Arturo's Island: A Novel (Italia Series)

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Arturo's Island: A Novel (Italia Series)
Elsa Morante
Manufacturer: Zoland Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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History History

The Moon and the Bonfires (New York Review Books Classics)

Conversations in Sicily

ASIN: 1586420410
Release Date: 1998-06-01

Book Description

ON A SMALL ISLAND in the Tyrrhenian Sea there lives a boy as innocent as a seabird. Arturo's mother is dead; his father away. Black-clad women care for him, give him the freedom to come and go as he likes. Then the father returns with a new wife, Nunziata, a girl barely older than Arturo. At first hatred and contempt are all the boy feels for his stepmother. In time, Arturo and Nunziata re-create the tragedy and passion that are as old as the history of men and women.

Book Description

This classic, mesmerizing tale from the author of The Last Unicorn is a journey between the realms of the living and the dead, and the eternal power of love.

Michael Morgan was not ready to die, but his funeral was carried out just the same. Trapped in the dark limbo between life and death as a ghost, he searches for an escape. Instead, he discovers the beautiful Laura...and a love stronger than the boundaries of the grave and the spirit world.

Praise for Peter S. Beagle:

"Wit, charm, and a sense of individuality." --New York Times Book Review

"It's a fully rounded region, this other world of Peter Beagle's imagination...an originality...that is wholly his own." --Kirkus Reviews

"Both sepulchral and oddly appealing...[Beagle's] ectoplasmic fable has a distinct, mossy charm." --Time

"Delightful." --San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

Not the book for me.......2007-05-02

My favorite author, Robin McKinley, has a comment on her website about how important it is to be able to distinguish between, "This book sucks bears," and "This book isn't for me." That is to say that some books may be well-written, but still not appeal at all to certain readers, even readers who otherwise enjoy that author. That's pretty much how I felt about this book.

On the one hand, it's written by Peter Beagle, who has a wonderful style that I love. He's a great author, and I haven't seen him completely butchering anything.

On the other hand, the book's premise left me cold. The main idea is that after you die you just kind of continue. Beagle decides to go against all of the major ideas about death: no heaven or hell, no ended existence, no nirvana, rebirth, or anything else. Instead, your spirit just kind of hangs around in the cemetery where you're buried (being unable to leave it) and you gradually forget life and being human. Eventually you more or less give up and lay down in your grave to "sleep" (the quotation marks because you can't do that either now that you're dead).

Enter two of the main characters, two people who have just died and are still in their "trying to deal with it and hang on to life" phase. As they hang out in the cemetery, they gradually get to know each other and eventually fall in love.

I think the main point here is that love can come anywhere and any time. There's also supposed to be something about how Michael and Laura are doing their best to hang on to each other and their love despite the hopelessness of their situation. It could probably be a fairly touching story, except that the whole blah-ness of existence after death turned me off. It had such a grey hopelessness to it. That was so strong for me that I couldn't enjoy the rest of the story. I've heard that same feedback from one of my other good friends, so I know I'm not the only one to feel this way. On the other hand, these reviews indicate that many people have loved this book; it obviously can reach people in significant ways. Hopefully this review will help you discern whether this book is for you or not.

Love trumps Death - some magic and nothing spooky.......2007-03-08

Peter Beagle is well known for his un-rivalled word magic. His highly regarded 'The Last Unicorn' is an absolute classic in its genre and he does it again in this wonderfully written story. It is simply a story of life and love and death (no spooks) and a bit of magic in a cemetery. No magic tricks, just a talking raven and the ability of one man to talk with the dead. So far, nothing that strains the ability to accept the story as presented. I had no such problem. Maybe my being a theoretical physicist is to blame for this. There are lines of un-common beauty in this book. Of the kind that make you think, I wish I could have said this. The story is original. You have never read anything like this. By the time you reach the end of this book only Love and some magic remain.
I've re-read this book, cover to cover, about 10 times. I've re-read sections many more times than that. I would'nt lend my copy to anyone.

Tattered, beloved, 3rd time to replace- .......2006-05-13

When I loan this one out, I am obessive about it's return. I have read this myself 5 times- and 3 times out loud to others. I wish I could find a new friend that needs to hear this book. The writing is poetry. One of my most beloved books ever.

