Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Told in richly novelistic detail this is the exhilarating narrative history of the noise and creative bustle of nineteenth-century Manhattan and the New York Sun newspaper's fantastic Man on the Moon series, the hoax that convinced the city's inhabitants that life had been found on the moon. With an incredible cast of larger-than life personalities and little known New York City history set in the same period as Gangs of New York, this is the story of the birth of our modern newspaper culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Awesome!
Very readable, well written, and paints a wonderful picture of New York City at that time.

Great story!
What an interesting book!I just love books like this, that are able to present a period in history with such fascinating details.The author did a great job of intertwining characters and keeping the story moving along nicely.

When sun and moon collided
The credulity of American public was severely taxed in the late summer of 1835, when the New York Sun, Benjamin Day's penny paper, published a series of articles about the recent discovery of life on the moon. Some doubted the truth of the alleged reports, but others believed so fervently that there was talk of sending Bibles to the moon to convert the `lunarians' to Christianity. "The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth Century New York" tells the amazing story of a time when writers, journalists, and showmen were more interested in fooling the public than providing news or bona fide entertainment.

Richard Adams Locke, the Sun's editor, had a casual interest in astronomy and science as well as a fierce disgust for the way organized religion tried to regiment the way people perceived the world. So he combined all three and came up with a juggernaut tale about John Herschel, a famous astronomer currently working at the Cape of Good Hope, training a powerful telescope on the moon's surface and finding it populated by lunar man-bats, biped beavers, unicorns, and other fantastic creatures that cavorted in poppy fields and huge crystal canyons. The `moon series' caused such a sensation that they were reissued a pamphlet that sold thousands of copies, and the scenes that Herschel allegedly witnessed were translated into lithographs and huge dioramas.

Locke claimed that the articles were a reprint from an Edinburgh scientific journal, a fact that would take weeks to prove in those pre-telegraph days. He got away with it until Herschel himself discovered the story and while amused, swiftly denied everything. But while it lasted, the Sun's circulation rocketed to moon-high levels, and revelation of the trick did not cost them too many of their new subscribers.

Matthew Goodman does not confine himself to the `Moon Hoax' when illustrating how the gullibility of the public was manipulated for profit during the 1830s. Legendary showman P.T. Barnum passed off an elderly black woman as the 161-year-old former nurse of George Washington, and Edgar Allan Poe, who always claimed that Locke got the idea for the moon series from one of his short stories, applied his literary talents to a phoney news article about famed balloonist Monck Mason crossing the Atlantic in a balloon. There is some digression from the central theme in places, such as abolitionism, the political climate of the 1830s, and the personal and professional rivalries between New York's flamboyant newspaper editors, but they merely add additional perspective to those years when newspapers and entertainers abused the public trust on a far gentler level than we see today.

Goodman Delivers
This is a brilliant book by author Matthew Goodman, who (in the interest of fair disclosure) was a childhood friend of mine from Great Neck.The book is a wonderful and rich account of New York City in the 1830s and the colorful and charismatic characters that populated it.Goodman did extraordinary and meticulous research to unearth some of the best stories and descriptions of early New York City.Historical figures like Edgar Allen Poe, P.T. Barnum, and newspaper editor Richard Locke jump to life with gusto and giant sized egos.Goodman weaves fascinating facts and stories about these charming characters into an overall compelling account which reads better than fiction.While I read the book, certain maxims kept coming into my head like, "You can't make this stuff up," and "Truth is stranger than fiction."At times I would have to shake myself and remember that the incredible accounts I was reading were, in fact, true events that had actually happened.

Some might say that the incredible Moon Hoax was the main unifying principle of these important stories, and they would be mostly right.The idea that a whole nation could be so transfixed by an imaginative hoax was quite astounding.But for me the climax of the book, and the part that had me howling with laughter, was the hoaxes concerning the slave woman Joice Heth, P.T. Barnum and publisher Gordon Bennet.Goodman paints an irresistable picture of irrascible scoundrels taking the piss out of each other with their scams, double crosses, and juvenile antics.He also renders a pitch perfect depiction of early 19th Century America, and all its robust history and culture.What a wonderful read this was!Matthew Goodman is a very talented writer and storyteller of the first order.

