Book Description
By the end of the eighteenth century a sense of anxiety and crisis began to preoccupy European writers and artists in their relationship to a heroic past. The grandness of that history no longer fit into the framework of the present, and artists felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of past heroic accomplishment. This was soon reflected in artistic representation, from Fuseli on. The partial image, the "crop," fragmentation, ruin, and mutilation—all expressed grief and nostalgia for the loss of a vanished totality, a utopian wholeness. Often such feelings were expressed in deliberate destructiveness, which became the new way of seeing: the notion of the modern. In The Body in Pieces, the noted critic and art historian Linda Nochlin traces these developments by looking at work produced by artists from Neoclassicism and Romanticism to Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, and beyond. 59 illustrations.
Book Description
Next time you select a scarf to match your outfit and the occasion, tie it in one of these 24 distinctive styles. Full-color photos display every step and technique, along with fashion models showing off each finished touch. Experiment with your favorites for formal and informal occasions: * Windsor knot for the dress-for-success look * Whirligigs that add dazzle to casual * The turtleneck look and the double-ring look for casual dress * Ironed pleats for evening wear Add your favorite jewelry, as you braid a scarf with a gold necklace, or adapt scarves to different collar styles. The showstoppers: dramatic over-the-shoulder styles that plunge the length of your jacket in front, as well as imaginative streamers and pigtails down the back. 48 pages (all in color), 6 x 8 1/2.
Customer Reviews:
awful!.......2004-03-07
I am sorry I bought this book. It is not updated. It has an old fashioned way to tie a scarf. There are only about 2 ways that would look good these days. I would be embarassed to wear a scarf the way the author describes it!!! Not worth the money
Very good reference!.......2003-03-07
I liked a lot of the ideas! It shows some unique ways to tie various shaped scarves. I have many scarves that I never wore because I didn't have a clue how to tie them, and this book has helped greatly. Be sure to get a scarf ring! Some neat ideas include using beads or pearls wrapped or braided into the scarf!
This book needed a good editor.......2000-10-26
I think this book needed a good editor. Some of the directions are not clearly written. I'm a writer, and even I had a hard time deciphering some of the text. Illustrations are somewhat helpful, but the layout is confusing. It's not always easy to tell which illustration goes with which step. It would have been better to include photos of hands folding the scarves.
Some of the tying methods are nice -- traditional and classic techniques that I can wear to the office. But a lot of them are kind of weird -- even outdated-looking. I can't see going to work with three huge scarves braided together with pearls. Some of the techniques have a funky '70s disco look, but I guess that's in style.
Also, the author includes options for only a couple of sizes of scarves -- most of them quite large.
Clear, easy to follow.......2000-04-11
I have a few different books on how to tie scarves and found this one to be the best. It is easy to follow, good pictures, and some great ways to wear scarves without alot of time spent to get it to look right. If you have some scarves and need ideas, I would get this book!
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic!.......1998-08-24
I'm a new parent myself and can relate to Baby Blues instantly. Have all 8 scrapbooks and recommend anyone even if they are not parents yet to grab hold and start reading Baby Blues NOW. Once you get started, you'll want more. ps/ dear authors, when are the rest of the collection coming out?
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Young Magician, The: Volume 3 (Young Magician (DC Comics))
Yuri Narushima
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Young Magician, The: Volume 5 (Young Magician)
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Young Magician, The: Volume 8 (Young Magician)
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Boy Princess Vol. 1 (Boy Princess)
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Lies & Kisses
ASIN: 1401207391 |
Book Description
Ibuki and Carno meet, oblivious to the epic battle waiting to consume them. Ibuki knows he has powers, but has yet to realize how dangerous they are. Unfortunately for him, the Holy Knights direct Carno to kill that which they cannot control. But why are Ibukis special powers so dangerous?
Book Description
This guide demonstrates Morricone's unique and enduring contributions to the art of film music through a discussion of his compositional and orchestrational processes, many of which are evident in his music for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in a way that can be easily understood by both musicians and nonmusicians. Though the guide illuminates theoretical and structural aspects of Morricone's music, it also examines relevant non-musical issues which contribute to the audience's total experience of the film.
Customer Reviews:
This book is terribly written.......2006-03-02
The previous review nailed on the head Leinberger's lack of in-depth focus on the score itself, despite being touted as just that, and so my comments will rather focus on the writing of the book, which is just plain awful.
