"Each Peach Pear Plum. I spy Tom Thumb!" In this engaging, interactive book for the very young, familiar nursery-rhyme characters such as Mother Hubbard and Baby Bunting sneak their way into the gentle drawings. Even young children who might not know all the fairy-tale stars can find them lurking in the cupboard, on the stairs or deep in the woods. In the happy finale, the whole cast meets up for plum pie in the sun, where the little one on your lap will gleefully find everyone.

A favourite!, 06 Nov 2008
My son has just turned 2 and this book has been a favourite for a few months. He enjoys looking for the 'hidden' characters and the reference to nursery rhyme characters etc.

A classic, 28 Oct 2008
Both me and me toddler adore this book. Lovely pictures that provide excellent hide and seek involvement for toddlers, and sing song narrative that will engage and delight babies and toddlers alike. Peepo is also a gem - the Ahlbergs are genius!

Lovely and gentle, 03 Aug 2008
Such a lovely board book and in my opinion it's perfect for babies and toddlers of any age really.
It's especially good for reading before a daytime nap (or any winding down time) as the beautiful rhymes and gentle illustrations can be quite soothing.
My 2 year old daughter loves it and I highly recommend it.
Buy it and you'll soon see...it will come out from the bookshelf time and time again.


amazing book let down by presentation, 26 Jan 2008
As all the other reviews say, this is an out and out classic children's book - a must have.
This copy, however, is dreadful. The paper is thin and overly glossy, making it difficult to get to the next page and it could do with being bigger as it's really all about the pictures. I bought where the wild things are at the same time and that is amazingly presented, highlighting the problem with this further. This seems like a pamphlet or concert programme - cheap.
Save money and get the board book. It's smaller but the pictures are sharper.

Charming, 14 Sep 2007
What a perfectly charming book. Children love the bouncy rhyme and they recognise many famous characters such as tom thumb and cinderella. Statistics show that if a child is not interested in a reading by the time they are 7 they never will be. This is a brilliant introduction to literature!

Winnie the Pooh: The Complete Collection of Stories and Poems was originally published in 1994, but this beautifully produced slip-cased edition has been specially created to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the publication of the very first stories about Winnie the Pooh.

It consists of the classic, well-loved, tried-and-tested stories by AA Milne, from "Winnie the Pooh" (1926), "The House at Pooh Corner" (1928) and the poetry from "When We Were Very Young" (1924) and "Now We Are Six" (1927).

Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn't. Anyhow, here he is at the bottom, and ready to be introduced to you. Winnie-the-Pooh.

So begins the opening sentences of chapter one of this wonderful book "in which we are introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh... and the stories begin".

Although the stories are aimed at young children, older children (i.e.,adults!) of all ages will be able to recapture the wonderful Pooh stories of their childhood, remembering once again playing at Pooh sticks, reading about Hundred Acre Wood and finding out why Edward Bear is called Winnie-the-Pooh. Was he really named after a swan?

The poems are not as well-known as the Pooh stories, but nevertheless some of them are ones to which children can still relate today, even though they were written 75 years ago when, in some circles, nannies and nurseries were commonplace.

Half Way Down
Half way down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite Like
It
I'm not at the bottom
I'm not at the top
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop

This exquisite book will make an excellent gift for young and old alike. --Susan Naylor

A favourite!, 06 Nov 2008
My son has just turned 2 and this book has been a favourite for a few months. He enjoys looking for the 'hidden' characters and the reference to nursery rhyme characters etc.

A classic, 28 Oct 2008
Both me and me toddler adore this book. Lovely pictures that provide excellent hide and seek involvement for toddlers, and sing song narrative that will engage and delight babies and toddlers alike. Peepo is also a gem - the Ahlbergs are genius!

Lovely and gentle, 03 Aug 2008
Such a lovely board book and in my opinion it's perfect for babies and toddlers of any age really.
It's especially good for reading before a daytime nap (or any winding down time) as the beautiful rhymes and gentle illustrations can be quite soothing.
My 2 year old daughter loves it and I highly recommend it.
Buy it and you'll soon see...it will come out from the bookshelf time and time again.


amazing book let down by presentation, 26 Jan 2008
As all the other reviews say, this is an out and out classic children's book - a must have.
This copy, however, is dreadful. The paper is thin and overly glossy, making it difficult to get to the next page and it could do with being bigger as it's really all about the pictures. I bought where the wild things are at the same time and that is amazingly presented, highlighting the problem with this further. This seems like a pamphlet or concert programme - cheap.
Save money and get the board book. It's smaller but the pictures are sharper.

Charming, 14 Sep 2007
What a perfectly charming book. Children love the bouncy rhyme and they recognise many famous characters such as tom thumb and cinderella. Statistics show that if a child is not interested in a reading by the time they are 7 they never will be. This is a brilliant introduction to literature!

The mirror of us all, 23 Jul 2008
Very special book, very special bear :)
Great rendition, though I must admit, I prefer having the individual books! (Maybe one day I shall have...)

Beautifully done tho :)

Pooh and You, 14 Jun 2008
This lovely collection of Pooh Bear is superbly presented and includes all things Pooh! Perfect for anyone who is a fan or wishes to read to someone who is just starting out as a pooh fan. excellent

A Classic that every home should have..., 23 Feb 2008
Ahhh Winnie the Pooh! One of the GREATEST classics of our time. When i was young, my mum gave me her old collection of Winnie The Pooh stories. I never put it down. Until the age of 17 I continued to read the same book. Now at 18, when i saw that they had released this...i was over the moon. I still read it whenever i can and never get bored of it. This is defiantly a classic that every house should have a copy of...my copy will be handed down to my kids/neices and nephews. :)

Wonderful book, 26 Nov 2007
My daughter is 2 and I will not allow her to have any of the Disney Winnie the Pooh books, toys etc, so I was delighted when she was given this book for her birthday yesterday. We sat down last night after her bath and read the first few pages - it brought back wonderful memories of my own childhood.

The colour pictures bring the stories very much to life, although I agree with a previous reviewer that the book is a bit heavy for a younger child to read on their own, but that will only encourage me to read this with my daughter which can only be a good thing!

Beautifully presented in the sleeve. A truly thoughtful present. Thanks Grandad!

Very nice book to own, 10 Jan 2005
Whether you have been brought up on Pooh or not it's good to have all the stories you knew, and even some you didn't, in one book.
Nice and big and good bedtime reading, maybe a bit heavy for kids to take to bed, but I'd say if you wanted to get Mum or Dad a present for having read them to you a few years ago, this nicely presented book with it's solid slide-in box cover would be perfect!

A favourite!, 06 Nov 2008
My son has just turned 2 and this book has been a favourite for a few months. He enjoys looking for the 'hidden' characters and the reference to nursery rhyme characters etc.

A classic, 28 Oct 2008
Both me and me toddler adore this book. Lovely pictures that provide excellent hide and seek involvement for toddlers, and sing song narrative that will engage and delight babies and toddlers alike. Peepo is also a gem - the Ahlbergs are genius!

Lovely and gentle, 03 Aug 2008
Such a lovely board book and in my opinion it's perfect for babies and toddlers of any age really.
It's especially good for reading before a daytime nap (or any winding down time) as the beautiful rhymes and gentle illustrations can be quite soothing.
My 2 year old daughter loves it and I highly recommend it.
Buy it and you'll soon see...it will come out from the bookshelf time and time again.


amazing book let down by presentation, 26 Jan 2008
As all the other reviews say, this is an out and out classic children's book - a must have.
This copy, however, is dreadful. The paper is thin and overly glossy, making it difficult to get to the next page and it could do with being bigger as it's really all about the pictures. I bought where the wild things are at the same time and that is amazingly presented, highlighting the problem with this further. This seems like a pamphlet or concert programme - cheap.
Save money and get the board book. It's smaller but the pictures are sharper.

Charming, 14 Sep 2007
What a perfectly charming book. Children love the bouncy rhyme and they recognise many famous characters such as tom thumb and cinderella. Statistics show that if a child is not interested in a reading by the time they are 7 they never will be. This is a brilliant introduction to literature!

The mirror of us all, 23 Jul 2008
Very special book, very special bear :)
Great rendition, though I must admit, I prefer having the individual books! (Maybe one day I shall have...)

Beautifully done tho :)

Pooh and You, 14 Jun 2008
This lovely collection of Pooh Bear is superbly presented and includes all things Pooh! Perfect for anyone who is a fan or wishes to read to someone who is just starting out as a pooh fan. excellent

A Classic that every home should have..., 23 Feb 2008
Ahhh Winnie the Pooh! One of the GREATEST classics of our time. When i was young, my mum gave me her old collection of Winnie The Pooh stories. I never put it down. Until the age of 17 I continued to read the same book. Now at 18, when i saw that they had released this...i was over the moon. I still read it whenever i can and never get bored of it. This is defiantly a classic that every house should have a copy of...my copy will be handed down to my kids/neices and nephews. :)

Wonderful book, 26 Nov 2007
My daughter is 2 and I will not allow her to have any of the Disney Winnie the Pooh books, toys etc, so I was delighted when she was given this book for her birthday yesterday. We sat down last night after her bath and read the first few pages - it brought back wonderful memories of my own childhood.