A revealing trip back to 1830s New York
The 1835 newspaper hoax about life on the Moon provides an intriguing focus for a book that actually covers much more. Life in New York City in the mid-19th century is on display, particularly from the viewpoint of the city's rapidly evolving journalism sector. Moon hoax author Richard Adams Locke was a talented writer and editor who is perhaps the most respectable and "normal" person in this story. The community where he worked was rife with big egos, heated rivalries, rampant plagiarism, and controversies like the often violent confrontations between abolitionists and slavery supporters. Locke was linked to several interesting characters of the time, the most prominent of whom were showman P.T. Barnum and writer Edgar Allan Poe. Both of these men are profiled at some length, providing readers with insights on their character that mostly likely were missed in the lessons we got in school.
This was enjoyable to read, and I learned a lot. What more can one ask of casual reading? The only thing I would ask is that Goodman and authors like him be urged to write history textbooks, because I don't remember history ever being this much fun when I was in school. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

4 stars is fair, but don't ask me why!
I've read both this book and the Jenny, but I can't really say why.The quality of the prose is uninspired (although I guess I like its snappiness) and I have the uncomfortable feeling the author believes his own conspiracytheories. All-in-all however, I think I'll read his next one - maybe I'llfind out why I like them! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1902.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Lists New York's libraries with special or unusual collections.Includes activities that teach students about the importance of libraries, the Dewey Decimal System, the Library of Congress, Books-in-Print, contributions of Andrew Carnegie and how and why to use libraries.Listing includes many libraries with special collections about New York.Free teacher's guide. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
In America, notes acclaimed novelist Francine Prose, we are obsessed with food and diet. And what is this obsession with food except a struggle between sin and virtue, overeating and self-control--a struggle with the fierce temptations of gluttony.In Gluttony, Francine Prose serves up a marvelous banquet of witty and engaging observations on this most delicious of deadly sins. She traces how our notions of gluttony have evolved along with our ideas about salvation and damnation, health and illness, life and death.Offering a lively smorgasbord that ranges from Augustine's Confessions and Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale, to Petronius's Satyricon and Dante's Inferno, she shows that gluttony was in medieval times a deeply spiritual matter, but today we have transformed gluttony from a sin into an illness--it is the horrors of cholesterol and the perils of red meat that we demonize. Indeed, the modern take on gluttony is that we overeat out of compulsion, self-destructiveness, or to avoid intimacy and social contact.But gluttony, Prose reminds us, is also an affirmation of pleasure and of passion. She ends the book with a discussion of M.F.K. Fisher's idiosyncratic defense of one of the great heroes of gluttony, Diamond Jim Brady, whose stomach was six times normal size."The broad, shiny face of the glutton," Prose writes,"has been--and continues to be--the mirror in which we see ourselves, our hopes and fears, our darkest dreams and deepest desires." Never have we delved more deeply into this mirror than in this insightful and stimulating book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

The Fat Police Will Protect Us from the Sin of Gluttony

Francine Prose argues in her acute and trenchant book (really a long essay) Gluttony: The Seven Deadly Sins, that the Fat Police and their calorie-counting acolytes look upon fat people as a breed of bloated sinners. In doing so, the Fat Police have co-opted religious language and metaphor to divide society into two sides: The reedy svelte souls bound for heaven and the scandalously obese souls bound for hell. To reinforce this polarization, the Fat Police, and even self-loathing fat people themselves, assert big government micromanagement of "fat behavior," so that there are fat taxes imposed on lovers of movie popcorn, colossal burritos, super-sized buckets of ice cream and soda, and other foods that pose a threat to one's salvation.

The Fat Police and their disciples have also proselytized the gospel that moral depravity, "immoral self-indulgence," is at the root of obesity, so that it is clear that fat people are not helpless victims of the environment or genetic hard-wiring but the result of their own damnable sloth, gluttony, and avarice.

Another category that insures fat people suffer the stamp of stigmatization is society's collective resentment that corpulent fleshy souls are guilty of hogging or usurping other people's personal space.What kind of wickedness allows the fat person to assert his gargantuan belly into our area when he squeezes next to us on a train, a bus, or an airplane? His rude and selfish sin is so malignant that he and his obese brothers and sisters should pay for not one but two airline or bus tickets to accommodate their elephantine rumps.