In general, the book relies too much on repetition. Leinberger has no sense of how to develop an argument; he divides chapters into smaller sub-sections, never caring whether or not there is a logic to the order of chapters, and often repeating statements or ideas within these arbitrary sections. Chapters 2 and 4 in particular, "Morricone's Technique of Film Scoring" and "The Music and Its Context," contain sections that are almost identical.
The writing itself is even worse. The structure of the book gives Leinberger ample room for commentary on the historical and cultural contexts surrounding the film, filmmakers and score, yet his analysis is rarely insightful and too often full of fan-style appreciation. He never fails to include telling adjectives such as "skillful," "bold," "imaginative," "innovative," and the like, avoiding objectivity in moments where he reflects critically on Morricone's influence and reception. Instead of drawing larger conclusions from the presence of diverse musical elements within Morricone's score (popular music, electronically-amplified instruments, human voices, minimalism, musique concrete, etc), he merely mentions their presence within the score (many times over, in fact), expecting us to be struck by their importance merely thru his simple act of observation. Often, he combines these faults, writing sentences like "Although minimalism was used in later film scores...such a device was still quite rare in the 1960s and is evidence of Morricone's inclusion of modern elements in his film music." No commentary on where Morricone might have encountered minimalism, how it affected portions of the score in which it appears, or how it might work in juxtaposition to other stylistic elements contained within the score. Please. A particularly choice example arises over a quotation by critic Laurence MacDonald, who calls Morricone a "musical chameleon." Our esteemed author's analysis? "MacDonald's comparison of Morricone and [Jerry] Goldsmith with a chameleon no doubt refers to that reptile's ability to change color, not necessarily to its ability to blend into the background." Huh? When has that expression ever meant the latter?
In short, save for some factual information it wouldn't take long to find other places, Leinberger's book holds little of value. It's simply not worth anyone's time to wade through the mediocre writing that borders on Freshman-comp bad. You'll find little good, much bad, and the rest painfully ugly in Leinberger's study.
Polite Applause, but No "Bravo".......2005-09-01
Leinberger's film score guide is probably not intended for serious musicians. This guide spends rather too much space on the film's plot and production history, the actors and director, and not nearly enough on actual musical analysis. To be fair, the analysis is generally good and to the point (my only qualm being that Leinberger seems to say that changing the tempo of an ostinato results in a new and different ostinato), there's just not enough of it in enough depth.
Almost all of the analysis falls within one chapter. Leinberger could easily have done musical analyses of all three Man with No Name films had he skipped the background information that is bettered covered by Christopher Frayling, among others. Perhaps he was overly constrained by the series format and his editor's intentions.
The musical samples are well printed and cover most of the text points, but all are presented as melodic lines without any of the supporting harmony or percussion rhythms - even though Leinberger does discuss Morricone's use of modal harmony and novel percussion effects. There are no details of the percussion instruments used. More information about the recording sessions and matters of timing would also have been helpful.
I had already done a more thorough analysis of this music in my head, and all I really expected from this guide were the musical samples to confirm what I thought I heard. Musicians will not find much else here that they haven't already figured out themselves by listening. I recommend this guide mostly to non-musicians who want a complete library on the films of Sergio Leone or the music of Ennio Morricone.
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Chorus of Light: Photographs from the Sir Elton John Collection
Manufacturer: Rizzoli
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 084782313X
Release Date: 2001-01-06 |
Book Description
Sir Elton John has emerged in the 1990s as one of the world's preeminent collectors of twentieth-century photography. The High Museum of Art is the first institution to present highlights from the more than 2,000 photographs John has acquired during the last decade. This book presents more than 150 illustrations of images by more than 100 photographers, including Berenice Abbott, Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Lewis Hine, Tina Modotti, Paul Outerbridge, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, and Edward Weston. Masters such as Man Ray, AndrÈ KertÈsz, Harry Callahan, Irving Penn, Lucas Samaras, Robert Mapplethorpe, John Dugdale, and Horst P. Horst, are represented in depth.
The book accompanies the first major exhibition of John's collection, and includes an introduction by the exhibition's curator, Ned Rifkin, and an appreciation of the collector by Jane Jackson, adviser to the collection. An essay by Thomas W, Southall discusses Elton John's taste as a collector. A lengthy interview of Sir Elton by Ingrid Sischy of Interview magazine reveals the famous performer's passion and direction in acquiring photographs. Views of Elton's Atlanta residence show how the collector lives within his astonishingly dense collection.
