Book Description
'The contributors supply skilful overviews of the major critical approaches' Sight and Sound May 1998 Top international contributors Emphasis throughout on critical concepts, methods and debates Learning aids include chapter summaries, critiques of individual films and further reading This text is perfectly tailored to meet the needs of students taking a course in Hollywood cinema as part of a degree in film, media studies, or cultural studies.
Book Description
A deformed thumb, a neck scar from a stage accident, and a broken left leg, the result of a dramatic leap. These were the telltale markings that for decades identified a sideshow attraction as the supposed body of John Wilkes Booth. They persuaded onlookers that Lincoln's assassin was not killed in 1865 but survived the assault on Garrett's barn to live on as a fugitive for thirty years afterwards. As Wyatt Evans shows, some popular stories, no matter how weird and improbable, simply refuse to die.
Evans recounts how a mummified corpse came to embody the romantic image of the assassin and the legend of his survival. He traces the legend's development in the weeks following the assassination to the appearance of the "Booth Mummy," the remains of an Oklahoma drifter embalmed in 1903 and displayed in carnival sideshows throughout the West. He assesses the political and ideological motivations in both Southern and Northern cultures that made proliferation of the legend possible as well as profitable. He concludes by examining the legend's persistence in present-day America, the mummy's ironic fate, and the recent efforts to exhume Booth's real remains.
Weaving a "vernacular intellectual history," Evans shows how the legend emerged from a tangle of cultural and historical events including white Americans' quest for a suitable racial pre-history, collective memories of the Civil War, and even incipient suspicions of conspiracy, since belief in Booth's escape automatically implied a government cover-up of Booth's capture and death. More than a sop to Confederate diehards for whom Booth's escape symbolized Southern vindication, the legend exemplified Americans' inability and unwillingness to enact closure over the tragedy of Lincoln's death.
The Legend of John Wilkes Booth is a compelling story of how collective memories and popular histories collide with, clash, and sometimes overcome mainstream accounts of the past. It offers an alternate venue for studying the workings of Civil War memory in American culture and demonstrates how (and why) culture produced at the grassroots level can challenge the official version of events. Through his meticulous account, Evans sheds new light on our complex attitudes toward heroes and villains, our need to mythologize tragedies, and our unwillingness to let go of myths, however absurd.
This book is part of the CultureAmerica series.
Customer Reviews:
"Memory is never neat" (p. 14).......2005-06-21
I bought this book because of its intriguing cover and title and because I have a fascination, like a lot of readers, with John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin. C. Wyatt Evans' work started out a lot different than the fun, mass audience-oriented book I expected. It reads like the over-analytical, pedantic works my professors forced me to read in grad school. Evans analyzes the long-running myth (both regional and national) that Booth was not fatally shot in a barn by Sergeant Boston Corbett's nervous trigger finger as government authorities claimed but had escaped and lived out his life in various ways depending on the storyteller. The suicide death of painter and drifter David George in 1903 in Enid, Oklahoma propelled the myth. George supposedly claimed he was Booth and his embalmed remains were put on display at various carnivals and exhibits for years. Evans' introduction is extremely pedantic to the point that I had to read very carefully and slowly (and sometimes several times) to follow along. A sample sentence: "Vernacular, counter, marginal, and associated terms serve as keywords in a cultural critical lexicon that employs them in a positive sense to connote the struggle of marginalized groups to preserve their identities in the face of the dominant group's rendition of the past" (p. 15). Much of the introduction reads this way and if it continued as such, I may have given up. Fortunately, Evans drops a lot of the intellectual buzz words and the rest of the book reads more smoothly. The following briefly describes the content per chapter:
Chapter 1 takes a look at the David George story; why he was thought by some to be Booth and how his corpse ended up an attraction. In addition, Evans considers the history of Enid, OK including its famous land "runs." Chapter 2 explores the history of mummy exhibition in the United States and how the "Booth" mummy fits, for example, "Booth" represented the popular (curiosity of the notorious and horrific) and traditional (celebrated dignity) models of mummy displays. (p. 55). In chapter 3, Evans explains the northern origins of the Booth legend with a history of the assassination and press coverage. Chapter 4 shifts to the south and how many southerners regarded the assassination (relief, feigned mourning) and the legend of Booth's escape (a symbol of "white southern unreconstructedness").
