Pointers for established, novice and would-be writers by a very successful one and his wife. Their book attempts to be lighthearted while at the same time dealing with the classic problems faced by the scrivener—inspiration, writer's block and other assorted traumas and joys. The cartoons by Sidney Harris are the most amusing part of the book. Using quotes and drawing on a lifetime of experience (and in Mr. Asimov's case, great success), the Asimovs take a positive approach to what is often a difficult, frustrating and lonely job. They remind one of a coach urging his charges to stay loose, have fun, but play to the hilt and give it their all. There is shrewdness afoot here, but much simplicity too, so that what they have to say sometimes, might seem banal to doughty toilers in the literary vineyard. However, it's possible that the authors' determined practicality and bonhomie together with their helpful flints might resuscitate a fading scribbler or even encourage a neophyte. Everyone, writers or not, could do with a little positive thinking. They will find it here in abundance. Upbeat, verging on the hyper, this book may energize the sluggard to get to the typewriter. For the more jaded reader, it will seem offhand and superficial.
Pub Date: June 1, 1987
ISBN: 0802773036
Page Count: -
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1987
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
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
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