Customer Reviews:
Don't miss this show!.......2001-01-19
A great photography collection compiled by Elton John when you view the show at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA. He has over 2500 photos in his collection and the show is a good look at the history of photography even though it only exhits 320 works from the collection.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Read.......2004-02-09
A wonderful book. Once again, Lynn Abbey tells a wonderful story with great characters and an extremely engaging plot. This book certainly sheds a lot of light onto the Dragonkings and on Athas. Highly recommended.
One of the best fantasy books.......2004-02-01
I would put this in my top list of fantasy books. It was amazing. You start the book, thinking you'll read a chapter and do something else. But the story of a boy coming of age, becoming a monster, and finally seeking redemption was just too good to let go of.
One thing I'll always remember was my sister reading this book, and then screaming when the doorbell rang because she wanted to finish the novel instead of going out with her friends.
A moving, meaningful close to "Dark Sun".......2001-08-25
Lynn Abbey's book seems to end the "Dark Sun" chronology. The author is most concerned with character and motivation. We originally met Hamanu in the Prism Pentad, as a harsh tyrant and brutal defender of his city. In later novels and stories, his relationship with the land's protectors, and his humility and overall deep sadness were explored. Lynn Abbey creates a past and a set of motivations for Hamanu which (in the context of this make-believe world) are credible and profoundly moving. The dictators of our own world (both right-wing and left-wing) claim (if pressed) that they must suppress freedoms to maintain security and prosperity for their people. Are they sincere? Are they correct? I don't know. But Hamanu finds himself in their position, and struggles (as perhaps they do) with its implications. The struggle is the theme of this book. And in the end, he recovers his humanity, both literally and spiritually.
Excuse Me!?!?!?!?! This Book SUCKED!!!!!!.......2001-05-02
Did any of you actually read this book????? AS a big fan of the Dark Sun World,I found this book to be a MAJOR letdown.Lynn Abbey threw all the established rules and history of Athas and dragons out the window to make this garbage,the plot makes no sense,her desription of Hamanu's past makes no sense(for one thing in the book she says he is only 1000 years old,but he is at least 2000 years old because thats when he helped lock Rajaat up!!!).The woman obviously read the history of Athas,but she ignored it when she wrote this book and that I just can't get by.
SO if you love Athas and it's sorcerer-kings,DON'T READ THIS BOOK!!!
excellent book!!.......1999-03-03
Lynn Abbey does a very remarkable job of bringing us behind the scenes of being a sorcer-king. I think this was the last Dark Sun book written and I had already read all the others. Abbey shows that Hamanu is not necessarily evil but is more a victim of circumstances than anything else. I also gotta admit I really like the names Lynn came up with such as Gallard Bane of Gnomes, Ogre-Naught, Myron Troll-Scorcher, etc. Unfortunately it seems WoTC has ended Dark Sun. I'm gonna write em and ask why because I think Dark Sun has excellent potential. I wanna see more of Sorak, Just-Plain Pavek, Sadira and Rikus.
Amazon.com
In the past, Antonia Fraser's bestselling histories and biographies have focused on people and events in her native England, from Mary Queen of Scots to Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot. Now she crosses the Channel to limn the life of France's unhappiest queen, bringing along her gift for fluent storytelling, vivid characterization, and evocative historical background. Marie Antoinette (1755-93) emerges in Fraser's sympathetic portrait as a goodhearted girl woefully undereducated and poorly prepared for the dynastic political intrigues into which she was thrust at age 14, when her mother, Empress Maria Theresa, married her off to the future Louis XVI to further Austria's interests in France. Far from being the licentious monster later depicted by the radicals who sent her to the guillotine at the height of the French Revolution, young Marie Antoinette was quite prudish, as well as thoroughly humiliated by her husband's widely known failure to have complete intercourse with her for seven long years (the gory details were reported to any number of concerned royal parties, including her mother and brother). She compensated by spending lavishly on clothes and palaces, but Fraser points out that this hardly made her unique among 18th-century royalty, and in any case the causes of the Revolution went far beyond one woman's frivolities. The moving final chapters show Marie Antoinette gaining in dignity and courage as the Revolution stripped her of everything, subjected her to horrific brutalities (a mob paraded the head of her closest female friend on a pike below her window), and eventually took her life. Fraser makes no attempt to hide the queen's shortcomings, in particular her poor political skills, but focuses on her personal warmth and noble bearing during her final ordeal. It's another fine piece of popular historical biography to add to Fraser's already impressive bibliography. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
France's iconic queen, Marie Antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous "Let them eat cake," was alternately revered and reviled during her lifetime. For centuries since, she has been the object of debate, speculation, and the fascination so often accorded illustrious figures in history. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted child was thrust onto the royal stage and commanded by circumstance to play a significant role in European history. Antonia Fraser's lavish and engaging portrait excites compassion and regard for all aspects of the queen, immersing the reader not only in the coming-of-age of a graceful woman, but in the culture of an unparalleled time and place.
