Product Description
The delicate artistry and lyrical prose of Woolf's novels have established her as a writer of sensitivity and profound talent. Virginia Woolf displays genuine humanity and concern for the experiences that enrich and stultify existence. Society hostess, Clarissa Dalloway is giving a party and her thoughts on that one day, and the interior monologues of others with interwoven lives reveal the characters of the central protagonists. "To the Lighthouse" is the most autobiographical of Virginia Woolf's novels. Based on her early experiences, it touches on childhood and children's perceptions and desires. It is at its most trenchant when exploring adult relationships and the changing class-structure in the period spanning the Great War. "Orlando", 'the longest and most charming love letter in literature', playfully constructs the figure of Orlando as the fictional embodiment of Woolf's close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West.'I am writing to a rhythm and not to a plot', said Woolf of "The Waves". Regarded as one of her greatest and most original works, it conveys the rhythms of life in synchrony with the cycle of nature and the passage of time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent single volume of Woolf's major works
I can't add much to J.E. Robinson's helpful review above, except to mention that this item is indeed an exceptional bargain.Though in some ways you get what you pay for: the binding seems sturdy and attractive, at least as durable as the average Everyman's Library edition; but the paper is more or less mass-market paperback quality, maybe a little better; the font is attractive and readable but perhaps a point or two small to my taste.I actually didn't find the weight of the book very heavy at all, thanks to this paper-stock choice.The striking photo of her (which I prefer to Nicole Kidman's portrayal of her in the the film THE HOURS, prosthetic nose and all!) on the cover seems to be pasted on to a no-frills cloth hardcover, which is a little cheap, but no big deal of course.

Sure, she was a woman, and had (has!) much to say about being a woman and a writer; but even disregarding that, five stars---hands down---for the brilliant writing, any day!Fifteen bucks is chump change for a single portable watershed collection by an essential pre-WW2 English novelist.

I should also mention that I ordered mine when the item was "temporarily not available", and I still received it very quickly (in about a week or so), so perhaps Amazon orders these as needed from the publisher.

Pleasing
I like it very much. Simply because it reminds me the style of elementary school, which was the style of adults, too, story telling wise, telling to one another How do you do wise, or any other wise, just by the first few words in the work, which is why it appeals to the retired age, much more than the dwellers of the material world, who possibly couldn't or would not have the zest to grasp the meaning of the work, even as an English major, which frankly, is not the literature avid of two decades ago, who did it for the sake of fulfillment of inner soul, and sadly, not the outer impression, and additionally, brought with it satisfaction and well being, irrespective of fat bank account, or lack of it. I personally, read a few pages everyday, during meals, which is the only moment my mind is free, and more so that it takes me closer to the life I cherish and try to incarnate as much as I can. The hard cover is very old fashioned Bourdeaux cloth and a matching dye covered paper edge, which the very sight of it would add to your living room decoration, or maybe complement it, no matter if you get to put aside the hubbub of the urban life to attend to it for an hour or two, or not.

marlene
This book was in better condition than I expected. It is of excellent quality and binding. I was very pleased with this selection and it was delivered within the exact delivery dates. I can add it to my library knowing that it has lasting quality.

Highly Recommend: Excellent Value for the Buyer
This is a great way to read Virginia Woolf. My only complaints are that it is heavy to lift and hold and it has no analysis. However, at the low price you get most of her major novels plus two non-fiction essays in one fat book. So overall it is excellent value for the price.

I read the Voyage Out before buying the present book. That is Woolf's first novel. Then I read this collection.I skipped her second novel - which is considered to be a flop - and which is not here in the collected works. The present collection starts with her third novel. The Voyage Out was Woolf's first major work. It took years to write, and she took few chances. Her brother's company was the publisher. It has been mostly forgotten with the passage of time. From this point going forward she would spend less time on each novel and would publish through her own company, the Bloomsbury Publishing Company.

The Voyage Out is simple and straightforward work. It is over 400 pages long. After her second novel she decided to be more risky and creative, and we see that change in the works here in the collection starting with "Jacob's Room" and "To The Lighthouse," and virtually in all of her other novels that followed. Woolf is equally famous for her non-fiction polemics on the state of women in literature and two are included here.

What is interesting in the current collection is that we see the transformation in her style and her approach starting with Jacob's Room. Woolf uses the stream of consciousness technique to effectively portray the chaos and shortness of Jacob's life. Jacob becomes a soldier in WW I. One starts off with certain questions about Woolf's technique as one reads and wonders where the story is going. But at some point in the novel, the process is revealed to the reader, i.e.: from the pandemonium of Jacob's life as portrayed by Woolf through the use of the stream of consciousness technique, we eventually have clarity.

The collection contains a number of other important works including Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, The Waves, and Between the Acts. Also, it contains A Room of One's Own and Three Guineas, which are non-fiction polemics or essays. It lacks the photographs found in some copies of Three Guineas.

