Boehme and modern authors.
920712
Boehme's three principles and seven spirits correspond to Boris Mouravieff's and Georges Gurdjieff's law of three and law of seven.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Gnosis-Exoteric-Cycle-Study-and-Commentaries-on-the-Esoteric-Tradition-of-Eastern-Orthodoxy-Vol-1/dp/1872292100/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Gnosis, Exoteric Cycle: Study and Commentaries on the Esoteric Tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy (Vol 1)</a><a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Gnosis-The-Mesoteric-Cycle-Book-2/dp/1872292119/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Gnosis: The Mesoteric Cycle (Book 2)</a><a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Gnosis-Book-Three-the-Esoteric-Cycle-Study-and-Commentaries-on-the-Esoteric-Tradition-of-Eastern-Orthodoxy/dp/1872292127/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Gnosis Book Three, the Esoteric Cycle: Study and Commentaries on the Esoteric Tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy</a><a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Beelzebub-s-Tales-to-His-Grandson-All-and-Everything-First/dp/1585424579/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson (All and Everything/First)</a>
619884
Malcolm Bradbury's review of the ten great modern writers and their works is both perceptive and revelatory. His style is also very readable and enjoyable.  For anybody interested in modernist writers, this is certainly a very worthwhile book.
3260696
Ms. Petersen in her introduction caught this reader's attention immediately by asserting that "divine Science" is continuing to advance in this new century of ours despite "fundamentalists, materialists, or excessive intellectuals..." I particularly like the reference to excessive intellectuals, because it is often over-intellectualizing that prevents us from absorbing profound truths that we may encounter intuitively.

Published under the sir name Glover from her first marriage, "Science and Health" was so highly regarded in western publishing history that it is included in "Printing and the Mind of Man" (John Carter and Percy H. Muir, eds.), a descriptive catalogue of what the editors believe to be the most significant printed works vis a vis advancing original concepts in a myriad of fields. The fact that Eddy's work is included in this compendium along with Johann Gutenberg's 42-line Bible up through an address by Sir Winston Churchill should be reason enough to silence the excessively intellectual critics.

Ms. Petersen, having had her own experiences of healing through the auspices of Eddy's work, has updated "Science and Health" to make it more accessible to the modern reader. It is a very well annotated work and one that should be read by the skeptics among the excessive intellectuals, who undoubtedly need a good does of spiritual Truth.
1269752
Yalom, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford, has written a decent tale of the encounters between Friedrich Nietzsche (on the brink of authoring _Also Sprach Zarathustra_) and Joseph Breuer, a physician and mentor of Freud, in  late 1882.  Freud and Lou Andreas-Salome have walk-on roles.
Nietzsche  has been going from one physician to another for his migraine headaches and  other physical ailments.  Lou Salome maneuvers him unknowingly toward  Breuer, who effects a proto-psychoanalytic cure through the ruse of having  Nietzsche treat HIM ... although the treatment of the doctor by the patient  becomes something real in the course of the story.
The dialogue is not  entirely convincing.  Yalom obviously knows his Nietzsche as well as his  psychology and medicine, and one can sense him slipping his own clinical  insights into Breuer's ruminations and projections of the future of  "mind healing" (must they always be right on the money?).  Nietzsche and Breuer come across more convincingly in their letters and  notes -- perhaps because we readers are more used to encountering 19th  century luminaries through their written words.
The denouement is a  little too pat.  A stimulating crisis and possible catastrophe seem to  develop, and then are jerked from our hands.  Perhaps Yalom should not have  tried so assiduously to keep his plot within the bounds of historical  possibility and instead played more freely with his characters.  Still, it  is nice to see someone attempt this sort of thing with such substantial and  intimidating historic figures.
3066710
This is an entertaining and gratifying read.  It began as a long magazine article and then became a book with two added sections (the response to the book [and his response to the responders] and [tongue in cheek] rules for those who would be serious writers).

The argument is simple: many putatively serious and award-winning writers today write prose that is pretentious, lugubrious and, largely, unreadable.  For this they are amply rewarded by reviewers who claim to like this stuff.  The author offers a number of examples of turgid prose (often the sections of novels which have received particular praise); he also offers counter examples from accomplished writers of the past.

The writers singled out for this particular rogues gallery are Annie Proulx, Paul Auster, David Guterson, Cormac McCarthy, and Don DeLillo.  (I would be interested to see Myers take on Thomas Pynchon, a truly serious contemporary writer.)