Customer Reviews:
A Gripping Royal Life.......2007-08-29
Light on analysis and heavy on chronicling, MATJ efficiently and often movingly recounts a notorious chapter in history. AF does a fine job of evoking life in a European court in general, and in the times of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI in particular. She treats her subject objectively, though with a reasonable measure of implicit sympathy. The Antoinette depicted in MATJ is far more nuanced a figure than the one many of us were first introduced to in public school history lessons. Though not without flaws, Marie Antoinette emerges in MATJ as no more flawed a person than most -- a product and a victim of circumstances that were largely of others' making. MATJ is particulary affecting in its treatment of the Terror, the collapse of the French monarchy, and Marie Antoinette's ultimate fate -- a fate as brutal as one can imagine. As a history of the Terror and the French Revolution, MATJ falls short. But it does not purport to be a broader work of historical synthesis or analysis. It hews closely to its subject -- the queen whose life intersected, tragically, with enormous national and world-historical events. In doing so, it offers a full and affecting portrait of one of history's most compelling figures.
Engrossing from beginning to end.......2007-08-09
"Marie Antoinette: The Journey" was my first experience with the work of Lady Antonia Fraser. Having read many biographies of famous British historical figures, I noticed that her name always seemed to crop up in various authors' "Acknowledgements" or bibliographies. In fact, the point at which I first recall reading her name was in reviews for John Guy's "Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart". My interest piqued, I ordered a copy of "Marie Antoinette" to test the waters of an author whose scholarship and style was, it seemed to me, almost universally respected. And I can safely say that I've never been more pleased with the outcome of an experiment.
Antonia Fraser's sparklingly eloquent and witty writing style lends itself perfectly to the glamorous story of the ultimately tragic French queen. What I appreciated most about the narrative (aside from its seamless fluidity) was the lack, thankfully, of shameless allusions to the subject's eventual disastrous fate. Lady Antonia stated in the introduction to her biography that she would endeavor to present Marie Antoinette's tale `without the perils of hindsight' (her words, although not in the introduction), as most authors I'm sure would have been prone to do. Despite the fact that I was aware of Marie Antoinette's death going in, I had little knowledge of the reasons for it.
And thusly I come to another brilliant aspect of this biography: the sound and thorough description of events leading, not only to Marie Antoinette's beheading, but the French Revolution itself. Obviously, Antonia Fraser's intention in presenting the queen's story was not to simultaneously provide the reader with an exhaustive analysis of the Revolution (for that, many would recommend Simon Schama's "Citizens"); so with that said, I found the author's breakdown of the events occurring throughout Marie Antoinette's adopted country entirely satisfying within the confines of a biography.
This is one of the few biographies in which I was so sufficiently engrossed by the story that I gradually disregarded my previous knowledge of how the story ends. So swept along was I by the narrative's current that I actually harbored quiet hope for the queen's rescue from the Conciergerie, where she was incarcerated prior to her execution. As a result, I was crushed when Marie Antoinette met her gruesome death. Such unquestioning absorption is, in my opinion, the mark of any quality biography, when coupled with an objective and engaging presentation of facts that envelopes you in the world of its subject. "Marie Antoinette: The Journey" shines vividly in that regard and many others.
Elizabeth Longford, Antonia Fraser's mother and a highly-respected biographer, stated in a later-edition introduction to her masterful "Victoria R. I." that the word `definitive', in describing biographical works, is meaningless. Various authors studying the same subject may interpret facts and events quite differently. Having never read another biography of Marie Antoinette, I cannot rightly speak of Lady Antonia's book as being the essential source for information. But based upon my own experience with it, and those of most other reviewers, I would wager that this is the best possible place to start.
