Book Description

The turbulent times of one of the world's most beautiful women.

Kate Moss entered the modeling scene with a force that belied her fragile frame. Discovered completely by chance at New York's JFK airport, Moss was propelled to international stardom with her waif-like figure and hauntingly seductive features, launching the infamous "heroin chic" look that dominated the modeling world of the nineties. But living the fast-paced life of an international sex symbol took its toll, and Moss spiraled down into the chaotic celebrity lifestyle of nonstop partying that landed her first in the tabloids, then in rehab. Here, for the first time, is the shocking true story of the passion and pain hiding behind one of the most famous faces in the world. ... Read more

Country Living Gardener

This handsome guide, written by an ever-practical expert on shade gardening, "tells almost as much about the mechanics of moss gardening as the Kama Sutra does about dancing." ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Esoteric, beautiful, reverent book for moss & lichen lovers
This is a beautiful book, and I treasure it. I've shared it with several others who value the green mosses and lichens of the outdoors and they were also impressed. It is high quality paper, every picture (abundant) is in color. The descriptions are thorough. It is a treasured book of mine, one of my favorites for information and for pleasure. The joy of moss and worts.

I Love This Book!
Lush photographes of excellent quality. Mr.Schenk writes with flair and wit and as though he is speaking directly to you, the reader. I can't get enough of this book. I want to memorize all of it's info. So much in such a tiny book and with such personality. {no dry science book of the 50's, 60's and 70's.}He gives you exactly what he said he would in his preface. Great read and lovely to look at.

Moss Gardening is marvelous!
Impressively illustrated with glorious full color photographs of the many & various moods of moss gardening from a tilled sand Zen meditation complete with mossy stones to wild, serene woodlands carpeted with lush colonies glowing in slanting sunshine, this is one Edenesque read. If you know of anyone with moss on their minds, this is a unique love story of one fellow who bent down to earth to study these little green plants. As magnificent as the subject itself. Very well done!

Bryophyte Buddha
"Moss Gardening" is inspirational reading. The author's Zen-like appreciation of these tiny plants is infectious. A chapter that is sort of a field guide would have been helpfull, although it may have not fit with the author's intention. This book's purpose is to arrouse passion and it does that job well.

Good one
I recommend this book to begineers, it is nicely written and easy to understand. Will definitely encourage you into moss growing.

I would have appreciated a mean of identifying the types of moss that already grow in my garden, maybe some magnified pictures ? There are in this book but maybe not close enough. Although there are 15000 types of moss, maybe it is too tricky.

Good book anyway ... Read more

Book Description

Written by a popular leader of dream workshops and seminars, Conscious Dreaming details a unique nine-step approach to dreams, especially precognitive and clairvoyant ones, that uses contemporary dreamwork methods and techniques developed from shamanic cultures around the world. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

A Pathway To Using Your Dreams
Robert Moss's guided tour of how to use your dreams to guide you throughout your life is a must read for anyone exploring the dream world.

Robert's guidance and insights into reaching inside a dream and extracting it's elements is invaluable. From the complete novice to the experienced dream traveler there is knowledge to gained from reading this book.

As you are guided along the pathways to dreaming and the use of your dreams you will become accomplished in traveling in your own and other's dreamscapes since the book details actual dreams and events stemming from dreams that have changed individuals lives forever.

The book is an easy, entertaining read in addition to being an excellent guide to the use of dreaming in waking reality. An absolute "must read" for anyone who has ever had a dream and wondered at it's meaning.

Robert Moss engages the dream experience as reality
Robert Moss's approach to dreaming is so grounded and accessible. He doesn't write about dreaming "as if" it was a real experience but as a real experience. I love his way of putting a question to the world and expecting to get an answer, either in dreams or in waking life. He constantly looks for synchronicity between his waking and dreaming lives. He writes with enthusiasm as much for his own dreams as for those of others. I had the privilege of attending a lecture of his in May 2002 and he is even more impressive in person! A fantastic book by a true living guide to the dream world.

More like a personal diary
First of all, if you're serious about out-of-body or lucid dreaming check out "Astral Dynamics" by Robert Bruce. That's the bible. Now, "Conscious Dreaming" consists of personal stories and some shamanic rituals, but lacks power techniques for advanced dreamers. Anyway it's ok for beginners, who seek motivation for out-of-body exploration. It's also recommended by Marc VanDeKeere in his excellent "The Ultimate Lucid Dreamer's Manual: From Basics to Beyond".

Fantastic
Conscious Dreaming is the road map to the expansive world that exists in every dreamers mind. Robert Moss is a gifted lucid dreamer who shares his intriguing yet simple techniques for readers to use in their own dreams. Much of the book accounts the past experiences that Robert Moss had while in his many states of lucidity. These are used to show the wonderful imagination that not only he possesses but that all of us already possess. In every persons mind there is a world so magical and beautiful that is just awaiting its discovery. I personally have used some of the techniques before I even read the book. In the past, I had had a dream where I was walking in the empty halls of a hockey stadium. As I was walking, I suddenly realized that I was dreaming. I tried my best to stay calm in fear of awakening from the dream. I thought of the endless possibilities that were now before me as I placed my hand on a wall. I said aloud, " I want this stadium to change into an ice palace." I dont know why I thought of that but its what came out. With the last syllable barely off my tongue the stadium was transformed into one of the most beautiful places I had ever witnessed. If dreamers are wanting to expand their abilities then this is a great book to start....