The implicit issues here are very interesting.  For example, Myers notes that many crisp, clear and engaging writers are eliminated from serious consideration and labeled genre writers, even though many of the pseudo-serious writers (Guterson, e.g.) are leveraging genre elements.  One thought here: almost all great stories are, to some degree, mystery stories, from Oedipus The King to The Great Gatsby.  It is also true that the greatest inheritor of the Hemingway mantle in our times has been Elmore Leonard.  There are also a number of stunning literary mystery writers working today: James Ellroy, James Lee Burke, and William Kent Krueger, to name but a few.  They all transcend genre.

A second issue is the puritanism of both American culture and American writing/criticism (which Myers discusses).  We are still suspicious of humor and comedy, even though they serve important purposes and are very hard to do.  The books shortlisted for awards are unfailingly serious stories, which, in our time, often means political and, usually, politically correct.  They are also often anchored in identity politics, a notion which has trouble standing up to the analysis of geneticists and epistemologists but is a required element for many reviewers.

Finally, there is the fact that literary writing and literary criticism exist today within a league of the self-appointed cognoscenti.  The more ponderous and opaque the writing, the more the field of adept readers is narrowed and the greater the glow issuing from the halos of the anointed.  This war has now largely been lost among the literary critics (mercifully) as the influence of the French Nietzscheans wanes and English teachers realize that much of the recondite prose which characterized high Theory concealed an ultimate obviousness (Wittgenstein had been there first) and an attempt to attract acclaim by other means than trenchant thought, hard facts and common sense.

Myers does not draw many connections between serious fiction and serious theoretical criticism, but the parallels and analogies are clear.  Serious reviewers often assert their claims to authority by exhibiting an ability to luxuriate in the unreadable and use that skill to differentiate themselves from the common reader who seeks the lucidity of truly great writers like (a key Myers example) Joseph Conrad, whose first language was, of course, Polish.
4175340
If it were not for small publishing houses such as Grove Press - and they are getting fewer and fewer all the time in the days of huge monetary advances to often less-than-memorable authors - worthwhile writers would lack an outlet for their talents.
Folks highlighted in this wonderful anthology -including, to name a few, William Burroughs, Henry Miller and playwrite Samuel Becket - are now considered giants of literature, but this wasn't always the case.  In the 1950s and 1960s, many areas of America were frighteningly conservative and tightly closed to anything new or experimental in literature.  Grove Press was an exception and now, viewed with historical hindsight, one can thank God that they were.
Some entries were banned; others censored when they originally appeared.  Some, read now, appear tame and one wonders why the subject matter caused such a fuss.  Others, like Burroughs "Naked Lunch", still stir the dark places within those who read it, with its gripping, uncompromising prose and frighteningly realistic and powerful portrayals of realities which today we've grown far too accustomed to reading about - drug addiction, violence or the confusion of living in a world that pressures its inhabitants to conform rather than let loose their own imaginative worlds without fear of reprisal.
"The Grove Press Reader" is an invaluable collection of literature, particularly for those - like me - who may sometimes feel intimidated by these writers.  This gives an excellent overall introduction to their works and, as a bonus, boasts an explicit history of the publishing company and the efforts of its owners and staff to ensure that good writing - no matter by whom - was brought to the public.
410034
I know that there are a lot of famous authors in this book. However, I find that more contemporary works are of interest to me.
1820163
Houellebecq is possibly my favorite living novelist, but his last two novels were only partially successful.  "The Map and the Territory" is a much better work, more aesthetically unified and less forced than "Platform" or "The Possibility of an Island."  The quality of the writing is superb throughout; there's hardly a page that doesn't delight in multiple respects.  The book is also quite short, at about 260 pages, which makes it easy to read and ensures that it doesn't suffer from overbloat (cf Murakami's fatiguing and overlong IQ84).

The Map has a substantially less vitriolic tone than H's earlier works, and it also lacks their long sociological discussions.  This probably explains its broader market appeal and the more consistent critical acclaim it has received.  Yet it's still a very strange novel by traditional standards, pervaded by discussions of commercial products (almost theological in their depth, but also comic), and with a rather disjointed organization.  I'd rather read Houellebecq's magnificent discussion of the virtues of an Audi sedan than 99% of what passes for 'literature' these days.  The man has made modern life the subject of literature, and done so by focusing on what that modern life actually consists of -- not by dull repetition of tired novelistic cliches from the past.  He's also a fearless innovator who is willing to take the novel anywhere he finds interesting.

