Bob Rafelson: Hollywood Maverick (Twayne's Filmmakers Series)

Customer Reviews:

Great presentation of the life of a great director.......1999-01-13

Jay Boyer transports us across the lifetime of a gifted director, illustrating the gowth, successes and failures of Bob Rafaelson, while punctuating it with fascinating life details. A scholarly writing with necessary references, yet told in a compelling, human way. I recommend this for anyone, student or afficionado.

Book Description

Based on extensive fieldwork and documentary research in China, this book is a chronicle of the musical history of Lijiang County in China's southern Yunnan Province. It focuses on Dongjing music, a repertoire borrowed from China's Han ethnic majority by the indigenous Naxi inhabitants of Lijiang County. Used in Confucian worship as well as in secular entertainment, Dongjing music played a key role the Naxi minority's assimilation of Han culture over the last 200 years. Prized for its complexity and elegance, which set it apart from "rough" or "simpler" indigenous Naxi music, Dongjing played an important role in defining social relationships, since proficiency in the music and membership in the Dongjing associations signified high social status and cultural refinement. In addition, there is a strong political component in its examination of the role of indigenous music in the relation of a socialist state to its ethnic minorities. The first in English on this rich musical tradition, this book is also unique in providing a complete history of the music in a single region in China over the twentieth century. It integrates individual, local, and national histories with musical experience and musical change. Ethnic music in China provides a vivid example of the tremendous cultural changes over the past century, and the tradition continues to evolve as China encourages ethnic diversity within a unified socialist nation. The book includes a case study of China's tourist trade and its policies toward minorities. The book also features a music CD with many of the examples discussed in the text.

Rhapsody in Red- How Western Classical Music Became Chinese

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From Ricci and Paci, via Mao and Mozart, to Tan Dun
Bravo!
best story this year

Rhapsody in Red- How Western Classical Music Became Chinese
Sheila Melvin , and Cai Jingdong
Manufacturer: Algora Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Locating East Asia in Western Art Music (Music Culture)

ASIN: 0875861792

Book Description

Western classical music has become as Chinese as Peking Opera, and it has woven its way into the hearts and lives of ordinary Chinese people. This lucidly written account traces the biographies of the bold visionaries who carried out this musical merger. Rhapsody in Red is a history of classical music in China that revolves around a common theme: how Western classical music entered China, and how it became Chinese. China's oldest orchestra was founded in 1879, two years before the Boston Symphony. Since then, classical music has woven its way into the lives of ordinary Chinese people. Millions of Chinese children take piano and violin lessons every week. Yet, despite the importance of classical music in China - and of Chinese classical musicians and composers to the world - next to nothing has been written on this fascinating subject. The authors capture the events with the voice of an insider and the perspective of a Westerner, presenting new information, original research and insights into a topic that has barely been broached elsewhere. "Every chapter is as exiting as it is revealing. The book is thoroughly researched, with superb bibliography. I am ecstatic; my students will be electrified." - Clive M. Marks, Chairman, The London College of Music, Trestee, Trinity College of Music and The London Philarmonic Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

From Ricci and Paci, via Mao and Mozart, to Tan Dun.......2005-03-14

"How and why did Western classical music develop such deep roots [in China]? This is a question that we [Sheila Melvin and Jindong Cai] have often asked ourselves-and been asked-and it is this that we set out to answer in writing Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese."

This very readable short history of western classical music in China is more thoroughly structured than a "rhapsody," not just about music and certainly more colorful than just "red." The three most interesting chapters, in fact, cover the pre-communist era. It is generally known that the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci introduced Euclidean geometry to Chinese mathematicians in 1607, but did you know that he also presented Ming Emperor Wan Li with a clavichord? The chapter "Musical Voyages" tells the incredible story of this somewhat politically motivated adventure. In the beginning the Jesuits were sabotaged by the corrupt imperial eunuch Ma Tang and later, after the Emperor had finally received the gift, Father Pantoia, himself an amateur musician, had to instruct palace eunuchs in the art of playing the clavichord. Emperor Wan Li happened to be "on strike" and was unwilling to receive any guests. But he did seem curious enough to hear the sound of the clavichord and thus was the first "piano" recital in China given by palace eunuchs.