A Wonderful Starting Point
Robert Moss may be the most eloquent and passionate writer on the subject of dreams that we have on planet Earth. His work inspired me to explore related books, especially concerning precognitive dreaming. One I found particularly provocative, and which quotes Moss extensively, is LUCKY YOU! by Randall Fitzgerald. He has a chapter on precognitive dreams and how to induce them. His book connects all the dots, with both inspiring anecdotes and scientific evidence, showing how streaks of luck and good fortune in our life can be manifested using incubated dreams, practices to sharpen intuition, and paying attention to certain patterns of synchronicities. Fitzgerald was undoubtedly inspired by Moss to take his work a few steps deeper. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Book Description

From the award-winning author of Change Me into Zeus's Daughter comes this compelling memoir about a single mother determined to break the patterns that she has been taught.

Barbara Robinette Moss grew up in the red clay hills of Alabama, the fourth of eight children, in a childhood defined by close sibling alliances, staggering poverty, and uncommon abuse at the hands of her wild-eyed, charismatic, alcoholic father.

In Fierce, Moss looks at what happens when a child of such a family grows up. At once poetic and plainspoken, Moss, a "powerful writer" (Chicago Tribune), paints a vivid, moving portrait of her persistent quest to reinvent her life and rebel against the rural indigence, addiction, and broken dreams she inherited from her parents.

With warmth, insight, and candor, Moss tells the poignant story of finally leaving everything she knew in Alabama to fulfill her ambition to become an artist. It is an odyssey filled with gritty improvisation (bringing her son, Jason, to her night job to sleep on the floor), bittersweet pragmatism (filling her purse on a dinner date with shrimp, rolls, and even a doily, to bring home to a waiting eight-year-old), and staunch conviction and pride (chasing a mail carrier down the street to defend her use of food stamps).

As with many other children of alcoholics, the legacy of her father's alcoholism catches up with Moss, and an abusive relationship -- an inheritance and addiction of its own sort -- threatens to destroy all that she has accomplished. But as Moss learns to cope with her anger and pain, parenthood helps her discover true strength.

Ultimately, Fierce is a warm, honest, and triumphant story, from a writer celebrated for her Southern lyricism, about a woman determined to make it on her own -- to shrug off the handicaps of her childhood and raise her son responsibly and well. ... Read more

Book Description

Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. "Gathering Moss" is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.

In this series of linked personal essays, Robin Kimmerer leads general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings. Kimmerer explains the biology of mosses clearly and artfully, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us.

Drawing on her experiences as a scientist, a mother, and a Native American, Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of indigenous ways of knowing. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for ways of living in the world. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Model of Popular Science Writing
Science writers have a responsibility to educate the public so that people will act to save what's left of the web of life. Few carry out their task with such effectiveness as Robin Wall Kimmerer has done in Gathering Moss. Well-chosen similes and analogies animate her stories, and well-drawn parallels to other areas of science broaden their appeal. I'm recommending this book to all of my friends, especially those who haven't yet discovered the wonders to be found in wandering around in forests.

Thoroughly Enjoyable
I purchased a copy of this book after hearing the author read a short passage on NPR. I was fascinated with her prose but did not expect a book, written by a biologist about an obscure topic of limited interest to a lay person, to be a compelling page turner. I read the first chapter and was hooked, devouring the remaining pages in two sittings. I immediately ordered two additional copies as Christmas gifts. Ms Kimmerer is an entertaining story teller in the finest tradition of indigenous peoples in addition to her many talents as a professional biologist, ecologist and expert bryologist. I especially recommend this book to those who may think they know everything they wish to about mosses, for there is something for all readers here.

Eloquent, poetic nature prose! Very enjoyable!
Gathering Moss is a wonderful collection of essays written from the heart of a idigenous writer. I truly enjoyed reading the book. The essays relate life experiences of the author (a Mom and professor of botany). These stories are skillfully woven together with humor, scientific knowledge and the spiritual experience of being in the woods. The descriptions of the landscape and plants bring me back to the Adirondack mountains...you can almost smell the balsam and feel the cool dampness of the mosses. I highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Water in the desert
For anyone who has wandered out beyond the usual borders of psychology and religion, Richard Moss's work is a pure gift, an oasis, and a place to heal. Despite his extraordinary experiences and profound realization, he is straightforward, unpretentious, and lucid. Better than anyone I know, he brings the transcendent truth into incarnate ordinariness, with humility, humor, and the grace of compassion. I have found his works, particularly this one, to be friends on the path--friends I keep going back to time and again. I cannot recommend his work highly enough to those on the journey of consciousness.

A beautiful experience for any awakening person.
Dr. Moss writes of his own powerful, beautiful, and totally spontaneous awakening experience and how he struggled to understand it and, through it, begin the process of living a life of "radical alivesness". In the book he shares his awakened understandings and the experiences of some of his patients and members of his classes and groups.

I first read the book ten years ago and it had such a tremendous and beautiful impact upon my consciousness that I am still telling people about it today. I was so glad to see it listed on Amazon.com because it was unavailable for awhile.

