Letters of Hans Von Bulow to Richard Wagner, Cosima Wagner, His Daughter Daniela,Luise Von Bulow, Karl Klindworth and Carl Bechstein

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Letters of Hans Von Bulow to Richard Wagner, Cosima Wagner, His Daughter Daniela,Luise Von Bulow, Karl Klindworth and Carl Bechstein
Hans Von Bulow
Manufacturer: Horizon Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0844300519

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Cosima
Grazia Deledda , and Martha King
Manufacturer: Italica Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0934977062

Book Description

Cosima is the autobiographical novel of a woman writer growing up in Sardinia at the turn of the century. Written by the second woman and second Italian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Paperback, third printing, 153 pp.

Nietzsche and Wagner: A Lesson in Subjugation

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Awful logic, tendentious manipulation of facts
Ecce Homo(cough, you know what).
Esthetic monstrosities
if your interested in these two, buy it.
Incoherent, ignorant, incompetent

Nietzsche and Wagner: A Lesson in Subjugation
Joachim Kohler
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300076401

Amazon.com

When Friedrich Nietzsche first met Richard Wagner in 1869, the magisterial composer was more than twice the age of the fledgling philologist. Wagner had also just been banished from the royal court of Bavaria for his adulterous affair with Cosima von Bülow. Although the friendship between the two men began rather well, it would famously degenerate into a bitter intellectual and emotional feud, over which Nietzsche would continue to obsess even after Wagner's death in 1883 (but then, Cosima--who'd married Wagner as soon as possible after her divorce--was more than happy to keep up her late husband's end of the battle, and Nietzsche's own death in 1900 did nothing to change that).

Joachim Köhler's densely compact Nietzsche and Wagner draws heavily upon available correspondence from all parties--and Nietzsche's early writings--to examine this turbulent relationship. The point is not so much that Wagner was a manipulative jerk (although he certainly was that) or that Nietzsche and Cosima, who both suffered miserably in youth, were psychologically vulnerable to Wagner's seductive but emotionally abusive behavior; rather, the idea seems to be an examination of the effects of the relationship on the philosopher's thinking, both before and after their breakup. It's an academically rigorous account, so while it is fraught with traces of melodrama, they are buried under careful analytic prose, making this book far more suitable for scholars than general readers interested in biographical data on any of the principals involved. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

This book presents an absorbing account of the bizarre relationship between the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, the composer Richard Wagner, and Wagner's mistresslater wifeCosima. It sheds intriguing light on Nietzsche's early writings, showing how they were subverted by the Wagners' pre-fascist ideology.

Customer Reviews:

Awful logic, tendentious manipulation of facts.......2006-06-14

This hatchet job is truly a scandal. The author has an ax to grind. Skip it.

Ecce Homo(cough, you know what)........2004-05-06

A great sage once said, "All history's a lie" and this book only further enhances that point. Which is why I am recommending it.

Kohler not only contends that Nietzsche was a homosexual, but an uber-sissy who was lowered to menial tasks of propaganda and undershorts buying for the heavy-handed Master Wagner. Drawing largely from the diaries and personal correspondence of three megalomaniacs, which we know are highly accurate accounts of objective reality and history, Kohler paints a picture of a menage a trois of ascetic bondage: Nietzsche to Cosima and the Maestro, Cosima to the Master, and Wagner himself to the libidinous gods of hedonism. To top this off, the Dionysian Nietzsche in his final stages of dementia and mustachio maximus, calls out to Cosima, his spiritual Ariadne and soul-bride to come save his tottering soul from the labryrinth of the Wagnerian oppression that continued even after their reknowned split. Thus proclaiming, "C-o-s-i-m-a, you are the only MAN for me." Well Kohler didn't say that, but in saying that Wagner was "a woman" in Nietzsche's eyes and that Nietzsche himself, the constant companion of man-worshippers and man-worship was feminine in affection and mannerisms towards his friendths[sic], we can deduce from Nietzsche's admiration for her as an intellectual equal(remember his MISOGYNY!), that she was the only masculine personality in the triumvirate and thus Nietzsche's love and his homosexuality are validated. Not to mention that Herr Wagner is a dead ringer for Redd Foxx!

All facts and fictions aside, the book made me laugh quite a few times. Maybe the truth was lost somewhere in the translation from German to English but it didn't stop my enjoyment. Why let history and truth get in the way of that? I mean, Nietzschean lore has purported that the young man, while serving in the German calvary during a riding exercise had fallen from his saddle and was dangling upside down under the belly of the horse(Perhaps it was the same horse that he witnessed being flogged and this was what sparked his madness!) and said, "Oh Schopenhauer, where are you now?" Who's buying that but the ghost of Schopenhauer and me?