Finis Langdon Bates' 1907 book Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth is analyzed in chapter 5. Bates' attempt to document Booth's escape implicated VP Andrew Johnson but was done in a way to appease both North and South ("Booth" expressing regret for his deed). In chapter 6, the legend becomes a national phenomenon. The legend represented pre-modern views which clashed with the current times. He considers Lincoln's transition to national icon (p. 156), as well as Otto Eisenschiml and Izola Forrester's (who claimed to be Booth's granddaughter) contribution to the legend. Clarence True Wilson's historical and religious interpretation of the legend is examined in chapter 7. Wilson, a classic minister of reform who worshipped Lincoln, saw Booth's survival and sad existence as moral retribution for his act. Chapter 8 deals with the legend in contemporary America with the recent work Dark Union (2003) and 1977's book and film The Lincoln Conspiracy. In his conclusion, Evans states that "the legend's great lesson to the present is how subgroups in American culture appropriate deeply symbolic events for harmful purposes" (p. 218).
As a history of the myth of Booth's escape, Evans' book is thorough, insightful and extremely well researched. I think he over-analyzes the legend, however. Sure, many people through history have considered the possibility of Booth's escape and designated meaning to it. It is a curiosity and, back in the day, a political incendiary. A famous actor killing and president during a bloody war between the states with suspicious government reaction, how can this not make for intrigue and conspiracy theories? Evans makes a lot out of this legend to put forth American cultural meaning, but it seems to me that the people most obsessed with the issue are the ones hoping to profit from it either through books or by exhibiting a mummy claimed to be Booth. It is an interesting story, of course, without the analytical stuff. I'm just not convinced it is much more than an intriguing footnote to history.
Booth, the Actor & Assassin........2005-05-25
May 25, 2005
Another attempt at being kept on; was deleted (accidentally)
Many books have been written about John Wilkes Booth's participation in the Lincoln death. It is sad that so much blame was put on his shoulders.
I have been interested in Lincoln's assassination for over twenty years, mainly because they hanged Mary Surrat, the first woman to be officially killed in this manner. It was at her boardinghouse where the conspirators met to discuss and plan killing Lincoln and others in his Cabinet.
John Wilkes Booth, from a prominent acting family, was a Confederacy sympathizer. But that in itself does not make him guilty. He was denied his right to a trial. Most of the South were more than a little upset when Lincoln was inaugurated for the second time. They refused to accept him as "our" President. We had Jefferson Davis whose daughter married Zachary Taylor's daughter. I don't believe old Zach was a Rebel.
"Killing Lincoln' as a one-man theatrical presentation, written by Amy Russell, originally premiered in Toronto, Canada. I emphatized with the young actor (who I thought was an old man, as he is such a good actor) who said, "I enjoyed playing off you." I told him the reason he held my complete attention was due to the fact that I had read so much about Lincoln and also sympathized with Booth's reasoning.
Lincoln as it so happens was a Shakespeare fan and enjoyed going to Ford's Theatre. John Wilkes Booth (Brutus) as one of the most promising young Shakespearean actors of his day. Booth considered Lincoln an "American Caesar." He is sometimes called Booth "American Brutus."
He was a very handsome man and, even though he broke his leg in the leap to the stage (instead of running down the back stairs), he eluded capture with the help of a Dr. Mudd for twelve days. He was not given a chance to tell his side and the complex, misleading reasons he did what he did. That took fortitude! He did not act alone! That's a major issue. He was cornered in that barn like an animal and burned (at the stake) by the vigilante cowards.
He was never close to Lincoln as Brutus was to Jesus so the title is deceiving. He was merely a misinformed player who ended up "on his own" after the dasdardly deed. He deserves better than to be called a devil. To some, he was an avenging angel.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2006. The length of the article is 575 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Legend of John Wilkes Booth: Myth, Memory, & a Mummy.(Book review)
Author: Martin Crawford
Publication:
The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 68
Issue: 1
Page: 137(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Modern Chess Openings, known as MCO, is the best selling and most comprehensive one-volume reference on chess openings. Nick de Firmian, the International Grandmaster who "taught" the supercomputer Deep Blue, reveals how the opening moves of a chess game set its pace and tone and can even determine who wins or loses. In Chess Openings the Easy Way, a special edition of MCO for beginning and intermediate players, de Firmian selects the most important chess openings and the latest innovations of the game.
