Ford, Richard

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The Illumination of the Mundane and Ordinary American Way of Life
Heebie Jeebies in the Permanent Period
No Independence Day for sure ...
I'm sorry Richard
Comparisons are invidious

The Lay of the Land
Richard Ford
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679454683
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Amazon.com

After more than a decade, Richard Ford revives Frank Bascombe, the beloved protagonist from The Sportswriter and Independence Day. Fans will be scrambling for The Lay of the Land, a novel that finds Bascombe contending with health, marital, and familial issues wake of the 2000 presidential election. We asked Richard Ford to tell us a little more about what it's like to create (and share so much time with) a character like Frank. Read his short essay below. --Daphne Durham <p clear="all"> <hr noshade="noshade" size="1" class="bucketDivider" /><div class="bucket"> <b class="h1">Richard Ford on Frank Bascombe

<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/books/promos/a-plus/ford.1.jpg" hspace="4" vspace="4" border="0" align="left">I never think of the characters I write as exactly people, the way some writers say they do, letting their characters "just take over and write the book;" or for that matter, in the way I want readers to think of them as people, or even as I think of characters in novels I myself read (and didn't write). In my own books I do all the writing--the characters don't. And for me to think of them as people, instead of as figures made of language, would make my characters less subject to the useful and necessary changes that occur as I grow in my own awareness about them as I make them up. Writing a character for twenty-five years and for three novels, as I have written about Frank Bascombe, has meant that Frank has, of course, become a presence in my life (and a welcome one). When I wrote Independence Day I began with the belief that Frank was pretty much the same character and presence he was in The Sportswriter. But when I went back later and read parts of The Sportswriter, I found that the sentences Frank "spoke" and that filled that second book were longer, more complex, and actually contained more nitty experience than the first book. This has also been true of The Lay of the Land: longer sentences, more experience to reconcile and transact, more words required to make lived life seem accessible. You could say that Frank had simply changed as we all do. But practically speaking--as his author--what this makes me think is that I've had to make up Frank up newly each time, and have not exactly "gone back" and "found" him--although Frank's history from the previous books has certainly needed to be kept in sight and made consistent. What is finally consistent to me about Frank is that I "hear" language I associate with him, and it is language that pleases me, with which I and he can (if I'm a good enough writer) represent life in an intelligent and hopeful and buoyant spirit a reader can make use of. --Richard Ford

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Book Description

With The Sportswriter, in 1986, Richard Ford commenced a cycle of novels that ten years later—after Independence Day won both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award—was hailed by The Times of London as “an extraordinary epic [that] is nothing less than the story of the twentieth century itself.” Now, a decade later, Frank Bascombe returns, with a new lease on life (and real estate), more acutely in thrall to life’s endless complexities than ever before.

His story resumes in the autumn of 2000, when his trade as a realtor on the Jersey Shore is thriving, permitting him to revel in the acceptance of “that long, stretching-out time when my dreams would have mystery like any ordinary person’s; when whatever I do or say, who I marry, how my kids turn out, becomes what the world—if it makes note at all—knows of me, how I’m seen, understood, even how I think of myself before whatever there is that’s wild and unassuagable rises and cheerlessly hauls me off to oblivion.” But as a Presidential election hangs in the balance, and a postnuclear-family Thanksgiving looms before him along with crises both marital and medical, Frank discovers that what he terms the Permanent Period is fraught with unforeseen perils: “All the ways that life feels like life at age fifty-five were strewn around me like poppies.”

A holiday, and a novel, no reader will ever forget—at once hilarious, harrowing, surprising, and profound. The Lay of the Land is astonishing in its own right and a magnificent expansion of one of the most celebrated chronicles of our time.</p>

Customer Reviews:

The Illumination of the Mundane and Ordinary American Way of Life.......2007-06-20

I heartedly recommend this book! It is very well written with some beautiful language and piercing observations, no sentimentality, and very humorous. I laughed out loud throughout the book. After 50 pages, I realized I was reading a great American novel.

I was first acquainted with Richard Ford's "Independence Day" ten years ago. It is a great book and its comments and observations of American life are profound and immediate. This book continues that acute description of our modern American way of life, the trials and tribulations of the day-to-day, the search for meaning and purpose, and the burden of existence. Forget all the low reviews of this book. I do not understand how anyone can say this novel is not a great work by a great author. Frank is everyman; he is you and he is me. Or, more to the point, we are Frank. There's a sense of being caught up in the world, at its mercy, and struggling to get through the day. Frank doesn't even own a cell phone, perhaps in rebellion to the technological age he finds himself in, though he adapts to it in many other ways. Not much really happens in this book. The scenes with his son toward the end of the book are a treasure, as Frank is pitiless and sees his son for whom and what he truly is but accepts him and loves him, nonetheless. The denouement of the final few pages is his coming to terms with his life as it is and as he knows it: nothing more; nothing less. He accepts his lot in life. It is a brilliant ending - and leaves open another book perhaps by Richard Ford in the future, continuing the exploits of Frank's negotiation through life.

The New Yorker magazine recently contained a short story by Richard Ford, "How Was It To Be Dead?". It's a slightly reworked story of Frank's marriage woes, described in the novel. It stands on its own as a well written short story and one I've recommended to others.

Heebie Jeebies in the Permanent Period.......2007-06-16

This novel is about what it's like to be staring down the last third of your life when you're an upper-middle class, white, male American living on the east coast. You might be thinking that's a crowded piece of real estate, what with Philip Roth's Everyman and other works. Ford defends the property well and has a lot to say. My one complaint with the book is that he takes more room than he needs to say it. It's a thick book, and some parts move pretty slowly.

The book takes place over a busy Thanksgiving holiday in 2000. The millenium and the undecided presidential election complements the precarious tone of Bascomb's life. In the months preceding the novel's setting, his otherwise happy and loving wife has left him for a long-lost and presumed dead former husband, he's been diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer, his one realty associate has been mulling plans to leave Bascomb's agency, he's locked in a cold war with his neighbors and he's had worrisome relations with his first wife and his adult son and daughter. Add to this his unresolved grief over the death, years ago, of his oldest son.

Ford is a master of creating all of these underground rivers in a character who relishes tranquility. Over the course of the book, these rivers collide and spring up to flood the lay of the land and wash away his emotional bulkheads. Frank tries to keep it on cruise control, but Ford torments the guy like a greek god and forces him to break down and see his own--our own--desperation.

No Independence Day for sure ..........2007-05-23

As of the date of this writing, this book has an average review of 3.5 stars, which I think is about right for this book, which is really surprising given Ford's undeniable talents. In fact, I would rank Independence Day as one of my favorite novels ever and deserving of all the awards it won. (I note that one reviewer said that it is unfair to compare this book to the first 2 books in Ford's trilogy, but how does one avoid such comparisons, especially when we're talking about a book that is not only by the same author, but is in fact a sequel to the first 2 books? Comparisons are totally appropriate.)

This book does show plenty of flashes of Ford's gifts. For example, I thought that Chapter 9--where Frank is showing the Surf Road house to Clare Sudruth--shows Ford at his best. In fact, as a general matter, I liked best by far the portions of the book where Frank is wearing his realtor hat as opposed to the portions where he was the tormented father or tormented husband or tormented cancer survior. In Independence Day, Frank was of course wearing his realtor's hat alot. On the other hand, unlike Independence Day, it certainly wouldn't be true to say that I savored every page or that he showed an economy with words. To the contrary, I have to agree with all the reviewers who in essence said that large portions of the book felt like a real slog.

Most novels consist essentially of 2 parts: material which moves the plot along and the material in between, which fills the gaps. Few people would enjoy a book which is 100% plot and nothing else. Such a book would be exhausting in its own way and not very thought-provoking. Often in fact, the writing which fills the gaps--be it the author's/narrators views on life or on people or their descriptions of places or things--can be the most rewarding parts of a novel and the place where an author's talents can really shine.

On the other hand, some novels seem to suffer from the opposite problem, where there is hardly any plot, and the remainder takes up most of the book. I would say that this book falls into that category. On page after page after page, there are loooong paragraphs, and after awhile, you know full well that there is not one iota of plot development in them and that you can gloss right over them without missing a beat. It's not that the only important thing is plot development, but soon, your eyes just start to glaze over. I thus have to agree with all the reviews that said that this book could easily have been 150 pages shorter, without diluting either the plot or what Ford is trying to say about Bascombe and about life in general.

The point is not that lots of plot is the be-all-and-end-all. As I recall, Independence Day did not necessarily have a ton of plot either, and yet was a great book, not least because of what Bascombe/Ford had to say in between. But this one just didn't strike that balance for me and I would only recommend it with some hesitation. Still, if he writes again, I'll buy again. Independence Day bought him alot of stored up goodwill with me.

I'm sorry Richard.......2007-05-16

Richard Ford is my favorite author. I've also heard him speak and he is one of the most profound speakers I've ever encountered. I truly love the way he captures the human condition in his characters - we meet them at some crucial juncture and follow them through to its conclusion. He reveals the inner workings of a complex mind, the way we ourselves see and feel life.

But this book didn't hold my attention. I really did try. I struggled to trudge through the pages. I know this character and wanted to want to read the book, but I struggled. Then...really weird...I set it down in the Las Vegas airport and forgot it. Walked away. What's that about? Anyway, I couldn't bring myself to buy another copy.

Sorry Richard, I love your work and I'm hoping the next one is better.

Comparisons are invidious.......2007-05-06

The "professional" reviews of this book seem to recognize a universe of only 3 books: this one and its 2 predecessors (The Sportswriter and Independence Day). Then -- as if following a perfect syllogism -- they reduce the wonder of this book because it doesn't quite measure up to the others (especially the Pulitzer Prize winning Independence Day). But that fails to recognize the genius of this third entry (or even acknowledge that it exists as a stand alone title). Ford wrote the book with the benefit of the passage of time in our world as compared to the world of the characters. The same was true of the others, but the benefit to this book was so much greater. The pre 9/11 state of the US zeitgeist consists of the usual buzz of quotidian worries that we forget about when we mark this time as the halcyon days. People fretted about real estate values, changing communities, family struggles and the development of complex health problems that would require great energy and creativity to handle. Thus the "unbelievable" parts of this story stand in for the constant and eternal imponderables that shadow us (even when our nation is not in crisis). The twists and coincidences in the book are not only classic Ford, but even exceed some of the elements in the previous books. Our best way of critiquing the book might be to wait until some more years have past, and that way our myopia over the currentness of our current events will have mellowed and the books charms will have deepened.

Average customer rating:

Sportswriter
Frank Bascombe's life of quiet desperation.
a thin man of Haddam
This is part of a major trilogy from a wonderful writer
A disconnected man

The Sportswriter
Richard Ford
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679762108
Release Date: 1995-06-13

Amazon.com

It's hard to imagine a book illuminating the texture of everyday life more brilliantly, or capturing the truth of human emotions more honestly, than Ford does in his account of an alienated scribe in the New Jersey suburbs. Frank Bascombe, Ford's protagonist, clings to his almost villainous despair in a way that Walker Percy's men don't, but the book is heavily influenced by Ford's fellow southerner nonetheless. Read this and you're ready for Ford's Pulitzer Prize-winning sequel, Independence Day.

Book Description

As a sportswriter, Frank Bascombe makes his living studying people--men, mostly--who live entirely within themselves. This is a condition that Frank himself aspires to. But at thirty-eight, he suffers from incurable dreaminess, occasional pounding of the heart, and the not-too-distant losses of a career, a son, and a marriage. In the course of the Easter week in which Ford's moving novel transpires, Bascombe will end up losing the remnants of his familiar life, though with his spirits soaring.

Customer Reviews:

Sportswriter.......2007-05-13

Not sure what all the hype was about. For a main character who claims not to be introspective, he is constantly analyzing himself. A good story, but took way too long to tell.

Frank Bascombe's life of quiet desperation........2007-03-12

Richard Ford has earned the reputation of one of the finest writers of our generation. I was drawn to his "breakout" novel, THE SPORTSWRITER, for several reasons. It was named one of Time magazine's five best books of 1986, and a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Time also named it one of the 100 best novels in English. It was also Ford's first novel in the Frank Bascombe series, followed by his Pulitzer-Prize-winning sequel, INDEPENDECE DAY (1995) and the final installment, THE LAY OF THE LAND (2006), which The New York Times named one as one of the best novels of 2006. In THE SPORTSWRITER, Ford focuses on the sadness and loss of his ordinary protagonist, a failed novelist, thirty-eight-year-old Bascombe, who turns to sportswriting following the death of his son, subsequent divorce, and midlife crisis. He lives a life of quiet desperation, spending his New Jersey days lost in his despair and daydreams, and--not surprisingly--he often experiences an irregular heartbeat. Bascombe has become the epitome of alienated and self-absorbed. Critics have compared Ford's "dirty realism" of THE SPORTSWRITER to Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, and Ann Beattie.

G. Merritt

a thin man of Haddam.......2007-03-08

I finally read Ford's first Frank Bascombe novel after receiving the third (The Lay of the Land) as a gift. I figured The Sportswriter should be my introduction to this character.

As some reviewers have noted, Richard Ford is a wonderful wordsmith, his prose always controlled, mirroring the nature of Bascombe's day and memories. At times, it's easy to imagine Ford writing as deliberately as James Joyce, who once claimed he had a successful day having written ten words.

Yes, some readers will find the preponderance of narrative and lack of action tedious. But that's part of the novel's strength: this is, after all, Frank Bascombe's story, the world--his world--as he sees it.

Other reviewers would like others to think this is the way all men think. They're wrong, though: this is the way one man, Frank Bascombe, thinks, considers, and reconsiders. Other male characters in the novel, Walter Luckett among them, would tell a very different story. But if, unlike me, you see a lack of empathy as a decidedly male trait, Frank's failure in relationships won't surprise you in the least.

Frank certainly isn't a character that earns much sympathy, and in many ways, the bed he lies in is of his own making. But the passages of the novel that deal with the death of his young son Ralph are mostly understated and poignant, helping to make Frank a little more sympathetic. While they don't have the same effect on me as do similar passages in Brett Lott's novel Reed's Beach, they do help me feel something for Frank that I otherwise wouldn't.

The rebirth I was hoping for at the end of the book--after all, the time frame is Easter weekend--never materializes. In fact, one wonders just what, if anything, Frank Bascombe has learned. But again, this is Frank's story, and I may have been expecting too much.

Still, the last paragraph of the novel is beautifully written and will stay with me a long, long time. "This glistening one moment" is definitely worth wading through the grey, boiled-wool narrative that Ford has given us.

This is part of a major trilogy from a wonderful writer.......2007-02-28

WHen I read a Richard Ford book, I do so with a notebook by my side, jotting down questions and ideas to explore. He is THAT kind of writer, someone who creates believable characters who often ask the questions so many of us do,from how to find the ephemeral high points in life to other sorts of musings, from the philosophical to the more banal. Nothing is beyond his reach - or observational skills. He is the sort of writer you could read before going to a party, because he'd provide plenty of material for discussion (and I'm not talking about discussing the book). He is a writer who makes readers THINK about their world, the vagaries of life and the redeeming qualities in people who may seem uninteresting...at first.

Personally, I found The Sportwriter to be the weakest of the three books in the series which includes Independence Day and The Lay of the Land. I'm not sure it would be best to start with this novel, although it IS the beginning point in exploring one man's character, a man who is alienated from himself and from other people, a man who will undergo a lot of change in the next two books (Independence Day, by the way, won a Pulitzer prize and mesmerized me).

Anyway, I had a hard time getting into the Sportswriter and even found the guy to be very irritating for a good part of the novel, disappointing his wife (who becomes his ex), keeping his distance from everyone, including members of a group called The Divorced Mens Club. Perhaps men will relate to this novel, however. Perhaps it is a clearer reflection of the male psyche than I realize.

On the positive side, as the novel progress, Frank Bascombe becomes more and more compelling , especially after a death that shocks him, the death of a guy he barely knew.

This may be the hardest of the three books in this trilogy for you to stick with, but it is well worth the effort because the other two will absolutely blow you away. As an exploration of the evolution and changes in a man's life over the course of many years, I've found few writers to equal Ford. I look forward eagerly to every one of his books which comes out.

A disconnected man.......2007-01-27

After reading a gushing review of Richard Ford's latest installment of his trilogy, I decided to start out with some Ford short stories (compelling!) and then read The Sportswriter to "begin at the beginning" before preceding on to the next book, Independence Day, and then on to the latest.

It took me a while to read The Sportswriter. Normally I am gripped by the novel I am reading and cannot wait to sneak minutes away from my life to keep reading. In the case of The Sportswriter, I could put it down for days at a time before picking it back up, and then could read a few pages and then easily put it down again without regret or irritation. I have put down many books mid-stream and never picked them back up - clearly this is a solid book, to me, as I never considered putting it aside.

Frank Bascombe, the protagonist of the trilogy, is the kind of man a sensible woman would like to steer very clear from. This character is fully fleshed out by Ford: Frank is the real deal. He is at once fully realized as a character, and simultaneously absent from any profound involvement in any aspect of his life, except for his inner life, which is rich with insight. This insight is in counterpoint to his blind wall (no blind spot for Frank) surrounding his heart that results in his complete detachment from the world around him.

Reading from Frank's first person perspective is like being trapped in a bubble from which you can see the outside world, but cannot touch, feel, or smell any of its wonders. You want to punch him in the nose to shake him out of his "dreams," as his girlfriend Vicki does.

Revolutionary Road (Modern American Fiction)

Average customer rating:

one of the best books I've ever read
The good intentions that paved the "Road" to hell
I must have missed something...
A brisk account of marital disaster
read this book

Revolutionary Road (Modern American Fiction)
Richard Yates
Manufacturer: Methuen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0413757102

Amazon.com

The rediscovery and rejuvenation of Richard Yates's 1961 novel Revolutionary Road is due in large part to its continuing emotional and moral resonance for an early 21st-century readership. April and Frank Wheeler are a young, ostensibly thriving couple living with their two children in a prosperous Connecticut suburb in the mid-1950s. However, like the characters in John Updike's similarly themed Couples, the self-assured exterior masks a creeping frustration at their inability to feel fulfilled in their relationships or careers. Frank is mired in a well-paying but boring office job and April is a housewife still mourning the demise of her hoped-for acting career. Determined to identify themselves as superior to the mediocre sprawl of suburbanites who surround them, they decide to move to France where they will be better able to develop their true artistic sensibilities, free of the consumerist demands of capitalist America. As their relationship deteriorates into an endless cycle of squabbling, jealousy and recriminations, their trip and their dreams of self-fulfillment are thrown into jeopardy.

Yates's incisive, moving, and often very funny prose weaves a tale that is at once a fascinating period piece and a prescient anticipation of the way we live now. Many of the cultural motifs seem quaintly dated--the early-evening cocktails, Frank's illicit lunch breaks with his secretary, the way Frank isn't averse to knocking April around when she speaks out of turn--and yet the quiet desperation at thwarted dreams reverberates as much now as it did years ago. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, this novel conveys, with brilliant erudition, the exacting cost of chasing the American dream. --Jane Morris, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

With a new introduction by Richard Ford

"A deft, ironic, beautiful novel that deserves to be a classic." --William Styron

From the moment of its publication in 1961, Revolutionary Road was hailed as a masterpiece of realistic fiction and as the most evocative portrayal of the opulent desolation of the American suburbs. It's the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.

In his introduction to this edition, novelist Richard Ford pays homage to the lasting influence and enduring power of Revolutionary Road.

Customer Reviews:

one of the best books I've ever read.......2007-06-08

It doesn't sound exciting. Not much happens here. Don't expect it to. Ordinary people do ordinary things. They have ordinary feelings and act on those feelings as almost anyone would - the way you probably would - the way I probably would. People are more often unhappy than satisfied.

Yates isn't interested in action. This book, as is the case with all of his stories, is about internal struggle. The writing is nothing short of stunning, but in the most simplistic manner: no flashy sentence structure and no fancy words (Yates would never use a colon or parenthetical). Yates gives it to you straight, but in a way that's universal.

It can be put more simply. You will laugh. You will cry. Some of that will be from what actually happens within Revolutionary Road. Most of it will be because Yates can pull on heartstrings like no other writer. This book represents an incredible writer at his best.

The good intentions that paved the "Road" to hell.......2007-05-13

It is a suburban town populated with people with good intentions. But as we all know, the road to hell was paved with the acts of this kind of folks. Among those good acts is a play. It was supposed to be something simple, nice and sweet. A group of amateur actors join to produce a play called "The Petrified Forest". But everything goes terrible wrong. Actually, embarrassingly wrong.

This is the very first chapter of Richard Yates's "Revolutionary Road". This beginning sets the mood for the whole novel: something simple that was supposed to work fine, but ends terribly bad. The presentation of the play works as a metaphor for the Wheelers' marriage. They could be happy, but inner and outer forces force them to have a miserable life.

Young, beautiful, with two lovely kids and with enough money to live peacefully, April and Frank Wheeler seem to be the perfect couple at the surface. But, as Yates allows us to see under the roof of their home, one learns that they have emotional issues that are destroying their union.

The strongest force to separate them is the post-War melancholy. They can't relate to anyone else, let alone to each other. April and Frank has drifted apart, and what is left is emotional abuse that may destroy everything.

Yates paints a portrait of a relationship that has no place to survive anymore. April doesn't love Frank any more - has she ever loved him?. Neither does he. So why do these people are still married? It was the time, it was the commodity of being together. The kids are a good excuse too. On the other hand, all this self-abuse has reached its peak, and they may not tolerate each other until the end of the narrative.

"Revolutionary Road" reminds us of what the good prose is capable of doing. As Yates is painting his characters in their time, he is also painting us. Human beings are the same, no matter what, when or where. Always unsatisfied.

I must have missed something..........2007-04-26

I am familiar with the spectacular rave reviews this book has garnered, but I felt the characterizations were cold and univiting...I guess I missed the rave review boat on this one.

A brisk account of marital disaster.......2007-03-21

Having just read all 71 reviews to date, I think they mostly over-hype the book. It is a fine novel but probably not a classic of American literature. Also, it is a story about some unhappy individuals, not a sociological appraisal of suburban living. If you are thinking of reading it, do not be discouraged by the warnings of how bleak its story is. It is not difficult reading, it moves rapidly, there is no padding, and the novelist maintains an aloofness that shields the reader to some extent from the raw emotions being narrated. You also tend to feel the characters deserve what they get.

The author's skill in observing character and creating realistic dialogue is astounding. But the pace is so fast that one often fails to notice the art. There is also a surprising amount of ironic humor. The developed portrait of male narcissism in the leading character is the most outstanding narrative accomplishment of the book. I cannot figure out whether the author also meant to portray his protagonist as an alcoholic, or whether there was just so much more casual drinking in those days that it wouldn't be considered unusual. However, I fail to believe Wheeler could just get up and go blithely off to work as he does after some of his nights with a bottle.

The introduction by Richard Ford is valiant but best skipped, or at least left till after reading the novel. Ford's only good critical point comes in a quote from another reviewer. Otherwise he grapples in vain with a miscellany of questionable viewpoints on the novel.

I picked this up because it was mentioned in one of Francine Prose's new books and I had never heard of the author. Now I want to check out his short stories.

read this book.......2007-02-18

this is one of the best books for anyone who is around thirty years old. yates is able to describe the disappointment that many people feel when they are forced to grow up. the fact the yates saw the importance of machines and computers in 1961 is quite remarkable. this is one of the best books I have ever read. I have also read yates short stories which are also excellent, and I would also recommend the easter parade.

Average customer rating:

Another great book
BIG disappointment
fall in love with photography all over again
better than sleeping on the mississippi

Alec Soth: Niagara
Alec Soth , Philip Brookman , and Richard Ford
Manufacturer: Steidl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Sleeping By the Mississippi
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ASIN: 3865212336
Release Date: 2006-07-01

Book Description

By way of follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut monograph Sleeping by the Mississippi, Alec Soth turns his eye to another iconic body of water, Niagara Falls. And as with his photographs of the Mississippi, these images are less about natural wonder than human desire. "I went to Niagara for the same reason as the honeymooners and suicide jumpers," says Soth, "the relentless thunder of the Falls just calls for big passion." The subject may be hot, but the pictures are quiet, the rigorously composed and richly detailed products of a large-format 8x10 camera. Working over the course of two years on both the American and Canadian sides of the Falls, Soth edited the results of his labors down to a tight and surprising album. He depicts newlyweds and naked lovers, motel parking lots, pawnshop wedding rings and love letters from the subjects he photographed. We read about teenage crushes, workplace affairs, heartbreak and suicide. Oscar Wilde wrote, "The sight of the stupendous waterfall must be one of the earliest, if not the keenest, disappointments in American married life." Niagara brings viewers both the passion and the disappointment--a remarkable portrayal of modern love and its aftermath.

Customer Reviews:

Another great book.......2006-08-18

What makes this book interesting is that it is significantly different than 'Sleeping by the Mississippi'. Another great book by one of the most promising young photographers.

BIG disappointment.......2006-08-08

The acclaim and good reviews for this book are mistaken - it is average work by an above average artist who his a sophomore slump with this, his second book. Sleeping by the Mississippi, as derivative as it may be, was deeper and more soulful than this work which offers not much new in contemporary photography.

fall in love with photography all over again.......2006-07-21

Saw the exhibition that accompanied this book . Poignant and funny by turns, it was one of the best recent photography exhibitions i have seen .The inclusion of found love letters and the swans made of towels, stopped the collection from just being a collection of expected shots of odd looking couples. While the majestic shots of the falls themselves somehow became a comment on the frailty of human romance....

better than sleeping on the mississippi.......2006-06-12

i think soth has produced a better book than his highly acclaimed 'sleeping by the mississippi' here. it seems less derivative, less self-conscious, and more mature. my main criticism would be the pictures of the falls itself, which don't seem to fit and end up being a distraction from the true heart of this work - the odd people, buildings, and objects that give definition and vision to the area.

The Chemist's Companion: A Handbook of Practical Data, Techniques, and References

Average customer rating:

a great resource for a laboratory scientist

The Chemist's Companion: A Handbook of Practical Data, Techniques, and References
Arnold J. Gordon , and Richard A. Ford
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471315907

Book Description

Here in one source is a wide variety of practical, everyday information often required by chemists but seldom found together, if at all, in the standard handbooks, data collections, manuals, and other usual sources. Discussing physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of substances and systems, the authors answer such questions as:<ul> <LI>How do I test for and destroy peroxides in different solvents and what is the best way to purify such solvents? <LI>What are the structure, physical properties, and recent references to the use of common-name solvents and solvent aids such as the "Skellysolves," "Cellosolves," "Crownanes," and "Glymes"? <LI>What is the utility of a particular molecular sieve, or permeation gel, or epoxy cement, or liquid crystal, and where do I buy them and find references to their application? </ul> The book is divided into nine chapters and covers properties of atoms and molecules, spectroscopy, photochemistry, chromatography, kinetics and thermodynamics, various experimental techniques, and mathematical and numerical information, including the definitions, values, and usage rules of the newly adopted International System of Units (SI Units). A section on statistical treatment of data which provides an actual least-squares computer program is also included. In the spectroscopy chapter, very extensive and up-to-date collections of spectral correlation data are presented for ir, uv-vis, optical rotation, nmr, and mass spectra, along with data on esr and nqr spectroscopy. Also included is a variety of hard-to-classify but frequently sought information, such as names and addresses of microanalysis companies and chemistry publishers, descriptions and commercial sources of atomic and molecular models, and safety data for hazardous chemicals. More than 500 key references are also included, most of which are recent. There are important hints and definitions associated with the art as well as the state of the art for the appropriate subjects. Also found throughout the book are about 250 suppliers and directions for obtaining special booklets or other material.

Containing a wealth of useful information, The Chemist's Companion will be an indispensable guide for students and professional chemists in nearly all the chemical disciplines. In addition, it will provide for the teacher and student an unusual adjunct for use in a broad cross-section of chemistry courses.

Customer Reviews:

a great resource for a laboratory scientist.......1998-08-06

"The Chemist Companion" is a must for the laboratory scientist. It is an invaluable resource for everyday questions like recipes for solvent mixtures, cooling baths, cleaning baths, etc. The index is straightforward and easy to use. Much of the information is in easy-to-read tables. Information is referenced and clearly written. A valuable resource!

Average customer rating:

Masterpiece
strongly recommended to fans of Garnett's translations
good contents, but poor paper quality and printing

Tales of Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0061153869
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Book Description

Anton Chekhov's short fiction is admired and cherished by readers the world over. This stunning boxed set brings together the largest, most comprehensive selection of his stories, all full of humor, truth, and vast insight. Included are the familiar masterpieces—"The Kiss," "The Darling," and "The Lady with the Dog"—as well as several brilliant but lesser-known tales such as "A Blunder," "Hush!," and "Champagne." The entire collection is introduced by Richard Ford's perceptive essay "Why We Like Chekhov." While each individual volume includes a brief reminiscence on the meaning of Chekhov from a celebrated author, among them Nadine Gordimer, Susan Sontag, Harold Brodkey, Cynthia Ozick, and Russell Banks. Amidst a sea of Chekhov translations, Constance Garnett, who brought Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Turgenev to the English-speaking world, has a style particularly suited to Chekhov's prose. Her benchmark translations enable readers to immerse themselves in his world, experiencing the breadth of his talent in one voice. </p>

Customer Reviews:

Masterpiece.......2007-06-22

This author needs no introduction. He is the inventor of the modern short story. A forerunner of authors like Somerset Maugham, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf to name a few. Chekhov's strength lies in the manner in which he captures the subtlest of human feelings and his portrayal of reality however stark it may be. Chekhov's stories are unique in the sense that they are hardly ever judgemental. They are supposed to be objective and as real as it can be. But I doubt this claim because he makes you weep without him weeping even once in his stories. How does this happen ?
Well in all his stories , the central characters run a whole gamut of feelings that are highly judgemental. The author paints these characters and the readers identify themselves with them. You are swayed to make judgements , nurture prejudices and become biased , along with these central characters. To that extent , his stories are subjective and emotional. The simple reason being , he penned these characters and their feelings are his. But again it is nearly impossible to be absolutely objective and rational in story telling. Because we want to read stories and not police reports about a crime. The readers want the stories to be alive and kicking with emotions and feelings. Any attempt at telling stories otherwise, will only make for drab and lifeless reading.
One of few occasions where I regret not having known Russian. Oh how I would have loved it to hear his stories as it is ! But this is not to be taken as any criticism of Constance Garnett's translation. She has done a marvellous job. Iam not capable to judge the quality of her translation, as I dont know Russian. I thank her all the same as Iam able to read this master story teller's works because of her.
I have posted nearly the same review for another of this author's books by the same translator.

strongly recommended to fans of Garnett's translations.......2006-12-31

X. Zhang makes valuable points, but let me file what may be a minority report. Granted, the paper on which this edition is printed appears to be disappointingly pulpy--we'll have to see how it ages. But its 1920s typeface and layout are very generous and easy on these ageing eyes of mine. It's unfortunate that the publisher has not yet made any pages from the books available through Amazon's 'search inside this book' feature.... Readers considering the Modern Library volumes, which I used to own and which can now be hard to find, should keep in mind that that edition is a reduced selection, whereas the Ecco set includes all of the stories translated by Garnett; an advantage of the ML edition, though, is that it's generally organised chronologically (following the order in which Chekhov composed the stories), whereas the Ecco reproduces the organisation of Garnett's original volumes of translation. For me, all things considered, the Ecco edition is probably the one purchase in 2006 that's given me the most pleasure. But it may not be right choice for others....

good contents, but poor paper quality and printing.......2006-12-30

Noet that the translator is Constance Garnett (translated around 1920 or earlier). All the stories in this collection can be found in public domain.

Pros:
1. contains 201 stories and short novels. The most comprehensive collections so far.
2. beautiful book cover

Cons:
1. very poor paper quality, similar to newspaper
2. very poor printing. The edition is obvioulsy very old, and its font and printing are ugly.

If you do not really want such a complete collection, I suggest you to consider two modern library hardcover books:
1. Early Short Stories, 1883-1888. ISBN 0679603174.
2. Later Short Stories, 1888-1903. ISBN 0679603166.
The two books contain 112 stories and the third book from modern library "Longer Stories from the Last Decade" (ISBN 0679606637) contains 11 short novels. The translator of the three books are the same, Constance Garnett.

If you do not want to collect the books, but only want to read Chekhov's stories, I recommend the following two books by award-winning translators Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky (translated in 199x and 200x):

Stories of Anton Chekhov by Anton Chekhov, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky
ISBN-10: 0553381008

The Complete Short Novels (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)
by Anton Chekhov, Larissa Volokhonsky (Translator), Richard Pevear (Translator)
ISBN-10: 1400040493.

Hope it helps.

Kirk and Bistner's Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment

Average customer rating:

Kirk and Bistners' Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment
a very manual
Nothing new
Great for technicians

Kirk and Bistner's Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment
Richard B. Ford , and Elisa Mazzaferro
Manufacturer: Saunders
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0721601383

Book Description

This thoroughly updated 8th edition comprehensively covers the management of emergency conditions, as well as hundreds of diagnostic and treatment challenges in small animals. The user-friendly format provides instant access to vital information, making it an ideal resource in emergency situations. Includes a section dedicated to the clinical evaluation of patients using both organized body systems and problems list approaches. It also offers guidance on clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory tests, diagnosis, and treatment.

Customer Reviews:

Kirk and Bistners' Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment.......2007-02-22

I think this is a great book with lot of grreat information.

a very manual.......2006-07-15

this book gives a lots of veterinary procedures and useful approac to symptom with many tables .

Nothing new.......2001-12-10

Thic book is adequate for emergency medical information, but is not a good quick reference in the midst of a true emergency. In most things, it is quite lacking, and other emergency "handbooks" seem to be more user and cost-friendly. Although this book is part of my library, I found little use for it when I worked as an emergency small animal veterinarian.

Great for technicians.......2000-05-15

This book has been a big help for me in my practice

Average customer rating:

Something to Cheer About
Just A Little At A Time
long short story
Astonishing.
A Boring Book I Remember Vividly

Independence Day
Richard Ford
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Sportswriter
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ASIN: 0099447126

Amazon.com

A visionary account of American life--and the long-awaited sequel to one of the most celebrated novels of the past decade--Independence Day reveals a man and our country with unflinching comedy and the specter of hope and even permanence, all of which Richard Ford evokes with keen intelligence, perfect emotional pitch, and a voice invested with absolute authority.

Book Description

2 cassettes / 3 hours
Read by John Rubinstein

The Pulitzer-Prize Winning novel for 1996.

In this visionary sequel to The Sportswriter, Richard Ford deepens his portrait of one of the most unforgettable characters in American fiction, and in so doing gives us an indelible portrait of America.

Frank Bascombe, in the aftermath of his divorce and the ruin of his career, has entered an "Existence Period", selling real estate in Haddam, New Jersey, and mastering the high-wire act of normalcy. But over one Fourth of July weekend, Frank is called into sudden, bewildering engagement with life.

Independence Day is moving, peerlessly funny odyssey through America and through the layered consciousness of one of its most compelling literary incarnations, conducted by a novelist of astonishing empathy and perception.

Customer Reviews:

Something to Cheer About.......2007-06-21

We have been waiting a long time for this kind of writing. For me, not since Updike's Rabbit have I read such an engrossing, attractive, masculine character. What makes Frank Bascombe so attractive is his ordinariness, not at all an easy thing to accomplish. Intellectuals are easy for intellectuals to construct, but to find a guy who likes hot dogs, real estate and women is rare, and the reader knows it. This is, in some ways, Hemingway territory, but Bascombe is happy, unlike Mr. Hemingways's anxiety-driven specimens. New Jersey makes for a wonderful setting. Together with Philip Roth, Ford has made certain that Jersey has replaced Mississippi as the center of the American landscape. It's glorious country.

Just A Little At A Time.......2007-06-03

So many books are ones which "I just couldn't put down" but our lives rarely allow us to focus like that - we have all kinds of little things that require our attention. This books reads like the pull and push of our lives and you can take a little in at a time, go on to something else you need to do and then return as naturally as we do in our actual lives. I have rarely had that kind of experience with a book. Thanks.

long short story.......2007-02-26

There are isolated moments of real insight here and it's a shame they're lost in such a meandering, pointless story. The book is strongest when it shows the impact that a realtor has on the lives of his clients -- something I hadn't really considered previously. The story of the Markhams, how the compromises they must make in settling for the home they can afford instead of the one they really want is a powerful metaphor for the lives of these two people, for the choices they've made and how they will live out their remaining years. It's about making tough decisions and being honest about yourself and your situation in life. I would have loved to see this as a short story. Unfortunately, the novel has little else to offer. The protagonist's insights into his own life are fairly shallow and repetitive (if I had to read the term "Existence Period" one more time I was going to put the book down for good). Pulitzer prize? Come on.

Astonishing........2007-02-14

Ford is an absolutely brilliant writer, and this is one of his best works. Highly recommended.

A Boring Book I Remember Vividly.......2007-01-27

I read this book 9 or 10 years ago and I remember it like I read it 9 or 10 days ago. I'm reminded of it now because Ford has a follow up book which has just come out.

When I was reading this, I kept wondering to myself, "am I enjoying this?" I never could figure out the answer, but I was compelled to keep listening in on this guy's (the main character's) internal monologue.

You can't go wrong buying this book. Either you'll love it (as some reviewers have) or not know what you think (like me), but even if you hate it, you can always have it around on your shelf to make you look literate.

The Garter Snakes: Evolution and Ecology (Animal Natural History Series, Vol 2)

Average customer rating:

An essential reference
The only "must-have" snake book
Any garter enthusiast will want this in their library

The Garter Snakes: Evolution and Ecology (Animal Natural History Series, Vol 2)
Douglas A. Rossman , Neil B. Ford , and Richard A. Seigel
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0806128208

Customer Reviews:

An essential reference.......2001-08-17

For anyone interested in garter snakes, this book is the Holy Grail. Its chapters summarize a tremendous amount of work done on the genus, and make this book the one reference to consult first when doing any research on garters. It covers all thirty species, including many from Mexico and Central America for which data is limited and that I had never heard of before. I'm very pleased with it, and refer to it often.

But bear in mind that this a scientific monograph. As monographs go it is surprisingly accessible, but it does not pull any scholarly punches, and some parts of it will be beyond some readers, particularly children. The species key, for example, refers to measurements that no amateur or casual observer would be able to make, but it does so in order to be correct rather than easy.

That garter snake researchers need to own a copy of it goes without saying; amateurs with a serious interest in garters ought to buy it as well.

The only "must-have" snake book.......1999-11-21

There is far too much information in this book to be summarized in a review. Suffice it to say that the book is fascinating: the writing is clear, the conclusions sound, and the research extensive. For most other varieties of snake--other colubrids, boidae, vipers, even elapids--there is no shortage of books, and books covering even individual species are plentiful (think how many books are devoted exclusively to Boa constrictor ssp., for example). And while most of these books are worth reading once, the majority say little that all the others don't say, too. Garter snakes, however, seldom rate more than a paragraph or two in any snake book, and there are very few books devoted exclusively to garters (I can think of only one, offhand). This book, however, gives garters the attention--and gives the reader the information--that the species deserves. If one is a ratsnake enthusiast, or a python person, or mad about milksnakes, there are plenty of books worth reading, but few that are indispensable. If one is a breeder, researcher, or simply an interested layperson regarding garter snakes, however, this book is one that simply cannot be done without.

Any garter enthusiast will want this in their library.......1999-06-29

This wonderful compendium of gartersnake information is a treasure for lovers of Thamnophis. The color plates are wonderful, and the biological information is fascinating. Who would have guessed that some garters actually brumate (hibernate) in water? A great gift for any gartersnake keeper.

Homemade Lightning: Creative Experiments in Electricity

Average customer rating:

Great for the Mad Scientist
Nicely done book on electrostatics
Building the Generator...
Many faults but can mostly overcome them
Home Made Lightning

Homemade Lightning: Creative Experiments in Electricity
R. A. Ford , and Richard A. Ford
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071373233

Book Description

One of the best books on electrostatics for the hobbyists, inventor, or experimenter is updated and expanded to include newly uncovered information on electrostatic generators and complete instructions for building various types, including Wimshurst and Van de Graaff generators. Throughout the book, the author provides hard-to-find information on electrical anomalies, which represent the frontier of electrostatic research.

Covering theory and presenting electroscope and other construction projects and experiments, this handbook also includes experiments with electrohorticulture, gravitation and electricity, cold light, and electric tornadoes. Homemade Lightning is both an excellent first book for the building electrical experimenter and a superb book for accomplished experimenters who haven't spent much time with electrostatics.

Customer Reviews:

Great for the Mad Scientist.......2007-04-12

This is a good book for the experimenter in us all. You can build and experiment with electrostatics.

Nicely done book on electrostatics.......2006-11-10

There's a lot of material floating around the web and bookstores that deals with Tesla and related topics. However, when it comes to good old fashion electro-statics, there is no where near the same volume of information. In fact, I've found four books pretty much cover the field -- at least for my money. Something to consider when contemplating a purchase of books on niche subjects such as electrostatics, books tend to go out of print rather fast. The print runs are small, and often the author or publisher will not reprint. This means, get the book while you can. It might be oop and only available on the secondary collectors market later.

Homemade Lightning (R.A. Ford) -- If you are interested in putting together an electrostatic device, this is the book for you. Lots of how-to with pictures and explanation. I think as a first book this is your best bet. And as a book for creating running examples, this is your best bet. However, I don't believe I would want to have just one book on the subject. The other three books mentioned below add their own dimension to the subject and are (in my opinion) worth the few dollars needed to create a mini-library on the subject.

Electrostatic Experiments (G.W. Francis) -- The subtitle for this book is "An encyclopedia of early electrostatic experiments, demonstrations, devices, and apparatus." The book lives up to its name. A great book for an overview of the field. I know it sounds a little silly, but the nice bright white paper and crisp illustrations are a real boon to this book. The font is well chosen and the leading is easy to read. In this book you will find reference to odd-ball experiments that other books just don't get around to talking about. For example, Eggs illuminated. (p.200) and Illumination of oranges (p.201). If you are looking for demonstrations or ideas for creating new displays for lecture or theater, this book has plenty of inspiration.

Electrostatics (A.D. Moore) -- A nice home experiments how-to book. The book is a little chatty in parts. I liked this. The author speaks with a direct, sitting across the table, style.

Static Electricity (J.H. Pepper) -- This material is extracted fom Cyclopaedic Science Simplified 1889. I use this for historical reasons and to poke around in. The book since it was written in 1889 assumes a fair degree of background by the reader. Great pictures and some nice explanations of how things work. You just need to be able to penetrate the older text.

Building the Generator..........2006-07-14

I'm well into it now, so I've gotta finish, but damn! This thing is neither cheap nor easy to build.

At a casual glance, the instructions look fairly straight forward, but once you've got your materials (a shopping list at the beginning would be super helpful) you realize that the drawings leave some things to be desired (like, in many cases, dimensions)...if the drawing you're looking for is there at all. With a little head-scratching though you can sort it all out.

I've spent somewhere between $250 and $300 on the materials alone. You can buy a Wimhurst kit from Edmund Scientific for $120 but, y'know... its not as cool as making your own...

Tool-wise, its good to either have, or know somebody who has a drill press, lathe, router and various saws and sanders. I don't mind 'cause I'm a tool junkie- I needed a (good-ish) excuse to buy a lathe- but start factoring that in to your overall cost...

All that said though, the plans for the dirod in A.D. Moore's book don't look any clearer.

If you want to build your own spark machine, its probably good to understand the principle behind the machines and just start going at it. The drawings and diagrams in the book are good for setting you off in the right direction if nothing else... after all: the first people to develop these machines started off with nothing more than an idea- you get to start with some reasonably good drawings and a knowledge that if you stick close to the plans you'll get something that works.

Many faults but can mostly overcome them.......2005-06-17

Homemade lightening is only really valuable for it's in depth explanation of the authors own devices. There is also a lack of explanation of electrical theory in this book which the author probably justifies by saying that it doesn't have a strong basis anyways. Since throughout the later chapters he lividly explains how current theories have huge holes in them. The latter half of the book works outside of everything you've ever learned about physics, which was something of a disappointment. Some solid explanation of electrostatic principles with updated graphics would have been much more satisfying then the chronology of weirdness presented at the end. The total effect of first, not explaining electrostatic principles, and then providing highly technical and unsolved problems to the reader, leaves the reading either, in awe of R.A. Ford, or simply confused. A.D. Moore's Electrostatics is better for understanding electrostatics and for not having odd theories thrown at you. Another thing, Ford keeps saying how you should `visualize' the electric field to understand it, yet he only has one diagram of fields, and that's of gravity.

Home Made Lightning.......2003-09-05

This book is eye opening in that it awakens you to the fact that many traditional explanations of electricity do not explain all of the properties of electricity. A wonderful reference work. The illustrations are old, perhaps because the research seemed to stop around the 1930's. His chapter 6 on "Theories of generator operation" is excellent. His statement that "It is fair to say that there are as many theories as there are inventors of original generator designs." inspirers you to learn about all of the other designs. The book is packed with extensive references and I have recently acquired many of them. Although his references concerning Nikola Tesla are not pronounced, at least he mentions him in chapter 21 "Some philosophical conclusions and insights". Final answer: If I lose the book, I'll buy another!

Authors:

Authors

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