Esthetic monstrosities.......2003-03-17

The author of _Zarathustra's secret_ takes us through the period encounter between Nietzsche and Wagner in a quite graphic tale of one of the first of the modern celebrity farces, that of Wagnerian ego and its hangers on. Although the account is well done, I should wonder if a clever cutpurse like Nietzsche was ever really subjugated and whether he didn't, despite an series of emotional shocks, achieve the net equivalent of going undercover as a Wagner disciple, to his profit or loss in unclear. For all the background music of the philosophic, more than musical, leitmotiv (Schopenhauer gave it away with fake hint, the 'will') this account of artistic overdrive twice over is a remarkable tale of psychological helplessness, in Wagner and Nietzsche. Anyway, worth reading.

if your interested in these two, buy it........2000-03-26

NW is not the most academic of books in form, but readability and lack of footnotes do not make a book worthless. Köhler may not have enough evidence to convince the critical, but the material provided is well worth the read. Homosexuality/onanism/anti-semitism: these elements are simply not central to either individual (Wagner's anti-semitism may be the exception). Some of Köhler's conclusions may be questionable, but his observations are not what make the book. The content itself is very interesting, and the intelligent and familiar (with RW/FN) will come away with a great degree of insight. To anyone sincerely interested in either, it is requisite. Perhaps you will not agree with Köhler, so what? The book is simply worth the read. My opinions didn't change from the book, but I have a much richer picture of both men. (I am honesty surprised that anyone could find this book upsetting [see review below]. It's a fun little book, if you hate it, you really ought to relax a bit. Not for tyros: if you've only read a bit of FN or seen an opera, and you want a key to understanding either, forget it. But if you are deep into either, you skip it at your peril.

Incoherent, ignorant, incompetent.......2000-01-13

Once in a lifetime a book comes along ... that is so arm-wavingly silly that it's almost Pythonesque. This book, "Nietzsche and Wagner: a Study in Subjugation" is actually less reliable than Robert Gutman's or Marc Weiner's Wagner books, which were previously the record-holders. But Kohler beats them hollow. I'm sorry to say that this book has the scholarly merit of a UFO abduction memoir.

Kohler doesn't even bother to try to substantiate his various untrue and silly claims. One of these claims is that Nietzsche was homosexual, for which Kohler (as several critics have pointed out) adduces no evidence at all. Maybe Kohler thinks that Nietzsche calling a book "Die Froeliche Wissenschaft" (The Gay Science) makes Nietzsche "gay" in the current sense. (The meaning of "gay" seems to be changing again, but that's another story.) But we have plenty of evidence of Nietzsche's heterosexuality and no evidence at all of same-sex desire or practice. Nietzsche was a misogynist, hostile and contemptuous towards women, also clearly afraid of them, but that doesn't make him homosexual. Kohler seems to think that claiming something is the same as making it so.

Kohler also claims that after the Nietzsche-Wagner split Wagner conducted a relentless and vindictive campaign against Nietzsche on the grounds that he (Nietzsche) was homosexual. Again, Kohler doen't support this claim of a homophobic campaign by Wagner with any evidence. But then, how could he? There was no such campaign. Instead there was the famous letter from Wagner to Nietzsche's doctor, expressing concern for the health of "our young friend N."and suggesting that Nietzsche's nervous problems might be caused by excessive masturbation.

Wagner's letter is splendidly dotty, but it also brings Kohler's claims crashing to the ground. (1) Masturbation is not the same thing as homosexuality. Wagner did not think Nietzsche was homosexual; instead, prescient in so many things, Wagner was the first major thinker to call Nietzsche a wanker (just kidding, Nietzsche fans). (2) A kindly meant, if eccentric, letter to Nietzsche's doctor is not quite the same thing as persecution. It's clear from Cosima Wagner's Diaries that Wagner's private reaction to the split with Nietzsche was regret, a wish to have the breach healed, and an undoubtedly patronising pity for "that poor young man" Nietzsche. These are not the sort of feelings that lead to persecution or a campaign of vilification, as Kohler claims.

