Book Description
Originally printed in 1898 and then periodically revised, The Motorman...and His Duties served as the definitive training text for a generation of streetcar operators. A must-have for the trolley or train enthusiast, it is also an important source of information for museum staff and docents. Lavishly illustrated with numerous photos and black and white line drawings, this affordable reprint contains all of the original text.
Customer Reviews:
Simply the BEST trolley car operations book on the market !.......2006-08-29
The Motorman and His Duties may be considered an antique by some, and why not? It was originally printed in 1903!! But this book is an absolutely awesome resource, even in 2006. If you are interested in trolley cars, streetcars, subways, or even steam railways, this is the book for you. Other books show glossy photos of trolley cars and talk about the different types of streetcars made, and what lines they operated on (Pacific Electric, Los Angeles Railway, Brooklyn, etc.) This book is the only one I know of that actually explains HOW THEY WORK and how to operate them. The authors, who were both motormen during the early era of electric traction in the United States, created the book to supplement basic instruction for motormen and conductors, and help them save their lines money in maintenance and electrical usage, while at the same time making them safer operators. The book still accomplishes that mission. It's widely used in museums in the U.S.A. and abroad, and a wonderful gift for anyone who ever wondered "how does it work?" I also have friends who are H.O. scale modelers and have Lionel trolley cars. This book is a great addition to their bookshelves as well!! Now they can actually "justify" all those activities on their model railroads and explain to visitors what they are doing as motormen for their rolling stock. Anyway, I highly recommend this book. The attractive reprint is very nice, and features text about twice the size of the original, so it's very very readable. Plus it has beautiful glossy covers...
Book Description
Book Forum, September, 2004 by Shelley Jackson
Motorman is the only book ever given to me photocopied in full. That's how hard to get it was, and how badly I wanted it.
David Ohle's legendary first novel was published some three decades ago, in 1972, and it has since been out of print. Ohle himself, while continuing to write and intermittently publish, has remained almost completely unknown. So this earlier book, reprinted to coincide with the release of his new novel, The Age of Sinatra, enters the world as something fresh that is also the secret ancestor of the most daring speculative fiction of our time.
Motorman tells the story of a hapless everyman named Moldenke, who gets by in the gray areas of a world that's almost all gray areas—a science fiction-tinged world with two suns, a number of "government moons," man-made humanoids called jellyheads, and mock wars where soldiers volunteer for injury. Moldenke receives some menacing phone calls from a man named Bunce, who claims to have tapes of everything everyone's ever said about him. To escape from Bunce, he sets out to find his old mentor, Dr. Burnheart.
Motorman is a quest narrative, of a sort. But you won't read this book for the plot. It does have a narrative thread, but one composed of snippets whose ends barely meet. The language, too, is not quite English as we know it. Attributes and effects coagulate into strange new objects—"a building with structural moans"—while familiar objects are defamiliarized. Here's Moldenke taking notes on some birds: "Rapid pecking followed by pauses." Got it. "Long, agile tongue coated with a jellylike substance." OK . . . "When the tongue is retracted it apparently wraps around the brain." What? That "apparently" is the kicker here. This is a world that does facts—we're not in the realm of pure poesy—but the rules have all been changed. Don't expect Ohle to spell them out for you, either. Like very few other writers—the Joseph McElroy of Plus, the Burroughs of Nova Express—Ohle maintains a high level of indeterminacy in both his fictional world and the language he uses to tell us about it. The result is disorienting, vertiginous, thrilling: "Roquette pierced the water with his stick. 'Good,' he said. 'It's thick enough to walk on.'"
It helps to be light on your feet. Like one of the novel's geographic oddities, the River Jelly, this book is only semi-solid. The tiny chapters (sometimes no more than a few lines long) appear adrift in white space, which starts to feel like a positive substance, something Ohle himself might invent in his fiction: a sort of viscous fog from which unrecognizable objects emerge. "He felt something without form, something edgeless, rushing at him from the direction of eastern light." But before you float away on this nebulous fare, Ohle gives you something solid: a name. "Is that you, Bunce? Mr. Bunce?"
