The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the most saccharine death scenes in literature, reminiscent of the death of Bambi's mother. Eva's father promises his daughter on her deathbed that he would grant Tom his liberty but this promise is ignored by Eva's mother after his death and Tom is resold to the theatrically evil dealer Legree.
If Uncle Tom's Cabin did not contain scenes of emotional power and lyrical writing it would have been long-since forgotten. Despite Tom's cringing servility and all the black characters being apparently trapped in some kind of evolutionary stasis, a moving sincerity flows throughout the book and the effect it had on the conscience of nineteenth century America cannot be overstated. However, the world has moved on (allegedly) and in the end, the cloying sentimentality and the disturbing notion that Congregationalist Christianity is the only means available for gaining the freedom and dignity of the gentle, saintly slaves and redeeming the souls of their corrupt masters become overwhelming.



Incredible. I commend you, Mrs Stowe., 18 Sep 2006
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is a fictional novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A novel that eventually caused the outbreak of the great American civil war, and the novel that accomplished the Abolitionist in their mission of emancipation of captives, the slaves. A novel that made Stowe the most famous woman in literature, albeit the most controversial. Though it is a fictional novel, but Stowe insists that many parts of the novel are the excerpts from true accounts of slaves and fugitives. And that many similar parables were to be found in the slave states of America, at that time. Stowe, intially anticipated much less of the novel that it would just buy her a new dress, but, as the time unfolded, it escalated her to the heights of fame and controversy. At that time, it sold millions of the copies and made Stowe the most famous and wealthy writer of her era.

The novel is full of emotions and makes you get in their (slaves) shoes. I felt ecstatic when they were contented. I felt doleful when they are traumatised. A person so rigid like me, got his throat dry at some incidents. At the same time, makes you sympathetic towards them. The most distinguished hallmark of Stowe's work is her mesmerising depiction of characters, places and situations. Very artistic, indeed! The novel is so full of emotions, that if you stab the book, it will bleed. Bleed with the pathetic accounts of fugitives, slaves and utter and gross discrimination of the blacks at that time. Moreover, the novel also points out the religious inclination of Stowe, after going through characters of little Eva and the Christ like, Uncle Tom at his death bed. Though the religious exaggeration at few places reaches the frontier of fakery.

Let it as it may be, I will, without a doubt, recommend this to any one who really wants to read an emotional and touching novel. According to my presumption, the children under the age of 15 may not feel the granduer of novel, as adults.

A wonderfully hopeful and uplifting story, 28 Aug 2006
By the time I had got to page 47 I was hooked! I found the language a little slower to read than normal, having to get used to the speech of the slaves being written as it sounded, but I actually got to quite like that.
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes as if she's the narrator and I could almost see her at the side of the stage inviting us to see the next scene.

As we follow the lives of Uncle Tom, Eliza and George, the many people they encounter and whose lives they touch, and whose lives touched them, I cried and I smiled and I felt very humble. This is a very moving book yet oddly without being sentimental and that is to the author's credit. She writes well and makes every character very real and their situations both heartwrenching yet uplifting. A book that not only gives a valuble insight into life at the time in 'Kentuck' and what it was like to be 'sold down the river'....but one that gave me a hope and uplifting that I'd like to stay with me for some time to come.

An outstanding story, 28 Feb 2005
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. This is a highly recommended book.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

An utterly moving book, 07 Apr 2001
This book has to be amongst the most powerful and emotional book on slavery that I have ever read. The other reviewers have said all there is to say, so all I can add to that is READ IT! I totally admire this author for speaking out and stirring up emotions as she has, it is a masterpiece - I rest my case.

The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the most saccharine death scenes in literature, reminiscent of the death of Bambi's mother. Eva's father promises his daughter on her deathbed that he would grant Tom his liberty but this promise is ignored by Eva's mother after his death and Tom is resold to the theatrically evil dealer Legree.
If Uncle Tom's Cabin did not contain scenes of emotional power and lyrical writing it would have been long-since forgotten. Despite Tom's cringing servility and all the black characters being apparently trapped in some kind of evolutionary stasis, a moving sincerity flows throughout the book and the effect it had on the conscience of nineteenth century America cannot be overstated. However, the world has moved on (allegedly) and in the end, the cloying sentimentality and the disturbing notion that Congregationalist Christianity is the only means available for gaining the freedom and dignity of the gentle, saintly slaves and redeeming the souls of their corrupt masters become overwhelming.



Incredible. I commend you, Mrs Stowe., 18 Sep 2006
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is a fictional novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A novel that eventually caused the outbreak of the great American civil war, and the novel that accomplished the Abolitionist in their mission of emancipation of captives, the slaves. A novel that made Stowe the most famous woman in literature, albeit the most controversial. Though it is a fictional novel, but Stowe insists that many parts of the novel are the excerpts from true accounts of slaves and fugitives. And that many similar parables were to be found in the slave states of America, at that time. Stowe, intially anticipated much less of the novel that it would just buy her a new dress, but, as the time unfolded, it escalated her to the heights of fame and controversy. At that time, it sold millions of the copies and made Stowe the most famous and wealthy writer of her era.

The novel is full of emotions and makes you get in their (slaves) shoes. I felt ecstatic when they were contented. I felt doleful when they are traumatised. A person so rigid like me, got his throat dry at some incidents. At the same time, makes you sympathetic towards them. The most distinguished hallmark of Stowe's work is her mesmerising depiction of characters, places and situations. Very artistic, indeed! The novel is so full of emotions, that if you stab the book, it will bleed. Bleed with the pathetic accounts of fugitives, slaves and utter and gross discrimination of the blacks at that time. Moreover, the novel also points out the religious inclination of Stowe, after going through characters of little Eva and the Christ like, Uncle Tom at his death bed. Though the religious exaggeration at few places reaches the frontier of fakery.

Let it as it may be, I will, without a doubt, recommend this to any one who really wants to read an emotional and touching novel. According to my presumption, the children under the age of 15 may not feel the granduer of novel, as adults.

A wonderfully hopeful and uplifting story, 28 Aug 2006
By the time I had got to page 47 I was hooked! I found the language a little slower to read than normal, having to get used to the speech of the slaves being written as it sounded, but I actually got to quite like that.
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes as if she's the narrator and I could almost see her at the side of the stage inviting us to see the next scene.

As we follow the lives of Uncle Tom, Eliza and George, the many people they encounter and whose lives they touch, and whose lives touched them, I cried and I smiled and I felt very humble. This is a very moving book yet oddly without being sentimental and that is to the author's credit. She writes well and makes every character very real and their situations both heartwrenching yet uplifting. A book that not only gives a valuble insight into life at the time in 'Kentuck' and what it was like to be 'sold down the river'....but one that gave me a hope and uplifting that I'd like to stay with me for some time to come.

An outstanding story, 28 Feb 2005
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. This is a highly recommended book.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

An utterly moving book, 07 Apr 2001
This book has to be amongst the most powerful and emotional book on slavery that I have ever read. The other reviewers have said all there is to say, so all I can add to that is READ IT! I totally admire this author for speaking out and stirring up emotions as she has, it is a masterpiece - I rest my case.

Essential Emerson..., 20 Mar 2001
Containing some of the best Emerson essays (Self-Reliance, History, Nature, Divinity School Address, Experience) this attractive little book from Dover is apparently subsidised by people who believe you should have Emerson practically for free. How right they are. In fact Emerson should be on the National Health Service. Easier to read than almost any other great thinker ancient or modern, Emerson is a magnificent prose stylist and, as the epigraphs show, not a bad poet. An absolute joy: if you've ever wondered why Columbus bothered, Emerson alone would be enough to justify America. If you haven't read Emerson before...Go on, treat yourself.

