After the Funeral: The Posthumous Adventures of Famous Corpses

Customer Reviews:

A fun and informative book.......2004-08-14

After the Funeral is an amusing if somewhat macabre narrative of the fate of some of the mortal remains of famous people. As the author puts it himself, the funeral is not necessarily the end of the story for many historic individuals.

To some extent the book simply makes a play to natural morbid curiosity about death and the dead. After all who doesn't enjoy a good old fashioned ghost story now and again? But it also showcases the amazing hold that the people who make history have over the average person, even after the former have gone the way of all flesh. The anger that they elicited from foiled rivals continues, as in the case of Cromwell, whose body was subjected to a belated public "execution" and whose head was kept as a souvenir for generations. The love that they engendered continues beyond the grave, as in the case of Shelley and his wife Mary (and perhaps his friend Trewlany). Who is not still amazed by the brilliant mind of Einstein, though he has been gone since 1955, and would not perhaps enjoy stealing a glance at the brain that once produced those amazing thoughts?

Probably the most scandalous issue taken up by the book is the commercial value that famous dead people have. The resting places of the likes of Daniel Boone, Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull, Moliere and Marx have all been turned into tourist attractions and, believe it or not, some have given posthumous endorsement of eternal real estate (plots in private cemetaries)! The fight over the remains of some of them by those who would make a profit makes for amusing reading. The quarrels among the citizens of North Platte, Nebraska, Cody, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado over the body of Buffalo Bill are particuly funny. I understand that the fight between Cody and Denver has only recently been resolved.

While the fate of the bodies and body parts of history's famous are often up for grabs, according to the author, not even cremation seems to be a safe way of avoiding the vagaries of eternity. The misadventures of the ashes of the writers D. H. Lawarence and Dorothy Parker attest that point.

All in all a fun and informative book.

Rest in peace, if you can........2003-07-29

Just exactly what does happen to a corpse after the funeral? Well, for the most part the remains are allowed to rest in peace, but not always. Exhumations are not all that uncommon. Whether it be for law enforcement purposes, DNA testing, or just simply because the next of kin have decided to move the body to another cemetery. Generally it is pretty mundane stuff. However, if the corpse just happens to be the remains of a famous person, then things can sometimes get interesting.

The next question that would occur to most people is; why would anyone want to move around a dead body or any part thereof? That is what this book is all about. Each of the corpses covered in this book has a completely separate entry to avoid confusion. Each of those entries starts with a brief history of the deceased's life so that if the reader is not familiar with Lord Byron for example they are given a little information to start off with. Usually within this short biography one finds the reason for the posthumous travels of their body, or the above mentioned parts thereof. The reasons range from a somewhat warped but deep love or admiration, to politics, to obsessive hate, to tourism and even practical jokes. The adventurous bodies in this book run the gambit from Oliver Cromwell to Thomas Paine and from Voltaire to Sitting Bull. In short, the subject is fascinating.

Edwin Murphy writes in a clear manner and with a witty style. I found a few historical errors but all in all, this book seems to be very well researched. Also, when there are conflicting stories he presents both tales. For example, was it director Raoul Walsh or Peter Lorre who put the corpse of John Barrymore in Errol Flynn's living room? Just that question alone should make most people want to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed my evenings with this book and I think you will too.

Unique Book.......2001-09-21

This is one of the most unique books I have ever read. It is informative, interesting, amusing, and well written. You would have trouble beliving some of the fantastic "posthomous adventures famous corpses" that the author meticulously recounts, except that he provides a full bibliography so you can check the facts yourself. How about the Portugese lady who was exhumed five years after death to be crowned queen. Or Oliver Cromwell, who was exhumed from Westminister Abbey to be executed for treason (hung, then decapitated) and whose severed head became a museum exhibit and prop for lectures on phrenology. Or Daniel Boone, whose neglected body was hijacked from Missouri as part of a plan to promote a new cemetery in Kentucky? Mr. Murphy has apparently invented a new literary category that he calls "Necrobiography," of which his book is the only example so far. I can't wait for the sequel which he promises, especially if it is as enjoyable as the original. I heartily recommend this book. It is not morbid or sensational in the least, but holds your interest(tastefully illustrated too).

