Kangaroo Dreaming: An Australian Wildlife Odyssey

Amazon.com

A few miles into the scorched, dusty interior of Australia along the Stuart Highway, naturalist Edward Kanze began counting carcasses. "Kangaroos stare blindly into headlights," he writes, "and the big rigs, drunk on momentum, smash them mile after bloody mile." Kanze, on what he compares at great length to Homer's Odyssey, treks around Australia in a 1980 Toyota Corolla with his wife, packing along a library of natural-history books and a predilection for avian, reptilian, and mammalian mating habits. The author of The World of John Burroughs, as well as of a nature guide to New Zealand, he visits every state in Australia in six months, meeting with park rangers, herpetologists, professional birders, and grumpy crocodile-hunter-types on a quest to intimately know the continent's bizarre wildlife.

Kanze's list of finds is immense, with birds as diverse as orange-bellied parrots, the endangered glossy black cockatoo, crimson rosellas, and deadly Cassowaries, which Kanze describes as "an Emu with a stoop, dark, stocky, with a gaudy red necklace of exposed flesh," and that the Park Service warns has trampled several people. But Kanze's adventures are not limited to birdwatching; in fact, his true pursuit is finding the majority of Australia's 40 species of kangaroos. At first they appear in such scant numbers that he marvels at a single spotting. Soon enough though, the 'roos appear in such great abundance that he shifts his focus to the duck-billed platypus outside of Canberra, the mudskippers in the coastal rainforests near Brisbane, the pythons in Lake Barrine, and the "freshies" (freshwater crocodiles) at Edith Falls.

Going beyond the Attenborough-toned walk in the field, Kanze touches on the realities of the Aboriginal plight, the invasion of the European settler, and the desecration of the Australian landscape. He even pays a visit to an asbestos mining town where passers-through are warned not to breathe the particulate-thick air. By the time Kanze and his wife are plenty full of each other, their broken-down Corolla, and the search for the rufous-banded honeyeaters, the pied herons, the hairy-nosed wombats, the white-browed crakes, the pratinoles, the cane toads, the tree kangaroos, the giant lizards, and the flying marsupials, they have sated their list, and the reader, with Australia's remarkable and often-elusive wildlife. --Lolly Merrell

Customer Reviews:

great book on Australian natural history.......2003-12-01

I read this book just after having finished Bill Bryson's travel book on Australia, "In A Sunburned Country," and the contrast could not be more vivid. Bryson focused mainly on the cities, towns, and people of Australia, and I believe he only saw a few kangaroos in his entire sojourn there. Though he did cover some natural history, most of his work was focused on the human history and culture of Australia. Kanze on the other hand on his massive journey around Australia with his wife Debbie spent very little time in cities, trying to avoid urban areas for the most part, and saw a great deal of wildlife, including probably hundreds of kangaroos. In fact, the principal reason they flew to Australia, bought a car, and spent the better part of a year driving around the continent/country (including Tasmania) was to see a bewildering array of plants, animals, and natural landscapes in the "bush."

The author introduces the reader to a many animals, some familiar, many not. We meet a wide variety of kangaroos, including the "big four," the common wallaroo (known as the "euro" in Western Australia), the red kangaroo, the eastern grey, and the western grey, as well as the musky rat-kangaroo, most "primitive" of kangaroos, smaller than a housecat, distinct in that hops on four feet rather than two, carries nest material with its tail, and is the only kangaroo that raises two young at a time rather than the usual one . They encounter the sugar glider, a marsupial that is strikingly similar to the flying squirrel of North America, one that feeds on the excretions of sap-feeing insects and eucalyptus resin, something few marsupials can digest. A wide variety of parrots (the continent possesses fifty-six species) also amazes the Kanzes when they encountered them in virtually any setting, from rain forest to desert to the middle of large cities. They meet koalas several times, a strange animal that Kanze informs us actually for a time grew more common after English settlement, as Aborigine hunting of them declined as their own populations retreated before the Europeans, only to suffer in turn when koalas caught the fancy of London furriers. They run into the ubiquitous termite mounds of Queensland, thousands of which tower over the landscape up to eight feet in height, vital to the local ecology as they serve the function of earthworms, which are unable to survive the monsoonal inundations of the local landscape. Interestingly, we learn that at least some termite species build their mounds with their broad fronts parallel to the earth's magnetic poles, one end pointing to magnetic south, the other magnetic north, with the mounds thus situated to soak up morning and afternoon sunshine but only present a thin edge to the blistering midday sun. They meet the potentially dangerous cassowary, a huge flightless bird able to run thirty miles an hour, jump five feet into the air, and disembowel a man with the slash of a talon. Advised to hide and freeze should they encounter one in the forest, the Kanzes run into an overcurious youngster and its protective parent at one point, a situation that could have ended in disaster. Told that if one froze they might be missed, as their eyesight is poor, a comment that to me brought to mind "Jurassic Park," a thought the author apparently shared. Kanze roots around underwater with a snorkel and mask for the elusive Arafura file snake, not formerly described until 1980, a snake with unusually loose but rough skin that uses to grip slippery fish, a water snake that hunts, sleeps, breeds, and gives birth without leaving the water. Among the many other animals they meet and describe for the reader are the manatee-like dugong, honey possums (the only terrestrial mammal to subsist entirely on pollen and nectar), Tasmanian devils, the hated alien cane toad, a wide variety of native frogs, bowerbirds, bandicoots, platypuses, flying foxes, dingoes, echidnas (also know as spiny anteaters), lyrebirds, sunbirds, and a wide variety of reptiles including sea turtles, pythons, many poisonous snakes, goannas (among the largest lizards alive today, goanna being the Australian name for a monitor lizard, the name probably a corruption of "iguana"), and crocodiles (both freshwater and saltwater varieties).