The message of the book is just as beautiful and important today. Dr. Moss writes that "Awakening is going on in varying degrees in every person. It is not something from which we can turn away".

In the closing chapter Dr. Moss relates the story of a patient whose awakening during a retreat was so powerful that it resulted in a spontaneous healing of cancer and other negative physical conditions.

A must read for evryone who is coming "awake". ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jason Moss was a very strange boy: an overachiever, always looking for some challenge, some new way to excel. In his studies, in sports, and, for some reason that he can never explain comprehensibly, seducing serial killers into telling him their secrets. His first "project" was John Wayne Gacy. Moss sent carefully crafted letters to Gacy in which he portrayed himself as a young, naive, insecure gay man who could be easily manipulated. Gacy was suspicious and put Moss through harrowing emotional tests before surrendering his trust, but Moss came out ahead. Gacy fell head over heels for Moss, replying with graphic and disturbing letters instructing him to commit depraved acts for Gacy's vicarious thrills. Moss led him on, convincing Gacy that he was doing these things, but somehow this victory wasn't sufficient. So he extended his efforts to include other jailed killers. Although he experienced some success, amassing a disturbing collection of documents--including detailed sexual prose from Jeffrey Dahmer, disjointed ramblings from Charles Manson, and awkward, violent illustrations from "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez--his closest relationship was always with Gacy, whom he eventually visited in prison, where even the unflappable Moss learned fear.

The Last Victim challenges the reader to understand not only the twisted psychology of serial killers who kill for pleasure but why and how a young, seemingly bright and healthy young man such as Jason Moss could create such elaborate schemes to ingratiate himself with them. Moss puts his own safety and well-being on the line time and time again, simply to gain these men's trust, to coerce from them some understanding of what makes them do the things they do. And the book gives readers the opportunity to gain this insight without providing serial killers their home addresses--not a bad deal, overall. --Lisa Higgins ... Read more

Reviews (221)

A Twisted Look into the Mind of Serial Killers
'The Last Victim' details the author's correspondence with several high profile serial killers, mainly focusing on his relationship with the "Clown Killer" John Wayne Gacy. Jason Moss starts his letters as a project for school, but it soon becomes deeper and more twisted than that. The letters between himself and Gacy soon turn to frequent phone calls.

Jason did research on the killers before writing each letter, carefully choosing his words to form fictitious tales meant to draw their interest. Whatever he did worked, as he received letters not only from Gacy, but also Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, Henry Lee Lucas, and even Jeffrey Dahmer, who had only ever before replied to one letter while in prison.

The letters from these killers all show twisted minds and thoughts, devious drawings, sexually deviant behavior. It is a compelling, disturbing look into their world. 'The Last Victim' is an interesting read, but not a completely great one.

Jason is a bit disturbing himself. Putting himself and his family at risk by supplying the murderers with his home address, he is drawn in too closely, especially with Gacy, until it begins to pervade his life; he is obsessed by the letters, loses sleep, distances himself from his friends. The final chapters of his visits with Gacy in prison are completely frightening, eerie, and upsetting. It's hard to believe, though, that Jason could have expected anything less from a man who brutally killed over 30 young men his own age.

While it is a compelling read, Jason as an author is not greatly talented. He is a bit naive and the writing comes off as such. Still, it may contribute to the strength of the story itself. An everyday college student delved deep into the minds of such terrible men and lived to tell about it.

I really liked this book
The book is not written by a professional author so of course the language and story line are not always perfect, but it is very interesting. I enjoyed it a lot.

Morbidly interesting and macabre.
I agree w/ Stephanie Dietz on virtually everything that she said about this book in her review (May 23, 2004). For me, this book was a new way for me to scare the $h!t out of myself! An ex of mine actually worked for the publishing co. which commissioned the book to be published which is how I came across it. My interest in reading and literature is primarily restricted to fantasy, science fiction, urban archaeology, history, and, ancient history. Horor isn't one of my favorites per se, but this true horror story definitely shook me. Jason Moss is arrogant and full of himself, but he isn't as nauseating as some of the reviews of this book might leave you to think. If you have absolutely no interest whatsoever in such morbid subjects as serial killers then this book is one that for you may be best left unread. However, if you have at least some interest in such morbid subjects then I suggest you pick up this book and read it carefully. It is certainly not for the faint of heart!

Homoerotic pornography
As others have foretold, Jason Moss' ego precedes his work. He adamantly tries to convince the reader of his superior intelligence; however, let me stress to you here- I am UNLV alunmi, and believe me, UNLV is not known for it's outstanding academic strengths. Ask yourself why Moss didn't attend Berkley or Princeton or any elite East Coast institution.

The book was written on bragging rights. He continually asked the question "How many other people could say they get letters from a serial killer??" But if the means is writing sexually explicit letters to a murderer who will use it to gratify himself thinking about you, then it makes you wonder how many people would actually WANT the ends. But in case you forget, Moss will also continually remind the reader that he is in fact heterosexual- right after he finishes a letter about himself sexually molesting his younger brother. The book is gay porn disguised as literature.(...)