During the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi, Western music had become far less exotic to the monarch. He had taken lessons and "supposed himself to be an excellent musician" though he probably "knew nothing." "There was a cymbal or spinet in almost every apartment [of the palace], but neither he nor his ladies could play upon them; sometimes indeed with one of his fingers he touched a note, which was enough, according to the extravagant flattery practised at the court of China, to throw the by-standers into ecstasies of admiration [...]." Needless to say, these extravaganzas had no musical influence beyond the palace.

"The Best Orchestra in the Far East" is another very interesting chapter dealing with the pre-communist era. It tells the early history of the (then) exclusively non-Chinese Shanghai Municipal Orchestra under the leadership of the Italian pianist Mario Paci and also describes the beginning days of the Shanghai Conservatory. The exotic mix of Eastern and Western, that decadent yet energetic cultural atmosphere of Shanghai during the "Golden Twenties" and early Thirties has always fascinated me and this chapter is giving a vivid portrait of persons and events. Yet it is quite objective in its judgment of the period, which has sometimes been hyped as the non-plus-ultra in cultural refinement but was more often denounced as bourgeois and racist in politically tainted distortions. The picture that emerges after reading this chapter is, that the Western music culture in Shanghai at that time was indeed dominated by foreigners. But it was also the cradle of all those important Chinese musicians who became the founding fathers of China's present music life, of all those early composers conductors, educators, organizers, etc. and it seems that only this fundamental exposure to the vibrancy of Western music gave them the humanity to survive those later horrors of the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution."

I recommend the chapter "The Cultural Revolution" not so much for the description of the miserable yet popular model operas that were produced at that time under the supervision of Jiang Qing (Mao Zedong's wife) but rather for the touching stories about the individual fates of various musicians who either became victims or used various tactics to survive. At the Shanghai Conservatory alone 17 professors and spouses committed suicide. Some others, like the Conservatory's "hard-boned" director He Luting, defied their attackers without ever "lying down." By the time He, who reminds me a bit of Nien Cheng (Life and Death in Shanghai), was finally released from jail and rehabilitated he had written 64 rebuttals of the charges leveled against him. Central Conservatory president Ma Sicong (Sitson Ma) took a different approach: he escaped China in a very dramatic way which caused terrible suffering to many people related to him. Other famous musicians on the other hand seem to have managed to advance their careers during the Cultural Revolution. Even though Red Guards twisted the wrists of pianist Liu Shikun, he was later invited by Jiang Qing herself to play Liszt's First Piano Concerto. Pianist Yin Chengzong became a member of Jiang Qing's "inner circle of favorite artists" and contributed to the construction of the (in)famous Yellow River Concerto performing it frequently. Interestingly both pianists manage to adapt equally well to capitalism now and the Liu Shikun Piano Arts School, headquartered in Hong Kong, has branches all over China.

Personally I find the story of conductor Li Delun the most amazing document of human adaptability I have ever read. "Rhapsody in Red" could also be called a biography of Li Delun, because his life is a metaphor of artistic survival and this is actually the "leitmotif" of "Rhapsody in Red." Especially revealing is the uniquely subtle manner in which he apparently went along with and yet manipulated the erratic moods of Jiang Qing. Sometimes I am reminded of the relationship between Shostakovich and Stalin, but the relationship between Mao's wife and the conductor seemed to be more flexible.

The last chapter about the "New Era" is a bit disappointing. Unlike the earlier chapters it fails to project personal experiences. The music life of China after the Cultural Revolution seems to have suddenly mutated into a carbon-copy of other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Singapore or Taiwan. What is lacking in this report is a clear explanation of how the earlier history has managed to influence this development and given China's music life a personal note which would distinguish it from that of the other Asian countries. Taiwan, for example, has had no "Shanghai" and no "Cultural Revolution." Yet all those modern "Chinese" phenomena described here, the (somewhat superficial) popularity of western classical music, the curious but sometimes strangely behaved audiences, the diligent but slightly narrow minded students, the naiveté, the will to succeed, the ambitious parents, the energetic but sometimes corrupt music market, etc.....; all those phenomena can equally be observed in Taiwan and in Japan and Korea as well. I fail to see what is particularly "Chinese" about this. The chapter also cannot make me believe that-inspite of the enormous outward success of China's music students-the spirit of western classical music has sunk deep roots into China's society. Music seems to be approached, rather, as an "Olympic discipline." The title "How Western Classical Music Became Chinese" may thus be somewhat misleading.