Interesting and funny!.......2001-06-29

I really enjoyed this book--it was entertaining, VERY interesting and funny without losing tact or being disrespectful of the subjects involved. I agree that the writing style is a little different in some places, but i think different authors have different styles, and to me it doesn't detract from the interesting subject matter--plus to me it seemed easy to read and personable. It's amazing what people will do with the remains of folks they've loved (or hated)! I hope the author goes on to do another volume like he mentioned in the intro.

Great research, writing only so-so.......2000-03-13

I picked up this book because of its unusual and intriguing subject matter. I figured it would be a nice diversion to read about some of the crazy adventures and mishaps that befall famous corpses after the funeral (so to speak). In that, I was not disappointed. Murphy obviously did his research, and he was honest enough to list various accounts when the facts were in doubt. He also wrote with a nicely wry sense of humor befitting the subject. However, I found the writing to lack a certain polish, as if I was reading a third draft instead of the finished product. I found enough awkward sentences, paragraphs with more than one subject, and other poorly constructed phrases to dampen my enjoyment of the book somewhat. I suspect this may not be the fault of the author so much as the editors involved in the project, but in any case, the book suffered as a result.

Average customer rating:

Famous After Death

Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788734709

Product Description

Book is on five cassettes - cassette No. 6 is the interview with the author.

Average customer rating:

This Black Comedy is Neither
an excursion into the mind of the ultimate anti-hero
Having Great Fun With Serious Topics
Delightfully funny and enjoyable but it makes you think.
Outstanding

Famous After Death
Benjamin Cheever
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1582340870

Amazon.com

Noel Hammersmith used to have dreams of fame as a playwright, not to mention personal happiness. But in 1984 his girlfriend has just decamped, he's putting on poundage by the day, and his literary success stems from the self-help tomes he edits at Acropolis Books--an outfit he can't help calling Necropolis. Yes, this New Yorker is a dab hand at acquiring and then whittling down titles such as The All-Poison Diet and the stroke-of-genius alphabet series (which includes H Is for Hemorrhoid and P Is for Premature Ejaculation). What he's not so good at is keeping his own weight--and consumerist obsessions--under control.

As the hero of Benjamin Cheever's Famous After Death becomes increasingly preoccupied with false advertising and corporate irresponsibility, he mounts a hilarious letter-writing campaign. Suffice it to say that the discontinuation of the Brooks Brothers Blue and the culinary degradation of Gerber Baby Food are very much on Noel's mind. But there are hints that he's involved in a deadlier sideline. Is he in fact the infamous Wordsworth Bomber, a man for whom "quality control was an issue worth killing people for"? Cheever's third novel is an artful mix of Noel's correspondence and journals. His transcriptions of his psychiatric visits alone are worth the price of admission. But this burlesque is also a serious--and seriously funny--examination of the distance between our values and the goods we seem to value more. Of course, in an age in which Hartz Mountain owns the Village Voice, Cheever's vision of Acropolis's takeover by "Pretty Kitty, Inc.," is less satirical than a slice of fin-de-siècle naturalism. --Kerry Fried

Book Description

A brilliant and wickedly comic novel about fame and its discontents, now available in paperback with a provocative essay by the author.

Noel Hammersmith has two dreams: to bring his weight down to a slim 138 pounds and to be famous. Despite being a diet book editor and exercising regularly, he can't lose a pound, and his hilarious timidity insures that he has a hard time getting attention at all, let alone fame.

To express his growing frustration, Noel begins to write angry letters-to Brooks Brothers when they discontinue his favorite shirt, and to Golden Rule Vitamins, who makes fake promises of easy weight loss. Coincidentally, bombs start exploding after each of his letters, the most notorious leaving a seven-year-old chess prodigy dead. When one of Noel's authors, "Che Guevera," claims to know where the mysterious bomber will strike next, Noel's world gets turned upside down...until a series of riotous and unexpected twists helps Noel attain his dreams, but at a strange price.

Expertly skewering the cult of celebrity, this darkly comic satire is even more true-to-life than we might like.

Customer Reviews:

This Black Comedy is Neither.......1999-12-21

Noel Hammersmith is as dull as a serial killer as he is in his "normal" life as a book editor. The entire book reads like the introduction to a book that should have been longer and better. The "twist" ending would have been better served as the beginning of a truly biting and devastating satirical novel. Fans of dark humor are better off sticking with masters like Evelyn Waugh.

an excursion into the mind of the ultimate anti-hero.......1999-10-29

Combines the blackest of black humor with the Mittyesque quality of Thurber, all decked out in an S. J. Perelman suit. One will never read better.

