Customer Reviews (5)

Essential Reading
Find and buy a copy of this book, if you think of yourself as human: it is one of the few places to find a copy of "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants" AND "Our Lady's Juggler" - both essential reading, even if they're the only fantasy you ever read. The former tale is the story Heinlein was proudest of, and the latter is his choice as the best least-reprinted story - and no other English translation of Anatole France's little gem is worth the paper it's printed on. Find this book and buy a copy. The other stories in it are fine, but the last two are worth the price of admission all by themselves.

a bedtime story book for thinking people
A long time fan of spider's this is the book i turn to for that point in time when somrthing new is too much and callahan's too punny.

Not an anthology but a Unique Collection of favorite stories
BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS (Ace Books, Science Fiction, 1980)by SpiderRobinson.

Here is why this book is so exceptional.

Spider Robinsonpicked his favorite short stories from each of his favorite authors - notthe most popular or the ones with the most awards, just the best accordingto him, the ones he really loved.

He then wrote an introduction for eachone of these stories, explaining, in his refreshing style, who the writeris, why he picked this particular story and how did the author reacted tohis choice.Yes - and that's how this book develops a parallel anthology - he also contacted each of the authors and asked each one of them to pickone of their favorite stories by someone else and write an introduction forit.

When asked to handle this project by Jim Baen, Ace's science fictioneditor, Spider Robinson recalls, in the foreword, how he "wasdrooling" at the idea and said "My favorite stories plus myfavorite writers' favorite stories ?Christ, that sounds like the best ofall possible worlds.""Yeah," (said Baen) "that's myworking title."

This book is a gem.It starts with Larry Niven's"Inconstant Moon" and follows with Niven's choice "Spud andCochise" by Oliver La Farge - an unforgettable "western thatblooms into fantasy, compelling awe, laughter and belief."

The nextone is "Need" by Theodore Sturgeon - my own favorite - andSturgeon then picked "Hop-Friend" by Terry Carr.Following that,we have The Duel Scene from William Goldman's "The PrincessBride" and Goldman picked Robert Sheckley's "SeventhVictim".The next one is Dean Ing's "Portions Of ThisProgram..." who then chose "They Bite" by Anthony Boucher.

Spider Robinson's last pick is an exquisitely touching story by RobertA. Heinlein (his introduction is a wonderful read in itself), "The ManWho Traveled in Elephants" which recreates magically a Fellini-likeatmosphere combined with the All American, mid century charm of Capra's"It's A Wonderful Life".Not only is this story surprisinglyunHeinlein but Heinlein's own pick is another surprise, a sweetly naive andreligious story by Anatole France "Our Lady's Juggler" very aptlytranslated by Spider Robinson himself (who was turned off by the twotranslations which were available at the time).

This anthology is notreally an anthology as we know it.Spider Robinson's world - past andpresent - is revealed throughout and we also get a glimpse into the worldsof his favorite writers as they candidly recall their reactions to theirfavorite stories.It is, in the best sense of the word, a Collection, onewhich touches the heart and caresses the mind.In that sense and so manyothers, it is Unique.

This truely is the Best of all Possible Worlds
This book is amazing in that every story in it is exceptional. During the 10 or so years that I have been collecting Spider, I have only seen one copy of this book. People who read this one tend to hold tightly to it and only loan it to close friends. One of the most amazing items about this book, is that all of the stories could have been written by Spider. This book holds gems that may not have seen the light of day for quite some time. Among these stories are the very best Heinlein and Sturgeon stories in print. All in all, I cannot recommend this collection highly enough.

Classic short stories that are hard to find anywhere else
The essence of this collection is that Spider Robinson picked his favorite short story, actually an excerpt from his favorite book (the swordfight on the Cliffs of Insanity from "The Princess Bride") and then contacted the author of that piece - William Goldman - and asked him what his favorite story was. Spider then contacted that author... and so on. The result is a unique collection of stories that provide insight into what affects these authors.

The book was published quite a few years back and I do not have a copy so I cannot list all the stories but I can say that no other collection has ever had the impact on me that this one did. If you ever wondered what Authors read and remember, find a copy and hang onto it - I've been trying to find a replacement copy for 12 years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

His best book
William Goldman is one of my favourite writers.He can hardly write a bad book but this exploration of young people's problems and angst was certainly one of his best if not the very best.Goldman's style is just out of this world.Once you start this book, you cannot put it down.His characters are wacky but so empathetic.I wish he would write more books instead of screen plays. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Eminently readable
This is an example of what screenwriting should be.The writing here is very readable and descriptive.It is as if Goldman wrote a novel and then somebody formatted it as a screenplay.And it works both as reading and as a representation of a film.

