Seasons of Delight

Customer Reviews:

THIS WONDERFUL ANTHOLOGY COLLECTS THESE 20 PLAYS:.......2005-06-03

Heywood -- The Four PP
Mr. S [anonymous] -- Gammer Gurton's Needle
Preston -- Cambyses
Sackville & Norton -- Gorboduc
Gascoigne -- Supposes
Lyly -- Gallathea
Peele -- David and Bethsabe
Kyd -- The Spanish Tragedy
Marlowe -- Tamburlaine the Great, Part I
Marlowe -- Tamburlaine the Great, Part II
Marlowe -- The Jew of Malta
Marlowe -- Doctor Faustus
Marlowe -- Edward II
Greene -- Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
Lodge & Greene -- A Looking Glass for London and England
Anonymous -- Arden of Feversham
Nashe -- Summer's Last Will and Testament
Anonymous -- Mucedorus
Dekker -- The Shoemaker's Holiday
Heywood -- A Woman Killed with Kindness

And note that volume 2 (ISBN 002339580X) contains an additional 21 plays.

This two-volume set is actually a more convenient and more economical way to collect 41 plays than piecing together single plays in the New Mermaids, Regents Renaissance, or Revels series. In fact, many of the plays in this two-volume set are not otherwise available.

This book is an embarrasment of riches -- enjoy!

Average customer rating:

A classic for girls
Classic
Seeds the child's imagination...
The Secret Garden
Spellbinding Book

The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006440188X

Amazon.com

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

Book Description

When orphaned Mary Lennox, lonely and sad, comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire moors, she finds it full of secrets. At night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors. Outside, she meets Dickon, a magical boy who can charm and talk to animals. Then, one day, with the help of a friendly robin, Mary discovers the most mysterious wonder of all--a secret garden, walled and locked, which has been completely forgotten for years and years. Is everything in the graden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?

Customer Reviews:

A classic for girls.......2007-09-22

The Secret Garden is a book about a spoiled girl who uncovers the mysteries of the house around her which include, but are not limited too, what is behind the wall, and why is it kept secret. It is a good classic, but girls will enjoy it much more than boys do.

Classic.......2007-08-06

Even if you are an adult you should reread this book. Helps you to see how fun it was to be a kid.

Seeds the child's imagination..........2007-07-29

This has always been one of my favorite books since childhood. When I read my first story in this book it gave me so much inspiration to use my imagination as a child should. A child's imagination is so real! This reality soon takes the form of abstract, which paves the road to anywhere he wants it to go - or not...

The Secret Garden.......2007-07-05

This edition is printed on really cheap, unappealing paper. I can't imagine anyone wanting to give this version of a children's classic as a gift, or even to read from it to a child yourself.

Spellbinding Book.......2007-07-03

This book is the best book I have ever read. It's a light, happy book that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Ilove the theme of hope in the book, that will convince readers about the Magic inside themselves...if they hope. If they believe something will happen, it will. That theme is so beautifully conveyed. I couldn't put it down, and it is most definitely my new favorite book. A MUST READ!!!!!!!!

I ALSO RECCOMEND THE FOLLOWING:
Arthur and the Invisibles, Artemis Fowl Series, The Book Without Words, The Kingdom Keepers, the Prophecy of the Stones, The Game of Sunken PLaces, Midnight Blue

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Very informative..
History made interesting
The perfect storyteller.
Loved this book!
Great account of history

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Alison Weir
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802136834

Book Description

The tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of Henry VIII of England (1509-1547) is one of the most fascinating in all history, not least for his marriage to six extraordinary women. In this accessible work of brilliant scholarship, Alison Weir draws on early biographies, letters, memoirs, account books, and diplomatic reports to bring these women to life. Catherine of Aragon emerges as a staunch though misguided woman of principle; Anne Boleyn, an ambitious adventuress with a penchant for vengeance; Jane Seymour, a strong-minded matriarch in the making; Anne of Cleves, a good-natured and innocent woman naively unaware of the court intrigues that determined her fate; Catherine Howard, an empty-headed wanton; and Catherine Parr, a warm-blooded bluestocking who survived King Henry to marry a fourth time.

Customer Reviews:

Very informative.........2007-10-06

Very informative book! Weir manages to give us a detailed description of the personalities of each of these six queens. What makes this book such a success is that its very easy to read making it impossible to get bored!