Having Great Fun With Serious Topics.......1999-05-03

Ben Cheever (and how many has he heaved?) must be a funny, funny man. I imagine him cocking his head like a bird listening for a worm as he encounters the silliness of this world. Famous After Death seems to have been written by a man fascinated by the mores of this country, day and time, but not too reverently. His hero, named Noah and called "No-man" is the perfect observer: largely disengaged from life, he finds it chases him. The book is a romp.

Delightfully funny and enjoyable but it makes you think........1999-04-11

The topic of the shameful things people do for publicity is dealt with in a light,very funny,page turning way but you keep thinking about the topic long after you put down the book. The twist ending was a wonderful and complete surprise.

Outstanding.......1999-04-09

Ben Cheever's comic genius rises once again. FAMOUS AFTER DEATH is brilliantly funny. This novel is a wonderful combination of innovative prose, engaging characters, and unrestrained wit. I love it. -- Edward J. Renehan, Jr.

The Life Beyond Death - An Account of the Famous Trance Medium's Findings on the Survival of Human Personality After Death

Average customer rating:

The Life Beyond Death - An Account of the Famous Trance Medium's Findings on the Survival of Human Personality After Death

Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HGW2LM

LIFE AFTER DEATH VALLEY ABOUT GETTING HIS KICKS.(Sports)(Three missed kicks in a near-upset of LSU on ESPN made him famous, but OSU's Alexis Serna is all ... from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Average customer rating:

LIFE AFTER DEATH VALLEY ABOUT GETTING HIS KICKS.(Sports)(Three missed kicks in a near-upset of LSU on ESPN made him famous, but OSU's Alexis Serna is all ... from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000B8TMMI
Release Date: 2005-09-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by Thomson Gale on August 28, 2005. The length of the article is 1103 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: LIFE AFTER DEATH VALLEY ABOUT GETTING HIS KICKS.(Sports)(Three missed kicks in a near-upset of LSU on ESPN made him famous, but OSU's Alexis Serna is all about success)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: August 28, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: D1

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

The Life Beyond Death - An Account of the Famous Trance Medium's Findings on the Survival of Human Personality After Death
Arthur Ford
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OH90FA

Average customer rating:

Famous After Death
Benjamin CHEEVER
Manufacturer: Crown Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UZRVZC

Book Description

The extraordinary beginning of an epic series brimming with the unbridled action, adventure, and imagination that have made the name R. A. Salvatore synonymous with the best in fantasy!

Jeff "Del" DelGuidice was proud of his assignment to the research submarine The Unicorn. But his mission had barely begun when the vessel was sucked into a mysterious underseas void where time stood still, before propelling it forward, through the centuries. The crew surfaced in a strange, magical world changed forever by nuclear holocaust. Here a race of angelic beings had taken pity on the remnants of humankind, offering a chosen few a precious second chance.

Thus the Isle of Hope was raised from the poisoned seas and set like a jewel in Earth's ravaged crown. But the jewel had a flaw, a dark vein of evil. For a sinister expert of the mystical arts had embraced the forbidden third magic, the most deadly sorcery of all. Only Del could defeat it--a hero sworn to peace and fated to wield the dazzling power of the fourth magic. . .

Customer Reviews:

Witchcraft.......2007-05-26

Stay away from these books...they are dealing with and promote witchcraft. I may a Redneck country music fan, but I do know one thing, STAY AWAY from witchcraft and Satanic things. Even though these books are fictional, reading them offers spirits the chance to possibly possess you. Evil spirits have torture the person and haunt them...this is real and it is dangerous. You do not want to read these or have anything to do with these books or anything like these. Harry Potter is something you should stay away from as well. I'm not saying that everyone who reads a demonic book or watches a demonic movie will get possessed by a demon, I'm just saying that you are giving the devils opportunity to do so. If you are a Christian, than it would be more difficult...but I wouldn't be taking any chances. I'm not saying this to be funny or sound stupid, and you don't have to believe me if you don't want to...I'm just warning everyone.

Good, but not his best........2003-04-04

The Unicorn was an undersea discovery sub in which any nation in the world could help fund. Those nations that did got to share all the new discoveries from the vessel. However, while a huge storm ravaged above the sea, the sub was sucked into a black void. Most of the crew died. The few who lived emerged to find themselves far into the future.