Nevertheless, I found this book to be a very interesting read and enjoyed listening to "Rhapsody in Red."

Bravo!.......2004-11-17

Ignore the drab cover, Rhapsody in Red is as dramatic, moving and packed with unexpected twists as China's own turbulent history. Although the theme is Western, classical music the book is really about the people who fought over its evolution in China. From missionaries and mandarins to maestros and Mrs. Mao, the lives described are full of bravery, treachery and above all passion for music and their country.

The style is refreshingly direct and although the research is extraordinarily thorough it never reads like a dry, academic history book. There are many wonderful anecdotes drawn from face to face interviews and the descriptive passages are beautifully written.

From imperial times right through to modern China the writers not only provide an incredible wealth of detailed information, but they also manage to capture the atmosphere of the times. Whether it be in the imperial court in the Forbidden city, or in Shanghai during the swinging thirties, or behind the scenes in China's first conservatories of music, or in the caves of Yanan where many of the theories about the role of culture in Communist China were first set out, the combination of the occasional poiniant descriptive passage, biographic details of individuals and thorough historical research really bring these places to life for the reader.

Western classical music also proves to be a fascinating vantage point from which to analyse and develop a deeper understanding of the many debates that raged about the role of culture in Chinese society as a whole, as well as how The Middle Kingdom should respond to foreign powers.

For musicians and musicologists, sinologists, historians and anyone interested in the cultural interaction between East and West, this is one of the very best books on the subject out there today.

best story this year.......2004-08-06

"How Western classical music became Chinese" doesn't capture the real subject of this book: this is probably one of the five best books in print on Chinese history and cultural interchange. Using "classical music diplomacy" as a uniting thread, these authors tell the story of China's encounter with Western Europe and North America from the mission of Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci in the early 17th century through the "model operas" of the Cultural Revolution, one of which was performed for Nixon and Kissinger, to the break-through popular composers of contemporary China. They use fascinatingly detailed personal stories to illustrate these convergence points. Musicologists will love it, but it is no more about music than Nixon's diplomacy was about ping-pong. This book cannot be missed by anyone who loves a good story.

Chinese Music in the 20th Century (Chinese Music Monograph Series)

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Chinese Music in the 20th Century (Chinese Music Monograph Series)
Sin-Yan Shen
Manufacturer: Chinese Music Society of
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1880464047

Book Description

From the Chinese Music Monograph Series (CMMS). We review the music of China in the 20th Century, beginning with the collapse of the Qing regime. The end of the 20th Century is marked by China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Over the last decade Premier Zhu Rongji has adopted a partial U.S. model for China's economic development: one that is partly but substantially driven by China's internal consumption. There is no strong evidence, however, that Zhu Rongji's economic development model can sustain China's cultural development in long term. The 20th Century was a unique era filled with constant social and political turmoil, much of which were at times devastating to Chinese music. This book brings you back to the beginning of the 20th Century, the end of the two thousand years of monarchy and the beginning of the Republic, when Chinese music faced a life-or-death challenge from the West.

Peng Xiuwen was China's most important conductor in the twentieth century. Peng Xiuwen, a native of Wuhan, started playing the erhu at twelve. In 1950 he joined the People's Broadcasting Station as part of the music editorial department in Chongqing. In 1952 he began his life-long work of serving the broadcasting industry as its music expert and conductor, and has directed the China Broadcasting Traditional Orchestra for the last four decades 1952-1996.

