Rpg IV by Example

Customer Reviews:

An organized, Strait forward approach to teaching RPG.......1999-09-13

This book was written in a well organized, strait forward fashion. There are no incomplete explanations like so many programming books out there contain. Also, the authors of this book do a great job of using real wold examples to illustrate how and when to use certain RPG 4 operations in business applications. Some examples I have run accross in other books are not appropriate , because they are not representative examples of how certain RPG operations are used in businesses.

Average customer rating:

A Book About Things
Talent and privilege gone to waste

George IV: Inspiration of the Regency
Steven Parissien
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0312284020

Customer Reviews:

A Book About Things.......2002-05-01

This book is not for everyone. If you wish to understand, as I did, the politics and economics of the era, you will be disappointed. You will learn more about George's amours and clothing than you ever wanted to know.

Talent and privilege gone to waste.......2002-04-19

George IV has always fascinated me as one of those monarchs who both impress and disgust. He was born George Prince of Wales eldest son of King George III and Queen Charlotte of England. to a world which offered all possible luxury and inherited a country which looked up to its royalty, yet poor george was to die for the most part despised. Mr. Parissien writes a sensitive and readable biography which shows both the causes and results this king's life. Realtionship with his parents were always strained and lacking in complete love or affection. No wonder George was only too eager to enjoy his power as regent when his old father the king was pronounced mad. Geroge's spending habits were phenominal, he would only have the very best no matter what it cost the country. Yet George was respected and loved by those in the arts especially admired by the architects of his time. One only has to look at the enterior of Carlton House or the Brighton Pavillion to realise this man's astetic sense. George's marriage was a disaster and events leading up to his niece Victoria becoming queen was nothing short of a miracle. A true caricature of his own self he gave his name to an era where good taste went hand in hand with infidelity and corruption. A highly readable book with some excellent illustrations.

Average customer rating:

Something I never knew
Something I never knew
Grossly Inaccurate and Inappropriate
The woman who would not be Queen
A Princely Effort

The Secret Wife of King George IV
Diane Haeger
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0312274777

Book Description

Although it was illegal, secret, and against the express commands of his famously mad father, King George IV of England married twice--once for duty and once for love. While Caroline of Brunswick eventually became his lawful queen, it was the beautiful Maria Fitzherbert, recognized as his wife by the Catholic Church but not by the laws of England, who claimed his heart. In the hands of author Diane Haeger, their relationship becomes a mesmerizing love story, filled with intrigue and passion. The characters and drawing rooms of early 19th Century England come alive to create a sexy and vibrant portrait of the age that is colorful and resonant with historical detail.AUTHORBIO: Diane Haeger is the author of THE COURTESAN, published by Pocket, and a number of contemporary romances for HarperCollins. She lives in Newport Beach, California.

Customer Reviews:

Something I never knew.......2004-03-03

(This is a repeat of a previous review-somehow a friend's name got on the original so I am repeating it and correcting my identity).
I only read historical fiction and especially enjoy anything focusing on English history. I have to admit that I knew nothing about the secret relationship of George IV and Maria Fitzherbert and I knew I would have to read this book when I found it on the shelf.
The style of the book was just a step above your typical "romance novel." I could have done without the constant mushy, sugary-sweet romantic dialogue and the overly done descriptions of their romantic encounters (although they were not vulgar). While the intensity of their relationship was clearly conveyed with this type of format, it seemed alittle overdone at times.
I can't say that the book was gripping or that I was unable to put it down, but the author's easy-to-read and fast-paced writing style made reading time go by fast.
All in all, this was a pleasant book about an interesting topic. I am glad that I read it and recommend it to anyone interested in learning alittle more about the secrets of the British monarchy.