In addition to the present book I bought A Room of One's Own, Three Guineas ISBN-10: 0141184604 and ISBN-13: 978-0141184609 (same book) because of the excellent introduction to Virginia Woolf.
... Read more

Product Description
The most comprehensive one-volume selection of Jefferson ever published. Contains the "Autobiography," "Notes on the State of Virginia," public and private papers, including the original and revised drafts of the Declaration of Independence, addresses, and 287 letters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

A glimpse into the mind of Jefferson

First, let me start with my qualifications. I am not a history major, and my knowledge of American history is not where I would like it to be. That being said I'm sad to say that I know more than most people I run into. Sure many people have memorized dates, and can recite historical trends from memory because they had to learn it for some exam. That is not what I'm talking about!! You have to read their words, think about the times they were living in, and hardships they had to endure to give us the freedoms many of us enjoy today.

I am about a hundred pages into this massive volume of Jeffersons works, and it will take me a few years to get through it (I have other interests). However, from what I have read thus far I am very much impressed with it. Jefferson was a very strong personality who walked out on what he believed to be right. We as a nation would do well to elect a man like him into office (if you can find one). This is a man who would have gladly died for what he believed in (no really stop and think about what that means). I doubt you could find one politician in Washington who would do the same today. This is truly a teasure chest of history for those who seek to understand the history not just memorize facts.

The Rural/Pastoral American
Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia was written as a response to François Barbé-Marbois's "inquiry [that] had touched him deeply" (Jefferson xi). Jefferson, after he served as governor of Virginia, spelled out many of his musings vis-à-vis his theory of government, the institutions and infrastructure required by Virginia to flourish, and the appropriate laws for the administration of a society of self-sufficient farmers. It is in this volume that Jefferson first brought to presence several thoughts against slavery. Ironically, as will be explained below, that he was torn between both the world of free slaves and his personal life vis-à-vis Sally Hemings and Monticello.

Jefferson's republicanism was tempered by a sense of gentility. While Franklin above had a more workingman's approach Jefferson's enlightenment argued that, "the ordinary people most often seen by travelers - "tavern keepers, Valet de place, and positions" were "the hackneyed rascals of every country" who "must never be considered when we calculate the national character" (Wood 28). I argue, that despite the disparaging rhetoric, at the very least, attention was already being paid to the common person. Despite the resiliency of monarchy, elitism, and gentility, the move to the individual and his inherent human rights was already starting to form.

First-rate edition of an American classic
Thomas Jefferson is often (and justly) regarded as a consummate politician, but is perhaps less known today for his skillful prose.True, he was very much a man of the Enlightenment, and his writing style is not fashionable today; but it is clear, elegant, and satisfying.This edition brings together several of his best works in an edition which, like all of the volumes in the Library of America series, is well-edited, beautifully printed on good paper, and well bound. Both its contents and its appearance make it a welcome addition to one's library.

Jefferson's Writings: some additional observations
The persons who reviewed this wonderful book have done a fine job.My review intends to point out some aspects of the Writings unmentioned by the other reviewers.

First, Jefferson was a GREAT stylist.He's a delight to read.

Second, in his little Autobiography he shows the Declaration of Independence as he originally wrote it, shows the additions, the major deletions, and the finished product.I was amazed at how he was furious with England for enslaving Africans.The king, says Jefferson's original, "has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere...."And even more in that vein.Unfortunately, Congress deleted all that.

Third, his detailed "Notes on the State of Virginia" (good reading) display something of the broad range of Jefferson's interests, and the depth of his knowledge.They also give strong hints as to why he sent out Lewis and Clark -- and had them well prepared -- as well as Zebulon Pike and, on the Red River, Freeman.I recommend that immediately after reading the Notes, turn to J's 1803 letter of instruction to Merriwether Lewis.It's just an amazing piece of work: less than seven pages of the book -- and Jefferson planned the whole Lewis and Clark expedition BEFORE he had acquired the Louisiana territory.

Fourth, I got a charge out of the variety of the matters he dealt with when he was President.In a single year, 1803, for instance, he was grappling with the nation's division between democracy, which he championed, and aristocracy, which he viewed the Federalsts as working toward; he found time to write a serious missive concerning his views of Jesus as opposed to the major Greek and Roman philosophers and the Jews; he instructed William H. harrison regarding Jefferson's deep policy regarding the Indians; he focused upon agriculture -- the successful use of gypsum in Louden County, VA; reduction of the costs of government, and of course the Louisiana Purchase.Wow!

Fifth, his writings to John Adams, and Abigail, may tantalize some of us into reading both ends of their correspondence.

Of course, there's much, much more.After I got well into Jefferson's writings, I was compelled to buy the Library of America edition of Madison's writings -- a dangerous situation for anyone who wants to spend leisure time doing other things than reading great works from our Founding Fathers.