(I read about 200 books a year.) Mary

Song from far away.......2005-10-07

Through the title of this book it's worth noting that it's optimistic. It is a story of people passing by life-not death; and lives passing eachother with very opposite and yet spiritually connected tones. Peter S. Beagle forms these lush characters together for the need of something greater than their individual stakes. The character's humanity is seen in the pages of thier eyes, hearts and spirits you will mistake for your own at times. Mr. Beagle has a musical quality to much of his work. It is not about the spirit world-quit as much as it's about the spirit's world- how clearly, we can feel in the most foreign situations.

Ghosts?.......2005-09-26

I didn't like the concept of this book, consequently didn't like the book. Sorry about that.

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A New Look at the Afterlife

A Fine and Private Place
Peter S. Beagle
Manufacturer: Tachyon Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1892391465

Book Description

Conversing in a mausoleum with the dead, an eccentric recluse is tugged back into the world by a pair of ghostly lovers bearing an extraordinary gift—the final chance for his own happiness. When challenged by a faithless wife and aided by a talking raven, the lives of the living and the dead may be renewed by courage and passion, but only if not belatedly. Told with an elegiac wisdom, this delightful tale of magic and otherworldly love is a timeless work of fantasy imbued with hope and wonder. After multiple printings since 1960, this newest edition will contain the author's recent revisions and will stand as the definitive version of an ageless classic.

Customer Reviews:

A New Look at the Afterlife.......2007-06-07

I loved Peter Beagle's novel "The Last Unicorn," so when I came across this book I thought I'd give it a try. Beagle's genius is in his language, using similies and metaphors with superb art, and never once sounding pompous. It is like having a conversation with a wizened old friend. This feeling is as evident here as in his most popular novel.

The story itself plods along at a slow pace, with very little action to speak of. You feel much like the main characters of the story; recently deceased with very little to do but sit around and wax philosophical. It is a highly unique piece, with a different take on the afterlife. The novel will certainly leave you pondering your owns views about life after death, as well as contemplating the preoccupation the living have with the dead.

A Fine and Private Place: A Novel of Mystery

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good but not perfect start
doesn't completely satisfy

A Fine and Private Place: A Novel of Mystery
Freda Davies
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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Flawed Scales: A Mystery for DI Keith Tyrell and His Team

ASIN: 078670909X

Book Description

An ordinary day in Gloucestershire holds a half century of secrets and lies in this crafty and well-crafted mystery, when a skeleton turns up in a field outside the old village of Tolland. A dogtag beside it in the earth bears the name Ben Gordheimer, a young American soldier who disappeared—and was dishonorably discharged for desertion—during the war fifty years before. To complicate matters for the police team of Keith Tyrell, the adept and ambitious Detective Inspector sent to Tolland, the investigation into the G.I.’s death unearths a second, much more recent corpse whose identity and identification as a blackmailer sets the entire village even more on edge. While Tyrell discovers the killer, long dead, of the G.I. quickly enough, the village of Tolland itself proves to be a harder case to crack. The repercussions of the old murder continue to haunt the memories and disturb the souls of Tolland’s inhabitants, while the fact that another killer is dwelling in their midst troubles the placidity of their closely knit daily lives. Their distrust of Tyrell’s inquiry and of the avid press only reinforces their tight-lipped secrecy. Tyrell has problems of his own as well, with the envy and betrayals of internal politics among the members of his police team increasingly impeding the progress of the investigation. Neither the village nor Tyrell realizes, though, just how quickly time is running out for them in this case. Then a third dead body further rouses once-sleepy Tolland and confronts the beleaguered Tyrell with another nasty case of murder.

Customer Reviews:

good but not perfect start.......2002-09-19

I agree with most of the other reviewer's points: solid writing, but somehow not wildly engaging. I also found the continual trivial discussions by local townfolk tiring, am tired of good cop/bad cop plots (but at least the bad one isn't the boss of the protagonist!), and there were too many minor characters who would reappear with some important tidbit, and I would forget who exactly they were.