Customer Reviews:
What is the point?.......2007-04-27
Ok, so this "expert" in openings lays out in nice neat columns a bunch of variations of a bunch of openings. BUT HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY EXPLAIN ONE SINGLE MOVE!!! How does this help a beginner or intermediate player? He doesn't explain that, either.
Chess Openings almost the easy way.......2007-03-22
I liked this book. I like it a lot better than Reuben Fine's Ideas Behind The Chess Openings. This book is MCO-light. That's exactly what it is. Many players don't really need the complete MCO. This book was less than half the price and has all of the openings that I think I need at this stage in my game. The book is organized in a meaningful way into King Pawn, Semi-Open, Queen Pawn, Flank, and Indian openings. The introduction to each set of openings provides a basic explanation of the ideas. Yes, this book would be even more useful if there was MORE explanation of the theory behind the various openings and WHY white or black has a better game, or WHERE white (black) should go in the ensuing Middle Game. That would make this book even more useful. But as far as having something that provides an entry point into the study of many popular openings, this book is satisfactory. In a way, I like it better than many of the Starting Out books. Those books also lack much in the way of explanation that would be useful to the intermediate-beginner and focus on only one opening; de Firmian's book actually gives you more at a much better price. The only other thing that would make this book better for the intermediate beginner would be if there was a clear, complete explanation of how to read the tables. I eventually figured it out, but it was very frustrating at first and I almost didn't buy the book in the first place because I couldn't figure out how to read the tables while thumbing through a copy at the bookstore. Bottom line: A good book for the player who is willing to STUDY the game of chess, the intermediate player who maybe knows an openig or two but is now ready to branch out. You start with this book, and then once you've exhausted its potential you can graduate to a more in-depth book about a particular opening. This is a good place to start, the book is relatively inexpensive, and it has most of the major openings.
Bacially MCO cut down - no ideas or explanations behind the moves.......2006-08-31
This is a one volume opening reference book containing no explanations of the ideas behind the moves. It is the same thing as "Modern Chess Openings" except the a lot of the moves have been cut out. You would be better off getting "Modern Chess Openings" if what you want is a one volume reference book. If you are looking at getting a book that explains the ideas behind the openings and the moves look at "Understanding the Chess Openings" and a book on chess traps where you will learn tactics in the opening such as "Winning Chess Traps for Juniors". A beginner or advanced beginner should not get a reference book and should not just be memorizing opening variations. They should be learning the ideas behind the openings.
No explanations.......2003-11-19
You'd think a a page with the heading "How to Use this book," would at least tell you how to use the tables. But nooo...
And since the book is comprised of nothing but tables..., well, it's just to ludicrous to comprehend.
Fails.......2003-10-14
This book is little more than a marketing ploy. It's presented as a sort of Modern Chess Openings (MCO) for beginners. However, aside from a brief (and inferior) treatment of general opening principles, this book basically reprints the same tables from MCO for the most popular openings. Therefore if you're a beginner who finds MCO a little over your head, you won't find this book any easier. Unbelievably, there isn't even any explanation of how to read and use the tables. Since more advanced players will want the full version of MCO, and since it is too difficult for beginners (who shouldn't be wasting time memorizing opening variations anyway), this book is really completely useless.
Customer Reviews:
Unknown classic.......2006-04-20
I stumbled upon Chess, The Easy Way in a used bookstore and am very glad I bought it. This is not some lightweight Reinfeld cranked out work (I like some of Reinfeld's stuff, but others of his works are pretty assembly line); it is a labor of love. It is not for total beginners either. It is Reuben Fine explaining the entire game of chess in the sam writing style he uses for Ideas Behind the Chess Openings. He intends to isntruct, and this is a great instructional book, with amnay good examples and fine analyses. Definitely a keeper.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Thorough Intro Anywhere, But Not The Easiest or Most Modern.......2006-04-17
There are simpler intros to chess. The Bill Robertie series is modern, easy to follow, and very effective, and eminently suited to the casual beginner. But nothing comes close to Fine's one-volume opus in terms of completeness, utility, and yes, depth.