History made interesting.......2007-09-17

I haven't been a big history buff in the past (no pun intended) but after seeing a glimpse of a documentary on Henry VIII, I was curious. This book was GREAT! I simply couldn't put it down and lugged the big book with me on the bus, on planes, etc. In fact, it inspired me to continue reading up on the Tudors. Highly recommended!

The perfect storyteller........2007-08-24

Impeccably researched, fantastically written, wonderfully enthralling. Anyone interested in British history, monarchs in general, the tudor period, politics, or anyone who just plain likes gossip will love this book. It was really great.

Loved this book!.......2007-08-14

A friend recommended some of Philipa Gregory's books to me. After reading "The Other Boelyn Girl" I decided to try non-fiction. I would have never dreamed that I would enjoy a big, thick, historial, non-fiction book about 16th century England. However, "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" was fantastic! I could not put this book down! I have ordered Ms. Weir's other books about Lady Jane Grey, Henry VIII's court and Elizabeth. After reading this book, you will look at the Tower of London, Hampton Court, Hever Castle, etc. in a completely different way when in London. You have to hand it to the Brits; they have the most interesting and fascinating history of all.

Great account of history.......2007-08-12

If you're in the market for a book that gives a thorough account of each wife of Henry VIII, then this is the book for you. Over 600 pages long, this packs together history and great writing. It's written chronologically, from Henry's days before his betrothal to Katherine of Aragon, up to the death of his last wife, Katherine Parr. It flows together perfectly. It's easy to read, to boot. I think my favorite parts were the quotes taken from personal letters, and hand-written accounts by those closest to the royals themselves.

Average customer rating:

New Complete Home Landscaping
Definitely complete
A step-by-step guide for amateur & professional landscapers

New Complete Home Landscaping
Catriona Tudor Erler
Manufacturer: Creative Homeowner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1580111823

Book Description

New Complete Home Landscaping is an updated, expanded edition of Creative Homeowner's award-winning comprehensive book on landscaping for the home. It covers every aspect of home landscaping, from design principles to construction projects; plant selection to plant care. The book consists of three parts. Part One: Preparing to Landscape explains how to design and create a landscape. Part Two: Setting the Stage shows how to build such features as paths, ponds, walls, decks, and watering systems. Part Three: Planting and Growing describes how to select, plant, and care for flowers, trees, shrubs, ground covers, and lawns.

Customer Reviews:

New Complete Home Landscaping.......2007-01-03

There are some interesting and workable ideas in the book. Before purchasing you might want to check out your local library first. I'm not disappointed with it however I think the layouts are more for the professional landscape/design area. There is even a section for making your own pesticides. It is a nice book to have on hand.

Definitely complete.......2006-05-19

This book touched on all aspects of gardening and landscaping - design elements and plans, water features, walls & fences, gazebos, decks and patios. It offers suggestions on plants and flowers appropriate for specific areas and climates. There is also a section with solutions to common problems. I highly recommend this book. The text gave me a lot of knowledge, while the pictures inspired me to start working on my own yard!

A step-by-step guide for amateur & professional landscapers.......2005-02-10

Over 950 photographs and watercolor paintings illustrate New Complete Home Landscaping, a step-by-step guide for amateur and professional landscapers alike. Internationally recognized garden writer Catriona Tudor Erler discusses how to choose the right plants for one's climate and soil conditions, how to install a fence, when to fertilize and what fertilizer to use, fighting common diseases, how to transplant large trees and shrubs, and much more. Packed with pages and pages of detail and explicit constructions, New Complete Home Landscaping lives up to its title as an indispensable and well-rounded resource for anyone seriously contemplating a landscaping project.

Average customer rating:

Tasha Tudor's Garden - Beautiful book!
Inspiration for Gardeners
a beautiful woman
Surprise
a journey to the past

Tasha Tudor's Garden
Tovah Martin
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395436095

