Amazon.com
A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken, is a heart-rending love story described by its author as "the spiritual autobiography of a love rather than of the lovers." Vanauken chronicles the birth of a powerful pagan love borne out of the relationship he shares with his wife, Davy, and describes the growth of their relationship and the dreams that they share. As a symbol of their love, they name their dream schooner the Grey Goose, "for the grey goose, if its mate is killed flies on alone and never takes another."
While studying at Oxford, Sheldon and Davy develop a friendship with C.S. Lewis, under whose influence and with much intellectual scrutiny they accept the Christian doctrine. As their devotion to God intensifies, Sheldon realizes that he is no longer Davy's primary love--God is. Within this discovery begins a brewing jealousy.
Shortly after, Davy acquires a fatal illness. After her death Sheldon embarks on an intense experience of grief, "to find the meaning of it, taste the whole of it ... to learn from sorrow whatever it had to teach." Through painstaking reveries, he comes to discover the meaning of "a mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love." He learns that her death "had these results: It brought me as nothing else could do to know and end my jealously of God. It saved her faith from assault. ...And it saved our love from perishing."
Replete with 18 letters from C.S. Lewis, A Severe Mercy addresses some of the universal questions that surround faith--the existence of God and the reasons behind tragedy. --Jacque Holthusen
Book Description
Beloved, profoundly moving account of the author's marriage, the couple's search for faith and friendship with C. S. Lewis, and a spiritual strength that sustained Vanauken after his wife's untimely death.
Customer Reviews:
A Severe Mercy.......2007-10-13
It is simply one of the best books I've ever read. What an inteligent love story! They go to Oxford to sudy and for the first time they find themselves surrounded by Christian intellectuals. That is life changing for them and I think this book was for me as well.
After all these years..........2007-07-13
In 1976, at a Christian writers conference, someone I admire recommended this book. He was trying to make his audience understand that writing in the genre of "inspirational" nonfiction needn't be trite or predictable or ordinary. "Christian writers should write well," he told us. Here here. I read the book on his recommendation--and an entire genre opened up for me. Though the book is slightly flawed, it is worth reading (if for no other reason than the letters by Lewis--gotta love him always) simply as an example of good writing. I've recently purchased the book again for friends for that very reason.
A Severe Mercy.......2007-01-16
A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken is one of those books I've always heard great things about and never read. It's of particular importance to a couple I know, which only served to deepen its mystique. I finally read it last week and it certainly met my expectations. I appreciated the integration of both the romantic and spiritual elements of the story, and enjoyed it far more than most autobiographies because the prose was better than most in that classification.
The beauty of the relationship remembered is breathtaking. Sometimes I wondered if everything really happened just that way, but we all reconstruct memories from time to time and even if it is partly fiction and partly fact, it's nothing but the truth, as Pierce Pettis so aptly sang. The conversion story is also interesting as it captures the classic pattern of the modern coming-to-faith. I think it will help people in the future to understand the classic evangelism of the past.
A quick but thoughtful read.
We keep going back to this book.......2006-09-27
At different points in our relationship we pull this book off the shelf and read it together out loud. When we first started reading the book we were just dating and it was an example of a relationship we wanted to have. Throughout our marriage it has been an inspiration and a challenge to us.
As a couple we recommend this book to anyone who is searching for a relationship that deepens with each day. It is incredible that the telling of one story could impact so many people - but that is a tribute to the commitment of Sheldon and Davie to each other. They were truely Generous Minds!
Beautiful, Haunting, Exquisite.......2006-04-10
This extraordinary memoir by Sheldon Vanauken about his relationship with Jean Davis is subtly addictive and exquisitely crafted. The story of their conversion from a self-described "paganism" to Anglican Christianity (due in no small part to the friendship and mentorship of C. S. Lewis) is gripping and heartbreaking.
Of particular note is that most conversion stories are emotionally based, but Mr. Vanauken, the recipient of a classical education, needed a reason-based approach as well. It was refreshing to read his account of how faith AND reason played a role in his conversion.
I wish it were possible to give this 10 stars, but five will have to do!
Book Description
While continuing a strong tradition of sound writing principles and abundant model documents, this new edition of Business Communication integrates spoken, electronic, and written communication situations and strategies?the way communication actually occurs in a dynamic workplace. The digital age demands that our students communicate expertly through an ever-expanding number of communication options?from traditional paper documents to e-mail, instant messaging, web communications, voice and wireless technologies, and whatever technology evolves next. You?ll see this integrated business strategy applied throughout the text.
