5 comments about Mistress Masham's Repose.

1. Although one of White's lesser-known works, to my mind it's easily one of his best (Anne Fine regards it as her favourite children's book). The concept of Lilliputians living in an English landscape garden is superb, and White develops his theme in wonderfully enticing ways - and always with his typical 'feel' for character and setting. There's so much to enjoy in this tale - still a classic after 60 years.



2. As kids, both my brother and I considered this one of our favorite books - and we did a LOT of reading. I can't tell you how many times I read it. Our copy was lost at some point, so I am thrilled that it is back in print so I can now read it to my own children. My kids are 3 and 6, so still a bit young for this book, but I'll probably buy a copy now for my own pleasure, and another for my brother.
   I have always loved books that lead you to another book, and I just had to read "Gulliver's Travels" after reading this one. As a kid, much of it went over my head, but I still enjoyed it. Now that I think about it, I should re-read that one too...



3. After finishing university T. H. White worked as a teacher in the Stowe School which occupies a gigantic former Baroque stately home: here he conceived of the idea of Malplaquet, modeled after the greatest of all British country homes, Blenheim Palace, where the Dukes of Marlborough have lived and where Winston Churchill was born and raised. Malplaquet, an imaginary dilapidated repository of all its nation's history (we find out the Princes in the Tower were executed in its medieval dungeon, which also contains the ax which beheaded Charles I), would make a wonderful setting for any book, but rather than use it for a Gothic (the obvious choice), here White had the inspiration to make it the setting for a children's fantasy. White's mansion is not only the home of the little girl Maria who has inherited the estate (and not much else) and her warders--some cruel, some kind--but also a group of Lilliputians brought over from their island home during the time of Swift, whom Maria encounters one day. Maria's encounter with the Lilliputians becomes for her a means for learning about the nature of tyranny--both that exercised over herself by her guardian the Vicar Mr. Hater and her governess Miss Brown, but also that she herself can hardly keep herself from exercising over the Lilliputian community hidden on her estate.
   
   This is a children's book that, to be honest, will best be appreciated by adults. White imagined his readers not only familiar with GULLIVER'S TRAVELS but also with some of the history of seventeenth and eighteenth-century England: American children particularly today would be confused as to who Mistresses Masham and Morley were, or what Malplaquet is named after, or even who Gulliver was. And their patience might well be tried by White's love of Wodehousean "types": the bluff Lord Lieutenant with an obsession with horses and hounds, and Maria's mentor the absent-minded and esoteric antiquarian the Professor . But adults (and even older children) should love this book, and its well-structured narrative is a real pleasure.



4. As an American child of about 10, I acquired a battered copy of this book along with a bunch of children's books from a family friend whose children had outgrown them. As other reviewers suggest, I was mystified by much of the book (the poet Pope?) but I still found it a great adventure story and loved the illustrations. It didn't hurt that I resembled Maria myself (a bookish tomboy with glasses--thank God for LASIK). I have re-read the book with pleasure on a number of occasions and now understand the references, but I wouldn't hesitate to give this book to an intelligent American child today. Perhaps it would prompt him or her to learn more about British history and literature. I'm glad to see it has been reprinted.



5. I first learned of Mistress Masham's Repose during a game of charades. (Can you imagine trying to act out this title, especially since it's a book so few people have heard of?) I had already read and loved The Once and Future King, and set out to find a copy. I have read this book three times over the past 20 years. Each time it strikes me anew as such a wonderfully funny, sweet and substantial novel. It could be that the title itself is what kept it from becoming a classic alongside Wind in the Willows and A Wrinkle in Time. Read this book! Buy this book for all the book-loving children in your life!

4 comments about James Goes Buzz Buzz (Step into Reading).

1. This book is one of my 3 yr old son's favorites. After hearing
   it only twice he is now "reading" it to us. The pictures are very bright and colorful and bring the story to life. A great gift for any Thomas fan. Also check out Thomas, Percy and the Dragon and Happy Birthday Thomas in this series. We've read them so much we may have to get new copies...



2. Just a Note: There is a mistake in the text. Poor Trevor is described as a "Tractor Engine". How ridiculous. Trevor is a "Traction" engine. Ok...I feel better now. LOL.
   
   In any case... we love these little books. Despite what the recommended age ranges suggest they a good for younger Thomas lovers as well. The drawings are colorful and the stories are fun and amusing; and as the previous reviewer has noted, young children can 'read' this themselves after a few times through.
   
   "Step 2" refers to the Preschool through Grade 1 reading range, which means "Reading with Help". Sentences are short with 'basic vocabulary'.
   
