Another of Asimov's grand historical overviews, this is a fluent synthesis of the political, social and intellectual mainstreams from the accession of the first Capetian to the end of the Hundred Years' War. Asimov is particularly good on the evolving technology and prevailing ethics of medieval warfare, and the French tendency to bestow colorful epithets on their rulers makes his commonsense characterizations that much livelier. Unfortunately, however, there are neither sources nor bibliography — nor any internal references to or citations from primary materials or other historians — omissions which seriously limit the volume's usefulness as text or reference, and Asimov's rather mechanical tendency to include everything — from a thumbnail sketch of the plot of Aucassin and Nicolette to the pros and cons of every genealogical dispute — induces at times a kind of dizzying disorientation. As such pre-processed histories go, this is a competent enough job, but we doubt that many youngsters will go the whole route from cover to cover.
Pub Date: Oct. 25, 1972
ISBN: 0395138914
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1972
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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