However, I think it makes a good start of a series. There really aren't enough "cosy, but not too cosy" British police procedureals for me, and this one was solid, enjoyable and not annoying to me.

doesn't completely satisfy.......2002-01-12

This mystery novel had everything: a sympathetic police detective and an interesting and intriguing plot set in a small old fashioned village peopled with some really interesting and eccentric characters, and yet I found myself frequently skimming through the pages -- somehow, "A Fine and Private Place" failed to hold my attention completely. And I have yet to fully figure out why!

The mystery in "A Fine and Private Place" takes place in Gloucestershire, in the village of Tolland, where a skeleton wearing the dogtags of an American GI is discovered buried in a field. Fifty years ago (during WWII), an American soldier, Ben Gordheimer, stationed at Tolland, was reported missing, and everyone had assumed that he had deserted, and the unfortunate young man was given a dishonourable discharge in his absence. However the discovery of the skeleton shows that everyone had rushed to judgement a little too soon. In an effort to give Gordheimer some much deserved justice, Detective Inspector Keith Tyrell and his team has been dispatched to Tolland to interview the villagers, to see if anyone knew anything about Gordheimer and the circumstances leading up to his murder. The villagers however prove to be totally uncooperative. A hunt for the men and women (esp the women) who had been alive during the war and who are still around yields nothing: everyone seems to have secrets that they would still like to keep under wraps. And then a further complication ensues when a fresh corpse in discovered buried in a grave.

Freda Davies did a wonderful job of bringing to life the once quiet and still insular village of Tolland. She captures the essence and feel of this village that finds itself unexpectedly and uncomfortable thrust into the limelight perfectly, especially the clash between the 'old' ways and the new -- the ingrained prejudices of old with the more modern sensibilities. And she does a wonderful job of depicting the close ties that the villagers have with each other, despite the differences in rank and wealth. The mystery was definitely an intriguing one: why was Gordheimer murdered? And why are the villagers still reluctant to talk about what happened over 50 years ago? Yet, this novel failed to hold my attention completely. Part of the reason was that, in spite of the fact that DI Tyrell was the kind of detective that all of us would really approve of -- intelligent, intuitive and compassionate -- we only get to appreciate much of his brilliant deducting second hand, as they are all done 'off-stage' so to speak. Basically Tyrell would realise something or notice something that allows him to make a brilliant deduction, but we're frequently not told what it is he's seen or realised until AFTER he's made the deduction. I was quite peeved by the time I came across this for the third time. There is also a rivalry between Tyrell and his superior of sorts, DCI Whittaker -- a ruthless and ambitious man who manages to alienate the villagers of Tolland completely. And truth to tell, I'm a little tired of this much used plot device. Everyone seems to use this.

Strangely enough I thought that part of the reason as to why this mystery novel was not quite so riveting a read was that almost too much happened. The mystery of who murdered the American soldier got lost at times admidst the investigation of who the 'fresh' corpse was and how he ended up being buried in the village graveyard. The pacing, as a result, was not as tight as it could have been. And too much time, I thought, taken up with the rivalry between Whittker's team and Tyrell's. "A Fine and Private Place" is quite a good mystery novel that can boast of an interesting plot. However it was not quite the all consuming read I was expecting it to be.

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A Fine and Private Place / The Last Unicorn (2 in 1 book edition)

Manufacturer: Science Fiction Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1582880603

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A Fine and Private Place (SIGNED)
Peter S. Beagle
Manufacturer: Gall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0345015029

Product Description

The first appearance in paperback of Beagle's beloved first novel.

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A Fine and Private Place
Peter S. Beagle
Manufacturer: Ballantine Special Book Club Edition
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

"There are people who give, and there are people who take....""A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE is about people who give. Mr. Rebeck, for example, who lives in the cemetery in an abandoned mausoleum and makes it his job to welcome the new arrivals. Mrs. Klapper, whose husband Morris got up from the dinner table and went right over on his back -- dead! Laura who sang the night away and stayed to watch the dawn. And of course the raven -- an ill-tempered but basically kindly bird known simply as 'the raven' -- who knows all about give and take but preferes to give after all." "Uproariaously funny and deeply touching by turns A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE is a book that would have delighted E.B. White, an adult novel -- yet built on the edge of fantasy and filled with the wonder and serious playfulness that children know and, sadly, lose."(from the front end-page)

2 Novels: A Fine and Private Place & The Madman Theory

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2 Novels: A Fine and Private Place & The Madman Theory
Ellery Queen
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0451118553