Book Description

Tasha Tudor's poignant art has fascinated adults and children for decades. Her nineteenth-century New England lifestyle is legendary. Gardeners are especially intrigued by the profusion of antique flowers -- spectacular poppies, six-foot foxgloves, and intoxicating peonies -- in the cottage gardens surrounding her hand-hewn house. Until now we've only caught glimpses of Tasha Tudor's landscape. In this gorgeous book, two of her friends, the garden writer Tovah Martin and the photographer Richard Brown, take us into the magical garden and then behind the scenes. As we revel in the bedlam of Johnny-jump-ups and cinnamon pinks, the intricacy of the formal peony garden, and the volumptuousness of her heirloom roses, we also learn Tasha's gardening secrets. How does she coax forth her finicky camellia blossoms in the dead of a Vermont winter? How does she train that fantastic topiary to model for her artwork? How can she keep her crown imperials from tumbling in the winds? Tasha's garden reflects a wealth of family lore, perfected through the years and years of working the soil. We may be dazzled by the beauty of the garden, but we come away from this book with practical ideas about improving our own plots of land. "Paradise on earth" is how Tasha describes her garden, and along with the flowers and the vegetables that provide her food, her paradise is filled with an enchanting menagerie -- corgies, Nubian goats, cats, chickens, fantail doves, and forty or more exotic finches, cockatiels, canaries, nightingales, and parrots, which inhabit her collection of antique cages. Tasha's beautiful watercolors and her enchanting anecdotes color this sublimely beautiful book.

Customer Reviews:

Tasha Tudor's Garden - Beautiful book!.......2007-07-24

I received this book several years ago as a birthday gift. It has beautiful pictures of Tasha Tudor's garden and flowers. I bought it this year for my friends 60th birthday gift. She loves it!

Inspiration for Gardeners.......2007-01-04

This is a wonderful book featuring the garden of children's book author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. Not a gardening how-to book but rather a photographic tour of the garden. It does show that a garden can be at its most charming when not rigidly landscaped but grown in a more naturalistic way. A must for all Tasha Tudor fans bookshelves.

a beautiful woman.......2006-07-24

I have loved Tasha Tudor's illustrations in books like "The Tasha Tudor Book of Fairy Tales", "The Secret Garden" and "A Little Princess" since childhood. I didn't know anything about Tasha Tudor as a person, and then one Christmas my mother gave me this book. Wow! Mrs. Tudor has lived a remarkable life and she is an amazing person. She has chosen to create a home for herself that seems to exist in a century past. Her son built a rustic house for her, and she has surrounded it with extensive farm buildings, cottage gardens, fruits, berries, chickens, goats and dogs. She dresses in layers of vintage clothing and eats off of china that has been in her family for generations. I just love this woman, and her lifestyle. This is a beautiful book.

Surprise.......2005-02-08

I purchased this book years ago... at a bookstore and paid the full price. Had I known about Amazon.com....I could have saved money. Then I could have more books! I strongly recommend this book for all gardeners to add to their home library. Enjoy!

a journey to the past.......2003-01-19

Looking at Tasha Tudor's Garden is like taking a journey to another century, surrounded by beauty and peace. Tasha herself wears 19th century clothes, including petticoats, shawls, and head kerchiefs and lives in an antique-appearing house, going about her life with what seems to be a minimal of technology. The photographs that capture her seeing to the goats in the barn in winter, carrying a basket of hand-pulled weeds in summer, arranging lillies, tulips, peonies and old roses in her lovely old house, and seeing the cottage gardens in bloom are absolutely gorgeous. Sometimes gardeners just need inspiration, and this book is perfect for this. Enjoy.

Average customer rating:

Art History and History Unite
More fiction than history, but oh what a story ...
Quite disappointing...
Historical fiction at its best!
An Excellent and Absorbing Novel

Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Novel
Vanora Bennett
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061251836
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

The year is 1527. The great portraitist Hans Holbein, who has fled the reformation in Europe, is making his first trip to England under commission to Sir Thomas More. In the course of six years, Holbein will become a close friend to the More family and paint two nearly identical family portraits. But closer examination of the paintings reveals that the second holds several mysteries...

Set against the turmoil, intrigue and, tragedy of Henry VIII's court, Portrait of an Unknown Woman vividly evokes sixteenth-century England on the verge of enormous change. As the Protestant Reformation sweeps across Europe to lap at England's shores, relations between her king and the Catholic Church begin to plummet-driven by Henry VIII's insatiable need for a male heir and the urgings of his cunning mistress Anne Boleyn-and heresy begins to take hold. As tensions rise, Henry VIII turns to his most trusted servant and defender of Catholic orthodoxy, Sir Thomas More to keep peace in England, but soon the entire More family find their own lives at risk.

At the center of Portrait of an Unknown Woman is Meg Gigg's, Sir Thomas More's twenty-three year old adopted daughter. Intelligent, headstrong, and tender-hearted, Meg has been schooled in the healing arts. And though she is devoted to her family, events conspire that will cause Meg to question everything she thought she knew-including the desires of her own heart. As the danger to More and his family increases, two men will vie for Meg's affections: John Clement, her former tutor and More's protégé who shares Meg's passion for medicine, but whose true identity will become unclear, and the great Holbein, who's artistic vision will forever alter her understanding of the world.