The colour pictures bring the stories very much to life, although I agree with a previous reviewer that the book is a bit heavy for a younger child to read on their own, but that will only encourage me to read this with my daughter which can only be a good thing!

Beautifully presented in the sleeve. A truly thoughtful present. Thanks Grandad!

Very nice book to own, 10 Jan 2005
Whether you have been brought up on Pooh or not it's good to have all the stories you knew, and even some you didn't, in one book.
Nice and big and good bedtime reading, maybe a bit heavy for kids to take to bed, but I'd say if you wanted to get Mum or Dad a present for having read them to you a few years ago, this nicely presented book with it's solid slide-in box cover would be perfect!

D'you want power, corruption and fries with that? No ta., 16 Nov 2008
Machiavelli's Il Principe is a slim volume, but it's jam-packed with aperçu of political scenarios that just somehow seemed to be completely beyond the grasp of many so-called philosphers hundreds of years later. I'm not naming any names, but some of the political tomes I've read come across like the writer has spent too much time pondering and not enough time living.

The other thing that sets Machiavelli apart is that it's fun to read. If you admire the work of Marcus Aurelius, Sun Tzu, or The KLF, then this book is a must.

The most basic lesson of Machiavelli is simple common sense - namely that common sense isn't common, and has nothing to do with sense.

Chapters XIX "The need to avoid contempt and hatred" and XXIII "How flatterers must be shunned" - both of these need to be read and understood by anyone with an interest in management. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many of your middle managers are just clockwatchers, ***********, and suit-wearing robots.

Full marks for this translation - it captures the energy and impetus, and most importantly the concise nature of the original text.



One of THE most important works ever written, 25 Aug 2007
This masterpiece of reasoning and good practical handbook on how to get ahead in real life if you happen to be already a man of some means, was a work of great humanity in an age when humanity was still considered disgusting and subserviant to the Lord above and his chosen servants on Earth. What a shot across the bows to all those religious hypocrites and Bible following automatons this must have been, then. Two elements surrounding this work's brave publication are crucial, I feel: One being that this was Italy, (as it became) and at its advanced stage of the great Renaissance, as we now know it, and the second being that it was written at a time which was just right to be publishing order challenging controversial works. After seeing the liberal benefits to man that the use of the printing press had brought, and the world of possibilities it offered, Machiavelli struck the first blow against the stifling and corrupt order of the age.

His publication of political thought and theory which was refreshingly devoid of religious dogma or even quotations, preceded the publication of that other world changing document by three or four years: Luther's pinning of the ninety five thesis to a Church door a few hundred miles north in an area still ruled by edicts pumped out by prelates living closer to Machiavelli. This was exactly the right time to be reaching the learned men of the world with anything revolutionary in tone, and well presented and researched contradictions of established thought were very lible to strike a chord with many. In other words, many people by this time had clearly had all they could stomach of the seething hypocrisy they witnessed being displayed by the Lord's own servants, in the church and consequently in the monarchy led governments of the age. To be spouting their harsh godfearing edicts out to the uneducated masses when the vast majority of them enjoyed the sins they were loudly proscribing the common populace from having, was all a bit rich for certain educated but strong minded men like Machiavelli and Luther. The time was very ripe for a wind of change, and even the corrupt but mighty church of Rome knew it, and feared it.

Machievelli simply took a different line to Luther, perhaps not least because he was far more used to living with these ruler's inconsistencies than the more morally outraged teutonic man of God was. Where Luther got all spiritual and quoted the many edicts from scripture that the church of Rome was blatantly abusing, Machiavelli simply plotted the practical lines for a prostective leader of state to follow, quoting the works of historians and statesmen who had written about both the world's most successful leaders and its least successful leaders, as a practical handbook on how to be a successful head of state. Both of their actions though were brave, and both of them catastrophic to the cosy order of things and to the power of the once mighty Catholic Church. Humanity owes both of these great men an enormous debt, for their brave and insightful works helped breathe a real wind of change to the way the human race had been living.

The virtues of Machiavelli, 03 Feb 2005
In the course of my political science training, I studied at great length the modern idea of realpolitik. In that study I came to realise that it was somewhat incomplete, without the companionship of The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine governmental official in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The Prince is an oft quoted, oft mis-quoted work, used as the philosophical underpinning for much of what is considered both pragmatic and wrong in politics today. To describe someone as being Machiavellian is to attribute to the person ruthless ambition, craftiness and merciless political tactics. Being believed to be Machiavellian is generally politically incorrect. Being Machiavellian, alas, can often be politically expedient.

Machiavelli based his work in The Prince upon his basic understanding of human nature. He held that people are motivated by fear and envy, by novelty, by desire for wealth, power and security, and by a hatred of restriction. In the Italy in which he was writing, democracy was an un-implemented Greek philosophical idea, not a political structure with a history of success; thus, one person's power usually involved the limitation of another person's power in an autocratic way.

Machiavelli did not see this as a permanent or natural state of being -- in fact, he felt that, during his age, human nature had been corrupted and reduced from a loftier nobility achieved during the golden ages of Greece and Rome. He decided that it was the corrupting influence of Christianity that had reduced human nature, by its exaltation of meekness, humility, and otherworldliness.

Machiavelli has a great admiration for the possible and potential, but finds himself inexorably drawn to the practical, dealing with situations as they are, thus becoming an early champion of realpolitik carried forward into this century by the likes of Kissinger, Thatcher, Nixon, and countless others. One of the innovations of Machiavelli's thought was the recognition that the prince, the leader of the city/state/empire/etc., was nonetheless a human being, and subject to all the human limitations and desires with which all contend.

Because the average prince (like the average person) is likely to be focussed upon his own interests, a prince's private interests are generally in opposition to those of his subjects. Fortunate is the kingdom ruled by a virtuous prince, virtue here not defined by Christian or religious tenets, but rather the civic virtue of being able to pursue his own interests without conflicting those of his subjects.

Virtue is that which increases power; vice is that which decreases power. These follow Machiavelli's assumptions about human nature. Machiavelli rejected the Platonic idea of a division between what a prince does and what a prince ought to do. The two principle instruments of the prince are force and propaganda, and the prince, in order to increase power (virtue) ought to employ force completely and ruthlessly, and propaganda wisely, backed up by force. Of course, for Machiavelli, the chief propaganda vehicle is that of religion.

Whoever reads Roman history attentively will see in how great a degree religion served in the command of the armies, in uniting the people and keeping them well conducted, and in covering the wicked with shame.

Machiavelli has been credited with giving ruthless strategies (the example of a new political ruler killing the deposed ruler and the ruler's family to prevent usurpation and plotting is well known) -- it is hard to enact many in current politics in a literal way, but many of his strategies can still be seen in electioneering at every level, in national and international relations, and even in corporate and family internal 'politics'. In fact, I have found fewer more Machiavellian types than in church politics!

Of course, these people would be considered 'virtuous' in Machiavellian terms -- doing what is necessary to increase power and authority.

The title of this piece -- the virtues of Machiavelli, must be considered in this frame; certainly in no way virtuous by current standards, but then, it shows, not all have the same standards. Be careful of the words you use -- they may have differing definitions.

Perhaps if Machiavelli had lived a bit later, and been informed by the general rise of science as a rational underpinning to the world, he might have been able to accept less of a degree of randomness in the universe. Perhaps he would have modified his views. Perhaps not -- after all, the realpolitikers of this age are aware of the scientific framework of the universe, and still pursue their courses.

This is an important work, intriguing in many respects. Far shorter than the average classical or medieval philosophical tome, and more accessible by current readers because of a greater familiarity with politics than, say, metaphysics or epistemology, this work yields benefits and insights to all who read, mark, inwardly digest, and critically examine the precepts.

Ruthless, 28 Oct 2004
The Prince... well its difficult to describe exactly what it entails. I think to start with all who consider going into politics or any kind of management role should be handed a copy of this book at the same time as they recieve their application forms. It is ruthless but efficient also and so its central premises should always be remembered, particularly by our governing bodies.
Machiavelli writes with a self assurance which is refreshing in an age of hesitation and self correction.
I'm not convinced that this was a life changing book for me to read, it certainly affected my attitudes and values but is not a inspirational self help book (not that its supposed to be).
I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history or in politics.