Something I never knew.......2004-01-16

I only read historical fiction and especially enjoy anything focusing on English history. I have to admit that I knew nothing about the secret relationship of George IV and Maria Fitzherbert and I knew I would have to read this book when I found it on the shelf.
The style of the book was just a step above your typical "romance novel." I could have done without the constant mushy, sugary-sweet romantic dialogue and the overly done descriptions of their romantic encounters (although they were not vulgar). While the intensity of their relationship was clearly conveyed with this type of format, it seemed alittle overdone at times.
I can't say that the book was gripping or that I was unable to put it down, but the author's easy-to-read and fast-paced writing style made reading time go by fast.
All in all, this was a pleasant book about an interesting topic. I am glad that I read it and recommend it to anyone interested in learning alittle more about the secrets of the British monarchy.

Grossly Inaccurate and Inappropriate.......2003-09-22

I bought this book because I am an English history nut, and I enjoyed Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill (also about Maria FitzHerbert). I was very disappointed. It only follows the bare framework of her life, and is hardly appropriate reading material for respectable people. It paints Maria as a very stupid woman, when in fact, she was extremely smart. She also was more moral than she is portrayed. I am glad that I am not her, because everyone that reads this book without knowing the facts would think that I am the exact opposite of what I stand for. For a better read, try Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill by Jean Plaidy.

The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because of the well written. I only wish Ms. Haeger would use her talent more respectfully and truthfully.

The woman who would not be Queen.......2002-11-10

This is the story of the ultimate damsel in distress. When Maria Fitzherbert came to London in the 1784, she knew little about the infamous son of the King, George IV, heir to the throne, other than his reputation. George lived a profligate life as a gambler, womanizer and drunkard. In his early twenties, a few years younger than the widow Fitzherbert, he became obsessed with her, demanding that they marry, although she was a fervent Catholic, abhorrent to the Crown at that time because of her religion. Swayed by the intensity of their mutual passion, the couple secretly married and she was issued a Papal degree of the validity of the union before God.

Rumors were rife: either they were married and breaking the law, which put Maria and her family in jeopardy, or they weren't. But Prince George would make no statement one way or another. Son of the Mad King George III, the impetuous Prince had been feuding with his father for years in a power struggle he, George IV, believed would end soon, upon the death of the King. Frequently ill and raving, it seemed impossible that the King could live very much longer. With this in mind, George IV gambled his future and the success of his marriage, planning for his wife to become his Queen. But there was such antipathy toward the Papists in England at the time that there was no question of a Catholic as Queen.

The couple was extremely happy, although they never had children, and George was able to put his wild youthful ways behind him. Unfortunately, the one constant working against them, time, was immutable. The mad King did not die, but stubbornly continued on until 85 years of age. Meanwhile, George IV temporized his positions in order to appease everyone and keep his wife. He made promises that he was later forced to break, and Maria valued his word above all else. They separated twice, and were unable to reunite, although each mourned the loss of the other over the years.

The story is based on historical fact, but most of the dialog and scenes are pure fiction. Haeger is well known as a Romance writer, and in some areas of the novel, she slips into "Romantic-speak". At these times, the novel loses any sense of believability, although doubtless well researched on appropriate details. But there are frequent asides (in italics), as Maria thinks to herself: "And God help me" she thought."I know I shall never stop loving you". Tightened up and unflounced, this could have been an engaging story of love gone wrong.

A Princely Effort.......2002-10-30

Let me get straight to the point, this novel is fantastic. I was well-informed about the interesting and somewhat sad life of the secret wife of King George IV, so I wasn't too sure how I would feel about reading a novel about her. I mean, I thought I might be bored. I was wrong. Diane Haeger is a talented author, with an ability to create characters that are believable and larger than life. I especially liked her take on Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Most historians paint her as this wonderfully independent woman - see Amanda Foreman's fantastic biography - but Haeger really brings out a bitchy side of Georgiana that made for a great read.

Book Description

Luke Skywalker. Han Solo. Princess Leia. The beginning of the Star Wars saga, in an amazing all-new novelization that will tie in with the blockbuster classic Star Wars DVD release.

