Reference Books

How Fiction Works

James Wood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Amazon Best of the Month, July 2008: The first thing you'll notice about How Fiction Works is its size. At 252 pages, it's a marvel of economy for a book that asks such a huge question and right away you'll want to know (as you might at the start of a new novel) what the author has in store. James Wood takes only his own bookshelves as his literary terrain for this study, and that in itself is the most delightful gift: he joins his audience as a reader, citing his chosen texts judiciously--ranging from Henry James (from whom he takes the best epigraph to a book I've ever read) to Nabokov, Joyce, Updike, and more--to explore not just how fiction works, mechanically speaking, but to reflect on how a novelist's choices make us feel that a novel ultimately works ... or doesn't. Wood remarks that you have to "read enough literature to be taught by it how to read it." His terrific bibliography will surely be a boon to anyone's education, but it's his masterful writing that you'll want to keep reading over the course of your life. --Anne Bartholomew

Book Lovers Page-A-Day Calendar 2009 (Original Page a Day Calendars)

Workman Publishing Company

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent for booklovers 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This is definitely my favorite boxed calendar. I am a devoted reader, but have only so much time to check out what is new and interesting. And I am not fond of trolling through big box bookstores trying to find something. This calendar has 365 brief reviews of books of all kinds, most of which I have never heard of, and probably would not have considered reading without a recommendation. The reviews are concise, often funny and informative. And it is a plus that I can (and do!) recycle the torn off pages of the calendar for scratch paper.

Editorial Review:

Packed with hundreds of great reads, Book Lover's is the calendar that keeps you reading. So many books to choose from: In a Dry Season, Peter Robinson's beautifully crafted mystery set in the Yorkshire Dales. From Diane Ackerman, a fascinating probe into the secrets of the brain. Pat Conroy recalls his time as a point guard at the Citadel. Plus an A. J. Liebling reader, a ghostwriter's efforts to find her own voice, classic Thornton Wilder, and Luc Sante's lively portrait of old New York. Size: 6" w x 5.5" h.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Package 1 (Volumes A, B, C): Beginnings to 1650

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Seven years ago, W. W. Norton changed the way world literature is taught by introducing The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Expanded Edition. Leading the field once again, Norton is proud to publish the anthology for the new century, The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Second Edition. Now published in six paperback volumes (packaged in two attractive slipcases), the new anthology boasts slimmer volumes, thicker paper, a bolder typeface, and dozens of newly included or newly translated works from around the world.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature represents continuity as well as change. Like its predecessor, the anthology is a compact library of world literature, offering an astounding forty-three complete longer works, more than fifty prose works, over one hundred lyric poems, and twenty-three plays. More portable, more suitable for period courses, more pleasant to read, and more attuned to current teaching and research trends, The Norton Anthology of World Literature remains the most authoritative, comprehensive, and teachable anthology for the world literature survey.

A Pocket Guide to Writing in History

Mary Lynn Rampolla

Amazon Price: $17.25 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Bedford/St. Martin's Amazon Marketplace: 92 new & used starting at $13.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Well-rounded resource for students. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

As a high school history teacher, I've created several writing tip sheets and links to writing websites for my students. All of these efforts were intended to help the motivated improve their understanding of good writing as well as their skills in writing.

The Pocket Guide to Writing in History replaces all of my earlier efforts in one handy resource. With an introduction to research, note taking, formulating and supporting points with evidence, citations & bibliographies, it's an excellent guide for advanced high school and college students in writing in-class essays or lengthy, long-term research papers.

The Guide briefly considers the different types of history writing assignments, and offers unique suggestions for preparation and execution for each format. Its primary referencing focus is on the Chicago style of foot/endnotes, the style most widely used in history. Plus, the 5th edition includes more up-to-date citation format examples for internet sources, a big improvement from the 4th edition.

Writing is a key skill in this discipline, but most teachers have little class time in which to teach it. As a stand alone student resource, the Guide is the best option I've found. It could also be used in class for lessons on specific writing skills, or as a supplement to a major research paper assignment. I plan to recommend The Guide to all of my Advanced Placement students this year. Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

Its concise yet comprehensive coverage of every step of the research and writing process--with detailed advice on documenting sources and avoiding plagiarism -- have made A Pocket Guide to Writing in History a best-seller over four editions. For the fifth edition, Mary Lynn Rampolla -- who is active in the fields of both history and composition -- provides more practical help with basic skills and new coverage of more sophisticated critical-thinking skills such as analyzing an assignment, reading critically, and constructing a strong argument. Organizational changes over several chapters make it even easier for students at all levels to find the information they need to succeed in their course, saving instructors valuable class time.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines

Thomas C. Foster

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Elementary way to read professionally 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is indeed a fantastic aid when analyzing literature. In AP literature, one must definitely know how to analyze different works. This work gives simple ways to explain difficult concepts or difficult to find ideas. Sometimes the book does over-state key ideas, this reiteration could be quite bothersome when reading the entire book at once. i would advise that you only look up things as you need them, but the writing is fascinating and can be quite colorful and even enjoyable. This was a great purchase for me!

Editorial Review:

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character -- and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

i before e (except after c)

Parkinson Judy

Amazon Price: $9.59 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Readers Digest Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $6.75

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Here is an amusing collection of ingenious mnemonics devised to help us learn and understand hundreds of important fact as children and can continue to resonate with us as adults.