A prince among men., 14 Oct 2003
Machiavelli's realisation of the true nature of men as "...fickle,lying,cowards..." leads him in his brilliantly astute work to illuminate the realities of government and life in general.
Disregarding all political theorie's and ideaoligies machiavelli refreshingly deals with how things are and not how they should.
While on first glance machiavellis work would seem almost evil in its implications as it has been labeled countless times, a deeper look would show it to be more humane and considerate of human wellbeing then any half baked political ideology (communism, Republicanism,democracy etc). His assertion that the ends justifies the means is a good demonstration of this as Machiavelli demonstrates through historical analogies the truth of life in general: for people to prosper others have to suffer. In truthfully explaining this and insisting it be done quickly and totaly for it to be over and done with machiavelli shows a level of compasion far greater than any bleeding hearted liberal vegaterian (the most likely to be opposed to his assertions)
His work while being what many would labels as deeply cinical is niether cinical nor idealogical but an honest assesment of life in general as well as politics, which cannot help but uplift those of the same frame of mind with the comfort of nowing that the realisation that the world is a very unhappy place is not theres alone.
But if you truly believe in the hollywood view of the world in which love is blind and happy endings happen for every one than don't read this book (ignorance is bliss).

A favourite!, 06 Nov 2008
My son has just turned 2 and this book has been a favourite for a few months. He enjoys looking for the 'hidden' characters and the reference to nursery rhyme characters etc.

A classic, 28 Oct 2008
Both me and me toddler adore this book. Lovely pictures that provide excellent hide and seek involvement for toddlers, and sing song narrative that will engage and delight babies and toddlers alike. Peepo is also a gem - the Ahlbergs are genius!

Lovely and gentle, 03 Aug 2008
Such a lovely board book and in my opinion it's perfect for babies and toddlers of any age really.
It's especially good for reading before a daytime nap (or any winding down time) as the beautiful rhymes and gentle illustrations can be quite soothing.
My 2 year old daughter loves it and I highly recommend it.
Buy it and you'll soon see...it will come out from the bookshelf time and time again.


amazing book let down by presentation, 26 Jan 2008
As all the other reviews say, this is an out and out classic children's book - a must have.
This copy, however, is dreadful. The paper is thin and overly glossy, making it difficult to get to the next page and it could do with being bigger as it's really all about the pictures. I bought where the wild things are at the same time and that is amazingly presented, highlighting the problem with this further. This seems like a pamphlet or concert programme - cheap.
Save money and get the board book. It's smaller but the pictures are sharper.

Charming, 14 Sep 2007
What a perfectly charming book. Children love the bouncy rhyme and they recognise many famous characters such as tom thumb and cinderella. Statistics show that if a child is not interested in a reading by the time they are 7 they never will be. This is a brilliant introduction to literature!

The mirror of us all, 23 Jul 2008
Very special book, very special bear :)
Great rendition, though I must admit, I prefer having the individual books! (Maybe one day I shall have...)

Beautifully done tho :)

Pooh and You, 14 Jun 2008
This lovely collection of Pooh Bear is superbly presented and includes all things Pooh! Perfect for anyone who is a fan or wishes to read to someone who is just starting out as a pooh fan. excellent

A Classic that every home should have..., 23 Feb 2008
Ahhh Winnie the Pooh! One of the GREATEST classics of our time. When i was young, my mum gave me her old collection of Winnie The Pooh stories. I never put it down. Until the age of 17 I continued to read the same book. Now at 18, when i saw that they had released this...i was over the moon. I still read it whenever i can and never get bored of it. This is defiantly a classic that every house should have a copy of...my copy will be handed down to my kids/neices and nephews. :)

Wonderful book, 26 Nov 2007
My daughter is 2 and I will not allow her to have any of the Disney Winnie the Pooh books, toys etc, so I was delighted when she was given this book for her birthday yesterday. We sat down last night after her bath and read the first few pages - it brought back wonderful memories of my own childhood.

The colour pictures bring the stories very much to life, although I agree with a previous reviewer that the book is a bit heavy for a younger child to read on their own, but that will only encourage me to read this with my daughter which can only be a good thing!

Beautifully presented in the sleeve. A truly thoughtful present. Thanks Grandad!

Very nice book to own, 10 Jan 2005
Whether you have been brought up on Pooh or not it's good to have all the stories you knew, and even some you didn't, in one book.
Nice and big and good bedtime reading, maybe a bit heavy for kids to take to bed, but I'd say if you wanted to get Mum or Dad a present for having read them to you a few years ago, this nicely presented book with it's solid slide-in box cover would be perfect!

D'you want power, corruption and fries with that? No ta., 16 Nov 2008
Machiavelli's Il Principe is a slim volume, but it's jam-packed with aperçu of political scenarios that just somehow seemed to be completely beyond the grasp of many so-called philosphers hundreds of years later. I'm not naming any names, but some of the political tomes I've read come across like the writer has spent too much time pondering and not enough time living.

The other thing that sets Machiavelli apart is that it's fun to read. If you admire the work of Marcus Aurelius, Sun Tzu, or The KLF, then this book is a must.

The most basic lesson of Machiavelli is simple common sense - namely that common sense isn't common, and has nothing to do with sense.

Chapters XIX "The need to avoid contempt and hatred" and XXIII "How flatterers must be shunned" - both of these need to be read and understood by anyone with an interest in management. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many of your middle managers are just clockwatchers, ***********, and suit-wearing robots.

Full marks for this translation - it captures the energy and impetus, and most importantly the concise nature of the original text.



One of THE most important works ever written, 25 Aug 2007
This masterpiece of reasoning and good practical handbook on how to get ahead in real life if you happen to be already a man of some means, was a work of great humanity in an age when humanity was still considered disgusting and subserviant to the Lord above and his chosen servants on Earth. What a shot across the bows to all those religious hypocrites and Bible following automatons this must have been, then. Two elements surrounding this work's brave publication are crucial, I feel: One being that this was Italy, (as it became) and at its advanced stage of the great Renaissance, as we now know it, and the second being that it was written at a time which was just right to be publishing order challenging controversial works. After seeing the liberal benefits to man that the use of the printing press had brought, and the world of possibilities it offered, Machiavelli struck the first blow against the stifling and corrupt order of the age.

His publication of political thought and theory which was refreshingly devoid of religious dogma or even quotations, preceded the publication of that other world changing document by three or four years: Luther's pinning of the ninety five thesis to a Church door a few hundred miles north in an area still ruled by edicts pumped out by prelates living closer to Machiavelli. This was exactly the right time to be reaching the learned men of the world with anything revolutionary in tone, and well presented and researched contradictions of established thought were very lible to strike a chord with many. In other words, many people by this time had clearly had all they could stomach of the seething hypocrisy they witnessed being displayed by the Lord's own servants, in the church and consequently in the monarchy led governments of the age. To be spouting their harsh godfearing edicts out to the uneducated masses when the vast majority of them enjoyed the sins they were loudly proscribing the common populace from having, was all a bit rich for certain educated but strong minded men like Machiavelli and Luther. The time was very ripe for a wind of change, and even the corrupt but mighty church of Rome knew it, and feared it.

Machievelli simply took a different line to Luther, perhaps not least because he was far more used to living with these ruler's inconsistencies than the more morally outraged teutonic man of God was. Where Luther got all spiritual and quoted the many edicts from scripture that the church of Rome was blatantly abusing, Machiavelli simply plotted the practical lines for a prostective leader of state to follow, quoting the works of historians and statesmen who had written about both the world's most successful leaders and its least successful leaders, as a practical handbook on how to be a successful head of state. Both of their actions though were brave, and both of them catastrophic to the cosy order of things and to the power of the once mighty Catholic Church. Humanity owes both of these great men an enormous debt, for their brave and insightful works helped breathe a real wind of change to the way the human race had been living.

The virtues of Machiavelli, 03 Feb 2005
In the course of my political science training, I studied at great length the modern idea of realpolitik. In that study I came to realise that it was somewhat incomplete, without the companionship of The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine governmental official in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The Prince is an oft quoted, oft mis-quoted work, used as the philosophical underpinning for much of what is considered both pragmatic and wrong in politics today. To describe someone as being Machiavellian is to attribute to the person ruthless ambition, craftiness and merciless political tactics. Being believed to be Machiavellian is generally politically incorrect. Being Machiavellian, alas, can often be politically expedient.

Machiavelli based his work in The Prince upon his basic understanding of human nature. He held that people are motivated by fear and envy, by novelty, by desire for wealth, power and security, and by a hatred of restriction. In the Italy in which he was writing, democracy was an un-implemented Greek philosophical idea, not a political structure with a history of success; thus, one person's power usually involved the limitation of another person's power in an autocratic way.

Machiavelli did not see this as a permanent or natural state of being -- in fact, he felt that, during his age, human nature had been corrupted and reduced from a loftier nobility achieved during the golden ages of Greece and Rome. He decided that it was the corrupting influence of Christianity that had reduced human nature, by its exaltation of meekness, humility, and otherworldliness.