Liu Mingyuan, a native of Tianjing, started playing the banhu at the age of five in 1936. In 1945 Liu Mingyuan was leading his school orchestra on the gaohu. In 1952 he started the core group of the Xinying Chinese Orchestra for the film industry. Chinese recordings of classical music did not appear in large quantities until the 1950s and the 1960s. During this golden era of Chinese recordings, Liu Mingyuan produced the most number of solo and orchestral compositions and recordings. Liu wrote the largest number of successful works among mainland artists, and elevated the performing techniques and artistry of the banhu, the erhu, and the zhonghu. The banhu was Liu's real love. He also composed and recorded on the popular second fiddle - the erhu. His artistry and tone on this common instrument was unmatched anywhere. His best-known innovation was to use the zhonghu (mid-ranged erhu) to play "On the Grassland". This Mongolian/prairie favorite is today the best-known classic for this instrument but it was written by Liu Mingyuan not that long ago. Artists throughout the Chinese-speaking communities have tried to imitate his zhonghu tone, but with no success.

In the course of history there are few who make it possible for significant personalities in music to be broadly known and recorded. Li Songshou is the man who put the erhu master A Bing on the map of Chinese music. For Li's work, the world is forever grateful to him for writing A Bing into Chinese music history. Li knew A Bing all his life.

I consider "I live at the Source of the Yangzi" one of the best written Chinese art songs ever, and Qing Zhu's music is in the spirit of Xin Qiji's ci. Qing Zhu was a member of the 1911 Revolution. Qing Zhu was one of the most accomplished art song composers of China in the 20th Century, and is one who had not been adequately recognized.

Sheng Jialun, like many Chinese intellectuals, was passionately involved in a historical mission to preserve and propagate Chinese culture. Throughout his life, he collected guqin scores on the streets of China. The favorite of art songs in the 20th century, almost composed exclusively during the war years was Zhang Han-hui's "Songhuajiang Shang" (On the Songhua River). For this historically important composition, Zhang Han-hui was featured as a Musician of the Year, during the 20th Century in the "Chinese Music" international journal by the Chinese Music Society of North America (CMSNA).

The existence of the new " Fantasy on the Sanmen Gorge" was the high point of the "Spring of Shanghai 1963" in Shanghai as an entry submitted by Beijing, at the annual music festival in Shanghai. The Spring of Shanghai was organized by Shanghai Chapter of the All China Musicians' Association, and Shanghai Cultural Bureau, annually from 1960 to 1966. The Cultural Revolution stopped organization until spring of 1980. At the 4th annual "Spring of Shanghai" in 1963, Shanghai created an Erhu and Violin Competition for China nationally. The specific high note was Wang Guotong first performed Fantasy on the Sanmen Gorge in 1963. A recording of Fantasy on the Sanmen Gorge was made by Wang Guotong (erhu) and Zhou Guangren (piano) in the same year in 1963 by China Record Company. "Fantasy on the Sanmen Gorge," the most brilliant composition for erhu (Shen, 1979) was written 1958, by Liu Wenjin at the age of 23.

The most successful performance 1950-2001 were made by the China Broadcasting Traditional Orchestra, the China National Orchestra, the Shanghai Traditional Orchestra, the Xinying Traditional Orchestra, and the Qianwei Traditional Orchestra.

Book Description

Claiming Diaspora explores the thriving contemporary musical culture of Asian/Chinese America. Ranging from traditional operas to modern instrumental music, from ethnic media networks to popular music, from Asian American jazz to the work of recent avant-garde composers, author Su Zheng reveals the rich and diverse musical activities among Chinese Americans and tells of the struggles and creative searches by Chinese Americans to gain a foothold in the American cultural terrain. In doing so, she not only tells their stories, but also examines the transnational and racialized experiences of this musical culture, challenging us to take a fresh look at the increasingly plural and complex nature of American cultural identity. Until recently, two intersected models have dominated studies of Asian American cultural expressions. The notion of "claiming America" has been a fundamental political strategy for the Asian American movement; while the Americanization model for European immigrants has minimized the impact of the "old country" on immigrant life and cultural expression. In Claiming Diaspora, Zheng critically analyzes the controversies surrounding these two models. She unveils the fluid and evolving nature of music in Chinese America, discussing current cultural struggles, while acknowledging an unavoidable connection to a history of Asian exclusion in the U.S. Furthermore, Zheng breaks from traditional approaches which have portrayed the music of non-Western people as rooted and immobile to examine the concept of "diaspora" in the context of Asian American experiences and cultural theories of space, place, and displacement. She calls into question the contested meaning of "Asian American" and "Asian American cultural identity" in cultural productions, and builds a comprehensive picture of community and cultural transformation in Chinese and Asian America. Zheng taps unpublished historical sources of immigrant narrative songs, extensive fieldwork in New York City and China, in-depth interviews in which musicians narrate their life stories and music experiences, and her own longstanding involvement as community member, musician, presenter, and cultural broker. The book delineates the introduction of each music genre from its homeland and its subsequent development in New York, and explains how Chinese Americans express their cultural longings and belongings. Ultimately, Zheng reveals how Chinese American musical activities both reflect and contribute to local, national, and transnational cultural politics.

