Following solidly in the tracks of his previous book, The World of Carbon Dr. Asimov, Professor of biochemistry and science-fiction novelist comes to grips in The World of Nitrogen with a vital and intensely interesting aspect of organic life. Underlying his clear text is the welcome assumption that a student of high school age need not be coddled or patronized. His is a meaty book which dares to make demands of his reader in the assurance that there are no placebos for understanding. In his organization of the subject he specifically analyzes nitrogen both in its chemical and general manifestations. There will be sections here which will strain the indifferent student although much of Dr. Asimov's references apply to familiar objects which operate in a frame of reference accessible to the non-technical mind. Vividly written, this is a book which demands and deserves the active participation of the reader, a participation which will be rewarded by a solid sense of understanding of our life and death processes, and of preventative and curative medicine.
Pub Date: Nov. 15, 1958
ISBN: 0020914008
Page Count: -
Publisher: Abelard-Schuman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1958
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
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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