   An example from the book:
   "Bees are very loud!" said James.
   "Do not make them mad," said Trevor. "They may sting you!"
   "Hmmmph!" said James. "I am not scared of a bunch of bees!"
   James puffed off.
   
   Hopefully the above will help you gage whether this book is appropriate for your child. My suggestion though would be to get the book anyway. If they can't read it now, they will be able to in the future.
   
   Five stars. One of the Classic Thomas Stories.



3. My 2 1/2 year old son loves the "Thomas" books in the Step into Reading series, but James Goes Buzz Buzz is his favorite by far. My wife and I bought it for him for St. Nicholas's day (along with 3 others listed below), and since then he has read it every day, multiple times a day, and like the another reviewer's son, he knows the words. He liked them all so much, we could not resist buying him three more for Christmas.
   
   For early readers and Thomas fans, this book is a must, as well as "Happy Birthday Thomas", "Thomas and Percy and the Dragon", and "The Great Race".



4. My husband bought this book on a whim at a bookstore, and my daughter has loved it ever since ! We began to read it to her at the age of 18 months, and it really encouraged her to learn about James. She would often make the buzzing noise whenever we arrived to that area in the book. The book has become a favorite in her collection. The reason that I gave it 4 stars, rather than 5 stars, is that the paperback version can become a little ragged after many readings, but I always feel that this is a mark of a beloved book!

No comments about Town House: Architecture and Material Life in the Early American City, 1780-1830.

4 comments about The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth.

1. More story than history, more history than archaeology, Mrs. Ulrich's wonderful book, "The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth" is really something special.

   Mrs. Ulrich walks us through history by examining a collection of early American objects. From baskets to cupboards to cloth, Mrs. Ulrich looks at the stories behind each piece and the implications of "homespun" (homemade, useful items) on the larger picture of history.

   I am impressed by the keen and loving eye Mrs. Ulrich brings to her work. The background information on each type of these items must be vast, but Mrs. Ulrich seems to have an easy fluency in all of them. She combines this knowledge with a passion for history and a flair for storytelling. What results is a wonderful book.

   The effect of struggle on craft-making and the effect of craft-making on conflict within history casts light on a little observed part of our history. Likewise, it gives us much to ponder about the future.

   I give "The Age of Homespun" a hearty recommendation.




2. Excellent book! I had no idea that provenance could be so exciting! Ms. Ulrich is detail oriented and that is definitely a plus. She'll begin talking about a seemingly simple basket then launch into a social history of the place, people and time that basket was used by examining articles and announcements in the newspaper lining the basket. Brilliant! I learned so much about our America that I didn't know. Lemuel Haynes, revered 18th century black Reverend, wow! I was shocked and amused to find that people were struggling with what to do with the homeless back in 1795! What a complex and interesting place we live in. As a huge fan of American history I found this book to be a treasure. Read it if you want to know more about your American self.



3. Read this book to find out how the impulse to fill our closets with old textiles and oddments fulfills a cultural tradition so deeply imbedded that it may as well be a genetic imperative. Ulrich's sensitive descriptions of the nuances of colonial society explain how bits of fabric evoke class distinctions, wealth, and a sense of self worth. Perhaps even more interestingly, the interpretations that the decendants give to these items tell us more about their contemporary society than genuine colonial history -- something to muse over as we wish for the "good old days" (My goodness, who would EVER have thought the 1970's would be something to remember fondly?!?)

   This is a scholarly book, and the earlier review that suggests readers may be tempted to give up halfway through is correct. Stick with it though -- there are rewarding insights in the final chapters. Throughout, the early colonial history is fascinating and the personal details are tantalizing.




4. The Age of Homespun was an age created out of American myth, but behind this mythology Laurel Thatcher Ulrich has found many treasures of true lives led. The author takes fourteen objects and spins out a story of cultures clashing and times changing. It is a fascinating series of narratives richly written with economy and style. Ulrich is most effective in showing the Indian struggle in this settlers' Age of Homespun. The author leaves no one out of the story and her selection of objects reflects this care as she cleverly creates a complete mosiac for this age. The only struggle I had with the book was my own ignorance of spinning, weaving, carding, etc., therefore being confused by some of the terms and concepts. An interesting book and a pleasure to read.

5 comments about A Railroad Atlas of the United States in 1946: Volume 2: New York & New England (Creating the North American Landscape).

1. I give this book 5 stars, but I give the Amazon.com review function web page 1 star. I wrote a several paragraph review of this book, but this site apparently lost it before it was posted. I don't have time to regenerate it completely. Parts of a draft that I had saved, follows.
   