Machiavelli has a great admiration for the possible and potential, but finds himself inexorably drawn to the practical, dealing with situations as they are, thus becoming an early champion of realpolitik carried forward into this century by the likes of Kissinger, Thatcher, Nixon, and countless others. One of the innovations of Machiavelli's thought was the recognition that the prince, the leader of the city/state/empire/etc., was nonetheless a human being, and subject to all the human limitations and desires with which all contend.

Because the average prince (like the average person) is likely to be focussed upon his own interests, a prince's private interests are generally in opposition to those of his subjects. Fortunate is the kingdom ruled by a virtuous prince, virtue here not defined by Christian or religious tenets, but rather the civic virtue of being able to pursue his own interests without conflicting those of his subjects.

Virtue is that which increases power; vice is that which decreases power. These follow Machiavelli's assumptions about human nature. Machiavelli rejected the Platonic idea of a division between what a prince does and what a prince ought to do. The two principle instruments of the prince are force and propaganda, and the prince, in order to increase power (virtue) ought to employ force completely and ruthlessly, and propaganda wisely, backed up by force. Of course, for Machiavelli, the chief propaganda vehicle is that of religion.

Whoever reads Roman history attentively will see in how great a degree religion served in the command of the armies, in uniting the people and keeping them well conducted, and in covering the wicked with shame.

Machiavelli has been credited with giving ruthless strategies (the example of a new political ruler killing the deposed ruler and the ruler's family to prevent usurpation and plotting is well known) -- it is hard to enact many in current politics in a literal way, but many of his strategies can still be seen in electioneering at every level, in national and international relations, and even in corporate and family internal 'politics'. In fact, I have found fewer more Machiavellian types than in church politics!

Of course, these people would be considered 'virtuous' in Machiavellian terms -- doing what is necessary to increase power and authority.

The title of this piece -- the virtues of Machiavelli, must be considered in this frame; certainly in no way virtuous by current standards, but then, it shows, not all have the same standards. Be careful of the words you use -- they may have differing definitions.

Perhaps if Machiavelli had lived a bit later, and been informed by the general rise of science as a rational underpinning to the world, he might have been able to accept less of a degree of randomness in the universe. Perhaps he would have modified his views. Perhaps not -- after all, the realpolitikers of this age are aware of the scientific framework of the universe, and still pursue their courses.

This is an important work, intriguing in many respects. Far shorter than the average classical or medieval philosophical tome, and more accessible by current readers because of a greater familiarity with politics than, say, metaphysics or epistemology, this work yields benefits and insights to all who read, mark, inwardly digest, and critically examine the precepts.

Ruthless, 28 Oct 2004
The Prince... well its difficult to describe exactly what it entails. I think to start with all who consider going into politics or any kind of management role should be handed a copy of this book at the same time as they recieve their application forms. It is ruthless but efficient also and so its central premises should always be remembered, particularly by our governing bodies.
Machiavelli writes with a self assurance which is refreshing in an age of hesitation and self correction.
I'm not convinced that this was a life changing book for me to read, it certainly affected my attitudes and values but is not a inspirational self help book (not that its supposed to be).
I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history or in politics.

A prince among men., 14 Oct 2003
Machiavelli's realisation of the true nature of men as "...fickle,lying,cowards..." leads him in his brilliantly astute work to illuminate the realities of government and life in general.
Disregarding all political theorie's and ideaoligies machiavelli refreshingly deals with how things are and not how they should.
While on first glance machiavellis work would seem almost evil in its implications as it has been labeled countless times, a deeper look would show it to be more humane and considerate of human wellbeing then any half baked political ideology (communism, Republicanism,democracy etc). His assertion that the ends justifies the means is a good demonstration of this as Machiavelli demonstrates through historical analogies the truth of life in general: for people to prosper others have to suffer. In truthfully explaining this and insisting it be done quickly and totaly for it to be over and done with machiavelli shows a level of compasion far greater than any bleeding hearted liberal vegaterian (the most likely to be opposed to his assertions)
His work while being what many would labels as deeply cinical is niether cinical nor idealogical but an honest assesment of life in general as well as politics, which cannot help but uplift those of the same frame of mind with the comfort of nowing that the realisation that the world is a very unhappy place is not theres alone.
But if you truly believe in the hollywood view of the world in which love is blind and happy endings happen for every one than don't read this book (ignorance is bliss).

Portrait Of The Artist As A Wise Man, 25 Aug 2008
As fans of his music will testify, Leonard Cohen has a unique gift for translating emotion into words with art and sincerity. This book consists of various poems, passages and doodles that bear all the hallmarks of classic Cohen. Anyone who has ever struggled in life with crushing disappointment may recognize Cohen's perfect verbal distillation of their pain. Others will just enjoy the humour, wisdom and frankness. Many people are put off from reading poetry because of the unintelligible abstraction that characterizes so much of the medium. This well-presented volume is the perfect antidote. The pieces vary in subject and scope, but women and growing old are recurring themes. The prevailing impression is that Leonard Cohen is very modest - especially considering the fame and adulation he has enjoyed and endured since the sixties - and that he tries to do, and be, his best. The word is "mensch".

Confessional poetry and writings from a wise and humorous soul ..., 25 Sep 2006
This is Leonard Cohen. You get tongue-in-cheek self portraits dispersed amongst words that are sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, sometimes brilliant observations and sometimes self depricating honesty that reveals the always human-ness and always unique voice of this living legend of a song writer, writer and poet, Mr. Leonard Cohen.

This guy is Interesting with a capital "I." Reason enough to check out his long awaited book of poems, drawings and essays. Another reason is that unlike most books of poetry it is 'entertaining' without sacrificing intelligence. His wry humour is laugh out loud funny in the the short essay, "The Luckiest Man in the World" and poems such as, "Never Once."

He speaks of things that matter to him: his teacher, Roshi, pine trees, G-d, women, sex, laughter, mists, women and most of all from what I see the unending mystery of "self" (and women). When that self is Leonard Cohen it is worth stopping what you are doing and reading what he has to say.

Then, if you are not familiar with Cohen's music, you are missing some of the best written lyrics and music, ever.

Enjoy,
Laurie

Today I saw a little worm / Wriggling on his belly / Perhaps he'd like to come inside / And see what's on the telly.--Spike Milligan

This is a delightful, bright and gorgeously presented collection of poetry featuring the work of 10 popular and successful poets.

The selection has lots of different styles of poetry to enjoy and most poems are charming, funny or ridiculous. Some poems are familiar and probably already well-loved, but all are great fun and children will love the mad, surreal qualities of many verses featured. Each poet's section is accompanied by the work of different illustrators, making the book a wonderfully varied and colourful read.

Distinctive features of this collection are the interviews with each poet at the beginning of their sections which give the reader an interesting sense of their personalities and the roots of their poetry.

A wonderful high-quality selection sure to fire children's imaginations, this glossy book is amazing value. (Age 8-11) --Rachel Ediss In a future life, Kit Wright would like to be "a brilliant painter, an ace musician, or a really great fast bowler." Spike Milligan went to school in a tent way off in the Indian desert. When he first arrived in England it felt like "living under an inverted bowl of grey." Michael Rosen calls himself "the best thief in the world." What and who does he steal from? Stories and jokes from his own children. If Michael Rosen wasn't a human being, he'd like to be a cockroach.

In this colourful, musical approach to children's verse there are 10 sections, each devoted to a poet and an illustrator. Accompanying each section is a short interview with the poet. So, along with poems about squirdles, sneaking slice after slice of chocolate cake, and having an itch in your nose when your hands are covered with glue, you'll learn cool stuff about the poets too. --Martha Silano

A favourite!, 06 Nov 2008
My son has just turned 2 and this book has been a favourite for a few months. He enjoys looking for the 'hidden' characters and the reference to nursery rhyme characters etc.

A classic, 28 Oct 2008
Both me and me toddler adore this book. Lovely pictures that provide excellent hide and seek involvement for toddlers, and sing song narrative that will engage and delight babies and toddlers alike. Peepo is also a gem - the Ahlbergs are genius!

Lovely and gentle, 03 Aug 2008
Such a lovely board book and in my opinion it's perfect for babies and toddlers of any age really.
It's especially good for reading before a daytime nap (or any winding down time) as the beautiful rhymes and gentle illustrations can be quite soothing.
My 2 year old daughter loves it and I highly recommend it.
Buy it and you'll soon see...it will come out from the bookshelf time and time again.


amazing book let down by presentation, 26 Jan 2008
As all the other reviews say, this is an out and out classic children's book - a must have.
This copy, however, is dreadful. The paper is thin and overly glossy, making it difficult to get to the next page and it could do with being bigger as it's really all about the pictures. I bought where the wild things are at the same time and that is amazingly presented, highlighting the problem with this further. This seems like a pamphlet or concert programme - cheap.
Save money and get the board book. It's smaller but the pictures are sharper.