A Mad, Bad, and Dangerous People?: England 1783-1846 (New Oxford History of England)

Average customer rating:

A Mad, Bad, and Dangerous People?: England 1783-1846 (New Oxford History of England)
Boyd Hilton
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0198228309

Book Description

This was a transformative period in English history. In 1783 the country was at one of the lowest points in its fortunes, having just lost its American colonies in warfare. By 1846 it was once more a great imperial nation, as well as the world's strongest power and dominant economy, having benefited from what has sometimes (if misleadingly) been called the 'first industrial revolution'. In the meantime it survived a decade of invasion fears, and emerged victorious from more than twenty years of 'war to the death' against Napoleonic France. But if Britain's external fortunes were in the ascendant, the situation at home remained fraught with peril. The country's population was growing at a rate not experienced by any comparable former society, and its manufacturing towns especially were mushrooming into filthy, disease-ridden, gin-sodden hell-holes, in turn provoking the phantasmagoria of a mad, bad, and dangerous people. It is no wonder that these years should have experienced the most prolonged period of social unrest since the seventeenth century, or that the elite should have been in constant fear of a French-style revolution in England. The governing classes responded to these new challenges and by the mid-nineteenth century the seeds of a settled two-party system and of a more socially interventionist state were both in evidence, though it would have been far too soon to say at that stage whether those seeds would take permanent root. Another consequence of these tensions was the intellectual engagement with society, as for example in the Romantic Movement, a literary phenomenon that brought English culture to the forefront of European attention for the first time. At the same time the country experienced the great religious revival, loosely described under the heading 'evangelicalism'. Slowly but surely, the raffish and rakish style of eighteenth-century society, having reached a peak in the Regency, then succumbed to the new norms of respectability popularly known as 'Victorianism'.

The Star Wars Trilogy, Episodes IV, V & VI

Average customer rating:

"That's the second time you've mentioned a 'Force.'"
If you've got nothing else to do, pick it up...
the review on one of the world's most popular saga
Star Wars... the book
interesting look into back story

The Star Wars Trilogy, Episodes IV, V & VI
George Lucas , Donald F. Glut , and James Kahn
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345453395
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Book Description

Luke Skywalker dreamed of advantues out among the stars and alien worlds. But when he intercepted a message from a beautiful captive princess, he got more than he had bargained for--and that was how the adventure of his life began....

Customer Reviews:

"That's the second time you've mentioned a 'Force.'".......2007-07-13

This neat little anthology contains all three of the original STAR WARS novels---STAR WARS, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and THE RETURN OF THE JEDI. Given the glutinous mass of material that's grown up around STAR WARS (now numbering tens of thousands of items in every media category and form of product, and an entire "Expanded Universe" beyond the six theatrical films) it is amazing to think that STAR WARS all began with one script treatment turned into a novel.

I recall reading it while sitting in the Orlando airport on my way back from Disney World on my seventeenth birthday, just before the movie opened and formally introduced us to Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke, Leia, See Threepio and Artoo Detoo. At first I thought the cover blurb, "Luke, armed only with his father's light saber" meant a cavalry weapon.

Sci-Fi pulp fiction yes, but these are still the best STAR WARS stories, and if they've become overly familiar, it's only because they've become so much a part of our popular culture. Having all three books in one volume is like having your cake and eating it, too.

So, if you've never read the original trilogy do so. And if you read it a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (that would be the Carter and Reagan Administrations), read it again. IV, V, and VI---hah! They're still numero uno in that world.

If you've got nothing else to do, pick it up..........2007-02-02

This book lets you experience the adventures of the Star Wars movies for yourself without a director's interference. That's the fun part about it--but don't expect some new revelations on characters you've known for 30 years.