Customer Reviews:
business communication.......2007-03-09
I HAVE USES MY BOOK TO WRITE PAPERS. ITS THE AS ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION BOOK. BUT THIS ONE WAS CHEAPER THAN BUYING IT FROM THE BOOK STORE.
Amazon.com
Edward Boyd's agnosticism rested "not ... too much on any positive position ... but rather on a host of negative ones" about Christianity. In an attempt to address these negative issues, his son Greg, a professor of theology, asked his father, a strong-willed, highly intelligent, and stubborn 70-year-old, to enter into a correspondence in which "all of their cards would be laid on the table." Greg would give his father the opportunity to raise all his objections to the veracity of Christianity, and Greg would "answer these objections as well as give positive grounds for holding to the Christian faith."
Three years and more than 30 letters later, Letters from a Skeptic was published and Edward Boyd came to accept Christ. During his journey, he and his son hash through such topics as why the world is so full of suffering; why an all-powerful God needs prayer; how you can believe in someone who rose from the dead; and how another man's death can pardon others. Despite their brutal honesty, both men exhibit respect and love toward one another as they address these volatile subjects. In Edward's second response to Greg, he boldly says, "Well, your distinction between the 'Christian Church' and 'Christians' is interesting and novel, but frankly, I don't buy it." Greg responds, saying, "I've got to admit that you are raising some extremely good points in your letters. You are raising the most difficult questions a theist can face." --Jill Heatherly
Book Description
A son and his skeptical father debate issues such as suffering, Biblical inspiration, and whether or not all non-Christians go to hell. This book will help the reader to wrestle with the rational foundation of his or her own faith.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful, authentic, insightful father-son conversation.......2007-09-25
All individuals of faith are at times either skeptical or apologetic for their faith beliefs. So, we can identify with both the skeptical father in his forceful, honest questioning and the remarkably insightful son in his clear, loving explanation of Christian faith. My MIT education and my seminary education both prepared me to appreciate the mystery and complexity of finite living in an infinite reality. Surprised at the unexpected depth of thought in this book, I enjoyed it from beginning to end---and purchased 3 copies for my sons! Highly recommended. You might also want to check out Greg Boyd's website and download (free) his fantastic and very timely sermon series The Cross and the Sword!
you may need to re-read this one.......2007-07-27
I really enjoyed this book, mostly as a glimpse into one person's faith journey. I did find some of the apologetics and theology a bit over my head and I would need to re-read this book several times to gather all that Boyd is saying. This would be a great book to use in a discussion forum at church.
The book covers a series of letters written between Boyd the son (who is a pastor at a church) and his father (the skeptic). The letters deal with many of the hard questions that make Christianity unbelievable to some people.
Besides providing arguments for Christianity, this is a story of one man's journey into a life of faith. The tribute at the conclusion was very moving.
I personally found C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity easier to understand, but they are both excellent books.
Great book for mature believer or skeptic.......2007-05-14
This book addresses questions that most people have about God and Christianity. It contains a series of letters written between an unbelieving dad, and his believing son. You find yourself saying about the dad's questions, "I can understand why he asked that". But the responses by the son are quiet effective and thought provoking.
I have given away over 20 copies of this book. It also lends itself to group study. I highly recomment it.
Definitely Worth Reading.......2007-04-11
I read excerpts from this book during our WHY> campaign at church. My pastor had this book and loaned it to me. I was so impressed that I had to not only buy a copy for me, but for a couple of friends who have very skeptical family members. Growing up in a Christian home, there were things I just always believed and never questioned, so it was difficult answering questions from skeptics. Greg Boyd answered his father's heartfelt questions with honest and Biblical answers in a way that was easy to understand. Now I feel more confident to answer those tough questions, too.
A wonderful book.......2007-04-11
This book is a wonderful blessing in my life. It has set turned my world upside down (actually right side up) and provided a spark to my Christian life. I have been so moved by this book that my life has taken on new meaning and direction. God has used this book to change a life forever.
