Oxford Bible Atlas

Book Description

The most recent advances in biblical, archaeological, and topographical scholarship have been incorporated into this long-respected work, bringing it up to date and making it essential for all students of biblical history.

Customer Reviews:

If you want to tour in the Bible, choose it!.......2007-01-03

No more explain about it!
See and Enjoy~

Oxford Bible Atlas.......2001-03-26

The Oxford Bible Atlas, edited by Herbert G. May, is a detailed, extremely useful book that will heighten anyone's general understanding of biblical geography. It contains more than maps as it delves into the history behind the maps, and the archaeology behind the history. It cites biblical sources but also cites apocryphal books unfamiliar to most Protestant readers. The end result is a colorful, informative work that helps place both Old and New testaments into perspective.

The book is divided into three sections, the first introducing the ancient world, then the several maps, and concluding with an archaeological overview. Part one blends seemingly incompatible topics of biblical and geologic history. It includes biblical and secular accounts of ancient history. The atlas does not attempt to expound too greatly on the "Holy Land" as being somehow superior in importance. In fact the Holy Land occupies an important crossroads between east and west more so than it stands as a regional religious center of its own merit. Those who held power such as David, Herod, or even Pontius Pilate were rarely more than a regional or even local rulers who paled in stature when compared to Alexander or any of the Roman Emperors.

The map section covers most of the primary locations mentioned in the Bible, and illustrates the vastness of the biblical lands. Many maps retain ancient place names, though the primary focus is on the Near East. There are some areas not covered, such as the city of Tarshish, Jonah's destination when he attempted to flee from his responsibilities, and the route of the Exodus does not take them across either the Red Sea, or either the modern Gulf of Suez or Gulf of Aqaba. But these apparent omissions do little to detract from the overall effectiveness of the maps.

The final section is akin to a primer on biblical archaeology. It introduces Carbon 14 dating, how a site is developed, and a brief history of archaeological efforts in the region. It shows how cultures are understood by what has survived through the ages, and helps fill gaps when written records are not available.

Book Description

Hesiod, who lived in Boetia in the late eighth century BC, is one of the oldest known, and possibly the oldest of Greek poets. His Theogony contains a systematic genealogy of the gods from the beginning of the world and an account of the struggles of the Titans. In contrast, Works and Days is a compendium of moral and practical advice on husbandry, and throws unique and fascinating light on archaic Greek society. As well as offering the earliest known sources for the myths of Pandora, Prometheus and the Golden Age, Hesiod's poetry provides a valuable account of the ethics and superstitions of the society in which he lived. Unlike Homer, Hesiod writes about himself and his family, and he stands out as the first personality in European literature. This new translation, by a leading expert on the Hesiodic poems combines accuracy with readability. It is accompanied by an introduction and explanatory notes.

Customer Reviews:

Easily read Hesiod.......2007-05-12

This is the 4th translation of the Theogony that I've read over about 40 years of interest. I always felt that Hesiod's "Descent of the Gods" was cosmogony as much as theogony, and that "myth" provided a basis, perhaps unconscious, for much of what came later with the "materialist" pre-Socratic nature philosophers. The other translations were by Caldwell, Brown and Lattimore. I prefer Caldwell's for the detail in his footnotes and interseting Introduction, but this one is easily readable. Caldwell's version is in fact based upon the work of M. L. West, the author of this one. West is considered by many to be the authority.

Very interesting.......2007-01-29

I found this book quite interesting. It provided alot of good information for someone who was interested in learning about other religions.

The Ancient Greek's handbook.......2004-01-16

"Theogony" is one of, if not "the", original sources of Greek mythology. Hesiod tells us the full genealogy and origins of the Greek gods, and how the hegemony of Zeus was established after bitter fights and prolific intercourse with godesses and human females. Perhaps the most impressive part of this poem is the story about the god Typhoon. Hesiod depicts a horrific set of disasters that happened to the Earth, with Typhoon apparently being an unimaginable electric storm. Scholars like Immanuel Velikovsky have taken this episode as proof that many centuries ago, Venus and Mars, then wandering cosmic bodies, came very close to each other in a location near the Earth, which presumably caused our planet's rotation to stop, with the following earthquakes, electric storms and the like. In fact, reading that passage by Hesiod strongly seemed to me to be the writing of very old memories of a defining catastrophe that left an indelible mark on human memory. Be that true or not, the poem is very powerful.