"Holy Cr@p!"
As unprofound as the title of this review may be, that is the first thing I said after finishing this book.
The book reads like a well-constructed horror movie, in which you may well find yourself yelling at the "main character" (Author Jason Moss) "What are you doing?!?! Get yourself out of there!!!"
This is the true story of how Moss' curiosity about what exactly happens between a serial killer and their victim inspired him to invent a character to which serial killers like Gacy would respond. Playing his "victim" character, he crafted letters intended to draw the killer's curiosity.
His physical and emotional reaction to the hilarity (NOT) that ensued showed that at some level, his instincts were working overtime to let him know he was in danger. By what seemed force of sheer will, he overrode his gut feelings and pushed the relationships further. (Lesson: Trust your instincts when they warn you!!)
Considering what ultimately happens when Moss visits a killer on Death Row, I think he was incredibly lucky to be able to tell his story at all.
Moss' youth and bravado throughout the book revealed a side of him that I wonder if HE even recognizes as juvenile. There is a very obvious theme throughout the book of Moss trying desperately to gain his exasperated Mother's attention and approval. What stood out clearly to me was something never mentioned in the book- that Moss' journey into the dark world of killers was actually a journey to explore the dark side of himself. He wanted to see what his OWN limits were. Never mind that he claimed to want to "win" a mental game with the killers. I think his motives were more subconscious and less academic. Having been a so-called perfect student all of his life, it is little wonder that his psyche would seek a way to balance the compulsive over-achievement.
Perhaps I am wrong...but what I saw in Moss was his pursuit to confront HIMSELF by using the most dangerous people he could find as a mirror. I also thought that he lived vicariously through them, allowing himself to befriend those who had the nerve to do what he knew he never would or could.
This book is an interesting view into how a killer manipulates victims' minds; but it is equally an interesting look inside the mind of a person whose curiousity about his own limits led him to risk his life to find out how far he could go.
P.S. Moss seems the kind of person who probably cannot help but read reviews on his work. ;-) So, hello Jason. Stop caring so much about what other people think about you. Find out what you think about yourself. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1944 British commando W. Stanley Moss hatches his most daring adventure of all: to kidnap the Nazi General Kriepe, commander of the Sevastopol Division in Crete, and spirit him back to British-occupied Egypt. This is his story. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Fun to Read True Life Adventure
This is a really fun to read book. Its about an actual behind the lines mission carried out by the author of this book. It is about a mission to capture a Nazi general and deliver him to captivity. The story of how they captured the general and then evaded the efforts of the German occupational forces to find them makes for thrilling reading. This is a book that is very hard to put down and as such is heartily recommended.

You won't put it down once you start.
This book is a really fun read. It's all a bit mysterious, but it tells a classic tale of the British upper class at war. It's kind of a cross between "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Guns of Navarone", but with a lot less violence. Exactly what organization the author works for, and what context it all takes place in is lacking. But the chase across Crete and the author's insights into the locals kept me glued to my chair reading until I had read from front to back. See also the 1957 movie of the same name with Dirk Bogarde. For another book in the same vein find a copy of F.S. Chapman's "The Jungle is Neutral". Another WW2 "way behind the lines" story, this time in Malaya.

A real page-turner...
In 1944, two British commandos capture a Nazi General from the island of Crete, and take him to British-occupied Egypt.

Written by one of the commandos, it's a suspenseful true wartime tale.

Entertaining account of a unique British Commando raid
Stanley Moss must have been an interesting man. He obviously was an erudite individual, in that he was able to write this marvelous book, in spite of not being an author or anything like that. He was instead a soldier, a wartime one who had an office job before the war, but left to try and kill Germans, and win the war for the Allies. This book covers his account of his attempt (with one other British officer and a band of local partisans) to capture the commander of a German division in Crete, and spirit him back to Egypt via torpedo boat.

The book is very British. There's a marvelous sense of the British civilian upper class at war, bunglingly incompetent but amazingly brave, and very good-hearted. The bungling is strange in that the author clearly was an effective soldier (an afterward by Moss's partner, Leigh-Fermor, in my addition tells how Moss led a partisan detachment that killed 75 or so Germans several months after the events in the book) but he manages to convey that he's not very good at this war stuff. In one scene, he lets one of the Partisans examine his submachinegun ,and is then nervous because "I never know which buttons on these things to push" and sweats until the gun is given back to him. There's marvelous banter, slang, and nicknames (one of the Cretan partisans is called "Wallace Beery" because of his supposed resemblance to that actor) and even the torpedo boat captain is colorful, as he should be.

I was impressed with this book. The plot moves right along, doesn't get bogged down with too many details, doesn't try to portray what was done in a particularly brave or skilful way, just tells you the results, I would recommend it highly.

