world and value its gifts that have been so short-sightedly wasted in the past century. [CW]