I learned a lot about Australian wildlife and landscapes and some about Australian history and culture and really enjoyed the book, but do offer a few small complaints. Kanze repeatedly compares his journey throughout Australia to that of Odysseus and his trials that were described in "The Odyssey." While sometimes the comparisons were apt and even mildly humorous, sometimes they seemed a bit forced and even slightly tedious, with occasional asides into Greek mythology that seemed out of place. Second, many times Kanze mentions taking pictures of a variety of animals throughout his journey, yet there is only the cover picture; nowhere are there are photographs in the book. I would have liked to have seen a few pictures at least of landscapes.

Having said that though, this is a very good Australian travel and natural history book, one I would recommend.

Australia's nature vividly described.......2001-05-11

Ed Kanze's Kangaroo Dreaming should provide a healthy counterbalance to "Survivor II" with its kitschy evocation of aboriginal ceremony and the Australian landscape. In the popular show, the only genuine elements were the landscape of the outback itself and the glimpses of wildlife. In Kanze's clear-eyed view of the same landscape, the aborigines, like our Native Americans, displaying the "ugly and all-too-universal result of western mercantile culture mixing with a tribal society." The aborigines encountered near Alice Springs - unsmiling, clutching whiskey bottles - provide one of the human portraits that truly makes Kanze's book stand out among travelogues of natural history. But as always, Kanze's eye for flora and fauna predominates and his descriptive powers are masterful: "Suddenly, bubbles appeared in the water before me. I cocked my camera, switched on the flash, and held my breath. There - there -there - I was struck dumb by my good fortune. A black, rubbery bill wider than a duck's pushed through the surface immediately before me. It was followed by webbed feet, a hairy face with beady black eyes, and a furry brown body about the size of a muskrat's. I fiddled with the camera. The platypus was so close that my lens could not focus." The frame of Kanze's story is a nine-month, 25,000-mile odyssey he and his wife Debbie took around the rim of, and to the center of, Australia. (In fact, the author has used the sections of The Odyssey itself to parallel their journey.) Along the way they meet friendly and helpful nature enthusiasts - as well as characters they'd as soon never see again. For those of us who will visit "the America on the other side of the world" (Melville's phrase) only via the armchair, the Kanzes make irresistible, funny and erudite traveling companions.

A terrific read!.......2001-04-08

For one who has not been to Australia yet, reading about this wildlife journey has been great fun. The author gives his readers a real sense of the joy of discovery and excitement of the search. Along the way, he imparts a great amount of fascinating information about the countryside and the people encountered during their travels.

I highly recommend Kanze's book for armchair travelers who have an interest in wildlife, or those who may be contemplating such an adventure for themselves. The view of Australia, its people, and its wildlife is extraordinary!

Riding With the Kanze's.......2000-10-05

Great armchair rideabout through the land down under! Witty and intelligent, Kanze has a knack for making one feel as if he and his wife were sitting in rockers in your den telling these tales. He is able to balance intelligence and knowledge with humor and candor of his own foibles. I want to go to Australia!