Bunce. A goofy name, a bounce with just a little of the air let out of it. There is something clownish about Bunce and his threats. But clowns are scary, and all is not right in this world of incessant, pointless surveillance, petty bureaucratic meanness, decay and graft and moral inertia. All is not right inside Moldenke, either, and that's obvious not just from the arrhythmia in his four sheep hearts but from the arrhythmia in the narrative, its stutter and lurch. By the end of the book, we have lost track of time (easy to do in a world where six "technical months" can pass in a single day), and neither we nor Moldenke knows exactly what has been going on. Moldenke thinks he might have let the goo out of a pair of jellyheads with a letter opener. Or was it a screwdriver? It's dizzying but exhilarating for a reader to be given so much room to play. A typical mobile might seem too pretty an image to serve as a descriptive metaphor for a book by Ohle, but I have a different image in mind. A friend from high school once called me in tears: He was trying to make a mobile out of dead bugs but was having trouble bringing them into balance. If he had succeeded, that mobile might resemble this book: delicate and grotesque, tragic and hilarious, precarious but perfectly balanced.
Customer Reviews:
Snapshots of a future.......2006-06-15
I read this when it was originally published back in the 70's . . . and although I have moved several times since, this is a book I have always held onto. There are many "whys" about why I have held onto it, but let's focus on the book itself.
The writing style was something new at the time, with some chapters being only a few words long . . . staccato images torn from a scrapbook of future memories. The story is a paranoid future where the hapless hero, Moldenke (with his four implanted sheeps' hearts beating in his chest), tries to make some sense in a world where he is pretty powerless. A world where "jellyheads" seem to be taking over and where the planet has become so polluted that one avoids a trip near "the Bottoms."
I write all of this from memory . . . the images are that compelling . . . and fleeting/frgamentary.
A little lost gem of a book that is again available. Buy it.
Haunting, visionary work...........2004-11-25
I first read this title as a freshman in college; I was first intrigued by the title, then the surreal pen and ink drawing on the original hardcover. In short, precise chapters Mr. Ohle transported me to the netherworld of Moldenke. This lonely, survivor observes and records the details of his existence and searches for his mentor, Dr. Burnheart. An outstanding, gripping read.
Average customer rating:
|
Motorman Instructor
Jack Rudman
Manufacturer: National Learning Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Education
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Civil Service
| Test Guides - Careers
| Education
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Test Prep Central
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0837305101 |
Average customer rating:
|
The motorman cometh.(Jerry "Motorman" Palladino): An article from: Cruising Rider
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Automotive
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Crime & Criminals
| Current Events
| Economics
| Education
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Government
| Holidays
| Law
| Philosophy
| Politics
| Social Sciences
| Transportation
| True Accounts
| Urban Planning & Development
| Women's Studies
General
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Home & Garden
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Home & Garden
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B000AM452M
Release Date: 2005-07-26 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Cruising Rider, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 526 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The motorman cometh.(Jerry "Motorman" Palladino)
Publication:
Cruising Rider (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 8
Issue: 4
Page: 16(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Product Description
Black Magician Trilogy1. The Magicians' Guild (2001)2. The Novice (2004)3. The High Lord (2004)
Book Description
"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician."
This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders . . . and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield.
What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring and breathtaking!!.......2007-10-06
I stumbled upon The Novice, but Trudi Canavan, by pure chance. When I heard of the author, it did not ring any bells, and I wasn't that interested in reading her books. So I decided not to buy her books, because I was saving some money up for other more acclaimed ones. Indeed, I had been looking at many lists on internet of the 50 "best" science-fiction or fantasy novels, for I wanted to broaden my knowledge of science-fiction and fantasy novels. Trudi Canavans books never made it in those lists.
However, when I was perusing through a book shelf at Barnes & Noble in NY, I saw the name "Trudi Canavan". As I said, I had heard about her quickly before. Well in the end, with some internal persuasion, I bought the book. I ended up starting to read it 2 months after I bought it, but when I began I read the book in 2 sittings. It was breathtaking.
That begining of the book takes its time in describing the world in which the story is set, and goes into details. However, that didn't bother me (even though I would have enjoyed it if the pace had been a little quicker).
Anyways, I seriously recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy. I even recommended it to some french classmates here, and as it has just been translated into french some of them have bought it and told me they also thought it was amazing.
Its ok........2007-09-04
Only read this series if you have already gone through Mercedes Lackey's works, this is very similar and not as well done as the Valdimar books:The Last Herald-Mage
Two books and a half would have been enough.......2007-08-27
I am moderately satisfied with the series, though not with the first book.
