2 comments about Hand Shadows and More Hand Shadows.

1. I got this book to entertain my toddler. I was hoping for more animals, but it should do.



2. Henry Burcill, the author of Hand Shadows, was my great-great-grandfather. He was a sculptor by trade and his statues stand in London to this day. The most famous of these are the four great lions in Trafalgar Square, which he created with Sir Edwin Landseer. Written in an era when people lived by candle-light and gas lamp - hand shadowing was a popular entertainment. Henry Burcill's Hand Shadow books are treasures from a bygone age. I hope they never go out of print.

No comments about Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Duck Variations.

3 comments about Requiem for a Dream (Screenplay).

1. The book, the movie. Best ever. I have never seen such a good movie or experienced such an incredible story. really



2. this is the screenplay of the movie..if youd rather read the movie than see it (altough there are pictures) then this is your book...it is good, there are a few noticable differences between this and the movie, but it is great if you are a fan of darren aronofsky....if you do like darren aronofsy you should chekc out his "book of the ants"



3. Let me say this up front - Requiem is very, very dark - the setting, the characters, and the message of the book are pretty bleak and hopeless. So why should you read it? First, the characters - Selby has drawn each of the four participants in this race to hell with stunning precision - after reading the book (and seeing the largely faithful movie) you feel as if you honestly know these people. Second, the terrifyingly accurate portrait of the downward spiral of addiction. Each of these characters reacts differently to his/her being hooked, but, with the exception of Sara, the brutal truth finally becomes too evident to ignore, at least until the next "little taste". The isolation of the addict is brilliantly rendered as Sara declines to go out, Tyrone gladly says goodbye to his "fine fox", and Harry and Marion lose the intensity of their love for each other to their more urgent love of heroin. Finally, it is Selby's gifts as a storyteller that provide the main reason for this book's classic status - I have read "stream of consciousness" before, but never have I been so riveted by it. The final 50 pages or so just go by in a horrible blur. Don't expect a light at the end of the tunnel - Selby doesn't celebrate dreamers, he condemns them for obscuring their view of what is with delusions of what could be. Powerful stuff.

1 comments about Billboard's Hot Dance/Disco 1974-2003.

1. I was wating for years for this book to be released, and finally I got it. The information is complete and detailed about the songs/tracks that were listed on the dance charts. You can find the date that the song was first entered on the lists and the peak positions. You'd be amazed that many of the dance hits that peaked # 1 on the 100 pop chart did not make the # 1 on the dance/club play chart, and even more did not enter the chart at all. Great presentation and very well organized, it worths every penny $$$ I spent on it. I have only 2 complains about this book, first: the Dance Maxi Single Sale chart information is not listed here at all. It's a most, to have the sales information to be included in this book. How do I know that the song I danced for years was also a success on sales, for the next release of this book please have this information included. Second: it's a total pitty that the information from the electronic music charts were not included here either. The massive and most popular clubs that makes most pop/dance artist have a hit on the billboard dance charts, have been playing only danceable electronica music for years, to be more accurate, since the mid 80's. I hope this will be also included in the next release of the Hot Dance/Disco. Also I have the hope that the world hits (mostly Europeans hits) also listed on weekly billboard magazine gets to be relased on a book soon. Until then, enjoy this wonderful book.

3 comments about Life Is a Dream (Dover Thrift Editions).

1. This play is a hidden gem. Calderon has written a classic comedy that follows the formula but ventures into classic philosophy as well: what is our life? Is it real? Is it a dream? If it is a dream, how then should we live our lives? This is the center of Oedipus Rex, with its fate versus free will theme, and Calderon explores it with humor and compassion. The Dover edition is inexpensive but doesn't cut corners, making it perfect for college students. I highly recommend it!



2. To be or not to be maybe is one of the most famous quotation. It is catchy, but " ¿Qué es la vida?/un frenesi/ ¿Qué es la vida?/ una ilusión" is better.

   Forget a spoiled prince too obssesed with his mother. Forget a maid who needs a therapy and soon. We have Segismundo and Rosaura. A brave, drop dead gorgeous dark hero and a resourceful, witty, inteligent heroine. You will laugh, you will cry.
   You have romance, sword-fighting-cross-star lovers, intrigue, foreign policy. All in one.

   Seriously, this is the best play ever written. You can enjoy only the story or find a real interpretation of Spain under the Habsburgs. But also a search for identity. Calderon asks the eternal question WHO ARE WE and wrapped it in a wonderful, rich and manificent dress.
   Try it and you forget Dennmark. And if you can read it in Spanish. Maybe is hard but it will worth.