It's a fun read if you're yearning to see some familiar characters.

the review on one of the world's most popular saga.......2006-10-24

every saga has a beginning. like "STAR WARS" a saga is a series. "STAR WARS" began with Episode I THE PHANTOM MENACE and ended with Episode VI RETURN OF THE JEDI but the film was connected from episodes I-VI by episode III REVENGE OF THE SITH. the worlds shortest episode is Episode IV A NEW HOPE and the worlds longest is Episode II ATTACK OF THE CLONES if you watched this 6-12 hour saga, you will foolow the story.

Star Wars... the book.......2006-09-08

Callenging to me because I'm not that good at reading. I really liked the story line.
It is an action story. I would change the price to a lower price
so I could buy another book.

interesting look into back story.......2006-07-19

I would recommend these for any fan. Some interesting insights into the films. The prologue to A New Hope has a two page write up that describes the back story for all the prequels. You'll also find some conflicts with the prequels ie, Luke's uncle is said to be Obi-wan's brother and Anakin's unnamed wife lived after Luke and Leia's birth.

The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats Volume IV: Early Essays (Collected Works of W B Yeats)

Average customer rating:

The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats Volume IV: Early Essays (Collected Works of W B Yeats)
William Butler Yeats , Richard J. Finneran , and George Bornstein
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0684807297

Book Description

The Collected Works of W. B. Yeats, Volume IV: Early Essays is part of a fourteen-volume series under the general editorship of eminent Yeats scholars George Bornstein and George Mills Harper. These volumes include virtually all of the Nobel laureate's published work, in authoritative texts with extensive explanatory notes.

Early Essays, edited by the internationally esteemed Yeats scholars George Bornstein and the late Richard J. Finneran, includes the contents of the two most important collections of Yeats's critical prose, Ideas of Good and Evil(1903) and The Cutting of an Agate(1912, 1919). Among the seminal essays are considerations of Blake, Shakespeare, Shelley, Spenser, and Synge, as well as an extended discussion of the Japanese Noh theatre. The first scholarly edition of these materials, Early Essays offers a corrected text and detailed annotation of all allusions. Several appendices gather materials from early printings which were later excluded, as well as illuminating black-and-white illustrations.

Early Essays is an essential sourcebook for understanding Yeats's career as both writer and literary critic, and for the development of modern poetry and criticism. Here, Yeats works out many of his key ideas on poetry, politics, and the theater. He gives interpretations of writers critical to his development and presents a compelling vision of Ireland and the modern world during the last decade of the nineteenth century and first two decades of the twentieth. As T. S. Eliot remarked, Yeats "was one of those few whose history is the history of their own time, who are a part of the consciousness of an age which cannot be understood without them." This volume displays a crucial part of that history.

Book Description

What would our world be like if superhuman heroes and villains had been real flesh-and-blood men and women who lived through the 20th century's most turbulent history? In Wild Cards 4: Aces Abroad, a fact-finding mission seeks the truth about how Wild Cards are treated in other nations. From the jungles of Haiti to the Great Wall of China and behind the Iron Curtain, the Wild Cards team investigates the fate of their fellow Aces and Jokers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-01

Politics come to the forefront in the fourth Wild Cards book, as the World Health Organisation organises a fact finding junket to find out what impact the Wild Card Virus is having around the world.

There is also a story with an Australian flavor, "Down In The Dreamtime".

Senator Gregg Hartman, secretly 'Puppetman', a mind controlling ace. Along with his own plotting, his is caught up in violence and the plans of Ti Malice, a joker/ace with control powers of its own.