What I think about each of the three books:
1) "The Magician's Guild": almost half of the book is spent relating the tentatives of Sonea, supported by a friend and the Thieves, to conceal herself from the Guild magicians: I think it is a waste of time and energy, because every reader undestands since a few pages that she's going to be captured and instructed from the Guild (it is impossible not to undestand it: the story is related also from some "good" magicians point of view an it would be of no use describing and introducing us with these magicians if they weren't going to be important characters in the rest of the book). Some thirty pages or so would have been enough to introduce us with the slums and the Thieves and a couple of characters coming through the whole series. Instead, one is just tempted to skip useless pages in order to go to the key events.
2) "The Novice": quite interesting the developing of Sonea's magical capabilities, satisfying the plot about her acceptance into the Guild. First flaw: unfortunately it is not concluded in itself, and it is absolutely necessary to read the third book.
Second flaw: the events taking place in here, however pleasant and enjoyable, aren't necessary to the following book, they are quite stand-alone.
3) "The High Lord": since now, the most appealing of the three books, a nice, well-paced plot (even if the Guild acts as a pretty stupid organism, blind fearful and dull-minded).
As a conclusion: I would give 1 star to the first book, and three stars to the other two.
The average would be less than two stars and a half, but I'm willing to give it three stars as a global evaluation because the story has quite a grip on the reader and, despite the series is far from perfect and the characters are sometimes a bit commonplace, one finds himself pleasurably driven forward.
But please, someone must explain me a couple of things:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1) why Akkarin during the final combat doesn't want to use the magic stored into the arched vault (I don't remember the name of the building)?? they were gathering magical energy form everyone and everything, why not that? that would have made the difference and everything would have ended differently. it seems to me very very stupid, when the destiny of your land depends on you, that you don't take advantage of every possibility, since the vault could eventually be restored in a second time.
2) the Sachakan woman: why doesn't she take part in the fight, but, more important, what was she? what was she doing there? yes, she was keeping an eye on the situatuion, but for whom did she act? in the end the author doesn't explain her role at all
Australian SF Reader.......2007-08-01
This is set in a world, or at least a city, in this case, where magic is the province of the wealthy and well connected, and those with talent and cash can be trained to become powerful.
So, of course, the heroine here is a poor kid, and a girl, at that, who seems to have more than just a little aptitude for this sort of thing. Along with a friend with a talent for the Thieves Guild, instead of magic, they get into more than a little trouble.
Tired and uninvolving.......2007-06-30
I picked this book up while on vacation on a recommendation from a bookstore employee. That was a mistake. The pacing is awful. The author takes the entire first half of the book to set up the plot (which is fairly thin anyway, and shouldn't take one quarter of that amount to set into motion). If the characters had been explored and expanded, that time would have been well spent. Unfortunately, the characters seem flat and unengaging throughout the book.
This novel feels like a short story that has been padded unmercifully into a much longer work. I certainly will not pick up the sequels.
Product Description
3 books in one.
Thieves' World
Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn
Shadows of Sanctuary
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-08-04
The third of the Thieves World books again holds the quality.
Shadows of Sanctuary : Looking for Satan [Lythande] - Vonda N. McIntyre
Shadows of Sanctuary : Ischade - C. J. Cherryh
Shadows of Sanctuary : A Gift in Parting - Robert Lynn Asprin
Shadows of Sanctuary : The Vivisectionist - Andrew J. Offutt
Shadows of Sanctuary : The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn - Diana L. Paxson
Shadows of Sanctuary : Then Azyuna Danced - Lynn Abbey
Shadows of Sanctuary : A Man and His God - Janet Morris
Newcomers know some nifty tricks but don't exactly fit in.
4 out of 5
Thieving and murder of only the right kind of wizards, please.
3.5 out of 5
Interesting fishy stuff.
3 out of 5
Regeneration and a thief useful if someone slices lots of bits off you.
3.5 out of 5
Portrait time.
2.5 out of 5
Prisoner sacrifice power ritual penetration.
3.5 out of 5
Fickle patrons and Sacred Bands.
3.5 out of 5
Grim, but Good.......2006-02-15
Sanctuary is a dark, depraved place. You certainly wouldn't want to go there on vacation...or for any other reason. "Shadows of Sanctuary" continues the stories of life in the armpit of Ranke, killing some off while crippling others and developing a few characters. This series is growing on me as I read it.