Book Description
sHORT RETAIL DESCRIPTION: A must-have reference book for business and technical writers of any level, Strategies for Business and Technical Writing will help you plan, organize, create, and polish your writing. You know the ability to communicate effectively both in person and on paper will help you advance in your career—the selections in this book will help you write effective letters, reports, memos, resumes, and other professional documents. The new edition features helpful models, tips, and advice from top experts, including David V. Lewis, Making Your Correspondence Get Results, The Royal Bank of Canada, Letters That Sell, Vincent Vinci, Ten Report Writing Pitfalls: How to Avoid Them, and Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, Ten Ways to Make Your Technical Documents Shout “Read Me!” Whether you are a student, or seasoned professional, this book will help you plan, create, and improve your business and technical writing. Readings, advice, and models from top experts to help writers improve their technical and business writing skills. Correspondence, ethics, proposals, email, reports, memos, letters, resumes, business writing, technical writing, business communication, technical communication.
Customer Reviews:
An adequate reference, a good starter.......2000-10-14
I'm an instructor of Business Communication and this is the textbook we utilize for the class. I find that most of the articles in this book are good ones; however, there is a lot of repetition, especially when they are referring to the writing process. YAWN. Boring. How many ways can you reiterate "clear, precise, and to the point" as the main idea?
Otherwise, some of the other articles in there are great for those beginning in the world of business writing.
Book Description
Words of wisdom, hope, humor, and strength from those who have been tested by fire and maintained their faith.
The first book of its kind, Grace Under Fire is an inspiring and spiritual collection of letters and e-mails by U.S. troops and their families from the American Revolution through the War on Terrorism.
Andrew Carroll, editor of the bestselling War Letters, went through his massive archive of seventy-five-thousand previously unpublished wartime correspondence to pick out the most intimate, dramatic, historic, and insightful letters and e-mails ever written about God, religion, and spirituality. The fifty best of these are featured in this incredible book, and they emphasize how extremely important faith has been, and continues to be, in the lives of U.S. troops and their families.
What is especially remarkable about Grace Under Fire is the sheer diversity of the collection, which includes several extraordinary letters by two brothers who fought on opposing sides of the Civil War; a prophetic letter by Rabbi David Goode, one of the famed Immortal Chaplains who gave his life for his fellow soldiers; a lighthearted letter by a World War II nurse who met the Pope; and a profound and impassioned reply to the timeless question, “Where is God in wartime?” by a doctor serving in Iraq.
Warfare can reveal the worst in human nature, but it can also bring out the best, and these correspondences are a testament to the heroism, compassion, grace, intelligence, and inherent goodness of American troops and their families. And although the letters and e-mails featured in this book were written in times of armed conflict, they transcend the subject of war. They are about determination, hope, patriotism, fighting for something greater than one’s self, and, of course, the enduring value of faith. Regardless of whether we have served in the military or not, we can all find inspiration and courage in these powerful and insightful words.
Customer Reviews:
BRILLIANT...SIMPLY BRILLIANT!!!.......2007-06-17
Grace Under Fire is BRILLIANT...simply BRILLIANT!
It is overwhelmingly touching, powerful and inspiring and any one of these letters will pierce your heart. I was profoundly moved by the e-mail written by the late David Bloom.
Through these letters of faith in GRACE UNDER FIRE, Andrew Carroll gives us a glimpse of our service men and women and their families; we read about what they had...what they never lost...and what it means to "have faith", feel its power, how it has changed them or how they have reconnected with their faith.
GRACE UNDER FIRE is no ordinary book--this is another literary treasure from Andrew Carroll; this is the book you hand deliver and say "You must read this."
Beautiful Sensitive Window on Faith .......2007-06-08
The threads of faith are smoothly woven by soldiers from the Revolutionary war through our current conflicts. Their personal letters written to loved ones are sensitive and plain spoken in the face of the terror of their war. Bravo to Andy Carroll for sharing these personal reflections. I found this book very inspiring!
Loved it..........2007-06-07
I loved this book. We have been sending copies to our Troops as a community project in care packages and their feedback is terrific, they love it! As w/all of Mr. Carroll's work it brings the true and authentic stories home with what our men, women, and families experience while at war. One of the nicest things about this book is the elegance and quality, it simply feels good in your hands. I have given this book out already to civilians numerous times as gifts. I appreciated reading about the spiritual aspect and how faith does bring hope and encouragement during times of struggle, loneliness, and pain.
The real stories from the lines.......2007-06-07
I thoroughly have enjoyed this book and have read it several times. I have used it several times as guided discussions in a classroom setting. I felt it an important part of our front line stories that I got copies for the chaplains on base. I have actually gone back and gotten some of Andrews earlier books and have come to realize that warfare itself has changed, the verbage we use has changed but the feelings and emotions are still the same.