Captain Mitchell, Reinheiser, Doc Brady, Billy Shank, and Jeffry DelGiudice "Del" found themselves to be the ancient ones who were prophesied to come and change the world.

The race of Man had destroyed themselves. Four humans were chosen by a being to become wizards to help the world in its change.
Brielle, the Emerald Witch of the Woods.
Ardaz, the Silver Mage.
Istaahl, the White Mage.
Thalasi, the Black Warlock.
The world now consisted of elves, known as Moon Dancers, and misshapen lizard beasts known as Talons.

The Ancient Ones, battling amongst themselves, joined the new races to help battle the Black Warlock and his gruesome Talons before all good and the entire race of Moon Dancers were destroyed forever!

**** I found the beginning to be very slow. But after the first few chapters, the story picked up and held onto me. I understand it to be the first of a trilogy or series, but I am not sure. Salvatore fans will NOT be disappointed. However, expect a Sci-Fi, instead of a Fantasy, for the beginning to set up the plot.

Worst R. A. book so far.......2002-04-30

I picked up this book after having read over a dozen of his other books (Demon Wars, Cleric Quintet, Icewind Dale, etc.) and have loved some, but at least liked all of them. This book, though written in the same story telling style, is a empty story with little substance. The witch was the only interesting character in the book. I would most all of his books a second time. I am sorry I read this one at all.

First impression, best impression........2001-03-10

As a 15 yr old English literature lover, I stumbled somehow upon this wonderful book, I think attracted to it mainly by its cover. Being an earlier edition, the comical looking cover left me unsure of what to expect. Since I am no lover of naval narrations, the very beginning left me wondering whether to continue, but, boy, I'm so glad I did. I was so thoroughly absorbed by this book, although very short of time, I read it over and over again. Many may argue that it is far-fetched, but I think that, as a first novel, this really is a bold, experimental and raw success, which has worked to great measure. At 17 now, RAS became my favourite author, and I've found the 'Crimson Shadow' series great fun to read, and 'The Dark Elf Trilogy' too, but none grip me like 'Echoes4thMagic'. I was ecstatic to find out there were sequels for the 'Ynis Aielle' series, and hurredly ordered them from the US, over AMAZON, and loving this book like I did, am raring to go with the rest of this. If you want to get started with Salvatore, start with this, it certainly worked for me!

A great beginning to a great series.......2000-11-05

Well since most of the reviews I read were downing on the book I thought that I should give my thoughts. I thought it was an awesome book. The way the story starts out right in the middle of the action was a cool twist since alot of books drag out the introduction. Salvatore's explination of the four levels of magic was very interesting. And the magical battle blew me away. All in all it was a very interesting read and i highly recommend it, as well as the rest of the books in the series.

Average customer rating:

Echoes of the Fourth Magic

Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1417650516

Echoes of the Fourth Magic (Chronicles of Ynis Aielle)

Average customer rating:

Echoes of the Fourth Magic (Chronicles of Ynis Aielle)
R.A. Salvatore
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVUFTG

Book Description

The Adventure, Romance & Mad Science continues as Agatha Heterodyne's damaged aircraft comes roughly to rest in the Wastelands. She encounters a traveling circus and proves her mettle by destroying a massive spider-clank as it attacks. Back at the airship city, a frustrated Baron Wulfenbach dispatches his son Gilgamesh and deposed pirate queen Bangaldesh DuPree to capture Agatha, whose very existence threatens the peace - but the cunning circus folk succeed in hiding Agatha, who quickly discovers she is only one of their many secrets. She begins warrior training with the circus's expert swordswoman Zeetha, meets a strange new breed of Jagermonster, and attracts unexpected attention in saving them from the grimmest of fates.

Customer Reviews:

Cracking Electric Death Rays Are A Girl's Best Friend........2007-08-02

On the lam from Mad Baron Wulfenbach, Agatha's mini-zeppelin crashes in the remote wilderness. On foot & hungry, she & her companion, the genetically-engineered cat Krosp, locate a traveling circus, under attack by a robot war machine.

Can Agatha improvise a ray-cannon out of wrecked macchinery, that can take out the robot war machine?

Can Agatha escape the Baron's assault troopers?

Will the Baron's lovestruck son find her first?

And will the talking cat Krosp keep trying to stuff mice down Agatha's throat as field rations/bon-bons?

If you can stop laughing long enough, you'll find out. The humor/storyline here is well worth the effort.

