Best 19th Century Literary Criticism
A beautiful new clothbound edition of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel of wrongful imprisonment, adventure and revenge. Dumas died in 1870.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Material previously omitted by Victorian-era translators such as Franz' hashish-fueled sexual fantasies and the strongly implied lesbian relationship between Eugenie and Louise remain intact and uncensored. As another reviewer pointed out, Buss will provide footnotes to explain subtleties that aren't easily translated from French to English, such as insults delivered by using the formal you (vous) rather than the informal/friendly/intimate you (tu). A detailed appendix provides valuable historical and cultural context that aids the reader in understanding Dumas' masterpiece, and includes a primer on the rise, fall, return, and final downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte that is crucial to making sense of the politics driving the novel's plot."
"This is really a great at a very affordable price."
"If you've not read Dumas before, be aware that he sets up his characters and circumstances, creating mysteries, then departs from his main story line to pursue secondary characters."
"The bigger issue is that the bar code sticker used leaves a dark mark on the fabric and peels off the paint."
"It does give you an appreciation of how descriptive language can be and it is sort of sad that we have lost this in our current version of the English language."
"Even though the action takes place in a different era and country, terminology was quite different from our own, the central characters assumed different names and titles throughout the book, and the reader is led through labyrinth of setting changes, the book was easy to follow, and it was impossible to disassociate oneself from the lives of the main characters."
"On what slender threads do life and fortune hang" Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. Robin Buss (1939–2006) was a writer and translator who worked for the Independent on Sunday and as television critic for the Times Educational Supplement .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Material previously omitted by Victorian-era translators such as Franz' hashish-fueled sexual fantasies and the strongly implied lesbian relationship between Eugenie and Louise remain intact and uncensored. As another reviewer pointed out, Buss will provide footnotes to explain subtleties that aren't easily translated from French to English, such as insults delivered by using the formal you (vous) rather than the informal/friendly/intimate you (tu). A detailed appendix provides valuable historical and cultural context that aids the reader in understanding Dumas' masterpiece, and includes a primer on the rise, fall, return, and final downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte that is crucial to making sense of the politics driving the novel's plot."
"This is really a great at a very affordable price."
"If you've not read Dumas before, be aware that he sets up his characters and circumstances, creating mysteries, then departs from his main story line to pursue secondary characters."
"The bigger issue is that the bar code sticker used leaves a dark mark on the fabric and peels off the paint."
"It does give you an appreciation of how descriptive language can be and it is sort of sad that we have lost this in our current version of the English language."
"Even though the action takes place in a different era and country, terminology was quite different from our own, the central characters assumed different names and titles throughout the book, and the reader is led through labyrinth of setting changes, the book was easy to follow, and it was impossible to disassociate oneself from the lives of the main characters."
The Sherlock Holmes Book , the latest in DK's award-winning Big Ideas Simply Explained series, tackles the most "elementary" of subjects — the world of Sherlock Holmes, as told by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. "All in all, it's an absolute stunning resource for any Sherlock fan, and a perfect companion to offer any new reader of the original Doyle stories." "[A]n encyclopedic, illustrated exploration of the entire canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of Sherlock and Dr.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book is laid out to give an overview of Doyle himself and narratives on major characters - Sherlock, Watson, Moriarity, Lestrade. There are some good pieces on the influence that Doyle's writings and characters continue to have on his readers and other writers as well."
"I bought this for a student who loves Sherlock Holmes."
"If you're a Holmes fan you need this in your library."
"Gave this as a gift."
"Purchased for my wife."
"Great book for all fans of Sherlock."
Best Mystery & Detective Literary Criticism
The Sherlock Holmes Book , the latest in DK's award-winning Big Ideas Simply Explained series, tackles the most "elementary" of subjects — the world of Sherlock Holmes, as told by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. "All in all, it's an absolute stunning resource for any Sherlock fan, and a perfect companion to offer any new reader of the original Doyle stories." "[A]n encyclopedic, illustrated exploration of the entire canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of Sherlock and Dr.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book is laid out to give an overview of Doyle himself and narratives on major characters - Sherlock, Watson, Moriarity, Lestrade. There are some good pieces on the influence that Doyle's writings and characters continue to have on his readers and other writers as well."
"I bought this for a student who loves Sherlock Holmes."
"If you're a Holmes fan you need this in your library."
"Gave this as a gift."
"Purchased for my wife."
"Great book for all fans of Sherlock."