The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the most saccharine death scenes in literature, reminiscent of the death of Bambi's mother. Eva's father promises his daughter on her deathbed that he would grant Tom his liberty but this promise is ignored by Eva's mother after his death and Tom is resold to the theatrically evil dealer Legree.
If Uncle Tom's Cabin did not contain scenes of emotional power and lyrical writing it would have been long-since forgotten. Despite Tom's cringing servility and all the black characters being apparently trapped in some kind of evolutionary stasis, a moving sincerity flows throughout the book and the effect it had on the conscience of nineteenth century America cannot be overstated. However, the world has moved on (allegedly) and in the end, the cloying sentimentality and the disturbing notion that Congregationalist Christianity is the only means available for gaining the freedom and dignity of the gentle, saintly slaves and redeeming the souls of their corrupt masters become overwhelming.



Incredible. I commend you, Mrs Stowe., 18 Sep 2006
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is a fictional novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A novel that eventually caused the outbreak of the great American civil war, and the novel that accomplished the Abolitionist in their mission of emancipation of captives, the slaves. A novel that made Stowe the most famous woman in literature, albeit the most controversial. Though it is a fictional novel, but Stowe insists that many parts of the novel are the excerpts from true accounts of slaves and fugitives. And that many similar parables were to be found in the slave states of America, at that time. Stowe, intially anticipated much less of the novel that it would just buy her a new dress, but, as the time unfolded, it escalated her to the heights of fame and controversy. At that time, it sold millions of the copies and made Stowe the most famous and wealthy writer of her era.

The novel is full of emotions and makes you get in their (slaves) shoes. I felt ecstatic when they were contented. I felt doleful when they are traumatised. A person so rigid like me, got his throat dry at some incidents. At the same time, makes you sympathetic towards them. The most distinguished hallmark of Stowe's work is her mesmerising depiction of characters, places and situations. Very artistic, indeed! The novel is so full of emotions, that if you stab the book, it will bleed. Bleed with the pathetic accounts of fugitives, slaves and utter and gross discrimination of the blacks at that time. Moreover, the novel also points out the religious inclination of Stowe, after going through characters of little Eva and the Christ like, Uncle Tom at his death bed. Though the religious exaggeration at few places reaches the frontier of fakery.

Let it as it may be, I will, without a doubt, recommend this to any one who really wants to read an emotional and touching novel. According to my presumption, the children under the age of 15 may not feel the granduer of novel, as adults.

A wonderfully hopeful and uplifting story, 28 Aug 2006
By the time I had got to page 47 I was hooked! I found the language a little slower to read than normal, having to get used to the speech of the slaves being written as it sounded, but I actually got to quite like that.
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes as if she's the narrator and I could almost see her at the side of the stage inviting us to see the next scene.

As we follow the lives of Uncle Tom, Eliza and George, the many people they encounter and whose lives they touch, and whose lives touched them, I cried and I smiled and I felt very humble. This is a very moving book yet oddly without being sentimental and that is to the author's credit. She writes well and makes every character very real and their situations both heartwrenching yet uplifting. A book that not only gives a valuble insight into life at the time in 'Kentuck' and what it was like to be 'sold down the river'....but one that gave me a hope and uplifting that I'd like to stay with me for some time to come.

An outstanding story, 28 Feb 2005
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. This is a highly recommended book.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

An utterly moving book, 07 Apr 2001
This book has to be amongst the most powerful and emotional book on slavery that I have ever read. The other reviewers have said all there is to say, so all I can add to that is READ IT! I totally admire this author for speaking out and stirring up emotions as she has, it is a masterpiece - I rest my case.

Essential Emerson..., 20 Mar 2001
Containing some of the best Emerson essays (Self-Reliance, History, Nature, Divinity School Address, Experience) this attractive little book from Dover is apparently subsidised by people who believe you should have Emerson practically for free. How right they are. In fact Emerson should be on the National Health Service. Easier to read than almost any other great thinker ancient or modern, Emerson is a magnificent prose stylist and, as the epigraphs show, not a bad poet. An absolute joy: if you've ever wondered why Columbus bothered, Emerson alone would be enough to justify America. If you haven't read Emerson before...Go on, treat yourself.

This price is an insult, 08 Apr 2008
to the true genius of this man. He understood it like no other to capture the spirit of his century, to describe the true face of womanhood and to portrait society as a whole with all his flaws and good sides. Having only read his main oeuvre, i.e. The Picture of Dorian Gray, and few of his short stories, I could impossibly comment on his poetical work. Yet, his prose work identifies him as a true genius and the price of this book doesn't do justice to his life work. Still, to the morally flexible, lacking every sense of honor and respect for this man's art, I strongly advise the seize the occasion and order the book. It's a must-have.

Superb, 31 Jul 2000
Wilde's personal style and sparkling wit make this collection a treasure. Wilde is undoubtedly the greatest playwright this country has ever produced. Buy it.

Oscar Wilde--the BOSS..., 12 Feb 2000
Oscar Wilde's consummate skill in shedding light on the deepest recesses of the human psyche and his inimitable wit can only be compared to living a thousand lives in the twinkling of an eye... Shakespeare's reincarnation, perhaps...?

Works of true genius, 18 Sep 1999
Wilde can not be beaten - whether it is his passionate poetry, witty plays or his masterpieces - 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' and the breathtaking letter "De Profundis". He is sensual and so human that one can not help but cry and laugh along with his work. His philosophy, doctrines and morals combine with a tremendous feel for the beautiful and entertaining to produce the most remarkable works. So much love and pain is evident in all his pieces that they do not only affect one as fascinating examples of art but are instead felt in one's life.

The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the most saccharine death scenes in literature, reminiscent of the death of Bambi's mother. Eva's father promises his daughter on her deathbed that he would grant Tom his liberty but this promise is ignored by Eva's mother after his death and Tom is resold to the theatrically evil dealer Legree.
If Uncle Tom's Cabin did not contain scenes of emotional power and lyrical writing it would have been long-since forgotten. Despite Tom's cringing servility and all the black characters being apparently trapped in some kind of evolutionary stasis, a moving sincerity flows throughout the book and the effect it had on the conscience of nineteenth century America cannot be overstated. However, the world has moved on (allegedly) and in the end, the cloying sentimentality and the disturbing notion that Congregationalist Christianity is the only means available for gaining the freedom and dignity of the gentle, saintly slaves and redeeming the souls of their corrupt masters become overwhelming.



Incredible. I commend you, Mrs Stowe., 18 Sep 2006
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is a fictional novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A novel that eventually caused the outbreak of the great American civil war, and the novel that accomplished the Abolitionist in their mission of emancipation of captives, the slaves. A novel that made Stowe the most famous woman in literature, albeit the most controversial. Though it is a fictional novel, but Stowe insists that many parts of the novel are the excerpts from true accounts of slaves and fugitives. And that many similar parables were to be found in the slave states of America, at that time. Stowe, intially anticipated much less of the novel that it would just buy her a new dress, but, as the time unfolded, it escalated her to the heights of fame and controversy. At that time, it sold millions of the copies and made Stowe the most famous and wealthy writer of her era.

