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Pilgrim Princess : The Life of Princess Zinaida Volkonsky
Maria Fairweather Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 078670831X |
Book Description
Charming, intelligent, and abundantly talented, the beautiful Princess Zinaida Alexandrovna Volkonsky embodied the romantic spirit of an age that her fascinating life epitomized. At the Russian imperial court of Alexander I in the early 1800s, the young Zinaida captured the heart of the czar himself before her marriage to his aide-de-camp Prince Volkonsky took her across Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. Afterward, at the peace celebrations, she won wide praise in London and Paris, Vienna and Verona, for her musical performances, while in Moscow her literary salon prompted Alexander Pushkin to dub her the "Queen of the Muses and of Beauty." Following Zinaida across continents, this superbly researched biography also maps the spiritual journey of the princess, who eventually traveled to Rome, there to embrace more fully the Roman Catholic faith she had adopted. There, too, she welcomed artists like Stendhal, Rossini, Donizetti, Sir Walter Scott, and Nikolai Gogol at her salon, though ultimately she took Franciscan vows of poverty and dedicated the last decade of her life to the poor, who gathered in crowds to mourn the death in 1862 of the woman they knew simply as la beata.Customer Reviews:
The Lifeless Life of a Russian Princess.......2001-07-03
A talented musician, poet, hostess and political medler, Princess Zinaida was born into the Russian aristocracy, and came to adulthood during a fascinating chapter in that country's history. Russia of the late 18th c. was more open, more Western and more powerful than it would be for centuries. This exotic and connected Princess had the ear (and heart) of the young Alexander I who had just defeated Napoleon after his diasterous attempt to conquer Mother Russia. She was friendly with Gogol, Pushkin, Turgenev and other writers who were at that moment raising Russian literature to glorious heights. She traveled from St. Petersberg to Venice to Paris to Rome to Vienna and back at a time when such travel was rare and arduous. She captivated young men, ignored her too patient husband, and impressed all around her with her many alluring attributes. Pulled toward the Church of Rome, she finally converted to Catholicism, settled in Rome, built a lovely villa with enchanting gardens and worked her charms on Cardinals and Bishops. She died of pneumonia after giving her warm petticoat to an old street woman, but not after establishing a number of religious schools for girls in and around Rome.
So why is this book so deadly dull? The ingredients for a delicious biography a la Nancy Mitford's "Pompador" are so readily to hand, but first-time author Maria Fairweather is unable to bring her fairy Princess to life. She remains flat on the pages, alway busy, yes, but also annoyingly neurotic, selfish and, frankly, not very interesting. Her faith and conversion is never convincingly explored, her circle of friends is impressive, but there is no hint of what drew these fascinating men to the lovely Zinaida. The central character of this book is missing. She isn't a mystery, she is a cipher.
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Pilgrim Princess: A Life of Princess Zinaida Volkonsky
Maria Fairweather Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000J0OVP6 |
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A Face In The Crowd: My Life As An Nfl Wife
Nicole Berti Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1413449506 |
Customer Reviews:
INSIDE SCOOP.......2007-06-08
Not bad.......2005-12-10
WOW!!.......2005-01-27
For anyone interested in life inside the NFL.......2004-11-28
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Odd Man Out: A Memoir of the Hollywood Ten
Edward Dmytryk Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0809319993 |
Book Description
Customer Reviews:
Odd Man Out.......2005-10-07
The Only Honest Memoir You'll Ever Find About The Ten.......1999-05-09
Probably the best memoir of one man's break from American communism since Whittaker Chambers's masterpiece "Witness."