3 Mystery PBs by Ellery Queen: Origin of Evil, Fine and Private Place, French Powder Mystery

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3 Mystery PBs by Ellery Queen: Origin of Evil, Fine and Private Place, French Powder Mystery
Ellery Queen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ST4DYC

Product Description

paperbacks

Case of Stepdaughter's Secret, A Fine and Private Place (Detective Book Club)

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Case of Stepdaughter's Secret, A Fine and Private Place (Detective Book Club)

Manufacturer: Walter J Black
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000CFRO70

Product Description

Two mystery books in one volume, both by well-known authors. Linen-like cover.

The Case of the Careless Cupid and a Fine and Private Place (Detective Book Club)

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The Case of the Careless Cupid and a Fine and Private Place (Detective Book Club)

Manufacturer: WalterJ. Black
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E16H7K

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Two enjoyable sci-fi novellas

Star Hunter & Voodoo Planet
Andre Alice Norton
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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Redline the Stars (Solar Queen, Bk. 5)

The Solar Queen (Solar Queen)

A Mind for Trade: A Great New Solar Queen Adventure

Derelict for Trade: A Great New Solar Queen Adventure

Plague Ship (Solar Queen, Bk. 2)

ASIN: 1406835609

Customer Reviews:

Two enjoyable sci-fi novellas.......2007-02-05

This book contains two very short novels that are not related to each other, except that they're both set in Andre Norton's Forerunner universe. As humans explore the far reaches of the galaxy, they keep finding the ruins of highly advanced alien civilizations that have vanished. Some planets have not been well explored, some have been colonized, and some are home to aliens. (Click on my name to see the list of about 40 books in this universe.)

"Star Hunter" is a typical Andre Norton buddy story about two characters who don't like each other very well. In fact, one of them has had the other brainwashed, to be passed off as the heir to a fortune .. and to be used as someone's puppet. They end up trekking on foot across an unexplored planet, pursued by bizarre creatures, trying to figure out a mysterious alien device that has entrapped and killed all the humans who have come before. The relationship that develops between these two characters is the strong suit of this tale. If you're a fan of Andre Norton, you will probably enjoy it. I give "Star Hunter" four stars because it's entertaining but very much like many others by this author.

The second novella, "Voodoo Planet," is the third installment in the Solar Queen series. The Solar Queen is a small spaceship that usually makes cargo runs, but in this story, three of the crew members (Dane, Medic Tau, and Captain Jellico) are invited to a hunting safari on a planet colonized by people from Africa. A local voodoo priest gets angry at them and stalks them through the jungle. Luckily, Tau has studied magic as a hobby and is able to counter some of the weird attacks as the expedition tries to get back to civilization. For me, the adventures were fun, although the magic was not entirely convincing or well explained. This is not compelling science fiction, but I give it four stars instead of three because it's part of the Solar Queen series.

This is the entire Solar Queen series:
1. Sargasso of Space (1955)
2. Plague Ship (1956)
3. Voodoo Planet (1959)
4. Postmarked the Stars (1969)
5. Redline the Stars, with PM Griffin (1993)
6. Derelict for Trade, with Sherwood Smith (1997)
7. A Mind for Trade, with Sherwood Smith (1997)

"Sargasso of Space" and "Plague Ship" have been reprinted recently in a single volume called "The Solar Queen."

Voodoo Planet and Star Hunter (The space adventure novels of Andre Norton)

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Solar Queen Series
Two entertaining Forerunner tales
TWO NORTON TALES...BOTH UNSATISFYING
2 excellent SF stories: one a safari, one a hunting preserve

Voodoo Planet and Star Hunter (The space adventure novels of Andre Norton)
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: Gregg Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0839824173

Customer Reviews:

Solar Queen Series.......2007-05-12

I found this to ba an excellent addition to my hardcover Solar Queen series. I am an avid andre Norton fan.

Two entertaining Forerunner tales.......2006-03-24

"Voodoo Planet" and "Star Hunter" have both been reprinted recently but were previously published together as "The Space Adventure Novels of Andre Norton." These two very short novels are not related to each other, except that they're both set in Andre Norton's Forerunner universe. As humans explore the far reaches of the galaxy, they keep finding the ruins of highly advanced alien civilizations that have vanished. Some planets have not been well explored, some have been colonized, and some are home to aliens. (Click on my name to see the list of about 40 books in this universe.)