As well, Wagner's actual attitude to homosexuals (there were no gays in the 19th Century) is suggested in an earlier letter to a homosexual friend. Wagner suggests that his friend "try to cut down a little, on the pederasty"... The attitude is one of amused tolerance, which won't do now, but it was progressive and liberal by the standards of his time. Wagner wasn't a homophobe.

In fact Wagner didn't respond in public to Nietzsche's repeated attacks (except once, a very indirect reference in one of his essays, without mentioning Nietzsche's name); contra Kohler, the abuse was very much a one-way street, and not in the direction that Kohler suggests.

Kohler also presents a Nietzsche who wrote antisemitic passages in his works during the alliance with Wagner, but who stopped after the split. This is simply and flagrantly untrue. The post-Wagner Nietzsche attacked antisemites, but he also continued to attack and insult Jews. There are many, many antisemitic passages in Nietzsche's work - Nietzsche fans, like Kohler and the reviewer from Kirkus Review quoted above, like to overlook Nietzsche's antisemitism, but antisemites find Nietzsche a useful supporter and resource. You'll find plenty of antisemitic quotes from Nietzsche on proud display on the Web's neo-Nazi sites, and the vast majority of these antisemitic passages were written AFTER the split with Wagner.

And there's Nietzsche's attack on Wagner in which he claimed that Wagner had a Jewish father. There is irony, of course, in claiming an antisemite has Jewish parentage. But it reflects what Wagner himself seems to have believed, that the man who was almost certainly his real father, Ludwig Geyer, was Jewish. For this attack Nietzsche must have drawn on his private conversations with Wagner, in which Wagner poured out personal fears to a man he believed was his friend. The nastiness in Nietzsche's attack is in the betrayal of confidence, not in the claiming that Wagner had a Jewish parent.

I mention this attack by Nietzsche, couched in antisemitic terms and involving personal betrayal, because Kohler skips blithely over it. Imagine what he'd said if it had been the other way round; Wagner attacking Nietzsche in antisemitic terms while betraying an intimate confidence. But in fact there are suspiciously few quotes of any kind from Nietzsche in Kohler's book. Given the book's profound ignorance of the details of Nietzsche's or Wagner's life and philosophies, I suspect this is not so much because Kohler wants to keep it simple, but because he is not particularly familiar with his subjects' work. Given the sort of book he's written, he didn't need to be.

By the way, an earlier book by Kohler, that's only just been translated into English, "Wagner's Hitler", is now available. Friends who've read the German edition tell me that it's even more fanciful, nonsensical, dishonest and incoherent than this book. I'll look for it in a remainder bin.

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A worthy second book

Beyond Growth

You can never have enough of Wraeththu kind

A worthy sequel to Wraeththu ! A Must!

Long live Wraeththukind!
The Shades of Time and Memory: The Second Book of the Wraeththu Histories (Wraeththu)
Storm Constantine
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Wraeththu

The Hienama: A Story of the Sulh (Wraeththu Mythos)

Calenture

ASIN: 0765303477
Release Date: 2004-10-07

Book Description

Hailed as "a literary fantasist of outstanding power and originality" by Michael Moorcock and "a mythmaking Gothic queen" by Neil Gaiman, Storm Constantine is one of the most exciting and innovative fantasy writers of her generation. The author of many acclaimed works of science fiction and fantasy, she is best known for her daring, stylish and provocative "Wraeththu" trilogy (The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit , The Bewitchments of Love and Hate, The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire). The series, which chronicled the rise of a new race of seductive androgynous beings, with awesome powers, was hailed as a modern fantasy masterpiece, winning an avid international following of devoted readers.In her current series of work, Constantine has returned to the world of the Wraeththu, and the history of the first ruling dynasty in Immanion. Shades of Time and Memory continues the story of the emotional struggle between the triad of Pellaz, the Tigron of all the Wraeththu; Caeru, the Tigrina chosen for him by Thiede, and hostling of Pellaz's heir; and Calanthe, the Tigrina of Pellaz' heart -- Cal who incepted Pellaz, murdered Thiede, and whose wild seductive nature captivates all who know him.But while these three struggle for mortal political power, others are discovering that the psychic abilities of the Wraeththu and their sisters, the Kamagrian, are far greater, and far stranger, than any of them had ever supposed.

Customer Reviews:

A worthy second book.......2007-05-07

The second book of a trilogy has the toughest job, I think. The first book is the one that gets to introduce the setting and characters, while the third is the one to wrap it all up. The second book, though, has the task of fitting it all together. Shades accomplishes this quite nicely.