Troubadours, Trumpeters, Troubled Makers: Lyricism, Nationalism, and Hybridity in China and Its Others (Asia-Pacific)

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Contestataires chinois et chanteurs d'Occitanie
The China Journal says:
Chineseness and poetic and political cultures

Troubadours, Trumpeters, Troubled Makers: Lyricism, Nationalism, and Hybridity in China and Its Others (Asia-Pacific)
Gregory B. Lee
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Chinese | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

How have the lyrics of poets and songwriters, traditionally voices of protest against domination and exploitation in Chinese society, responded to the forces of cultural imperialism and nationalistic ideology that have accompanied the modernization of Chinese society in the last half of this century. Gregory B. Lee suggests that the response can be seen in a proliferation of hybrid lyric forms and culturesâfrom both within China and beyondâand that China’s "culture of lyricism" contributes in powerful, significant, and often resistant ways to the nation’s sense of itself and its encounter with modernity.
Lee’s broad definition of lyric includes the work of poets, amateur versifiers, and all manner of popular songwriters, and his inclusive sense of nation refers to all Chinese communities regardless of geographic location. Whether examining the globalized consumption of satellite-broadcast pop music or the heroic efforts of little-known poets on the margins of the Chinese diaspora, he finds a questioning and contesting of both the Orientalist construction of a mythic monolithic China invented by the West and the Chinese obsession with ideas of authenticity and purity of nationhood. Lee explores the lyrical transgression of these ideological boundaries in China, in the Chinese communities of America and Britain, and in other marginalized communities, before using the examples of Hong Kong and other non-nationalistic sites to discuss the creative possibilities of hybrid cultures and societies.

Customer Reviews:

Contestataires chinois et chanteurs d'Occitanie.......2002-10-24

Pour l'Occident, la Chine qui a constitué depuis plusieurs siècles à la fois un spectacle et un spectre. Alors que pour la Chine, c'est l'Occident qui l'a menacée, envahie, et contrainte à changer ses modes de vie. Pendant plus d'un siècle la société et la culture chinoises ont dû faire face aux pratiques et aux mentalités de la modernité occidentale et le métissage socioculturel y a été imposé par le colonialisme. En Occident, en choisissant d'oublier cette histoire, on exige aussi que la Chine reste « authentique » et « exotique », source de philosophies apaisantes et passives pour assouvir nos âmes troublées.

Que cet ouvrage cible les pratiques lyriques n'est pas un choix aléatoire, car si c'est le roman qui a narré et négocié notre modernité, c'est bien la poésie, quand ses pratiquants ne se sont pas laissés séduire par les politiciens, qui l'a contesté.

Dans ce livre, des contestataires lyriques célèbres, tels que Benjamin Péret côtoient des poètes chinois « dissidents » tels que Duoduo et Bei Dao, et des penseurs d'avant-garde tels Guy Debord et Raoul Vaneigem, sont associes à des chanteurs d'Occitanie, à des troubadours des Chinatowns, ou encore aux pionniers du rock et roll pékinois. La mobilisation de ces diverses formes de pensée exprime toute la puissance que représente l'arme de la critique intellectuelle et poétique.