Finally, if fat people can be saved at all, they must resort to a Higher Power: Their countless tons of unwanted flab can only be shed if they throw themselves upon the Alter of God's Mercy and embrace a variety of spiritual rehabilitations--Twelve Step Programs, revivalist gospel tracts,and other motivational tools rooted in the language of God, the devil, sin, and divine providence.

A refreshing new look at an old sin...interesting little book!
This book is really cute and little, but deals with a serious and deadly subject: gluttony and obesity. Really fascinating insights and it is so easy and fast to read. I digested every page and didn't gain a single pound - Amazing! Great read!

"We have become a culture of gluttons"
So concludes Francine Prose in her insightful analysis of gluttony.Part of the sadly uneven 7 Deadly Sins series, Prose's volume is one of the three best of the lot (the other two are Simon Blackburn's Lust and Robert Thurman's Anger).It's well worth reading.

Prose, a sensitive historian as well as a penetrating observer of contemporary culture, believes that gluttony "may well be the most widespread" of the 7 deadlies, even though it "appears to have become the least harmful of sins" (p. 41).For those of us living in the wealthier nations, the ethos of food is paradoxical.On the one hand, we're surrounded by enducements to eat often and heartily--or, if one is a member of the high cuisine crowd, to eat preciously and expensively.On the other hand, however, we're also hyper-conscious of both the aesthetics of bodily appearance and the relationship between diet and health.As the old advertisement has it, you can't be too rich or too thin (in fact, even though the demographics no longer bear out the correlation, popular culture still associates obesity with poverty).

What this means is that most of us to one degree or another are obsessed with food, either the eating of it or the painful avoidance of it.We may not talk about our food-obsession in the traditional language of sin, preferring instead the language of psychology and therapy (gluttony as a psychological compensatory strategy), but we frequently react to our own and others' over-eating in such strongly judgmental terms that it sounds as if we're condemning a sin.(When I used this book as a text in a philosophy class, for example, my students got pretty heated in their nearly unanimous criticisms of "fat, undisciplined" people.)

But as Prose points out, gluttony has traditionally been seen as one of the 7 deadlies precisely because it becomes an idol--that is, an obsession--for people who fall under its sway.An obsession with food redirects attention away from what's important (in traditional terms, a relationship with God or beauty or service to others) and focuses it on self-pleasure and self-absorption.One's belly (or one's appearance, or one's health) becomes one's god.Is our current obsession with thinness on the one hand and gorging ourselves/titillating our palates on the other hand really so different from this?Prose doesn't think so, and I believe she's made a convincing case.

An excellent, provocative, insightful, sensitive book--and beautifully illustrated as well.

Too soon, too expensively, too greedily, too delicately, and too much
Gluttony is perhaps the most misunderstood of the seven sins, but in this book we discover that there is much more to it than eating a lot. For one thing most people tend to associate it with overeating, but in reality it also encompasses any harmful kind of indulgence, including alcohol and drugs. Also in the first chapter, the other aspects of gluttony are revealed: too expensively and too delicately, things nowadays most people would be unaware to be related to the sin of gluttony. Once all of this is taken into consideration, one realizes that gluttony may be one of the most common and prevalent of the seven sins today.

The author examines heavily on the medieval views of gluttony; Back in the day, the monks and priests of early churches viewed it as a treacherous, very-easy-to-commit sin, one with a twist: A person must eat to survive, but to enjoy or take pleasure in eating was outright sinful. As well as this, the author also explores the medieval obsession for the consequences of such sin, such as the artistic works of Pieter Brueghel and the sin-obsessed Hieronymus Bosch. In the next chapter, the author brings us to modern times and our paradoxical infatuation with the sin: Our culture that stresses so much on being thin and fit, and yet everywhere we look we see fast food joints and obesity on the rise. The author examines the infamy of gluttony as a killer and humiliating to its indulgers, pointing out the scorn and prejudice that many obese people face from the public and their peers as well as the rising toll of obesity-related deaths. One particularly memorable passage is the story of former singer Carnie Wilson, who underwent laparoscopic bypass surgery after coming close to 300 pounds and near fatal cholesterol and blood pressure levels (perhaps you've seen that commercial).