New characters as well as old are brought in to flesh out the world of Wraeththu. A leftover group of Uigenna, the Freyhallans who are descended from Norse humans, and others are brought in to join Pellaz, Cal, Caeru and other better-known main characters. Once again we're treated to seeing how the various har develop as the story continues--there are no flat, emotionless beings here.

At first, some of the threads of story may seem to have no connection whatsoever. However, Constantine is skilled at taking these and weaving them together, so that by the end of the book we're curious to see just what happens next and how it'll all turn out.

Shades is an excellent bridge, neither being too long and boring, nor too hastily sketched out. It thrives in the role of second book, and is a wonderful addition to any sci-fi/fantasy fan's shelf.

Beyond Growth.......2006-12-06

Wow. This second in the series really gets more into the energetic origins and capabilities of the Wraeththu, more than dwelling in the stories of the characters themselves. Again, Constantine brings to the fore the backstory of yet other past characters and there is more synergy between them than dissent, as before most of the characters are facing deep personal crises. This book was tough to read, though. She really departed from a lot of what had become clichéd writing for her (though I love her style--it works). She definitely expanded her own understanding of what her characters and their world are and where they may be going. Constantine spent a lot of the earlier books nailing down that the Wraeththu are unsure of themselves as a race. The blinders are off now. That is mostly what made it so hard for me to read: It was sad. The irony is that many of the relationships you had been wanting to happen find a foundation in this book, yet their wider lives are in such turmoil as a race what you've been wanting for so long becomes an afterthought. She really is a brilliant writer. You really do go where she wants you to as reader. She also leaves a ton of doors open, as usual to make you wonder where the next book will go.

You can never have enough of Wraeththu kind.......2006-06-29

Storm's Wraeththu Histories just keep getting better and better. With each new book of hers that I read, I harbor a fear that something will start to falter, that the magic I love will no longer exist. This is definately not the case with "Shades".
As much as I loved "Wraiths", I nearly danced with joy as Pell, Cal, and Rue graced the pages once again.
Now that Thiede has been somewhat thrown out of the earthly realm by Cal, the Wraeththu world is a bit off kilter and Aralis' struggle to find a way to stablize it.
The characters in "Shades" have grown up, Pell and Rue work to put their unfortunate past behind them, as their son finds his own way to deal with his pain. Cal struggles to deal with his wild nature and in the process, meets an old... friend.
This book is quite different from the orginal triology and builds quite a bit on Wraiths as the Wraeththu kind learn some of their true capabilities and their own insignificance at the same time. It is a wild and capitavating ride.
One thing I really loved about "Shades" was the inclusion and introduction of some of Pell's human relatives, Terez, Snake, and Moon. They add to the amazing web that is wraeththu.
I can't wait to get started on "The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence"!

A worthy sequel to Wraeththu ! A Must!.......2005-08-01

This has been an exhilarating few days for me as I finish the Wraeththu Histories. Like some of the reviewers I was a trifle dismayed yet hopeful when I learned that Storm wished to write a sequel to Wraeththu. It has been more than 15 years since the conclusion of Wraeththu. Yes I could still recall the last part of Wraeththu being rushed and there could have been much more in the reunion of Calanthe and Pellaz. But how does Storm hope to redeem this small but significant fault in Wraeththu, least of all equal the brilliance of this masterpiece. I do not doubt her story telling skill but there is a haunting originality, a sensuality, an innocence in Wraeththu which is not possible to duplicate or match.

My fear grew when I found Book 1 of the Wraeththu Histories a sort of a "fill-in-the-blanks" which does not feature and if so, limited roles of the enchanting and alluring characters in Wraeththu. And it was not written in the first person view which I love so much in Wraeththu. However my fear was unfounded a third through Book 1. Storm has not lost her magic though I still miss Calanthe, Rue, Cobweb and more of Pell of course.

Happily these endearing characters reappear in Book 2 which is just brilliant. My favorite characters take center stage again as Storm continue from where she left off in Fulfilments of Fate and Desire (3rd book of Wraeththu). I no longer miss the first person narration. Storm does not need that to inject emotions, intensity and life into her story and characters. Her characters have grown and I like the maturity in Cal, Pell and Cobweb. New characters appear, Moon, Snake, Raven just to name a few, and Storm weave them seamlessly into her magical tapestry of intriguing plots and sub-plots.