3. This immortal play is an allegory: a tale which illustrates us on some superior truth, employing symbols. Basil is the king of Poland, who hides his son Sigmund (Freud?, just kidding)in a tower, for fear that an oracle may come true. Once, he takes him out to see what kind of man he is, and discovers Sigmund is arrogant and authoritarian. Then he puts him back in his cell and manages to convince him that everything was just a dream. After that, civil war begins, and Sigmund is out to fight, a totally different man from what he was.

   "Life is a dream" is a play about the utter unreliability of our senses. Of course, we have to use them to figure out some reality in which we can live. But we have no idea of who we are and where we come from, much less what will happen after death. We also don't know what death is. It is also a case in favor of peace and solidarity. Why spend our brief and dream-like time on Earth being mean and dirty?: let's all be friendly and good, and this will be a good dream and not a nightmare.

   Despite its philosophical subject, the play is quick-paced and funny. The plot to make Sigmund believe everything was a dream is hilarious, and it is easy to see why it's a classic. Read it.

No comments about Daughter of Shanghai.

5 comments about The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future (updated and expanded edition).

1. Before I lost this, I was constantly using this as a point of reference for the time line of things and to make sure I wasn't mispelling certain things.. getting other things right, what was where, what all kinds of Star ship classes there wear, etc... this was all for a fan fiction novel that I was, am.. writing. Good thing I put some of those things I was always looking at.. on paper.. so I didn't have to lug the book around everywhere I went.
   
   Granted it's lacking the last few seasons of Voyager and the whole of Enterprise, but I thank Okura for even making "an" edition of these, though it would be nice for a new one.



2. This is a great book, with one rather glaring error. Under the SETI entry, there is a picture of Pioneer's plaque. On the plaque, the Pioneer appears to be launched from the second planet from the sun. As we all know, the probe was launched from the third planet, Earth.



3. If you consider yourself a Trekkie or just someone who is truely intersted in Star Trek this Encyclopedia is a must buy period.It has insight to every facet of the Series.From the Original to Voyager you'll know details to everything.You'll won't be able to just glance through it once.I consider myself a huge Trekkie and like to think I know alot about the Shows,but I'll find myself amazed when I discover details about a certain charecter of Episodes I've forgotten or never knew exsisted.Especially interesting is the Timeline parts of the book,The breakdowns of Ship commisions and Designs,information about Actors,Cuisine,backstories of Charecters.You name it and they have everything about it...well almost everything.
   
   You have to realize this fact before buying this Encyclopedia is that it was made in 1999.It's been 9 Years.Alot of History has happened in Star Trek since then and if you don't realize this now,you'll be disapointed to discover that to information about Deep Space Nine's last Season,the last 2 Seasons of Voyager,The whole of Enterprise and Star Trek Nemesis.All of this information is non-exsistant.And just imagine the frustration of people who actually owned this book through the years and reread it wishing it had all this wealth of new information.I honestly can't comprehend why Pocket Books would not release the Book with all of this missing information availible.Or make a CD-Rom of it.
   
   This might sound like I'm ragging on the Book,but that would be impossible to do.Wiether or not this info is in this paticular Book doesn't really matter,because it extensively covers in scrutinizing detail of all the Series up to Deep Space Nine Last Season,Voyager's last 2 Seasons,the whole of Enterprise and Star Trek Nemesis.And believe me you'll be more than satisfied with that alone.
   
   So,most definately buy this now and enjoy it and you will.But just realize it's outdated and once you do that then you can truely enjoy this Encyclopedia the way the Publisher intended you enjoy it:with wonderment and fun.



4. I bought this book in 2003, and it covered most of the bases then, but only the movies through 1998 ("Insurrection" IIRC; "Nemesis" is not covered.), and the 5th season of Voyager. It just covered the last season of DS9. And of course it has none of the "Enterprise" series.
   
   There have also been events such as the Paramount auction of all the series and movie paraphernalia since then, and that could be a chapter all by itself.
   
   I came on Amazon today expecting to see a new and updated version for sale, and was disappointed that the old edition is still all that's available.
   
   Michael and Denise Okuda know everything there is to know about ST, and are the perfect people to update this. If I were shopping today for the first time I would say wait for the new edition, but buy a used paperback 1999 just to see what it's all about.
   
   Keeping my fingers crossed that someone sees the demand for an updated version!



5. Nothing on the end of Voyager's Delta Quadrant wanderings? Nothing on Enterprise's backstory additions and newly-created anachronisms? Both this book and the related Star Trek Chronology need serious revamping. I appreciate the Okuda's insider Trekker style, but this reeks of willful blindness!

3 comments about BOSS BR-1180 Quick Guide.

1. The book was good for the basics of setting it up and getting started. The problem is that if you want to learn more pratical ways of using the machine it's best to watch the video that came along with the product.