Charming, 14 Sep 2007
What a perfectly charming book. Children love the bouncy rhyme and they recognise many famous characters such as tom thumb and cinderella. Statistics show that if a child is not interested in a reading by the time they are 7 they never will be. This is a brilliant introduction to literature!

The mirror of us all, 23 Jul 2008
Very special book, very special bear :)
Great rendition, though I must admit, I prefer having the individual books! (Maybe one day I shall have...)

Beautifully done tho :)

Pooh and You, 14 Jun 2008
This lovely collection of Pooh Bear is superbly presented and includes all things Pooh! Perfect for anyone who is a fan or wishes to read to someone who is just starting out as a pooh fan. excellent

A Classic that every home should have..., 23 Feb 2008
Ahhh Winnie the Pooh! One of the GREATEST classics of our time. When i was young, my mum gave me her old collection of Winnie The Pooh stories. I never put it down. Until the age of 17 I continued to read the same book. Now at 18, when i saw that they had released this...i was over the moon. I still read it whenever i can and never get bored of it. This is defiantly a classic that every house should have a copy of...my copy will be handed down to my kids/neices and nephews. :)

Wonderful book, 26 Nov 2007
My daughter is 2 and I will not allow her to have any of the Disney Winnie the Pooh books, toys etc, so I was delighted when she was given this book for her birthday yesterday. We sat down last night after her bath and read the first few pages - it brought back wonderful memories of my own childhood.

The colour pictures bring the stories very much to life, although I agree with a previous reviewer that the book is a bit heavy for a younger child to read on their own, but that will only encourage me to read this with my daughter which can only be a good thing!

Beautifully presented in the sleeve. A truly thoughtful present. Thanks Grandad!

Very nice book to own, 10 Jan 2005
Whether you have been brought up on Pooh or not it's good to have all the stories you knew, and even some you didn't, in one book.
Nice and big and good bedtime reading, maybe a bit heavy for kids to take to bed, but I'd say if you wanted to get Mum or Dad a present for having read them to you a few years ago, this nicely presented book with it's solid slide-in box cover would be perfect!

D'you want power, corruption and fries with that? No ta., 16 Nov 2008
Machiavelli's Il Principe is a slim volume, but it's jam-packed with aperçu of political scenarios that just somehow seemed to be completely beyond the grasp of many so-called philosphers hundreds of years later. I'm not naming any names, but some of the political tomes I've read come across like the writer has spent too much time pondering and not enough time living.

The other thing that sets Machiavelli apart is that it's fun to read. If you admire the work of Marcus Aurelius, Sun Tzu, or The KLF, then this book is a must.

The most basic lesson of Machiavelli is simple common sense - namely that common sense isn't common, and has nothing to do with sense.

Chapters XIX "The need to avoid contempt and hatred" and XXIII "How flatterers must be shunned" - both of these need to be read and understood by anyone with an interest in management. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many of your middle managers are just clockwatchers, ***********, and suit-wearing robots.

Full marks for this translation - it captures the energy and impetus, and most importantly the concise nature of the original text.



One of THE most important works ever written, 25 Aug 2007
This masterpiece of reasoning and good practical handbook on how to get ahead in real life if you happen to be already a man of some means, was a work of great humanity in an age when humanity was still considered disgusting and subserviant to the Lord above and his chosen servants on Earth. What a shot across the bows to all those religious hypocrites and Bible following automatons this must have been, then. Two elements surrounding this work's brave publication are crucial, I feel: One being that this was Italy, (as it became) and at its advanced stage of the great Renaissance, as we now know it, and the second being that it was written at a time which was just right to be publishing order challenging controversial works. After seeing the liberal benefits to man that the use of the printing press had brought, and the world of possibilities it offered, Machiavelli struck the first blow against the stifling and corrupt order of the age.

His publication of political thought and theory which was refreshingly devoid of religious dogma or even quotations, preceded the publication of that other world changing document by three or four years: Luther's pinning of the ninety five thesis to a Church door a few hundred miles north in an area still ruled by edicts pumped out by prelates living closer to Machiavelli. This was exactly the right time to be reaching the learned men of the world with anything revolutionary in tone, and well presented and researched contradictions of established thought were very lible to strike a chord with many. In other words, many people by this time had clearly had all they could stomach of the seething hypocrisy they witnessed being displayed by the Lord's own servants, in the church and consequently in the monarchy led governments of the age. To be spouting their harsh godfearing edicts out to the uneducated masses when the vast majority of them enjoyed the sins they were loudly proscribing the common populace from having, was all a bit rich for certain educated but strong minded men like Machiavelli and Luther. The time was very ripe for a wind of change, and even the corrupt but mighty church of Rome knew it, and feared it.

Machievelli simply took a different line to Luther, perhaps not least because he was far more used to living with these ruler's inconsistencies than the more morally outraged teutonic man of God was. Where Luther got all spiritual and quoted the many edicts from scripture that the church of Rome was blatantly abusing, Machiavelli simply plotted the practical lines for a prostective leader of state to follow, quoting the works of historians and statesmen who had written about both the world's most successful leaders and its least successful leaders, as a practical handbook on how to be a successful head of state. Both of their actions though were brave, and both of them catastrophic to the cosy order of things and to the power of the once mighty Catholic Church. Humanity owes both of these great men an enormous debt, for their brave and insightful works helped breathe a real wind of change to the way the human race had been living.

The virtues of Machiavelli, 03 Feb 2005
In the course of my political science training, I studied at great length the modern idea of realpolitik. In that study I came to realise that it was somewhat incomplete, without the companionship of The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine governmental official in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The Prince is an oft quoted, oft mis-quoted work, used as the philosophical underpinning for much of what is considered both pragmatic and wrong in politics today. To describe someone as being Machiavellian is to attribute to the person ruthless ambition, craftiness and merciless political tactics. Being believed to be Machiavellian is generally politically incorrect. Being Machiavellian, alas, can often be politically expedient.

Machiavelli based his work in The Prince upon his basic understanding of human nature. He held that people are motivated by fear and envy, by novelty, by desire for wealth, power and security, and by a hatred of restriction. In the Italy in which he was writing, democracy was an un-implemented Greek philosophical idea, not a political structure with a history of success; thus, one person's power usually involved the limitation of another person's power in an autocratic way.

Machiavelli did not see this as a permanent or natural state of being -- in fact, he felt that, during his age, human nature had been corrupted and reduced from a loftier nobility achieved during the golden ages of Greece and Rome. He decided that it was the corrupting influence of Christianity that had reduced human nature, by its exaltation of meekness, humility, and otherworldliness.

Machiavelli has a great admiration for the possible and potential, but finds himself inexorably drawn to the practical, dealing with situations as they are, thus becoming an early champion of realpolitik carried forward into this century by the likes of Kissinger, Thatcher, Nixon, and countless others. One of the innovations of Machiavelli's thought was the recognition that the prince, the leader of the city/state/empire/etc., was nonetheless a human being, and subject to all the human limitations and desires with which all contend.

Because the average prince (like the average person) is likely to be focussed upon his own interests, a prince's private interests are generally in opposition to those of his subjects. Fortunate is the kingdom ruled by a virtuous prince, virtue here not defined by Christian or religious tenets, but rather the civic virtue of being able to pursue his own interests without conflicting those of his subjects.

Virtue is that which increases power; vice is that which decreases power. These follow Machiavelli's assumptions about human nature. Machiavelli rejected the Platonic idea of a division between what a prince does and what a prince ought to do. The two principle instruments of the prince are force and propaganda, and the prince, in order to increase power (virtue) ought to employ force completely and ruthlessly, and propaganda wisely, backed up by force. Of course, for Machiavelli, the chief propaganda vehicle is that of religion.

Whoever reads Roman history attentively will see in how great a degree religion served in the command of the armies, in uniting the people and keeping them well conducted, and in covering the wicked with shame.

Machiavelli has been credited with giving ruthless strategies (the example of a new political ruler killing the deposed ruler and the ruler's family to prevent usurpation and plotting is well known) -- it is hard to enact many in current politics in a literal way, but many of his strategies can still be seen in electioneering at every level, in national and international relations, and even in corporate and family internal 'politics'. In fact, I have found fewer more Machiavellian types than in church politics!

Of course, these people would be considered 'virtuous' in Machiavellian terms -- doing what is necessary to increase power and authority.

The title of this piece -- the virtues of Machiavelli, must be considered in this frame; certainly in no way virtuous by current standards, but then, it shows, not all have the same standards. Be careful of the words you use -- they may have differing definitions.

Perhaps if Machiavelli had lived a bit later, and been informed by the general rise of science as a rational underpinning to the world, he might have been able to accept less of a degree of randomness in the universe. Perhaps he would have modified his views. Perhaps not -- after all, the realpolitikers of this age are aware of the scientific framework of the universe, and still pursue their courses.