Wild Cards 04 : 01 The Tint of Hatred Prologue - Stephen Leigh
Wild Cards 04 : 02 The Journal of Xavier Desmond November 30 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 03 The Tint of Hatred One - Stephen Leigh
Wild Cards 04 : 04 The Journal of Xavier Desmond December 01 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 05 Beasts of Burden - John J. Miller
Wild Cards 04 : 06 The Journal of Xavier Desmond December 08 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 07 The Tint of Hatred Two - Stephen Leigh
Wild Cards 04 : 08 Blood Rights - Leanne C. Harper
Wild Cards 04 : 09 The Journal of Xavier Desmond December 15 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 10 The Tint of Hatred Three - Stephen Leigh
Wild Cards 04 : 11 The Journal of Xavier Desmond December 29 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 12 The Tint of Hatred Four - Stephen Leigh
Wild Cards 04 : 13 The Journal of Xavier Desmond January 16 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 14 Down by the Nile - Gail Gerstner-Miller
Wild Cards 04 : 15 The Journal of Xavier Desmond January 30 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 16 The Tint of Hatred Five - Stephen Leigh
Wild Cards 04 : 17 The Journal of Xavier Desmond February 07 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 18 The Teardrop of India - Walton Simons
Wild Cards 04 : 19 Down in the Dreamtime - Edward Bryant
Wild Cards 04 : 20 The Journal of Xavier Desmond March 14 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 21 Zero Hour - Lewis Shiner
Wild Cards 04 : 22 The Journal of Xavier Desmond March 21 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 23 The Journal of Xavier Desmond April 10 - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 04 : 24 Puppets - Victor W. Milán
Wild Cards 04 : 25 Mirror of the Soul - Melinda M. Snodgrass
Wild Cards 04 : 26 Legends - Michael Cassutt
Wild Cards 04 : 27 The Journal of Xavier Desmond April 27 - George R. R. Martin

Sister spots Succubus via Hartmann on tv.

3.5 out of 5

Considers his cancer and the WHO tour.

3 out of 5

Nur's family discussions of ambition, and Hartmann meets a Morgenstern ghost.

3.5 out of 5

The Deck is Stacked.

4 out of 5

Ti Malice gets a lift in Haiti.

5 out of 5

Discusses poet's political putdown and departure, and the minimal joker tour representation.

4 out of 5

Yucatan joker sacrifice news as Sara digs further at Hartmann.

4 out of 5

Mayan Hero Twins' powers seen as religious calling, put to good military use.

4 out of 5

Pondering the Guatemalan joker nation, and the possibilities of a Wild Card in politics.

4 out of 5

The dangers of Rio as Puppetman is loose, and the Nur's hero is impotent.

4 out of 5

Golden Boy not popular in Argentina.

3 out of 5

Sara comes across multiple apartheid.

3 out of 5

Ace powers can't stop droughts or AIDS.

3.5 out of 5

Pregnant Peregrine's power loss means she is no help during an attack on the Egyptian Living Gods. Father revealed.

4 out of 5

Jerusalem Jokertown horrible, as Xavier meets with the Black Dog and talks about opposing the Nur's fanatics.

3.5 out of 5

Puppetman scared as Hartmann feels the Nur's power, and violence erupts.

4 out of 5

Desmond and Braun visit monuments to heroes.

3.5 out of 5

Jayewardene makes surprising discovery about the identity of the King Kong now in Colombo.

4 out of 5

Cajun Cordelia, media girl, gets Dreamtime adventure with Wyungare.

4 out of 5

Paparazzi punchout, as Australia proves a pleasant change.

3 out of 5

Fortunato helps Hiram and others out of Yakuza ace problem.

3.5 out of 5

Jokertown sexual self-loathing.

3.5 out of 5

Desmond wonder what became of the Envoy and his secret peace work.

3.5 out of 5

Mackie the Knife and Gimli the dwarf come for Hartmann. Lucky for some of the others the Harlem Hammer was around.

4 out of 5

Tach and Jack have to come to an understanding France over bombs and Blaise.

3.5 out of 5

Cold war spooks and aces linger.

4 out of 5

A last message as tempers fray at the end of the tour.

3.5 out of 5

Not as good as the others.......2006-05-06

I have to admit, I was looking forward to reading about how the wildcard virus affected the rest of the world, and I guess a fact finding tour is a decent way to work it into the universe, but the premise seemed forced. Maybe the authors intended it that way; or maybe I'm a bit to cynical, but it seems like there would be a more creative way to fit Hartman in with the rest of the wildcard supers.