If you are a fan of the film (or of Goldman), you owe it to yourself to find out what a great writer he is. ... Read more

Product Description
The representations of a finitely generated group in a topological group $G$ form a topological space which is an analytic variety if $G$ is a Lie group, or an algebraic variety if $G$ is an algebraic group. The study of this area draws from and contributes to a wide range of mathematical subjects: algebra, analysis, topology, differential geometry, representation theory, and even mathematical physics. In some cases, the space of representations is the object of the study, in others it is a tool in a program of investigation, and, in many cases, it is both.

Most of the papers in this volume are based on talks delivered at the AMS-IMS-SIAM Summer Research Conference on the Geometry of Group Representations, held at the University of Colorado in Boulder in July 1987. The conference was designed to bring together researchers from the diverse areas of mathematics involving spaces of group representations. In keeping with the spirit of the conference, the papers are directed at nonspecialists, but contain technical developments to bring the subject to the current research frontier. Some of the papers include entirely new results. Readers will gain an understanding of the present state of research in the geometry of group representations and their applications. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first comprehensive treatment of the geometry of complex hyperbolic space, a rich area of research with numerous connections to other branches of mathematics, including Riemannian geometry, complex analysis, symplectic and contact geometry, Lie groups, and harmonic analysis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Simply the Best
I brought Boys and Girls together in a drug store where I brought all my paper backs.This book I could never put down! It left an impression on me to this day.I still have the book.But talk about taking you into the story as almost like you become the characters!That was such good reading for a teen, thank God my parents didn't screen what we read!Why it wasn't made into a moive or even a play was a mistake not to have done so.The baby boomers would love it over 6 millon of us!Thank you Mr. Goldman!

Well written but too long and dated
I read this back in the late 1980s.I had just read "Magic" and "The Princess Bride" and LOVED them so I decided to read all Goldman's books.I picked this up, read it and really started to question if he really WAS a great author. This book is well-written but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it.All the characters are either unpleasant or just pathetic.There's not one remotely likable character in the entire book and considering the book runs for over 700 pages it makes it a chore to read.I was incredibly depressed by the end of the book and couldn't care less about the characters.Also this is full of some really evil or sick things happening to everybody.It got to the point where I was bracing myself for the next tragedy to happen.It's views on gay men are (by todays standards) homophobic and incredibly negative. I suppose back in the late 1960s it was daring to write about gay characters but it adds nothing to the book.Too long, too unpleasant and dated.Goldman's other books are much better than this.

This is a book about sado-masochism
I read this book years ago and loved it.Also I was horrified by it.I've read it twice and though doing this is once again causing me to question myself, I'm going to buy another copy.If I remember, every single character in it is sado-masochistic.If the ending doesn't tell you, or the death of the deaf boy (Rudy?) and what happens a few minutes later in his confrontation (a little ironic that, no, he wasn't dead at the confrontation) with his hideous parents, you either aren't concentrating, have something to hide from yourself or just don't want to know.

Anyway this book (my first by Goldman) made me buy and read every book he wrote after that (even the short tossed-off ones) until I finally got tired either of Goldman or reading.

However, none of the other books by him I read was really sadistic, only sad, a moment of horror, the snappy ending of Butch Cassidy, etc, so I guess Goldman was just trying something and is not actually a sadistic person himself.I'd like to believe that because I think his writing is wonderful, and as someone once said, people like to think well of the people they admire."Soldier in the Rain" is my second (maybe first, since it's only sad, not ugly) choice of Goldman.I really liked the movie of that book too.