Great read!!.......2000-10-05

It is always a delight to read any of Mr. Kanz's books and this newest offering is just a joy. Travel is always an adventure and to be guided through the space of Australia by Mr. Kanze and his wife is a rare treat. He expertly weaves the natural history with the constant joys and uncertanty of meeting new people. People, places, nature, and new sights are what travel is about and these two have given the reader the chance to share in their wonder and adventure. BRAVO

Be sure to check out his other books. You won't be disappointed.

Book Description

Slim, stylish and pocketable, Edinburgh Directions is full of ideas for long-weekends and flying visits to one of the UkÂ's most popular city break destinations, richly illustrated with hundreds of specially commissioned photos. The full-colour introduction features 27 themed spreads - from Royal Edinburgh and Literary Edinburgh to galleries and museums and traditional pubs. The main section of the guide, "Places", gives a district-by-district account of the sights, restaurants, shops, transport links and nightlife - all generously illustrated. In addition there is comprehensive Festivals coverage. Every listing and review is pinpointed on accompanying user-friendly maps. ItÂ's like having a local friend plan your trip.

The Rough Guides' Edinburgh Directions 2 (Rough Guide Directions)

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The Rough Guides' Edinburgh Directions 2 (Rough Guide Directions)
Donald Reid
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1858283736
Release Date: 2008-02-18

Book Description

Rough Guide DIRECTIONS Edinburgh is the perfect companion whether you’re on a week-long break or flying visit to the popular Scottish capital. This full-colour, pocket guide includes 27 themed sections – from Royal Edinburgh and Literary Edinburgh to galleries and museums and traditional pubs. The main section of the guide: âPlaces’, gives a district-by-district account of the sights, restaurants, shops, transport links and nightlife - all generously illustrated. In addition there is comprehensive festivals coverage. Every listing and review is pinpointed on accompanying user-friendly maps, and the book is richly illustrated with hundreds of specially commissioned photos throughout.

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Choose Your Own Adventure Set: #52 Ghost Hunter + #54 Forest of Fear + #57 Antimatter Formula + #65 The Mardi Gras Mystery + #66 Secret of the Ninja + #72 The Brilliant Dr. Wogan (Choose Your Own Adventure)
Edward Packard , Louise Monro Foley , Jay Liebold , and R.A. Montgomery
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TTD5X6

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An Indian Legend Comes True - And You Are There

Sometimes What We Fear is What Saves Us

Forest of Fear (Choose Your Own Adventure, No 54)
Louise Munro Foley
Manufacturer: Skylark
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Children's Books | Subjects | Books | Baby-3 | Ages 4-8 | Ages 9-12 | Audiobooks | Animals | Arts & Music | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Computers | Educational | History & Historical Fiction | Issues | Literature | Obsessions | People & Places | Popular Characters | Reference & Nonfiction | Religions | Science, Nature & How It Works | Series | Sports & Activities
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ASIN: 0553254901
Release Date: 1986-02-01

Customer Reviews:

An Indian Legend Comes True - And You Are There.......2006-11-30

From the cover: You're spending the summer with your uncle in Maine. He's writing a book about an old Indian legend - the story of a sacred pine tree whose branches were said to be inhabited by spirits. You decide to hunt for the Spirit Tree yourself - but when you find it you fall asleep under its branches. You wake up surrounded by six shadowy forms. They order you to make a terrifying choice: you must drink a deadly herb brew or walk across burning coals. An Indian legend is coming true - and somehow you've been trapped in it. 17 possible endings.

Sometimes What We Fear is What Saves Us.......2006-06-22

When I saw the title, "Forest of Fear," I wasn't sure
if maybe I was going to be reading some corny book by
some author I didn't recognize in the Choose Your Own
series. Sometimes, it's the authors who have not
written as many books in the series who come up with
some of the greatest material, though Packard, the
inventor of the Choose Your Own series and probably
the entire genre, has some well written ones in his
huge lot of ones that he has written such as Fright
Night.

Forest of Fear turns out to be a superbly written
book! I wasn't expecting to be entranced constantly
by the possibilities. Of course, there are
possibilities which aren't considered because the book
is limited to 116 pages and you could go on forever
trying to constantly make up different possibilities,
such as if you meet the store owner, they do not leave
you with the option to take her money from her, or
they offer possibilities you might not think of doing
yourself such as not following Ms. Ellison's
instructions to hide money in a pile of wood, and to
hide it in a tree instead.

