If you read my review of the general Paris book, you know that I think it is the best, but the restaraunt/hotel information in the back of that book is dated, well here is the fix for that. Unfortunately I only had this book on one trip, my last, over the pond, however if you wanted to have dinner at a new and fascinating place every afternoon and night, this is what to use. My mom, an art deco fan, used this book to find the perfect restaraunt. I used it to find a restaraunt built into a 1000 year old basement, not to mention fois gras vendors! This book is worth every penny, as so much in Paris revolves around meals, and the meals and folks in the restaraunts are so interesting, you in fact, need this book. While large portions of France have lost their Catholicism, they still have one universal religion: FOOD! Pick this book up, a Bible!

I like the Knopf Guides in general for their luxurious illustrations, diagrams and their tangental information.In this guide such things as typical menus, historical data, elaborate diagrams (such as the fold out of Train Bleu) and literary references make it more than a guide indeed it properly sits on the nightstand as grist for exciting dreams of historical Parisian Gastronomy.

Richly illustrated book including descriptions of famous restaraunts as well as the history of the Paris restaurant scene.

I am leaving for France again this week and I can hardly put the book down.

James Cannon reveals himself as a scrapper from the old school - equipped with a sense of humour, great finesse and lots of courage. In the pages of this book, he recounts the beginning of his political life. It's the story of thousands of men and women in the United States who were inspired by the Russian revolution in 1917, a revolution that was the creation of workers and farmers just like them, but who became disoriented by Stalin's crimes. Despite all the setbacks, a lot of these people still sought a path to victory over the injustices meted out by the bosses, the KKK and the warmongers preparing World War II. Cannon regales the reader with tales of debates and actions by communists who plunged into the huge union strike battles of the 1930s, who organized to gain a hearing from the new generation - and who exhibited incredible tactical agility and political imagination! A very readable book - a good present for a young person. Makes you want to follow in the footsteps of Cannon and his cohorts, and dare to build something better than the future offered us by Chrétien, Bush, Blair and company.

« Le trotskysme n'est pas un nouveau mouvement, une nouvelle doctrine, mais la restauration, la renaissance du marxisme véritable tel qu'il a été exposé et appliqué au cours de la révolution russe et des premiers jours de l'Internationale communiste. »

C'est avec ces mots que commence cette histoire magnifique du mouvement ouvrière révolutionnaire dans les Etats-unis entre 1920 y 1940. C'est un livre qu'on peut lire comme un romain, mais qui exige la lecture attentive pour pouvoir obtenir toutes ces richesses. Un livre qui doit être dans la bibliothèque de chaque travailleur militant.

James P. Cannon était un jeune militant des Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), membre fondateur y dirigeant de Parti Communiste aux Etats-unis dans les années 1920, dirigeant des militants que ont lutté contre la dégénération staliniste du mouvement communiste et secrétaire national du Parti Socialiste des Travailleurs. L'histoire raconté dans cette livre présent des exemples importants de direction ouvrière, questions de théorie et programme dans le développement d'un parti prolétarienne, du travail de masses, el la vie interne du parti. Il analyse les événements mondiales les plus importantes -- la victoire de la révolution russe, la crise économique y el auge de lutte ouvrière des années 1930, le fascisme, le stalinisme, la guerre civile en Espagne ... Toutes pour aider une nouvelle génération de militants de connaître su histoire et préparer mieux les luttes ouvrières aujourd'hui.

Cannon never explains numbers here. Yet, this is the history of a group of revolutionists who went from two or three leaders of the Communist party who learned of Trotsky's critique of Stalin, to a group of a few dozens--The Generals without an Army they were called. They went from only a few to merging and mixingwith new currents of workers who came forward as the CIO Upsurge came forward. Their principles helped spark the organization of revolutionary workers in the great strikes in Minneapolis in 1934 and aftewrards, and then to influence workers in the sit down strikes in Flint and Dearborn and Detroit, and to lead demonstrations of tens of thousands against American Nazis. Then to find thousands of young workers, intellectuals, and student youth in the Socialist party and battle the reformists there, to build Found the Socialist Workers party, founded with thousands of members before World War II. But this is not about those numbers. Through most of history, real revolutionists real communists have been forced to fight in small organizations like the movement Cannon built. What this is about is the principles, the ideas, the lessons, the history, how to do things theoretically, how to do them practically, and how to do them right. Like all of Cannon's writing, there is so much humor, wit, and much wisdom about not only politics but life on this planet in general.