As I turn to Book 3 (The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence, UK edition), I was again a trifle dismayed with the story shifting to new characters, this time the second generation harlings. I should just have trusted Storm. Book 3 is as enchanting as Book 2. Her protagonists, Pell's sons/high-son, Darq, Loki, Geb, can never equal Cal, Pell and Cobweb,(I have to admit I am bias because nohar else can replace these favorite characters of mine), but they are refreshing and each harling's character is an unique individual. The stories of Pell's sons/high-son, from the day they are "hatched" to the day they confront each other are equally spell binding.

Storm's imagination just keep on growing covering untouched realms without ever dragging her feet or confusing her reader. Few can match her world building skills or the deep interplay of emotions among her characters.

And I am very please with the way she continues the love/hate emotions development among Cal, Pell,Galdra and Rue in Book 3. No reader can expect more but as a Wraeththu fan, I am thirsty for much more. Just novellas from now on is just not enough! Long live the Wraeththu Mythos!

Long live Wraeththukind!.......2005-01-25

I remember the day the Wraeththu seduced me like it was yesterday. I was a 19-year-old art student when I walked into a bookstore in a busy mall back in 1985 looking for something interesting to read for my commute home and bought the first volume of the series because I liked the cover (I found it unusual and very well done). I began reading at the train station and did not stop for more than a couple of hours for two days. Long story short: Storm introduced me to her world. I was hooked. Willingly bewitched. What? You thought I was kidding when I say I was seduced?

I had to have more, I found the 2nd part of trilogy, and a couple of years later the 3rd. Still, I looked for more (it was like a drug) but nothing was available in the US market. Eventually, life marched on and my brain detoxed and I forgot about "that" one fantastic tale. Then I found this book last week and the fever's back (it's like the Pell & Cal reunion all over again).

I won't go into the plot details. I feel that too much has been revealed by other reviews. But I'll say this: You will even find a snippet of humor in this volume AND the ever-standing affirmation, that size does matter. The truth is that no one writes like Storm. The imagery is so utterly alive that it's effortless to imagine the places, characters and (even) emotions she conveys thru her work. I must admit that I was prepared to be sadly disappointed -- after all, everyone "know" that sequels are never as good as the original - but I am glad to be wrong.

Although, there is a big different in writing styles from her original work (when contrasted with this one book in particular), it becomes very unimportant past the first few paragraphs and goes unnoticed afterwards. If fact, one could say that this one book is actually a testament to her growth as a weaver of dreams.

Long live Wraeththukind!

Book Description

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW STAR TREK®? WELL, FIRE UP THOSE NEURONS, BECAUSE HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO PROVE IT!

1. How many tribbles did Spock calculate had bred aboard Deep Space Station K-7?

2. What type of life-form was the Caretaker?

A. Sporocystian B. Solanagen C. Silicon D. Unidentifiable

3. In which episode is a deaf mediator the key to ending a war that has persisted for fifteen centuries?

4. Match the ship with its appropriate registry number:

A. U.S.S. Voyager i. NX-74205

B. U.S.S. Defiant ii. NX-2000

C. U.S.S. Pegasus iii. NCC-74656

D. U.S.S. Excelsior iv. NCC-53847

5. Name:

A. Sulu's daughter C. Kira's father

B. Troi's older sister D. Tuvok's wife

The answers to those questions and many others are just pages away in The Definitive Star Trek Trivia Book, the ultimate collection of memory testers, brainteasers, and mind-bending minutiae from thirty-four years of movies and TV series. More than two thousand fill-in-the-blanks, multiple-choice questions, and matching questions are organized into themed chapters such as "Galactic History," "About the Crews," "Alien Species," "Star Trek Science," and "Command Questions." This jam-packed, fun-filled illustrated trivia book is just what devoted Star Trek fans have always wanted: the means to test themselves and one another on one of the richest and most complex fictional universes ever created.

Download Description

"The Definitive Star Trek Trivia Book is the ultimate collection of memory testers, brainteasers, and mind-bending minutiae from thirty-four years of movies and TV series. More than two thousand fill-in-the-blanks, multiple-choice questions, and matching questions are organized into themed chapters such as "Galactic History," "About the Crews," "Alien Species," "Star Trek Science," and "Command Questions." This jam-packed, fun-filled illustrated trivia book is just what devoted Star Trek fans have always wanted: the means to test themselves and one another on one of the richest and most complex fictional universes ever created."