Jawsome.
Thomas Jefferson is a rock star. This is his twisted tale of creating a nation. That is just about as metal as it gets. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduces important people and events from the early years of the Virginia Colony. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Children and Libraries GOT IT RIGHT!
I was assigned to read this book for my graduate class. Thinking it would be boring, I read the last chapter first. After that, I couldn't put it down! Anyone interest in children's services should have this book on her shelf! It's a smooth, easy, enlightened look at children and libraries. ... Read more

Product Description
Since 1949, the Hornbook has been the definitive, handy reference guide to Virginia history and culture. Its name derives from the early practice of creating an educational tool for children by mounting printed text on a board and covering it with translucent animal horn. Historians, genealogists, librarians, students, editors, government officials, and citizens seeking to answer questions about the past regularly rely on the Hornbook's comprehensive and authoritative information. Among the book's contents are:
- A concise history of the commonwealth
- Total population figures, 1610-1990
- Lists of all the governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general from 1607 to the present
- Brief histories of the counties and cities presently in Virginia along with counties formerly in the commonwealth
- Concise descriptions of famous houses, places of worship, and other historical sites
- Brief histories of the colleges and universities in Virginia.
The Hornbook of Virginia History is a must on the bookshelf of everyone who reads, researches, writes, or cares about Virginia history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Virginia "hornbook"
...Surprising in detail and clarity. Its introductory historical chronology sections flow well. The balance of the work surprises one with its images and supplemental tidbits. ... Read more

Product Description
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

Though its fame as an icon of twentieth-century literature rests primarily on the brilliance of its narrative technique and the impressionistic beauty of its prose, To the Lighthouse is above all the story of a quest, and as such it possesses a brave and magical universality.

Observed across the years at their vacation house facing the gales of the North Atlantic, Mrs. Ramsay and her family seek to recapture meaning from the flux of things and the passage of time. Though it is the death of Mrs. Ramsay on which the novel turns, her presence pervades every page in a poetic evocation of loss and memory that is also a celebration of domestic life and its most intimate details. Virginia Woolf’s great book enacts a powerful allegory of the creative consciousness and its momentary triumphs over fleeting material life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (183)

Avoid Classic House Books!!!
My issue is not with Virginia Woolf -- it is with publisher, Classic House Books. Among this book's many problems:
- It's riddled with typographical errors and plain old spelling mistakes ("furtile"???)
- No section/chapter breaks (as in the much, much better Penguin edition) -- which, given the denseness of Woolf's writing, actively impairs reading comprehension
- It's terribly designed: Random words in all caps ("BOEUF EN DAUBE"), awful typography: en dashes (-) rendered as double hyphens (--), dumb quotes (inch marks) instead of proper "educated" or "curly" quotation marks. I can't bring myself to look at the text closely, but it appears to be at least partially set in Times New Roman.
- Cheap paper stock
- Awful cover design and amateurish description on the back cover ("beautifully produced by Classic House Books" - Ha!)

Don't waste your time with this edition and encourage the proliferation of such sloppy hack jobs. Look for the Penguin edition, which is professionally put together, and features both an enlightening introduction and helpful end notes. Shame on you, Classic House Books!

Simply the Best
I have now read or listened (via audio tape) to this book five times. Each time, I have enjoyed it more, and have been enabled to look deeper into it.

What I like most about this book are the interior dialogues that all the major characters - Mrs. Ramsey, Charles Ramsey, James Ramsey, Lily Briscoe, etc. - engage in.We learn about their thoughts, their reveries, their likes and dislikes, their fears and worries, their hopes, etc.

In presenting these dialogues, each of these characters moves closer to all of us readers than would ever be possible if all we had were their external actions.

Indeed, the external actions, which fall into two days separated by 10 years, while themselves totally engaging, become the vehicle for the even more engaging internal "events" which "deliver" all the major characters so satisfyingly.

What can one say except that I join the chorus of those who believe that this might be the best modern novel ever written.

Simply put: A masterpiece!
A deceptively simple novel that explores the meaning of life. Written in a stream-of-consciousness poetic style, this is a book that should be read slowly, not at the pace of a traditional novel, or you will miss the slow-motion explosions of beautiful insights lurking about when least expected.Her characters move like spirits in the material world.And as the reader - the voyeur transported to this other dimension - you hear and feel them brush past you like ghosts - who will sometimes pass right through your heart.Unequivocally, this is my favorite novel.

slow, modernist magic
Virginia Woolf is one of the modern writers who changed writing not just in degree, but in substance. She even said explicitly (in the Common Reader) what she does, only so very few pay attention: The sentence must (I paraphrase here) imitate the same order of sensations as they fall on the human brain. This is what Flaubert did without knowing how or why, and what Hemingway did consciously (though he never explained what he was doing), and what Conrad, even Waugh (Evelyn, that is), and many others did after. But Virginia Woolf was one of the originals. Her book mixes all sorts of sensations, from a woman's PoV, so we have description, and auditory and sight and thinking, all connected thematically, leading to the soft denouement. Yes, she still operates somewhat by instinct, unlike Conrad who (I think) knew more explicitly that suppression of all sensations save one give the impression of shock, and that the sense of smell should be used sparingly, since it is it the most potent (the olfactory nerve goes straight into the brain, without any pre-processing), or Joyce (who knew exactly what's what-- see the famous girl-at-the-shore from Artist as a Young Man). But Woolf did marvels with the smattering beginnings of the modern writing technique that she could see, and Lighthouse is a marvelous example of it. Later on would come others-- just see what Flannery O'Connor does with modern technique, let alone Nabokov (in Lolita), Laxness, and other modern masters. But Woolf was at the birth of modern writing, and no one should miss her work. Warmly and wholeheartedly recommended.
AM

