Customer Reviews (2)

Grow Older Gracefully w/Dorothy Parker!
Brilliant! Dorothy Parker's poetry is ageless.As you read each of the poems in this book, you are taken on a tour, not only of her life but of anyone's "of a certain age."She is wistful, audacious, happy & sad, critical and praising.She "rails against the night"in every way possible and the tour becomes a reflection of your own life inevery way. I doubt if Dorothy Parker thought that 60 years later someoneelse would read her poetry & identify with it.I think she would bepleased!

A wonderful collection of Dorothy Parker originals
Browsing through a used bookstore I recently ran across a 1942 edition of The Collected Poetry of Dorothy Parker. Quite simply, a marvelous book. ... Read more

Product Description
Once the province of sailors & bikers, tattoos have emerged from backdoor parlors to suburban shopping malls. Today they adorn starlet's ankles, housewives' shoulders, & bankers' biceps. Many of our most gifted writers across several colorful decades have found the images of the tattoo needle a vivid subject for the language of the pen. These stories, poems, & memoirs span the range of human experience, from the awesome to the absurd. From Flannery O'Connor's likeness of God to Sylvia Plath's $15 eagle, from Herman Melville's power of the primitive to Mark Doty's embrace of the ineradicable to Franz Kafka's lasting mark of the penal colony, this bold exploration of the illuminated body is guaranteed to get under your skin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

a rich collection for writers & body art addicts alike
I bought this while on vacation in San Francisco and read the entire thing on the plane back to New England. A great variety of short stories, essays, and poetry, this collection brings together a lot of powerful pieces of writing. Tattoos are examined from many different perspectives, ranging from a tool of intimidation and punishment to something beautiful and otherworldly. Parts made my skin prickle and my hair stand on end, bracing for the touch of the needle. I'd been thinking about getting a new one. Reading this solidified that decision.

My favorites: Murguia's "A Toda Maquina" & Orlowsky's "Tattoo Thoughts"

A "pre"-review
Cheryl Dumesnil was one of my professors in college. I have not read this book yet, but based on her abilities as a teacher, I am totally looking forward to reading it.

ink on ink
Addonizio's and Dumesnil's anthology on writings on tattoos is a great collection of work. You can't go wrong with the writings inside.

There is some great (and at times surprising) fiction inside, which includes: an excerpt from Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, Kafka's "In the Penal Colony," Sylvia Plath's story "The Fifteen Dollar Eagle," and Flannery O'Connor's "Parker's Back." O'Connor is always a joy to read, and this story is an especially good one. There's even a piece from Herman Melville (selected from Typee). Steve Vender has a most interesting piece on meeting one of the gang members he is to defend--this is a fascinating piece. And there are also vignettes scattered throughout where people discuss their tattoos, as well as other pieces of fiction.

And there's poetry by Thom Gunn, Kim Addonizio, Bob Hicok, Mark Doty, Cheryl Dumesnil, J.D. McClatchy, Tony Hoagland, Brenda Hillman, Laura A. Goldstein, Garnett Kilberg Cohen, Michael Waters, Joseph Millar, Katharine Whitcomb, Eliot Wilson, Bruce Bond, Virginia Chase Sutton, Lissette Mendez, Dzvinia Orlowsky, and Denise Duhamel.

Not only does it look impressive, it reads very, very well. I'm not surprised that Addonizio put together such a strong selection of work. I can't think of any other person who would have been more suited to this type of anthology. It's a great collection, one I'm sure everyone would enjoy reading.

Great Writing
Even if you are not a fan of, or have any tattoos, you cannot help immersing yourself in the assembled writings. The editors have done a great job. I found it hard to put this one down. Fascinating subject, fascinating writing. If you appreciate great writing, you'll love this book. You may even decide to go out and get your own tattoo.

think about tattoos instead of viewing them this time
Most tattoo books are collections of full-color images and body shots, exploring how individuals interpret what it is to be tattooed.This book has these elements, but no pictures for a change.Edited by Kim Addonizio and Cheryl Dumesnil, both tattooed, this is a written depiction of tattooing.The collection includes fiction, personal memoirs, poetry and anecdotes on the physical experience and lifestyle choice to have skin art.The title comes from the historical fact that writer Dorothy Parker had a star permanently inked on one arm.