First, Second and Third impressions of the book.......2007-06-07
This is an outstanding book that I've read many times and shared with numerous friends of faith. The book, the works behind it, and the multiple intents for it are worthy of as much praise as can be heaped upon it. It's written for everyone: the common person who's never been to war, those have been or are in the thick of things overseas and especially the families of those who serve. It's a way to understand others thoughts and feelings as well as your own if you're in those circumstances.
Andrew Carroll has faith and a heart that is bigger than Texas in his desire to help others in their times of need to understand things bigger than themselves. This is one of his works in that human endeavor to make life better for others. A humanitarian award should be given to him for his desire to make life a little easier or better for others and to help others share their feelings over such harsh and emotional issues in life.
This is a must read for anyone concerned about war and the feelings that it invokes in service members, their families and even their friends. Read it for yourself and then share with others whom you know.
Book Description
A remarkable life and a remarkable voice emerge from the journals, letters, and memoirs of Leo Lerman: writer, critic, editor at Condé Nast, and man about town at the center of New York’s artistic and social circles from the 1940s until his death in 1994.
Lerman’s contributions to the world of the arts were large and varied: he wrote on theater, dance, music, art, books, and movies for publications as diverse as Mademoiselle and The New York Times. He was features editor at Vogue and editor in chief of Vanity Fair. He launched careers and trends, exposing the American public to new talents, fashions, and ideas.
He was a legendary party host as well, counting Marlene Dietrich, Maria Callas, and Truman Capote among his intimates, and celebrities like Cary Grant, Jackie Onassis, Isak Dinesen, and Margot Fonteyn as part of his larger circle. But his personal accounts and correspondence reveal him also as having an unusually rich and complex private life, mourning the cultivated émigré world of 1930s and 1940s New York City, reflecting on being Jewish and an openly homosexual man, and intimately evoking his two most important lifelong relationships.
From a man whose literary icon was Marcel Proust comes an unparalleled social and emotional history. With eloquence, insight, and wit, he filled his journals and letters with acute assessments, gossip, and priceless anecdotes while inimitably recording both our larger cultural history and his own moving private story.
Customer Reviews:
La Grand Surprise.......2007-09-05
Merveilleux, plein d'esprit, arrogant, frivole, exultant, ampoulé, artificiel, étudié, pompeux, vrai, adulateur, vain, important, indiquant, sarcastique, nostalgique, simulé, inspiré, long, accusateur, adorable, charmant, réminiscent, théâtral, musical, `dishy', abondance de bavardage, fascinants, amusement, révélatoire, `campy', vaniteux, rappelant, surélevé, parfait, détaillé, historique, focalisé, fastueux, élégant, méticuleux, explicatif, cavité, recherché, organisé, nom-chute, bien-écrit, lisible, accessible, peu compliqué, précieux, sincère, exultante!!
Fabulous........2007-08-14
Eloquent, entertaining, frequently poignant. The book is less about the great characters of mid-century New York, glitterati and literati, than about Lerman's place among them. He is his own favorite subject, but that doesn't make him any less likeable or the book any less fascinating.
A man at the center of New York culture.......2007-08-12
No doubt about it: Leo Lerman knew everybody who was anybody in New York's arts & literary scenes for almost 50 years. The cast of characters who stroll through his journals and letters (Marlene Dietrich, Maria Callas, Truman Capote, Leonard Bernstein, this list just goes on and on...) provides an amazing snapshot of life among the most notable figures of the 20th century. I wish this book was a more compelling read. When I recently read Chance and Circumstance: Twenty Years with Cage and Cunningham by Carolyn Brown, I came away dazzled at the opportunity to get close to key figures in music and dance, and felt tmy understanding of their work was enhanced. I felt no similar sense from Lerman's book, perhaps precisely because of the range of his acquaintances. For example, he meets Truman Capote when both are quite young, and Capote is writing his first book. The glimpse of the young author at that moment is priceless, but then the two lose touch, and Lerman moves on to other people. Moreover, Lerman's dizzying social life largely prevented him from completing any major work of his own, and his partner Gray Foy gave up a successful career as an artist. There are definitely some choice stories here, things that made me laugh out loud or gasp with a mixture of delight and dismay. But frankly, the best thing in the book is the introductory story about the butterfly called The Grand Surprise that gives the book its title. Almost nothing else has the texture and depth of that one vividly recounted anaecdote. As a result this memoir is a swirl of social activity without a center. If you don't mind frosting with no cake, you'll enjoy this.!