"Works and Days" is a very different story. After Hesiod's father died, his apparently indolent brother Perses tried to rob him of part of the inheritance. We all know how bitter fights among siblings can be, especially about inheritances. So Hesiod decided to write a book to teach his brother some lessons, beginning with a little history and theology, and then some practical advice on how to make a decent living by hard work and honesty. The result is a simply wonderful account of some important myths, like the ages through which man has passed (Golden, Silver, Heroic, Bronze and our own), as well as Pandora's myth. He also tells us about Prometheus, the Christ-like figure of the Greeks. After that, Hesiod tells us how a Greek farmer should plan his activities for the year, with delicious depictions of the seasons and very concrete information about their way of life.

It is a very pleasant experience to go down to the very sources of our culture, especially when written in Hesiod's light, brief and humorous way. A very old masterpiece whhich is very important for how much of it we have carried to the present day.

Ian Myles Slater on: West's Hesiod Translation.......2003-12-04

Some of the other reviews offered with M.L. West's translation of Hesiod's "Theogony" and "Works and Days" for the Oxford World's Classics actually refer to Dorothea Wender's verse translation of the same works, plus a charming version of the collection of lyrics attributed to Theognis, published in the Penguin Classics. That is a worthwhile version -- although the joining of the peasant-oriented Boeotian Hesiod to the mainly aristocratic, and partly Athenian, "Theognis" corpus is a little odd.

West's version of the two main Hesiodic poems is, however, in prose, and offers the latest in textual and historical scholarship -- although this is not very obviously on display. West, who has edited much (perhaps by now all) of the "Hesiodic" corpus, with substantial technical commentaries (along with a good deal of Homer and the "Homeric Hymns"), offers here his best reading of the two long poems which seem most firmly attributed Hesiod. (Although some, including Wender, would prefer two poets, in addition to the problem of interpolations).

West's commentary, although useful, is surprisingly sparse, given what he could have offered; a lot of detailed argument has been converted into the translation itself.

"Theogony," for those not familiar with the work even by reputation, is the story of the origins and struggles of the gods of Classical Greece. Although the meter and basic style are those of the Homeric epics, and the gods are mainly the same, many details are different (Zeus is a younger son, not the eldest, for example), and the struggles between various generations are the foreground story, not a long-concluded background to the reign of Zeus. We meet Heaven, and his sons and daughters, culminating in the rebellion of the Titans, then the Olympians, who wage war against their father and his fellow-Titans, and so on. It is an extremely violent story, full of abusive parents, mutilations inflicted by rebellious offspring, divine cannibalism, and a whole succession of other behaviors the Greeks themselves considered repellent. The philosophers had real problems with this work -- one can understand from it why Plato wanted to ban poets from the ideal state.

Interspersed through the action are a number of catalogues of nature-deities, which are variously regarded by critics as interpolations or key structural elements. Many readers simply find them boring; it helps if you are using a translation which interprets the Greek names, which are usually charmingly appropriate for the natural element being personified.

"Works and Days" contains several important mythological passages, expanding and altering "Theogony," but is in the main a sort of sermon on how to be prosperous and righteous. It is packed with details of daily life, which readers will find either fascinating or tedious. and are sometimes rather opaque. West does a good job in making readable this combination of a sort of pagan equivalent of an Old Testament prophet with an Iron Age Farmer's Almanac, and his notes do help with some of the knottier passages. (Note that there is one recent translation-with-commentary of the "Works" which is dedicated almost entirely to making detailed agricultural and ethnographic sense of it; West clearly offers a more literary approach.)

The latter part of the twentieth century has seen a number of translations of the main Hesiodic poems, by Apostolos N. Athanassakis, R.M. Frazer, Richmond Lattimore, and, as noted above, Dorothea Wender (Penguin Classics), to join the old Evelyn-White bilingual edition for the Loeb Classical Library edition, with numerous attributed fragments. (A new Loeb edition has announced). There are also translations of single poems, by Norman O. Brown and by Richard S. Caldwell (both of the "Theogony") and Tandy and Neale ("Works and Days"). West offers a substantial alternative to the others, based on an exceptionally close knowledge of the textual problems.