It's hard to know where Houellebecq goes from here, in terms of further novels, if he even keeps writing them at all.  I personally suspect he'll take a massive detour, maybe slum it with a crime novel or a space opera sci-fi story.  Can't wait.
4669625
WOW! I am in awe of these writers from the past. The writing is a bit archaic in the language, but the authors were truly blessed. What a pleasure to have this available. I will keep it and read it again and again.
3488653
There are some books that may be judged by the value of the ideas their Authors express, and others for the quality of the information they contain. Well, this work by Nix and Jerome is positioned in the second category: the one in which you can find the more precise data, the missing details and the useful news for completing the framework, having the reasonably certainty that such data, details and news, have been checked and verified.
Clearly, we can not consider this book as an historical essay on the German police during the Third Reich, nor an analysis of facts and events: this is, instead, a real data-grid, a sort of data-base on paper, that examines the organization of the Ordnungspolizei from top to bottom, by taking the biographical data of the various leaders as strong points, as well as the organizational and structural aspects of the many branches in which, the Order Police was subdivided.
Apart from the systematic exposition of these notions - that in some ways may appear dry and boring - we have to consider a fundamental facet: that is, the unquestionable effort, prolonged and meticulous, that led to the compilation of these pages. This is not, in fact, a work that may be completed in two days, but instead, the result of several years of researches, verifications, updating and corrections; a patient collection of details, often very difficult to find and rearranged in a coherent and reader-friendly manner.
What is certain is that, familiarity is needed with the subject Ordnungspolizei, for really appreciate the work of Nix and Jerome: because this is not a book you can read just for pass a rainy evening, and a reader with such kind of approaching, probably would end up finding it, unbearably boring. Instead, this book should be considered a kind of archives: with the advantage of having leaved the heavy work to the Authors and to the reader the possibility to enjoy the results.

Let us make a final remark. By virtue of its characteristics, this book is the antithesis of a market-oriented product and, on our opinion, this is a real value: often in fact, we have encountered seemingly ambitious works, refined and fashionable in appearance, but poor in contents and having the editorial business as primary aim. Well, that of Nix and Jerome is the opposite: it's a work written with a genuine passion for the topic, paying attention to the contents.
As always should be done.
The book is closed by a large portraits gallery.
4385939
This was a gift and the receiver has had much enjoyment in reading it. They have referred to the enjoyment of this Author's present and previous work.
663379
First a disclaimer, George Eliot is my favorite author, period...  She is 19th century British Victorian.  She  is a classic Victorian, sort of Dickens like, and does not appeal to many modern readers.

This particular book contains four works.  "Middlemarch" is an epic novel, and at one time was considered one of the greatest or the greatest novels ever written.  "Silas Marner" is a much shorter, and much more accessible novel, for the modern reader and is also excellent.  "The Lifted Veil" is very good.  It may be most interesting to a modern reader as an example of early science fiction.  Brother Jacob is an "OK" story, my least favorite of this collection.

The volume itself in hardback is a nice product.  The print is large and easy to read for me, as a senior citizen.  Due to "Middlemarch" being an epic novel and the print being large, this is a fairly large volume.

I have heard many modern readers talk about their distaste for George Eliot in general, and "Middlemarch" in particular.  Her work is very stylized and dated.  To me it is exquistely elegant.  I suppose it is all a matter of taste.  Thank You...
4754877
Professor Daniel S. Burt of Wesleyan University has accumulated biographies of 125 influential writers and 100 worthy of honorable mention.  He notes that in the years since this book was originally published he has changed, as humans do, and so has added to the original 100, and changed it upon critically reviewing the original document.  It must be difficult to establish specific criteria to build a work of this kind.  However, in this case, the results show a diverse population of writers from many, many cultures and nations.  My own background includes British and American literature and a smattering of other European works, including a bit of Russian, Turkish, and Greek.  But nothing of Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Indian) South American (Chilean, Argentinean, Colombian, Guatemalan) African (Nigerian) Middle Eastern (Persian, Egyptian) literature ever seemed to come my way.  On the other hand, having been born in the British Commonwealth, books of white South Africans, Canadians and others from Commonwealth countries naturally came my way.  This book represents the wide world, with much to choose from.

The criteria for inclusion in this collection are writer as influence on society, and its structure determined by the rank order of the authors.  First, the question of the extent of a writer's influence is one facet, and second, who has pushed the boundaries of the imagination most importantly?  While I do not understand why Kurt Vonnegut's work is not included here (except as a note on Ralph Ellison) I do understand that individuality, experience and simple choices are effective in selecting candidates.

I have two problems with this work.  First, how can one really compare and rank authors of differing languages and cultures with any hope of accuracy?  Second, this ranking system eliminates any thematic approach, but it is a common approach to dealing with lists: the best dressed, the funniest, the best, etc.  I think I would have preferred a chronological approach based on happenings in various centuries.