A true tale of courage and daring
There were many interesting little incidents in World War II that are almost, if not completely, unknown today. This book recounts one of those types of incidents, the kidnapping and removal from the island of Crete of a German general. It's a first person narrative, written contemporaneously with the action, by one of the British leaders of the raid. Told with typical British understatement, nevertheless it's possible to read between the lines and discern the true courage of the team members, and the terrible danger in which they were placed. The writing is excellent, even poetic at times, considering the conditions under which it was written. Like any diary, there is not a lot of background detail included, which sometimes leaves the reader wishing for more information, but that's the nature of this type of writing. Read it for what it is, and you come away admiring the bravery of the men, both British and Cretan, who carried out this mission. With men such as these, it's possible to see why the Allies won the War! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Moss Hart was in the thick of American theater when everyone wore black tie on opening night and the world's most witty people entertained each other around a grand piano at late-night supper parties. It's an era of glamour that will never come again, but we have Hart's words on paper, and that is no small thing. A renowned director and theatrical collaborator, the brilliant Hart died too soon after the curtain went up on Act Two. If you want to know what it was like to be on the inside track in NYC in the '30s, '40s and '50s, here's a good place to find out. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

THE BEST
Whenever I teach a class for actors, I recommend Moss Hart's autobiography, ACT ONE. It is simply the finest book I know about the theatre and what it was like to work on Broadway in the 1920's thru the 1950's. It was a true tragedy that Hart died so young, robbing not only his family of husband and father, but the world of a great playwright and director and chronicler of his times.

This is a funny, perceptive, first-hand account of life in the fast lane of one of the best playwrights Broadway has ever produced. An obsessive worker (it was the stress of his constant work that ultimately killed him), a perfectionist, a brilliant upstart, Hart teamed with George S. Kaufman to write some of the best and funniest plays of the first half of the 20th century...and even today. Is there really a better play about a family coping through love during the Depression than "You Can't Take It With You?" (That was a rhetorical question). And as Nathan Lane proved only two years ago, "The Man Who Came To Dinner" is very much worth reviving in a first class production even if you have already seen it in your local community or dinner theatre. The autobiography doesn't so much end as it stops and it is obvious that Hart meant to write a second and, perhaps, a third volume that would include his other writing partners, his Hollywood career, his directing, etc.

Steven Bach has written a biography of Hart's entire life called DAZZLER, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MOSS HART that is a fine companion to Hart's own, unbeatable ACT ONE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Superb Theater Autobiography
Act One is one of my favorite books. I have rearead it often since the first time I picked it up in my late teens. I love the anecdotes about the Broadway greats ans near greats and how Mr. Hart became famous, but my favorite parts of the book concern his memorable Aunt Kate, a woman whose fate in life was other than she deserved. She is very humanely portrayed, and so is the rest of Mr. Hart's family. I also enjoyed learning more about George Kaufman and his wife. This book's great!

The best book about the theater ever written, Act One.
Moss Hart is arguably one of the finest and most successful authors of the 20th century theater in this or any other country. Like many successful men in the theater, he came from a background of serious poverty and the true drama of Act One is his perseverence and victory in extremely trying circumstances. There are fascinating glimpses into the theater world of NYC in the 40s and 50s, excellent sketches of George Kaufmann, Beatrice Kaufmann and Max Siegel, and poignant views into the people and places that forged Moss Hart into the extremely urbane, charming and successful man he became, against the hardest possible odds. Superb book!

"Act One" by the amazing Moss Hart
A few years ago when I was doing a lot of theatrical reading I heard about Moss Hart's "Act One" and at the time it was out-of-print. I did not have a computer then, but a local bookseller was able to locate a used copy for me and it is a treasure. Moss Hart was truly an amazing man. He started out in a time when there was not much around in the way of financial security...to put it mildly, but he never gave up. It seems that he was always there to fix whatever problems came up in the Broadway theatre. He wrote this book because his wife, Kitty Carlyle Hart, asked him to and it is a little gem.
I am so happy to see that it is now available again and I am going to give it as birthday gifts to two dear friends who share my love of the theatre. They will love it as much as I do.

One of the best theatre books I've read
This book is amazing. In my opinion. Well, and in the opinions of other people I know - it was recommended to me by about six people before I bought it. And Hart writes with such an endearing and touching style - the book was a fast read and I was able to really picture everything he was writing about. It's also eminintly quotable - I'm especially fond of the passage where Hart describes a particular actor as having a "style which would be appropriate to give as a gift to a couple on their wooden wedding anniverary." I'm looking forward to reading Stephen Bach's "Dazzler" to learn more about Hart. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Vibrant, avant-garde work
P. Buckley Moss: Painting The Joy Of The Soul is a simply gorgeous, coffee table artbook showcasing the vibrant, avant-garde work of the prolific, in-demand, and world-renowned female artist P. Buckley Moss. Eye-opening color photographs of her singular and emotional work alongside an extensive biography and commentary make P. Buckley Moss: Painting The Joy Of The Soul a true celebration of art, heartily recommended to academic and community art history collections, and a sheer joy to read and savor. ... Read more

Book Description

Since his rise to international prominence over the past decade, award-winning Los Angeles architect Eric Owen Moss has continued to invent ways of conceiving space that defy conventional labels. Moss first gained renown for his work in a largely abandoned industrial zone of Culver City on the west side of Los Angeles. These early efforts were the impetus to his current large-scale remaking of the entire area, which has come to serve as a conceptual model for the return of architecture to postindustrial American cities.