Featuring all the mnemonics you’ll ever need to know, this fun little book will bring back all the simple, easy-to-remember rhymes from your childhood—once learned, fix the information in the brain forever—such as learning to count by reciting “One, Two, buckle my shoe, Three, Four, knock at the door.” Packed with clever verses, engaging acronyms, curious—and sometimes hilarious—sayings that can be used to solve a problem or cap an argument.

Take a trip back to the classroom, and rediscover the assortment of practical memory aids covering a range of different subjects, including spelling, time, mathematics, history, general trivia, and much more. The information is organized in short snippets by category such as:
* Geographically Speaking: Remember North East South West by reciting Never Eat Slimy Worms or Naughty Elephants Squirt Water.
* Time and the Calendar: “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November; All the rest have 31 excepting February alone; And that has 28 days clear; With 29 in each leap year”
* Think of a Number: Know the Roman numerals by remembering “I Value Xylophones Like Cows Dig Milk”
* World History: “In fourteen hundred, ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, And found this land, land of the Free, beloved by you, beloved by me”

The clever verses, engaging acronyms, curious sayings are endless. Guaranteed to amuse and inform, here is a perfect gift for any language lover—complete with a To/From gift plate.

The Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Volume 1

Amazon Price: $40.56 List Price: $60.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton Amazon Marketplace: 203 new & used starting at $35.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

College level 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this to use with Tapestry of Grace curriculum, and used it with a 14 yr old fresh out of public school. It was way beyond her vocabulary level and reading skill set. This is a book I have seen used in college classes, and it figures, because much of the poems and plays are written in old or medieval English. We ended up scrapping this book most of the time and reading the same works in modern English online.
Having said that, for a child who is used to a classical education, this collection of works would be a pleasure to read.

Western Literature - Norton's Anthology 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Looks brand new. Very useful and I'm happy to have this in my library

Great Service! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Everything was exactly as the seller described. On time and speedy service. Would buy from again.

Just what I ordered 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The book arrived in a couple of weeks. I would have liked it to have arrived as early as the other 2 books did, but that was okay. It was just the book I needed and at a much reduced price from what the University was charging for it.

Editorial Review:

A library of Western literature in two volumes, this new edition offers more than 40 works in their entirety—from Homer's Odyssey to Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart—as well as dozens of excerpted works and over 200 lyric poems.

The Outlandish Companion

Diana Gabaldon

Amazon Price: $19.14 List Price: $29.00 Usually ships in 9 to 12 days By: Delacorte Press Amazon Marketplace: 53 new & used starting at $9.83

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 155 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For nine years, four books, and nearly 4,000 pages, Diana Gabaldon has entranced readers with her talent for historical authenticity, dramatic plot lines, and strong characters in the Outlander series. Her superb writing has earned a loyal audience, but after a million and a half words, even the most fervent of fans may have a difficult time trying to recall the exact details of the secondary characters, let alone the obscure ones. Thankfully, Gabaldon's The Outlandish Companion is here to help.

Part crib notes and part trivia guide, this essential handbook includes synopses of the first four novels, a character guide, notes on plot development and research, answers to frequently asked questions, and teasers for the upcoming novels--there're even horoscope charts of the central characters, a list of fan Web sites, and choice recipes for the truly devoted.

Readers looking for a fix of Gabaldon's humorous voice or insight into her writing processes and characters will certainly be more than satisfied, but those looking for the next installment of Jamie and Claire's adventures will have to wait for The Fiery Cross, the fifth book in this bestselling series, expected sometime in late 1999 to early 2000. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien

The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, One Volume, Expanded Edition

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Decent Reference Work 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I bought this because it was the required text book for one of my college classes, and I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. That being said, this has excerpts from many famous works from around the world and I liked it enough to keep it instead of selling back at the end of the semester. I wish that some of the works were more complete, some of them are so common that they didn't need to be included at all, and some of the translations of foreign works are questionable, in my opinion. Nitpicking aside, this is a pretty decent reference work for world literature.

English book 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 6 people found this review helpful.

A not so great item. It is the exact book I needed, but not in the condition I expected. On the side of the book were a ton of pencil marks, several bent pages, etc. Still very usuable, I just did not expect that much marking. In addition to that, it also took at least 2-3 weeks for me to recieve my book. Not to happy with that, but it was within the dates Amazon said it would be.

Norton Anthology 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

What can I say. It was what my kid needed when it was needed. Great works under one cover.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Package 2 (Volumes D, E, F): 1650 to the Present

Amazon Price: $49.20 List Price: $60.00 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: W. W. Norton & Company Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $49.20

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Seven years ago, W. W. Norton changed the way world literature is taught by introducing The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Expanded Edition. Leading the field once again, Norton is proud to publish the anthology for the new century, The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Second Edition. Now published in six paperback volumes (packaged in two attractive slipcases), the new anthology boasts slimmer volumes, thicker paper, a bolder typeface, and dozens of newly included or newly translated works from around the world.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature represents continuity as well as change. Like its predecessor, the anthology is a compact library of world literature, offering an astounding forty-three complete longer works, more than fifty prose works, over one hundred lyric poems, and twenty-three plays. More portable, more suitable for period courses, more pleasant to read, and more attuned to current teaching and research trends, The Norton Anthology of World Literature remains the most authoritative, comprehensive, and teachable anthology for the world literature survey.