"So much depends, she thought, upon distance; whether people are near to us or far from us"
"So much depends, she thought, upon distance; whether people are near to us or far from us".So writes Virginia Woolf of the forlorn, but love struck Lily Briscoe in To the Lighthouse.There are so many adjectives one can use to describe how truly great this novel is.To sum the action would be rather easy.It's about the Ramsay family vacationing at a Scottish beach house in the early nineteen hundreds.From the outside the action seems minimal, but Woolf constructs this novel from the inside.We glimpse the workings of the characters on this little island.We see there thoughts, weaknesses, loves, and losses.As Woolf writes so much of the novel deals with distance.Distance to time, to each other, and the perceptions we conjure in our minds.This book on the one hand is about perceptions and how we perceive each other in life.The whole novel is set as if it were in slow motion.Very few words are spoken, but the ones that are take on important meaning in the story.As I was reading I felt much the same way as Mr. Ramsay, James, and Cam thought as they journeyed to the lighthouse.I allowed Virginia Woolf's beautiful prose wash over me.Her words moved much the same as a wave does; seemingly innocent at first, but packed with a punch that could not you on your feet.There are so many beautiful characters in this story from the elegant and motherly Mrs. Ramsay to the conflicted and sexist Mr. Tansley.Perhaps my favorite part of the whole novel was the dinner scene.So many sorrowful and joyous things culminating at once.There were many times in this novel that I was almost moved to tears reading the descriptive sentences that Woolf weaves together.I will admit that this was no easy read.It may be only 200 pages, but each page lingers with the reader and begs to be slowed down; allowing the words to wash over.A modernist classic To the Lighthouse implements Woolf's stream of consciousness technique that many may find difficult or confusing to read.My advice is to slow down.You may get confused trying to decipher who's mind you are in. but after a while you begin to flow.To the Lighthouse is true classic, and highly recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description
A party of English people are aboard the Euphrosyne, bound for South America. Among them is Rachel Vinrace, a young girl, innocent and wholly ignorant of the world of politics and society, books, sex, love and marriage. She is a free spirit half-caught, momentarily and passionately, by Terence Hewet, an aspiring writer who she meets in Santa Marina. But their engagement is to end abruptly, and tragically. Virginia Woolf's first novel, published in 1915, is a haunting exploration of a young woman's mind, signalling the beginning of her fascination with capturing the mysteries and complexities of the inner life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Edition was unreadable!
This is a horrible edition! FULL of printing mistakes that made it absolutely unreadable. Really looks like the book was just scanned and process with OCR without anyone ever bothering to read what came out of it, not even the first page, which was just as unreadable as the rest of them.
As I had to read the book for class, I had to run over to the closest book store to buy a normal copy.
Really, a very annoying experience.

A review titled "Hideous unedited OCR garbage" by Antony W. Serio describes this edition best.

Great book, and great writing!
Can't say enough, this is a perfect edition, and a great book by Woolf.

It was as good, or better, than I remember.....truly wonderful

Perfect edition!
Perfect edition!This is a charming, and totally wonderful edition, if you are ordering the Voyage Out with the charming cover of the painting, you will be very happy.

Hideous unedited OCR garbage
This review is for the General Books LLC edition of this book, and is not a critique of Virginia Woolf herself or her writing style. My neighbor made the mistake of purchasing this book on Amazon, actually thinking that it would be readable. It was not. From the looks of things, the contents of this edition were taken from an OCR scan, and just dumped on the page willy-nilly by a high speed book printer. There was not even the slightest attempt to edit the contents of this edition. No spellcheck was completed, and I doubt if anybody even looked at the contents of this edition before it was sold. I was unable to read even a few paragraphs without being forced to parse out garbage characters, odd paragraph breaks, obvious errors, and missing punctuation. In a few cases, entire sentences are illegible.

In fact, there is a disclaimer opposite the Table Of Contents which claims:

"Limit of liability, disclaimer of warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose." It sounds as if the publisher knows that their edition is unedited garbage.

"No warranty may be created ore extended by sales representatives or written sales materials." Note that there is a typo in the disclaimer. Does the publisher even have employees that speak English?

"We have recreated this book from the original using Optical Character Recognition software to keep the cost of the book as low as possible. Therefore, could you please forgive any spelling mistakes, missing or extraneous characters that may have resulted from worn or smudged pages? When in doubt, please consult the original scanned book which may be available from our website." Think about it. If you had the chance to read this disclaimer before purchasing this book, would you actually pay money for it?

I've dealt with raw OCR scans before, and it does take quite a bit of editing to clean them up enough to be legible. A simple spell-check would have found most of these errors. Given the raw data and PDFs of the scans, I could probably do it myself in a day or so. The problem is that this publisher didn't even make an effort to do so. In fact, I doubt if they even have one editor on their staff. The fact that they have typos in their legal boilerplate is probably proof of that theory.