This volume, a sequel to Rizzoli's Eric Owen Moss: Buildings and Projects (1991), presents twenty-five of Moss's latest built and unbuilt projects, illustrated with photographs, conceptual sketches and drawings, computer models, and plans. Among the works featured are new offices for the film and music company IRS; Warner Theater and Ince Theater at the edge of Culver City's burgeoning downtown; Vesey Street, a multiuse amphitheater in New York's Battery Park City; a housing project on two sites on Wagramerstrasse in Vienna; competition entries for the Nara Convention Center in Japan and a contemporary arts center in Tours, France; a multipurpose arena and urban renewal study for Havana's Plaza Vieja; and two private houses. Moss's accompanying project descriptions fuse his reflections on the work and sites with his architectural philosophy in an iconoclastic, personal voice. "This architecture is about discovery. It insists that the world can be other than it is," Moss says in his accompanying essay.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

The dedication says it all...
....about the creator, the work and the ambitious nature of all three intertwined together. ... Read more

Reviews (117)

Less typical than the Alanna series
I wasn't expecting much when I picked up Sandry's Book (due to my dislike of the Lioness and Immortals Quartet) but was pleasantly surprised.

Sandry's Book is a light and fun fantasy read, lacking the somewhat crude and generic elements to be found in in the aforementioned quartets. The characters-- Sandry, Daja, Briar and Tris are interesting, if slightly flat, protagonists and show more realistic character development than did Alanna. The plot, while basic (wary characters becoming friends and saving the world, etc.) is nicely expanded upon and contains little typical swords-and-sorcery. If the characters never really show any idiosyncracies and their talents are fairly obvious to start off with, well, it's forgivable in a fun story. Try it for summer reading. If you'd like to see more subtlety, better developed characters and a thoroughly original plot, however, definitely give Sherwood Smith's Crown and Court Duet a try.

A must read series
When I started this book I read a couple pages and stopped. The beginning just wasn't catching my attention. Then a couple months later I pick it up and read the whole book. I fell in love with the story and the characters. Sandry, Briar, Daja, and Tris are brought together to a cottage called the discipline by a man name Niko. As the story unfolds the four begin to discover about friendship magic and the power inside of them. This book was a wonderful book with witty characters and interesting conflicts. It is a must read.

A great read!
Even though I don't fit the recommended age anymore, I still love reading and re-reading this incredible book, and the others in the series. I'm not a big fan of Tamora Pierce usually, I love her books about these 4 incredible mages.
She tells the story with enchanting language and vivid description, and hooks you in with the first chapter. Each child's sad story is presented realistically, with no sugarcoating, and each book gets better and better. I would recommend that every parent with children interested in fantasy or arts and crafts pick these books up today!

The Place to Start
If you are interested in reading the "Circle of Magic" series by Tamora Pierce then I believe that this is the book to start with as each one builds on the previous. The book is good for an audience as young as elementary school although people well into their seventies will love it just as much. It focuses its attentions on the adventures of a group of young ambient mages that meet for the very first time and must learn how to deal with working with one another even when they have all, well, not gotten along with anyone.

Tamora Pierce is an excellent author whose work has an enormous following of people desiring a literary dream full of magic and tenacity even when life might not be going so well. Her characters are always well-rounded but yet very familiar as if the reader has known them all their life. A fantastic recommendation as a present for a boy or girl who likes to read (just don't expect to see them until they are done reading!)

ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EVER READ!
i think Sanrdy's book is one of the best books i've ever read. it has a wonderful story line that makes me never want to stop reading it. i think i must have read it at least 6 times, and it gets better each time i do. Tamora Pierce has a way of writing that takes you away from and gives you a surreal break from reality. it is one of the few books that i get evneloped in. it was and amazingly enchanting book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A lyrical and powerful folktale!
As a scholar of folkltales, it was a pleasure to find this lovely book included in the 2004 list of Notable Social Studies Books for Young People. The author has sensitively documented a Louisiana Native American creation story with spare and well-chosen language. Her use of image-filled repetition creates the relentless power of the storm brilliantly. As in most folktales, she keeps the focus on how the characters solve the problem before them thus emphasizing the Native American's relationship with the natural world. I look forward to more books by Rose Anne St. Romain. ... Read more

Book Description

The first full-scale biography of the “Prince of Broadway,” the brilliant playwright and director Moss Hart.
No one loomed larger in Broadway’s golden age. Hart’s memoir, Act One, which told of a youth lived in poverty and his early success on Broadway, became the most successful and most loved book ever published about the lure of the theater. But it ended at the beginning—when Hart was only twenty-five—and at times embroidered or skirted the facts. Now, at last, we have the full and far richer story.

Hart exemplified wit, urbanity, and grace. He knew everybody, from the Algonquin Round Table crowd
to the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Noël Coward, Cole Porter, and the Hollywood moguls. His passion for the theater gave wings to his long playwriting collaboration with George S. Kaufman; together they gave us such classic comedies as You Can’t Take It With You and The Man Who Came to Dinner. On his own Hart wrote the stunning Lady in the Dark and Light Up the Sky. His screenplays include Gentleman’s Agreement, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born. His career as a director was crowned by the creation of My Fair Lady and Camelot, his last two shows. They were still on Broadway when he died in 1961 at the age of fifty-seven.

But Hart’s life was not always golden, in spite of a Pulitzer Prize, Tony Awards, and Oscar nominations. His successes were shadowed by the unpredictable and often debilitating mood swings of manic depression. And he struggled with issues of sexual identity—documented here for the first time—finally marrying and fathering children in his forties.