Sex and nostalgia
I recently re-read Boys and Girls Together to see if it was as good as I remembered. When I first read it in 1969 or '70 I was impressed with the way Goldman structured the story. Each chapter was a separate story with a new protagonist, but as the book progressed the stories came together, the unrelated characters who we first see as children or students grow up, move to New York and meet one another, and their lives become intertwined. Back then I thought that was an ingenuous way of structuring a plot. I was also titillated by the many sex scenes, much in the way the whole world had been titillated by books such as Peyton Place and The Valley of the Dolls. Now, 40 years later, I was surprised at how well it has retained it's impact. It may not be as revolutionary as it once was, but it is still a highly entertaining novel.

it was better when I read it at age 16
I remembered loving this book when I read it in high school. however, almost 20 years later (and much longer after it was written), I didn't feel like the book had held up. The characters remain unique, and the dialog solid, but the plot and characters where much less compelling than I had remembered. The authors introduction was defiant, but I am inclined to agree with some of the reviewers of the day; it's just okay. Goldman has much to be proud of in his ouvre, and Boys&Girls fits somewhere in the middle. It's a coming of age story set half a century ago with themes that are still relevant today. The execution of these themes feels less novel - and it may be because when I read it first, it was the first book that dealt with such adult ideas that it was new to me. Unlikable characters result in lukewarm interest on the readers part, and that in the end is what I took away this time ... Read more

Product Description
paperback, advanced reading copy prior to hardcover publication, 623 pages, novel ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Simply the Best
I brought Boys and Girls together in a drug store where I brought all my paper backs.This book I could never put down! It left an impression on me to this day.I still have the book.But talk about taking you into the story as almost like you become the characters!That was such good reading for a teen, thank God my parents didn't screen what we read!Why it wasn't made into a moive or even a play was a mistake not to have done so.The baby boomers would love it over 6 millon of us!Thank you Mr. Goldman!

Well written but too long and dated
I read this back in the late 1980s.I had just read "Magic" and "The Princess Bride" and LOVED them so I decided to read all Goldman's books.I picked this up, read it and really started to question if he really WAS a great author. This book is well-written but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it.All the characters are either unpleasant or just pathetic.There's not one remotely likable character in the entire book and considering the book runs for over 700 pages it makes it a chore to read.I was incredibly depressed by the end of the book and couldn't care less about the characters.Also this is full of some really evil or sick things happening to everybody.It got to the point where I was bracing myself for the next tragedy to happen.It's views on gay men are (by todays standards) homophobic and incredibly negative. I suppose back in the late 1960s it was daring to write about gay characters but it adds nothing to the book.Too long, too unpleasant and dated.Goldman's other books are much better than this.

This is a book about sado-masochism
I read this book years ago and loved it.Also I was horrified by it.I've read it twice and though doing this is once again causing me to question myself, I'm going to buy another copy.If I remember, every single character in it is sado-masochistic.If the ending doesn't tell you, or the death of the deaf boy (Rudy?) and what happens a few minutes later in his confrontation (a little ironic that, no, he wasn't dead at the confrontation) with his hideous parents, you either aren't concentrating, have something to hide from yourself or just don't want to know.

Anyway this book (my first by Goldman) made me buy and read every book he wrote after that (even the short tossed-off ones) until I finally got tired either of Goldman or reading.

However, none of the other books by him I read was really sadistic, only sad, a moment of horror, the snappy ending of Butch Cassidy, etc, so I guess Goldman was just trying something and is not actually a sadistic person himself.I'd like to believe that because I think his writing is wonderful, and as someone once said, people like to think well of the people they admire."Soldier in the Rain" is my second (maybe first, since it's only sad, not ugly) choice of Goldman.I really liked the movie of that book too.

Sex and nostalgia
I recently re-read Boys and Girls Together to see if it was as good as I remembered. When I first read it in 1969 or '70 I was impressed with the way Goldman structured the story. Each chapter was a separate story with a new protagonist, but as the book progressed the stories came together, the unrelated characters who we first see as children or students grow up, move to New York and meet one another, and their lives become intertwined. Back then I thought that was an ingenuous way of structuring a plot. I was also titillated by the many sex scenes, much in the way the whole world had been titillated by books such as Peyton Place and The Valley of the Dolls. Now, 40 years later, I was surprised at how well it has retained it's impact. It may not be as revolutionary as it once was, but it is still a highly entertaining novel.