This is *not* a book for the casual beginner or the dabbler. It is for someone who, from the outset, is going to be serious about chess, perhaps someone who has played a few games with serious players in informal settings and now wants to learn "real" chess.
The book is not easy. Information is densely packed and requires care and attention in study. There are some drawbacks; the age of the original edition (now approaching 65 years) means that the opening lines are very dated (though the principles are not), and the book uses descriptive notation (I don't see this as a problem, but the beginning reader will have to learn algebraic at some point from a different source).
Still, the presentation of ideas is in a class not to be found elsewhere. Fine gives 10 rules for the opening, mid-game, and ending; and practicing and following these rules, and the rest of the material in the book, if done diligently will over time probably lead the reader to the 1700 or better play class. That's pretty darn good for a single 185 page book which assumes no prior knowledge.
As expected from Fine, the endgame chapter is superb.
One especially useful feature is the presence of numerous practical problems to test mastery of the material.
The reader must take this book seriously and study diligently to benefit. This is no "royal road" to chess. It is a pathway to success paved with quality stepping stones composed of old-fashioned hard work. Not so amazingly, that method continues to pay off better than any other!
It is fortunate that this book is easily and inexpensively available on the used market, and you can have a copy delivered to your door for well under $10. It's a fantastic investment.
Four stars instead of five simply because, as mentioned above, the age of the book makes the opening lines very dated.
THE best book for beginner to intermediate players.......2003-04-26
I have been coaching chess at the high school and middle school level for 13 years. The teams I have coached have between them 6 state championships and 2 runners up. Chess the Easy Way is THE book that I use as an outline for teaching my players how to play good chess. There is no book that is better! Ten essential rules are given for the opening, middle game and end game. These rules are illustrated and expanded with examples. Fine's logical treatment of all of the basic endings is superior! There are class A (1800-2000) players that could benefit from the information in the endings section. As far as strategy goes, Fine offers all of the essential plans for each kind of positional advantage. For example, "If the [opponent's] pawns are absolutely weak, head straight for the endgame." Or, "If the opponent's king is not safe, the plan will be to attack him." There are others, of course. These rules of strategy are simple enough, but to the typical player under 1400 or so they are essential guidelines and prevent the aimless wandering in hopes of finding the right course in a game. It was a revelation for me to read these ideas so many years ago and give logic and order to my games! Thank you to the late GM Fine. If you find a copy of this book and you are a beginner to an intermediate player (under 1600) buy this book and feel your confidence grow as does your understanding!
The Definitive Intro Chess Book.......2000-07-18
I don't know what happened to my copy of this book but it disappeared many years ago. I've been waiting years in the hopes that it would be re-printed. Now I'm hoping that Amazon can find me another copy. It is unquestionably the best book for beginners and intermediate chess players. Mr. Fine presents the material in a simple, easy to understand method.
chess the easy way.....reuben fine.......1999-12-03
I consider this book my bible of chess.It includes ten rules for the opening game, ten rules for the middle game and ten for the end game.My copy of this bible is worn out. I urge a reprinting so that all levels of chess players will benefit. Remember chess is "the game of kings and the king of games."
Unusually valuable text which urgently deserves re-printing.......1999-09-08
Fine's Chess the Easy Way is somewhat mis-named. Although the text starts from the rudiments and could be used for self-instruction by an individual who has never played the game before, the tone and point of view are no-nonsense and tell the reader immediately the book is intended for someone with much more than a casual interest in the game. I first was given this book when I was a child. It would probably be more appropriate for a serious high school player. Beginners should be warned that Fine's text takes no shortcuts. He starts at the beginning level but then educates the reader to the level of a confident club player. This presumes that the reader invests the time needed to play through all of Fine's examples. Sometimes it's hard going: Although Fine's writing is clear he does not spoon-feed the reader. Anyone willing to spend the time will be vastly rewarded. I agree with other reviews I have read in this space stating that his examples of openings and some of the illustrative games he chooses are badly out-dated. This is accurate but immaterial: The fundamental principles Fine communicates are timeless. A good re-printing of his book would of course have to change to modern chess notation and would benefit from larger diagrams. Otherwise I think the book could be re-issued unchanged. Those who especially need information about chess openings can seek it in other texts. This is a gem and deserves wider readership.