The novel is full of emotions and makes you get in their (slaves) shoes. I felt ecstatic when they were contented. I felt doleful when they are traumatised. A person so rigid like me, got his throat dry at some incidents. At the same time, makes you sympathetic towards them. The most distinguished hallmark of Stowe's work is her mesmerising depiction of characters, places and situations. Very artistic, indeed! The novel is so full of emotions, that if you stab the book, it will bleed. Bleed with the pathetic accounts of fugitives, slaves and utter and gross discrimination of the blacks at that time. Moreover, the novel also points out the religious inclination of Stowe, after going through characters of little Eva and the Christ like, Uncle Tom at his death bed. Though the religious exaggeration at few places reaches the frontier of fakery.

Let it as it may be, I will, without a doubt, recommend this to any one who really wants to read an emotional and touching novel. According to my presumption, the children under the age of 15 may not feel the granduer of novel, as adults.

A wonderfully hopeful and uplifting story, 28 Aug 2006
By the time I had got to page 47 I was hooked! I found the language a little slower to read than normal, having to get used to the speech of the slaves being written as it sounded, but I actually got to quite like that.
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes as if she's the narrator and I could almost see her at the side of the stage inviting us to see the next scene.

As we follow the lives of Uncle Tom, Eliza and George, the many people they encounter and whose lives they touch, and whose lives touched them, I cried and I smiled and I felt very humble. This is a very moving book yet oddly without being sentimental and that is to the author's credit. She writes well and makes every character very real and their situations both heartwrenching yet uplifting. A book that not only gives a valuble insight into life at the time in 'Kentuck' and what it was like to be 'sold down the river'....but one that gave me a hope and uplifting that I'd like to stay with me for some time to come.

An outstanding story, 28 Feb 2005
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. This is a highly recommended book.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

An utterly moving book, 07 Apr 2001
This book has to be amongst the most powerful and emotional book on slavery that I have ever read. The other reviewers have said all there is to say, so all I can add to that is READ IT! I totally admire this author for speaking out and stirring up emotions as she has, it is a masterpiece - I rest my case.

Essential Emerson..., 20 Mar 2001
Containing some of the best Emerson essays (Self-Reliance, History, Nature, Divinity School Address, Experience) this attractive little book from Dover is apparently subsidised by people who believe you should have Emerson practically for free. How right they are. In fact Emerson should be on the National Health Service. Easier to read than almost any other great thinker ancient or modern, Emerson is a magnificent prose stylist and, as the epigraphs show, not a bad poet. An absolute joy: if you've ever wondered why Columbus bothered, Emerson alone would be enough to justify America. If you haven't read Emerson before...Go on, treat yourself.

This price is an insult, 08 Apr 2008
to the true genius of this man. He understood it like no other to capture the spirit of his century, to describe the true face of womanhood and to portrait society as a whole with all his flaws and good sides. Having only read his main oeuvre, i.e. The Picture of Dorian Gray, and few of his short stories, I could impossibly comment on his poetical work. Yet, his prose work identifies him as a true genius and the price of this book doesn't do justice to his life work. Still, to the morally flexible, lacking every sense of honor and respect for this man's art, I strongly advise the seize the occasion and order the book. It's a must-have.

Superb, 31 Jul 2000
Wilde's personal style and sparkling wit make this collection a treasure. Wilde is undoubtedly the greatest playwright this country has ever produced. Buy it.

Oscar Wilde--the BOSS..., 12 Feb 2000
Oscar Wilde's consummate skill in shedding light on the deepest recesses of the human psyche and his inimitable wit can only be compared to living a thousand lives in the twinkling of an eye... Shakespeare's reincarnation, perhaps...?

Works of true genius, 18 Sep 1999
Wilde can not be beaten - whether it is his passionate poetry, witty plays or his masterpieces - 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' and the breathtaking letter "De Profundis". He is sensual and so human that one can not help but cry and laugh along with his work. His philosophy, doctrines and morals combine with a tremendous feel for the beautiful and entertaining to produce the most remarkable works. So much love and pain is evident in all his pieces that they do not only affect one as fascinating examples of art but are instead felt in one's life.

On the Way Home, 03 Jan 2005
Absolutely fascinating insight into Laura, Almanzo and Rose's journey to Mansfield, Missouri. It makes you realise how much the world has changed since those days especially in covering distances. A great follow on from The First Four Years which was so sad for the most part. The supplement at the end written by Rose gives a child's view of their life. You really feel for the family when they can't find the money to use as a down payment for the farm. A must for any fan.

an interesting book about their trip to missouri, 23 Jan 2001
i found the book very interesting especially with roses added back ground detail. i don,t know if was the way it was written but laura does,t come across as a very loving mother as you would expect as a adult. she seems a bit snappy towards rose , i felt a bit disappointed with the way she was portrayed in this particular book. other books(willaim anderson,s biography) describe her being alot softer as a person. the first ones laura actually wrote are always going to be the most enjoyable,nobody can write in the way she did ,to make each book so full of great stories and the history is better than any book i read at school.

The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the most saccharine death scenes in literature, reminiscent of the death of Bambi's mother. Eva's father promises his daughter on her deathbed that he would grant Tom his liberty but this promise is ignored by Eva's mother after his death and Tom is resold to the theatrically evil dealer Legree.
If Uncle Tom's Cabin did not contain scenes of emotional power and lyrical writing it would have been long-since forgotten. Despite Tom's cringing servility and all the black characters being apparently trapped in some kind of evolutionary stasis, a moving sincerity flows throughout the book and the effect it had on the conscience of nineteenth century America cannot be overstated. However, the world has moved on (allegedly) and in the end, the cloying sentimentality and the disturbing notion that Congregationalist Christianity is the only means available for gaining the freedom and dignity of the gentle, saintly slaves and redeeming the souls of their corrupt masters become overwhelming.



Incredible. I commend you, Mrs Stowe., 18 Sep 2006
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is a fictional novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A novel that eventually caused the outbreak of the great American civil war, and the novel that accomplished the Abolitionist in their mission of emancipation of captives, the slaves. A novel that made Stowe the most famous woman in literature, albeit the most controversial. Though it is a fictional novel, but Stowe insists that many parts of the novel are the excerpts from true accounts of slaves and fugitives. And that many similar parables were to be found in the slave states of America, at that time. Stowe, intially anticipated much less of the novel that it would just buy her a new dress, but, as the time unfolded, it escalated her to the heights of fame and controversy. At that time, it sold millions of the copies and made Stowe the most famous and wealthy writer of her era.

The novel is full of emotions and makes you get in their (slaves) shoes. I felt ecstatic when they were contented. I felt doleful when they are traumatised. A person so rigid like me, got his throat dry at some incidents. At the same time, makes you sympathetic towards them. The most distinguished hallmark of Stowe's work is her mesmerising depiction of characters, places and situations. Very artistic, indeed! The novel is so full of emotions, that if you stab the book, it will bleed. Bleed with the pathetic accounts of fugitives, slaves and utter and gross discrimination of the blacks at that time. Moreover, the novel also points out the religious inclination of Stowe, after going through characters of little Eva and the Christ like, Uncle Tom at his death bed. Though the religious exaggeration at few places reaches the frontier of fakery.

Let it as it may be, I will, without a doubt, recommend this to any one who really wants to read an emotional and touching novel. According to my presumption, the children under the age of 15 may not feel the granduer of novel, as adults.

A wonderfully hopeful and uplifting story, 28 Aug 2006
By the time I had got to page 47 I was hooked! I found the language a little slower to read than normal, having to get used to the speech of the slaves being written as it sounded, but I actually got to quite like that.
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes as if she's the narrator and I could almost see her at the side of the stage inviting us to see the next scene.