Name-dropping Opera Queens: This Is For You!.......2007-08-06
God, is this book tedious! Leo Lerman must have been the cheapest, most self-involved, most boring opera queen and star-f**cker who ever lived. If you yearn to know how 1940's demi-celebrities could be hosted for twenty-five cents per non-entity at a cocktail party, this book is for you.
Agony and Esctasy of Leo Lerman.......2007-06-11
A monumental undetaking both rewarding for Lerman's thoughts and fine editorial notes sorting out the wide variety of Lerman's friends and acquaintances.
Average customer rating:
- A full color collection of thumbnail images - Umm... Yay?
- Great Resource
- My favorite book ever
- Who is this for?
- A lot of fluff, not a lot of detail
|
1,000 Greetings: Creative Correspondence Designed for All Occasions (1,000 Series)
Peter King & Company
Manufacturer: Rockport Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback
 Illustration
| Commercial
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Holiday Greeting Cards
| Formats
| Books
Similar Items:
-
1,000 Graphic Elements: Details for Distinctive Designs
-
1,000 Bags, Tags, & Labels: Distinctive Designs for Every Industry (1,000 Series)
-
1,000 Type Treatments: From Script to Serif, Letterforms Used to Perfection
-
The Best of Business Card Design 6 (The Best of Business Card Design)
-
The Best of Brochure Design 9 (Best of Brochure Design)
ASIN: 1592530214 |
Book Description
With designers constantly working for clients and having a limited amount of freedom in much of their work, the chance to strike out on their own and do something truly original and personal is a real luxury. The cards included represent some of the most creative design available so are a wonderful source of inspiration for all types of projects. All designers and design firms, whether in-house or freelance, create their own greeting cards which serve not only as a greeting card, but as an opportunity to show off their work in a totally unique and uninhibited light. In addition, they are the perfect project because they are small enough so they are not incredibly time consuming nor are they very expensive to produce -- even with unique materials or treatments.
Customer Reviews:
A full color collection of thumbnail images - Umm... Yay?.......2007-08-04
I have a lot of problems with this book.
The first being that while the designs are split into categories such as "brand identity", "invitations" and "self branding" (among others) the individual pieces have virtually no information given on their purpose or use. It would be very helpful to know standard information like the target audience or main goals attributed to the selected works shown. It isn't enough to simply lump sum all this work into a category and offer no explanation on demographics or psychographics. A directory at the end of the book lists who designed the work, but that's really all you get.
The second thing that irked me is that the pictures are very small. Each page may have half a dozen or more pieces shown but no detail shots of any. This further adds to my first complaint. The viewer can't even deduce for themselves what most of the work was intended for since the images are so small. Some of the photography is very lovely and truly works to show off the best qualities of the selected pieces but without detailed shots or full page displays the viewer is left unsatisfied.
While all the designs shown are very good, many are based off of common ideas. Lots of Pseudo-Asian, lots of decomposed and grunge. While they're attractive, they're not particularly inspiring.
Over all I think this book would do more good in the hands of a craft minded individual and not a designer. I can see many of the invitations lending themselves well to home projects and offering some inspiration for personal correspondence stationery.
An acceptable coffee table book, but not a design tool.
Great Resource.......2007-03-09
Love this book. It's jam-packed with inspirational greetings that can be applied to all types of graphic design projects. I plan on buying their other 1000 series in the near future.
My favorite book ever.......2007-02-22
I bought this book and used it everyday until I lost it. I felt completely off base without it for several months until I couldn't take it anymore and purchased it AGAIN! I absolutely love 1000 greetings and recommend it to everyone.
Who is this for?.......2007-01-31
Not enough details for inspiration. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, not in this case. Maybe if they would have given us a quick paragraph about the piece, (how, who, what, . . .etc). I'm sure the designers would've loved this. Were they even asked?
A lot of fluff, not a lot of detail.......2007-01-19
While this book is filled with 1000 different images, you don't get any details. What does the card look like when opened? What type of client was this project done for? Also, the images are incredibly small so you can't read any of the copy, which for some of the designs, is critical to their success. I wouldn't have bought this book had I been browsing in a store and been able to see it first.
Book Description
What does it really mean to be a good father? What did your father tell you, that has stayed with you throughout your life? Was there a lesson from him, a story, or a moment that helped to make you who you are? Is there a special memory that makes you smile when you least expect it?