Customer Reviews:
Firstrate Chess Book for Children.......2001-09-12
This is by far the best book I've seen to teach children chess. Like most children's books, it covers the moves of the pieces with algebraic notation.
However, the guts of the book is giving a child systematic experience with the pieces. It starts with the "Pawns Game." Only the pawns are set on the board and each player plays with the goal of getting one pawn through to the last rank. This is anything but a dumb experience. Games like Knights & pawn game follow until the child is using the whole board.
Average customer rating:
|
Chess the Easy Way
Reuben Fine
Manufacturer: DAVID MCKAY COMPANY INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U25CRY |
Book Description
Ready to use Illustrator CS' new Scribble Effect to lend a loose, hand-drawn look to your artwork? Eager to take advantage of its more than 200 professionally designed templates to jump-start your own projects? If so--or if you simply need to get up to speed on every aspect of Illustrator CS now--you need this guide! As the standard Illustrator text in many design schools, this popular task-based guide has taught a generation of users how to make the most out of Adobe's graphics powerhouse. Now it's back--revised and updated--to teach the next. Using simple step-by-step instructions, loads of screen shots, and an array of time-saving tips and tricks, this volume represents the quickest route to Illustrator cs proficiency. Clearly marked locators to new and improved features (such as enhanced type capabilities, powerful 3D graphics tools, enhanced PDF support, and more), a 24-page color section, and highly readable text create a winning combination for every level of Illustrator user.
Customer Reviews:
Very Helpful Guide to Illustrator CS.......2005-09-27
I purchased this book upon the recommendation of my professor for a college class in Computer Design. It is my first experience with the Visual QuickStart Guides and I am very impressed. It has been a valuable tool in helping me understand and use this previously unfamiliar software application. The table of contents is clear and well organized and the index is very extensive--I refer to it constantly. The book uses many illustrations with clear instructions and explanations. Commands and shortcuts and given for both Mac and Windows. I would definitely purchase another Visual QuickStart Guide.
Good reference book.......2005-09-11
this is a good reference book if you don't need to go to deep into the program. I recently upgraded to Illustrator CS and a few of the things confused me i.e. how the text to path tool works....so I bought this book as a quick reference and it has done a great job of fulfilling that purpose.
I would highly recommend it to anyone else that needs a book for the same purpose...If you are learning Illustrator for the first time or need something to really go deep into the program you might be better off with another book
Visual QuickStart - Illustrator CS .......2005-07-21
The book has helped me learned or brush up on the application in matter of minutes. It's concise and it saves time when learning new things during crunch time. For more, in-depth, sunject matter, a more advanced book is required. This done does a job well for beginners!
Very powerful resource for beginners to Adobe IllustratorCS.......2005-03-14
I learned how to use Adobe Illustrator very well with the aid of this book. The book is organized in logical steps and the authors speaks in plain english which makes the instructions very easy to understand. The method of teaching in this book allows you to understand why you're performing a certain action. The book shows you how to create results with detailed instructions and mini pictures of Illustrator's tools and menu system. I found that the lessons tied in nicely and it provided me with a natural progression of learning. This book is great for print and web professionals. I found the chapter named Web to be very helpful to myself because I intend to use the complete Creative Suite to create my web pages. There are examples for each technique that is explained. If you have basic or decent Illustrator skills I can't see how this book can't help you. I became so proficient at Illustrator in such a short period of time that my wife marveled at some of my designs. I couldn't believe it myself to be honest. I've never learned software from a book form; I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Even if you don't absorb all of the information in the book, the index makes it easy refresh your memory or learn of a new technique. There is a pattern to this book that allows you to absorb the information very easily. Outstanding book.
Ideal for the beginning novice.......2004-07-09
Ideal for the beginning novice and strongly recommended for those with intermediate level skills with Illustrator software, Illustrator CS For Windows & Macintosh is the collaborative work of experts Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas. Part of the simply outstanding computer software oriented "Visual QuickStart Guide" series from Peachpit Press, Illustrator CS For Windows & Macintosh provides a visual and easy-to-assimilate approach to learning Illustrator as the pictured images guide the reader through the software showing just what to do at each step of the way. Illustrator CS For Windows & Macintosh will also continue to be of immense value as a working reference.
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