I think the publisher is doing a serious disservice to Virginia Woolf, Amazon's customers, and Amazon.com itself by attempting to market this book as anything but kindling. It is a waste of paper, ink, money, and time.

A powerful story of self-actualization.
A powerful story of self-actualization.Rachel is a young woman who ventures on a long journey to South America where the fact that she is long away from home, and away from past influences, she is now able to make choices for herself, and adapt to change.

This is one of the best books I have ever read, and one of the worst reviews I have ever written.Don't use it to NOT buy the book, just read it say to yourself, so lame reviewer said it was great.If I could write well, I'd write a book, as I don't write well, I enjoy wonderful and brilliant books like The Voyage Out!Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Set includes:
Volume I: 1623-1666 (pp. 802), Volume II: 1666-1695 (pp. 620)
Volume III: 1695-1792 (pp. 587)
A savings of $15! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cavaliers and Pioneers
This book is intrumental in researching early land patents in Virginia. This 2004 reprint makes it possible for researchers to own these references instead of traveling to the library for them. The price is right and I recommend Amazon for their great service. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very highly recommended for novice librarians
The impressively collaborative effort of Virginia A. Walter (Chair of the Department of Information Studies at UCLA) and Elaine Meyers (Manager of Children's and Teen Services at the Phoenix Public Library Burton Barr Century Library), Teens & Libraries: Getting It Right offers a carefully considered guideline for school and community librarians seeking to step up to the challenges of providing top quality library services for their young adult patrons. From adapting to technological advances in order to better serve patrons of all ages; to the advantages of designating square footage for teens; to anecdotes of practical situations and solutions, Teens & Libraries: Getting It Right is very highly recommended for novice librarians -- and has a great deal of practical value for the more experienced librarians seeking to evaluate the success of their efforts to serve an adolescent readership.

Getting it right authors get it right
A focus of the book is the need to involve teens in all areas of the process of creating library services.As a result this book acts as a plea to librarians to realize the value and necessity of youth participation in everything that they do. ... Read more

Product Description
Direct and vivid in its telling of the details of a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, the novel manages ultimately to deliver much more. It is the feelings that loom behind those daily events--the social alliances, the shopkeeper's exchange, the fact of death--that give Mrs. Dalloway texture and richness.Amazon.com Review
As Clarissa Dalloway walks through London on a fine June morning, a sky-writing plane captures her attention. Crowds stare upwards to decipherthe message while the plane turns and loops, leaving off one letter,picking up another. Like the airplane's swooping path, Virginia Woolf'sMrs. Dalloway follows Clarissa and those whose lives brushhers--from Peter Walsh, whom she spurned years ago, to her daughterElizabeth, the girl's angry teacher, Doris Kilman, and war-shocked SeptimusWarren Smith, who is sinking into madness.

As Mrs. Dalloway prepares for the party she is giving that evening, a series of events intrudes on her composure. Her husband is invited, withouther, to lunch with Lady Bruton (who, Clarissa notes anxiously, gives themost amusing luncheons). Meanwhile, Peter Walsh appears, recently fromIndia, to criticize and confide in her. His sudden arrival evokes memoriesof a distant past, the choices she made then, and her wistful friendshipwith Sally Seton.

Woolf then explores the relationships between women and men, and betweenwomen, as Clarissa muses, "It was something central which permeated;something warm which broke up surfaces and rippled the cold contact of manand woman, or of women together.... Her relation in the old days with SallySeton. Had not that, after all, been love?"While Clarissa is transportedto past afternoons with Sally, and as she sits mending her green dress,Warren Smith catapults desperately into his delusions. Although histroubles form a tangent to Clarissa's web, they undeniably touch it, andthe strands connecting all these characters draw tighter as eveningdeepens. As she immerses us in each inner life, Virginia Woolf offersexquisite, painful images of the past bleeding into the present, of desireoverwhelmed by society's demands. --Joannie Kervran Stangeland ... Read more

Customer Reviews (174)

Excellent Service!
I received my book within a few days and my order was perfect. Definitely recommend this seller :)

Stylish Prose Gaudily Frames a Day-Long Character Study Emphasizing Self Talk
"Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend." -- Proverbs 19:4 (NKJV)

Think of Mrs. Dalloway as being the anti-Ulysses (the James Joyce's masterpiece). The concepts for the novels are similar, but the styles are polar opposites. I recommend becoming familiar with both works in order to appreciate the different ways that character studies can be developed during a day by relying extensively on thought life. Both are brilliant, but in much different ways.

Mrs. Dalloway is English, delicate, fussy, ornate, and feminine. Ulysses is Irish, crude, unrestrained, common, and masculine.

What stands out the most about Mrs. Dalloway are the many original descriptive sentences and phrases that look as though they went through 200 rewritings to be so polished and complete. Their expressions overwhelm the story at time because the reader is left gasping at a stunning turn of phrase or an idea. In writing, you can sit and admire and forget to read on.