Beginning with a physical description of the British Isles, touching lightly on the earliest cultures of man indigenous to the region, Adams's story really begins with the coming of the Germanic, fairhaired Celts sometime in the 1,000 years before Christ. Britain's literature begins with its myths and legends. This book is an entertaining outline of English history as the background of its literature.

About the legends of Ireland, for example, Adams writes, "There are a great many more stories than the 'Ulster cycle" of Celtic legend, and there is another entire cycle of primitive stories from the south of Ireland, dealing with Finn MacCool, his trusty band of Fenian comrades, and his son the warrior-poet Ossian. Readers of Yeats and Joyce will recognize, again and again, in the characters and episodes of ancient Irish legend, the origins of persons and events, as well as the point of hundreds of allusions, in these modern writers."

Adams does not pretend to write a comprehensive book without prejudice. "There are two long stories to tell," he writes, " and very little space to tell them, other elements of the background must be treated only intermittently...I make no apology for having introduced my own enthusiasms into the literary commentary." After all, it IS his book. He gets to choose what to say and how to say it. It's well that he doesn't apologize because his "enthusiasms" are what makes the book readable and delightful.

This isn't an anthology -- the reader will have to track down copies of works but there's a bibliography and references to writers and their publications are plentiful. He doesn't confine himself to just the well-known literary works, but offers examples of lesser-known works, as well.

This is reading that will give you insight into your travels as well as suggest fascinating new books that will challenge you to see modern writing in a new light. It's an additional perspective on English literature that you'll enjoy pursuing.

This book is an excellent overview of British history prior to 1950 or so. Think of it as a combination "British history for dummies" and detailed time-line of events and literature. Literature and history are undeniably intertwined in real life, and this book reflects that remarkably well. It does talk about literature in detail, but this book is probably better for history buffs or as a companion to a literature book.

Portions of this book are in my British Literature II book. The various things covered include medieval & modern coinage and titles for the peerage -- both chapters are very informative and well-written. Those two chapters alone make this a good buy for anyone who needs resources on Britain. Writers who place their fictional worlds in historic times and fantasy ought to find this a valuable investment.

This is the most affectionate writing on Portugal I've encountered in English. Pure pleasure from beginning to end. Note the incisive comparison between Spaniards and the Portuguese. I can tell you it's right on the money. There are things in this book that would escape the notice of a native, so it's a particular treat for Portuguese-Americans.

I initially read this book because of the author's great bird hunting book, Pheasants of the Mind. I have read 100's of books and it is one of the best explorations of a place and its culture I have seen. I wish I could find others like it.

I can't believe this book is out of print! Proper combines three aspects of Portugal to create his richly evocative book: his relationship to the land through trout fishing, his relationships to old and new Portuguese friends, and his sensitive portrayal of the way the past informs modern life in Portugal. You'll smell the fresh bread, frolic with Camoes's nymphs, and feel the sun in the Algarve. A terrific book.

Legends of the Pond is a delightful book filled with incredible short stories of ingenious people that reflects a 300-year span.

As a N.H. native, I found myself reliving the past through the mythical and magical writing ability of the Author. This book created a tremendous imagination allowing me to wander back through the familiar rural towns of N.H. and relive their past, especially among the impressive Abenaki Indians and their culture.

I highly recommend this book as the Author has skillfully written something worth reading for everyone including a chapter on the First American in Space, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. of Derry, N.H.

New England is fancinating and full of stories and legends. This book takes you to that time. The author shares his time consuming research to provide us a glimse of yesterday. Living in New Hampshire myself, I have been to America's Stonehenge. I have seen Big Island Pond and stepped on Escumbuit Island. The author who I have met, is a wonderful individual who cares about detail. If you like legends, if you like history, if you like descriptions of what people did in those times, then I strongly recommend this book.