After the publication of Tim Russert’s number one New York Times bestseller about his father, Big Russ & Me, he received an avalanche of letters from daughters and sons who wanted to tell him about their own fathers, most of whom were not superdads or heroes but ordinary men who were remembered and cherished for some of their best moments–of advice, tenderness, strength, honor, discipline, and occasional eccentricity.
Most of these daughters and sons were eager to express the gratitude they had carried with them through the years. Others wanted to share lessons and memories and, most important, pass them down to their own children.
This book is for all fathers, young or old, who can learn from the men in these pages how to get it right, and to understand that sometimes it is the little gestures that can make the big difference for your child. For some in this book, the appreciation came later than they would have liked. But as Wisdom of Our Fathers reminds us, it is never too late to embrace it.
From the father who coached his daughter in sports (and life), attending every meet, game, performance, and tournament, to the daughter who, after a fifteen-year estrangement, learned to make peace with her difficult father just before he died, to the son who came, at last, to appreciate the silent way his father could show affection, Wisdom of Our Fathers shares rewarding lessons, immeasurable gifts, and lasting values.
Heartfelt, humorous, engaging, irresistibly readable, and bound to bring back memories of unforgettable moments with our own fathers, Tim Russert’s new book is not only a fitting companion to his own marvelous memoir, but also a celebration of the positive qualities passed down from generation to generation.
Customer Reviews:
Widsom for Older Sons who are baseball lovers.......2007-09-30
After my 77th birthday I remembered to pick-up my older daughter's birthday gift for my 76th birthday! It is a sure-fire winner! When I had gotten past the middle of Tim Russert's stories from a wide variety of sons and daughters, I chose five top favorite Chapters: "Daddy's Girl, "The Character, "Hands and Feet, "Being There, and "Baseball."
Tim's love for the Cleveland's Indians and the NY Yankees came shining through! His personal relationships with the stories of Truman & MacArthur, Rudy Giulani, Al Gore, and Russ Limbaugh provide profound wisdom from a huge variety of Fathers. As I noted foreign names like Bill DeSisto, John Smyntek, Vince Guerriori, Arnold Annunziata, I came across a lovely story of "Hermie's Hands" from Knoxville, Tenn. His name was Jon Hernmanson.
(Too bad that my Father who was employed as one Knoxville Water Worker never came to know Hermie with eight fingers on his hands!)
The Titles of "The Lawyer, "The Lock, "The Lesson, "The Tickets, "The Diagnosis & "From-a U-Fadder" bring tears or laughs from my repeated reading!
After finishing I shall buy copies for my Grandsons to keep for Christmas! Over-Joyed yet Under-whelmed from the older still wiser retired Chaplain, Fred W Hood.
Tim Russert--Wisdom of Our Fathers.......2007-09-26
My new book was received in Great shape and very fast! Thank You very much! ONH
Have to Buy.......2007-08-22
How this gets below 5 stars is beyond me. This book is what it is and is long overdue. There is no genius behind it because it's just a collection of peoples' stories. Russert didn't write it, but he wrote Big Russ and Me. I haven't read that, but it must be pretty good to garner this kind of response.
When I was last home, my dad gave me the copy because I'm working on a project pertaining to the same subject matter. He hadn't read it yet, so he just told me to read it and send it back. It is so good that I sent him a copy with this note, "Dad, this book is way too good. This copy isn't coming back to you, so here is one for you. Love, Christien."
Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons.......2007-08-03
Definitely as touching as Big Russ,Russert's first book. It's a page turner. You'll laugh and cry..
This book puts everything into perspective.......2007-08-02
One of the best books on parenting. Not a scientific approach but rather a by-the-seat-of-your-pants look at what it means to be a good parent. You get a peak into the minds of so many children, today's adults, something that is impossible to do with your own kids. A must read for any parent.
Thanks Tim for having the foresight to put this collection together.
Amazon.com
It would take a deeply cynical heart not to fall in love with Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet. At the end of this millennium, his slender book holds everything a student of the century could want: the unedited thoughts of (arguably) the most important European poet of the modern age. Rilke wrote these 10 sweepingly emotional letters in 1903, addressing a former student of one of his own teachers. The recipient was wise enough to omit his own inquiries from the finished product, which means that we get a marvelously undiluted dose of Rilkean aesthetics and exhortation.
