Satirizing the selfishness of the wealthy – Tales Of The Jazz Age is an anthology of classic short stories by the renowned 20th Century American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who is best known for his enduring classic The Great Gatsby. <p> Satirizing the selfishness of the wealthy, depicting revelry that escalates into a destructive mob, while offering a sharp look at the flaws of society, and enhanced with introductions to each story by ...
Dr. Inman has provided us a classic on the history of fertility cults and the Christian adaptation of its symbolism. And while there are a few points I dont agree with, and a few points he overlooked, Id say that after 137 years, this book is still at least 85 to 90% accurate – which is better than most books written during any period. <p> Inman bases many of his ideas on Richard Payne Knight and Godfrey Higgins, both of whom contribute ...
Andrew Langs series of fairy-tale books are some of the fundamental childrens reading of the twentieth and late nineteenth century. <p> Many readers who have only seen or read modern, Disney-fied versions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or Snow-White will not recognize some of the darker twists in these tales. For example, in Sleeping Beauty, when the Prince wakes the Princess and marries her, the story is by no means over. The Princes m ...
The tales in this book (back in print for the first time in who knows how many years) are by turns mystifying, horrifying, intensely moving, funny, incredibly beautiful… and sometimes all of them at once! Algernon Blackwood is mostly remembered as a great writer of ghost stories, but he was SO much more than that – a writer of (mostly) supernatural tales with a truly unique vision. Theres hardly a ghost to be found in this book, but it is chock ...
Although he was never to enjoy the success he had with his first Oz book, Baum sure tried hard with this one (the second in the series). Most like this far better than the first, more famous The Wizard of Oz work. It starts off with Tip living in a cottage deep in a forest in Oz. The witch who keeps him is set on turning him into stone, so Tip must escape. This sets up a whole series of wonderful adventures and interesting characters. The Pumpki ...
Richard Burtons translation of The Arabian Nights is one of the oldest in existence and some people have a problem with this version; its too old, antiquated, etc.; but for this reviewer, the very fact that its an early translation lends the tales much of their charm; it underscores the fact that The Arabian Nights go back for hundreds of years, all the way back to once upon a time. <p> Richard Burton introduces us to Sharazad, that sed ...
Apology is Platos least philosophical and most unrepresentative work but arguably his most important and is among many readers favorites, including mine. However, the fact that it is widely anthologized – e.g., in The Trial and Death of Socrates – makes it hard to justify a standalone, but some may be taken by the translation. <p> The work purports to be Socrates self-defense at his trial. It is historically priceless if so, as it gives ...
A country girl named Polly is visiting city friends and comes to realize that this world is quite different than which she has left. Here people are judged according to their dress and manner of speech rather than for their honesty and hardwork. Yet all who meet Polly cannot help but be enamored of her; her sweet simplicity is unlike any that they have ever seen, and soon everyone comes to realize that Polly is not someone to be laughed at and r ...
Vathek, the ninth Caliph of the Abassides, is a majestic figure, terrible in anger and addicted to the pleasures of the flesh. He is also insatiable for knowledge, inviting scholars to converse with him. If he fails to convince the scholar of his points of view, he attempts a bribe; if this does not work, he sends the scholar to prison. But for all his powers, Vathek wants even more. <p> Renouncing Islam, he engages in a series of licen ...