With a striking sense of period detail Portrait of an Unknown Woman is an unforgettable story of sin and religion, desire and deception. It is the story of a young woman on the brink of sensual awakening and of a country on the edge of mayhem.

Customer Reviews:

Art History and History Unite.......2007-07-23

If you are interested in art history, as well as interested in a good historical novel, this one is for you.
Find insights into English history and the techniques of Holbein.
Find out why Thomas More is depicted wtih red velvet sleeves.
Google More family and Holbein, and see the sketch of the characters, and the knowledge of the significance of the items included will delight you.
I bought this for my cousin who is an art teacher, and I got a copy for myself, too, since I know I'll read it again.Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Novel

More fiction than history, but oh what a story ..........2007-07-15

PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN WOMAN is a story of love and betrayal, secrets and forgiveness, and courage in the face of fear. While it borrows from history - particularly the characters of Thomas More and his family - it is a timeless story that could be told in almost any setting.

The author outlines accepted historical fact at the end of the novel. If you are unfamiliar with the time period - roughly 1520 to 1532 - read the outline first. It will give you the historical background against which this highly imaginative story takes place.

The author's main supposition (and there are several) is: What if the princes in the tower (rumored to have been killed by Richard III) lived? With whom would they have lived? How could their existence remain secret? What kind of people would they have turned out to be?

Within the context of this fictional accounting of the princes (particularly Richard), the story also relates the contradictions of the man, Sir Thomas More. (Ironically, it is his erroneous history of Richard III that was responsible for the bad information about the man and his reign until its debunking in recent times.) How can a fanatic also be a saint?

The novel's weakness is twofold: First and foremost, it tries to deal with too many complex issues in just over 400 pages. (Sharon Kay Penman could have made a trilogy out of the plot and sub-plots!) Second, the author gives these Renaissance characters modern ways of thinking. For this latter reason, I found the main character - More's adopted daughter, Meg Gibbs - mostly unbelievable.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story. With the small exception of some of the interpretations of the art work, I found it hard to put down. I think it might have been better as a longer book with more room for exploring the complexities, but that's a minor gripe.

I look forward to the author's next work.

Quite disappointing..........2007-07-01

Pretty disappointing historical fiction. Not innaccurate per se, but untrue to the famously moral More family, and characters have an all too modern self-awareness and interior life. Too much plot exposition via "She wondered to herself if..." kind of thing. (Lazy writing IMHO.) Main plot device is based around a bit of a crack-pot theory about differences between two extant versions of Hans Holbein's group portrait of Sir Thomas More's family. In this regard, Bennett tries to pull a 'Da Vinci Code' out of her hat and fails. If you want Tudor era historical fiction, stick with Philippa Gregory's novels, esp. 'The Other Boleyn Girl' or 'Dissolution' C. J. Sansom's mystery.

Historical fiction at its best!.......2007-06-16

From the moment I picked up this book,I was entranced: by the writing,the story, the pace,the details. The author writes fluently,lyricaly and makes
you care for the characters. I wanted to know what would happen next and why. Fiction will play with the facts and with what a character "might"
do or feel in any given situation so there is no reason to look for a history text here. I loved this book. I hated to finish it. There was nothing I would have changed. Meg Giggs was the perfect narrator;the author makes her feel horror at More's actions and yet retains her love of him. This is a must read. By the way, I don't reveal
the secrets of a book..

An Excellent and Absorbing Novel.......2007-05-15

This is an excellent and absorbing historical novel, beautifully written and full of evocative period detail. Even better, the characters are sensitively and convincingly drawn, especially Sir Thomas More, that almost-legendary figure of English history, who comes across as a much more complicated and ambiguous individual than the two-dimensional hero usually presented to readers. Through the eyes of the central character Meg Giggs, one of More's wards, or foster children, we also see him as a religious fanatic, a man capable of personally inflicting torture on Protestant "heretics," and of ordering them burned at the stake.

The novel ends shortly before More is betrayed and then beheaded at the orders of King Henry VIII, for refusing to condone the king's divorce and remarriage to Ann Boleyn. Oddly, the author nowhere mentions this event, not even in an epilogue. Readers who pick up this book will probably know about More's fate, but those who do not will miss the underlying menace that pervades the story: the knowledge of More's eventual martyrdom.