Overall, one of the most informal of all the books I've read in the seven sins series and one that can be read and understood by casual readers and intellectuals alike; it is a marvelous read! (Though there is some unpleasant imagery in this book, I refuse to let it hurt my rating of this great book)

A Good Introduction
This book does a great job describing the views on gluttony from ancient times, through the early church, up to the Renaissance. It was interesting to read about the various forms gluttony was thought to take, and how drunkeness was at one time understood to be part of that term. The prevailing thought on gluttony and what it means to be fat in today's world is also well explained.

I had hoped, however, that Ms. Prose would spend more time discussing why our comtemporary attitudes toward gluttony have so radically changed from those of the past. Perhaps that is beyond the scope of this introductory text, but I felt it contributed to a lack of cohesiveness.

The discussion of gluttony in art is enlightening, yet the book does not include among its illustrations a fresco by Taddeo di Bartolo which Ms. Prose discusses at some length. Also, while she cites various websites when discussing contempary theological perspectives on gluttony, she neglects to mention that C.S. Lewis adresses the subject in The Screwtape Letters.

... Read more

Product Description
Glorious works of art as well as chronicles of a past age, illuminated manuscripts supply some of the finest and best-preserved evidence of what life was like during the medieval and Renaissance periods. This little Tiny Folios book contains spectacular examples of early book illustration from one of the greatest libraries of illuminated manuscripts in the world. 240 full-color illus.Amazon.com Review
This little treasure is one of a score of pocket-size tomes inthe "Tiny Folio" series, which offers mini courses in art historybased on the collections of the world's great museums. The nearly 300pages, just four by four-and-a-half inches, hold almost that manyfull-color illustrations of the jewel-like illuminations that adornMedieval manuscripts. This handy book is the perfect purse orpocket-stuffer, guaranteed to transport the reader to a paradise ofunicorns and crimson-clad maidens, jousting knights, lute music, andgold-framed bestiaries. There are also the mouths of hell, Satan andthe damned, and a hirsute "wild woman" rescuing a child from acuriously lamb-like dragon. All in all, it's a mesmerizing tripthrough five chapters: Biblical Scenes; Saints, Rites, and Rituals;Royalty, Pastimes, and Professions; Flora and Fauna; and TheSupernatural, with a short essay to introduce each one. This is agreat book to give as a gift or use as a visitor's guide to the MorganLibrary, as the editors have provided thorough captions, an index tothe illustrations, and a short but carefully chosen bibliography(which includes Roger S. Wieck's Painted Prayers: The Bookof Hours in Medieval and Renaissance Art, a larger look, so tospeak, at one particularly beautiful type of illuminated work in theMorgan Library's collection). Be warned that some readers may need totake a magnifier to these minuscule, detailed pages, which teem withbrilliant colors, vividly drawn decorations, and scenes that rangefrom the bizarrely imaginative to the pastoral and serene. --PeggyMoorman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Morgan Stars
I am a great fan of William Voelkle, who is not only the expert on the Morgan's vast holdings, but one of the finest semiologists in the field. His expertise in these fields is evident, as this little book is a lovely peek at the Morgan's greatest illuminations. Much of the best is there, but a lot is not, such as the almost unbelievable series of choirbook fragments by Gherarducci, and the great unfinished Book of Hours, painted by Quarton and Barthelemy d'Eyck. These are personal favorites of many people, including Mr. Voelkle, and I for one lament their non-inclusion. The format of the book is an interesting way to group the pictures, and is a valid way to go, but from an art-history viewpoint, I think the groupings might have been better if chronologically placed. That said, this is the only book with a big chunk of the PML's treasures, all in color, and encompassing much at a really minimal cost... Makes a GREAT gift for people who are into medieval manuscript painting.

Excellent Little Find!
I was so pleased when this arrived.I had no idea that so much could be packed into so little space.Excellent quality photos, great detail, and the information on the original size of each manuscript is priceless!I'm in a historical recreation society and I can tell you this will go with me to every scribal and illumination event I go to.

A wealth of good stuff in a small package
This is one of my favorite illumination books.Being a practicing illuminator, I need photos much more than I need lengthy discussions, historical analyses, elaborate provenance notes, etc.They have to be color photos and they have to be large enough, and at a high enough resolution, that I can learn something from them--and maybe even copy an initial, a diapering pattern, a bit of the border, or more.