"Star Hunter" is a typical Andre Norton buddy story about two characters who don't like each other very well. In fact, one of them has had the other brainwashed, to be passed off as the heir to a fortune .. and to be used as someone's puppet. They end up trekking on foot across an unexplored planet, pursued by bizarre creatures, trying to figure out a mysterious alien device that has entrapped and killed all the humans who have come before. The relationship that develops between these two characters is the strong suit of this tale. If you're a fan of Andre Norton, you will probably enjoy it. I give "Star Hunter" four stars because it's entertaining but very much like many others by this author.

The second novella, "Voodoo Planet," is the third installment in the Solar Queen series. The Solar Queen is a small spaceship that usually makes cargo runs, but in this story, three of the crew members (Dane, Medic Tau, and Captain Jellico) are invited to a hunting safari on a planet colonized by people from Africa. They run afoul of a local voodoo priest, who stalks them through the jungle. Luckily, Tau has studied magic as a hobby and is able to counter some of the weird attacks as the expedition tries to get back to civilization. For me, the adventures were fun, although the magic was not entirely convincing or well explained. This is not compelling science fiction, but I give it four stars instead of three because it's part of the Solar Queen series.

This is the entire Solar Queen series:
1. Sargasso of Space (1955)
2. Plague Ship (1956)
3. Voodoo Planet (1959)
4. Postmarked the Stars (1969)
5. Redline the Stars, with PM Griffin (1993)
6. Derelict for Trade, with Sherwood Smith (1997)
7. A Mind for Trade, with Sherwood Smith (1997)

Sargasso of Space" and "Plague Ship" were reprinted recently in a single volume called "The Solar Queen."

TWO NORTON TALES...BOTH UNSATISFYING.......2002-08-08

This book collects two of Andre Norton's novellas in one package. Both have to do with planets where safaris are conducted for the pleasure of wealthy offworlders, and both leave the reader wanting more in terms of either explanation or detail.
The first, "Star Hunter" (1961), is the better of the two. In this one, the safari leader on the planet Jumala has cooked up a scheme whereby he can exact revenge on the space syndicate that has done him dirty. His scheme involves planting a young man on the planet with a set of conditioned memories, and passing the young man off as a lost heir. The scheme goes awry when unsuspected native life on the planet rises up and starts setting traps for the safari men. The story certainly moves quickly, and there is no dearth of action and monsters and color. But in the end, there is also no explanation for any of the mysteries we have witnessed--only a vague hinting at best--and this reader was left extremely disappointed. Rather than being left with that "wonder of space" and the mystery-of-the-cosmos feeling that Norton might have been trying to convey, all that most readers will be left with, I feel, is a sense of being gypped.
"Voodoo Planet" (1959), at 62 pages, might not even be considered a novella; more like a long short story. This tale constitutes the third installment of the Dane Thorson/Solar Queen series, and is a rather weak entry in this otherwise terrific bunch of books. Here, Dane, Captain Jellico, and Medic Tau are stranded on Khatka, a planet that had been settled many years ago by Africans after the Second Atomic War. Our boys fight off many alien creatures in the wilds of Khatka--the fight with the rock apes is a highlight of the story--and help conquer the evil witch doctor who is trying to overthrow the legitimate government. Magic is thrown about left and right with only a superficial, mumbo-jumbo explanation of how things are done; something about ancestral memories. When all is said and done, the reader has enjoyed the sequences with the alien monsters but is left shaking his/her head at the implausibility of the magical elements. What might have worked in a tale of the "Witch World" somehow doesn't fly in this tale of hard sci-fi survival.
And let's not even go into how Norton makes up words such as "discordinate," constantly uses the word "turgid" instead of "turbid" (as in "the water was turgid"), and constantly uses expressions such as [the other figure was] "still very still." Her early works certainly did lack polish, but even here, in some of her lesser early work, the Norton flair for telling an exciting tale with color and drive comes through.

2 excellent SF stories: one a safari, one a hunting preserve.......2002-04-08

The two novellas herein do not form a novel when put together; they're both set in the Council / Confederation universe, but don't involve the same characters. Why they've been allowed to be out of print so long passes my understanding.

