Face it, this is a classic, so let's at least applaud
924203
This rather large collection can be very absorbing in spite of its "pedestrian" style.  Even a bad translation (which it likely was not) couldn't be an excuse to call it good writing, but memoirs are not really known for being Pulitzer material.  "Alibiographies," these are sometimes called, and  the stories in "Memoirs" are very often told by Catherine to make herself a favorable picture.  As historian Will Durant says about the work, it is not so much false, as it is partial.  Truthfully, though, it would be hard to name any other autobiography that did not do the same.  The most glaring difference between "her version" and the "world's version," for example, has to be her thoughts and descriptions of her husband, Czar Peter III.  The reader will find this easy -- and interesting -- to spot all through the memoirs!

Durant also implies, though, that Catherine's memoirs fills many gaps, at least as material for further reading.  No matter the partiality shown in the book, it is blindingly clear that Catherine was head and shoulders above almost all her contemporaries in intelligence, energy, curiosity, and shrewdness.

A word of personal annoyance with this book.  It took more than three-quarters of the pages to run across the telling of her first non-husband love relationship.  Even then the fateful paragraph was extra-long and in an unexpectedly different style, and had to be read twice to catch on.  All that work for so little naughty information!
1128951
This is one of those classics that everyone's read---or at least should have read. I've been through it a few times now, and I get a little something new from it every time. I'm finally writing a review now mostly so I can remember Carnegie's main points and review them later on.

First off, let's just acknowledge that Carnegie is long-winded AF. He's definitely got a "let's get in a van and drive" vibe going on. I end up skimming through a lot of content just because, once I understand his point, I want to move on already.

Still, he does have useful things to say. Here are the main points I like most:

*** Don't criticize, condemn, or complain.
*** Give honest and sincere appreciation.
*** Be genuinely interested in other people. Do things for them---things that require time, energy, unselfishness, and thoughtfulness.
***Smile more. You have to have a good time meeting people if you expect them to have a good time meeting you. Also, sometimes a smile makes another person feel hopeful about life, like they aren't alone or that the world isn't a totally unfriendly place.
***Remember a person's name.
***Be a good listener, and be generous with your approval and praise. Talk about the other person's interests (and they will think you are the most amazing listener in the world...).
***And this last one is key for me, mostly because I feel it (want it?) so deeply. Make the other person feel important. And do it sincerely. We all want the approval of others. We want to feel recognized.

There's a huge second section about winning people over to your side in an argument, but meh. I've been married to a lawyer for twelve years. I don't need any more of that...
4714484
Obviously its a classic and a great song to get roudy and amped up to.
3167573
This is of course a classic, and I won't go into a review of the book itself. This review is mainly on the formatting, which I found to be great. Unlike many books I get on here, everything was as it should be in this one. Great work!
4918239
I chose this rating because..well..it's a classic!
The artwork,the circumstance behind the making of it, and the MUSIC!
If you even like music..this shoulod be in your collection. Period.
318282
This is an absolute classic, if you haven't read it then you should drop everything and get to it already
2371105
This is a classic.

I know
I know
We use that word "classic" much too often. "Classic Coke" "Classic Rock" "Star Trek Classic" and so forth.

"Classic Coke" should be called "Original Coke" then we know where we are. It's the GOOD tasting one.

"Classic Rock". There's very little of that around. Mostly it's just old music. Yeah, I know. It brings back memories for me, too. I'll be observing my 65th birthday in a couple of weeks so I know how you feel. But, really, it isn't "classic", It's old.
As for "Star Trek Classic" I prefer the alternate designation "TOS" (The Original Series). The one with the REAL Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest and not Abrams' demented reimagining.

God only knows what he'll do to STAR WARS.

But this book...THIS BOOK...should be used by every writer in the field as a model on how to cover a subject.

It is well-written, well-researched, AND firmly fastened in the TIME in which it was written.

This is very much a PRE- Space Program book about UFOs. And Major Keyhoe reminds us of just how OUTRAGEOUS the idea of "interplanetary craft" actually WAS to people back then. (It was published the same year I was born, 1950...forget Space Travel, the first JET Airliner, , the British De Havilland Comet, flew for the first time only the year before),

And the Major takes us along on his journey from incredulity through skepticism to acceptance that we are being visited by Interplanetary Craft.
And he even mentions UFO "Orbs". A fellow named Gorman had a dogfight with one. You can read all about that here.)
There are also some fascinating sections about early space flight research that WE were doing...and which show that we don't need to invoke "reverse engineering" of any spare UFOs laying about to explain how far we have come scientifically.

This is a fascinating read, and an educational one. Hope Kindle issues an improved edition soon.

I'd gladly pay for one with some photos of some of the people and sightings and so on.

In the meantime, this one is free on Kindle....do yourself a favor and GET it!
3465561
Just leaving five stars here. Giving credit where credit is due.
4800257
What can I even say, this book is a wonderful classic!
2145952
As a long standing critic of the art of short story writing I can say, without a doubt, that this tale is the premium classic of all that has been created. I strongly advise that this reading to be included in everyone's list of lifetime prose experiences.

Within this tale we, most unfortunately, must come to face ourselves and the experience of our own existense. It is only by degrees that we can measure our lives as being different from that of Ivan Ilyich. None of us can make the statement that "This is not I!" without a great deal of denial and repression. Do we take our professional lives to the point of them becoming the base of our personalities? Do we embrace and appreciate those around us or do we forcefully nudge them to the side because they do not meet our unrealistic expectations? Are we truly the gregarious person we think we are or are we, too, merely an animate facade which laughs/laments/cajoles only when socially appropriate? Is altruism the core of our souls or is it actually a much less kinder word; like narcissism or simple selfishness? Do we see a wholeness in the inner spirit of our lives, learning like we will live forever but living like we will die tomorrow or do we, like Ivan Ilyich, feel that life itself is purposeless and we are left abandoned when it is time for it to conclude?