This book satisfies all these criteria.In fact, the only thing I dislike about this book is the fact that it's so small, it's really hard to keep open while I paint from it.REALLY hard, because if you get large and heavy enough items to hold both sides down, inevitably the items obscure parts of the page you are painting from!

Its size can be an advantage, though.I purchased this at the National Gallery in Washington, on a midday jaunt during a conference, then went back for the next conference presentation.When the speaker turned out to be droningly boring, I brought out this tiny book and paged through it inconspicuously under the table.Could I have done that with Janet Backhouse's monumental work?I think not...;)

The selections are wonderful, and they're usefully broken down into sections based on content--excellent when you need to find a quick animal or floral image for a border, a rendering of a king or queen, or a picture of a dragon or other supernatural being.Not so excellent when you need to find an example of, say, a late 1400's eastern French book of hours (there are many, just not in any kind of chronological or geographical order).But then, there are other resources that do that.This book is interesting for its variety, its excellent reproductions, and its well-selected and unusual miniatures.

An Exemplar for the keen-eyed!
Excellent reproduction of a number of styles, with reasonable commentary.Very valuable for me as a newbie, to provide a sense of medieval style and composition.The size is at once very handy and very frustrating.

Ok! So You Like Illuminated Manuscripts.
This book is good, not great. Its to small and many of the illistrations are too small,and hard to see. But for the money its worth it. They have many other books that are a bit better than this one. Here is one that is very good 'Masterpieces of the J.Paul Getty Museum Illuminated Manuscripts'. This book is awesome with easy to read text and wonderful pictures. Happy Reading. ... Read more

Product Description
The New York Public Library Incredible Earth Discover ancient fossils and vast oceans. Explore devastating earthquakes and explosive volcanoes. Find the answers to your questions about our incredible Earth … How was Earth formed? See page 3. When did life begin? See page 30. If you dug a hole to the center of Earth, what would you find? See page 46. What is a volcanic bomb? See page 78. What is the largest active volcano in the world? See page 85. What does an earthquake sound like? See page 103. How much of Earth’s surface is covered by water? See page 109. Why is the ocean blue? See page 109. What is the longest river in the world? See page 127. How does thunder roll? See page 161. A Stonesong Press Book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Sam's gifts
this is a great book and im sure Sam will love it, i was very impressed with the content, the book was used but in good condition. ... Read more

Product Description
Taking the New York City Sanitation Worker Exam? Give yourself the Exclusive LearningExpress Advantage

Competition for a job as a Sanitation Worker in New York City is tough. You need all the advantages you can get. That's why LearningExpress has created this easy-to-use guide Exclusively to prepare you for taking the test and winning a sanitation worker job in New York City.

Only LearningExpress shows you how to prepare for success on the New York City Sanitation Worker Exam

including:

Practice exams based on official New York City sanitation worker tests

Hundreds of sample questions and answers

How to answer questions on crucial exam areas: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Expression, Map-Reading, and Good Judgment

How to get hired, step-by-step, in New York City

with exclusive information on:

All requirements and qualifications for New York City sanitation workers

How and where to apply, with a sample application form

Who to call for information

Must-know details on the Commercial Driver's License

Plus prepare-for-success information to help you organize your study time, and expert advice on how to ace a civil service exam.

Prepare for a brighter future ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Its the Greatest job
Don't think this book will get you the job.But i guess it might help a little.Its a Idiot written test to see how dumb you are,they don't want smart people lol.You do get 5 weeks vacation unlimited sick leave so if its monday and you partied all weekend you can go sick for aweek or two lol...20 year retirement after 20 years you get half pay for the rest of your life and after lol.But i don't think your chances are good at getting this job.You might take the post office test where ever they are giving it,the post office is a very good job.About 100,000 people take the test and its a lottery system they use.If you pass that does not mean you get on the list,its a lottery.then maybe they will put about 3,000 people on the list,and maybe they will call about 300 people from the list.Not a very good chance of getting the job but the city of new york makes money on the test that they give.

This book has helped me
I am working for the new york city sanitation and after reading this book the test was much more easier to do.And I was hired soon after taking the test.And with the 20 year retirement plan and 5 weeks vacation a year,whata great job ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Paid for NEW but got different
Paid for a new book, but jacket was all scratched up. Emailed vendor but no reply. ... Read more