This is an important work, intriguing in many respects. Far shorter than the average classical or medieval philosophical tome, and more accessible by current readers because of a greater familiarity with politics than, say, metaphysics or epistemology, this work yields benefits and insights to all who read, mark, inwardly digest, and critically examine the precepts.

Ruthless, 28 Oct 2004
The Prince... well its difficult to describe exactly what it entails. I think to start with all who consider going into politics or any kind of management role should be handed a copy of this book at the same time as they recieve their application forms. It is ruthless but efficient also and so its central premises should always be remembered, particularly by our governing bodies.
Machiavelli writes with a self assurance which is refreshing in an age of hesitation and self correction.
I'm not convinced that this was a life changing book for me to read, it certainly affected my attitudes and values but is not a inspirational self help book (not that its supposed to be).
I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history or in politics.

A prince among men., 14 Oct 2003
Machiavelli's realisation of the true nature of men as "...fickle,lying,cowards..." leads him in his brilliantly astute work to illuminate the realities of government and life in general.
Disregarding all political theorie's and ideaoligies machiavelli refreshingly deals with how things are and not how they should.
While on first glance machiavellis work would seem almost evil in its implications as it has been labeled countless times, a deeper look would show it to be more humane and considerate of human wellbeing then any half baked political ideology (communism, Republicanism,democracy etc). His assertion that the ends justifies the means is a good demonstration of this as Machiavelli demonstrates through historical analogies the truth of life in general: for people to prosper others have to suffer. In truthfully explaining this and insisting it be done quickly and totaly for it to be over and done with machiavelli shows a level of compasion far greater than any bleeding hearted liberal vegaterian (the most likely to be opposed to his assertions)
His work while being what many would labels as deeply cinical is niether cinical nor idealogical but an honest assesment of life in general as well as politics, which cannot help but uplift those of the same frame of mind with the comfort of nowing that the realisation that the world is a very unhappy place is not theres alone.
But if you truly believe in the hollywood view of the world in which love is blind and happy endings happen for every one than don't read this book (ignorance is bliss).

Portrait Of The Artist As A Wise Man, 25 Aug 2008
As fans of his music will testify, Leonard Cohen has a unique gift for translating emotion into words with art and sincerity. This book consists of various poems, passages and doodles that bear all the hallmarks of classic Cohen. Anyone who has ever struggled in life with crushing disappointment may recognize Cohen's perfect verbal distillation of their pain. Others will just enjoy the humour, wisdom and frankness. Many people are put off from reading poetry because of the unintelligible abstraction that characterizes so much of the medium. This well-presented volume is the perfect antidote. The pieces vary in subject and scope, but women and growing old are recurring themes. The prevailing impression is that Leonard Cohen is very modest - especially considering the fame and adulation he has enjoyed and endured since the sixties - and that he tries to do, and be, his best. The word is "mensch".

Confessional poetry and writings from a wise and humorous soul ..., 25 Sep 2006
This is Leonard Cohen. You get tongue-in-cheek self portraits dispersed amongst words that are sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, sometimes brilliant observations and sometimes self depricating honesty that reveals the always human-ness and always unique voice of this living legend of a song writer, writer and poet, Mr. Leonard Cohen.

This guy is Interesting with a capital "I." Reason enough to check out his long awaited book of poems, drawings and essays. Another reason is that unlike most books of poetry it is 'entertaining' without sacrificing intelligence. His wry humour is laugh out loud funny in the the short essay, "The Luckiest Man in the World" and poems such as, "Never Once."

He speaks of things that matter to him: his teacher, Roshi, pine trees, G-d, women, sex, laughter, mists, women and most of all from what I see the unending mystery of "self" (and women). When that self is Leonard Cohen it is worth stopping what you are doing and reading what he has to say.

Then, if you are not familiar with Cohen's music, you are missing some of the best written lyrics and music, ever.

Enjoy,
Laurie


More accessible poetry available, 12 Nov 2008
I don't dislike this collection but for anyone looking for an accessible book of poetry for kids, I think there are better buys. The range of topics and style is impressive, however.
I don't find that the text scans particuarly well in many of the poems and the interviews with the poets are illuminating but add little to the enjoyment of the poetry. I find that small children, in particular, enjoy more rhythmic prose than is found in this collection.

Funny poems for all ages, 11 Apr 2008
I was searching for a decent poetry book, since the one that I read as a child called Junket and Jumbles.

The Silly old Baboon poem was hilarious, and I am quite certain that the little boy for whom I bought this book will treasure it.

One small comment. If you are buying this book as new then all the poems are there, however with the second hand options go for the one that has the title 'The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry' and not the one titled just 'Utterly Brilliant Poetry' as the latter is just A5 size and missing some great poems.

A fantastic collection, 24 Sep 2007
This book makes a refreshing change from the 'usual' poetry anthology, with its focus on a small number of poets. The brief interview with each author at the start of their section puts the poems in a context, and gives a great insight into their background and inspirations, which I found fascinating. My 8 year old daughter absolutely loves this book for its selection of hilarious poems, and wonderful, bright illustrations, and adults will also take plenty from both the poetry and author interviews.

Puffin book of Utterly Brilliant poetry, 16 Jul 2006
Wow!

What a fantastic book, I am a parent of a young child (8) who has difficulties with reading and general literacy. He absolutely adored this book, some long poems for Mum to read but some that he could manage himself which was a huge confidence booster.

Spike Milligan's `The Squirdle' had him in fits of laughter as Mum kept getting it mixed up (on purpose of course) as did Benjamin Zephaniah's `Luv Song'.

I would highly recommend this book to parents and adults as it really has got something for everyone.

Believe me to see children who can't stop giggling whilst reading this book is a wonderful sight.


utterly brilliant introduction to poetry for kids, 25 Sep 2003
my mate bought this for my children two years ago, when they were four and two. it's become a mainstay of bed-time reading in our house. beautifully illustrated, laid out, and with an accessible choice of 'rhythms', it's a regular part of the night-time routine. i used to read the poems to my kids: now they read them to me. when my daughter wants to cheer me up, she reads me benjamin zepheniah's 'body talk'; when she wants to wind me up, she reads spike milligan's 'kids'; and when we all want a hug, i read them brain patten's 'squeezes'. utterly brilliant poetry highlights that poetry is fun. in fact, i'm online today to buy my mate's kids the book for themselves.

A favourite!, 06 Nov 2008
My son has just turned 2 and this book has been a favourite for a few months. He enjoys looking for the 'hidden' characters and the reference to nursery rhyme characters etc.

A classic, 28 Oct 2008
Both me and me toddler adore this book. Lovely pictures that provide excellent hide and seek involvement for toddlers, and sing song narrative that will engage and delight babies and toddlers alike. Peepo is also a gem - the Ahlbergs are genius!

Lovely and gentle, 03 Aug 2008
Such a lovely board book and in my opinion it's perfect for babies and toddlers of any age really.
It's especially good for reading before a daytime nap (or any winding down time) as the beautiful rhymes and gentle illustrations can be quite soothing.
My 2 year old daughter loves it and I highly recommend it.
Buy it and you'll soon see...it will come out from the bookshelf time and time again.


amazing book let down by presentation, 26 Jan 2008
As all the other reviews say, this is an out and out classic children's book - a must have.
This copy, however, is dreadful. The paper is thin and overly glossy, making it difficult to get to the next page and it could do with being bigger as it's really all about the pictures. I bought where the wild things are at the same time and that is amazingly presented, highlighting the problem with this further. This seems like a pamphlet or concert programme - cheap.
Save money and get the board book. It's smaller but the pictures are sharper.

Charming, 14 Sep 2007
What a perfectly charming book. Children love the bouncy rhyme and they recognise many famous characters such as tom thumb and cinderella. Statistics show that if a child is not interested in a reading by the time they are 7 they never will be. This is a brilliant introduction to literature!

The mirror of us all, 23 Jul 2008
Very special book, very special bear :)
Great rendition, though I must admit, I prefer having the individual books! (Maybe one day I shall have...)

Beautifully done tho :)

Pooh and You, 14 Jun 2008
This lovely collection of Pooh Bear is superbly presented and includes all things Pooh! Perfect for anyone who is a fan or wishes to read to someone who is just starting out as a pooh fan. excellent

A Classic that every home should have..., 23 Feb 2008
Ahhh Winnie the Pooh! One of the GREATEST classics of our time. When i was young, my mum gave me her old collection of Winnie The Pooh stories. I never put it down. Until the age of 17 I continued to read the same book. Now at 18, when i saw that they had released this...i was over the moon. I still read it whenever i can and never get bored of it. This is defiantly a classic that every house should have a copy of...my copy will be handed down to my kids/neices and nephews. :)

Wonderful book, 26 Nov 2007
My daughter is 2 and I will not allow her to have any of the Disney Winnie the Pooh books, toys etc, so I was delighted when she was given this book for her birthday yesterday. We sat down last night after her bath and read the first few pages - it brought back wonderful memories of my own childhood.