It's interesting how they have you meet a Maine native
who lives near your uncle at the beginning of the
story, and what you may find out about your uncle,
Jason, when you go to visit. Each important detail
you read about at the beginning of the book could be
related to an ending you end up with such as how
Jason, your uncle, writes his unfinished book, how a
stranger you meet, Isaac Cairns, may come into play
later on, and if you meet an Indian named Henry.
There are some possibly imaginery scenarios with a
time warp or spirits involved in a few endings, but it
is not overdone as it usually is in many books.
There's just enough to keep the flow of the story
going. What makes this book stick out to me is that I
noticed that the book was dedicated to one of the
author's sons, in which her son taught the author that
"Sometimes what we fear is what saves us." One of the
endings was purposely written for her son with that
quote, and it doesn't come off as cute, but it comes
off as impeccable writing. I also like how not all
the endings are good as in some cases, especially with
the children's series, but that there are some
reasonably good endings. There are a lot of possible
surprises that I won't give away such as what is "Old
Treis Pied" and who are "Sarah and Benjamin" but it is
one of the best books in the series to read.

Book Description

This volume of Methods in Enzymology presents methods for the isolation and identification of bacterial pathogens and associated virulence determinants. It will enable the researcher to determine if closed genes or isolated gene products are involved in virulence.

Major Topics Covered Include
* Animal model system to determine bacterial virulence
* Epidemiological techniques for the identification of bacterial strains and species
* Protocols for the purification of subcellular bacterial products frequently associated with virulence
* Determination of the means by which bacteria acquire iron
* Methods to generate mutants, to construct isogenic strains by allelic exchange, to identify bacterial genes only expressed during infection of the host, and to study regulation of selected bacterial virulence factors
* Methods for the assay of destructive bacterial enzymes and toxins

Book Description

After 1905, Einstein's miraculous year, physics would never be the same again. In those twelve months, Einstein shattered many cherished scientific beliefs with five extraordinary papers that would establish him as the world's leading physicist. This book brings those papers together in an accessible format. The best-known papers are the two that founded special relativity: On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies and Does the Inertia of a Body Depend on Its Energy Content? In the former, Einstein showed that absolute time had to be replaced by a new absolute: the speed of light. In the second, he asserted the equivalence of mass and energy, which would lead to the famous formula E = mc ².

The book also includes On a Heuristic Point of View Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light, in which Einstein challenged the wave theory of light, suggesting that light could also be regarded as a collection of particles. This helped to open the door to a whole new world--that of quantum physics. For ideas in this paper, he won the Nobel Prize in 1921.

The fourth paper also led to a Nobel Prize, although for another scientist, Jean Perrin. On the Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat concerns the Brownian motion of such particles. With profound insight, Einstein blended ideas from kinetic theory and classical hydrodynamics to derive an equation for the mean free path of such particles as a function of the time, which Perrin confirmed experimentally. The fifth paper, A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions, was Einstein's doctoral dissertation, and remains among his most cited articles. It shows how to calculate Avogadro's number and the size of molecules.

These papers, presented in a modern English translation, are essential reading for any physicist, mathematician, or astrophysicist. Far more than just a collection of scientific articles, this book presents work that is among the high points of human achievement and marks a watershed in the history of science.

Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the miraculous year, this new paperback edition includes an introduction by John Stachel, which focuses on the personal aspects of Einstein's youth that facilitated and led up to the miraculous year.

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After 1905, Einstein's miraculous year, physics would never be the same again. In those twelve months, Einstein shattered many cherished scientific beliefs in five great papers that would establish him as the world's leading physicist. For the first time, this book brings those papers together in an accessible format.

Customer Reviews:

A Treasure.......2006-07-22

Translations of these five revolutionary papers, written in Einstein's annus mirabilis of 1905, have been widely available from other sources. However, it is a delight to have them compiled in this handsome, low cost edition. And the thoughful foreward by Roger Penrose and the interesting historical introductions and annotations by John Stachel make this text invaluable.

As for the papers themselves, they still serve as pedagogically excellent introductions to the fields they created. And they provide stunning insight into the workings of one of the most amazing intellects the world has ever seen.

This book should be part of any science library worthy of the name.