As we follow the lives of Uncle Tom, Eliza and George, the many people they encounter and whose lives they touch, and whose lives touched them, I cried and I smiled and I felt very humble. This is a very moving book yet oddly without being sentimental and that is to the author's credit. She writes well and makes every character very real and their situations both heartwrenching yet uplifting. A book that not only gives a valuble insight into life at the time in 'Kentuck' and what it was like to be 'sold down the river'....but one that gave me a hope and uplifting that I'd like to stay with me for some time to come.

An outstanding story, 28 Feb 2005
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. This is a highly recommended book.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

An utterly moving book, 07 Apr 2001
This book has to be amongst the most powerful and emotional book on slavery that I have ever read. The other reviewers have said all there is to say, so all I can add to that is READ IT! I totally admire this author for speaking out and stirring up emotions as she has, it is a masterpiece - I rest my case.

Essential Emerson..., 20 Mar 2001
Containing some of the best Emerson essays (Self-Reliance, History, Nature, Divinity School Address, Experience) this attractive little book from Dover is apparently subsidised by people who believe you should have Emerson practically for free. How right they are. In fact Emerson should be on the National Health Service. Easier to read than almost any other great thinker ancient or modern, Emerson is a magnificent prose stylist and, as the epigraphs show, not a bad poet. An absolute joy: if you've ever wondered why Columbus bothered, Emerson alone would be enough to justify America. If you haven't read Emerson before...Go on, treat yourself.

This price is an insult, 08 Apr 2008
to the true genius of this man. He understood it like no other to capture the spirit of his century, to describe the true face of womanhood and to portrait society as a whole with all his flaws and good sides. Having only read his main oeuvre, i.e. The Picture of Dorian Gray, and few of his short stories, I could impossibly comment on his poetical work. Yet, his prose work identifies him as a true genius and the price of this book doesn't do justice to his life work. Still, to the morally flexible, lacking every sense of honor and respect for this man's art, I strongly advise the seize the occasion and order the book. It's a must-have.

Superb, 31 Jul 2000
Wilde's personal style and sparkling wit make this collection a treasure. Wilde is undoubtedly the greatest playwright this country has ever produced. Buy it.

Oscar Wilde--the BOSS..., 12 Feb 2000
Oscar Wilde's consummate skill in shedding light on the deepest recesses of the human psyche and his inimitable wit can only be compared to living a thousand lives in the twinkling of an eye... Shakespeare's reincarnation, perhaps...?

Works of true genius, 18 Sep 1999
Wilde can not be beaten - whether it is his passionate poetry, witty plays or his masterpieces - 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' and the breathtaking letter "De Profundis". He is sensual and so human that one can not help but cry and laugh along with his work. His philosophy, doctrines and morals combine with a tremendous feel for the beautiful and entertaining to produce the most remarkable works. So much love and pain is evident in all his pieces that they do not only affect one as fascinating examples of art but are instead felt in one's life.

On the Way Home, 03 Jan 2005
Absolutely fascinating insight into Laura, Almanzo and Rose's journey to Mansfield, Missouri. It makes you realise how much the world has changed since those days especially in covering distances. A great follow on from The First Four Years which was so sad for the most part. The supplement at the end written by Rose gives a child's view of their life. You really feel for the family when they can't find the money to use as a down payment for the farm. A must for any fan.

an interesting book about their trip to missouri, 23 Jan 2001
i found the book very interesting especially with roses added back ground detail. i don,t know if was the way it was written but laura does,t come across as a very loving mother as you would expect as a adult. she seems a bit snappy towards rose , i felt a bit disappointed with the way she was portrayed in this particular book. other books(willaim anderson,s biography) describe her being alot softer as a person. the first ones laura actually wrote are always going to be the most enjoyable,nobody can write in the way she did ,to make each book so full of great stories and the history is better than any book i read at school.

The enduring master of the macabre, 18 Oct 2008
Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809, died October 7, 1849.

What is it that makes an author famous? I don't mean famous in the sense a news article reports that "Jack Greylea's novels sold 15 million copies last year," but in the sense that he is thought of as being profound, and seminal. That he is quoted, and scholars analyse his works, and he is looked upon as being the original voice of his style, or the font from which many imitators have drawn inspiration.

Edgar Allan Poe is one such. The very hint of his name calls up images of midnight graveyards, of crumbling mansions lit by wax candles, the home of strange and tormented aristocrats, till the description "Poe-like" can draw as vivid a picture in our minds as "elephant-like."

Yet his output was not great. Basically a short story writer and poet, he produced only one full-length novel, which received more censure than praise, and which very few people today can name. Without wishing to run him down as an author (what he did, he did well, but what he did well, was to be Poe) he was a limited writer, and all of his works over twenty-two years can be contained in one thickish book.
So what is the secret of Poe, whereby a scanty writer becomes the cult-centre of a world of horror that carries his own stamp? It lies I think in two things.

Not to place these two in any order of importance as regards his continuing fame - I leave this to you - but I would say....
Firstly, that it was his choice of subject and execution of it. The mournful, weird and macabre, in which man becomes little more than an instrument of darkness, and that usually the worst darkness, that which wells up from within, whose black light shows us as being not the pawns of evil, but the source of evil itself. But to seize on this idea - or any other idea - as inspiration is nothing, merely the starting point from which the quill hits the paper. It is in the execution of his vision that Poe's genius emerges. Not with a great deal of subtlety, nor a much complexity, but with great and disciplined fixity on the horror of his intentions, Poe moves relentless to the nasty culmination of his stories, and they come to us with all the rawness of unconsoled misery. His art was that of the short story writer, and as such he wrote little, but when reading Poe a little is more than enough.

Secondly, that Poe more than any other author is identified as a man with his works. An orphan and an outcast from his adopted family, overly sensitive and reckless, he lived wildly, lied readily, lived in poverty, married strangely to his thirteen-year old cousin, was widowed miserably, and finally died mysteriously at age forty, from uncertain causes that speculation has named as anything from drug addiction to murder. As if this were not enough, his works were controlled after his death by his executor, who attempted to blacken his name. More than any other author that I can readily think of, Poe was his own tormented, tragic hero, and his oppressed characters were him.

In the nineteen-sixties, several of Poe's stories and poems - The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, The Tomb of Legeia and others - were made into popular, low budget films, cementing Poe's reputation firmly into the mythology of modern horror movies. It's common of course for movies to be nothing like the original written work, but all of these are based on not on fully worked out novels, but ideas that Poe dealt with in comparatively few pages.

Incidentally, the principal actor in many of these was Vincent Price, whose tall, mournful frame instantly springs to mind as well nigh inseparable from Poe's weird gems.

Graham Worthington, author, Wake of the Raven

Not A Hardcover Book, 17 Dec 2007
I bought this book under the assumption it was a Hardcover as it states on the title....It isn't so be careful when ordering

A reasonably concise compilation of Poe's works., 15 Nov 2001
Despite the title, this volume is not a complete collection of Poe's tales or poems, although *most* of them are present. His essays, reviews and miscellania are almost completely absent. There is no introduction, no notes and nothing in the way of commentary. The absence of this latter can make reading difficult, as Poe made frequent use of French, Latin, Greek and Hebrew quotations, and also employed obscure and unfamiliar words and mythological allusions. However, the stories and poems are presented in a logical order, those with similar themes being clustered together.

There are other compilations of Poe available (with lower prices) which contain basically the same material. This book is not of exceptional quality; the print used (at least in my copy) smudges, and the text contains a number of printing errors.

On the quality of Poe's fiction itself (rather than this particular volume) he cannot be faulted. A true master of every literary style to which he turned his hand, Poe elevated the short story to an artform and even created the detective fiction genre. Many writers since owe him a huge debt.