One of the best Classical translations I have ever read.......2003-05-20

Penguin translations often go too far in pursuit of a contemporary and popular sound, for instance in the infamous Rieu translations of Homer, with Athena "dancing attendance on Odysseus like a lover"; but this one is perfect, probably the best of the entire Penguin Classics collection. The jewel in this excellent book is the translation of Hesiod's WORKS AND DAYS; a translation of exceptional quality, worthy of being mentioned in one breath with Robert Fagles and C.Day Lewis.
Next to it are the wonderful, engaging introductory essays, in which Professor Wender shows the most enchanting insight into the mentality and attitude of her poets, making them live on the page for us. It is unmistakeably the work of a specialist, yet it is pitched - successfully - at the ordinary reader. A person who knows nothing about the Classics will leave them not only having a clear and precise idea of the characters of Hesiod and Theognis, but having learned a considerable amount about what makes good poetry. If the translation shows the poetic gifts of a Fagles or Lewis, the introduction shows the critical eye of a truly great critic - a C.S.Lewis, a Matthew Arnold. Do not be misled by the reviewer who says that she "carps" at the Theogony; he is only showing his shock at the notion that someone might have different views from his own. Professor Wender's criticisms are justified, especially in view of her very insightful comparison of the literary quality of the THEOGONY and that of the WORKS AND DAYS. This is the model of what a paperback translation of a classic work should be. As for the verse, I can do no better than to quote the terrible sequence, building up to a smashing final blow, which Professor Wender herself mentions as a fine instance of the poetic excellence of the author of the WORKS AND DAYS, but which might as well feature as the type of her own fluent and beautiful poetic ear; think, as you listen, of that last white flash of deathless beauty, vanishing away to the land of the Gods to leave men abandoned to their fate:
Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men
When babies shall be born with greying hair.
Father will have no common bond with son,
Neither will guest with host, nor friend with friend;
The brother-love of past days will be gone.
Men will dishonour parents who grow old
Too quickly, and will blame and criticize
With cruel words. Wretched and godless, they,
Refusing to repay their bringing up,
Will cheat their aged parents of their due.
Men will destroy the towns of other men.
The just, the good, the man who keeps his word
Will be despised, but men will praise the bad
And insolent. Might will be right, and shame
Will cease to be. Men will do injury
To better men by speaking crooked words
And adding lying oaths; and everywhere,
Harsh-voiced and sullen-faced and loving harm,
Envy will walk along with wretched men.
Last to Olympus from the broadpathed Earth,
Hiding their loveliness in robes of white
To join the gods, abandoning mankind
Will go the spirits Righteousness and Shame;
And only grievous troubles will be left
For men, and no defence against our wrongs.

Looking for Class: Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge

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Seconding "Utter tosh"
Oxbridge unraveled and a great novel to boot!
Feiler: A Safe Bet
Looking for class, finding an education
Utter tosh

Looking for Class: Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge
Bruce Feiler
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006052703X
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Book Description

An irresistible, entertaining peek into the privileged realm of Wordsworth and Wodehouse, Chelsea Clinton and Hugh Grant, Looking for Class offers a hilarious account of one man's year at Oxford and Cambridge -- the garden parties and formal balls, the high-minded debates and drinking Olympics. From rowing in an exclusive regatta to learning lessons in love from a Rhodes Scholar, Bruce Feiler's enlightening, eye-popping adventure will forever change your view of the British upper class, a world romanticized but rarely seen.

Customer Reviews:

Seconding "Utter tosh".......2007-06-22

This book primarily concerns an American student's efforts to meet girls in his year abroad at Cambridge, interspersed with dry excerpts from his thesis and smug observations of upper class college students behaving badly. When he gets dumped by a Canadian, he blames it on her pretentious British attitude. Not much introspection, here.

If anything, this book convinced me that Cambridge students are no different from their American counterparts. All college students want to do is get drunk and get laid.

Oxbridge unraveled and a great novel to boot!.......2006-08-05

Feiler has developed a great combination with his insightful investigative journalism in novel form. From the perspective of both an Oxford and Harvard alumnus, this book paints captivativating dichotomies between academic life on either side of the pond (Feiler being a Yalie). In essence, he distills the frank truth that Oxbridge still lords over British intellectual and cultural life, and that its students define themselves as the heirs or failures to this 800 year plus tradition in a way that no longer holds for American schools. An excellent read for any future Oxbridge student, or for elite American graduates who are looking to see what it is like on the inside of Britain's ultimate proving grounds.

Feiler: A Safe Bet.......2006-07-14

Bruce Feiler has proven that he is a fine writer. This is my second selection of his bibliography. Not only does he introduce the reader to an interesting destination, he competently contrasts the place and its people to his own culture. The resulting information has more depth and clarity than a mere travel piece. "Looking For Class" reads like a novel, with interesting characters and situations, while illuminating the educational systems of two of the world's most prestigious institutions. For anyone considering college in the near future, any reader who has interest in understanding culture and higher education across the pond, or just an armchair traveller this is a great read.

Looking for class, finding an education.......2004-12-15

This is an imminently readable, well-written and informative book. Bruce Feiler did a wonderful job of describing his experience at Cambridge in 1990-1991, sometimes in incredibly lucid detail. You won't learn much about what he actually learned pursuing his master's of philosophy in international relations, but you will learn volumes about British upperclass society (through the eyes of an American), their social interactions, and most importantly, about how higher education shapes people's lives indirectly. An excellent book.