The author's imaginative contributions are curious, especially making the character of John Clements into one of the famous "princes in the tower," imprisoned there by the usurper, King Richard III, and whose fates remain unknown. Her assertion that Meg Giggs was Thomas More's illegitimate daughter is also a bit jarring, although More was a man of strong physical appetites who could have fathered an out-of-wedlock child. The portrait of Hans Holbein is quite good and remains true to at least some of the painter's characteristics, although we know very little about his inner life. The author pointedly ignores the fact (and it is a fact) that Holbein had a mistress in London, with whom he fathered several children, but perhaps that occurred later, in the years after the novel's conclusion.

Average customer rating:

Tasha Tudor
A Dreamy Book
What a treat !
A great pick-me-up!
All her books are great..this one is a gem

The Private World of Tasha Tudor
Richard Brown , and Tasha Tudor
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0316112925

Customer Reviews:

Tasha Tudor.......2007-10-03

If we could all live in a fantasy world this book would probaly be more meaningful. Got this book as a garden/back to nature resource. Not for people who have to balance their families,work and of course money. Skip unless you are an absolute Tasha Tudor fan.

A Dreamy Book.......2007-07-18

I bought a Tasha Tudor print for my daughter's birthday and ordered this book to go with it. It came just in time.

What a treat !.......2006-08-07

The book was a delight, and I enjoy reading it over and over. The gorgeous illustrations are a joy. Tasha has done exactly what she wanted to do in life...spend it simply, and creatively. She is such an inspiration, that I've bought several of her other books, as well as one of her videos, "Take Joy."

A great pick-me-up!.......2003-09-10

Absolutely loved this book! Just picked it up from the library today on a whim and couldn't put it down. Talk about a match made in heaven (Tasha and Richard). Tasha must have sensed Richard would do her justice, and he most certainly did. Even though this is a libary loan, I am buying this book for my own personal collection. Tasha's philosophy on life and her love for family, theater, crafts, animals, flowers and art was most infectious. I love how she is honest with herself and alludes to creating a paradise on earth, but also acknowledges that she is human and has made mistakes in life, which keeps it all very real. Use your good china, wear your antique clothing, collect vintage seeds and transport/replant your favorite fruit trees if you so desire. Progress with the new, but remember to go back and learn from the oldest, simplest ways of living, as it can afford many unforeseen treasures. Truly admired Tasha's pure connection with animals to the point where she even took in an infant snake and nursed it until it was too big to keep in the house any longer. Wow! Buy your flower bulbs in multitudes and plant them in clumps. See the beauties in the branches of the trees (clip some and take them indoors to enjoy). Smell the flowers. Buy a dog or several. Buy some birds (or 40). Create your own menagerie. Cook with a talking parrot on your shoulder. It's the little things, folks. Have you ever seen a moon-lit rainbow? I haven't, but will be on the look-out. =)I wanna stick my nose in dove feathers and plant flower bulbs at random -- in large clumps -- wherever I please. I wanna get a dog and feed it homemade soup instead of that trash in those metal cans. Tasha claims that lots of garlic in her soups keeps the dogs flea-free. Never too old to learn. I honestly agree with nearly everything Tasha touched on. Step outside of the box. Live life a little. Get back to basics. Note your likes and dislikes. Learn a new craft. Learn something new. Recite your favorite authors' works or poems. Learn to be self-sufficient. Live life to the fullest! No book has touched me like this in a long, long time. I am going to run out and get me a real nice, old bookshelf and start my own dollhouse rooms on each level. I've always wanted my own canoe, but Tasha has given me the courage to seriously look into it. Look at her skin and body.....if she can carry a canoe and buckets of fresh water on her shoulders, so can I at 35. I wanna use my best China and have a yard full of animals that know I love them and love me back. I just wanna be me and Tasha has helped me to see how important that is. Most of all, I want to pass on to my husband and kids that it is okay to be who you are, but always remain open to the simple, free joys we have been given in everyday life.

Thank you, Tasha, for allowing us to enter your oasis and thank you Richard Brown for allowing us to have a sneak peek of Tasha's "paradise on earth".

All her books are great..this one is a gem.......2002-12-20

This was an early Christmas gift along with four other Tasha Tudor books and I LOVE it. Maybe because there is a bit of Tasha Tudor in me or because we live in a small cottage in the Sierras and have chickens, goats, vegetable, herb and flower gardens and love many of the same things she loves.