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Odd Man Out: A Memoir of the Hollywood Ten. (book reviews): An article from: Cineaste
Dan Georgakas Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Digital ASIN: B00096M5PS Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on March 22, 1996. The length of the article is 2027 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
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Odd Man Out: A Memoir of the Hollywood Ten
Edward Dmytryk Manufacturer: Southern Illinois Univ Pr ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000MYU95A |
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From Jehovah to Jazz: Music in American from Psalmody to the Present Day (Essay and general literature index reprint series)
Helen Loeb Kaufmann Manufacturer: Associated Faculty Pr Inc ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0804605653 |
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1000 best short games of chess;: A treasury of masterpieces in miniature
Irving Chernev Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: B0007DYDA8 |
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1000 Best Short Games of Chess: A Treasury of Masterpieces in Miniature
Irving Chernev Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster/Fireside Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000H2HTGY |
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1000 Best Short Games of Chess A Treasury of Masterpiece in Miniature
Irving Chernev Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000UWI4ZQ |
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The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies and Practices for the Next Era
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0787909351 |
Book Description
Leading-Edge Thought From the World's Best Business Minds "A one-stop shopping guide that shows how leaders can be successful in the year 2000 and beyond."Customer Reviews:
The Future Is Now.......2005-01-07
There's definitely a theme here.......2002-07-25
Clearly, the writers do not believe in "closed" management (the direct and control sensibility of the days of yore). To a one, they advocate investing in those below you, creating leaders in all sectors and at all levels, trusting, collaborating and "leading with vision." Some particularly interesting essays were "Leading from the Grass Roots" by Sally Helgesen, "Leadership and Organizational Culture," by Edgar H. Schein, the "father" of organizational psychology, and "The Ultimate Leadership Task: Self-Leadership" by Richard L. Leider. In general, the section with essays entitled "Learning to Lead for Tomorrow," which was about education and executive training and development was the most engaging for me.
I bought this book because I read a very engaging portrait of Marshall Goldsmith in the New Yorker in April, who is a very successful "executive coach," helping executives with personal problems in their organizations turn their relationships around. The book overall had a kind of hypnotic effect, as it repeated the same message throughout. Here's a representative excerpt:
"The challenges ahead will require leaders to identify, promote, reinforce, and live as role models of key core values; inspire diverse groups to common, shared action in which they trade some of their autonomy for a long-term greater common good; and give their best efforts in pursuit of that common good." This is from an essay by George B. Weber who is listed as the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
It's mildly interesting. I would recommend reading it in bits between other, different books.
A Well Articulated Roadmap--By Those Who Have Been There.......2001-06-24
"Leadership must be learned and can be learned".......2001-06-07
Peter F.Drucker writes in his foreword, "Leadership must be learned and can be learned-and this, of course, is what this book was written and should be used for." And hence, he defines simple but basic characteristics of effective leaders:
1. The only definition of a 'leader' is someone who has 'followers.' Some people are thinkers. Some are prophets. Both roles are important and badly needed. But without followers, there can be no leaders.
2. An effective leader is not someone who is loved or admired. He or she is someone whose followers do the right things. Popularity is not leadership. 'Results' are.
3. Leaders are highly visible. They therefore set 'examples.'
4. Leadership is not rank, privileges, titles, or money. It is 'responsibility.'
After this excellent foreword, Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard divide this seminal book into four parts. Here, they note that "These parts have been chosen in a somewhat arbitrary manner. We deliberately gave the authors a free hand, and our revisions have been only mirror. The authors are all experts in their own right, and we wanted you to hear their views in an unfiltered form."
It is a great chance to read never before published essays of 37 distinguished authors under one roof.
Highly recommended.
the best of the leader books.......2000-09-15
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The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era
Frances, Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard (editors) Hesselbein Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass Publishers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000O3UOPY |
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Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of "Renee"
Marguerite Sechehaye Manufacturer: Plume ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0452011337 |
Customer Reviews:
Step Into The Mind Of A Schizophrenic........2007-08-25
ok.......2007-04-30
Quite Good.......2003-12-23
This book should be read by anyone interested in a first-person account of what it's like to suffer from schizophrenia. It's nice that the story has a happy ending for the anonymous sufferer, often not the case for schizophrenics in the days before modern medications. Even today, it's horrible; but the chances of leading a normal life are better.
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The history of US electronic warfare
Alfred Price Manufacturer: Association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: B0006EFGH2 |
Customer Reviews:
Review.......2005-09-30
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History of Us Electronic Warfare (Vol.1)
Alfred Price Manufacturer: ASSOCIATION OF OLD CROWS ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000O5TM6E |
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THE HISTORY OF US ELECTRONIC WARFARE Volume I
Alfred Price Manufacturer: The Association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000H0YM20 |
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Volume 1. The History of US Electronic Warfare - "The Years of Innovation-Beginnings to 1946"
Alfred Price Manufacturer: The association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000H48XLW |
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Volume II. The History of US Electronic Warfare: The Renaissance Years, 1946 to 1964
Alfred Price Manufacturer: The Association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000TS1P0C |
Product Description
For those who have a professional interest in electronic warfare and need to increase their understanding of the subject, or for outsiders who wish to gain a greater acquaintance with this vitally important field of military endeavor, this book will fill a long-felt void.