Utter tosh.......2004-07-10

Bruce Feiler was "Looking for Class" at Cambridge University - he didn't get it. Well, in the sense of seeking out a location at which to study, he seemed to get the hang of that, gaining an M.Phil degree in a year as a mature student. A member of The Class of Sometime in the Early 90's, I presume. But the fact that he entitles this book "Looking for Class", and that one suspects he means "Searching for Social or Economic Status", implies that he missed the point of the institution altogether.

Feiler is a professional author, and uses language competently (although some of his metaphors are clumsy - "Feeling as lonely as a chimney in a burning wooden house..."). He would be able to make comparison with an American university, having attended Yale. And whilst his descriptions of Cambridge University life are perhaps factually accurate, the spin he puts on them result in a book about a place I scarcely recognise. I should say that I am an American citizen and attended Cambridge University as an undergraduate, albeit in the late 70's rather than the early 90's.

By over-emphasising perceived eccentricities and peccadilloes, he populates his Cambridge with chapter upon chapter of stereotypes and caricatures. Whilst I recall some unconventional types, most of the people I met were as normal as... well, as only Feiler seems to be in the book. In consequence, an air of his superiority permeates. He is well travelled and educated, but he uses a faux naiveté as a device to highlight the cultural differences which bemuse him. The one sequence which rang true was his drubbing at the Union debate. And whilst he appreciates sarcasm, inevitably he fails to grasp the ironies.

Above all, it is outrageous that this book perpetuate the myth that modern Oxbridge is a world of "the British upper class, a world romanticized but rarely seen". Yes, in the late 70's, the Cambridge student intake did not fully reflect the socio-economic structure of the country, with a preponderance of students from private schools. But 95% of my colleagues were "upper class" in only one aspect, that of being academically bright. The true nature of the British class system totally escaped Feiler after a year long scrutiny. "Brideshead Revisited".... yeah, right.

Book Description

The Oxford Book of Days explores the fascinating history that underpins our familiar Western calendar. In the traditions of almanacs and Chambers's original Book of Days, the authors have collected together a rich body of historical fact, legend, lore, and literature for each day of the year, but this astonishing range of information is interfused with wit and scholarship to provide an authoriative, beautifully written reference work. From 1 January to 31 December, with additional notes on seasons, months, and the days of the week, this is a unique work to be referred to constantly and to be treasured.

A Day in the Country and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)

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A Day in the Country and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)
Guy de Maupassant
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192838636

Book Description

This selection of twenty-seven stories shows Maupassant at his comic, cruel, and brilliant best. In addition to the poignant title story, it includes one of the most famous tales ever written, The Necklace , and Le Horla, an account of a disintegrating personality that chillingly parallels the author's own decline into madness. All the stories demonstrate his genius for invention and his ability to write unblinkingly about the absurdity of the human condition, supporting Henry James' claim that in the annals of story-telling, Maupassant stands `like a lion in the path'.

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Night And Day - Review by an author
The Transforming Power of Art
Great writing
An Absolute Masterpiece
Great book

Night and Day (Oxford World's Classics)
Virginia Woolf
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192837842

Book Description

Katherine Hilbery, torn between past and present, is a figure reflecting Woolf's own struggle with history. Both have illustrious literary ancestors: in Katherine's case, her poet grandfather, and in Woolf's, her father Leslie Stephen, writer, philosopher, and editor. Both desire to break away
from the demands of the previous generation without disowning it altogether. Katherine must decide whether or not she loves the iconoclastic Ralph Denham; Woolf seeks a way of experimenting with the novel for that still allows her to express her affection for the literature of the past.
This is the most traditional of Woolf's novels, yet even here we can see her beginning to break free; in this, her second novel, with its strange mixture of comedy and high seriousness, Woolf had already found her own characteristic voice.

Download Description

A brilliant exploration of love by a brilliant author.

Customer Reviews:

Night And Day - Review by an author.......2007-02-15

For those of you who have disdain for vanity publishers, as some call the self-published authors, be advised that much of Virginia Woolf's work was self-published through the Hogarth Press. She has been hailed as one of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century and one of the foremost Modernists, though she disdained some artists in this category. Woolf is considered one of the greatest innovators in the English language. In her works she experimented with stream-of-consciousness, the underlying psychological as well as emotional motives of characters, and the various possibilities of fractured narrative and chronology. Her literary achievements and creativity are influential even today. Historic London is the setting of Night and Day. The novel and its characters center around one place in particular the Hilbery home, an eighteenth-century house built on the Thames riverfront in Chelsea, London, a house that doubles as the literary shrine for a great Victorian poet, Richard Alardyce. The emotionally strained and serious Katharine Hilbery gives an American visitor a tour of her poet grandfather's study in the presence of her former fiance. This room is both a "religious temple" devoted to Richard Alardyce and a commercial showroom for which she is the "show-woman" of remains not for sale. Katharine, preoccupied by the interruption of feelings into her life, guides the American through the collection inattentively, thus rendering the effusive American's enthusiasm absurd. This bewildered pilgrim and the home's other specimens--Katharine Hilbery's father, an influential editor of a literary journal; her mother, an energetic though disarranged steward of her poet-father's memory; and their circle of visitors who cannot abide living writers--all point to a critique of a literary establishment and its morbid maintenance of the literary past as the only worthwhile present. Night and Day is a portrait of Virginia Woolf's and (her sister) Vanessa Bell's family home at Hyde Park Gate, ruled by Leslie Stephen, who, as an influential man of letters and steward to the Victorian literary establishment, is Mr. and Mrs. Hilbery combined. ... "He received her assurance with profound joy. Quietly and steadily there rose up behind the whole aspect of life that soft edge of fire which gave its red tint to the atmosphere and crowded the scene with shadows so deep and dark that one could fancy pushing farther into their density and still farther, exploring indefinitely." Woolf's reputation declined sharply after World War II, but her eminence was re-established with the surge of Feminist criticism in the 1970s. After a few more ideologically based altercations, not least caused by claims that Woolf was anti-semitic and a snob, it seems that a critical consensus has been reached regarding her stature as a novelist. Virginia Woolf's peculiarities as a fiction writer have tended to obscure her central strength. The intensity of Virginia Woolf's poetic vision elevates the ordinary, sometimes banal settings of most of her novels, even as they are often set in an environment of war. For example, Mrs. Dalloway (1925) centres on the efforts of Clarissa Dalloway, a middle-aged society woman, to organize a party, even as her life is paralleled with that of Septimus Warren Smith, a working-class veteran who has returned from the First World War bearing deep psychological scars. To the Lighthouse (1927) is set on two days ten years apart. The plot centers around the Ramsay family's anticipation of and reflection upon a visit to a lighthouse and the connected familial tensions. One of the primary themes of the novel is the struggle in the creative process that beset painter Lily Briscoe while she struggles to paint in the midst of the family drama. The novel is also a meditation upon the lives of a nation's inhabitants in the midst of war, and of the people left behind. The Waves (1931) presents a group of six friends whose reflections, which are closer to recitatives than to interior monologues proper, create a wave-like atmosphere that is more akin to a prose poem than to a plot-centered novel. Her last work, Between the Acts (1941) sums up and magnifies Woolf's chief preoccupations: the transformation of life through art, sexual ambivalence, and meditation on the themes of flux of time and life, presented simultaneously as corrosion and rejuvenation - all set in a highly imaginative and symbolic narrative encompassing almost all of English history. Recently, studies of Virginia Woolf have focused on feminist and lesbian themes in her work, such as in the 1997 collection of critical essays, Virginia Woolf: Lesbian Readings, edited by Eileen Barrett and Patricia Cramer. The Hours is a 2002 Academy Award winning film and Best Picture nominee about three women of different generations and times whose lives are interconnected by Virginia Woolf's novel, Mrs. Dalloway. All the action takes place within the span of one day.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.

The Transforming Power of Art.......2004-11-25

Here is an artist at work, painting the nuances of the heart, creating living people, reacting to the subtleties of mood, ambiance, the weather, and external perceptions that make up how we live and who we are. No matter what you think of these people, you have a chance to live with them and understand them, feel their conflicts, their love, and their pains. Virginia Woolf is the ballast that offsets all the one-book-wonder authors, the cynics, the nasty moderns, and those authors who have given up on anything positive in the world. Like Shakespeare, her work will live on long after so many others are forgotten. That's because she offers us art, hope, vision, and the truth about our humanity. It's all here in this book, if you choose to read it.

Great writing.......2003-10-24

As in the other Virginia Woolf books I have read, what strikes me first and foremost is the wonderful writing. The descriptions are phenomenal, starting with the surroundings and continuing with the character's facial expressions. Some of the passages are pure poetry and the characters are beautifully and consistently drawn out. Oddly, although we know that Katharine is beautiful, we do not get a description of her, or of any other person in the story, with the exception of William Rodney.

Woolf became a little heavy when it went into the minds of the characters who are in crises, but as one reaches the end of the book, all is forgiven.

An excellent read!