Dazzler is the story of the seen and unseen struggles that beset Hart in a life crowded with friends, glamour, and achievements, a life that seemed to be one triumph and delight after another. But it was actually a life tormented in ways we didn’t know, and thus, heroic. It isn’t just that Hart rose from humble beginnings to fame and fortune. It’s that he rose above his private demons to achieve a kind of happiness that survives him still. He used to say, even in the face of failure, “Well, we aspired.” Aspiration was a key to his life, and the key to this superb biography.
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Reviews (11)

Marvelous chronicle of an ultimately minor talent
Bach has written a tight, sparkling biography of a man who lived and worked in a fascinating milieu, Broadway's Golden Age. I had a hard time putting the book down, and I am NOT even one of the people who became fascinated by Hart from his autobiography ACT ONE, which I have not read.

Yet at the end of the day, one has a hard time quite seeing just why so many people considered Hart such a "dazzler", and on the contrary, it would appear that overall, Moss Hart was not -- as much as I hate to say this -- a major creative figure.

The kind of "theatre" that Hart was so honored to be a part of was the equivalent to the space filled today by well-written sitcoms; we must remember that before the 1950s, one could not access light comedy of this kind every night in one's living room (old radio was only aural and was usually more jocular than witty). Thus people were still willing to pay top dollar to see such material acted out before them. As much as I love plays like YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU and THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, I also have a hard time seeing any major difference in craft or depth between them and, for example, FRASIER, ALL IN THE FAMILY, CHEERS or FRIENDS.

This is the kind of material Hart excelled at, and it is indicative that when he strayed beyond it, he regularly failed. Hart was not up to writing plays of substance, and if he had lived longer, he would surely have come a cropper in the 1960s and 1970s trying to light the fires again with the kind of material that theatregoers swooned to in the 30s and 40s. Moreover, so very much of his best work was done in collaboration, which dilutes his achievement further.

Of course he also made his mark directing -- but let's face it, rendering trifles like JUNIOR MISS and THE ANNIVERSARY WALTZ is not exactly the kind of thing one goes down in history for, no matter how well you do it; it was the writing and performances that put these things over (who directed episodes of MARY TYLER MOORE?). Even his MY FAIR LADY triumph: okay, but then thousands of productions of this piece have gone over wonderfully since. Hart was not the "auteur" here in the same way as Hal Prince has been for so many of his shows.

I hardly mean to "diss" Hart here; he was clearly a solid craftsman. But that's really more or less it -- which means that one does not exactly come away from this book feeling that one has been in the presence of a "dazzler". Instead, one has been "dazzled" more by the times he lived in and the people he knew and worked with. As some print reviews have noted, for all we hear about what a cocktail wit Hart was, we get oddly few memorable bon mots or piquant anecdotes -- and Bach is a great researcher, providing quite a bit of this sort of thing re other people. Hart seems to largely have just "been there", apparently flamboyantly dressed.

One reason Hart winds up a bit of a cipher here is because a great deal of his more intense social experiences would appear to have been homosexual ones. Typically of his time, Hart apparently kept all of the specifics under wraps, and despite having unearthed some facts via interview, Bach is rather discrete about the matter, and much is surely lost to the ages. While we would hardly need a blow-by-blow chronicle of Hart's sex life, the fact remains that the resulting hole in the story leaves a question mark as to what is a central aspect of any human being's psychological terrain. We see a Hart spending his 20s rising in the show business firmament apparently beyond any kind of love life beyond "dating" the occasional woman briefly and now and then bemoaning his inability to love. Certainly there was more going on than that for our "Dazzler", and whatever it was would have meant a great deal to Hart, "love" or not. Who was his first affair? When did he start having sex? What was he like to be in a relationship with? We are not prurient to wonder about such things; to not have any idea of them is to have missed a central part of our subject.

That is not really Bach's fault, nor is it his fault that Hart was ultimately a kind of Golden Age Neil Simon. And the book is a real page-turner if you love the period. But Hart comes off more as a kind of toastmaster than as a driving force. Nevertheless, to truly understand a period, one must know the state of the art as well as one knows the geniuses.

The Charming Mr. Hart
He was a thoroughly delightful man. Most of us met him in “Act One” his best-selling autobiography published in the late ‘50’s. Apparently, he tidied up his life a mite in that story. But that’s what playwrights do; give us the best story possible.

“Dazzler” is a well-done biography that is a treasure trove of show business history as well as a deep and compelling study of Moss Hart. I would call this a “definitive” biography except for some reason Mr. Hart’s widow, the charming Kitty Carlisle, did not cooperative with the author. Therefore, there are probably many papers that still can be brought to light.

I was a little put off by Mr. Bach’s tone at the beginning of the book, it seemed lightly touched with superiority toward his subject. Yes, Moss Hart was extravagant, a bit of a dandy..., and sometimes—very rarely—forgot to credit the people who helped him on the way up. When the author hits his stride, this tone disappears, and we see Moss Hart clearly as the energetic, generous, brilliant man that he was. He left whatever he touched more colorful and replaced the humdrum with magic.