A surprising lesson from a well known poet, 07 Oct 2001
I did not know what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised and pleased of this choice of bed time reading. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the world's most famous scarey poets, though only a few of his works are well known. This book sensibly places his famous poem 'The Raven', at the beginning of the poetry section, to entice the reader onwards, which you will not be able to stop yourself from doing. It does the writer great justice, by bringing together his complete works and allowing the reader to be able to take in all of his tales and poems, not just to allow you to go over the well known ones again and again. This book is perfect for those who would like to read poetry, but who find the lovey dovey stuff a bit too much. Poe famously takes poetry and story telling to a new level for his time and is even considered terrifying in some ways now. These frightening tales of woe and horror and poems of murder and science fiction will keep even the most negative lover of literature amused for hours on end.

The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the most saccharine death scenes in literature, reminiscent of the death of Bambi's mother. Eva's father promises his daughter on her deathbed that he would grant Tom his liberty but this promise is ignored by Eva's mother after his death and Tom is resold to the theatrically evil dealer Legree.
If Uncle Tom's Cabin did not contain scenes of emotional power and lyrical writing it would have been long-since forgotten. Despite Tom's cringing servility and all the black characters being apparently trapped in some kind of evolutionary stasis, a moving sincerity flows throughout the book and the effect it had on the conscience of nineteenth century America cannot be overstated. However, the world has moved on (allegedly) and in the end, the cloying sentimentality and the disturbing notion that Congregationalist Christianity is the only means available for gaining the freedom and dignity of the gentle, saintly slaves and redeeming the souls of their corrupt masters become overwhelming.



Incredible. I commend you, Mrs Stowe., 18 Sep 2006
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is a fictional novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A novel that eventually caused the outbreak of the great American civil war, and the novel that accomplished the Abolitionist in their mission of emancipation of captives, the slaves. A novel that made Stowe the most famous woman in literature, albeit the most controversial. Though it is a fictional novel, but Stowe insists that many parts of the novel are the excerpts from true accounts of slaves and fugitives. And that many similar parables were to be found in the slave states of America, at that time. Stowe, intially anticipated much less of the novel that it would just buy her a new dress, but, as the time unfolded, it escalated her to the heights of fame and controversy. At that time, it sold millions of the copies and made Stowe the most famous and wealthy writer of her era.

The novel is full of emotions and makes you get in their (slaves) shoes. I felt ecstatic when they were contented. I felt doleful when they are traumatised. A person so rigid like me, got his throat dry at some incidents. At the same time, makes you sympathetic towards them. The most distinguished hallmark of Stowe's work is her mesmerising depiction of characters, places and situations. Very artistic, indeed! The novel is so full of emotions, that if you stab the book, it will bleed. Bleed with the pathetic accounts of fugitives, slaves and utter and gross discrimination of the blacks at that time. Moreover, the novel also points out the religious inclination of Stowe, after going through characters of little Eva and the Christ like, Uncle Tom at his death bed. Though the religious exaggeration at few places reaches the frontier of fakery.

Let it as it may be, I will, without a doubt, recommend this to any one who really wants to read an emotional and touching novel. According to my presumption, the children under the age of 15 may not feel the granduer of novel, as adults.

A wonderfully hopeful and uplifting story, 28 Aug 2006
By the time I had got to page 47 I was hooked! I found the language a little slower to read than normal, having to get used to the speech of the slaves being written as it sounded, but I actually got to quite like that.
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes as if she's the narrator and I could almost see her at the side of the stage inviting us to see the next scene.

As we follow the lives of Uncle Tom, Eliza and George, the many people they encounter and whose lives they touch, and whose lives touched them, I cried and I smiled and I felt very humble. This is a very moving book yet oddly without being sentimental and that is to the author's credit. She writes well and makes every character very real and their situations both heartwrenching yet uplifting. A book that not only gives a valuble insight into life at the time in 'Kentuck' and what it was like to be 'sold down the river'....but one that gave me a hope and uplifting that I'd like to stay with me for some time to come.

An outstanding story, 28 Feb 2005
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. This is a highly recommended book.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

An utterly moving book, 07 Apr 2001
This book has to be amongst the most powerful and emotional book on slavery that I have ever read. The other reviewers have said all there is to say, so all I can add to that is READ IT! I totally admire this author for speaking out and stirring up emotions as she has, it is a masterpiece - I rest my case.

Essential Emerson..., 20 Mar 2001
Containing some of the best Emerson essays (Self-Reliance, History, Nature, Divinity School Address, Experience) this attractive little book from Dover is apparently subsidised by people who believe you should have Emerson practically for free. How right they are. In fact Emerson should be on the National Health Service. Easier to read than almost any other great thinker ancient or modern, Emerson is a magnificent prose stylist and, as the epigraphs show, not a bad poet. An absolute joy: if you've ever wondered why Columbus bothered, Emerson alone would be enough to justify America. If you haven't read Emerson before...Go on, treat yourself.

This price is an insult, 08 Apr 2008
to the true genius of this man. He understood it like no other to capture the spirit of his century, to describe the true face of womanhood and to portrait society as a whole with all his flaws and good sides. Having only read his main oeuvre, i.e. The Picture of Dorian Gray, and few of his short stories, I could impossibly comment on his poetical work. Yet, his prose work identifies him as a true genius and the price of this book doesn't do justice to his life work. Still, to the morally flexible, lacking every sense of honor and respect for this man's art, I strongly advise the seize the occasion and order the book. It's a must-have.

Superb, 31 Jul 2000
Wilde's personal style and sparkling wit make this collection a treasure. Wilde is undoubtedly the greatest playwright this country has ever produced. Buy it.

Oscar Wilde--the BOSS..., 12 Feb 2000
Oscar Wilde's consummate skill in shedding light on the deepest recesses of the human psyche and his inimitable wit can only be compared to living a thousand lives in the twinkling of an eye... Shakespeare's reincarnation, perhaps...?

Works of true genius, 18 Sep 1999
Wilde can not be beaten - whether it is his passionate poetry, witty plays or his masterpieces - 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' and the breathtaking letter "De Profundis". He is sensual and so human that one can not help but cry and laugh along with his work. His philosophy, doctrines and morals combine with a tremendous feel for the beautiful and entertaining to produce the most remarkable works. So much love and pain is evident in all his pieces that they do not only affect one as fascinating examples of art but are instead felt in one's life.

On the Way Home, 03 Jan 2005
Absolutely fascinating insight into Laura, Almanzo and Rose's journey to Mansfield, Missouri. It makes you realise how much the world has changed since those days especially in covering distances. A great follow on from The First Four Years which was so sad for the most part. The supplement at the end written by Rose gives a child's view of their life. You really feel for the family when they can't find the money to use as a down payment for the farm. A must for any fan.

an interesting book about their trip to missouri, 23 Jan 2001
i found the book very interesting especially with roses added back ground detail. i don,t know if was the way it was written but laura does,t come across as a very loving mother as you would expect as a adult. she seems a bit snappy towards rose , i felt a bit disappointed with the way she was portrayed in this particular book. other books(willaim anderson,s biography) describe her being alot softer as a person. the first ones laura actually wrote are always going to be the most enjoyable,nobody can write in the way she did ,to make each book so full of great stories and the history is better than any book i read at school.

The enduring master of the macabre, 18 Oct 2008
Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809, died October 7, 1849.

What is it that makes an author famous? I don't mean famous in the sense a news article reports that "Jack Greylea's novels sold 15 million copies last year," but in the sense that he is thought of as being profound, and seminal. That he is quoted, and scholars analyse his works, and he is looked upon as being the original voice of his style, or the font from which many imitators have drawn inspiration.