An Absolute Masterpiece.......2002-04-27

Great book.......1999-12-23

Virginia Woolf does such a wonderful job of revealing the many facets of an individual. In this book, she applies that task to couples in love. It is a marvel that she not only identifies the many nuances of a glance, a word, a movement, but that she also conveys them to the reader in a perfect sentence. This book, unlike some of her others, seems written to appeal to a broader audience. It is "easier" than some of her other fiction, but is by no means a bore for Woolf fans.

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Paul West's Oxford Embiggens the Soul
A Touching Memoir
Omni-sensual remembering
another great memoir from West
A wonderful evocation of an era.

Oxford Days
Paul West
Manufacturer: British American Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0945167520

Book Description

The special ethos of Oxford University continues to take hold on award-winning author Paul West. Now a world-renowned writer and acclaimed literary stylist, West illuminates the reader regarding one of the oldest and most venerable universities in the world. Writing with an affectionate smile, West takes you beyond the classroom with vignettes and memories that made his Oxford experience unforgettable. His vivid descriptions and rhapsodic language are enhanced by the personality on show. Recreating the ambiance with infinite care-from the ancient scent of colleges to witty interpretations of the Oxford accent-Oxford Days is a literary treasure not only for Oxford alumni but also those who appreciate literature.

Customer Reviews:

Paul West's Oxford Embiggens the Soul.......2007-08-14

A tome perfectly cromulent in its wordness and allusive vagueosity. On the whole enjoyable - much though at times rarefied prose and wit too lost on me were better spent *THUD* against my bedroom wall.

A Touching Memoir.......2003-03-02

Paul West is a brilliant novelist but it wasn't easy for him to get into Oxford. When he was finally accepted at one of the less well known colleges he had, well, arrived.

This is a touching memoir full of humor and just nice experiences in a world long gone. Oxford still exists of course but the Oxford attended by Paul West exists only in memory. He has, however, put it all down for us in this wonderful book.

Omni-sensual remembering.......2002-12-12

Oxford Days is a omni-sensual remembering -- of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches of mid-C20th Oxford University. West brings to life some of the people with whom he lived (he is especially good on Edith Sitwell, George Steiner, Warden John Sparrow, and his supervisor F. W. (?Freddy?) Bateson), loved (several girlfriends are introduced, though discretion gets the better part), and laughed (particularly the camaraderie he enjoyed with fellow undergraduates). There is a series of vignettes of supporting cast members (a custodian, a baroness visiting the college, a college dean, a groundsman, etc.). His mother and father are also lovingly summoned.

On contemporary Oxford he is acerbic ("the Oxford of today is a glum, sulfuric place . . . an ammoniac show-place . . . a Frankenstein overlay on the road map of Southern England"), but on the whole this is a sympathetic, entertaining, and charming appreciation of what Oxford was and bestowed.

another great memoir from West.......2002-10-08

West is one of the most versatile writers I know, as his ever-growing list of both fiction and nonfiction titles show. He's particularly fabulous when recalling in his elegrant and playful prose those events and places he experienced first-hand. This recollection and preservation of his youth defines the moments that will eventually make the great stylist he became. He is a writer and a man extraordinaire...and this is a book to be cherished.

A wonderful evocation of an era........2002-09-01

As a devoted reader of West's novels, I knew the prose would be stylish and witty, but I didn't anticipate how funny this memoir would be. It's a wonderful evocation of an era at Oxford, full of eccentrics, later-to-become famous writers, and West's touching memories of his life at a nearly mythic university. I found it smart, charming, and spirited.

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"How hopeless under ground/ Falls the remorseful day."
Goodbye to Morse
And so we say goodbye.
And so a great mind leaves us for that long good night...
The last of Inspector Morse

The Remorseful Day
Colin Dexter
Manufacturer: Wheeler Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1568958838

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Over 13 novels and a popular television series later, Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse has taken his place alongside Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Lord Peter Wimsey, Philip Marlowe, and a handful of other famous sleuths. Like most of them, Morse possesses an uncanny intelligence, especially in matters of crime and crosswords, but Dexter has always made sure that his detective remains fully a man--flawed and uncertain despite an outward bravado. In this final, difficult story, Morse's humanity unfolds much as his cases do: with the slow revelation of secrets and surprises that frequently catch the reader off guard.

The novel begins with events now a year old. Yvonne Hamilton had been found in her home murdered--handcuffed and naked. The Thames Valley Police had supposed robbery, but their suspects had dissolved and all the leads had dried up. A year later, while Morse is on furlough, two anonymous calls to Chief Superintendent Strange open the possibility of a new line of inquiry. Strange wants his best man on the case. Morse, however, shows a surprising reluctance to embroil himself in what seems to be a classic Morsean puzzle. When he finally does reopen the investigation, his unorthodox approach worries even his longtime sidekick, Sergeant Lewis--who begins to suspect that his boss has a personal connection to the victim. What could Morse be up to? And--as many readers will be asking throughout--what could possibly bring his career to a close?