The Heart of the Matter.......2005-08-24

As a retired physicist I have taken great interest in the history of science, especially the times around the turn of the twentieth century when so many new ideas were put forward which have the basis of quantum mechanics and our current thinking from cosmology to quarks. This little volume is recommended either for bedtime reading or more serious study. The personal history reveals aspects previously unknown to me and the five papers themselves, in their original form, demonstrate Einstein's wonderful insightfulness and ability to make use of every aspect of a problem. Tney are a bit heavy going in themselves, and the mathematics is not for everyone, but what else would one expect from a distillation of so much into so relatively few words. I recommend this book to both the scintist and the layman who seeks a better understanding of these momentous mental leaps.

Einstein's Masterful Synthesis.......2003-10-17

We should know some things about Einstein. He needed a mathematician to write his ideas and theories about relativity. He found the famous mathematician Kurt Godel to help him. Einstein said to Godel "I need you to write the equations for my theory". However, Godel said: " I don't know physics" whereby Einstein replied, " I know physics and you know mathematics". Then Godel agreed to go to work for Einstein.

As is always the case in science, we stand on the shoulders of others before us. Einstein got his ideas and theories about relativity from many mathematicians and some physicists.

When you read between the lines of this fine book, you will see how Einstein synthesized and derived some of the greatest theories in history as to how nature is constructed and works.

Einstein put it all together just like Newton did with the calculus.

Einstein's masterful synthesis.......2003-10-17

We should remember a few things about Einstein. He needed a mathematician to write his concepts and theories about relativity. He found the famous mathematician Kurt Godel. He said to Godel " I need you to help me construct my theories". However, Godel replied " I don't know physics ". Einstein replied, "I know physics and you know mathematics". Then Godel agreed to go to work for Einstein.

As is always the case in science, we stand on the shoulders of others before us. Einstein got his ideas from many mathematicians and some physicists. He synthesized and derived the greatest theories in history about nature and how it works.

If you read between the lines of this book you will come to understand what this fine book is telling us about the great Albert Einstein. It was he, who put it all together, like Newton did with the calculus.

Incomplete History.......2002-11-04

I recently read a much more informative book "Albert Einstein: The Incorrigible Plagiarist" by Christopher Jon Bjerknes which tells the truth about Einstein and the 1905 papers Einstein's wife Mileva Maric wrote for him. The Bjerknes book is a scholarly book, and it presents the facts. Anyone interested in the 1905 papers should know the truth. Max Born said of the 1905 relativity paper, "It gives you the impression of quite a new venture. But that is, of course, as I have tried to explain, not true." The truth is that the theory belongs to Boscovich, Lange, Voigt, Fitzgerald, Larmor, Lorentz, Palagyi, and Poincare, among many others. The 1905 paper on special relativity did not give a single reference to these men.

Einstein's Miraculous Year : Five Papers That Changed the Face of Physics

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Einstein's Miraculous Year : Five Papers That Changed the Face of Physics
John Stachel
Manufacturer: Srishti Publishers & Distributors
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8187075821

Book Description

This first installment In the continuation of the classic collection of Sherlock Holmes stories will charm Sir Arthur Canon Doyle's many fans with four more lavish episodes featuring the inimitable partnership of Holmes and Watson as portrayed by the well-loved pair, Clive Merrison and Michael Williams. Presented in a stunning dramatization originally conceived for BBC broadcast and produced by the world's foremost creators of radio entertainment, this lush production combines a full cast with stirring music and sound effects to bring these classic mysteries to life.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

Volume 1

In The Empty House, within hours of Dr. Watson bumping into an aged bookseller, he and Holmes are back together after a three year hiatus, tracking a master criminal to their own front door. An obvious motive and copious clues point a murderous finger at Holmes own client in The Norwood Builder. The Dancing Men jettisons Holmes into the investigation of what had previously appeared to be merely childish scribbles, and in the end it is Holmes' own pistol clapped against the head of the malefactor. The Solitary Cyclist stalking Miss Violet Smith sends Holmes and Watson down a murky trail of passion and crime. In this first volume of The Return of Sherlock Holmes, the fearsome duo of Watson and Holmes are at the top of their form.