Best Classic Action & Adventure
William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests—for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love—that's thrilling and timeless. Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams? As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the "S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. Eventually to be adapted for the silver screen, THE PRINCESS BRIDE was originally a beautifully simple, insightfully comic story of what happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince in the world--and he turnsout to be a son of a bitch. Guaranteed to entertain both young and old alike by combining scenes of rowsing fantasy with hilarious reality, THE PRINCESS BRIDE secures Goldman's place as a master storyteller.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"William Goldman's story telling is pure genius, writing from a satirical 1st person perspective of how he created an abridged version of an old non-fictional book from a fictional country written by a fictional author. As you read through the "abridged version" you will frequently stumble across familiar lines you've come to love from the film ("INCONCEIVABLE!"). After reading the book you'll have a newfound appreciation for the movie which you'll see is a fantastic adaptation, and you'll have a fantastic time wrapped around Goldman's hilarious finger as he guides you through a truly wonderful story that feels exactly like the timeless classic we've enjoyed watching for years."
"Buy this book people."
"I had seen Princess Bride many years ago and enjoyed it."
"I have yet 2meet a guy who doesn't love this movie!"
"What can one say that hasn’t been said about this incredible masterpiece of a film?"
"A timeless classic filled with action, romance, suspense, duels, betrayals, and ROUS's!"
"I watched it again this afternoon, and laughed at some of the scenes and lines that I had forgotten (although there were many scenes too memorable to forget)."
"There are so many classic lines originating from this film, you really must watch it if you have never seen it - or watch it again if it has been a while since you last enjoyed it."
Best 17th Century Literary Criticism
A new single-volume edition of an early anti-slavery novel When Prince Oroonoko’s passion for the virtuous Imoinda arouses the jealousy of his grandfather, the lovers are cast into slavery and transported from Africa to the colony of Surinam. She wrote poetry, short stories, stage plays, and political propaganda for the Tory party, as well as her great amorous and political novel, Love Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"All the extra contextual information is extremely helpful."
"It's interesting and has some weird plot turns, but I've had to read it for college lit classes too many times!"
"This book was okay, I had to read it for college."
"It seems to be full of exaggeration, taking full advantage of controlling the story, and is fairly predictable."
"It was in good shape and came in a timely manner."
"sent as a gift - loved this book."
"This book arrived on time and met the expectations provided by the vendor."
Best 16th Century Literary Criticism
The Year of Lear sheds light on these three great tragedies by placing them in the context of their times, while also allowing us greater insight into how Shakespeare was personally touched by such events as a terrible outbreak of plague and growing religious divisions. James Shapiro is the Larry Miller Professor of English at Columbia University and the award-winning author of several books, including 1599 and Contested Will.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What Shapiro does in “The Year of Lea6r” is provide a convincing portrait of how the plays fit into the context of the social and political events happening at the time. Shakespeare would likely have been writing “King Lear” in late 1605, when the news of the Gunpowder Plot – the plan to blow up the royal family and Parliament on Nov. 5 – rocked the country. The trials of the conspirators continued in early 1606, and Shapiro shows how the plot affected Shakespeare’s writing of the great tragedy of Lear. Other significant events of 1606 that would have been influencing Shakespeare with all three plays were the desire by King James for union between England and Scotland, a desire that would be frustrated for another century; the always simmering religious controversy, bubbled to the surface by the Gunpowder Plot which was often called the “Jesuit Treason;” various cases of suspected witchcraft (James I had written a book on the subject); and recurring outbreaks of the plague."
"If anything, Shapiro's "The Year of Lear" surpasses his work in "A Year in the Life.""
"We are astounded today at the level of religious hatred and persecution that existed in the court of James I, and of his inability to get the parliament to go along with his plan for union of England and Scotland."
"This look at the years around Shakespeare's writing of King Lear was fascinating reading for me."
"This book adds a new dimension to Shakespeare's play."
"Even better than his earlier work, but the two are complementary."
"A genuinely interesting account of Shakespeare in an incredible year of his creative life."
"The same author wrote the earlier A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599."
Best 18th Century Literary Criticism
A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire—though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. Alice Wakely completed a doctoral dissertation on Samuel Richardson at Magdalen College, Oxford, and is currently at the University of York. His books include Richardson's Clarissa and the 18th Century Reader (1992), Sterne, the Moderns, and the Novel (2002), and co-edited with John Mee, The Cambridge Companion to English Literature 1740-1830 (2004).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The History of Tom Jones: a foundling by Henry Fielding (Novel-Audible/E Book-Fiction) 5* I read along with the Audible of the novel which I found a highly delightful and entertaining experience."
"An impatient reader might be tempted to skip these, but that would mean missing a lot of worthwhile and enjoyable reading. The biggest problem is that the excellent notes often have a reference to another note, with the page number, e.g., a note might be only "See note on page 85." However, there is never a link to these earlier notes, and when reading a Kindle, finding the note on page 85 is not an easy matter."
"I started reading this book in version which included artistic illustrations."
"Excellent edition of this timeless classic, which I decided to re-read (after four decades) when I learned that Trollope considered it possibly the greatest English novel (up to his time, of course)."
"The writing is a bit hard to follow sometimes."