Agatha and her Milieu.......2007-06-27

I came late to the Foglio's wbcomic "Girl Genius," and it took me awhile to get into the spirit of things, but I am hooked now, and following the adventures of Agatha and her friends are a great joy. Yes, she is drawn plump, and, yes, everything looks like it was invented by Jules Verne, but there is a happy quality to the whole thing. Gilgamesh, Agatha's lover (in the old-fashioned sense: he loves her, but has not made love to her) is quite likable, and even minor characters like Dupree Bangaladesh, the homicidal pirate queen are quite fun. I'm even beginning to like Baron Wulfenbach, the nominal villain. All in all, great fun. Recommended.

Brilliant and Fun.......2007-01-13

Phil and Kaja Foglio's characters are brilliant, exciting and generally a lot of fun to follow. The Girl Genius bug bit me in December and I'm now a very strong fan. Agatha labours to find her heritage as the sole heir to the family Hetrodyne, those with the greatest Spark for genius. She's clever and often displays a streak of mischief in creating her inventions, with an affinity for dingbots and a really good death ray. The characters who surround her range in personality, but all are capable of moments of light humour or devilish delight.

Errata.......2006-06-28

Note that this (excellent) book is shown with the wrong cover. See Kaja Foglio's livejournal for the correction.

On the Road With Agatha.......2006-05-02

When last we saw her, Agatha had just managed to escape from Castle Wulfenbach with the failed King of Cats Krosp. But no sooner does their escape begin than they crash into the wastelands. There they meet a lost boy and join up with a traveling Heterodyne show. But in typical Girl Genius fashion, things just keep happening to complicate things.

Destructive devices, a visit from the Baron, the return of Othar, demonic beasts, and mysterious travelers all manage to complicate matters. Amongst the jokes and action we also get a little more history about the Herterodynes and their impact on the world. We also learn a little more about what it takes to be a spark.

This volume collects the last four issues of the Girl Genius comic (issues 10-13) as well as the continuing story from the Girl Genius online comic. Like in earlier volumes this collection also contains a stand-alone adventure at the end. All in all 127 pages of comic and comedic genius.

Average customer rating:

Genius!
It Isn't Easy Being Millie
Millie Rules!
Millicent Min, Girl Genius
Millicent Min, Girl Genius

Millicent Min, Girl Genius
Lisa Yee
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Children's Books | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0439771315

Book Description

Millicent Min is having a bad summer. Her fellow high school students hate her for setting the curve. Her fellow 11-year-olds hate her for going to high school. And her mother has arranged for her to tutor Stanford Wong, the poster boy for Chinese geekdom. But then Millie meets Emily. Emily doesn't know Millicent's IQ score. She actually thinks Millie is cool. And if Millie can hide her awards, ignore her grandmother's advice, swear her parents to silence, blackmail Stanford, and keep all her lies straight, she just might make her first friend. What's it gong to take? Sheer genius.

Customer Reviews:

Genius!.......2007-04-29

(...)
Millicent Min is 11 years old, and she's just finishing up 11th grade. She begs her parents to allow her to take one college class over the summer. They agree, and everything is going fine and dandy until 1) her mom signs her up for volleyball. With sports you need more than smarts to be at the top. And 2) she is forced into tutoring her unintelligent nemesis, Stanford. But her summer just might start shaping up when she meets a new girl, someone her age - who doesn't know Millicent is a genius. Could this girl turn out to be Mil's very first friend? (Unless of course you count her grandmother....)

Funny, smart, and completely engaging, Millicent Min, Girl Genius is an intriguing coming-of-age story with a unique idea. It's a refreshing, quick read that leaves you wanting more. Author Lisa Yee has a boatload of talent. I can't wait to check out the two companion novels to this book, Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ebers.

Here's a quote to wet your appetite:

I like to reread books after letting a significant amount of time pass. You can't imagine what went through my mind when I first read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood when I was six. I couldn't sleep for weeks. When I read it again last year, I couldn't sleep for days. I take that as a sign that I've matured.

It Isn't Easy Being Millie.......2007-04-16

Millicent Min has an impressive resume. She started elementary school at age three, has over seven television appearances to her name, and is the subject of more than six articles on the subject of gifted children. Now that she's eleven and a half, she's about to start her senior year of high school. She is, in short, a genius.

In Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Millicent must endure the summer between her junior and senior years of high school as she counts down to the day she will be free from the company of children, and finally be able to spread her wings in college. This summer, her parents have signed her up for volleyball classes and offered her services as a tutor to friend of the family and obnoxiously typical twelve-year-old boy Stanford Wong. On the upside, they've allowed her to register for a poetry class at a local university, and this summer she's made her first friend.

Millicent goes through all the difficulties of being a smart kid, and she experiences them to the extreme. Her alienation, awkwardness, and pride are all emotions with which anyone ever considered "that smart kid" can identify. Her precociousness is charming and alarming; it seems slightly wrong for a girl of almost twelve to prefer spending time with her poetry professor to attending slumber parties. At the same time, for those of us who are the same way, it seems just right.

Like many other children's and young adult books, Millicent Min, Girl Genius shows us how much change can happen over one summer. Millicent starts off knowing it all, needing no one, and socializing almost exclusively with her grandmother. By the end of the book she realizes she has a lot to learn, comes to appreciate her parents more, and starts hanging out with kids her own age. I strongly recommend Millicent Min, Girl Genius to anyone who loves to laugh, has ever felt like they knew better than the rest of the world, or has been told they're too smart for their own good.

Millie Rules!.......2006-05-22

This book is great! It's about Millicent, and what it's like to be a child genius, new friendships, growing up in life, and more! This book is awsome! It's my all-time favorite book, and I've read a ton! It's a great read!

Millicent Min, Girl Genius.......2006-04-06

I defiantly give this book a 4.5 rating. I loved it! Lisa Yee's unique writing style really kept me hooked the whole way! The storyline was humorous and filled with surprises. . Millicent Min won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award which is awarded to a book with outstanding writing in the genre of humor. I could not agree more, I laughed like crazy throughout this whole book. I especially recommend this to teens in grades 6 through 8 and for anyone who is looking for a great read! Claire. St. John's School Houston, TX

Millicent Min, Girl Genius.......2006-03-17

This is a wonderful book. It is candid, well written, and definitely worth the while of any preteen girl. What could easily be a simple book relying on cliches becomes an exciting, complex examination of "The Girl Who Knew Too Much."

All the characters are believable except Millicent, but she is supposed to be unbelievable. Besides, Millicent is the only really lovable character.

Some of the plot points are stretched, but overall Millicent Min makes an excellent read. I'd love to see this turned into a movie.

Average customer rating:

Girl Genius #4
Phil Foglio
Manufacturer: Airship Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1890856150

Average customer rating:

Girl Genius: v. 4
Phil Foglio
Manufacturer: DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIB
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JZCC7K

Customer Reviews:

Excellent treatise on Evagrius' The Praktikos&Chapters On Prayer.......2007-01-27

This book includes Evagrius Ponticus' "The Praktikos" and "Chapters On Prayer", as well as a comprehensive treatise by John Eudes Bamberger ocso.
Bamberger (background as a psychiatrist, as a a monk, and as a erudite historian) gives us a clear view on the work of Evagrius (345-399). Evagrius, an important theologian in the 4th and 5th century, left the upper circles of Byzantine Constantinople, to live a humble and ascetic life as a monk in North African desert. In this period Evagrius wrote a system of guide-lines and psycho-religious support to help monks resisting mental temptations. Bamberger shows us in a clear and understandable way the surprising similarities between Evagrius' system and modern descriptive psychology. This book offers a fascinating focus on an important early period of European development of spiritual thinking and mental life, and provides help for people that want to take the matter up of serious prayer and contemplation.

Very good resource.......2005-09-04

This book was used as a supplemental resource in the development of lectures for a college level course on The Desert Fathers. The Introduction was helpful. This book is a good overall presentation of Desert Spirituality. Evagrius Ponticus is an important read for those who wish to understand the foundations of religious life.

An Evagrian Renewal Essay of Ascetic Life and Contemplative Prayer.......2003-02-18

"Evagrius Ponticus is the living link through whom the ascetic principles of Clement and Origen's Alexandrine mystical theology passed into the mainstream of Christian monasticism."