This is a book for the bed table to be picked up when wakefulness defies sleep and one wishes to beguile the time until sleep comes, by thinking about another world.  It would be a good companion on a long flight.  The essays are not terribly long, well written and informative, and I found them of great interest and pleasure.
2320660
The constant edification of authors reaches a sickening degree when their lives are marched out like so much cannon fodder.  Are they interesting people?  Undoubtedly.  Worthy of print?  Surely.  Worthy of endless reams of print that never stops?  You get the idea
338750
This book was referenced by Robert McCrum's biography of Wodehouse.  It is a series of letters written, over many decades, by Wodehouse to a school friend, who is also an author, though much less successful.  The letters give a significant insight into Wodehouse's technique and his career progression both in the UK and on both US coastlines.  It confirms the contradiction, which I first came across in McCrum, that Wodehouse's life was much more orderly, and work obsessed than a reader might infer from reading his work, which is whimsical and leisurely.  There are also insights into Wodehouse's naivety, though I think this might be a bit contrived, especially during the war and post war years, when he had to try to atone for his broadcasts on Nazi Radio.
McCrum mentions that the Irish playwright  Sean O'Casey had disparaged Wodehouse as a `performing flea'in a review, and that, at the time, Wodehouse was quite hurt. McCrum infers that Wodehouse's choice of the title for this book, was a way of responding to O'Casey's slight.
 By definition, the choice of letters, must lead to a certain air of contrivance. However they are quite enlightening about a writer's methods, if nothing else. One thing I genuinely found surprising, was that I had not heard of most of the authors who Wodehouse mentions reading.
4607663
Bova comes from out of the past at us like a bright light on a fast moving train. He worked around, beside, with and knew Asimov, RAH, Campbell, and [fill-in-your favorite author here]... Giants all of them, and Bova a work-a-day damn fine writer.
In a crowd like THAT even the best and brightest can be unappreciated. THE DUELING MACHINE  was one of the early book I cut my S-F teeth on that WASN'T one of the names above and it has stayed with me to this very day. Why? because the people in it, yes I said PEOPLE, had faces and hearts and troubles beyond the framistat finagling in in the raygun fight.. Like RAH you got a sense that these were people you'd like to know and even the bad guys were interesting.
Glad to see it back in print even if briefly. Like somebody once said 'when surrounded by giants it pays to be a little quiet.. and carry a razor sharp ax.'.
123542
To put it simply, Curt Evans's book is a bravura performance. He takes a look at three major mystery authors from the Golden Age: John Rhode/Miles Burton, Freeman Wills Crofts, and J. J. Connginton. All three men have been condemned to out-of-print hell, and when brought up by academics at all, their opinions tend to be largely dismissive of these "mere puzzles". But Curt remains unconvinced, and through his analyses he tries to prove that these books have far more merit to them than such a label might imply.

Curt combines this analysis with a biographical look at the authors, and so we learn about the lives of Rhode, Crofts, and Connington like never before. Often times, the life of the author will influence his work, and now that I know more about the lives of the authors, I feel like I will be able to appreciate their work even more. After all, I'm a big fan of John Rhode and J. J. Connington (and I don't have anything against Crofts, for that matter).

Curt has tackled fascinating questions like that of Crofts' religious influences or Connington's worldview. This is a particularly fun section, because we see the author himself rising out of the sands of time, wondering to himself what on earth Curt is doing because he certainly never intended to put his worldview into his "'tec yarns". No, really--it emerges during correspondence. Curt also looks at the author's apocalyptic and disturbing novel Nordenholt's Million, which eerily foreshadows the cruelties of the Nazi regime.

I bought both the print edition and the Kindle edition, and I have nothing but praise for both. If you like your Kindle and want to save $10 on the cover price, it is a good option. The text is well-edited and proofread. The formatting is also excellent, which is important for this book because there are all sorts of images that you don't want interrupting the flow of the text. It's a book that practically feels like it was made for the Kindle. Meanwhile, the print edition itself is also quite attractive. The font, proofreading, editing, etc. are all excellent and make for pleasant and easy reading. It is a bit taller than the average paperback, but it helps to keep the page count down and it doesn't make much of a difference in reading. The book's production values are quite simply excellent, and the content itself also helps to make you feel like you've spent wisely.

Overall, I recommend Masters of the Humdrum Mystery. This is a very important work in mystery criticism and if I were in charge of the Edgars, I know who would win this year's best critical/biographical award. Curt Evans takes a good, close, and *serious* look at these so-called Humdrums as part of the historical era they belonged in. Too many critics write them off and pretend that only the "Big Four" of Crime Queens were of any interest during the Golden Age, but Curt here has proven that the Humdrums are far more interesting than has been given credit. This book, however, comes with a warning: Curt's enthusiasm is downright infectious. You will find yourself reaching for your wallet - I myself already find that I am the owner of two new John Rhode novels and two new Freeman Wills Crofts novels... and I somehow have the feeling it won't end there!