"Long but must-read example of early English literature."
"I never got bored, it was a bit hard to read being the way it was written from that time period but the handy dictionary took care of that."
"Tom Jones is one of the first novels ever and is considered to be one of the three most perfectly planned plots ever written."
Best 20th Century Literary Criticism
Named to Amazon’s Best of the Year 2017 in Humor & Entertainment List An affectionate, nostalgic, and unflinchingly funny celebration of the horror fiction boom of the 1970s and ’80s. Take a tour through the horror paperback novels of two iconic decades . “As important and essential to the genre as Stephen King's Danse Macabre and Kim Newman's Nightmare Movies. “Horror fiction is alive and well, and Paperbacks from Hell is a grand, affectionate, and informative celebration of the genre.”—NY Journal of Books. I grew up reading these crazy things, and Grady Hendrix gleefully excavates this rich yet overlooked vein in the horror genre. “Hendrix’s infectious zeal for killer creatures and the undead make Paperbacks from Hell truly enjoyable.”—Fine Books Magazine. “National treasure Grady Hendrix follows his classic account of a haunted IKEA-like furniture showroom, Horrorstцr (2014), with a nostalgia-soaked ghost story, My Best Friend’s Exorcism.”—The Wall Street Journal. “Take The Exorcist, add some hair spray and wine coolers, and enroll it in high school in 1988 — that'll give you My Best Friend's Exorcism… Campy. “It’s clever, heartfelt, and get-under-your-skin unnerving without succumbing to any of the more predictable exorcism story tropes — things happen in this book that you will not expect. “Sharply written...Hendrix has made strong progress as a novelist, and this book makes a convincing case for his powers as a sharp observer of human behavior, filtered through a fun genre conceit that doesn’t skimp on the spooky—or the bodily fluids.”—The A.V. “Readers who thought Heathers wasn’t quite bleak enough will find this darkly humorous horror tale—filled with spot-on 80s pop-culture references—totally awesome.”—Booklist, starred review. “[Hendrix proves his] own black-magic mettle by conjuring up an era where ill-informed paranoia (and just plain ding-dongness) turned some of the quietest corners of America into fear factories, full of deep-rooted distrust and misspent rage. “If The Exorcist had been authored by Tina Fey instead of William Peter Blatty, it might have borne an uncanny resemblance to what Grady Hendrix has accomplished with My Best Friend’s Exorcism...Fans of satire, nostalgia, dark comedy and, well, demons should read this book.”—BookPage.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My brother got me hooked on horror and I have read quite alot of the earlier horror books mentioned in this book. PAPERBACKS FROM HELL is a MUST for anyone who goes for the horror genre & who wants to get an education on the books, the authors and the artists that created them."
"I am a huge horror buff whether it be fiction book or in movie form, it does not matter to me.....if I need to watch it I'll watch it, if I need to read it I'll read it. In fact some of these books have actually been turned into video games and movies like "The Guardians" was turned into a video game, "Jaws" was turned into a movie so was "The Amityville Horror", "The Omen" and so many more including some gothic horror and my personal favorite book (and movie) of all time "Flowers in the Attic" by VC Andrews. I don't want to give it all away or spoil it so I'm not going to tell you about any of the others listed because I want you to read this book."
"I hope the Horror Writers of America give this book an award in nonfiction category, a book about horror titles of the 80s."
"This was a bit of a trip down the fabled Memory Lane for me."
"I scared myself silly during the early 80s with these books from my mom's bookshelf."
"Well researched and written, this volume is a fun stroll down memory lane combined with a checklist for many books I didn't know about."
"Simply amazing research and takes me back to my teens reading all of my mother's dog-eared paperbacks."
"What a steal--the photos alone make this book worth well beyond its price."
Best 21st Century Literary Criticism
Since the global turn to neoliberalism in the late 1970s, all the major movements within literary studies have been diagnostic rather than interventionist in character: scholars have developed sophisticated techniques for analyzing culture, but they have retreated from systematic attempts to transform it. In this respect, the political potential of current literary scholarship compares poorly with that of earlier critical modes, which, for all their faults, at least had a programmatic commitment to cultural change. Joseph North offers a bold and counterintuitive perspective on the history of criticism: that the turn toward reading texts in cultural-historical contexts is not a sign of the radicalization of literary studies but rather the opposite. North argues for a return to criticism―defined as a concern with aesthetic education and the cultivation of subjectivity―in order to revitalize literary studies and reconnect it to social and political life. North’s style is disarmingly lucid and self-assured; his reminds me of the work produced by an earlier kind of scholar, the sort who imagined a general audience. As devastating as it is meticulous, North’s analysis is a tour de force demonstration of what close reading can bring to light and why it would be a tragedy if the discipline ever gave it up.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's rare that I feel this way about a work of literary criticism, but this is a genuine must-read for anyone in the field."