Customer Reviews:

The Definitive STAR TREK Trivia Book Part I.......2002-11-22

The Definitive STAR TREK Trivia Book Part I written by Jill Sherwin is a very good trivia book except for the registry numbers on the appropriate ships, but that's a proof reader's error not the author's. Anyway, this is a volume you will want in your TREK library as it has many interesting questions and answers.

That being said, all you need to do is place an addendum in the book and you'll have a very worthy addition to your TREK Library. Oh, the erratum is the Excelsior registry number... a minor error.

The book is divided into ten sections and each section covers a genre of the Star Trek Universe.

Section One Star Trek: The Original Series
Section Two Star Trek: The Next Generation
Section Three Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Section Four Star Trek: Voyager
Section Five Star Trek: The Films
Section Six New Life and New Civilizations
Section Seven Starfleet
Section Eight Personnel Files
Section Nine Abstract Knowledge
Section Ten Answers

I found that I liked this volume for its originality and the questions that are asked are of import. Especially, if you want to check up on a character of film or book. Maybe it's just me, but I like to dig a little farther into the trek genre and get a full range into the story. Sometimes author's assume you know everything about Star Trek, but if your like me you know enough just to be dangerous. This book will help fill in the gaps of your knowledge.

The book is fun and very enjoyable. You'll get a good dose of TREK trivia reading this volume. I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as I did. Reading this book will accelerate your knowleadge of TREK to warp speed... the number of warp speed depends on your previous knowledge, but my estimation would be around 9.0 and if you get volume II you should be cruising at 9.9 and the tachyons are flowing for the trans-warp breakthrough.

Only one quiz has a mistake in it!.......2002-09-08

I don't know why the reviewer below gave the whole book a bad review because one quiz had the answer key messed up! The rest of the book is right on!

STARSHIP SECTION MESSED UP.......2002-08-09

Being that I am currently in the process of writing a book detailing the history of Federation starships, I was apalled when I noticed that most of the registry numbers and classes for the ships were WRONG. My friend and I picked up a copy of this book in our local bookstore and were flipping through it, and we were laughing out loud when we noticed the mistakes.

If you're a ship enthusiast like myself, DO NOT buy this book because it will make you sick to your stomach. Off the top of my head I cannot remember what some of the exact mistakes are, but they claim that the U.S.S. Excelsior's registry number is NCC-53847. Right. And that the U.S.S. Enterprise is NCC-1631 or something like that. Hey, they got the 1's right in the begging and end! Please contact me if you have an opinion about this.

The Definitive Star Trek Trivia Book Volume II.......2002-06-07

The Definitive Star Trek Trivia Book Volume II by Jill Sherwin is a real jewel. The book is divided into 10 chapters and has information on TOS, ST:TNG, DS-9, Voyager, The Films, New Life and New Civilizations, Starfleet, Personnel Files, Abstract Knowledge and of course Number Ten is the Answer section.

So, if you are into TREK, this is the book that will answer some or most of your questions about these areas within the TREK Universe. I found that reading and answering the questions further increased my knowledge about these TREK areas. And if you need to settle a dispute... you've got the answer book to help you.

As the Trek Universe expands, I look forward to more of these compendia to be published. The book is set up well and is extremely well thought out.

This is an excellent addition to your Trek library.

The Definitive Star Trek Trivia Book Volume II.......2002-06-07

As the Trek Universe expands, I look forward to more of these compendia to be published. The book is set up well and is extremely well thought out.

This is an excellent addition to your Trek library.

Average customer rating:

great treatise!

An interesting description and defense of Paganism

Bold and Fresh. Not without difficulties, but well-argued.

Wrong about paganism in the United States

A Fine Study

Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion
Michael York
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0814797083
Release Date: 2005-04-01

Book Description

View the Table of Contents. Read the Preface.

"Folk religionists and those interested in placing 'pagan phenomena' in the context of worldwide religiousity will find York's book interesting."
—Missiology: An International Review"I have little doubt that it will reinvigorate not only the debate over the definition of religion but, perhaps more significantly, the debate over where one religion starts and another ends."—Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"Scholarly, but wholly accessible."—Terry Gifford (University of Leeds)

"This work will interest anyone investigating the nexus of science, social policy, and the law in modern America."—Sociology of Religion

"Part travelogue, part theological argument, part sociological study, Michael York's Pagan Theology is a tour through paganism's multiple forms in space and time. York does an admirable job of making paganism visible as an important area of study in religion. Pagan Theology will appeal to an international audience of scholars and practitioners of Paganism, but should also be of interest to scholars of religion more broadly, since York examines paganism in a global context, and as it occurs within other world religions, as root religion."—The Pomegranate