"Star Hunter" - Ras Hume was blacklisted as a star pilot, courtesy of the craziness of the drug addict who was 3rd owner of the Kogan-Bors-Wazalitz line, which left him with high-profile commendations (the records couldn't be wiped after the Patrol got them), a pension, and a plasta-flesh hand. In his new career as a member of the Out-Hunter's Guild, he's been able to console himself with exploring new planets to open for safaris for the rich. On the newly-discovered world of Jumala, he found (and didn't report) something that may let him extract some payback from the company that cost him his career - if he can bring together a scheme involving port-rat Vye Lansor and crime boss Milfors Wass.

Vye Lansor is really the focus of the story: one of the down-and-out youngsters who appear often in Norton's work. On the occasions when they manage to scramble out of the pits into which life has tossed them, they don't live happily ever after, but they manage to build a life for themselves - if they survive.

"Voodoo Planet" - Over the years, this has been the hardest to find of all the _Solar Queen_ stories, fitting into the narrow gap between the end of _Plague Ship_ and the beginning of _Postmarked the Stars_, when the Queen is being refitted to pick up her new contract as a mail ship between Xecho and Trewsworld. Only Captain Jellico, medic Tau, cargo apprentice Dane Thorson, and Sindbad (ship's cat) are aboard when a Chief Ranger from Khatka, Xecho's sister planet, comes calling.

Tau, as a hobby anthropologist specializing on 'magic', is fascinated by Khatka's people rather than its legendary hunting preserves. The original colonists broke out of a concentration camp in Africa during the Second Atomic War, then started a reverse-apartheid system. (That aspect of their culture appears to have been eliminated by the time this story opens, though.) Now somebody has dug deep into their cultural weaknesses, and is using 'magic' to psychologically drive key men in Khatkan politics to their deaths. Tau is asked to bring Jellico and Thorson along, and try to uncover whoever is behind this reign of sabotage and murder.

If planetary cultures of African origin interest you, try Norton's _Android at Arms_, which deals with another such planet at greater length and in more detail.

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star hunter and voodoo planet
norton andre
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K5P3YS

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Star Hunter & Voodoo Planet

Manufacturer: Ace (G-723)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GHL0X8

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Star Hunter and Voodoo Planet
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S9O63K

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Star Hunter; Voodoo Planet
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000J1MV5M

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VOODOO PLANET/STAR HUNTER
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: Gregg Press First Edition
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZOIFK

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Space Adventures of Andre Norton: Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet/Star Hunter, The Crossroads of Time, Secret of the Lost Race, The Sioux Spaceman, Sargasso of Space (6 volumes)

Manufacturer: Gregg Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GLY2ZW

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Star Hunter & Voodoo Planet
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8FVTI

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Star Hunter; Voodoo Planet
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NPRB68

Product Description

For the Muslim faithful, the familiar sound of the Qur'anic recitation is the predominant and most immediate means of contact with the Word of God. Heard day and night, on the street, in taxis, in shops, in mosques, and in homes, the sound of recitation is far more than the pervasive background music of daily life in the Arab world. It is the core of religious devotion, the sanctioning spirit of much cultural and social life, and a valued art form in its own right. Participation in recitation, as reciter or listener, is itself an act of worship, for the sound is basic to a Muslim's sense of religion and invokes a set of meanings transcending the particular occasion. For the most part, Westerners have approached the Qur'an much as scriptural scholars have studied the Bible, as a collection of written texts. The Art of Reciting the Qur'an aims at redirecting that focus toward a deeper understanding of the Qur'an as a fundamentally oral phenomenon. Focusing on the Egyptian context, and examining Muslim attitudes toward the Qur'an, the institutions that regulate its recitation, and performer-audience expectations and interaction. Kristina Nelson, a trained Arabist and musicologist, casts new light on the significance of Qur'anic recitation within the world of Islam today. This new edition of a landmark study, with a new postscript, will be welcomed by all scholars and students of the modern Middle East, as well as by ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, linguists, folklorists, and religious scholars.

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The Art of Reciting the Qur'an
Kristina Nelson
Manufacturer: Univ of Texas Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORGX46

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