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Wild Weasels: History of US Air Force SAM Killers, 1965 to Today (Mil-Tech Series)
Hans Halberstadt Manufacturer: Motorbooks Intl ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items: ASIN: 0879386622 |
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The History of US Electronic Warfare. Volume III: Rolling Thunder Through Allied Force, 1964 to 2000
Manufacturer: Association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0970379404 |
Product Description
From the dustjacket flap: "Volume III provides new insights into the use of electronic warfare by the US fighting services during Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991, and during Operation Allied Force against the Former Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999. Separate chapters cover the Intelligence battle, the evolution to stealth techniques and the effects of burgeoning new electronic technologies on countermeasures systems.
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The History of US Electronic Warfare
n/a Manufacturer: Association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000LPTH3A |
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The History of US Electronic Warfare 2 VOLUME SET
Alfred Price Manufacturer: Association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000LHDPQS |
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The History of US Electronic Warfare Volume 1 The Years of Innovation-Beginnings to 1946
Price Alfred Manufacturer: Association of Old Crows ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000UDSTH8 |
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Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society
Martin Sanchez Jankowski Manufacturer: University of California Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0520074343 |
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ISLANDS IN THE STREET : GANGS AND AMERICAN URBAN SOCIETY
MARTIN SANCHEZ JANKOWSKI Manufacturer: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRES^ ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000KUZ5JQ |
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Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society
Martin Sanchez Jankowski Manufacturer: University of California ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000KX3WZC |
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Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society
Martin Sanchez Jankowski Manufacturer: University of California Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000QY1DDI |
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The Rain Forests of Home: Profile Of A North American Bioregion
Manufacturer: Island Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1559634790 |
Book Description
Stretching from the redwoods of California to the vast stands of spruce and hemlock in southeast Alaska, coastal temperate rain forests have been for thousands of years home to one of the highest densities of human settlements on the continent. Given its mild climate, magnificent scenery, and abundant natural resources, the region should continue to support robust economies and vibrant communities for many years to come. However, the well-being of this region is increasingly threatened by diminishing natural capital, declining employment in traditional resource-based industries, and outward migration of young people to cities.
The Rain Forests of Home brings together a diverse array of thinkers-conservationists, community organizers, botanists, anthropologists, zoologists, Native Americans, ecologists, and others-to present a multilayered, multidimensional portrait of the coastal temperate rain forest and its people. Joining natural and social science perspectives, the book provides readers with a valuable understanding of the region's natural and human history, along with a vision of its future and strategies for realizing that vision.
Authors describe the physical setting and examine the geographic and evolutionary forces that have shaped the region since the last glacial period, with individual chapters covering oceanography, climate, geologic processes, vegetation, fauna, streams and rivers, and terrestrial/marine interactions. Three chapters cover the history of human habitation, including an examination of what is known about pre-European settlement, a consideration of the traditions of local and indigenous knowledge, and a description of the environmental and cultural upheaval brought by European explorers and settlers. The book concludes with an exploration of recent economic and cultural trends, regional and local public policy, information gathering, and the need for integrating local knowledge into decision making.
Interspersed among the chapters are compelling profiles of community-level initiatives and programs aimed at restoring damaged ecosystems, promoting sustainable use of resources, and fostering community-based economic development. The case studies describe what coastal residents are doing to combine environmental conservation with socioeconomic development, and document some of the most innovative experiments in sustainable development now underway in North America.
The Rain Forests of Home offers for the first time a unified description of the characteristics, history, culture, economy, and ecology of the coastal temperate rain forest. It is essential reading for anyone who lives in or cares about the region.
Customer Reviews:
A Spectacular History of America's Rain Forests.......2006-08-03
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The Rain Forests of Home: Profile of a North American Bioregion.(Review) : An article from: The Geographical Review
Douglas Deur Manufacturer: American Geographical Society ProductGroup: Book Binding: Digital ASIN: B00098MFVU Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Geographical Review, published by American Geographical Society on January 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1383 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
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The Rain Forests of Home. Profile of a North American Bioregion.
Peter K. et al Schoonmaker Manufacturer: Island Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000NUW97O |
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