I like the fact that like Beatrix Potter another author I adore, she lives an authentic homestead life and loves her livestock, painting and making things with her hands. And I found some helpful tricks for catching the occasional mouse that gets in the place. And it is nice to read where someone else uses the good china daily and doesn't save it just for company. Or the joy of wearing clothes that some antique dealer would think are to valuable. And as she notes on page 112 "It satisfies me to spin and knit and weave. I love to be self sufficient, to learn how to make everything I use."

She speaks about and there are accompanying photos of the changes of seasons and the joys she encounters along the way. Her goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits and wild birds. Her cooking, spinning and how she plans for the joys in her life.

But I guess one thing I liked so much was her philosophy which she says comes in part from Henry David Thoreau and says "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." As she says "That is my credo. It is absolutely true. It is my whole life summed up."

Tudor Style: Tudor Revival Houses in America from 1890 to the Present

Average customer rating:

EVEN HENRY VIII WOULD HAVE APPROVED
Fantastic book
Excellent book with impressive narrative & pictures
compositionally nice but superficial
Finally! ...a book for Tudor style enthusiasts!

Tudor Style: Tudor Revival Houses in America from 1890 to the Present
Lee Goff
Manufacturer: Universe Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Criticism | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0789307936
Release Date: 2002-11-23

Book Description

The Tudor house is one of America's keystones-- a type of home that has attracted homeowners for more than a century. Its basic elements-- the steep gabled roofs, mullioned windows made of leaded glass, and half-timbering-- are instantly recognizable and iconic. Tudor Style showcases the wide variety of Tudor homes and how American Tudor style differs from their English counterparts.

Renowned photographer Paul Rocheleau and architectural historian Lee Goff have traveled across the United States, from the suburbs of metropolitan New York to Lake Forest, Illinois, from St. Louis to Los Angeles, capturing the unique Tudor styles each geographic location offers. The Tudors featured in the book range from modest homes to grand estates, making this a perfectly accessible book for all Tudor homeowners and aficionados. In addition to displaying the architectural structures of these buildings, Goff examined the history of these houses, why they became so popular in the United States, and what their appeal is today.

The first book ever on this wildly popular style, Tudor Style will delight architecture enthusiasts who have been desperately waiting for a book on this favorite architectural style.

Customer Reviews:

EVEN HENRY VIII WOULD HAVE APPROVED.......2007-06-28

This is a very good book, the houses chosen are first rate and the text well researched and informative. The images are very well done, they are crisp and well presented. Some of the houses chose are amazing, frankly Tudor is not my favorite of the Eccletic styles, I really prefer Beaux Art and Georgian, but this book made me appreciate the beauty of the Tudor. I highly recommend this book, it made me fan of the style.

Fantastic book.......2006-12-19

The photos and houses shown in this book are fantastic, both the old and modern dwellings. I have many books on Manor houses and old english houses but the photos shown in this book are the best I've seen. I was very interested to see the modern tudor style houses that have been built in the USA like the one shown on the cover. I bought this book from Amazon and it was delivered to Australia in top condition. A great buy and people visiting my place have picked it up and had a read because it captures the eye.

Excellent book with impressive narrative & pictures.......2005-09-14

I caught a glance of the book on my architect's desk, and immediately ordered it the next day. I was not disappointed.

Tudor Style gives an excellent overview of the English Tudor influence on architecture in the United States. I particularly enjoyed the narrative that accompanied the pictures throughout the book - very well written and researched! The picturesque neighborhoods and historic homes featured were inspiring examples of what truly draws people toward this style even today.

An excellent book for anyone who appreciates timeless architecture and european-influenced design.

compositionally nice but superficial.......2003-12-06

This book is long overdue. There's really no exclusive published works in print on American Tudor Revival architecture, except for this. It is a beautifully photographed and organized book, with nice fonts and well-balanced photographs. There are a few holes, though. Styles and geographic concentrations aren't focused on well enough. The section on Philadelphia Tudor Revival ingores a rich and very diverse Tudor variety in favor of a few French country houses. Also, the 1950s and 1970s mixes of ranches and split-levels with Tudor sensibilities are ignored, either out of distaste or pretension. The modern Tudor section is dominated by one very large McMansion with mock Tudor references. In all, the book is unfit for study but is basically a very pretty coffee table book.

Finally! ...a book for Tudor style enthusiasts!.......2003-06-28

Excellent book of Tudor houses. A sampling of the best homes across America. Brief descriptions/history. No floorplans, but beautiful color photos of exteriors as well as interiors. You will love this book. My all-time favorite Tudor home is included: Stan Hywet Hall.

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