2. If you are new to the Boss BR-1180 multi-track recorder, this book might speed up the learning curve. It covers basic operation and gives examples of different ways to record specific to the BR 1180. If you already know the ins and outs of your recorder, you probably won't get much from this book. I would recommend it as an easier to understand supplement to the owners manual. If you're looking for a good home recording book, I recommend Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies.



3. This book is for all intents and purposes a recording primer. I could see it possibly being useful to someone who has absolutely zero recording experience, but that's about it. Since there's a ton of basic recording articles already available out there on the web, this book's recording-related contents can be had for free by doing some surfing or by hanging out at the Home_Recording Yahoo group for a couple of days.

   As far as its coverage of the BR1180 goes, if you've already attempted to record one or two songs on the unit and have read the manual through once or twice - and that's how I recommend you approach learning this unit - you've already learned more than this book will ever teach you. The author ducks the difficult topics - at one point saying something like, "Don't try to bounce, it's too complicated"!!! Again, you're time would be better spent hanging out at the BR1180 Yahoo group.

5 comments about From Assassins to West Side Story: The Director's Guide to Musical Theatre.

1. I bought this book expecting that it would tell me how to direct all of these legendary musicals. It was quite the contrary. The author doesn't exactly give you suggestions, but gives you tings that you can look at and delve deeper into. He'll give his opinion of symbolism of characters and subtext of the plot. He gives no ultimatums on how these shows should be directed, but gives valuable insight on how possible ways to direct each show. It's very interesting going so deep into the cores of these shows that I couldn't put the book down the first time I read it. I found the chapters on Assasins and Cabaret especially appealing. Overall, a very very good read.



2. I'm a major fan of Scott Miller's books, and this one is no exception. It is readable, well thought out, and filled with perceptive analysis of 16 classic musicals. His fresh insights frequently open my eyes to key aspects of shows I have known for years. Or at least I thought I knew them! If more directors took Miller's ideas to heart, it would prevent countless run-of-the-mill productions from boring theater goers year after year. I'll admit that Miller's attitude towards Sondheim's works borders on adoration (for example, I don't believe ASSASSINS was nearly as important as he makes it sound), but that is hardly a vice. If you love musical theater, you owe it to yourself to spend some time with this book. If you stage musicals, you owe it to your casts and customers to read anything and everything this man has written on the subject. (I especially recommend his equally fascinating DECONSTRUCTING HAROLD HILL.)



3. This is one of the most humorous, honest and delightful books about theatre out there. Whether you want to learn about theatre or you know it all....... this book is for you!



4. At last -- a book about musicals where the author doesn't spend half his time trying to impress us and the other half making factual errors. This is one of the few books I've read on this subject that is just good, interesting, solid info. This guy knows his stuff and he makes it all easy to understand. I've been a lover of musicals all my life and still this book taught me a lot.



5. As a bi-continental director (London, New York, and Los Angeles), I was delighted to find that Miller doesn't have an American prejudice in his work -- in fact he highly respects the work non-American directors have done on American classics and that's quite refreshing. His books (this one and "Deconstructing Harold Hill") are the best examples I've seen of serious considerations of important, interesting musical theatre, yet with a sense of fun and joy, and with a devilish penchant for denying conventional wisdom when it doesn't make sense. In fact, he makes cases (in both books) for changing the conventional wisdom on a number of American classics. These terrific books are must-reads for both the theatre professional and the rabid fan as well -- both are inestimable treasures.

2 comments about Orchesography.

1. This is the translation of a historical manuscript. For those who wish to immerse themselves in the study of medieval dance, this book is essential. But for those who simply wish to recreate a dance or two from this period for theatrical or entertainment purposes, this book would probably be overkill. The language throughout the text is well translated, and not too difficult to follow, but it contains a lot of references to musical theory and the descriptions of dance steps are sometimes a bit vague. I find it to be a wonderful reference, but not terribly useful as an introduction to medieval dance to those who are not already familiar with the language and a certain amount of music theory of that time.



2. A book to have if you're interested in Renaissance dance and which is especially useful for beginning dance reconstruction as it's quite accessible. It contains a translation of the whole text by Thoinot Arbeau (published in 1589) translated into English, plus notes and a set of modern notation for the dances. The text is structured as a dialogue between an old dancing master and his young student and contains descriptions of steps, various dance trivia and some social context info, and usually the music, coreography and possible variations (though not all of these for every dance). Many of these dances will be known to dancers of early music yet you could be surprised to learn that many so-called Arbeau dances do not follow his text much. Additionally there's quite a scope for improvisation along the guidelines given. The dances include many branles, a couple of pavanes and basse dances, tourdion and galliard variations, etc.