A blessing of listening to the excellent reading by Virginia Leishman is that the brilliant writing is better integrated into the story by forcing you to keep going. I enjoyed the experience. I don't want to discourage you from reading the book first, but I believe you will appreciate the overall craft more if you listen before reading. It's the same advice I provide for William Faulkner's books. There's a beauty in the oral expression that is otherwise lost.

I found the story to feel a little dated. I also found myself not being terribly engaged by Mrs. Dalloway or her husband. That's a pretty big problem to have when listening to or reading a novel. Someone today who wrote historical fiction about this period would do it differently.

Naturally, if I were only rating the marvelous ornate writing, this would be five stars. Most writers can only sit back in awe of such writing. On my best day, I wouldn't be worthy of holding a candle for Virginia Woolf.

Enjoy!

Good looking edition, useful notes
A good-looking edition with notes that will prove most useful to those new to Mrs. D and England in general.

Everything I asked for.
I have been in search for an Everyman's Library edition of the novel Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, with the blue cloth binding. At first, I settled for a more modern edition, not at all what I truly wanted. But, when I decided to browse on Amazon, I found exactly what I was looking for. After purchasing it, I got the novel in the mail within four days of my purchase I am very pleased to have bought from Amazon and Restaurant of the Mind. Thank you again and I highly recommend them if ever they have a book or whatever you wish to buy.

Beautiful classic
Mrs. Dalloway is not quite what I was expecting.It was so short and beautiful, and yes it was very stream of conscious, and it definitely helped that I had read and seen The Hours, which is based on Mrs. Dalloway.There are some things that I probably would have missed if I hadn't had a basic knowledge of the plot, because many things are carefully veiled beneath Woolf's beautiful language.There were times when I got lost in the prose, but at the very least it was always beautiful to read. She had such a wonderful eye for things and her descriptions are really unlike anything I've ever read before.I loved thisnovel and I'm sure that I will be reading it again one day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

American Genesis: Captain John Smith and the Founding of Virginia
Graet addition to any library on American history. A book one can always go back to for insights.

You forgot New England!!!
Though the title mentions that this book is about the founding of the Virginia colony, to exclude New England from the "american genesis" is a bit presumptuous and possibly even truculent! However, for all other purposes this book is lacking in its examination of the Indian perspective and their experiences in light of a over burgeoning neighbor who suffers from a "holier-than-thou" complex. it does however discuss the plight of african slaves but for some peculiar reason, the book gives the impression that slavery flourished due to a cultural mypoia of the english (though it ought to be american since england did not expressly practice slavery in any of its other colonies). it states that the ethnocentrism of the english led them to equalize black with evil and thus justify their oppressive manners. i feel this approach is a bit incomplete as the economics of slavery played a significant part in the rise of slavery.

on a whole, an easy read, usually for a freshman level history course, as was in my case.

The early history of Virginia Colony
The eventual success of the British colonial establishment in America belied its inauspicious beginnings. Failing twice in the 16th century, it was only with the establishment of Jamestown in 1607 that the English succeeded in placing a permanent settlement in the New World - and even this nearly failed on a number of occasions. Its success can be attributed in part to John Smith, one of the leaders of the expedition and the subject of Alden Vaughan's book.

Smith's early life proved adventurous. Growing up during the age of Elizabethan heroics, he inherited its adventurous spirit, and as a young man served as a mercenary in Continental armies. His return to England coincided with the renewed interest in colonizing the New World, and he soon was recruited for the London Company's exhibition to Chesapeake Bay. Vaughan notes the tensions created by Smith's selection, which as a yeoman was resented by the aristocrats that had signed on in the hope of winning vast wealth for themselves.

This resentment soon emerged on the voyage to America, as an effort to discredit him temporarily cost him his role on the governing board. After reaching Jamestown, he soon emerged as the principal negotiator with the leader of the local Indians, Powhatan. Though Smith made a favorable impression with Powhatan, this did little to mitigate the hostility that quickly emerged between the two groups, which was just one of the many problems the early colony faced. Vaughan states that in the early years of the colony's existence, the only time that it met the basic needs of survival - political stability, economic prosperity, and peaceful relations with the Indians - was during Smith's tenure as its president.

With his departure from Virginia, Smith retreats to the sidelines, making only sporadic appearances until the final chapter of the book. Instead, the focus shifts to the colony itself, which continued to struggle to survive. It was only when Powhatan agreed to a peace treaty and tobacco cultivation was introduced that the colony's immediate was assured. But long-term viability was dependent upon creating a stable society, which led the company to encourage more women to emigrate. Though by the early 1620s the company's directors were optimistic about their colony's future, the devastating attack on the colony by the Indians in March 1622, coupled with infighting among the directors in London, doomed the Virginia Company and precipitated a takeover of the colony by the crown in 1624.

Vaughan tells this story well. While a little dated (his examination of the slaves' condition is in need of some revision), he conveys the development of the colony briskly and succinctly. Readers seeking a greater focus on the fascinating life of John Smith would do well to reference the biographies he lists in his bibliography; for those seeking a good introduction to his life or a survey of the early years of the Virginia Colony, this is the book to read.