   If you have ever been driving down a road, have noticed either existing or abandoned railroad roadbed along your route, and have wondered what railroad it once belonged to, then Richard Carpenter's new railroad atlas series may answer your question. Volume 2 continues the series that began with the first volume, covering the mid-Atlantic states.
   
   Each standard map in this atlas corresponds to a U.S. Geological Survey 1:100,000 (30-minute quadrangle) topographic map. Carpenter used topographic evidence of both existing and long abandoned railroad rights-of-way, along with considerable other historical data. He then drew simple color line maps of those rights-of-way, leaving off most of the terrain features and all roads. But the maps do show all major political boundaries (state, county, and larger city). Large rivers are included, along with the direction of flow. And along the rail lines, all tunnels, stations, major bridges and viaducts, coaling stations, interlocking towers, and other railroad facilities are indicated, including their names. Interchanges, however, are not clearly noted, nor are numbers of tracks, sidings, or spurs. Rail lines that were recently abandoned, as of 1946, are shown as dotted lines. Where trackage is more concentrated, such as in major metropolitan areas, supplemental larger scale (greater magnification) maps are provided.
   
   This atlas is not limited to Class I railroads, as there are over 150 different railroads that appear on its pages. I encountered the names of dozens of smaller lines that I had never heard of, though many were wholly owned or leased subsidiaries of the Class I lines, in 1946.
   
   The author chose 1946 for several reasons. First, it was near the peak of the U.S. railroad system in terms of total mileage, that peak being over 254,000 route miles. Second, it was during a period of relative stability in the number of U.S. railroad companies; between 1920 and 1950, only five major railroad mergers and consolidations took place. Third, the author wanted to document the railroad network that provided the necessary means of transportation to support President Roosevelt's "arsenal of democracy."
   
   I have bought volumes 1 and 2, and will probably continue with the entire series.



2. Carpenter is a man obsessed with railroads. His maps are a testamony to his obsession and an important document to what was once a great rail network in the US. I am waiting for Volume 3.



3. Volume 2 of the extensive rail reference atlas focuses on New York and New England in 1946 - and there are so many rail lines, the narrowed focus and separate volume are needed. The heart of A Railroad Atlas Of The United States In 1946 Volume 2 lines in color line maps on every page of rail lines. From New Hampshire and Maine to Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New York, maps chart each track and stops along the way and will prove invaluable to researchers.



4. I must open by saying that the Railroad Atlas is in fact a comprehensive and valuable source of information; a "labor of love" in the strictest sense. If you have an interest in seeing how and where the various railroads ran and what stations and facilities were on them in the immediate post-war and pre-merger era, then this book is a must-have.
   
   However, the prospective purchaser should be aware that the maps which form the heart of this atlas are not the slick and professionally produced products that we have been spoiled with in the recent years of the information age. They are obviously hand-drawn, and to be honest they look like something done on a kitchen table with a box of felt-tip markers. The basic map information was traced--carefully, but obviously by hand--from USGS topographic maps, and then the railroad information was added.
   
   I am not trying to put off any prospective purchaser, and in fact I intend to purchase the remainder of the series. However, I think that you should be aware of the quality of the presentation in advance. As long as you don't expect something that looks like it was turned out by the draftsmen at Rand McNally you should be fine.



5. This book (hardcover), has to weigh a couple of pounds and is ALL maps. It shows the physical plant of Northeast railroading just after World War II. If you are fortunate enough to have a collection of individual railroad-issued maps you will know the routes that these railroads ran, but this book will show you just WHAT was along the routes. Items such as stations, interlocking plants, junctions etc are listed. As a practical aside, if you are reading an issue of a railroad magazine that highlights an area like Maybrook yard in New York, the maps in this book can help you follow the story accurately!. The ONLY thing this book has that keeps it from being a 5-star is that all of the maps are drawn in ink instead of some other reproduction process. For a map affectionado(sic)? like myself this is not a problem, but if someone is wanting a coffee-table picture book with maps, then this book is not for you. For everyone else, HIGHLY recommended!

No comments about eat.shop.boston: The Indispensible Guide to Stylishly Unique, Locally Owned Eating and Shopping (eat.shop guides series).

1 comments about Sea Kayaking along the New England Coast, 2nd.