it was better when I read it at age 16
I remembered loving this book when I read it in high school. however, almost 20 years later (and much longer after it was written), I didn't feel like the book had held up. The characters remain unique, and the dialog solid, but the plot and characters where much less compelling than I had remembered. The authors introduction was defiant, but I am inclined to agree with some of the reviewers of the day; it's just okay. Goldman has much to be proud of in his ouvre, and Boys&Girls fits somewhere in the middle. It's a coming of age story set half a century ago with themes that are still relevant today. The execution of these themes feels less novel - and it may be because when I read it first, it was the first book that dealt with such adult ideas that it was new to me. Unlikable characters result in lukewarm interest on the readers part, and that in the end is what I took away this time ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Best Stephen King Book Stephen King Didn't Write
Re-reading this book after twenty years or more it's hard to believe that Goldman was once the king of all media, and his novels and screenplays were snapped up fresh, hurtling to the top of the charts.He is still with us, I believe, but more or less a spent force.Here, in CONTROL, he effortlessly turns out one of the more interesting thrillers of the 1980s, a book that feels like the best Stephen King book not written by King.Parts of it are very much like King's FIRESTARTER, but ever since My Lai and Watergate many thrillers took as their underlying mise-en-scene a government corrupt on the inside with a specialty of bizarre military experiments that involved an absoulte disregard for human life.

In this one--well, it isn't fair to say.Goldman fans love his powers of invention and his grasp of all kinds of characters--an elementary grasp, but a powerful one, like Schwartzenegger's handshake.Here he goes back to BUTCH CASSIDY form to re-stir yet another buddy-comedy plot, in this case a young cop and an old cop, who hate each other, then love each other, that is perhaps the best thing about the novel.I don't think Goldman's true talents lie in trying to imagine the inner life of an ambitious female painter--no, that is beyond him.The paintings that Edith Mazursky accomplishes are, we are told, great behemoths of something entirely new; her dealer swoons over them, the critics rave, but we never believe any of this for a minute.

The savage killer, "Billy Boy," is another laughable cliche, but perhaps time has supplied the laughs and back then in 1982 he wasn't such a carbon copy of every other sociopath.I'm undecided about this and will give Goldman the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, the creation of the tutor, Theo, and the spoiled rich princess, Charlotte, is something new under the sun, and still, years and years after Goldman first wrote CONTROL, this subplot is still daring enough to take the reader's breath away.I can't say why here, for it depends on a trick of perspective--the sort of "twist" that made THE SIXTH SENSE a surprise only if you didn't know there WAS a twist going in.So forget I said anything, and I think you will get a big kick out of the mind of William Goldman and his awesome CONTROL.

Very, very good book
I just read the other reviews here, and I am in agreement with them - I just want to add a few words about Goldman's style. His style is absolutely captivating. He is one of the few authors I read (Trevenian also comes tomind here) not so much to see what he says, but, rather, how he says it.The book has so many stylistic gems that there is no room here to recountthem all. However, I must say that the "beer identification"scene is prehaps the funniest piece of prose I have ever read. When Hagertyclaims that the actor's name (Mifume, I think) is the only other Japaneesename other than "Hirohito" that he could think of, and even Ericwould not have fallen for that, I swear I laughed out loud for about aweek. Very, very entertaining read.

great characterization in search of a plot
As already noted in the reviews, Control has some wonderful characters-- the housewife painter Edith Mazursky, the killer Billy Boy, the erudite cop Eric. Unfortunately, the plot itself (a convoluted conspiracy theory aboutreincarnation and time travel) doesn't hold up and feels rather hackneyed.Possibly that's because the ground has been covered so much since Controlwas written.

One of the best ever.
I read this book many years ago when I was in college. I found it intriguing, mysterious, exciting and incredible. I have read it three times already and it is one that will stay in my bookshelf as long as I have abookshelf. Read it and enjoy the ride! The only regret: there are notenough Goldman thrillers to read.

Goldman Wit and Elan -- Roar with Laughter...
...and weep with "true love" for some wonderful characters.A bizarre (and mysterious) blend of mind control, past-life regression, and (gasp) even a wee bit of time travel.Fascinating read.Shining characterizations: a melancholic artist (murdered, or suicide?), an old cop / young cop relationship which is hilarious and touching, an evil GIANT psychopath (although gigantic, he is a bit short) who can turn his giant arm into a giant club, an evil genius who looks unnervingly similar to Henry Kissinger -- and the eerie series of events (murders, prison breaks, rooftop duels, suicides, psychic connections, etc.) which knit these engrossing characters into one heck of an engrossing tapestry.If you loved "The Princess Bride," seek, search, or hunt down "Control."But beware, it's easy to get kinda hooked on William Goldman (the higher your IQ, the greater your danger).Don't say I didn't warn ya. ... Read more

Product Description