The poet prefaced each letter with an evocative notation of the city in which he wrote, including Paris, Rome, and the outskirts of Pisa. Yet he spends most of the time encouraging the student in his own work, delivering a sublime, one-on-one equivalent of the modern writing workshop:
Go into yourself and test the deeps in which your life takes rise; at its source you will find the answer to the question whether you must create. Accept it, just as it sounds, without inquiring into it. Perhaps it will turn out that you are called to be an artist. Then take that destiny upon yourself and bear it, its burden and its greatness, without ever asking what recompense might come from outside.
Every page is stamped with Rilke's characteristic grace, and the book is free of the breathless effect that occasionally mars his poetry. His ideas on gender and the role of the artist are also surprisingly prescient. And even his retrograde comment on the "beauty of the virgin" (which the poet derives from the fact that she "has not yet achieved anything") is counterbalanced by his perception that "the sexes are more related than we think." Those looking for an alluring image of the solitary artist--and for an astonishing quotient of wisdom--will find both in Letters to a Young Poet. --Jennifer Buckendorff
Book Description
In 1903, Rilke replied in a series of 10 letters to a student who had submitted some verses to the well-known Austrian poet for an assessment. Written during an important stage in Rilke's artistic development, these letters contain many of the themes that later appeared in his best works. Essential reading for scholars, poetry lovers.
Customer Reviews:
inspirational.......2007-09-26
this book is a wonderful place to look for general guidance in life, especially for anyone pursuing an artistic lifestyle or career.
letters to a young poet.......2007-07-28
I bought this book,I think more than 10 times,friends love it,and
keep it.
It gives me guidance,I definitely will store some for my grandchildren.
Unsurpassed in its importance to every young poet.......2007-07-24
Rilke is Rumi, Kabir, Gibran of German language. As a poet, as a seeker, he explored the limits of his knowledge and belief. He translated his solitary thoughts into poetry which has music, meaning and agelessness. What this prose, these letters contain is a faithful, forthright, candid and very modest, searching, guiding voice of Rilke. In these letters, written to a younger poet, who sought Rilke's guidance, Rilke chalks out his whole ideology of what poetry must be, and how a poet must reach above, beyond and deep within himself, to arrive at the inevitable verse, which is both timely and timeless, not only for himself but also for the reader.
As a craft, poetry is full of solitary devotion. The premium and investment in terms of poet's emotional and intellectual effort is seldom rewarded. A poet lives on the edge, and always runs the danger of tipping into the pits of self-pity, destruction and death-like poverty. The world seldom honors a poet in his prime, rather the best of the best poets compose their work in spite of the social, political and economic obligations they need to fulfill, obligations that motivate poetry, as well as impede the writing of it.
Sheer talent is not enough, mere vocabulary does not quite make you one, rhyming words and dedication are mere abilities, knowledge of published works is important, and yet what Rilke strove for, what Rilke achieved and what he advises the readers/poets to seek is a state where all these attributes synchronize to produce a poem that is at once lyrical and philosophical, understated yet powerful, terse yet tactful, and most importantly, honest and heartfelt.
There are very few books that have touched the poet in me thus. Maugham's Of Human Bondage and Tolstoy's War and Peace come to my mind when I think of effectiveness of Rilke's prose. Yet Rilke, like his Russian idols, is bathed in realism, he seeks for life outside cities and savors spirituality that he most probably carried within him. Selected Poems of Rilke translated by Robert Bly is a recommended resource, as is The Book of Hours (new translation is only couple of years old).
I will encourage every writer, who takes his vocation with seriousness to read Rilke. Like Neruda, Shakespeare, Kalidasa, Keats, Wordsworth, Shelley, Goethe, Tagore, Pushkin, Ghalib, Hafez, Basho, Dinkar, Tulsidas, Homer, Milton and Lorca, Rilke is a must read poet for everyone interested in poetry and life. This book is a collection of letters, so is not to be confused with Poetry Handbooks or Guides that are available everywhere. These letters are personal admissions and advice of Rilke to a younger poet. Rilke started writing these when he was in late twenties, and was still groping for his voice, his intention, his ability. The letters are moving and touching. They are like streams of thought that will shape the terrain they flow through, assuage the thirst of ones who arrive at them and if you let yourself go, carry you to the ocean of consciousness.
Whenever I am not myself........2007-07-19
-Whenever I feel the weight of the world upon my shoulders...
-Whenever I'm overwhelmed by the noise, violence and sorrows of the world...