Edgar Allan Poe is one such. The very hint of his name calls up images of midnight graveyards, of crumbling mansions lit by wax candles, the home of strange and tormented aristocrats, till the description "Poe-like" can draw as vivid a picture in our minds as "elephant-like."

Yet his output was not great. Basically a short story writer and poet, he produced only one full-length novel, which received more censure than praise, and which very few people today can name. Without wishing to run him down as an author (what he did, he did well, but what he did well, was to be Poe) he was a limited writer, and all of his works over twenty-two years can be contained in one thickish book.
So what is the secret of Poe, whereby a scanty writer becomes the cult-centre of a world of horror that carries his own stamp? It lies I think in two things.

Not to place these two in any order of importance as regards his continuing fame - I leave this to you - but I would say....
Firstly, that it was his choice of subject and execution of it. The mournful, weird and macabre, in which man becomes little more than an instrument of darkness, and that usually the worst darkness, that which wells up from within, whose black light shows us as being not the pawns of evil, but the source of evil itself. But to seize on this idea - or any other idea - as inspiration is nothing, merely the starting point from which the quill hits the paper. It is in the execution of his vision that Poe's genius emerges. Not with a great deal of subtlety, nor a much complexity, but with great and disciplined fixity on the horror of his intentions, Poe moves relentless to the nasty culmination of his stories, and they come to us with all the rawness of unconsoled misery. His art was that of the short story writer, and as such he wrote little, but when reading Poe a little is more than enough.

Secondly, that Poe more than any other author is identified as a man with his works. An orphan and an outcast from his adopted family, overly sensitive and reckless, he lived wildly, lied readily, lived in poverty, married strangely to his thirteen-year old cousin, was widowed miserably, and finally died mysteriously at age forty, from uncertain causes that speculation has named as anything from drug addiction to murder. As if this were not enough, his works were controlled after his death by his executor, who attempted to blacken his name. More than any other author that I can readily think of, Poe was his own tormented, tragic hero, and his oppressed characters were him.

In the nineteen-sixties, several of Poe's stories and poems - The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, The Tomb of Legeia and others - were made into popular, low budget films, cementing Poe's reputation firmly into the mythology of modern horror movies. It's common of course for movies to be nothing like the original written work, but all of these are based on not on fully worked out novels, but ideas that Poe dealt with in comparatively few pages.

Incidentally, the principal actor in many of these was Vincent Price, whose tall, mournful frame instantly springs to mind as well nigh inseparable from Poe's weird gems.

Graham Worthington, author, Wake of the Raven

Not A Hardcover Book, 17 Dec 2007
I bought this book under the assumption it was a Hardcover as it states on the title....It isn't so be careful when ordering

A reasonably concise compilation of Poe's works., 15 Nov 2001
Despite the title, this volume is not a complete collection of Poe's tales or poems, although *most* of them are present. His essays, reviews and miscellania are almost completely absent. There is no introduction, no notes and nothing in the way of commentary. The absence of this latter can make reading difficult, as Poe made frequent use of French, Latin, Greek and Hebrew quotations, and also employed obscure and unfamiliar words and mythological allusions. However, the stories and poems are presented in a logical order, those with similar themes being clustered together.

There are other compilations of Poe available (with lower prices) which contain basically the same material. This book is not of exceptional quality; the print used (at least in my copy) smudges, and the text contains a number of printing errors.

On the quality of Poe's fiction itself (rather than this particular volume) he cannot be faulted. A true master of every literary style to which he turned his hand, Poe elevated the short story to an artform and even created the detective fiction genre. Many writers since owe him a huge debt.

A surprising lesson from a well known poet, 07 Oct 2001
I did not know what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised and pleased of this choice of bed time reading. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the world's most famous scarey poets, though only a few of his works are well known. This book sensibly places his famous poem 'The Raven', at the beginning of the poetry section, to entice the reader onwards, which you will not be able to stop yourself from doing. It does the writer great justice, by bringing together his complete works and allowing the reader to be able to take in all of his tales and poems, not just to allow you to go over the well known ones again and again. This book is perfect for those who would like to read poetry, but who find the lovey dovey stuff a bit too much. Poe famously takes poetry and story telling to a new level for his time and is even considered terrifying in some ways now. These frightening tales of woe and horror and poems of murder and science fiction will keep even the most negative lover of literature amused for hours on end.

Uncle Sam, I hardly knew Ye., 12 Feb 1999
Taking an 'Introduction to US politics', I was surprised to see how much of de Tocqueville's(hence deToc) poignant observations in his masterpiece,'Democracy in America', are still valid today. It is unbelievable that this was written nearly one and a half century ago, which accurate analysis led my professor to say often during class, 'If deToc came back today...' I can't understand why many people around the world have love-or/and-hate feelings against the U.S. but do not understand the U.S. at all, and why so few seem to refer to deToc's 'Democracy in America.'Maybe, because this book is the vital key to understanding Uncle Sam's psyche that some wants it to be unknown as it is. Overall, a magnificient piece of analysis that would help anyone to understand the U.S. without taking all the pains of coming over like I did.

A must!, 26 Dec 1997
A brilliant analysis by the father of sociology of what permitted the success and blossom of the American civilization.
I am a French (and read this book in my own chauvinistic language), and we Europeans need badly much of what is described in this book

You could spend years trying to read Walter Benjamin's The Arcades Project--after all, he spent much of the last 13 years of his life doing the research. When he committed suicide in 1940, he destroyed his copy of the manuscript, and so for decades the work was believed lost. But another copy turned up, and Howard Eiland and Kevin McLaughlin have translated it into English. It is a complex, fragmentary work--more a series of notes for a book than a book itself--which probes the culture of the Paris arcades (a cross between covered streets and shopping malls) of the mid-19th century and the flaneur ("the man who walks long and aimlessly through the streets" in an "anamnestic intoxication [that]...feeds on the sensory data taking shape before his eyes but often possesses itself of abstract knowledge--indeed, of dead facts--as something experienced and lived through"). The Arcades Project is, frankly, so dense a work that it may be tricky to find enough time to do more than glimpse fleetingly at its sections--over 100 pages of notes on Baudelaire alone!--though one is sure to look forward to the opportunity to peruse it at leisure. --Christine Buttery

The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the most saccharine death scenes in literature, reminiscent of the death of Bambi's mother. Eva's father promises his daughter on her deathbed that he would grant Tom his liberty but this promise is ignored by Eva's mother after his death and Tom is resold to the theatrically evil dealer Legree.
If Uncle Tom's Cabin did not contain scenes of emotional power and lyrical writing it would have been long-since forgotten. Despite Tom's cringing servility and all the black characters being apparently trapped in some kind of evolutionary stasis, a moving sincerity flows throughout the book and the effect it had on the conscience of nineteenth century America cannot be overstated. However, the world has moved on (allegedly) and in the end, the cloying sentimentality and the disturbing notion that Congregationalist Christianity is the only means available for gaining the freedom and dignity of the gentle, saintly slaves and redeeming the souls of their corrupt masters become overwhelming.



Incredible. I commend you, Mrs Stowe., 18 Sep 2006
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is a fictional novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A novel that eventually caused the outbreak of the great American civil war, and the novel that accomplished the Abolitionist in their mission of emancipation of captives, the slaves. A novel that made Stowe the most famous woman in literature, albeit the most controversial. Though it is a fictional novel, but Stowe insists that many parts of the novel are the excerpts from true accounts of slaves and fugitives. And that many similar parables were to be found in the slave states of America, at that time. Stowe, intially anticipated much less of the novel that it would just buy her a new dress, but, as the time unfolded, it escalated her to the heights of fame and controversy. At that time, it sold millions of the copies and made Stowe the most famous and wealthy writer of her era.