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IT was in the spring of the year 1894 that all London was interested, and the fashionable world dismayed, by the murder of the Honourable Ronald Adair under most unusual and inexplicable circumstances. The public has already learned those particulars of the crime which came out in the police investigation; but a good deal was suppressed upon that occasion, since the case for the prosecution was so overwhelmingly strong that it was not necessary to bring forward all the facts. Only now, at the end of nearly ten years, am I allowed to supply those missing links which make up the whole of that remarkable chain. The crime was of interest in itself, but that interest was as nothing to me compared to the inconceivable sequel, which afforded me the greatest shock and surprise of any event in my adventurous life. Even now, after this long interval, I find myself thrilling as I think of it, and feeling once more that sudden flood of joy, amazement, and incredulity which utterly submerged my mind. Let me say to that public which has shown some interest in those glimpses which I have occasionally given them of the thoughts and actions of a very remarkable man that they are not to blame me if I have not shared my knowledge with them, for I should have considered it my first duty to have done so had I not been barred by a positive prohibition from his own lips, which was only withdrawn upon the third of last month.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-02

A cause for great rejoicing, an event as momentous as this one. The Great Detective is back. Imagine the hype and hoopla if this was happening in the 21st century! After his presumed death at Reichenbach and the hands of the man many readers would have happily throttled, he lives! Take that, Moriarty, you dastardly cur! Again, more Sherlock is fantastic, and on to 'The Adventure of the Empty House'

Return of Sherlock Holmes : 01 The Adventure of the Empty House - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 02 The Adventure of the Norwood Builder - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 03 The Adventure of the Dancing Men - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 04 The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 05 The Adventure of the Priory School - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 06 The Adventure of Black Peter - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 07 The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 08 The Adventure of the Six Napoleons - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 09 The Adventure of the Three Students - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 10 The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 11 The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 12 The Adventure of the Abbey Grange - Arthur Conan Doyle
Return of Sherlock Holmes : 13 The Adventure of the Second Stain - Arthur Conan Doyle

Murder, Moran and Moriarty = Holmes Back In Town.

5 out of 5

Identity change means the lawyer is actually a good guy.

4 out of 5

Death threat doodle.

3.5 out of 5

Bikes, broads, bullets and a bundle of cash to be had.

5 out of 5

Duke's heir departed due to dastardly deviants.

5 out of 5

Not every day that you get murder by harpoon.

4.5 out of 5

Blackmailed babes happy Holmes on the job.

4 out of 5

Bonaparte bust bashers have a good reason.

4 out of 5

Exam nickers busted.

3.5 out of 5

Murderers should go for plain eyewear.

3.5 out of 5

Boyfriend from aussie trip preferred to husband.

3.5 out of 5

Diplomatic document disaster.

3.5 out of 5

Second-best of the Sherlock Holmes short story collections!.......2004-08-17

Although he also wrote several novels featuring the world's greatest fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, it was especially in his short stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle perfected the Holmes formula. "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" (published in 1905) is the third of the five collections of Holmes short stories. Along with the second collection ("The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes"), "Return" is generally regarded as inferior to the superlative first collection ("The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes), but easily better than the last two in the series ("His Last Bow" and "The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes"). After Doyle had apparently killed Holmes in the last story of "Memoirs" (The Final Problem), the popular outcry which followed the disappearance of the legendary detective eventually led Doyle to resurrect his character in the first story of this new collection (The Empty House). But with "Return", Doyle perhaps even surpassed the earlier effort of "Memoirs", with excellent stories such as The Empty House, The Dancing Men, The Prioriy School, and the Six Napoleons, and other favorites like The Norwood Builder, Charles Augustus Milverton, The Golden Pince-Nez, and The Second Stain. In my view, fans of "Adventures" will find that the dozen stories of "Return" are a great second choice, and not much far behind the brilliance of the first collection.