Dans les combats de civilisation qui se jouent aujourd'hui autours des formes de la mondialisation n'oublions pas le monde rêvé par les penseurs poétiques qui en imaginent aussi l'avenir.
PS Ce livre est disponible en français : La Chine et le spectre de l'Occident : Contestation poétique, modernité et métissage.
Editions Syllepse, Paris, 2002

The China Journal says:.......1999-09-10

Louise Edwards writing in The China Journal (July 1999) says: "This innovative volume furthers a dialogue between China studies and postcolonial and cultural studies. Using literary debate as its primary focus (popular music is also discussed in Chapter 6), the book raises questions for all disciplines of China studies, Gregory Lee also makes a timely contribution to the field of postcolonial studies...Troubadours, Trumpeters, Troubled Makers makes a valuable contribution in resisting the "mixophobia" that is so prevalent in academic scholarship."

Chineseness and poetic and political cultures.......1999-08-22

This book attempts to promote a non-authentic, non ethnocentric, and more complex perspective on certain aspects of Chinese poetic and political culture. Its concerns, as the title suggests, are not just with the culture of making and consuming lyrics, poems and songs, but also with questions to which such practices give rise. As the sub-title ( Lyricism, Nationalism and Hybridity in China and Its Others) suggests the interest is also in `inauthentic' hybrid practices and communities - the book talks not just about mainland China, but about peripheral communities like Chinatowns and Hong Kong. Since this is a comprative work it looks at other non-national communities and cultures like that of southern France, or Occitania. Nor is the book an orthodox British or Western sinological statement on modern Chinese culture. Rather it attempts to shed light on those lyrical works that are either marginalized and occulted, or considered by conventional scholars to be literally beneath consideration. The chapters on contemporary poetry and the chapter on Chinese popular music, are attempts to do just that. Similarly the chapter on the representation of the Chinese American and the descendants of Chinese immigrants to Britain is there to tell a story of Chinese people who in a sense are no longer Chinese, and yet will always be seen and represented as such, and so at a certain level will always remain so.

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This Guide Helped Me More Than Any Other

Get ready for a challenge

how-to

Excellent beginner's introduction to cryptic crosswords

Random House Guide to Cryptic Crosswords: How to Solve America's Trickiest Puzzles, Plus 65 of Cox & Rathvon's. . . (Other)
Emily Cox , and Henry Rathvon
Manufacturer: Random House Puzzles & Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cryptic | Crosswords | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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National Puzzlers' League Cryptic Crosswords (Other)

Mensa Cryptic Crosswords 2 (Mensa)

How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords (Right Way S.)

The Hidden Code of Cryptic Crosswords

Chambers Cryptic Crosswords and How to Solve Them (Crossword)

ASIN: 0812926218
Release Date: 1996-02-06

Book Description

A comprehensive "how-to" manual to introduce beginners to the world of cryptic crosswords, as well as a collection of the best of Cox & Rathvon's puzzles from Atlantic Monthly -- published here in book form for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

This Guide Helped Me More Than Any Other.......2005-06-24

This is the book that got me started on cryptic puzzles. I had read various free pamphlets offered by newspapers and magazines that ran British cryptics and I had looked at online guides. It didn't all come together until I worked through this book. One nice thing is that, in addition to explaining the various types of clues and how to solve them, the authors provide lots of progressively more difficult practice puzzles that slowly but surely get you into the whole cryptic puzzle mindset.

One minor drawback... This book may not completely prepare you for the difficulty of The Times of London puzzle and other British cryptics. Perhaps the authors could do a follow up volume that would prepare Americans for a few of the eccentricities of British puzzles?

Still, this is the best introduction to cryptics I have encountered. Warning: Once you learn how to do the cryptics, traditional puzzles, even challenging New York Times puzzles, may seem a little dull.