A sympathetic biography of a much maligned queen.......2007-07-12
Always the victim of fate and controlled by external powers, Marie Antoinette warmed to her roles well. From her idyllic childhood in Austria to her life as a princess (the Dauphine) in France during her adolescence to her extravagant Queenship in Versailles and Petit Trianon to her staid motherhood and finally to her untimely death at the hands of the Jacobins, Marie Antoinette filled her role with grace and dignity. Fraser brings us a portrait of Marie Antoinette as she certainly would have liked to have been remembered rather than the villainous harpy she was portrayed as during her life and beyond.
Starting, as any biography of Marie Antoinette must, in Austria under the reign of Maria Teresa, the book proceeds to describe life in the Empress' household and the various intrigues therein. The book tries not to miss any significant points along the way, but the book soon moves to the marriage of Marie to the young French Dauphin Louis XVI. From there, the life and political machinations of the courtiers and Marie among them are highlighted. Fraser sometimes seems to get lost recalling all the courtiers and their significances, but Marie is always kept as the central figure. Through this storytelling the reader watches a young woman grow up, sometimes under bad influences, but mostly under the watchful eyes of responsible advisors.
There is quite a bit of focus on Marie and Louis' failure to consummate their marriage, with the lightness of the King's attitude towards the Prince (Louis) in sharp contrast to the heavy yoke of responsibility laid on the Prince by Marie's brother the Emperor Joseph. In time, the married couple figure out their roles and they give birth to the first Dauphin.
What stands out about Fraser's prose is her ability to evoke great joy in the reader, as well as great sadness. She gives the joy of the royal family at the birth of their first child directly to the reader. Likewise, when the Dauphin, a sickly child, dies at a young age, Fraser pulls no punches and the sadness of the royal family is also felt by the reader.
Naturally, the book goes on to cover the rule of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette as she oversees her hobbies and children. The attempted escape, called the flight to Varennes, is well covered and Fraser does a good job of bringing out the tension and suspense of the incident. The recounting of this event reads very much like fiction, though the events are very real. Finally, the book wraps up with the incarceration and execution of the royal family at the hands of the French revolutionaries.
The inclusion of paintings and photographs of important people and places makes the book all the more enjoyable. From the cute portrait of the Austrian imperial family to the sketch of Marie Antoinette on her way to the guillotine, each picture frames the period discussed so well that the reader's imagination is free to explore the world of 18th century France and Austria.
Fraser's book is an easy, if long, read, but it is enjoyable and reads very much like fiction rather than a dry biography. The only places it lags are when the number of characters gets too unwieldy or when Fraser tries to explain the bloodline relationships between various courtiers. I think anyone wanting to get a solid background on the life of Marie Antoinette would welcome this book to their library.
Amazing Biography.......2007-07-08
This is an awesome book, written on such an intriguing person in history. Marie Antoinette has gotten a bad rap throughout the years, the whole French revolution has been blamed on her, which is wrong. There are MANY MANY reasons why the revolution happened, and many don't have anything to do with her. It's a great book and the movie by S. Coppolla is also great (if you liked Clueless, you'd like this because it has an innocent air to it). The Marie Antionette in this book comes off a little more sympathetic because the reader is able to see how young and vulnerable she was. We must remember she became Queen of France at such a young, immature age and it's no wonder she had all those lavish parties. This is a great book by a great author and I highly recommend it.
A Well Told Biography.......2007-06-16
Ms. Fraser is a well known author of historical biographies. She does her research and manages to be fair in all things when it comes to delving in past lives that have touched the world. Her attempt at penning Marie Antoinette's story is well done, fair, and shows the world a different young woman that is often portrayed in historical films.
Beginning at the young archduchess start in life to her horrid end, we travel beside this young woman, learning what she had to endure and seeing her in a way not always portrayed. With plenty of historic facts, color pictures the author has penned a fair biography that will give the reader insight into a much misunderstood woman. This is one book I highly recommend.
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Konnichiwa, Nippon: Furansu butsuri gakusha no Japonisumu hakken
Antoinette Marie Dubois
Manufacturer: PHP Kenkyujo
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Merrill's Marauders began as an anonymous group of misfits and inexperienced American soldiers thrown together in India during the desperate year of 1943. Thrown into action against the seemingly all-powerful Japanese Army in Burma, they bore the brunt of a brutal guerrilla campaign deep behind Japanese lines.