Here's a list of the stories in this collection (with the better stories marked with stars):
**The Empty House, 1903 - One of the top ten stories, the presumed dead Holmes is "resurrected" to solve the murder of Ronald Adair, a card player. More interesting than this mystery, however, is the mystery of the account of Holmes own escape from death.
*The Norwood Builder, 1903 - John Hector McFarlane is arrested for allegedly murdering Jonas Oldacre, who has just included McFarlane in his will, and it is up to Holmes to prove McFarlane's innocence and expose the events as a plan by Oldacre for revenge.
**The Dancing Men, 1903 - A top ten favorite, as Sherlock Holmes needs to decode the threatening notes with mysterious symbols of dancing men received by Hilton Cubitt's wife.
The Solitary Cyclist, 1903 - The mystery surrounding Violet Smith, who is regularly pursued by a strange cyclist, perhaps one of the various lovers who is after her hand in marriage.
**The Priory School, 1904 - The only son of the Duke of Holdernesse is abducted from his private school, and Holmes uncovers what really happened to the boy, as well as the missing German schoolmaster.
Black Peter, 1904 - The seaman Captain Peter Carey, known as Black Peter, was a nasty man, but who harpooned him to the wall of his outhouse and why?
*Charles Augustus Milverton, 1904 - Charles Augustus Milverton is a reputed blackmailer who specializes in "selling" sensitive letters which reveal the dark secrets of the upper class - but he meets his match with Holmes who is enlisted by Lady Eva Blackwell shortly before her marriage to the Earl of Dovercourt.
**The Six Napoleons, 1904 - In this top ten favorite, Holmes uncovers the perplexing mystery of why various busts of Napoleon are being strangely smashed, apparently the result of a lunatic with an obsession against Napoleon, but actually linked to a jewel theft.
The Three Students, 1904 - Which of the three students was guilty of stealing a copy of the important Greek exam from Professor Hilton Soames' office?
*The Golden Pince-Nez, 1904 - A very good story, as Holmes unravels the murder of Professor Coram's secretary Willoughby Smith, and links it to Coram's Russian wife and his Russian past.
The Missing Three-Quarter, 1904 - Holmes is enlisted to solve the strange disappearance of football star Godfrey Staunton the day before a critical game.
The Abbey Grange, 1904 - Who murdered the wealthy alcoholic tyrant Sir Eustace Brackenstall? It takes Holmes to discover the involvement of a mysterious seaman.
*The Second Stain, 1904 - Two important statesmen enlist Holmes' aid to discover the whereabouts of a stolen document that could result in a war in Europe. Is it coincidental that the theft occurred around the same time as the violent death of the nobleman Eduardo Lucas? With the help of a stain beneath a carpet, Holmes puts all the pieces of the puzzle together.
- GODLY GADFLY

Should have been better........2003-07-27

Some of this book was cool but there was a huge feeling of deja vu as I progressed through these stories. It's no secret that Conan Doyle brought Holmes back to life only by popular demand and not because he felt anything special for the character. As a result, these stories and mostly uninspired and are basically retreads of stories that have come before them.

Plus there are some parts that really bug me? How does Holmes make a living? Never once does he actually charge these people for his services. Where does his cash come from? And for that matter where does Watson get his money from? He says at the start he sold his practice to shack up with Holmes so if he is not a GP then what is he? A mere observer to the Mysteries? And what of his wife Mary Morstan? Does he not live with her any more? According to this he lives with Holmes? What is going on?

If Conan Doyle were really serious about these stories then elements such as these would have been stronger and characters would be more fleshed out. The introduction of a new character in Inspector Stanley Hopkins is practically useless as he is just a generic police officer.

The long and unrealistic monologues aren't so abundant here but the stories always seem to get off to a slow start. A couple of them are cool and interesting but never seem to generate an atmosphere or give any chance for Holmes or Watson to evolve.

Conan Doyle only wrote these stories because his readers wanted them. Not because he felt they needed to be told. He felt totally indifferent about Sherlock Holmes and these generally poor stories only prove that.

Wordsworth Classics--a facsimile edition.......2000-08-26

The soft-cover Wordsworth Classics edition of The Return of Sherlock Holmes reproduces The Hound of the Baskervilles and the short stories that make up The Return of Sherlock Holmes as they originally appeared in the Strand. It also contains the interesting, though poorly reproduced, illustrations that accompanied the stories. Because a page of the magazine is reduced to the size of a trade paperback page, typeface is very small.

Mystery, Mystery, Mystery, the Original Mysteries........1999-12-07

As an Englishman. resident in the United States, what do I miss most? The BBC. As a little boy I looked forward to all the broadcast plays every week. The BBC cast performed about 6 hours of radio plays every week. They still do, haven't you also noticed the number of TV plays broadcast by A and E? Most of them originate in the United Kingdom, Hornblower, ETC.. Now we can enjoy the performances by means of these Bantam Double Day releases. Very well done, by a very experienced cast, you can let your imagination run riot as you picture the various scenes in your mind. These are the classic stories by Sir Arther Conan Doyle. They have been around for 100 years or so, and time has not diminished their appeal. On this Audio Book you have 4 stories, each about 45 minutes long. If you haven't heard these before, then I don't wish to spoil the story line. If you know the stories then you will not be disappointed. Each story is presented in the time period of around the 1900's, you can almost smell the gas lighting, not to mention the foggy november weather, the horses, and so on. Order these from Amazon, and search for more of the BBC plays, they are great.

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