Average customer rating:
|
Shadows Of Sanctuary
Robert Asprin
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Anthologies
| British
| Canadian
| General
| United States
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
| Alternate History
| Anthologies
| Arthurian
| Contemporary
| Epic
| General
| Historical
| History & Criticism
| Magic & Wizards
| Series
Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
| Adventure
| Alternate History
| Anthologies
| General
| Graphic Novels
| High Tech
| History & Criticism
| Series
| Short Stories
| Space Opera
ASIN: 0140077944 |
Customer Reviews:
Focus on Curses.......2007-04-29
In this third volume of the Thieves' World series the focus shifts from Tempus to the effects and consequences of magician curses. As before in this series, half a dozen well-known science fiction writers have contributed short stories to an anthology which is based in the city of Sanctuary.
In the last volume, the focus was on the interaction of the citizenry with their gods and in particular on Tempus the Hell Hound and his service to the god Vashanka. In this volume the focus shifts to the effects of various magical curses and what they might create. There are stories about Enas Yorl - who is cursed to be a shape shifter in perpetuity; There are also stories about Tempus since his relationship with Vashanka is a curse in reality; Also present is One Thumb, the owner of the Vulgar Unicorn and others.
The anthology starts, though, with a charming story about a group of beings who end up in Sanctuary in search of one of their friends. These people are distinguished from the normal Sanctuary citizenry in being completely color and sex blind. So, we have a female warrior who is obviously superior to anyone else - who is picked on as a female --- bad move as it turns out! Another female can fly and has talons for feet which are hidden in her boots; The third female is the leader of the bunch and has the gift of sorcery even though she is untrained in its use and does not know about it until she encounters Lythande in Sanctuary. The group's lone male is a hapless non-intrusive and complete nonetity who is there probably to form a contrast for the much more capable females. This story introduces some very intriguing characters and races that I hope will make future appearances in this series.
The other stories involve many of the characters that we have met before. Hanse Shadowspawn appears several times as do Jubal, Kurd, and Kadakithis. In the previous volume, we found Tempus being enslaved to Kurd the vivisectionist suffering through the hell of being constantly taken apart and yet healing due to his connection with Vashanka. I thought that Tempus's career was over. This volume rescues him and returns him to the fold with a vengeance. Once he returned, he manages to kill off Kurd, and wreak his vengeance on Jubal as well. So, I guess he is a main character that we will see again regardless of the moral ambivalence he brings given his blood thirsty character and destructive actions.
In addition, we get to see more of the religious activities and consequences of worshipping Vashanka through the eyes of a slave girl and several priests. Finally, we have a story about character building in the youth of Sanctuary and a father's parting gift to his son.
As is usual, the stories are grim, dark, and violent although I found this volume to be less dark than the previous one. The cover illustration is noteworthy in that it has nothing to do with any of the stories except peripherally and certainly does not show any scene that is described in the book - unlike the previous covers in this series. My understanding is that there are at least a dozen books in this series and I am looking forward to reading more about the adventures of the people and beings of this town.
Product Description
seven mmpb books. 7 Titles By Robert Lynn Asprin Thieves' World Anthologies : Thieves' World Shadows of Sanctuary Storm Season The Face of Chaos The Dead of Winter Blood Ties Aftermath
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring and Contagious!.......2005-07-31
I picked up this little, actually rather large book, at the library and became intrigued at first by its title: Sanctuary. The picture on the front depicted people of a time long ago, in a medievil setting...even more interested, I flipped through a bit. Hmmm...three books in one. I must say, this is the most interesting anthology that I have ever read...you get the feeling as you read along, with all of the different perspectives of so many authors, that the story just came together at the end brilliantly.
Sanctuary is basically a medievil town, as I have stated, and a bad one, at that. Filled with thieves and killers, it is not a place you want to live. However, the people who live there hold a kind of sympathic love for the city, and are very irritated when a young prince comes to rule over their land.
A marvelous first short story introduces us to Enas Yorl, a mighty magician with a terrible curse. Is he good, or evil, or neither...interestingly enough, he is depicted as both sensual, and downright disgusting...if that can make any sense without giving the story away. Anyhow, he is an extremely interesting character who will make many more appearances as you read on. Unfortunately for Jarveena, she kind of falls out of the story, so do not get too attached to her! You will, however, also meet Illyra and Dubro, who are vital occupants of Sanctuary. Again, you get different versions of them from different authors, but they are basically harmless, but still rather important.