Founding of Virginia
This book is written in the style of an "historical account of happenings."I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book which told of John Smith's early adventures and his coming to America then setting up the first English colony.The second half of the book however, did not include John Smith himself, just his policies and ideals.The latter part of the book told of many subsequent men who headed Virginia and how their successes were based on John Smith's early ideals and requests (usually not met by England or the colonists of his era).It is a good book for study with the first half being the better read.

PS.Students can get all the information they need on the founding of Virginia by reading only half of the book's 190 pages. ... Read more

Product Description
Written in a time when criminal biographies enjoyed great success, Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders details the life of the irresistible Moll and her struggles through poverty and sin in search of property and power. Born in Newgate Prison to a picaresque mother, Moll propels herself through marriages, periods of success and destitution, and a trip to the New World and back, only to return to the place of her birth as a popular prostitute and brilliant thief. The story of Moll Flanders vividly illustrates Defoe’s themes of social mobility and predestination, sin, redemption and reward.

This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the 1721 edition printed by Chetwood in London, the only edition approved by Defoe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A bleak read
This classic of the life of a down and out woman in seventeenth century England is very different from DeFoe's other classic, Robinson Caruso. Moll Flanders is a bleak read. Everyone in it is pretty awful.Moll herself can be read in numerous ways. She is a conniving, evil women, brought low by her sins (this is arguably the way Defoe meant to portray her) or, she is a strong women, who uses the resources at her disposal to survive in a world that consistently abuses her. I prefer the second reading. Either way, the ending where Moll finds a sort of spiritual redemption seemed contrived to my sensibilities, even if that possibility of redemption is likely the reason Defoe wrote the book in the first place.

Assertive Adventurer
"Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu'd Variety for threescore years, besides her childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (Whereof once to her own Brother) Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest, and died a Penitent" (original title page), this is the beginning of an exciting book, Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. It is written in elevated language making it a difficult, but rewarding read. The novel is an accounting of the narrator, Moll's life. The focus is on how Moll deals with the hardships of her life and with being a woman in the seventeenth century. Defoe does an excellent job of showing how Moll's experiences change her outlook.
Moll Flanders was written in 1683, during a time in which women were considered subservient to men. Women were expected to get married and be content with the household affairs. However, money was the key, without it one would be unable to find a husband of position that would be a good provider. If a woman, like Moll, found herself alone and herself to rely upon, she discovered that there were not many options available, "I found by experience, that to be Friendless is the worst Condition, next to being in want, that a Woman can be reduc'd to: I say a Women, because `tis evident Men can be their own Advisers, and their own Directors, and know how to work themselves out of Difficulties and into Business better than women; but if a Woman has no Friend to Communicate her Affairs to, and to advise and assist her, tis' ten to one but she is undone" (121). Men dominated the business world and women were never taught to manage their own affairs or given the skills to enable them to make it in the business world. In fact, it was illegal for most women to do so. Without any acquaintances or contacts, a woman of this time was put at the mercy of strangers and fate. A woman that managed to be on her own was often suspected to be of ill reputation, and if she was labeled as such then life would be much harder.
Moll had a hard life from the beginning. She was born in Newgate prison, then taken in by a woman she dubbed Mistress Nurse. From an early age she wanted to become a gentlewoman, "...what I meant by being a Gentlewomen; and that I understood by it to be nothing more, than to be able to get my Bread by my own Work" (15). Upon her Mistress Nurse's death she was hired a servant in a high-class home. She became the lover to the eldest son, but the younger son fell in love with her and Moll was forced to marry him. He soon died and Moll married a "Gentleman-Tradesman" who spent all of their money, and had to leave the country to escape his creditors. Being very much desolate Moll realized, "Beauty, Wit, Manners, Sense, good Humour, good Behaviour, Education, Virtue, Piety, or any other Qualification, whether of Body or Mind, had no power to recommend: that Money only made a Women agreeable" (64). So Moll passed herself off as a woman of fortune, and married again. She moved with her husband to Virginia, and there realized that he was her brother. Upon that realization, Moll moved back to England. Upon her return she met another man, and over time became his mistress. After a terrible illness he decided that he could not live in sin with Moll any longer and turned her out. Moll then was tricked into marrying a man she believed to be very rich, and he was also deceived into believing she is a fortune. Having no money, they parted ways. Moll then married her accountant. After his death she was very poor, and out of desperation she became a thief. "The thoughts of this Booty put out all the thoughts of the first, and the Reflections I had made wore quickly off; Poverty, as I have said, harden'd my Heart, and my own Necessities made me regardless of any thing" (182). After a successful career as a thief, Moll was finally arrested and sent to Newgate. There she meets up with her fourth husband who was discovered to be a highwayman. They are both transported to Virginia where they buy a plantation together and eventually grow rich. Moll thus became a Gentlewoman.
In the male dominated society of the seventeenth century it was extremely difficult for a woman to make it on her own. Through Moll's experiences Defoe shows the difficult position a woman was faced with the lack of social liberty. Every plot development changes Moll slightly. Her Character almost completely changes as she becomes manipulative to get what she wants and needs to survive. This is apparent through her comments about her fifth husband before she married him, "I play'd with this Lover, as an Angler does with a Trout: I found I had him fast on the Hook, so I jested with his new Proposal" (133). The change in Moll's personality occurs slowly, but it makes her a more convincing character as well as highlights the effects of the hardships she endures. In the depiction of Moll's life, Defoe succeeds in questioning the subservient position that society forced women into in the seventeenth century.
The elevated language in Moll Flanders makes it a complicated read, however, if one is able to get past that obstacle the reader is rewarded with an outstanding story. Moll's life was a true adventure. Defoe's focus on Moll gives the reader insight into the hardships of the life of a woman in the seventeenth century, as well as shows the difficulty of getting ahead in those times. In a period where women were considered to be subservient to men, Moll was an assertive woman whose life was a great adventure.