The colour pictures bring the stories very much to life, although I agree with a previous reviewer that the book is a bit heavy for a younger child to read on their own, but that will only encourage me to read this with my daughter which can only be a good thing!

Beautifully presented in the sleeve. A truly thoughtful present. Thanks Grandad!

Very nice book to own, 10 Jan 2005
Whether you have been brought up on Pooh or not it's good to have all the stories you knew, and even some you didn't, in one book.
Nice and big and good bedtime reading, maybe a bit heavy for kids to take to bed, but I'd say if you wanted to get Mum or Dad a present for having read them to you a few years ago, this nicely presented book with it's solid slide-in box cover would be perfect!

D'you want power, corruption and fries with that? No ta., 16 Nov 2008
Machiavelli's Il Principe is a slim volume, but it's jam-packed with aperçu of political scenarios that just somehow seemed to be completely beyond the grasp of many so-called philosphers hundreds of years later. I'm not naming any names, but some of the political tomes I've read come across like the writer has spent too much time pondering and not enough time living.

The other thing that sets Machiavelli apart is that it's fun to read. If you admire the work of Marcus Aurelius, Sun Tzu, or The KLF, then this book is a must.

The most basic lesson of Machiavelli is simple common sense - namely that common sense isn't common, and has nothing to do with sense.

Chapters XIX "The need to avoid contempt and hatred" and XXIII "How flatterers must be shunned" - both of these need to be read and understood by anyone with an interest in management. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many of your middle managers are just clockwatchers, ***********, and suit-wearing robots.

Full marks for this translation - it captures the energy and impetus, and most importantly the concise nature of the original text.



One of THE most important works ever written, 25 Aug 2007
This masterpiece of reasoning and good practical handbook on how to get ahead in real life if you happen to be already a man of some means, was a work of great humanity in an age when humanity was still considered disgusting and subserviant to the Lord above and his chosen servants on Earth. What a shot across the bows to all those religious hypocrites and Bible following automatons this must have been, then. Two elements surrounding this work's brave publication are crucial, I feel: One being that this was Italy, (as it became) and at its advanced stage of the great Renaissance, as we now know it, and the second being that it was written at a time which was just right to be publishing order challenging controversial works. After seeing the liberal benefits to man that the use of the printing press had brought, and the world of possibilities it offered, Machiavelli struck the first blow against the stifling and corrupt order of the age.

His publication of political thought and theory which was refreshingly devoid of religious dogma or even quotations, preceded the publication of that other world changing document by three or four years: Luther's pinning of the ninety five thesis to a Church door a few hundred miles north in an area still ruled by edicts pumped out by prelates living closer to Machiavelli. This was exactly the right time to be reaching the learned men of the world with anything revolutionary in tone, and well presented and researched contradictions of established thought were very lible to strike a chord with many. In other words, many people by this time had clearly had all they could stomach of the seething hypocrisy they witnessed being displayed by the Lord's own servants, in the church and consequently in the monarchy led governments of the age. To be spouting their harsh godfearing edicts out to the uneducated masses when the vast majority of them enjoyed the sins they were loudly proscribing the common populace from having, was all a bit rich for certain educated but strong minded men like Machiavelli and Luther. The time was very ripe for a wind of change, and even the corrupt but mighty church of Rome knew it, and feared it.

Machievelli simply took a different line to Luther, perhaps not least because he was far more used to living with these ruler's inconsistencies than the more morally outraged teutonic man of God was. Where Luther got all spiritual and quoted the many edicts from scripture that the church of Rome was blatantly abusing, Machiavelli simply plotted the practical lines for a prostective leader of state to follow, quoting the works of historians and statesmen who had written about both the world's most successful leaders and its least successful leaders, as a practical handbook on how to be a successful head of state. Both of their actions though were brave, and both of them catastrophic to the cosy order of things and to the power of the once mighty Catholic Church. Humanity owes both of these great men an enormous debt, for their brave and insightful works helped breathe a real wind of change to the way the human race had been living.

The virtues of Machiavelli, 03 Feb 2005
In the course of my political science training, I studied at great length the modern idea of realpolitik. In that study I came to realise that it was somewhat incomplete, without the companionship of The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine governmental official in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The Prince is an oft quoted, oft mis-quoted work, used as the philosophical underpinning for much of what is considered both pragmatic and wrong in politics today. To describe someone as being Machiavellian is to attribute to the person ruthless ambition, craftiness and merciless political tactics. Being believed to be Machiavellian is generally politically incorrect. Being Machiavellian, alas, can often be politically expedient.

Machiavelli based his work in The Prince upon his basic understanding of human nature. He held that people are motivated by fear and envy, by novelty, by desire for wealth, power and security, and by a hatred of restriction. In the Italy in which he was writing, democracy was an un-implemented Greek philosophical idea, not a political structure with a history of success; thus, one person's power usually involved the limitation of another person's power in an autocratic way.

Machiavelli did not see this as a permanent or natural state of being -- in fact, he felt that, during his age, human nature had been corrupted and reduced from a loftier nobility achieved during the golden ages of Greece and Rome. He decided that it was the corrupting influence of Christianity that had reduced human nature, by its exaltation of meekness, humility, and otherworldliness.

Machiavelli has a great admiration for the possible and potential, but finds himself inexorably drawn to the practical, dealing with situations as they are, thus becoming an early champion of realpolitik carried forward into this century by the likes of Kissinger, Thatcher, Nixon, and countless others. One of the innovations of Machiavelli's thought was the recognition that the prince, the leader of the city/state/empire/etc., was nonetheless a human being, and subject to all the human limitations and desires with which all contend.

Because the average prince (like the average person) is likely to be focussed upon his own interests, a prince's private interests are generally in opposition to those of his subjects. Fortunate is the kingdom ruled by a virtuous prince, virtue here not defined by Christian or religious tenets, but rather the civic virtue of being able to pursue his own interests without conflicting those of his subjects.

Virtue is that which increases power; vice is that which decreases power. These follow Machiavelli's assumptions about human nature. Machiavelli rejected the Platonic idea of a division between what a prince does and what a prince ought to do. The two principle instruments of the prince are force and propaganda, and the prince, in order to increase power (virtue) ought to employ force completely and ruthlessly, and propaganda wisely, backed up by force. Of course, for Machiavelli, the chief propaganda vehicle is that of religion.

Whoever reads Roman history attentively will see in how great a degree religion served in the command of the armies, in uniting the people and keeping them well conducted, and in covering the wicked with shame.

Machiavelli has been credited with giving ruthless strategies (the example of a new political ruler killing the deposed ruler and the ruler's family to prevent usurpation and plotting is well known) -- it is hard to enact many in current politics in a literal way, but many of his strategies can still be seen in electioneering at every level, in national and international relations, and even in corporate and family internal 'politics'. In fact, I have found fewer more Machiavellian types than in church politics!

Of course, these people would be considered 'virtuous' in Machiavellian terms -- doing what is necessary to increase power and authority.

The title of this piece -- the virtues of Machiavelli, must be considered in this frame; certainly in no way virtuous by current standards, but then, it shows, not all have the same standards. Be careful of the words you use -- they may have differing definitions.

Perhaps if Machiavelli had lived a bit later, and been informed by the general rise of science as a rational underpinning to the world, he might have been able to accept less of a degree of randomness in the universe. Perhaps he would have modified his views. Perhaps not -- after all, the realpolitikers of this age are aware of the scientific framework of the universe, and still pursue their courses.

This is an important work, intriguing in many respects. Far shorter than the average classical or medieval philosophical tome, and more accessible by current readers because of a greater familiarity with politics than, say, metaphysics or epistemology, this work yields benefits and insights to all who read, mark, inwardly digest, and critically examine the precepts.

Ruthless, 28 Oct 2004
The Prince... well its difficult to describe exactly what it entails. I think to start with all who consider going into politics or any kind of management role should be handed a copy of this book at the same time as they recieve their application forms. It is ruthless but efficient also and so its central premises should always be remembered, particularly by our governing bodies.
Machiavelli writes with a self assurance which is refreshing in an age of hesitation and self correction.
I'm not convinced that this was a life changing book for me to read, it certainly affected my attitudes and values but is not a inspirational self help book (not that its supposed to be).
I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history or in politics.

