A personal, and expectedly individualistic, description of his experiment with the drug mescalin, which induces a state of pleasant, mild intoxication- and opens the doors of perception. Believing that modern man, enmeshed in his own ego and vulgar environment, needs an occasional escape- he recommends mescalin as a pleasanter and less harmful indulgence than alcohol or narcotics- or yogi. In this recommendation, he also pursues his latest ideas about art, music, philosophy, modern life and mysticism. And one of his most original ideas is that the human brain is a sort of valve which repels all the sensations, radiations and perceptions which are at large in the universe so that the individual will not be overwhelmed by these magnitudes and magnificences. On the other hand, the valve must be bypassed occasionally, so that the individual may have a glimpse of wider perspectives than his five senses ordinarily afford- and mescalin is the medium to be used. All this cannot be taken too seriously- but it makes amusing reading as well as a controversial commentary on current intellectual preoccupations. His addicts, but not in full strength, will provide the market.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1954
ISBN: 0006547311
Page Count: 135
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1953
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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