The novel is full of emotions and makes you get in their (slaves) shoes. I felt ecstatic when they were contented. I felt doleful when they are traumatised. A person so rigid like me, got his throat dry at some incidents. At the same time, makes you sympathetic towards them. The most distinguished hallmark of Stowe's work is her mesmerising depiction of characters, places and situations. Very artistic, indeed! The novel is so full of emotions, that if you stab the book, it will bleed. Bleed with the pathetic accounts of fugitives, slaves and utter and gross discrimination of the blacks at that time. Moreover, the novel also points out the religious inclination of Stowe, after going through characters of little Eva and the Christ like, Uncle Tom at his death bed. Though the religious exaggeration at few places reaches the frontier of fakery.

Let it as it may be, I will, without a doubt, recommend this to any one who really wants to read an emotional and touching novel. According to my presumption, the children under the age of 15 may not feel the granduer of novel, as adults.

A wonderfully hopeful and uplifting story, 28 Aug 2006
By the time I had got to page 47 I was hooked! I found the language a little slower to read than normal, having to get used to the speech of the slaves being written as it sounded, but I actually got to quite like that.
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes as if she's the narrator and I could almost see her at the side of the stage inviting us to see the next scene.

As we follow the lives of Uncle Tom, Eliza and George, the many people they encounter and whose lives they touch, and whose lives touched them, I cried and I smiled and I felt very humble. This is a very moving book yet oddly without being sentimental and that is to the author's credit. She writes well and makes every character very real and their situations both heartwrenching yet uplifting. A book that not only gives a valuble insight into life at the time in 'Kentuck' and what it was like to be 'sold down the river'....but one that gave me a hope and uplifting that I'd like to stay with me for some time to come.

An outstanding story, 28 Feb 2005
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. This is a highly recommended book.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

An utterly moving book, 07 Apr 2001
This book has to be amongst the most powerful and emotional book on slavery that I have ever read. The other reviewers have said all there is to say, so all I can add to that is READ IT! I totally admire this author for speaking out and stirring up emotions as she has, it is a masterpiece - I rest my case.

Essential Emerson..., 20 Mar 2001
Containing some of the best Emerson essays (Self-Reliance, History, Nature, Divinity School Address, Experience) this attractive little book from Dover is apparently subsidised by people who believe you should have Emerson practically for free. How right they are. In fact Emerson should be on the National Health Service. Easier to read than almost any other great thinker ancient or modern, Emerson is a magnificent prose stylist and, as the epigraphs show, not a bad poet. An absolute joy: if you've ever wondered why Columbus bothered, Emerson alone would be enough to justify America. If you haven't read Emerson before...Go on, treat yourself.

This price is an insult, 08 Apr 2008
to the true genius of this man. He understood it like no other to capture the spirit of his century, to describe the true face of womanhood and to portrait society as a whole with all his flaws and good sides. Having only read his main oeuvre, i.e. The Picture of Dorian Gray, and few of his short stories, I could impossibly comment on his poetical work. Yet, his prose work identifies him as a true genius and the price of this book doesn't do justice to his life work. Still, to the morally flexible, lacking every sense of honor and respect for this man's art, I strongly advise the seize the occasion and order the book. It's a must-have.

Superb, 31 Jul 2000
Wilde's personal style and sparkling wit make this collection a treasure. Wilde is undoubtedly the greatest playwright this country has ever produced. Buy it.

Oscar Wilde--the BOSS..., 12 Feb 2000
Oscar Wilde's consummate skill in shedding light on the deepest recesses of the human psyche and his inimitable wit can only be compared to living a thousand lives in the twinkling of an eye... Shakespeare's reincarnation, perhaps...?

Works of true genius, 18 Sep 1999
Wilde can not be beaten - whether it is his passionate poetry, witty plays or his masterpieces - 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' and the breathtaking letter "De Profundis". He is sensual and so human that one can not help but cry and laugh along with his work. His philosophy, doctrines and morals combine with a tremendous feel for the beautiful and entertaining to produce the most remarkable works. So much love and pain is evident in all his pieces that they do not only affect one as fascinating examples of art but are instead felt in one's life.

On the Way Home, 03 Jan 2005
Absolutely fascinating insight into Laura, Almanzo and Rose's journey to Mansfield, Missouri. It makes you realise how much the world has changed since those days especially in covering distances. A great follow on from The First Four Years which was so sad for the most part. The supplement at the end written by Rose gives a child's view of their life. You really feel for the family when they can't find the money to use as a down payment for the farm. A must for any fan.

an interesting book about their trip to missouri, 23 Jan 2001
i found the book very interesting especially with roses added back ground detail. i don,t know if was the way it was written but laura does,t come across as a very loving mother as you would expect as a adult. she seems a bit snappy towards rose , i felt a bit disappointed with the way she was portrayed in this particular book. other books(willaim anderson,s biography) describe her being alot softer as a person. the first ones laura actually wrote are always going to be the most enjoyable,nobody can write in the way she did ,to make each book so full of great stories and the history is better than any book i read at school.

The enduring master of the macabre, 18 Oct 2008
Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809, died October 7, 1849.

What is it that makes an author famous? I don't mean famous in the sense a news article reports that "Jack Greylea's novels sold 15 million copies last year," but in the sense that he is thought of as being profound, and seminal. That he is quoted, and scholars analyse his works, and he is looked upon as being the original voice of his style, or the font from which many imitators have drawn inspiration.

Edgar Allan Poe is one such. The very hint of his name calls up images of midnight graveyards, of crumbling mansions lit by wax candles, the home of strange and tormented aristocrats, till the description "Poe-like" can draw as vivid a picture in our minds as "elephant-like."

Yet his output was not great. Basically a short story writer and poet, he produced only one full-length novel, which received more censure than praise, and which very few people today can name. Without wishing to run him down as an author (what he did, he did well, but what he did well, was to be Poe) he was a limited writer, and all of his works over twenty-two years can be contained in one thickish book.
So what is the secret of Poe, whereby a scanty writer becomes the cult-centre of a world of horror that carries his own stamp? It lies I think in two things.

Not to place these two in any order of importance as regards his continuing fame - I leave this to you - but I would say....
Firstly, that it was his choice of subject and execution of it. The mournful, weird and macabre, in which man becomes little more than an instrument of darkness, and that usually the worst darkness, that which wells up from within, whose black light shows us as being not the pawns of evil, but the source of evil itself. But to seize on this idea - or any other idea - as inspiration is nothing, merely the starting point from which the quill hits the paper. It is in the execution of his vision that Poe's genius emerges. Not with a great deal of subtlety, nor a much complexity, but with great and disciplined fixity on the horror of his intentions, Poe moves relentless to the nasty culmination of his stories, and they come to us with all the rawness of unconsoled misery. His art was that of the short story writer, and as such he wrote little, but when reading Poe a little is more than enough.

Secondly, that Poe more than any other author is identified as a man with his works. An orphan and an outcast from his adopted family, overly sensitive and reckless, he lived wildly, lied readily, lived in poverty, married strangely to his thirteen-year old cousin, was widowed miserably, and finally died mysteriously at age forty, from uncertain causes that speculation has named as anything from drug addiction to murder. As if this were not enough, his works were controlled after his death by his executor, who attempted to blacken his name. More than any other author that I can readily think of, Poe was his own tormented, tragic hero, and his oppressed characters were him.