The excerpt from Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" will be remembered as familiar and formative to many tattoo fans.Artists write about what it was like to learn to tattoo and related various ink-related adventures with a wide array of wild customers.Concentration camp survior Paul Steinberg describes his involuntary tattoo experience.Mastectomy survior Deena Metzger's tattoo falls at the other end of the ink spectrum as part of her chosen healing process.There are tales of joy, sorrow, smart choices, drunken moments, good ink and bad.

The short lengths of the pieces makes reading this on transit or during those short breaks during the day easy, and the subject matter is a great distraction from the mundane.A definite book for the collection of those who write about tattooing, or are looking for some more historical perspective. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of Short stories by author Dorothy Parker. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bathtub Gin, Bootleg Liquor and Speakeasies!
This is a very good example of a noir detective story.In it we meet a lot of real people from the Roaring Twenties entertainment crowd.The mystery is sketched around Rudolph Valentino's death, but we see the real people that lived in and around his circle.It is clear that Baxt knew some of these people since he writes about them as an old friend might.He has a witty, breezy style, and he perfectly captures the way of life of Prohibition New York.The story takes place in the summer of 1926, just a few days afer Valentino's sudden death.We meet Dorothy Parker and the rest of her Algonquin crew as they join forces with the cops to solve the murder of a dead showgirl.There is a lot of organized crime in the story, and we get a clear picture of how they operated, the front men that they set up and the way they dealt with traitors.(Even cement shoes show up in the book).I really enjoyed this book, and Baxt is an accomplished writer.

This smart/funny book captures Ms. P's wit/cynicism
If you like a mystery that makes you both laugh and think, you have to read at least one of G. Baxt's celebrity sleuth novels. This is one of my favorites because he really captures D. Parker's legendary personality to create an intriguing mystery around Rudolph Valentino's death. Nothing seems forced in this novel; G. Baxt adroitly weaves together fact and fiction to create three-dimensional characters based on some of the most interesting celebrities of the past, including some of the most notable members of the Algonquin Round Table of The New Yorker magazine fame. And some of the dialog he has given D. Parker seems so genuine to her public persona that it's almost as though he knew her. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

CLUES! *please?*
I am trying to find out a clue about Lemony Snicket's 12th book. When was this book written? ... Read more

Book Description
Stories in the Travelman Short Stories series take the reader to places of mystery, fantasy, horror, romance, and corners of the universe yet unexplored. In turn, readers take them on the bus or subway, slip them into briefcases and lunchboxes, and send them from Jersey to Juneau.

Each classic or original short story is printed on one sheet of paper and folded like a map. This makes it simple to read while commuting, convenient to carry when not, and easy to give or send to a friend. A paper envelope is provided for mailing or gift-giving, and both are packaged in a clear plastic envelope for display. The cost is not much more than a greeting card. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Stories/Nice Gift
This is a clever way to present 2 great short stories by Mrs. Parker. The "book" is more like a roadmap, it folds out for easy reading. Perfect for the "6" train ride downtown to the Algonquin. These are 2 of my favorite Parker stories, both about love. If you're looking for an inexpensive gift book, this is it. It even comes with a mailing envelope too. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bomb!
It is too bad that the Dorothy Parker did not follow the vein of her complete book of stories...boring... ... Read more

Book Description

Twayne's United States Authors Series presents concise critical introductions to great writers and their works.

Devoted to critical interpretation and discussion of an author's work, each study takes account of major literary trends and important scholarly contributions and provides new critical insights with an original point of view. An Authors Series volume addresses readers ranging from advanced high school students to university professors. The book suggests to the informed reader new ways of considering a writer's work. A reader new to the work under examination will, after reading the Authors Series, be compelled to turn to the originals, bringing to the reading a basic knowledge and fresh critical perspectives.

Each volume features:

• A critical, interpretive study and explication of the author's works
• A brief biography of the author
• An accessible chronology outlining the life, work, and relevant historicalbackground of the author
• Aids for further study -- complete notes and references, a selected annotated bibliography and an index
• A readable style presented in a manageable length