Ponder these and greater thoughts as you read this classic tale and, by doing so, you will not only come to know yourself better for who you really are but will come to identify what the actual meaning of life could possibly be....
4399308
This book is the classic that is often credited with starting the modern animal rights movement.  You might also want to check out Dr. Singer's recently published update of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Animal-Liberation-The-Definitive-Classic-of-the-Animal-Movement-P-S/dp/0061711306/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Animal Liberation: The Definitive Classic of the Animal Movement (P.S.)</a>.

If the whole world thought that concentration camps were right, that wouldn't make concentration camps right. Moral knowledge is not difficult to acquire or use; it is only prejudice and vested interests that stand in the way. Those prejudice and vested interests can make us enthusiastic adherents or accomplices in the most deplorable behaviors imaginable, and often with smiles on our faces (as the world saw in our clean-shaven, church-going youth in Abu Ghraib).

Thankfully, Dr. Singer was not content to leave morality to others, as he so aptly demonstrates with this book.  He offers readers the moral knowledge they need to do good, or at least stop doing harm.

I'd put off reading this book for about 10 years.  I'd been a vegetarian that length of time, but I didn't want to listen to some `radical' idea about `animal rights'.  I finally began reading this book on a three-hour train ride, and by the time I'd reached my destination, I turned vegan and felt ashamed that I hadn't made the move to before then.  I remain a vegan 10 years later, largely based on the convictions formed while reading this book.

This seminal work offers telling observations of humans and other animals that, often, should be obvious to any five-year-old, but which aren't widely discussed in `polite' society.  For example, "Nearly all the signs which lead us to infer pain in other humans can be seen in other species...".  "There are many areas in which the superior mental powers of normal adult humans make a difference...[y]et these differences do not all point to greater suffering on the part of the normal human being." Animals suffer, animal suffering matters, and our illusion of innocence in the process of confining and killing must be confronted to stop the suffering.  Such lucid, well-written comments leave us little room to hide our prejudices and vested interests.  I've read my copy twice now, and expect to read it again soon.

Dr. Singer points out that "...the conclusions that are argued for in this book flow from the principle of minimizing suffering alone."  In practice, the author is a utilitarian.  Contractarianism, as suggested by Mark Rowlands in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Animals-Like-Us-Practical-ethics-series/dp/1859843867/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Animals Like Us (Practical ethics series)</a>, offers a more robust and morally satisfying approach, but in a world where 50 billion animals are tortured and slaughtered every year to feed humans, this is arguably just hair-splitting.

Not many books can make you want to change what you eat or wear for the rest of your life.  This one does.  And you will thank Dr. Singer for it.
195474
A classic, what else can I say? Gets better every time I read it.
3237286
Classic !
If you know this movie, you know its worth this price
4375388
An all around classic to make your significant other happy.
570105
Nothing I can really say that hasn't already been said about this classic.
1676493
This is a real Modern Classic that still satisfies.
2442980
What word do you use when "classic" just doesn't quite cut it? Whatever it is it must be used to describe this film. Sure, its dated, made in the early 80's when both Debbie Harry and Cheap Trick were at their zenith (if you say you're a Cheap Trick fan these days people either look at you with blank faces, having not heard of them, or they laugh, ridiculing your taste in music...even so, I'm proud to admit they're my all-time faves). Of course, this movie isn't about them, or even "made" by their musical appearences, but it would have been so much poorer without them, as well as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Earth, Wind and Fire. What I'm trying to say in a round about way is, if you like animated film as opposed to cartoons, and ones that are very different to the norm, you just have to see this one. Heck, its a great story of the battle between Good and Evil too, what more do you want? Original too.

I first saw this movie way back in the late 80's...now, I live in Australia so even today only the single-disc version is available (and its region 1 which is odd as we use region 4!) I loved it from the first viewing, vowing to tape it next it was on. Needless to say, due to the time it was shown (usually around 2am) I never managed to do that. It had been about 10 years since  I last saw it to when it arrived in my mail box after ordering it on Amazon...and it went straight in the DVD player!

It wasn't quite as fantastic as I'd remembered it, but what is? It still grabbed me, just not as strongly. And I had a great feeling of accomplishment, that I finally had it! And the 2 disc edition too!

Now, if you're trying to decide which edition to spend your hard-earned on, well it depends on one thing...if you just wanna see it again, or if you're a bit of a completist and have to have the other, original version (which is of fairly poor quality due to the fact the original negatives were destroyed some years ago). If its the latter, buy the 2 disc, there's some great bonus stuff. If the former, the 2 disc would be good for you but isn't needed.

Yes, it is dated. Yes, its a little primitive, though it does feature some remarkable animation techniques for its time and budget...not to mention that just the fact it was released at all is testimony to the determination of its creative and production teams. The world would have been much poorer without it.

For parents wondering if its suitable for their younguns...well, no....sure, while there is no swearing or real violence, it is an adult concept, and would therefore be fairly boring for kids.....just as some animated movies are today (the Incredibles for example, nothing really bad in it, just not aimed at the child audience - though you wouldn't know it from the merchendising), in other words its aimed at us, the big kids.

If you can handle listening to classic 80's rock performers, have a distaste for the generic disney style of animation, and have a love of the genre....GET THIS MOVIE! You will not regret it!