"York has collected a great diversity of global religious information to compare and contrast the fundamental and universal religious elements they contain. This appears to be his life work."
—Journal of the American Academy of Religion

”There is interesting and valuable information in Pagan Theory. The author has done his homework, and much of what he writes is taken from first-hand observation.”
—facingnorth.net )

"Michael York has laid the intellectual groundwork for a new approach to theology, one which hopefully might reconcile the appalling feuding ones of our time."
—The Quest

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

"York endeavors to demonstrate that paganism in its many varieties has an underlying unity."
—Library Journal

In Pagan Theology, Michael York situates Paganism—one of the fastest-growing spiritual orientations in the West—as a world religion. He provides an introduction to, and expansion of, the concept of Paganism and provides an overview of Paganism's theological perspective and practice. He demonstrates it to be a viable and distinguishable spiritual perspective found around the world today in such forms as Chinese folk religion, Shinto, tribal religions, and neo-Paganism in the West.

While adherents to many of these traditions do not use the word "pagan" to describe their beliefs or practices, York contends that there is an identifiable position possessing characteristics and understandings in common for which the label "pagan" is appropriate. After outlining these characteristics, he examines many of the world's major religions to explore religious behaviors in other religions which are not themselves pagan, but which have pagan elements. In the course of examining such behavior, York provides rich and lively descriptions of religions in action, including Buddhism and Hinduism.

Pagan Theology claims Paganism's place as a world religion, situating it as a religion, a behavior, and a theology.

Customer Reviews:

great treatise!.......2006-08-19

I strongly encourage anyone interested in this topic to give this book a try. An excellent monograph on the subject. The author has something interesting to share, and does it in a succinct way. Not a casual read, but very good nonetheless...

An interesting description and defense of Paganism.......2005-08-08

There are plenty of books about theology. But not all that many on Pagan theology. That means that a book like this one could be pioneering, but it might also be trivial.

In spite of all that has been written about monotheistic theology, I find the concept of a "perfect Creator," let alone a just, good, omnescient, or omnipresent one rather silly. In my opinion, real Goddesses and Gods are perfections of attributes. Now, is that what most folks think? Is it what the author of this book thinks?

Well, it isn't something everyone agrees on. As York says in his preface, the associate provost of Boston University finds neopagans "confused, deluded, frivolous, and devoid of intellectual seriousness." Hey, that's what I think of the Christians, Jews, and Muslims! Anyway, the provost's point is that Pagan religions offer no ethical guidance. And there is something to that. Pagans often try to learn how to contribute as best they can in areas they feel are of value. Monotheists worry more about what it is they ought to value. But to claim that monotheists offer ethical guidance is something of an exaggeration, as is the suggestion that Pagans offer less ethical guidance.

So I can see why York wrote this book. He's quite properly defending the claim that Pagan religions are serious.

York begins with a chapter on Paganism as religion. He starts by leaving out the monotheists, the Buddhists, and even the Hindus (huh?) as Pagans. And he discusses folk religions of China, Japan, and elsewhere. The focus is on supernatural aspects.

Next comes a chapter on Paganism as behavior. That means the commitment that Pagans display. But just what is that commitment to? There is some description of some Gods and Goddesses, but I don't think York really answers this question well. There is also some description of ritual. But is ritual a mere display of commitment? Or does it have an independent significance in making one a different person? At least, this chapter devotes a great deal of space to Hinduism. As well as Buddhism and monotheism.

At the end of the book, the author has a chapter on Paganism as theology. He tells of the difference between Paganism and Gnosticism. And he addresses the charge that Pagan religions can be reactionary, fascist, chauvinist, and racist (actually, this charge can be made against monotheistic religions as well).

This is a pretty good book. But I think we're still awaiting a serious and pioneering work on the topic.

Bold and Fresh. Not without difficulties, but well-argued........2005-03-23

Michael York's book attempts to resurrect a category of cross-cultural religious understanding once thought to be irredeemably imperialist, archaic or Eurocentric. In examining Paganism, he is not concentrating on contemporary forms referred to as Neo-Paganism, but rather drawing thematic continuities to forms of worship across times and spaces. From Greco-Roman times onwards, York sees Pagan gods as essentially having an kindred affinity with Humans--different in degree rather than in kind. Fundamental "animism, polytheism, idolatry, corpospirituality, local emphasis," geosacrality, apotheosis, devotional reciprocity, regeneration, circular history, vitalism, phallicism, and most of all, celebration---these are the salient forms York finds in Paganism as a root religious type. Earth and Nature are the sacred texts for Pagan religions.