The description of the complete, astounding success of “My Fair Lady’s” opening night, which Hart directed, is the stuff of which movies are made. This was a pinnacle of life experience for everyone who participated. Reading about the making of “My Fair Lady” alone is worth the price of the book.

When the book was over, I wished there were more triumphs to reveal, and that Mr. Hart lived to write “Act II.” A highly readable book with a dazzling subject.

Thorough, but somewhat disappointing
I was greatly looking forward to reading this book, but, like another reviewer, found it rather slow going. Bach gives a very thorough chronicle of Hart's life, including details about every production, but somehow the essence of Hart didn't come through for me until the last few chapters. Despite Bach's repeated statements that Hart was charming, amusing, full of joie de vivre, etc., I didn't find much to illustrate that. I guess I was hoping for more examples from his work, more quotes from people who knew him personally, etc. I suspect that Kitty Carlisle Hart's refusal to cooperate meant that several of the people closest to the Harts also declined to be interviewed.
The book does pick up steam in the final quarter,when Bach discusses Hart's involvement with "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot." Even so, I thought that Alan Jay Lerner's 10-odd pages on Hart in his memoir ("The Street Where I Live")did more to really bring the man alive.

Stutter Steps
Hmmm...where to begin? I looked forward to reading Dazzler based on my love of history, the theatre, and New York in general. In those respects, the book doesn't disappoint. Steven Bach paints a terrific picture of early twentieth century Broadway that really brings it to life as he follows Moss Hart's life and career. It's very obvious that he's done his homework and he fills gaps in his narrative very nicely.

The problem lies in an area that can be very troublesome for biography and I'm afraid that Bach falls into the trap a bit much. First, the individual chapters, while well crafted, seem to lack a cohesiveness that would make the book flow well. It seemed difficult to read more than two or three chapters in a sitting. To give Bach the benefit of the doubt, I'll say that it's because there was so much information to digest.

Second, to echo some of the other reviews that have been posted, in the end Moss Hart is a big name that does not carry a corresponding talent. Yes, he was the co-author of some of the standards of twentieth century theater, but upon the closer scrutiny Mr. Bach provides he doesn't really seem to measure up to the level of greatness that Mr. Bach thinks he deserves (or wants him to deserve to merit this book). A quick sidebar, to label Moss Hart the Neil Simon of his day, as others have, is a disservice to Mr. Simon. Sitcoms may have made us more sensitive to fluff, but there is a distinct difference in the two men's careers.

Lastly, Mr. Bach goes to great lengths to bring Moss Hart's sexuality to light, providing anecdotes and evidence that, if not outright gay, he was at least bisexual. All well and good, except that in trying so hard to prove this particular thesis, Bach loses sight of one very important point, namely that an artist's sexuality (or for that matter their upbringing) does not automatically mean that every piece of work they do is colored by it. It may be true, but it isn't necessarily true. Bach interrupts too many interesting stories to go into this subject, which only applies toward making his point about one-third of the time.

Overall it helps to have some vague form of familiarity with the plays and, since some of them are such mainstays of high school and regional theaters across the country, it will provide some interesting insights. As Bach rightly points out, some of these plays have not held up well over the course of time but, taken for what they are, they are undeniable classics. To a lesser degree, so was Moss Hart.

UN-PUT-DOWNABLE
Moss Hart was not only a brilliant talent who wrote and/or directed some of the finest plays and musicals of the twentieth century, he also wrote, to my mind, the finest non-fiction book written about life in the theatre: ACT ONE. Unfortunately, he died before he could write the second and third acts. Stephen Bach has taken up the task of writing that book for Hart and he does it wonderfully--if, perhaps, a little more openly and honestly than Hart might have liked.

A successful, leading playwright on Broadway when still in his twenties, Hart could never really reconcile himself to his humble origins nor to his family members, including his parents, who never quite "got" what their son needed or wanted or deserved and who never really found out how to live comfortably in his own skin with decades of huge successes.

Mood swings of manic depression plagued him his entire life as did his confusion over his own sexual identity. He was also a man who could quite easily and conveniently "forget" some of those friends who had helped him when he was struggling, professionally and personally. Bach does not write a gossipy tell-all, but lets his readers know that Hart's life was not as sublime as it must have seemed by outsiders.

The book is filled with myriad examples of what Broadway and Hollywood was like in the first half of the last century: why plays like ONCE IN A LIFETIME were hits and why others like LIGHT UP THE SKY were not. Why Hart's sense of timing most always seemed to serve him well: i.e. YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU coming at just the right time for a celebration of the individuality and originality of the American spirit. Celebrity after celebrity worked with Hart: George S. Kaufman, of course, and Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Lerner & Loewe, Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, George M. Cohan and Richard Rodgers, Judy Garland and Richard Burton. The list is endless.

Bach writes imaginatively and with such great wit and force and strength that the reader is swept up in Hart's life, living it as fast and furiously as he must have. It is un-put-downable.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for anyone with an interest in legitimate theatre as an art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Mosses of the Gulf South
The illustrations are excellent. There are numerous keys, which I have not had much opportunity to use. This book is for the advanced student or very well prepared amateur. It is NOT a match the picture guide for the casual nature lover. ... Read more