In the nineteen-sixties, several of Poe's stories and poems - The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, The Tomb of Legeia and others - were made into popular, low budget films, cementing Poe's reputation firmly into the mythology of modern horror movies. It's common of course for movies to be nothing like the original written work, but all of these are based on not on fully worked out novels, but ideas that Poe dealt with in comparatively few pages.

Incidentally, the principal actor in many of these was Vincent Price, whose tall, mournful frame instantly springs to mind as well nigh inseparable from Poe's weird gems.

Graham Worthington, author, Wake of the Raven

Not A Hardcover Book, 17 Dec 2007
I bought this book under the assumption it was a Hardcover as it states on the title....It isn't so be careful when ordering

A reasonably concise compilation of Poe's works., 15 Nov 2001
Despite the title, this volume is not a complete collection of Poe's tales or poems, although *most* of them are present. His essays, reviews and miscellania are almost completely absent. There is no introduction, no notes and nothing in the way of commentary. The absence of this latter can make reading difficult, as Poe made frequent use of French, Latin, Greek and Hebrew quotations, and also employed obscure and unfamiliar words and mythological allusions. However, the stories and poems are presented in a logical order, those with similar themes being clustered together.

There are other compilations of Poe available (with lower prices) which contain basically the same material. This book is not of exceptional quality; the print used (at least in my copy) smudges, and the text contains a number of printing errors.

On the quality of Poe's fiction itself (rather than this particular volume) he cannot be faulted. A true master of every literary style to which he turned his hand, Poe elevated the short story to an artform and even created the detective fiction genre. Many writers since owe him a huge debt.

A surprising lesson from a well known poet, 07 Oct 2001
I did not know what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised and pleased of this choice of bed time reading. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the world's most famous scarey poets, though only a few of his works are well known. This book sensibly places his famous poem 'The Raven', at the beginning of the poetry section, to entice the reader onwards, which you will not be able to stop yourself from doing. It does the writer great justice, by bringing together his complete works and allowing the reader to be able to take in all of his tales and poems, not just to allow you to go over the well known ones again and again. This book is perfect for those who would like to read poetry, but who find the lovey dovey stuff a bit too much. Poe famously takes poetry and story telling to a new level for his time and is even considered terrifying in some ways now. These frightening tales of woe and horror and poems of murder and science fiction will keep even the most negative lover of literature amused for hours on end.

Uncle Sam, I hardly knew Ye., 12 Feb 1999
Taking an 'Introduction to US politics', I was surprised to see how much of de Tocqueville's(hence deToc) poignant observations in his masterpiece,'Democracy in America', are still valid today. It is unbelievable that this was written nearly one and a half century ago, which accurate analysis led my professor to say often during class, 'If deToc came back today...' I can't understand why many people around the world have love-or/and-hate feelings against the U.S. but do not understand the U.S. at all, and why so few seem to refer to deToc's 'Democracy in America.'Maybe, because this book is the vital key to understanding Uncle Sam's psyche that some wants it to be unknown as it is. Overall, a magnificient piece of analysis that would help anyone to understand the U.S. without taking all the pains of coming over like I did.

A must!, 26 Dec 1997
A brilliant analysis by the father of sociology of what permitted the success and blossom of the American civilization.
I am a French (and read this book in my own chauvinistic language), and we Europeans need badly much of what is described in this book

Project:Sucessful, 21 Nov 2006
I bought this not really being sure of what to expect. I had read some Benjamin previously but hadn't really got along with it and was a little worried that this would only be compunded by his "magnum opus". I need not have worried! Not least because Benjamin's presence here is not as a writer but as an assembler - arranging fragments and quotes into meaningful sections and building from these a cohesive whole.

"The whole" tends towards the recreation of the experience of the Flauneur in a Paris where there city envirnment was still conducive to their style of life - loitering, noticing and experiencing. The manifold perspectives and descriptions which inform this life make you wish for such an interesting time of things. Or endeavour to create one out of your relatively unpromising situation.

There is an excellent account from one of Benjamin's co-travellers on his last voyage regarding his over-protectiveness of his manuscript and his comical air. The volume as a whole has made me reassess my opinion of the writer - no longer to be thought of an inscrutible literary critic amongst his Frankfurt fellows, he is herein conveyed as someone passionate about life and possibility.

Exquisite, entertaining, remarkable., 17 Mar 2002
Walter Benjamin is said to have been a shy and awkward man, yet there was something about him that made people want to take his picture. One of the nicest things about Momme Brodersen's lavishly illustrated biography is that, more than half a century after Benjamin's death, American readers can finally get a good look at his face. His mop of floating hair; his glasses-framed, heavy-lidded, soulful eyes, looking down or aimed into the middle distance (looking not into but past the camera); the hand that forms a V under his chin and gives his face a point; the dangling cigarette that seems to be there not so much to be smoked as to be crushed out -- it all makes us feel that we are in the presence of the most serious man who ever lived.
Some of the most radiant visions of Benjamin emerged late in his life, in his beloved Paris at the end of the thirties, the age of Renoir's Grand Illusion, after the Popular Front broke down, before (but not long before) the Nazis came. In 1937 Gisèle Freund photographed Benjamin at work in the Bibliothèque Nationale. She is one of European culture's grandes dames today, but then she was a fellow German-Jewish refugee, only twenty years younger than Benjamin and living even more precariously. In one shot Benjamin searches through a bookshelf, in another he is writing at a table. As usual, his gaze occludes the camera, though clearly he knows it is there. These library shots are visions of a man wholly absorbed in his work and at one with himself. His aura of total concentration can make the rest of us feel like bumbling fools. Or it can remind us why God gave us these big brains and taught us to read and write.
What was he working on that day? Probably his immense Arcades manuscript, the exploration of nineteenth-century Paris that enveloped his life all through the thirties. (When he crossed the Pyrenees on foot in 1940 to escape from France, he carried it with him and wouldn't let go. Lisa Fittko, his guide, later said she felt the manuscript was worth more to him than his life.) But it might have been one of his great late essays in that distinctively modern genre, Theology Without God. Here is a bit from "Theses on the Philosophy of History".

This is why this book is such amazing pierce of literature. If you never read this book, then you have never completed your fulfilment. For the amount you pay for this book, you easierly recive your money back. Its a small amount to pay for such an fabulous piece of work.

The sentimental novel that acted as a catalyst for the American Civil War, 04 Dec 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most important and popular novels in literary history. One hundred and fifty years on it remains as controversial as it was at the time of its publication and has spawned the term Uncle Tom to describe black people who are excessively meek and submissive in the face of racial abuse and prejudice. The debate today though is not about the morality of slavery, which is universally reviled, but instead focuses on whether or not the author inadvertently demeans and degrades the very people for whom she sought both dignity and liberation.
The novel begins in relatively liberal Kentucky in the home of a `liberal' slave owner and his wife who are reluctantly forced to sell two of their slaves to an unscrupulous dealer due to severe financial difficulties. On hearing that her son is about to be sold, mulatto Eliza flees across a frozen river with her little boy and heads for free Canada with the aid of sympathetic Quakers, meeting up with her bitter, estranged husband along the way. In contrast, pious Tom accepts severance from his family and his fate at the slave auction with resigned docility and is fortunate at first to be reassigned to a family headed by another liberal-inclined slaver. It is here that we meet the golden-haired (of course) little angel Eva, daughter of Tom's new master and his unsympathetic wife. Eva has bottomless compassion for Tom and the other slaves and servants and is adored in turn until she dies in one of the mo