A prince among men., 14 Oct 2003
Machiavelli's realisation of the true nature of men as "...fickle,lying,cowards..." leads him in his brilliantly astute work to illuminate the realities of government and life in general.
Disregarding all political theorie's and ideaoligies machiavelli refreshingly deals with how things are and not how they should.
While on first glance machiavellis work would seem almost evil in its implications as it has been labeled countless times, a deeper look would show it to be more humane and considerate of human wellbeing then any half baked political ideology (communism, Republicanism,democracy etc). His assertion that the ends justifies the means is a good demonstration of this as Machiavelli demonstrates through historical analogies the truth of life in general: for people to prosper others have to suffer. In truthfully explaining this and insisting it be done quickly and totaly for it to be over and done with machiavelli shows a level of compasion far greater than any bleeding hearted liberal vegaterian (the most likely to be opposed to his assertions)
His work while being what many would labels as deeply cinical is niether cinical nor idealogical but an honest assesment of life in general as well as politics, which cannot help but uplift those of the same frame of mind with the comfort of nowing that the realisation that the world is a very unhappy place is not theres alone.
But if you truly believe in the hollywood view of the world in which love is blind and happy endings happen for every one than don't read this book (ignorance is bliss).

Portrait Of The Artist As A Wise Man, 25 Aug 2008
As fans of his music will testify, Leonard Cohen has a unique gift for translating emotion into words with art and sincerity. This book consists of various poems, passages and doodles that bear all the hallmarks of classic Cohen. Anyone who has ever struggled in life with crushing disappointment may recognize Cohen's perfect verbal distillation of their pain. Others will just enjoy the humour, wisdom and frankness. Many people are put off from reading poetry because of the unintelligible abstraction that characterizes so much of the medium. This well-presented volume is the perfect antidote. The pieces vary in subject and scope, but women and growing old are recurring themes. The prevailing impression is that Leonard Cohen is very modest - especially considering the fame and adulation he has enjoyed and endured since the sixties - and that he tries to do, and be, his best. The word is "mensch".

Confessional poetry and writings from a wise and humorous soul ..., 25 Sep 2006
This is Leonard Cohen. You get tongue-in-cheek self portraits dispersed amongst words that are sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, sometimes brilliant observations and sometimes self depricating honesty that reveals the always human-ness and always unique voice of this living legend of a song writer, writer and poet, Mr. Leonard Cohen.

This guy is Interesting with a capital "I." Reason enough to check out his long awaited book of poems, drawings and essays. Another reason is that unlike most books of poetry it is 'entertaining' without sacrificing intelligence. His wry humour is laugh out loud funny in the the short essay, "The Luckiest Man in the World" and poems such as, "Never Once."

He speaks of things that matter to him: his teacher, Roshi, pine trees, G-d, women, sex, laughter, mists, women and most of all from what I see the unending mystery of "self" (and women). When that self is Leonard Cohen it is worth stopping what you are doing and reading what he has to say.

Then, if you are not familiar with Cohen's music, you are missing some of the best written lyrics and music, ever.

Enjoy,
Laurie


More accessible poetry available, 12 Nov 2008
I don't dislike this collection but for anyone looking for an accessible book of poetry for kids, I think there are better buys. The range of topics and style is impressive, however.
I don't find that the text scans particuarly well in many of the poems and the interviews with the poets are illuminating but add little to the enjoyment of the poetry. I find that small children, in particular, enjoy more rhythmic prose than is found in this collection.

Funny poems for all ages, 11 Apr 2008
I was searching for a decent poetry book, since the one that I read as a child called Junket and Jumbles.

The Silly old Baboon poem was hilarious, and I am quite certain that the little boy for whom I bought this book will treasure it.

One small comment. If you are buying this book as new then all the poems are there, however with the second hand options go for the one that has the title 'The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry' and not the one titled just 'Utterly Brilliant Poetry' as the latter is just A5 size and missing some great poems.

A fantastic collection, 24 Sep 2007
This book makes a refreshing change from the 'usual' poetry anthology, with its focus on a small number of poets. The brief interview with each author at the start of their section puts the poems in a context, and gives a great insight into their background and inspirations, which I found fascinating. My 8 year old daughter absolutely loves this book for its selection of hilarious poems, and wonderful, bright illustrations, and adults will also take plenty from both the poetry and author interviews.

Puffin book of Utterly Brilliant poetry, 16 Jul 2006
Wow!

What a fantastic book, I am a parent of a young child (8) who has difficulties with reading and general literacy. He absolutely adored this book, some long poems for Mum to read but some that he could manage himself which was a huge confidence booster.

Spike Milligan's `The Squirdle' had him in fits of laughter as Mum kept getting it mixed up (on purpose of course) as did Benjamin Zephaniah's `Luv Song'.

I would highly recommend this book to parents and adults as it really has got something for everyone.

Believe me to see children who can't stop giggling whilst reading this book is a wonderful sight.


utterly brilliant introduction to poetry for kids, 25 Sep 2003
my mate bought this for my children two years ago, when they were four and two. it's become a mainstay of bed-time reading in our house. beautifully illustrated, laid out, and with an accessible choice of 'rhythms', it's a regular part of the night-time routine. i used to read the poems to my kids: now they read them to me. when my daughter wants to cheer me up, she reads me benjamin zepheniah's 'body talk'; when she wants to wind me up, she reads spike milligan's 'kids'; and when we all want a hug, i read them brain patten's 'squeezes'. utterly brilliant poetry highlights that poetry is fun. in fact, i'm online today to buy my mate's kids the book for themselves.

Burns for the family, 16 Oct 2008
A great guide to how to organise a family Burns Night.

This was originally given out free with The Sunday Post, and it is a tribute to the power of Scotland's first family that it has become neccessary to reissue the booklet to reach a wider audience.

To those who have already purchased Maw Broon's Cookbook or The But and Ben Cookbook, I say, "Go ahead. You won't be disappointed!"

The Nation's Favourite Poems, reprinted many times over since it was first published by BBC Worldwide Books in 1996, is an uplifting and inspiringly varied collection of great poems.The late, lamented Auberon Waugh called it "the best popular anthology ever printed in Britain."

Poetry anthologies abound, in infinite variety. Themed volumes range in usefulness, from time to place, to subject. But aside from containing the odd classic and a few modern masterpieces, the remainder is often there because it fits the description and not necessarily because it is great poetry. How wonderful then to read a poetry anthology where every poem, without exception, is worth reading and, more importantly with poetry, worth keeping on your bookshelves to read again and again.

The book is based on the result of a poll conducted in 1995 by The Bookworm, to coincide with National Poetry Day. And an eclectic collection it is, with the heavyweights, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Marvell and Wordsworth, rubbing shoulders with their latter-day counterparts, Larkin, Hughes, Heaney and McGough. Romantics are well served with Yeats, Keats, Tennyson and Shelley. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "How Do I Love Thee" is here, as is Christina Rossetti¹s "Remember." The Great British Public shows its lighter side, with "The Owl and the Pussycat," "Jabberwocky," "Macavity: the Mystery Cat" and children's favourite, Allan Ahlberg's "Please Mrs Butler." But it commemorates the horrors of the century too, with the war poets, Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke.

And the Nation's Favourite? Well, as this is no novel with a surprise ending to give away, Rudyard Kipling's "If" received twice as many votes as the runner-up, Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott." There are 98 other poems to savour here, so if Kipling's not your style, try Stevie Smith or Jenny Joseph.

At any price, this is a must-have poetry anthology. Buy a copy for everyone you know with a birthday this year. And don't forget yourself!--Carey Green

A favourite!, 06 Nov 2008
My son has just turned 2 and this book has been a favourite for a few months. He enjoys looking for the 'hidden' characters and the reference to nursery rhyme characters etc.

A classic, 28 Oct 2008
Both me and me toddler adore this book. Lovely pictures that provide excellent hide and seek involvement for toddlers, and sing song narrative that will engage and delight babies and toddlers alike. Peepo is also a gem - the Ahlbergs are genius!

Lovely and gentle, 03 Aug 2008
Such a lovely board book and in my opinion it's perfect for babies and toddlers of any age really.
It's especially good for reading before a daytime nap (or any winding down time) as the beautiful rhymes and gentle illustrations can be quite soothing.
My 2 year old daughter loves it and I highly recommend it.
Buy it and you'll soon see...it will come out from the bookshelf time and time again.


amazing book let down by presentation, 26 Jan 2008
As all the other reviews say, this is an out and out classic children's book - a must have.
This copy, however, is dreadful. The paper is thin and overly glossy, making it difficult to get to the next page and it could do with being bigger as it's really all about the pictures. I bought where the wild things are at the same time and that is amazingly presented, highlighting the problem with this further. This seems like a pamphlet or concert programme - cheap.
Save money and get the board book. It's smaller but the pictures are sharper.

Charming, 14 Sep 2007
What a perfectly charming book. Children love the bouncy rhyme and they recognise many famous characters such as tom thumb and cinderella. Statistics show that if a child is not interested in a reading by the time they are 7 they never will be. This is a brilliant introduction to literature!

The mirror of us all, 23 Jul 2008
Very special book, very special bear :)
Great rendition, though I must admit, I prefer having the individual books! (Maybe one day I shall have...)

Beautifu