1. A delightful collection of ocean kayaking trips along the entire New England coast, from Maine to Connecticut. The book describes more than 30 trips in detail: put-in spots, suggested route, possible lunch spots, scenery, caution areas, campsites, and local-knowledge items such as what tide is required for a passage, plus post-paddling eating establishments. Venn covers both day trips and multi-day camping expeditions. The author has clearly done her research in planning each trip, incorporating her own knowledge and experience with that of local paddlers who have done these trips for years. Venn's style is easy to read and follow, and if you have a navigational chart of the area it is very easy to map her suggested route using her text descriptions and the maps provided. The introduction contains very brief overviews of such general topics as equipment, navigation, and rescues, but because of the limited space delegated them, these topics are best covered elsewhere. Overall, this is an immensely useful book with enough detail so you know what to expect before you drive to the boat launch. If you live in New England, I highly recommend it.

1 comments about Hawthorne: Tales and Sketches (Library of America College Editions).

1. The story concerns a massive bonfire in which the people of the world, convinced that their modern society has reached a state of near perfection,
   determine to burn up all the outdated old knowledge from Man's dark past :

   Once upon a time - but whether in the time past or time to come, is a matter of little or no moment- this wide world had become
   so overburthened with an accumulation of worn-out trumpery, that the inhabitants determined to rid themselves of it by a general
   bonfire. The site fixed upon, at the representation of the insurance companies, and as being as central a spot as any other on the
   globe, was one of the broadest prairies of the West, where no human habitation would be endangered by the flames, and where
   a vast assemblage of spectators might commodiously admire the show. Having a taste for sights of this kind, and imagining,
   likewise, that the illumination of the bonfire might reveal some profundity or moral truth, heretofore hidden in mist or darkness,
   I made it convenient to journey thither and be present.

   As our narrator watches, into the flames go all of literature and art, the titles and insignias of rank, the decorations and medals bestowed upon
   soldiers, the weapons, the fashionable clothing, the liquor and tobacco, the clerical vestments and the church buildings entire, all the accretions of
   Western civilization, until even the Bible is added :

   [A]s the final sacrifice of human error, what else remained to be thrown upon the embers of that awful pile, except the Book,
   which, though a celestial revelation to past ages, was but a voice from a lower sphere, as regarded the present race of man?
   It was done! Upon the blazing heap of falsehood and worn-out truth- things that the earth had never needed, or had ceased to need,
   or had grown childishly weary of- fell the ponderous church Bible, the great old volume, that had lain so long on the cushion
   of the pulpit, and whence the pastor's solemn voice had given holy utterance on so many a Sabbath day.

   And so, purified in the flame, and rid of all of the hoary old thoughts that had been holding mankind back for so long, the reformers prepare to face
   their perfect future. The former executioners, who have cast into the fire the implements used by the various nations for administering capital
   punishment, commiserate about how they will no longer have any work, now that Man is perfect, but a stranger interrupts their reverie :

   'The best counsel for all of us is,' remarked the hangman, 'that- as soon as we have finished the last drop of liquor- I help you,
   my three friends, to a comfortable end upon the nearest tree, and then hang myself on the same bough. This is no world for us
   any longer.'

   'Poh, poh, my good fellows!' said a dark-complexioned personage, who now joined the group- his complexion was indeed
   fearfully dark, and his eyes glowed with a redder light than that of the bonfire- 'Be not so cast down, my dear friends;
   you shall see good days yet. There is one thing that these wiseacres have forgotten to throw into the fire, and without which
   all the rest of the conflagration is just nothing at all; yes- though they had burnt the earth itself to a cinder.'

   'And what may that be?' eagerly demanded the last murderer.

   'What but the human heart itself!' said the dark-visaged stranger, with a portentous grin. 'And unless they hit upon some method
   of purifying that foul cavern, forth from it will reissue all the shapes of wrong and misery-the same old shapes, or worse ones-
   which they have taken such a vast deal of trouble to consume to ashes. I have stood by, this live-long night, and laughed in my
   sleeve at the whole business. Oh, take my word for it, it will be the old world yet!'

   This brief conversation supplied me with a theme for lengthened thought. How sad a truth- if true it were- that Man's age-long
   endeavor for perfection had served only to render him the mockery of the Evil Principle, from the fatal circumstance of an error
   at the very root of the matter! The heart-the heart- there was the little yet boundless sphere, wherein existed the original wrong,
   of which the crime and misery of this outward world were merely types. Purify that inward sphere; and the many shapes of evil
   that haunt the outward, and which now seem almost our only realities, will turn to shadowy phantoms, and vanish of their own
   accord. But if we go no deeper than the Intellect, and strive, with merely that feeble instrument, to discern and rectify what is
   wrong, our whole accomplishment will be a dream; so unsubstantial, that it matters little whether the bonfire, which I have so
   faithfully described, were what we choose to call a real event, and a flame that would scorch the finger- or only a phosphoric
   radiance, and a parable of my own brain!