Like the work of few other mystery writers, Dexter's Morse series has consistently blended the dignity of high art with the grimness of crime and punishment. While it's a cliché to say that he transcends the genre, he has certainly expanded its range to novels that entertain while they instruct--even when that instruction is grammatical. The Remorseful Day is indeed a remorseful farewell, a delicately handled conclusion to a series that will now remain artfully complete, not lingering beyond its time. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

"Where does all this leave us, sir?"
"Things are moving fast."
"We're getting near the end, you mean?"
"We were always near the end."

For a year, the murder of Yvonne Harrison at her home in the Cotswold village of Lower Swinstead has baffled the Thames Valley CID. But one man has yet to tackle the case--and it is just the sort of puzzle at which Chief Inspector Morse excels.

So why is he adamant that he will not lead the reinvestigation, despite two anonymous phone calls that hint at new evidence? And why, if he refuses to take on the case officially, does he seem to be carrying out his own private inquiries?

When Sergeant Lewis learns that Morse was once friendly with Yvonne Harrison, he begins to suspect that the man who has earned his admiration, and exasperation, over so many years knows more about her death than he is letting on. When Morse finally does take over, the investigation leads down highways and byways that are disturbing to all concerned.

And then there is that final twist!

The Remorseful Day is full of the wonderful, unique touches that characterize Colin Dexter's novels. There is the brilliant, cranky Morse, the stubborn Sergeant Lewis, determined to best his boss at his own game, and, of course, the lovingly described town of Oxford, where grand colleges and old traditions are confronted by the new and the nasty. And throughout, there is today's world, as seen by Chief Inspector Morse.

Customer Reviews:

"How hopeless under ground/ Falls the remorseful day.".......2006-04-28

As he brings his thirteen-volume Inspector Morse series (and his own writing career) to a poignant close with this 1999 novel, author Colin Dexter selects the title of this final book from an A. E. Housman poem, which celebrates the brilliance of sunrise and the sad inevitability of sunset--an appropriate symbol of the passage of time, an image of life and death, and a play on Morse's name. Here Dexter reveals far more about Chief Inspector Morse than in any of his previous novels, as Morse faces an especially complex and difficult case, at the same time that he is privately dealing with health issues.

A gruff and uncompromising man of unquestioned integrity and honesty, Morse is a music buff with a love for literature and syntax, a man who frequently corrects the grammatical errors of Sgt. Lewis, his loyal, hard-working, and less educated assistant. Suffering from "indigestion" and diabetes, Morse blithely ignores the dietary regimen recommended by his doctors, experimenting with his insulin dosage while continuing to indulge his love of scotch whisky, both at home and in local pubs, where he and the tee-totalling Lewis often conduct their interviews.

In this case, Morse surprises Sgt. Lewis by being less than enthusiastic about investigating a "cold case," a murder the previous year of a nurse, Yvonne Harrison, who was found handcuffed, gagged, and nude in her bed. Morse knew Yvonne when he himself was hospitalized, and Sgt. Lewis begins to suspect, for the first time ever, that Morse may be hiding information about the case, for his own reasons. Lewis continues to investigate as conscientiously as he can, mostly on his own, though this case, with its unusually large number of suspects, possible motives, red herrings, additional murders, wrong turns, financial maneuverings, and missing evidence, is one that cries out for better cooperation between Morse and Lewis.

Ultimately tying up all the loose ends and resolving the issue of Morse's honesty, Dexter creates dramatic and moving scenes, showing the depth of the unexpressed feelings between Morse and Lewis and their respect for each other. For the first time, Morse reveals his vulnerability, and Lewis, seeing this, becomes stronger and more self-confident. Always concerned with bringing about justice and protecting those who are innocent, Morse, despite appearances, obeys his personal code throughout this valedictory novel, leaving a lasting legacy for the lovers of this series. n Mary Whipple

Goodbye to Morse .......2006-03-25

Colin Dexter has provided readers with some of the best detective fiction ever written. With framed degrees in Classics hanging on his wall and some crossword competition trophies standing on his mantelpiece, Dexter was qualified to bring much greater depth and literary value to the writing of detective fiction than the majority of its practitioners when he began work on his first Chief Inspector Morse novel in the early 1970s.