Moll Flanders
I particularly loved this book.I thought it was very cleverly written.I was able to get into the character's life situations and I always wanted to see what would happen to the woman next.

Controversial
Obviously, this novel is about a prostitute.The writing accompanies this woman's journey without being dry or repetitive.I enjoyed it for it's inspection of femininity of the time as well as the clashing deviousness and classic redemption thrown together in the character of Moll Flanders.

Good Language, Bad Plot
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe is neither the best nor the worst book I have ever read.I have long been a lover of classical language.As such, I am enchanted by the engaging rhythm of Defoe's words.His dialogue is charming as he uses a tongue and accent not much different from today's but far more elegant. The plot of the story, however, disappoints me.The story is wholly comprised of events, making it nothing more than a flowery timeline of one woman's life.For me, this odd combination of excellent language and mediocre plot makes for an ultimately readable yet slightly dissatisfying novel.

Moll Flanders is the story of one woman's struggle to avoid the plight of poverty in seventeenth-century England.Moll is born in Newgate prison and orphaned by her criminal mother.From there, she is taken in by a kindly woman and raised as a "gentlewoman," and thus her story begins.Moll's childhood innocence is quickly transformed as her life turns from that of a simple servant into that of a common prostitute.She soon learns that sex and marriage are merely tools for bartering with, and love is only worth its weight in gold.Eventually, Moll turns from prostitution to stealing in order to supplement her finances, and her life goes drastically downhill from there.Her story is littered with unresolved sin and shame, until one momentous event changes her entire outlook on life and on love and teaches her what it means to be righteous.

Ultimately, what sounds like an intriguing story line results only in one continuous stream of events.Defoe's style of writing, although nicely worded, is impersonal in that he includes very little about the thoughts and feelings of Moll.Everything the reader learns about the main character is derived entirely from the events that comprise her life.Although this is supposed to be Moll's story, she has no reaction to the world around her.She simply reiterates what actions she has taken on her journey through life and what the resulting consequences are for those actions.Though hardly imagined to be a complete imbecile, Moll has absolutely no thought.The only words that I hear spoken directly from her mouth to the reader are words of dialogue to another character.The banality of this style of literature is highly disappointing in my eyes.

I am also highly disappointed with the content of the story.Only the first few pages and the last few pages are void of any criminal or adulterous behavior.Every other page contains a perfect recollection of one sin after the other.Although the story claims that this unrelenting wickedness should be useful to deter other sinners, I find that the continuous stream practically drowns me with boredom.Eventually, I lose track of Moll's numerous husbands and her countless thieving exploits.Any time a reference is made to her past history, I am forced to flip through the pages to find the mentioned sin as I have gotten it confused with some other of a similar nature.By the end of the story, every adventure sounds the same and every man has the same amount of money.I would have liked to see more variety in these pages.

I would not discourage another person from reading this book, however.I would gladly recommend it to those who love classical language, for I find Daniel Defoe was a great author for the words he could write, not necessarily for the stories he could create.The language is beautiful and enticing, for that alone I would recommend the book.Keep track of events and people while reading, though, because everything starts to sound the same after awhile. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not what I was expecting...disappointing in many ways.
DO NOT BUY BEFORE READING THIS.....

The book by Richard Worth entitled "Massacre at Virginia Tech" is a disappointing effort for any "college" level reader. It is only 40 pages of very large font with several simple charts and spreadsheets. I ordered it as a Terrorism Psychology or Homeland Security supplement, but was deeply disappointed.

It is an After Action Review or historical account purely. The book makes simpleton arguments for gun control in the United States. For example, in the chapter "Why Did He Commit Mass Murder," states 'many factors led to Chos'massacre. But the killings would have been impossible without weapons." There are absolutey no psychological insights of Cho, any of Cho's example writings or plays other than excerpts, or any real evidence presented about Cho's wicked plan other than his like of "Eric and Dylan" (The Columbine High School shooters).

Hopefully, this book was targeting 8th grade raeders or below.Moreover, Amazon should be faulted for not categorizing this book as children's text. It is worth $8 at the most.As a positive, Richard Worth has mastered the art of selling his books, narrating deceptive book descriptions, and publication for profit's pupose. Lastly, it also makes me wonder if the author has any college degrees and from what schools? ... Read more