There is typically an "otherworld," but not a transcendent one. Rather, for York, Otherworlds in Paganism are earthly paradises, or at least realms that intersect with with this world and immanent, sometimes co-terminous, even "co-dependent" with this realm. Again, often a difference of degree, rather than kind. The flexibility and innovations of dioscuric triads and Shaman-Tricksters are common as well, and York connects this theme again across spaces, from the Norse trickster Loki to Hermetic Sacred Magic in the Western Tradition. Behaviorally, York draws on Peter Berger to claim that natural, spontaneous worship directed in this world is characteristic of Paganism, as well as the idolatrous bhakti devotions of vernacular Hinduism. Even Thai Theravada Buddhism is examined for its devotion to relics, veneration of images, and tradition of geolocal domestic spirit houses.

A number of different religious expressions are examined for these forms of devotion. Chinese folk religion (including but not limited to ritual Taoism), Japanese forms of Shinto, and vernacular (but not speculative or Brahmanical) Hinduism. Afro-Carribean and contemporary Western Paganisms are also examined as part of these ways of approaching sacrality.

This not to say that all Paganisms are the same. York makes sub-typological distinctions, such as geopaganism, recopaganism, and neopaganism. York actually places Neopaganism on the fringes of the typology, due to its alleged lack of actual polytheism. And he is careful to include significant doses of humanism, from Epicurus to Confucian ideology, that accompany different forms of Paganism. York also does not shy away from the "darker" aspects of Paganism. For if Paganism works by enhancing/restoring environmental equilibrium, sometimes both offensive and defensive modes are needed. Contrary to what some would argue, this makes Paganism more of an ethical religious stance for York than the transcendental or gnostic religious modes, as he later points out.

The first part of the book is largely devoted to fleshing out the typology, while the second section covers examples from these many cross-cultural traditions that exemplify parts of the typology. Thirdly Paganism is contrasted to what he calls 'gnostic' modes of religiosity or 'transcendental' modes, although all of these are found as modes within individual large religious traditions. Yet York sees 'world-denying' religions such as Christianity, Zororastrianism, and speculative Buddhism as more properly transcendental or gnostic religions. Some of these non-Pagan modes are found within the heritage of Western occultism. For example, York considers Platonism, Theosophy and New-Age more gnostically oriented than Pagan.

Its a bold book, and one that has merits. Some volumes work by claiming large amounts of ground, which is then refined and modified/challenged over time. This may be one of those volumes. There are some vocabulary archaisms, such as the terms "primitive," "cult" and "Lamaism," which communicate some of the unease associated with what some may see as imperialist throwback. I think there is significant merit in York's argument, although I see concerns as well. But York is to be commended for his boldness in articulating a major field of study. In closing, it is perhaps important that York himself closes with a mention of Pagan ethics, naming "honor," "trust," and "friendship" as an ethical triad. Paganism, after all, since it is at heart concerned with relationality and relationships, is an ethical religious stance before it is anything else.

Wrong about paganism in the United States.......2005-03-23

As a general overview of (neo) pagan beliefs, the book is basically accurate. However, the author clearly has no understanding of American religious beliefs, history, or American culture in general. Conceptually, the book is often astoundingly wrong--see the other Amazon reviews--and the book lacks even the basic facts about paganism or any religion in the United States. The author has not consulted the readily available scholarly work on neopaganism in the United States, and he seems unfamiliar with pagan authors as well.

A Fine Study.......2004-04-03

This is a fine study of the ideas that lay behind ancient Paganism, and how they relate to and resemble the ideas of modern Paganism.

York proposes a model of Paganism which is pluralistic and polytheistic, nature-focused, human-focused and that seeks a good life on earth more than it does a specific sort of good afterlife.

He begins by examining some of the most well-preserved of ancient forms, those of China and India. He finds in traditional Taoist Paganism his first and most complete model. In Hinduism he has to choose among the many forms to find the (still fairly prominent) presence of Pagan ways. Having isolated the pagan remnants in those ways, he goes on to other world religions, including Japanese culture, European Catholicism and North American First Peoples. York makes fairly good use of material from the african world, including santeria, Lucumi, and the like.

After pointing out the Pagan ideas in the various world paths, he examines the neopagan movement, and reaches interesting conclusions.

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