In New England there is so much history. There are also little no communities' rich in story and this is about some of those towns. The book is set in the small rural areas of New Hampshire called Atkinson, Derry and Hampstead.

Legends of the pond is a collection of stories, poems, letters and so much more about Big Island Pond. The book is well written and I was very impressed with the author ability to make the words come to life.

Covering the time frame from 1692 to the present you'll read stories about rum-running, underground railroads and even John Glenn, who spent 11 years summering on the island. There is bound to be something everyone can enjoy with this book.

One thing I liked about this book is that you do not have to read it in any order, skip around the pages and let history take you on a journey, what you'll find in the pages is pure magic. The author has done a great job and I highly recommend reading this one.

The issue concerning the legitimacy of the modern age was more pressing for the Europeans than for the Americans, largely because of the latter's historic distancing from Catholicism and the tradition of scholarship funded by the catholic church. Thus for the American reader the very notion that the modern age may be "illegitimate" somehow may ring hollow, if not outright absurd. This book defends the status of the modern age against any suggestion that somehow it may be an aberration, a condition gone awry. The modern age, in all its seeming anti-religious tendencies fueled especially by the scientific drive for the truth, is the 'legitimate' heir to the tradition of taking literally to heart,"Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free". This book focuses on the philosophical foundations of Medieval theology and Nominalism that paved the way for secularization in the modern age. Blumenberg, with his astonishing scholarship and intellectual prowess makes it clear that, intentionally or not, much of what passed for pious and official christian theology during the middle ages actually had very little to do with "religion" per se (Christ's ethical teaching), and everything to do with Greek philosophy, especially Aristotle's, under the guise of church dogma. In serving theology, attributes of God in His omnipotence and omniscience were framed around the notion of absolutes, leading to unresolvable contradictions and paradoxes. For example, the idea that God should be omnipotent necessarily meant He ought to be capable of creating a rock so heavy that even He cound not lift it. This book is simply the most facinating and in-depth account of the strange doings of the Church Fathers in their relentless quest for the Truth. Blumenberg shows that it was ultimately the Church, in allowing astronomy as one of the topics to be studied, while forbidding others (curiosity itself was considered a sin, an 'extra-vagance', meaning, 'going outside the path'), provided the very possibility that led to secularization of the modern age. According to the author, the Church formulated its dogma primarily in response to and against Gnosticism, but failed in completely eradicating all the Gnostic elements, thus laying itself open to "infection" later on. The return of Gnosticism takes on the form of science, which makes a virtue of being clear about what it does not and cannot know, and questions the ground of any claim that arrogates omniscience. This work makes a compelling case for our age: For better or for worse, the fate of the modern age was decided a long time ago when the West became Christendom. ....

I must repeat the other reviewer and call this a neglected masterpiece--one that could be very useful to secular thinkers at the present moment. One need only shop around this site to see that Evangelical Christians are speaking out loudly and eloquently about a variety of cultural and philosophical issues. This is a welcome development that should be beneficial to cultural debate in the long run. However, if you are of a more secular persuasion (as I am), you want to have your dukes up, so to speak, in order to answer many of the claims that are being made. Sadly, many secular thinkers have gotten lazy in their habits of thinking about religion, resulting in stances that are intellectually shaky, not to mention needlessly disrespectful to persons of faith. Blumenberg's book emerged from a context that was highly sophisticated and highly Christian, intellectually speaking at least (see Wallace's excellent introduction). For this reason, he was forced to think through the philosophical conflicts between religion and the secular much more rigorously than we are used to doing, and his careful methods stand as a welcome corrective to our own. One of his major accomplishments is to tackle the argument from origins used by many Christian thinkers (the argument that because our nation/culture/university system was founded on Christian principles, any secularizing deviation from this system must be illegitimate). He argues against this notion very meticulously and at multiple levels. In conversations with intelligent Christians I have found his way of thinking very helpful. Blumenberg is weak on the issue of subjectivity, never really clarifying what he thinks a secular subject might be, and this is connected to a general lack of interest in any kind of politics. For this reason, he's been ignored by most secular thinkers here, who focus a great deal on questions of identity and subjectivity. His strength, though, is that he eposes gaps in Christian thinking so carefully that many gaps in our current secular thinking are exposed as well. In this way, I think he has more to teach us about our secular identities than many have assumed. A laborious, exhausting, and utterly eye-opening book.