Book Description
Crisis of the House Divided is the standard historiography of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Harry Jaffa provides the definitive analysis of the political principles that guided Lincoln from his re-entry into politics in 1854 through his Senate campaign against Douglas in 1858.
"Crisis of the House Divided has shaped the thought of a generation of Abraham Lincoln and Civil War scholars."—Mark E. Needly, Jr., Civil War History
"An important book about one of the great episodes in the history of the sectional controversy. It breaks new ground and opens a new view of Lincoln's significance as a political thinker."—T. Harry Williams, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences
"A searching and provocative analysis of the issues confronted and the ideas expounded in the great debates. . . . A book which displays such learning and insight that it cannot fail to excite the admiration even of scholars who disagree with its major arguments and conclusions."—D. E. Fehrenbacher, American Historical Review
Customer Reviews:
Highly relevant decades after publication.......2006-03-23
This book is a most profound examination of the thinking of both Sen. Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln concerning all of the issues associated with slavery up to the Civil War. Jaffa wants to set the record straight as far as any number of contentions by well-known historians of his era, known as revisionists. Most importantly, he flatly disputes the notion that the thinking and actions of Douglas (the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854) endorsing popular sovereignty were essentially equivalent to the principled stand of Lincoln based on the equality of all men in their long-term ramifications for slavery. Those revisionist historians contend that Lincoln and the Republicans should have accepted Douglas' solution to the slavery crisis, thus not precipitating the Civil War.
Another claim against Lincoln that Jaffa thoroughly discredits is that Lincoln, in fact, did not hold Negroes as equals, and simply used the issue for personal political gain regardless of the consequences for the Union. But Lincoln understood that politics is the art of the possible. The author makes clear that Lincoln held an intense respect for the principles of the Declaration of Independence, including the rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for all, including Negroes. It was one thing for the Union to be formed with the taint of slavery, but the contention that Southerners came to that slavery was a "positive good" was felt by Lincoln to have the potential to completely undermine the basis of the US. Perhaps it could even be justified to enslave a group of "inferior" whites. Lincoln felt compelled to move the nation back to its core principles without alienating those who did not have the same clarity as to what was at stake.
The book is a challenging read. The issue of permitting slavery in territories became and remained contentious from 1820 on. The arguments for and against slavery in territories are quite subtle involving constitutionality, Congressional acts, territorial legislative bodies, and court decisions. The Dred Scott decision in 1857 disallowing restrictions on taking property (slaves) into territories is examined. Lincoln and the Republicans, rightfully so, were very apprehensive as to the long term ramifications of that decision. It was hardly a stretch to see where free states could become a thing of the past.
The book is only indirectly concerned with the Lincoln-Douglas debates. They are randomly referred to throughout the text, but earlier writings and speeches receive far more attention. Douglas' words concerning the Mexican territories and the Kansas-Nebraska Act are well covered. The author devotes a large segment to examining Lincoln's speech to the Young Men's Lyceum in 1938, where his thinking on major issues had already crystallized. Lincoln's address on temperance receives much attention.
The author is a disciple of Leo Strauss, the natural rights theorist. He does regard Lincoln as a preeminent natural rights thinker. There is some discussion of pre-civil society versus civil society. But the overall import of the book does not turn on acceptance of natural rights in a purist sense.
This book, decades after its publication, cannot be ignored for understanding Lincoln.
Vitally important work that's a must-read for policy makers.......2004-08-02
Professor Harry V. Jaffa's "Crisis of the House Divided" is an extremely important book. In it, he succeeds in turning back the revisionist historians of the mid-Twentieth Century who sought to devalue Abraham Lincoln's commitment to the proposition that "All men are created equal."
This tide of revisionism took two general forms; partisans for the South who placed the full blame on Mr. Lincoln for sparking the "War of Northern Aggression"; and modern historians, skeptical of any higher motives and virtues in statesmen of the past, who claimed that there were really no substantial policy differences between Mr. Lincoln and Senator Stephen A. Douglas. If the latter class of historian could prove that Lincoln didn't really believe in freedom for slaves and that his rhetoric against slavery was irresponsible (knowing how it offended Southern sensibilities) while Douglas' "Popular Sovereignty" policy would have eventually led to the limitation and elimination of slavery, then Lincoln's legacy as President could be shown to be the largely accidental.