Get ready for a challenge.......2003-12-30

For those of you who are getting bored with conventional crossword puzzles and want to try something different, try a cryptic crossword. It combines the grid and clues of a regular crossword with a bit of wordplay to make it tougher and more interesting. This book provides excellent instructions on how to solve one, with plenty of examples and 8 warm-up puzzles. Next come 15 standard block cryptic puzzles for you to practice on. Then comes the type of cryptic puzzle that Cox and Rathvon are known for: their variety cryptics. These puzzles have a extra twist to them, such as missing clues or grid letters, words changing direction or position in the grid, modified letters, and other devilish permutations to keep you on your toes. These 50 variety cryptics are taken from the pages of the Atlantic Monthly. Finally, Cox and Rathvon provide a couple of chapters on the rules and strategies for creating your own cryptic puzzles.

Once you get the hang of it, solving cryptics is like eating potato chips... you simply can't stop. So you will be happy to know that there is a companion book to this one, called "Atlantic Monthly Cryptic Crosswords," that picks up where this one leaves off and provides another 45 devilishly difficult variety cryptics for you to enjoy.

how-to.......2002-07-27

Cox and Rathvon are the best in the biz at cryptic crosswords, and this is an excellent introduction to their work. They have written a very clear and helpful explanation for how cluing works in cryptics, and also a variety of puzzles to practice with, ranging from those for rank beginners to some "variety" cryptics that will challenge savvy, experienced solvers.

Excellent beginner's introduction to cryptic crosswords.......1996-12-23

The American crosswording public is largely unfamiliar with the cryptic crossword, and are baffled when one turns up. No more! Cox and Rathvon introduce us to this clever and entertaining form of wordplay, taking a very effective phased approach, teaching us the tricks one by one until we're ready to set off on our own. The book also includes eight practice puzzles and 65 full-sized puzzles, graded by difficulty. Anyone who loves word games will want this book. But beware! You'll become hooked on cryptic crosswords; don't say I didn't warn you!

Cryptic Crosswords & How to Solve Them (Official American Mensa Puzzle Book)

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Fine Introduction to the world of Cryptic Crosswords
I like this book.
I like this book.

Cryptic Crosswords & How to Solve Them (Official American Mensa Puzzle Book)
Fred Piscop , and American Mensa Limited
Manufacturer: Sterling Pub Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0806977515

Customer Reviews:

Fine Introduction to the world of Cryptic Crosswords.......2002-01-10

The author indicates how the typical cryptic clue is comprised. There is a definition portion and a wordplay portion. He then goes on to describe the different kinds of wordplays normally used in clueing. Each chapter describes one kind of wordplay. At the end of each chapter, there is a mini crossword that employs that particular wordplay and there are sometimes more exercises based on the wordplays covered so far. The end of the book contains full-sized and increasingly complex crosswords which are a pleasure to solve after the entire book has been read.

The style of writing is very simple and easy to understand also. If you ever wanted to get introduced to cryptic crosswords, there isn't a better alternative than to pick up a copy of this book and get cracking...

I like this book........1999-04-05

I like this book very much

I like this book........1999-04-05

I like this book very much

Chambers Cryptic Crosswords and How to Solve Them (Crossword)

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Chambers Cryptic Crosswords and How to Solve Them (Crossword)
Michael Kindred , and Derrick Knight
Manufacturer: Chambers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0550100539

Cryptic Crosswords and How to Solve Them

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Cryptic Crosswords and How to Solve Them
Michael Kindred , and Derrick Knight
Manufacturer: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0550190368

How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords (Right Way S.)

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How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords (Right Way S.)
Kevin Skinner
Manufacturer: Elliot Right Way Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0716020130

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How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords

Manufacturer: ELLIOT RIGHT WAY BOO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

No doubt about it: The newest diversity issue in the workplace is age diversity. Many organizations have finally figured out how to recruit young talent only to watch them drive down a collision course with seasoned employees over issues like work ethic, respect for authority, dress code and every work arrangement imaginable. And they're not sure what to do about it. The fact is, generational conflicts are not merely a matter of young versus old. They mirror critical business issues every organization faces as it transitions from the workplace of the past to that of the future. Managing the Generation Mix will help you place your multi-generational team on the course to collaboration.

Customer Reviews:

Good Basic Information.......2007-07-26

Managing Generation Y gives a good overview of the characteristics of this age group. This book gives some practical tips, and some food for thought to develop your own tips, on how to best manage people of this generation.