In all he has produced 13 Morse books and this, written in 1998, is the last of them. Expect detective fiction that has the literary quality of any of the best C20th novels. Don't expect equal sophistication in the crime content, however. The murders here are as sordid and sensational as those invented by Stephen King. This case concerns Yvonne Harrison who was found dead and almost naked handcuffed to her bed one year ago. Other murders follow. As if there is not enough mystery amongst all these elements, there is the mystery of Morse's attitude to the case. He refuses to head a reopening of the investigation, yet he is intent in forwarding his own private inquires. What has he to hide? What is to be hidden?

More curmudgeonly than ever, and more critical than ever of his loyal side-kick, Sargeant Lewis, Morse's journey to the truth parallels his own journey towards death.

The Morse books formed the basis for a highly-acclaimed TV series starring John Thaw. Audio book collectors can enjoy an unabridged version read by Terrence Hardiman. When delivering the dialogue, Terrence Hardiman skillfully adopts the voices of the principal actors in the TV series.

And so we say goodbye........2005-11-14

This was a bittersweet story. It's intricately plotted and the puzzle is one that would have even the best minds wondering, but the whole time that I was reading I realized that it was the last of a truly great series, and a truly great detective mind. The thing that I loved about Morse (both in the hooks and in the television series) is that he's just an ordinary man with ordinary flaws, but he had a brilliant mind. In this book Morse is working with Lewis to solve a year old murder case, and the deeper that they dig, the more Lewis realizes that the victim in this case was personally known to Morse and Morse might know a lot more about her and the case than he lets on. During the whole book, Morse is battling his own demons. He has a premonition that he isn't going to last long and his health continues to fail, but in spite of that he does solve the complex case, even though he doesn't get a chance to personally charge the murderer. This is such an excellent series, and I recommend it highly, but be prepared. Once you get to this book after reading carefully through the series, you will feel as sad as I do.

And so a great mind leaves us for that long good night..........2003-10-20

It never ceases to amaze me concerning certain circumstances. Shortly after PBS discontinued the series on Colin Dexter's books on Inspector Morse, John Thaw who played the part died. A similar track of events happened after PBS stopped making Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett, he also died. So forever will my mind see these two great actors in their final appearances as the intensely brilliant, very British, very demanding crime-solvers that they were in spite of the other parts they played throughout their lives.

And so when I read this final book of Dexter's concerning Inspector Morse's final days and his last case, I see a curmudgeon with a shock of white hair, an obvious limp, and a tendency to use big words wandering throughout this book. I also see a perplexed Kevin Whatley as Morse's very long-suffering sidekick Seargeant Lewis. And at the end when Morse is dead, and Lewis is struggling so hard to come to terms with information left behind that seems to implicate Morse as a less then perfect officer of the law, only to find out that Morse had been protecting their soon-to-retire senior officer and his dying wife...when Lewis breaks down and cries for his loss finally, my heart breaks with him.

Dexter was right to stop his series. His writing remained magnificently British to the end, but all series get stail and sometimes the authors just need the opportunity to move on to something else. And like with Jeremy Brett's death, even the production of a prequel could not be done, because the man who ultimately 'is' the part of Morse is no longer with us.

Since this is the last in the series, I gave it a five. Some of the earlier stories are better, and this one was a bit confusing in some spots. There seem to be suspects all over the place, and yet, some don't make sense. But the writing is so much better than most American mystery writers, and as I said, the end nearly brought me to tears. Morse himself, while treating his symptoms which he knows indicate a heart attack in happening with acid reflux medicine, he continues to be himself and solve the one case from which he tried to distance himself, because of personal involvement with the victim.

Morse never finds the happiness of human companionship in his life. But his life is full never-the-less with his job, with his music and reading, and with his relationship with Lewis (who is surprised at the end with being the recipient of an inheritance from this man he thought did not respect him. but who loved him nevertheless).

An appropriate ending to a wonderful series.

Karen Sadler

The last of Inspector Morse.......2002-12-12

A 318 page story separated into 80 chapters, a prolegomenon, and an epilogue, this is the last of the Inspector Morse novels. Morse is protrayed as an alcoholic diabetic who does not take care of his health. He gets a substantial portion of his calories from Glenfiddich and various brands of ale. He has been on medical leave, but is ordered, along with Sgt. Lewis, to take responsibility for investigating a case. A year before, a married woman with loose morals was found murdered in her bedroom. The case was never solved, but is now reopened when Chief Inspector Strange reports mysterious telephone calls.

The case takes some new twists and turns when people involved start turning up dead. Investigations reveal that the woman was not the only one sleeping around. Some evidence had conveniently disappeared during the initial investigation. The case is well known to Inspector Morse fans as it was a TV production. However, the written story has some differences from what was on TV, which is usually the case.

I would rate the novel PG-13 based on content.

Average customer rating:
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