A masterpiece that defies summaries and labels. While MIT Press has, thankfully, translated four of Blumenberg's books, he is not "seeping" into the culture in spite of laudatory reviews by philosophers like Richard Rorty. This can't be because he's "difficult" (and he is difficult - an eloquent) - difficult writers like Derrida or Habermas have large (and largely academic) followings. Blumenberg rather resists "positions" around which flags can be planted, battle cries formulated. Amazingly empathetic, Blumenberg "thinks with" and through the Western philosophical tradition. His account of Late Medieval Nominalism as an irreparable rupture of Ancient and Christian cosmologies, presaging Descartes' "founding" of a distinctively modern epoch is worth the read - as is so much else. I can only hope Blumenberg's translator, Robert Wallace will bring us more from this author, who died in 1996.

Richard Phinney and Scott Whitley have produced the best book on golf in Ireland to date. It's full of first accounts of the Emerald Isles' best courses as well as interesting stories about Irish characters in the world of golf. You'll read it more than once.

The best book ever written about Irish Golf. I read this book in preparation for a trip to Ireland last summer and took it along for the trip. The authors clearly love golf and do a great job in helping to explain why Irish golf is so special. If you only read one book on golf this year, let this one be it. However, after reading the book you might have an uncontrollable desire to make the trip yourself!

This book is a very helpful and unique guide to those who are planning a golfing vacation in Ireland. There is very little information like this in the usual travel books. The authors provide discriptions and history of the top 30 courses in Ireland in a very organized easy to read format. (There is information about 100 other courses as well) There is also some information on where to stay, eat, costs and other sites. Only one criticism, I wish there was more! I would like to know more about the nuts and bolts of getting around with golf clubs, some out of the way golf interests and information on unusual golf (not just the famous). However, I must say, I did appreciate the listing of golf tournaments that foreigners can play

Rachel Kaplan's delightful guide provides timely support for museums off the beaten track in the wake of the recent move to make many of London's larger and more famous entrance-charging museums, including the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, free of charge. The books provides a wealth of information about the content and appeal of the museums, yet also fuels the readers' desire to see for themselves. The one problem, almost inevitably with this type of volume, lies with the subjectivity of the selection. Some museums, such as the Museum of London, are arguably too well known to merit inclusion, whilst others, including the fascinating Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, are inexplicably absent. Nevertheless, an admirably wide range of museum types is presented, catering to a diverse range of readers. It is useful for numerous demographics, from those looking for a child-orientated outing that involves more than looking at dinosaurs to those who might want an unusual alternative to tours of stately homes.

Despite the Horniman Museum quibble, inclusion of quirky South London venues including the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Cuming Museum, the Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum and the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum provides a laudable exception to the prevalent North and West London bias exhibited in virtually all London guides to tourist attractions and events. Whilst the three latter entries are marginal collections that deserve the praise and exposure they receive here, the Dulwich Picture Gallery is a highly significant art collection. This book forms a useful supplement to familiar general publications, such the Rough Guides, which do not have the space to enter into such textual and pictorial detail on individual collections. Kaplan's elegant and deceptively simple prose distils an extraordinary amount of scholarship into a compulsively readable form. It is an uncommon pleasure to read a guidebook marked by such a rigorous intellectual element as well as clear evidence of comprehensive first-hand knowledge and enthusiasm.

Beautifully illustrated and written, Kaplan reveals the real London -- the London most first-time visitors don't get a chance to see using traditional guide books. I highly recommend it for a more intellectual and quirky view of this eccentric culture and people. This takes you to a world way beyond the norm you never would have seen otherwise. I use her guides for all the cities she chooses to write about --

As an American who lived in London for 15 months, I thought I knew every museum in and around the city. But Ms. Kaplan's beautifully written guide introduced me to several unkown gems. What makes this guidebook so appealing, and unusual, is that in addition to decribing the museum's contents she tells you the story of how the museum came to be. Ms. Kaplan's fascinating anecdotes put the museums and their collections in the appropriate historical and political context making for a more meaningful visit. I also highly recommend her books about Paris and Berlin.