I found the book useful.

Too simplistic.......2006-07-08

A much too simplistic look at a complex issue- intergenerational-management. To read this book, you'd think that Gen X and Baby Boomers are dinasaurs with attitude problems and that Gen Y comes to the work place with nothing but exceptional skills and enthusiasm. It would have been much more valuable to compare positive work styles and philosophies of these different generations, rather than using the extremes of one generation representing the nightmarish boss and the other representing the bright young professional. Keep shopping for a better book.

Answers to Key Issues.......2003-10-20

This book is an easy read providing answers to the many difficult questions surrounding Generation Y. Mr. Tulgan identifies important characteristics, and management techniques for dealing with Generation Y employees. Perhaps the best tools are the "real-life" practices he outlines to deal with the fouteen characteristics of the new workforce. I highly recommend this work for any manager with young employees.

Help with Gen Y-ers.......2002-11-16

As a Boomer in charge of a bunch of entry-level Yers, a lot of what Martin and Tulgan had to say about this generation really hit the target. I find my Yers incredibly impatient about getting training and having more responsibility. It seems like they all expect to go from college grad to CEO in their first year! On top of it all, I have several that are pains in the neck about all kinds of things--pay, dress code, scheduling, you name it, they want to change it. I bought this book to see if I could find a way to rein my Yers into our work culture. Martin and Tulgan showed me that I was thinking about all these things as problems, when they're really solutions. In the book, they give fourteen ways of being a better Gen Y manager, along with tons of ideas on how to achieve each one. Some of the ideas are better for me in my position in my company than others, but there's something there for everyone at every level in every company.

A great resource for managers and leaders.......2002-11-08

This is one of the best management/leadership best practices books I have personally read. It gives great insight into the next generation of industry leadership in simple enough terms for anyone to understand it and APPLY it quickly.

As a leadership practitioner, generational diversity and management, although discussed quite frequently is still and up and coming subject.

I work with college and high school aged students on a daily basis and the generational assumptions this book presents ring true to the majority of the students we work with and the best practices have helped us gain substantial improvement in quality and quantity of work from our younger employees.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from SAM Advanced Management Journal, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 8121 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: Managing Generation Y.
Author: Susan P. Eisner
Publication: SAM Advanced Management Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Page: 4(13)

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Managing the Gen X/Y employee.(ABM Quarterly Feature): An article from: Alaska Business Monthly

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Managing the Gen X/Y employee.(ABM Quarterly Feature): An article from: Alaska Business Monthly
Lynne Curry
Manufacturer: Alaska Business Publishing Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Alaska Business Monthly, published by Alaska Business Publishing Company, Inc. on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1314 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: Managing the Gen X/Y employee.(ABM Quarterly Feature)
Author: Lynne Curry
Publication: Alaska Business Monthly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2003
Publisher: Alaska Business Publishing Company, Inc.
Volume: 19 Issue: 11 Page: 30(2)

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Managing the millennials: high performance and high maintenance, generation Y requires a different type of management.(Agent/Broker)(Column): An article from: Best's Review

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Managing the millennials: high performance and high maintenance, generation Y requires a different type of management.(Agent/Broker)(Column): An article from: Best's Review
Sharon Cunningham
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Best's Review, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 528 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: Managing the millennials: high performance and high maintenance, generation Y requires a different type of management.(Agent/Broker)(Column)
Author: Sharon Cunningham
Publication: Best's Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 107 Issue: 11 Page: 67(1)

Article Type: Column

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Managing the Y factor: Generation Y employees are out to prove they can perform better than the next group, demanding a management style unlike any before them.(Cover story): An article from: Units

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Managing the Y factor: Generation Y employees are out to prove they can perform better than the next group, demanding a management style unlike any before them.(Cover story): An article from: Units
Paul R., III Bergeron
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
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Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Units, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 3354 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: Managing the Y factor: Generation Y employees are out to prove they can perform better than the next group, demanding a management style unlike any before them.(Cover story)
Author: Paul R., III Bergeron
Publication: Units (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Page: 16(7)

Article Type: Cover story

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