I liked the ideas that the book seemed to be reaching for...but in most cases the writing seemed flat and the tie-ins between the episodes felt awkward as well. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the Diamond entries.

What really interested me was the possibility of some of the storylines where they are not shoehorned into the world of Tachyon and company. The idea of a joker nation in central america and the Russian superagent seem like they could really take off if explored further. I'm hoping that they are in future books.

hooray the W.H.O. tour!..........2002-11-15

I LOVED this book in the series, because it explores (for the first time) how Wild Cards affected the rest of the world. We get to travel along with a World Health Organization Fact-Finding Mission, charged with documenting the global affect of Wild Cards. And through their eyes, we get to see how cultures around the world changed and evolved as a result of the virus; I found that was really the final detail I needed to flesh out the Wild Cards universe in my head as a complete alternate reality. The Wild Cards were alive for me after the first three books, but after this one, they were talking to me. =;>

An International Wild Card Novel.......2000-03-18

Aces Abroad is exactly what the title says - American Aces going outside of the US. A delegation of Aces, Jokers, and Nats( all in a Boeing 747 names The Stacked Deck), goes abroad to see the situation of aces outside the US. They go to South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe - in short, a 'round the world' tour. After three books that focused on the US, the much needed international perspective to the story was finally given. Perhaps the highlight of the books was the return of Greg Hartmann, masterfully written by Stephen Leigh. I really liked Leigh's Strings in the first Wild Card book, and his story here, is every bit as well written, and if it isn't as tense, that's a fault of the narration, not opf the author - but wait, we'll get there. Other things worth mentioning - for the first time we get a Joker perpective. Both the continous Journal of Xavier Desmond, and John Miller's story, have an Joker narrater(Des and chrytalis, respectively). We also get answers to several nagging questions - about the Huge Ape with the passion for Blonds, about Tachyon's past, and best of all - a little more information about the Envoy. Priceless. The average level of story telling was rather high. I thought there were only 1 stincker in that pack - Down in Dreamtime, a terrible story about Jack the Aligator Man's niece. I must admit I forgot her name. Ok, but what's wrong witht he books? The greatest complain is the lack of real plot. We get basically adventures. The Stacked Deck arrives at a country, bad stuff happends. then it arrives at a new country, and a new aqdvanture starts. There's little feeling of a continuous story, despite some attempts there. Especially bothering is the fact that at the end, all the stories seem to be about Terrorists. That was somewhat of an overkill. Tachyon, for one, becomes annoying. I won't spoil anything, but he turns out more and more annoying. Snodgrass writes a nice story about him, but I don't like the direction they're taking the character. A Final complaint is that George R R Martin doesn't write a story for the book, but only the journal of Desmond, which isn't good enough for a Martin fan like me. Overall, this is a strong volume. Not as strong as ACES HIGH, maybe, but stronger then JOKERS WILD and then WILD CARDS. If you like the wild Card series, this is a good addition.

Average customer rating:

George IV: A Life in Caricature
Kenneth Baker
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0500251274

My Lady Scandalous: The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, Royal Courtesan

Average customer rating:

Gave up half way through
Not the greatest biography of all time...
Poor Writing
Top Notch Biography
A must for every bookshelf

My Lady Scandalous: The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, Royal Courtesan
Jo Manning
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Western | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 074326262X

Book Description

A wicked turnabout on Jane Austen's oft-quoted adage -- "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" -- is My Lady Scandalous, a richly raucous history that traverses the notoriously licentious British Regency era in the company of its most celebrated courtesan.

Following a simple Edinburgh girlhood, Grace Dalrymple came of age in the sin city of London, where wealthy men ruled society and women had everything to lose, starting with their reputations. As an impressionable bride of seventeen who married a man more than twice her age, Grace's remarkable beauty (likened by journalists to "a May morning") soon attracted the attentions of other men. A disastrous liaison with a consummate rake not only branded Grace as a demi-rep -- a woman with half a reputation -- but the scandal provoked Dr. John Eliot, her philandering husband, to pursue a divorce.