Intense Prayer:
Abba Macarius of Egypt said there is no need to waste time with words. It is enough to hold out your hands and say, "Lord, according to your desire and your wisdom, have mercy." If pressed in the struggle, say, "Lord, save me!" or say, "Lord." He knows what is best for us, and will have mercy upon us.Monastics of old, in Sketes, Nitria, and Kellia uttered, "Lord, make haste to help me. Lord, make speed to save me," all day long. We may join them to pray; "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." Or, we might memorize a Psalter, or quote a Bible verse , or a sentense from the Lord'd prayer. In fourth century Egypt, in Sketes, Abba Macarius short "arrow" prayers were practiced by the Coptic monks, as recorded by Evagrius Ponticus, "at the time of these temptations make use of short and intense prayer." Chapter 98, on Prayer.

Evagrius on Psalmody and Prayer:
A connection between the seemingly disparate aspects of Evagrius' mystical theology and his writings on psalmody and prayer has been sought from three perspectives. Evagrius' training, life, and related spiritual writings, in the context of the 'discipline of psalmody' as practised by his contemporary monastics; Evagrius texts on the interrelationship between psalmody and prayer, and his underlining of the usefulness of psalmic contemplation in the healing of passions, are typical Sketes ascetical traditions. Biblical scholia when closely studied, may facilitate what Evagrius has called `undistracted psalmody', that is, contemplation by means of the words used in psalms of the person of Christ and of Christ's salvific work within his acts in creation, and redemption, a pioneering tradition, first taught by his grand master Origen.

Evagrius, the living link:
Evagrius was an able disciple of Alexandrine theological school, as practiced by the Desert Fathers, as Coenobitic monastic tradition. He creatively transmitted the essence of Coptic spirituality that deeply influenced Oriental and Western Christian thinkers from John Cassian to Simeon the new theologian, and his influence is still felt today between R. Catholics, through Jerome and Rufinus, but above all within the Benedictines and Cisterians. Thus spake Fr. Leclercq in his preface.

Evagrius Life and writings
In an eloquent and scholarly essay, Fr. Bamberger instructs us on the recovery of Evagrian writings, his life, and theology. Taking on this task he conducts it in a captivating style recounting stories of early Alexandrian masters Origen, Didymus and the Macariis in a tour escourted by Palladius, Bousset, Guillaumont, Chadwick, and Von Balthassar. He does not fail to include the Capadocians, Melania, Rufinus and Epiphanus.

The Evagrian Quadruplet
Fr. Bamberger not only translated Evagrius twin essays, but wrote an elaborate introduction that earns him the title: MystiCoptologist, a peritus on Coptic monasticism.
He invited Fr. Leclercq, the enlightened abbot of Clairvaux to write a master piece preface to supplement the triplet study and manuscripts. After thirty years, this classic proved instrumental in Evagrian cognition, as much or even more than "the Kephalaia Gnostica", adding his name to the Pontic master's club of Guillaumont et al.

The Praktikos: On Ascetic Life
Evagrius elleptical thought is rendered in plain English.The hundred chapters , demonic thoughts, the eight passions, takes forty of them. Instructions, Apatheia, its signs, takes the rest concluded with sayings of the holy monks.

153 chapters on Prayer:
"Unbroken communion" means that the mind is pure in its focus on God. "Undistracted prayer is the highest act of the intellect...The state of prayer can be aptly described as a habitual state of imperturbable calm." Evagrius Ponticus, The Praktikos c. 34 & 52
Following master Origen, Evagrius identifies contemplation with monastic life, and prayer to spiritual life , martyrdum being the sign of perfection. written possibly to Rufinus, the 153 here correspond to the large fish in John 21:11. His expressions are typically of the desert: the gift of tears, striving for a deaf mind,and flower of meekness, and fruit of joy and thanksgiving. He supports his writings with quotations from John the short, Theodore of Tabennisi, sealing it with benedictions, definitions, and promises.

Essential reading.......2000-06-12

John Bamberger's translation of the Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer by Evagrius Ponticus should be required reading for anyone interested in the ascetic theology of ancient Christianity. Not only does he render the challenging, often elliptical, Greek of Evagrius into approachable English, but he prefaces the two works with an invaluable introduction. This century has been one of enormous progress in the study of Evagrius, and any reader of the Chapters on Prayer and the Praktikos will appreciate why such effort has been expended. Evagrius still has much to teach us.

Evagrius Ponticus: The Praktikos & Chapters on Prayer

Average customer rating:

Evagrius Ponticus: The Praktikos & Chapters on Prayer
trs. J. E. Bamberger Evagrius Ponticus
Manufacturer: Cistercian Pubns, Kalamazoo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S76CT8

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books