Fortunately, Professor Jaffa's work demolishes the corrosive contentions of the revisionists, showing, beyond any doubt, that Mr. Lincoln believed America was founded on the principle of human equality as much as it was founded on the idea of democracy. That democracy and equality were the twin pillars of the American Republic and were in tension was something Mr. Lincoln well understood while Judge Douglas honored only democracy. Hence, Douglas' "Popular Sovereignty" led to the concept that the majority could decide slavery was not only legal, but also moral. In opposition, Mr. Lincoln argued that a majority did not have the right to sanction the enslavement of other men, regardless of their alleged inferiority, because "All men are created equal."
Professor Jaffa shows that Mr. Lincoln built upon the Founders' thoughts in the Declaration of Independence and urged their maturation towards the ideal. Lincoln saw how the Founders invoked passion, hatred and revenge in support of the cause of independence from Britain but how these passions were no longer adequate to the task of preserving the Union from the dangers of mobocracy or dictatorship - dangers made more immediate by the revolutionary birth of America and the tendency of unrestrained democracy to disdainful the rule of law. Instead, Lincoln recommended virtuous reason to lift the United States up, to show the world that it was truly capable of lasting self-governance. Of course, the cornerstone of this reason was the thinking through in the body politic, the practical consequences of the principle, "All men are created equal."
Professor Jaffa's book is a gift to America and the world. Were more people in office aware of the fundamental issues debated by Judge Douglas and Mr. Lincoln in 1858 during their remarkable campaign for the Illinois Senate, and their implications for policies even today, our nation would be stronger and our democracy more secure.
Stunningly great book on Lincoln.......2003-01-01
For an account of Lincoln's thought (as well as Douglas') that serves to the credit of both of them, read this book. One of the finest books I have ever read, there are some chapters on Lincoln's thought that you will read time and time again. My copy of the book is marked up with great quotes where Harry Jaffa shows great insight into the tension and wonder that is the democratic thought of Abraham Lincoln, quite possibly the greatest democratic leader in history. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know about the mind of Lincoln before the Civil War.
The one to read.......2002-02-16
If you want to read one book about Lincoln's thought, this is the one to read. The first part of the book, which takes Douglas seriously and states the strongest case for him, is historically dense and may be difficult for most readers. But keep going, because the payoff will be great. There follow chapters on two of Lincoln's early speeches. Jaffa's analysis here is brilliant, though perhaps a bit far-fetched. In the final part of the book, Jaffa states the case for Lincoln against Douglas. This part is rich in its ideas, rigorous in its reasoning, and eloquent to the point of being inspirational. (By the way, if you want to read one biography of Lincoln, I'd recommend the one by Lord Charnwood. Though written almost a century ago and therefore not up to date on all the details of historical scholarship, it is judicious throughout and beautifully written.)
The Second American Founding.......2000-06-23
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Jaffa is that he wrote Goldwater's famous "moderation in the defense of freedom is no virtue" speech. If you go back and read the speech (and it is on the web, of course), it echoes both the Old Testament ("our fathers") and Lincoln. I suspect he would agree with the man who told me that Lincoln is the greatest prose stylish in the English language. As for the book, Jaffa interprets the civil war as the second, and genuine, founding of the American republic, and precisely because the principle of the Declaration, equality, was written not in ink but blood (Jaffa has his own brand of Lincolnian Christianity). Lincoln, by this reading, belongs to the "tribe of the eagle and the lion" and was neither Caesar nor Brutus but possessed the best qualities of both. To understand that part of Jaffa's interpretation, you would have to read his treatment of Shakespeare. As for the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Jaffa stages Douglas as Thrasymachus and Lincoln--surprise, surprise--as Socrates.
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Animals with Jobs - Carrier Pigeons (Animals with Jobs)
Judith Presnall
Manufacturer: KidHaven Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Nonfiction
| Birds
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
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Nonfiction
| General
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
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General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
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Military Science
| History
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General
| Arts & Photography
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ASIN: 0737718242 |
Book Description
Using their mysterious homing ability, pigeons fly to their loft from great distances. Carrier pigeons made their greatest contribution during wartime when they flew over battlefields to deliver messages rolled into leg capsules. The birds also deliver blood samples and transport film cartridges.
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Homing With the Birds
Gene S. Porter
Manufacturer: Buccaneer Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Birds
| Field Guides
| Outdoors & Nature
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General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
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ASIN: 0899665306 |
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