John Russell has put together in this book, simply entitled London, a wonderful guide to the memory of London in word and, most especially, visual images. Lavishly illustrated and bejeweled with paintings, photographs, drawings and maps, this is the ultimate 'coffee table' book on London. But please, don't set your coffee (or, as it is a book on London, more appropriately, tea) cup on it, and don't just let it sit there. Peruse the pages -- no reading required! Although, unless I miss my guess, you will want to read these pages that accompany such wonderful visual treats.

Russell includes drawings by Wren (who practically rebuilt London after the fire of 1666) for whom there is no monument ('If you want to see a monument, look around', he is once reported to have said, meaning the abundance of architectural monuments most of which remain to this day), Carter, Gilbert, Soane, Kip & Knyff (a print of the original drawing for Buckingham House, now Palace). Among the paintings are all famous portraitures and landscapers, scenes royal and common, serious and fanciful. Nearly 200 illustrations, including almost 100 full-colour plates of paintings, make this book a stunning edition.

Russell recounts an early comment on urban renewal, by Francis Bacon, who commented upon buying a house in an unsafe neighbourhood: 'I have bought the house in which I shall be murdered.' But, within a year, the Foreign Minister had purchased the neighbouring house, making the area safe and sought-after.

'The changes talked about here [and generally everywhere in the history of London] owe nothing to Authority. No government planned them, foresaw them, or sanctioned them. They are owed to the experimental, liberated, and sardonic temper of the individual Londoner as it has evolved.'

'Like every other big city in the western world, London was built for a society that no longer exists.' This one statement perhaps best sums up the history of London. This book gives new life to that departed society, and helps to put London in its proper context.

This was obviously a labour of great love on the part of Russell. Do yourself and favour and purchase the hard-back edition. You will be glad you did.

The much-honored Russell spent nearly thirty years as chief art critic for the London Sunday Times, and then came to New York and did the same thing for the New York Times for another sixteen years. Even after leaving London, though, he still considers himself an insider of that city, and in this book he shares his fifty-year perspective with the reader. It's not a guidebook nor a travel book, but a highly idiosyncratic sort-of-memoir of London, organized around many diverse themes, including Samuel Johnson, Buckingham Palace, the rebuilding of the city after the Great Fire, the role of the Thames, and what he calls the "spirit of place" -- which is one of the best chapters in this marvelous book. Throughout, he illustrates his thoughts and recollections and often witty commentary with reproductions of art and photographs of people and buildings which, brought together in one place like this, are just about worth the price of the book by themselves. One of the best books about London I've seen in years.

London, the book YOU should read. Don't waste time get the book! Do you want it? Buy it here then. London is a great book which contains an amazing amount of information that will make your brain burst!Well anybody out there want to find out about London?Come here and click on the button! London is a book that is basiclly amazing, basically real and finally, brill! Well London is basically the only book that will travel you through London. This is THE BEST BOOK ABOUT OLD LONDON!Read it in front of your children and they will know instantly about London. Read it to your friends and they will go talking about it all day long! Read it to your relatives and they will go mad about it! Read it to a stranger and they will invite you over every day!

I bought the guide for London, and also have the one for Paris. I found the London guide invaluable; it offered an excellent primer and explained a number of things that it would have taken me ages to figure out on my own, like TV licenses, council taxes, etc. They do guides for numerous cities if you're thinking about moving to another major city in the world as well.

I'm planning on studying in London for a year or more, and was so greatful for this book. It's an interesting read, more than a reference book, but can be referred to over and over again. Reccomened if you are going to spend time living, not visiting London, or if you are just interested in the city and its culture.

I was happy to find this book because it answered all the questions I had about going to London and spending about six months there. It goes beyond the tourist layer of London (which is pretty thick) and gets you into the city as it exists for Londoners. Even after several months here I still refer to it often and it has helped me to really enjoy the city, away from the madding crowds.