Grace became mistress of the most infamous peer in England, George James, Lord Cholmondeley, whose "secret perfections" were reputed to inspire "female enthusiasm." Cholmondeley commemorated the relationship by commissioning two works from eminent portraitist Thomas Gainsborough, first in 1778 and later in 1782, the same year Grace gave birth to a daughter, Georgiana (who may, in fact, have been the child of the Prince of Wales). Had Grace been an aristocrat, she and Cholmondeley might have had a future together, but it was not to be.

The tabloids broke the news: "Miss Dalrymple has embarked for France, and it is said parted with her noble gallant." Grace was soon to find a new protector in that nation's richest man, Philippe, Duc d'Orleans. Though Grace was ensconced as "one of the most brilliant and popular among the fashionable 'impures,'" her liaison with the duke turned perilous when Orleans fell to the Revolution's guillotine, just as she narrowly escaped with her life.

"People die, but love may not," declares author Jo Manning of her subject's romantic and historic misadventures. A connoisseur of the times, Manning ably demonstrates -- through contemporary newspapers, magazines, prints, and portraits as well as Grace's posthumously published journal -- how life in George III's England and Marie Antoinette's France can seem strangely familiar, especially when history turns to affairs of the heart.

Customer Reviews:

Gave up half way through.......2007-07-11

I have recently read several biographies of famous/infamous British women, from Nell Gwynn to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Due to my great interest in the Regency period, I ordered "My Lady Scandalous". I'm sorry to say I cannot recommend this book.

There was much more content about Grace Dalrymple's family and the Regency period than there ever was about Grace, and the information was very helter-skelter. The book seemed to be mostly "sidebar" articles about topics the author had researched, like condoms, hot air balloons, and so forth.

I took it along on a trip and left it behind, unfinished. I hope the author is blessed with a better editor, in future.

Not the greatest biography of all time..........2007-04-18

But, it was an enjoyable read that had me laughing out loud on more than one occaision. It's definitely packed with lots of information that you'd never read in a "proper" history book.

It was exhaustively and lovingly researched and, contrary to an earlier review, I could definitely see how current events and social mores could easily be connected to the wild times of Daly the Tall.

I passed this one on to my dear friend MarJane who has informed me that should she get reincarnated, she wants to come back as a Courtesan just like Grace! She could definitely do worse and come back as Savonarola...

Hmmmm....now THAT would have been an interesting meeting - Grace and Savonarola...how the world could have turned out differently...

Poor Writing.......2007-01-22

This book has little to do with the woman in the title. The writing style reminds me of sixties free flow writing that people did after they were stoned. The author dashes off on one tangent after another that is difficult to follow and you forget what the chapter was supposed to be about to begin with. Not even worth checking out of the library much less owning.

Top Notch Biography.......2006-06-09

My Lady Scandalous: The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, Royal Courtesan by Jo Manning is a delightful work, decidedly unstuffy but very well-researched. For anyone interested in late 18th C. and Regency era England, it is a MUST.

The story of Grace Dalrymple Elliott is fascinating and the sidebars on many subjects are always stimulating. Manning should be commended for her organizational skills and by her measured yet lively style. Highly recommended! Victoria Hinshaw

A must for every bookshelf.......2006-06-01

MLS is a wonderfully sympathetic biography of one of the Regency eras most intriguing courteseans. Grace knew everyone who mattered and everyone "knew" Grace. Or did they? Jo Mannings' detailed and painstaking research uncovers many facts about Grace, members of the Regency Ton and the French Revoluton and presents them in an entertaining and readable format. MLS is simply crammed with period details not readily found in other reference books on the period. MLS sparkles with wit and much humour for period afficiandos "in the know" regarding the period and its players. Truly a must have for the shelves of every reader, writer and fan of the Regency era.

Kristine Hughes, author of Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books