This is also the first introduction to the charachter of Molin Torchholder. You will love to hate him, even though he is a supposed man of the cloth. However, the gods in Sanctuary are quite different than the gods that are revered today. Remember, this town is very medievil, and even a bit mythological, as well.
In my opinion, one of the most important, if not the most important, character of this series is introduced in the fourth story, Shadowspawn, or Hanse the thief. A brilliant example of why females love the bad boys! Oh, how we do love their soft and vulnerable sides. Just read about him and you will also fall in love instantly!
Than, of course, their is the mage, Lythande, who holds a heavy secret in order to be a part of the Blue Stars. What will become of him in stories to come?
All in all, I think the authors worked really hard at bringing an illusionary world to life. The characters are all amazing, not to mention the extra twist you get from seeing the other authors points of view on some of the more important characters. A great read, indeed, you will be begging for more of that desolite town!
Tales From the Vulgar Unicorn is is a great continuation! I love the fact that we start off with such a vivid story about the purple mage. Masha is introduced here, for the first and last time, but that's okay, she was a strong woman, and one well worth reading about! The effects of this story will also be seen later on in further stories...
In the next story, we learn a little more about the gods and goddesses of Sanctuary. Interesting indeed, but the characters are all pretty much new, and only really belonging to this one chapter.
However, in the following story we are introduced to Illyra again, yipee...and we also learn a little more about the ever powerful god, Vashanka...he is definately a naughtly little god if I ever read about one! Up to no good, for sure! We also learn about his sister Azyuna, and all of this will be very important in chapters to come.
Most importantly, in my eyes, is that we meet up with Hanse again, but not only that, we also meet perhaps the most pivotal character in Tempus. You will love him, you will hate him, but you just cannot turn away from him no matter what. This man will having you thinking, believe me, and if he were real, he would have either your undying love, or your utmost hatred. He is a very specail character, indeed.
This second series was fantastic, and if you loved Thieve's World and want to see what else your favorite people have been up to, please, I urge you to continue on!
Finally, in Shadows of Sanctuary, all of the loose ends start coming together. All of the great characters we have learned to love will finally allow us to view their inner consciousness, if at all possible. You will revel in them, you will hunger for more, you will wish you had a Hanse or a Tempus in your own life. You will also meet more despicable characters than you ever thought imaginable, but it's all well worth it! Take a walk through Sanctuary and then let your mind soak in all that you have read...it really is like delving through the human pysche!
Book Description
John Polkinghorne dares to ask the questions that would seem to be too dangerous to ask--and he comes up with some answers which are deeply satisfying to both mind and heart.
Customer Reviews:
A scientist looks at the mystery of lent.......2004-01-27
I'm again looking forward to reading a section of this book each day during Lent. This season gives a superb opportunity to formally look at subjects we'd normally like to avoid, but which are best not avoided too much. The author shows how the scientific method can look at Lenten traditions with a new perspective, and how the religious method can give science an added dimension of humility, mystery, and wonder.
The book has been divided into seven sections: an introduction, Creation, Reality, Searching, Prayer, Suffering, and Holy Week. In my opinion, the author gives a wonderful outline. After spending forty days with this book, you may have experienced a delightful blend of reason and wonder, and may understand how a scientist can find value in the dimension of the spirit.
Books:
- The Namesake: A Novel
- The Number We End Up With: A Novel
- The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch: A Novel
- The Plum Thicket (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)
- The Powwow Highway (Contemporary Fiction, Plume)
- The Rabbit Factory: A Novel
- The Rock: A Tale of Seventh-Century Jerusalem
- The Sergeant in the Snow
- The Shadow Knows (William Abrahams Book)
- The Stranger at the Palazzo d'Oro and Other Stories
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
- Quick Meals for Healthy Kids and Busy Parents: Wholesome Family Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less From T
- Insect Dreams:The Half Life of Gregor Samsa
- History: Fiction or Science
- Inside LightWave v9
- Kendall's Advanced Theory of Statistics: Volume 2B: Bayesian Inference
- National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Trees of North America : East
- Lend Your Way To Wealth: Private Lending In Real Estate--Make Big Profits Lending Money for Bridge L
- Hyper-performance
- The Literate Executive
Straphanging in the USA: Trolleys and Subways in American Life (Transportation in America)
Twin Cities by Trolley: The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul
Chicago "L", The (IL) (General Series)