   For good reason does he call this tale a '"parable", for in just a few pages Hawthorne presents several of the central themes that unify his work,
   ideas which form the very core of the conservative critique : that Man's sinfulness is an immutable part of his character; that rationalists, reformers,
   and progressives delude themselves with their utopian notions of the perfectibility of Man; that in their delusion they do incalculable damage to the
   culture, while leaving human nature untouched; and that, no matter the "progress" they make, evil lurks, waiting to rear its ugly head and shatter
   their dreams.

   GRADE : A+

3 comments about Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief (Library of Religious Biography Series).

1. As a lay person, knowing more of Roger Lundin's academic reputation than of Emily Dickinson's life and work, I was intimidated by the prospect of reading his biography of the poet, "Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief." However, as the foreword assures us, this book is not meant for the "cognoscenti" alone, but for us "uninitiated outsiders" as well. And as the departing shore of the book's introduction became faint, I found only the calm seas and smooth sailing of a real page turner. I was soon fascinated by Dickinson's enigmatic life as Lundin carefully unfolded the practical details of her life in nineteenth century Amherst, as well as her development as a poet, an intellectual, and a religious thinker in an era on the edge of modernity. One of the most poignant themes in the book was Dickinson's progressive reclusiveness--and for all the reasons Lundin gives for it, I wasn't completely satisfied until the very last chapter. A surprising dimension of the book is the discussion of Emily's political, cultural, and religious milieu--which we eventually come to learn is key to understanding Dickinson's discomfiting questions and world view. The only fault I find in the book is not at Lundin's hand, but Emily herself. Though she leaves us in awe of her literary genius and spiritual sensitivity, her seemingly selfish reclusiveness and her failure to ever clearly declare the state of her soul left me feeling sorry for her. Although I have been taught never to judge in these matters, as a Christian I can't help but wonder, "was she or wasn't she?" Did she ever make the leap of faith? Lundin never gives us a definitive "yes" or "no," but yet gives enough data that we can make our own educated determination. I only hope that when I have "forded the mystery" and turn the corner of Heaven, I will find Emily at the feet of Jesus, having set aside her pondering pen, happy and content to finally be a bride. "Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief" gives me that much hope



2. This book is a rarity: a work of biography and literary criticism that isn't a chore to plow through. Roger Lundin's style, unlike that of most academics who pursue the great classics of literature, is lucid and uncomplicated. There isn't, as I recall, a tortured sentence in the entire book.
   
   Besides this not-to-be-discounted virtue, there are other important ones as well. Since the book is guided by Lundin's thesis, which has to do with issues of faith as they are expressed in Dickinson's work, the focus is tight, producing a similarly focused narrative. No time is wasted on speculations about Dickinson's sex life, for example, though the readily verifiable is certainly reviewed in the pages of the book. About Dickinson's relationship with the man she came close to marrying, Otis P. Lord, we'd probably like to hear more. But again, the record is incomplete because much of the correspondence between the principals was destroyed, and Lundin doesn't overstep, sticking to what can be proved.
   
   This is not strictly a critical biography, so those poems tjat Lundin examines are considered only briefly--just closely enough to explain their relationship to his thesis. Lundin chooses judiciously, as he does among the letters and personal accounts centering on Dickinson. Besides, he relates Dickinson's thinking on matters of faith to spiritual and intellectual trends in 19th-century America, and this is among the most important features of the work, especially since he cites a number of noted authorities on the place of religion in American history. If you have any interest in such issues, Lundin's citations will probably send you on a further quest.
   
   Only rarely did I say to myself, "I'd like to hear more about that topic." Lundin develops his thesis with skill and with great sympathy for his subject. He certainly doesn't explain the enigma that is Emily Dickinson, but he moves us closer to an understanding of this frustratingly, fascinatingly complex artist.



3. I have been obsessed with the life of Dickinson for more than 20 years, and I had high hopes that this author would fill in some gaps that the other 15 or 20 E.D. books had not. In that wish, I was unfulfilled, although the author gives it a great try. I did learn more than I knew before about the "general" protestant currents in Emily's New England between 1830-1880, but the Queen Recluse emerges from Lundlin's examination of her apparent beefs with, and beliefs about, Christianity as still "a puzzlement." For other E.D. compulsives, I think this is a must-own, but for casual poetry fans, it probably is not an essential addition to their shelf. For any serious Emily explorer, Richard Sewell's massive 1974 "Life of Emily Dickinson" remains the Mount Everest that must be scaled, and the most satisfying look at her life, poetry and prose.

No comments about Diners Of New England.