-Whenever I am deceiving my true nature...
-Whenever I lose touch with my artistic spirit...
I reach for this book and it helps me find my way back to that quiet place inside, reminding me that 'feeling' alone is not the same as 'being' alone and that our solitude is a gift.
There are some books that MUST be read.......2007-07-05
For a brief moment, I think the most cynical person can give pause to enjoy this wonderful collection of sweepingly emotional and thoughtful letters. I have read, re-read and given away many, many copies of Rainier Maria Rilke's "Letters To A Young Poet".
Rarely does a day go by without me thinking of something from this book. Rilke's ideas about love, youth and solitude are remarkable, and until this day I still find infinite wisdom and solace from his writings.
Some books really don't need much more explaining then to say: READ IT!
Amazon.com
If Vladimir Nabokov's fiction merits any criticism, it is for its iciness. The master himself declared in a 1977 BBC interview, "My characters cringe as I come near them with my whip. I have seen a whole avenue of imagined trees losing their leaves at the threat of my passage." Nabokov's correspondence, however, reveals a far warmer individual, though one ever-ready with a verbal shiv. This volume begins with a 1923 letter to his mother, written while he was a farmhand in the French Alps, and ends with a 1977 letter sent to his wife, Vera, for Mother's Day: "My dearest, your roses, your fragrant rubies, glow red against a background of spring rain..."
Nabokov's son, Dmitri, and Matthew Bruccoli have created the fullest, and by far the most amusing, portrait of the serious artist as trickster. There's the famous letter to Burma-Vita, in which Nabokov offers the company an advertising jingle (alas, they turned him down). There's the best, and most amusing, account of "l'affaire Lolita." Here is his response to his New Yorker editor, Katharine White: "Let me thank you very warmly for your frank and charming letter about LOLITA. But after all how many are the memorable literary characters whom we would like our teen-age daughters to meet? Would you like our Patricia to go on a date with Othello? Would we like our Mary to read the New Testament temple against temple with Raskolnikov? Would we like our sons to marry Emma Rouault, Becky Sharp or La belle dame sans merci?"
In another letter, however, he takes care to thank White for a "chubby check." (One wishes this phrase had gained greater circulation.) Nabokov again and again comes off as a difficult author, challenging his publishers left, right, and center over issues large (and there were many) and as well as those that were niggling. Calling the British paperback cover of Laughter in the Dark "atrocious, disgusting, and badly drawn besides having nothing to do whatever with the contents of the book," he tells his U.K. publisher, "I would appreciate if you would use your influence and have them substitute a pretty dark-haired girl, or a palmtree, or a winding road, or anything else for this tasteless abomination." Still, one is most often convinced that he's right, even when he makes the large claim that the French film Les Nymphettes infringes on his rights, "since this term was invented by me for the main character in my novel Lolita."
Not only is this volume endlessly quotable, it also reads like a great epistolary novel--fraught with high thought, high drama, and the delightfully unexpected. Who would have guessed that Nabokov would ask Hugh Hefner, "Have you ever noticed how the head and ears of your Bunny resemble a butterfly in shape, with an eyespot on one hindwing?"
Book Description
Over four hundred letters chronicle the author's career, recording his struggles in the publishing world, the battles over "Lolita," and his relationship with his wife.
Books:
- Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History's Greatest Speakers
- St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica (translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province) (5 Volume Set)
- St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica (translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province) (5 Volume Set)
- Succubus Blues (The Georgina Kincaid Series, Book 1)
- Tesla: Man Out of Time
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X : As Told to Alex Haley
- The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill: On Liberty, the Subjection of Women and Utilitarianism (Modern Library Classics)
- The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics
- The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes)
- The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties: An Irreverent Compendium of Must-Know Info from Sputnik to Smallpox and Marie Curie to Mao
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Value Driven Intellectual Capital: How to Convert Intangible Corporate Assets Into Market Value
- Million Dollar Dilemma: Love Me, Love My Dog #1
- Drawing as Expression: Technique and Concepts
- Gardner's Art Through the Ages
- History: Fiction or Science
- Spectroscopic Methods in Bioinorganic Chemistry
- Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World
- Boost Your Interview IQ
- Electronic Resume Revolution: Create a Winning Resume for the New World of Job Seeking
- McSweeney's Issue 16
The Weight of Glory
Under the Mercy
A Grief Observed
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
The Great Divorce
Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer
