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Average customer rating:

A Botch. Not as Good as the Splendid 2004 BBC Miniseries.
"brutalised both as to his pleasures and his pains"
Surprisingly modern tale of class conflict, management theory, and of course, love
For Any Romantic Reader!
Recommended, especially if you loved the movie

North and South (Penguin Classics)
Elizabeth Gaskell , and Patricia Ingham
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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North & South
Wives and Daughters (Penguin Classics)
Mary Barton (Penguin Classics)
Wives and Daughters
Under the Greenwood Tree

ASIN: 0140434240

Book Description

`she tried to settle that most difficult problem for women, how much was to be utterly merged in obedience to authority, and how much might be set apart for freedom in working.' North and South is a novel about rebellion. Moving from the industrial riots of discontented millworkers through to the unsought passions of a middle-class woman, and from religious crises of conscience to the ethics of naval mutiny, it poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Through the story of Margaret Hale, the middle-class southerner who moves to the northern industrial town of Milton, Gaskell skilfully explores issues of class and gender in the conflict between Margaret's ready sympathy with the workers and her growing attraction to the charismatic mill ownder, John Thornton. This new revised and expanded edition sets the novel in the context of Victorian social and medical debate.

Customer Reviews:

A Botch. Not as Good as the Splendid 2004 BBC Miniseries........2007-05-30

The best thing about Elizabeth Gaskell's "North and South" may be that it inspired the superlative 2004 BBC miniseries by the same name. In fact, the miniseries was so good the day I finished watching it I began reading Gaskell's novel.

Given its failings, it is miraculous that director Brian Percival, writer Sandy Welch, Martin Phipps, who wrote the score, and the entire excellent cast were able to create such a stunning miniseries out of this less than stellar novel.

"North and South" has its appeal. If you are interested in class relations in Manchester, England during the Industrial Revolution, and the transition from an agrarian culture to a mercantile one, you have to read this book. And, if you are one of us who was stung by the "North and South" bug thanks to the BBC miniseries, nothing will stop you from reading this novel.

But if you are craving a richly worded, expansively populated, nineteenth century novel, by all means read Dickens, Austen, the Brontes, and their fellow English-language writers in America -- Twain, Alcott -- before you read Gaskell's "North and South."

It's a botch. Gaskell's talent shines through, but her need for a good editor is evident on every page. There are obvious errors, such as her giving one character two separate names. Pages and pages of footnotes and explanatory notes are meant to pick up where Gaskell fell short.

Characterizations of the main characters, Margaret and Thornton, are unforgivably weak. Margaret never became a fully fledged character. Oddly, minor characters -- Mr. Bell and Dixon, a maid -- are much stronger.

The central relationship, between Margaret and John Thornton, is underfed to the point of anorexia. Who are these two people? Why do they care about each other? Do they care about each other? They don't come across as fully rounded human beings at all, but as didactic cut-outs Gaskell has trumped up to sell an idea -- and a fine idea it is -- of class and lifestyle reconciliation during a time of traumatic shifts in English traditional life.

Transitions are handled amazingly poorly. Climactic confrontations thud -- or, worse, tinkle -- on the page. Tension is mentioned between two characters, and suddenly you realize that they are in the same room, and, and, and ... nothing happens.

Gaskell constantly -- on almost each page -- makes references to other literature, high and low, familiar and obscure, and much too much of it simply middlebrow. Again, the reader is left to leaf through pages of explanatory notes to penetrate these allusions.

These allusions suggest literary laziness on Gaskell's part. Rather than animating a unique, living, breathing, human being in whom the reader can invest, Gaskell tells us that a given character is like the Biblical Vashti or like Cleopatra.

All these allusions to other literature, and use of allusions to do the work of creating characters or atmosphere that Gaskell's writing is not doing, prevent the reader from ever experiencing the most elemental of literary pleasures -- entering another world. Rather than entering another world when reading Gaskell's "North and South," one enters an annotated Anthology of World Literature. The book tastes of leftovers.

One of the most poignant moments in the BBC miniseries occurs when Mr. Thornton, watching Margaret depart from him, wishes that she would turn her head and look at him one last time. This moment pulses, it feels thrillingly inhabited and spontaneously alive. All distance of time, class, dialect, between the viewer and the 19th century gentleman in the high collar melts. You're certain you've felt the same thing when watching a loved one depart, even if you never have.

In the novel, this scene is crafted with all the subtlety of a putty knife. It's stiff, and it's dead. Here's a quote, from page 399: "...she kept rigidly to her resolution but in the respect and high regard which she had hoped would have ever made him willing, in the spirit of Gerald Griffin's beautiful lines, 'To turn and look back when thou hearest the sound of my name.'"

Be honest, now; don't tell me that that is good writing.

Again, the book has its charms. The BBC miniseries made me fall in love with these characters, and I had to read the book just as a way to avoid letting go of them.

But I wish Mrs. Gaskell had had a better editor, to eliminate the chaff in this book, and burnish the worthy passages that are here to shine as brightly as the good intentions behind their creation warranted.

"brutalised both as to his pleasures and his pains".......2007-03-11

North and South is a very ambitious novel, and the fact that it has flaws in the execution do not detract from its successes.

It is, first of all, a social novel. It explores the differences between the industrialized north of England and the older more agricultural life in the south. The characters are all gripped by the hand of change-- changing religious beliefs, changing relationships between master and servant, changing expectations of family life and changing socio-economic conditions. What Gaskell does very well in North and South is forefront these critical themes. Since the novel is also a love story, it would have been easy to use the social aspects of the novel as nothing but pretty backdrop. Instead, Gaskell places it front and center-- to the point where occasionally the relationship between Margaret and John feels like nearly an afterthought. I like the emphasis-- it saves the novel from being a Pride & Prejudice retread. It may, however, account for some of the oddities of pacing noted by other reviewers.

As a reader, I really love the small moments in the novel. There is a wonderful scene when Margaret realizes that her habit of visiting the worthy poor is much less acceptable in the industrial north. She recoils when her offer to visit a sick neighbor girl is seen as condescending and possibly unwanted. That small moment captures volumes both about the character of Margaret and about the world in which she lives.

This is the third book by Elizabeth Gaskell that I have read. I believe that it is the best of the three (the others being Mary Barton and Cranford). Considering how much I enjoyed the other two novels, this is very high praise. I would recommend North and South to anyone interested in the social novels of the Victorian period, historical fiction with a focus on labour issues, or works that critiqued the role of women in Victorian society.

It is a moving, entertaining and thought-provoking book.

Surprisingly modern tale of class conflict, management theory, and of course, love.......2007-02-07

I read the book, like many other reviewers here, after I had watched the brilliant BBC miniseries starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe. I definitely agree with the comments of many reviewers here that you somehow seem to develop a finer appreciation of the nuances of both after doing that.

A lot of reviewers have covered the ground admirably on the story itself, so I won't go into too much detail on that. In addition to the fine development of plot and characters alike, what I found refreshing about the novel were:

a. Unlike a few other writers of her time, Elizabeth Gaskell focuses a lot more on the thought processes and feelings of the male characters in the novel. For example, you don't get to hear a lot of what Darcy or Edward Ferrars are thinking in Pride and Prejudice, or Sense and Sensibility, except almost tangentially. In sharp contrast, Mrs. Gaskell gives quite a detailed peep into what John Thornton and Richard Hale are thinking, throughout the novel. As someone who is always interested in the differences in thought processes between the sexes, I found this to be refreshingly different from other novels of the time.

b. Being in business, it was quite a new experience to read about John Thornton's evolution first as a business owner and then as a "leader", to use that overused term of today. Mrs. Gaskell appears to have a remarkably sophisticated understanding of both management and labor issues. The examples that stand out in my mind - John Thornton's increasing interest in exploring a better construct for labor-management relations beyond the mere "cash nexus" (towards the end of the novel), and his practice of building what we would call a business case today, as he asks Nicholas Higgins to put some figures together for the new cafeteria.

c. A valuable peep into the mores of the time - for example, despite being fond of Bessy Higgins, Margaret recoils in horror at the thought of visiting her after Bessy's death, a point glossed over in the BBC mini-series, - it gives you a rare insight into things like death and burial customs of the time,.

I must agree with a few other reviewers that the last few chapters seem a little rushed, but from an overall perspective, it is hard to beat this novel for its pure wholesome enjoyment value - more serious and deep than a Pride and Prejudice, and still light enough for people like me who cannot take Thomas Hardy. A definite five stars!

For Any Romantic Reader!.......2007-01-06

I loved this book! I liked how the chapters were short, so I could read it in snippets. Elizabeth Gaskell is amazing. I loved the characters and how well written the plot is.

Recommended, especially if you loved the movie.......2007-01-03

This is a must-read, particularly for anyone who has seen - and been captivated by - the BBC film version of Elizabeth Gaskell's very fine novel. Although the film is excellent and largely faithful to Gaskell's story, it cannot fully convey the depth of her characters. The author herself does this masterfully, painting rich word portraits of each figure through skillful use of dialogue and description. Another especially exquisite feature of this book is the way Gaskell weaves the relationship between Margaret Hale and John Thornton into the differences between cotton mill owners in the north of England and their workers. The author creates tension and passion in the coupling of Margaret and Thornton by immersing them in the conflict between labor and management, pitting Margaret's advocacy of the workers against Thornton's interests as a mill owner. In doing so, she offers valuable insights into the needs and concerns of both sides in this labor dispute in a way that speaks to present-day tensions between unions and companies. Gaskell does this by portraying Thornton as a mill owner who ultimately tries to balance his head for business with an expanding heart for his workers and Margaret as someone who comes to understand both sides in the conflict. Readers with a spiritual bent may appreciate, too, Gaskell's tasteful use of religious imagery and language, something the film barely touches on. This is especially apparent in the exchanges between Margaret and her dying friend, Bessy Higgins, who is obsessed with the biblical book of Revelation. Margaret, the daughter of a minister, relates beautifully to Bessy's concerns and Bible quotations, engaging and respecting her religious sensibilities, yet offering a sense of balance that is drawn from her own beliefs.

Flyfisher's Guide to Northern New England: Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine (The Wilderness Adventures Flyfisher's Guide Series) (The Wilderness Adventures Flyfisher's Guide Seires)

Average customer rating:

Spare the Rod ý NEGLECT the child.
Fly Fishing in Northern New England
ONE OF THE FINEST BOOKS, I'VE EVER READ!!!!
tells you what you need to know

Flyfisher's Guide to Northern New England: Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine (The Wilderness Adventures Flyfisher's Guide Series) (The Wilderness Adventures Flyfisher's Guide Seires)
Steve Hickoff , and Rhey Plumley
Manufacturer: Wilderness Adventures Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Trout Streams of Northern New England: A Guide to the Best Fly-Fishing in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, First Edition
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A Fisherman's Guide to Maine

ASIN: 1885106475

Book Description

This is the best book on flyfishing in New England-bar none. Whether your target is landlocked or migratory Atlantic salmon, striped or smallmouth bass, brook trout, or even rainbow and brown trout, this book should be included in your travel bag. The authors lead you through a detailed description of all major waters in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Content includes timing of seasonal trout, bass, and salmon runs, suggested flies, site-specific maps and area hatch charts. Finally, what Northeast anglers have been waiting for, a comprehensive guide to flyfishing opportunities in the great northeast.

Customer Reviews:

Spare the Rod ý NEGLECT the child........2000-11-14

No home movies, no photo albums, no old songs warm myheart more than traveling through New England to some of the very places described in this book. That's where my memories lie. That's where my father took me, and his father before that.

And while I have moved away, there are two great reminders of a childhood that I can only describe as ecstatic. A picture on my wall of E.B. White. And Hickoff & Plumley's book about the best places to fish. Some I've been to. Some I was taken to by these authors.

For those of you who are not as nostaglic and wistful about New England, let me with all honesty say that this book will serve as a superb and practical guidebook. And for those who have a little something more connected to the region, this book is a blueprint for irreplacable memories.

And damned good fishing spots and tips.

Fly Fishing in Northern New England.......2000-08-09

I had the pleasure of attending a seminar by Steve Hickoff last winter. I bought this book from him at the seminar, and have used it a lot more than I ever thought I would. My family and I were on vacation at Sebago Lake in Maine recently, and the information in the book on Sebago Lake, the Crooked River, and the Presumpscott River was invaluable. The maps of the Crooked and Presumpscott rivers especially allowed me to get up early, get to a good fishing spot, and even catch a couple of fish (all before the rest of the family even knew I had gone fishing). I really like the Crooked River, it has become one of my favorites. As an earlier reviewer stated, this book gives you the information to get to the good spots, without wasting a lot of time driving around. The book also provided information on what sections of the rivers were fly fishing only, and the local regulations for taking trout and salmon. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who plans on doing any fly fishing in Maine, NH, and Vermont.

ONE OF THE FINEST BOOKS, I'VE EVER READ!!!!.......1999-04-19

FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF VERMONT TO THE ALLAGASH IN MAINE TO SEACOAST OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. HICKOFF AND PLUMNEY KNOW WERE IT'S AT. FROM THEORY TO FLIES TO PRACTICAL INFO. THEY NOT ONLY TALK THE TALK, THEY WALK THE WALK. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY FLY FISHERMAN RATHER A BEGINNER OR A EXPERT. TIGHT LINES, STEVE, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

tells you what you need to know.......1999-04-18

I travel around New England regularly and usually have a fly rod in my car. It is always frustrating when I have a couple of hours of free time and I spend it trying to figure out where to fish instead of spending it fishing. This book has all you need to know to find a spot and catch (and hopefully release) some fish. Unlike some books the authors don't limit themselves to only one kind of fish or claim that every spot they talk about is going to rival the best place you've ever fished. Highly recommended for anyone who gets the privilege of fishing in New England!

Waterway Guide Northern 2007: Jersey Shore, New York, Hudson- Erie, Long Island Sound and New England Waters to Canada (Waterway Guide Northern Edition) ... Edition) (Waterway Guide Northern Edition)

Average customer rating:

Full of information, pictures, and helpful hints.

Waterway Guide Northern 2007: Jersey Shore, New York, Hudson- Erie, Long Island Sound and New England Waters to Canada (Waterway Guide Northern Edition) ... Edition) (Waterway Guide Northern Edition)

Manufacturer: Waterway Guide
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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Waterway Guide Mid-Atlantic 2007: Chesapeake Bay and the ICW to Florida
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Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book 2007 (Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book)

ASIN: 0976806665

Customer Reviews:

Full of information, pictures, and helpful hints........2007-04-05

Dozier's has done a great job compiling extensive data about harbors and presenting it in an easy-to-read format with pictures and charts. This Guide provides an overall perspective on a harbor's surroundings before delving into navigation, dockage and anchoring specifics. At the top of the page, nearby marinas are listed detailing phone numbers, slip and floating dock accommodations, which VHF channels are monitored, approach/dockside depths, fuel, repairs, electrical service, lifts and cranes, laundry/pool/showers, pump-out stations, and whether or not there are nearby grocery stores, motels, and restaurants. All this information about the marinas is presented in a chart-like form, taking up very little room on the page yet making it easily readable at a glance. This, in turn, leaves the rest of the page to be filled with helpful hints including a history of the area and what you can find if you go ashore.

Aerial photographs are in abundance with digitally-added dashed lines to show the channel routes. There are, of course, numerous advertisements throughout the Guide, and they only add to the helpful information already presented. I am very impressed by the details on dockage and anchoring - it tells you where you can and cannot anchor and what to expect once you are there.

An often-overlooked yet extremely handy feature is that this 492-page book is spiral-bound, making it easy to read on a flat table. There is still much, much more to this Guide, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to plan some overnight cruises to area harbors.

Waterway Guide Northern 2006: Jersey Shore, New York, Hudson- Erie, Long Island Sound and New England Waters to Canada (Waterway Guide Northern Edition) (Waterway Guide Northern Edition)

Average customer rating:

Waterway Guide Northern 2006: Jersey Shore, New York, Hudson- Erie, Long Island Sound and New England Waters to Canada (Waterway Guide Northern Edition) (Waterway Guide Northern Edition)

Manufacturer: Jack Dozier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: 0976806622

Product Description

As The Cruising Authority, Waterway Guide is your indispensable cruising companion, featuring detailed navigational information, spectacular aerial photographs with white-lined routesand what to do ashore. This well-known series, updated annually since 1947, provides the most comprehensive and current data available on nearly 4,000 marinas and boating-related businesses on the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, the Great Lakes and Americas Great Loop Cruise. Information includes marina and boatyard locations and the services they offer, bridge schedules, distance tables, charts you will need, significant harbors, and a Mariners Handbook of cruising essentials. WATERWAY GUIDEs four editionsMid-Atlantic, Southern, Northern and Great Lakescomplete Americas Great Loop Cruise. Each guide, full of spectacular four-color aerial photography and artwork, is approximately 500 pages. The guides are spiral-bound with bookmarker flaps for easy use in the cockpit and at the helm. For 60 years, Waterway Guide has been Americas most popular and trusted cruising guide.

Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Mil
FUNNIEST BOOK EVER
Highly Recommended
Entertaining
Before you get angry I only gave it 3 stars read what I have to say!

Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About: A Novel
Mil Millington
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Girlfriend 44
Joe College

ASIN: 081296666X
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Book Description

Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About concerns a guy named Pel who lives with his German girlfriend, Ursula. Pel leads an uneventful life—quietly bluffing his way through his job and discovering new things to argue about with Ursula. But when his boss mysteriously disappears, Pel steps innocently into his shoes and his life spirals out of control in a chaotic whirl of stolen money, missing colleagues, and Chinese mafiosi.

Its fractured thriller plot punctuated by blazingly hilarious set-piece arguments between the hapless Pel and the unflappable Ursula, Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About is a brilliant comic novel examining the unique warfare in long-term relationships.

Download Description

Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About concerns a guy named Pel who lives with his German girlfriend, Ursula. Pel leads an uneventful life -- quietly bluffing his way through his job and discovering new things to argue about with Ursula. But when his boss mysteriously disappears, Pel steps innocently into his shoes and his life spirals out of control in a chaotic whirl of stolen money, missing colleagues, and Chinese mafiosi.

Its fractured thriller plot punctuated by blazingly hilarious set-piece arguments between the hapless Pel and the unflappable Ursula, Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About is a brilliant comic novel examining the unique warfare in long-term relationships.

"[A] brilliantly-written comedy... both funny and affectionate."
   THE GUARDIAN

"There is little to say about coupledom that is not wittily and often movingly explored here. Sharply-written, brilliantly-observed and absolutely hilarious."
   DAILY MAIL

"A funny and heart-warming comedy about love, fatherhood and being in the wrong places at all the wrong times."
   ESSENTIALS

Customer Reviews:

Mil .......2007-02-09

This is by far an original. I encourage anybody with a witty sense of humor to start thier Mil Millington collection of novels with this book. I wish he could write faster so I could get a novel every month from him.

FUNNIEST BOOK EVER.......2007-02-08

I stumbled across this book on amazon, and could not stop reading - and laughing out loud. I have never laughed so much while reading a book!

Highly Recommended.......2007-01-10

If you like a razor sharp British wit, then this is the book for you. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Entertaining.......2007-01-09

I don't read a lot, but I bought this book after stumbling onto Mil Millington's website. I thought it was very entertaining with various small episodes at the character's home and work. The plot did a good job of linking these together that kept me reading. The ending wasn't the type where everything gets solved, but that wouldn't necessaily make the book better. I would recommend the book to anyone who liked the little insights on the ThingsMy... website.

Before you get angry I only gave it 3 stars read what I have to say!.......2006-02-21

This is a wonderfully laugh out loud funny book. I by all means think that you should pick it up and read it because I know that for me it was time well spent.

However I am supposed to fully review the novel, in which case it does have some rather huge flaws that I can't just look past. For one, the story builds up amazing but the ending is a total cop out. I mean I can understand the ending he chose, but it could have been so much more intersting by comparison to the rest of the novel. I just didn't buy it.

The other thing that I have a huge issue with is the character of Ursula... as some have already said she's rather one sided... it's more than that... she comes off as a horrible person to be around. I mean I can't honestly suspend disbelief enough to say "oh yeah he'd totaly still be with her after all these years..." In comparison to Pel her characterization is a joke, and not in the way intended.

Overall I really did enjoy this book, I just think it could have been constructed a little better. Clearly the writer is talented and there is no room for debate on that one. Read it, just know that it's a hard thing to fully believe it.

Hadrian's Wall Path: National Trail Guide

Average customer rating:

The best of the best
Well illustrated, well written - just like being there

Hadrian's Wall Path: National Trail Guide
Anthony Burton
Manufacturer: Aurum Press, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 (Fortress, 2)
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ASIN: 185410893X

Book Description

The official guide to Hadrian’s Wall Path, England’s newest National Trail, which follows the ancient Roman wall from coast to coast.

Customer Reviews:

The best of the best.......2006-06-15

A lot of interesting and helpful information is packed into this small trail guide making it a must-have when walking Hadrian's Wall. The maps are clear and precise with commentary that allows the walker to interpret structures along the way. The small loop hikes included are an extra bonus and well worth taking. The text alerts the reader to small items of interest that might otherwise be missed along the footpath, like the Roman mile stone on the path to Vindolanda. Brief essays introduce the reader to a bit of context for the Wall. If you buy only one book, this should probably be it.

Well illustrated, well written - just like being there.......2004-04-15

This is a great travel book, a synthesis of fine writing, beautiful color pictures, and excellent Ordnance Survey maps. It pulls a region together and makes it feel like you are there.

Starting with a few wide range maps and a bit of history, this National Trail Guide sets the context of Hadrian's Wall in time and in space, both how to get there, and why you would want to visit. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a British National Trail (one of 13), and an important historical site, Hadrian's Wall offers many beautiful natural vistas, archaeological and Roman historical sites, and a cross section of British city, town, and country life. All arranged in a linear 84 mile (135 km) national park.

The book assumes a walking tour, with an introduction, 6 descriptive tour chapters, and a few sections on resources and additonal reading. The most interesting parts for me are the 6 tours. Each chapter is nicely arranged with a map or photo per page with descriptive text along side.

The Ordnance Survey maps are the best in the world - very readable and clear. This book reprints the 1:25,000 maps verbatim, the same as you get at Ordnance Survey Get-a-Map ( http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/). Similarly, the photos of buildings and vistas along the wall are well done - colorful and excellent resolution.

However, what is most impressive is the prose that winds along the maps and photos. "Where the verge path ends, cross the stile and continue on the footpath inside the wall. Now having joined the field, the Vallum looks even more impressive." Reading the words and following along the maps makes the tour completely life-like for me, making me feel like I am walking along with a tour guide.

The book is printed on thick paper with nicely embossed textured heavy-stock cover stock. The page corners are rounded nicely. Completely high quality.

Perhaps the book can be improved by more depth. I would love to read a bit more about the pubs or the sleeping accomodations. However, I too understand that this information would change quickly or perhaps be a bit too partisan.

Book Description

This enthralling work of scholarship strips away those abstractions to reveal the hidden -- and not always stoic -- face of the "goodwives" of colonial America. In these pages we encounter the awesome burdens -- and the considerable power -- of a New England housewife's domestic life and witness her occasional forays into the world of men. We see her borrowing from her neighbors, loving her husband, raising -- and, all too often, mourning -- her children, and even attaining fame as a heroine of frontier conflicts or notoriety as a murderess. Painstakingly researched, lively with scandal and homely detail, Good Wives is history at its best.

Customer Reviews:

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's Splendid Books Rock.......2005-08-09

I am a passionate fan of A Midwife's Tale, and so expected to enjoy Good Wives. It is different, but nevertheless, an incredibly valuable resource. I read with amusement the one-star review from the student who'd been compelled to read this for a college course and thought..."Gosh, he COULDN'T have read this book! He must be confusing the title!" It is crammed with interesting, offbeat, entertaining, and poignant glimpses into colonial American life. Perhaps I enjoy Ulrich's books so much because I live in a northeastern hamlet next to a 350-year-old village and run into history on my way to the grocery store (or local farm) to pick up eggs. If I haven't convinced you to give this a try, let me just throw in that this is quite a sexy little book, for the Puritans and colonials, contrary to folklore, were very susceptible to Eros. It's also a book one can pick up, read a bit, then take up later with no difficulty. If you enjoy history, particularly the Princeton "common man" school and not just kings and queens...you'll have a wonderful time with Good Wives.

"Pots and pans" history.......2004-04-14

"Pots and pans" history. So that's what this stuff is called. If that is supposed to diminish it, allow me to suggest that nothing could be further from the truth.

Nothing is more controversial in our society today than "woman's place," and no where is it more controversial than among women. (Any email list will bear this out.)

But what was it like for the women who were the founders of this country? How often do we even think about how they lived, unless we happen to visit one of the burgeoning historical communities multiplying across the country?

It was work, and it was hard work. Women were at home, and they were at home for a reason. Even getting to church was a major endeavor, and one they fought for, for it was women who built many of the major American congregations thriving today.

Their relationships with each other sustained them, and also were likely to pose the most threat, for women could make or break the reputations of one another, upon which survival depended.

Childbirth, pre, post and in between, determined the rhythm of life for generations of women. There were many births, and many of them did not live to adulthood. A woman who was able to nurture many children to see her grandchildren and great-grandchildren had accomplished a great deal, and was honored accordingly.

They had to know and understand the rhythms of nature and the timing of how to use an oven they could stand in and work with its heat as it coursed over the length of a day. There were no timers. There were no temperature regulators. There certainly were no microwave ovens or dish washers or washing machines.

They made medical tinctures as well as food, for doctors were few and far between and if they couldn't nurse their loved ones to health, they lost them more often than not.

They acted as "Deputy Husbands," representing their husbands in their livelihood, not in their own right, but as stand-ins based on the status of their husbands. It was power, even if not their own.

Well researched, thoroughly documented, well written and a very pleasant read, this book will allow us all to count our blessings -- and honor our foremothers.

...geminiwalker

Not Impressed.......2004-02-24

I am a senior in college majoring in history and I just finished writing a paper about this book for a college class, and after reading the other reviews for it here I feel I should write my own really quick to present a different opinion. It was a good book, and did give a good view into the lives of colonial women, but I'm wondering what anyone learned from it. There was nothing surprising at all, completely mundane. I do not feel there's a need to argue the importance of women in history, no one's writing any books about how great chairs are for sitting, it's understood. Of course no society could develop and function without women and all of the very important things they do, to me thats a given. Anyway, I wont go on any more but in my opinion the book just isn't groundbreaking or interresting on any level what so ever.

Good book about colonial women.......2004-01-22

I am very interested in finding out about colonial American women. This book didn't disappoint as far as facts. The author takes great pains to mention as much as she can about the women she's writing about. My only quibble with the book would be sometimes when the author introduces some facts, she would just leave the facts hanging there. There would be interesting tibits mentioned about a particular woman, then that tibit would be left and the author would go one to discuss something else.

Still, overall this book is very enlightening about how women lived back in colonial times.

Fantastic!.......2003-06-05

This was fabulous! The author clearly does NOT hate Puritans. She is objective, insightful. It's a treasure!

Average customer rating:

Mountain Biking Northern New England
Paul Angiolillo
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Mountain Biking Southern New England
Mountain Bike America Vermont: An Atlas of Vermont's Greatest Off-Road Bicycle Rides (Mountain Bike America Guidebooks)
Mountain Bike America: New Hampshire/Maine: An Atlas of New Hampshire and Souther Maine's Greatest Off-Road Bicycle Rides (Mountain Bike America Guides)
Mountain Biking the Berkshires (Regional Mountain Biking Series)
Mountain Biking New Hampshire's State Parks and Forests

ASIN: 1560444320

Book Description

Pump up the fat tires and get ready to ride some of New England's classic mountain biking trails. Mountain Biking Northern New England, formerly The Mountain Biker's Guide to Northern New England, takes you down scenic dirt roads, up grassy ski-touring trails or steep, rocky routes, and along smooth bike paths laid out along former trail beds. In Mountain Biking Northern New England, veteran mountain biker and author Paul Angiolillo has found an assortment of rides, varying in length and difficulty and appealing to a wide range of moods, skills, and fitness levels. Detailed route descriptions, maps, and listings of bike shops in each area will help you find the best trails in the region-the popular ones and some that are relatively undiscovered and rarely used.

Download Description

Taking you down scenic dirt roads, up grassy ski-touring trails or steep, rocky routes, and along smooth bikepaths laid out along former rail beds, this book contains an assortment of rides, varying in length and difficulty and appealing to a wide range of moods, skills, and fitness levels. Detailed route descriptions, maps, and listings of bike shops in each area will help you find the best trails in the region including the popular ones and some that are relatively undiscovered and rarely

Trout Streams of Northern New England: A Guide to the Best Fly-Fishing in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, First Edition

Average customer rating:

Good reference
Useful information
Not to much info here...

Trout Streams of Northern New England: A Guide to the Best Fly-Fishing in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, First Edition
David Klausmeyer
Manufacturer: Countryman Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Trout Streams of Southern New England: An Angler's Guide to the Watersheds of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (Trout Streams of Southern New England)
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A Fisherman's Guide to Maine
Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer

ASIN: 0881504629

Book Description

A comprehensive new guide to the best fly-fishing for trout and landlocked salmon in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Northern New England is known for its many beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams—and for outstanding fly-fishing. From Vermont's Battenkill, to the headwaters of the mighty Connecticut in New Hampshire, to the Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers in Maine, David Klausmeyer has investigated the far reaches of northern New England to recommend the very best fly-fishing for trout and landlocked salmon. With his years of experience as a researcher, writer, and editor for several national fly-fishing magazines, Klausmeyer knows what to look for in a trout stream, where to find the best stretches of water and avoid crowds, and, most importantly, what every angler needs from a good guide. Features of this thoroughly researched, opinionated book include descriptions of the best waters and little-known tributaries worth exploring, and recommendations on local hatches and fly patterns, as well as detailed access directions and listings of local fly shops. Includes local hatch charts and fly patterns. 30 black and white photographs • 25 maps • Index

Customer Reviews:

Good reference.......2005-08-09

Looking through the Book, I will keep it with me while on road trips and when planning camping trips. I bought the book to see if I could learn anything more about my area central & northern New Hampshire. It only dedicates about 10 pages to Northern NH and everything that is listed on central NH I already knew.

Useful information.......2004-08-13

Actually, I would normally rate this book a 4 but I thought the previous rating showing a 2 was too low. I found the book to be very helpful. Not being familar with Maine, VT, or NH, I was able to quicky determine not just where to fish but where not to fish. The book is targeted more toward fly fishermen (I am one of those) and it lists what hatches are on the stream. A familar fly fisherman knows roughly what month such hatches are around. I would highly recommend this book over a Maine Gazette map which will not give you the detailed directions to some popular fishing spots.

Not to much info here..........2002-04-20

A nice collection of maps and general info, however, this title doesn't supply much more information than the NH Gazetteer. Can't speak as specifically to the VT and ME sections. Little info on when to fish, just general descriptions of how to get there and what may or may not be stocked. Really just a surface survey.

Northern English: A Social and Cultural History

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Northern English: A Social and Cultural History
Katie Wales
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521861071

Book Description

English as spoken in the North of England has a rich social and cultural history; however it has often been neglected by historical linguists, whose research has focused largely on the development of 'Standard English'. In this groundbreaking, alternative account of the history of English, Northern English takes centre stage for the first time. Emphasizing its richness and variety, the book places Northern speech and culture in the context of identity, iconography, mental maps, boundaries and marginalization. It re-assesses the role of Northern English in the development of Modern Standard English, draws some pioneering conclusions about the future of Northern English, and considers the origins of the many images and stereotypes surrounding Northerners and their speech. Numerous maps, and a useful index of Northern English words and pronunciations, are included. Innovative and original, Northern English will be welcomed by all those interested in the history and regional diversity of English.

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