Product Description
This Star-Studded New Recording Brings to Life a History Changing Political Battle!
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates made history and changed its course through seven legendary match-ups between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during the 1858 Illinois senatorial race.Although he lost the election, Lincoln's gift for oratory and his anti-slavery stance made him a nationally known figure, and led to his election to the presidency in 1860. Never before presented in audio, these debates and great statesmen are brought to life by narrators Richard Dreyfuss (Douglas) and David Strathairn (Lincoln).Perfectly timed for the Lincoln Bincentennial celebrations, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates provide a soundtrack to a nation discovering its better self. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Seven Encounter Thriller
These are the legendary debates between Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas for the senate seat from Illinois.The debates are on the question of continuing or ending American slavery.Lincoln loses the senate election, after these debates.But he electrifies the country (and listening you can understand why).

I literally would cheer loudly sometimes, as though I was in the audience in real time!.

Then two years later they face off again - this time in the election for President - and the rest is history!

These debates are a thriller!What magnificent construction, thrust & parry, acid and suckle. No seven game basketball series between Magic Johnsonand Larry Bird can come even close to the excitement, consequence and sheer suspense of these 7 verbal duels!

In spite of the fact that we should not judge people for their thoughts and actions in their time, with our values today, I literally had to overcome my feelings of wanting to hurl the occasional tomato at Judge Stephen Douglas!

The two voice artists are par excellence.

David Strathairn starts off softly, and then grows stronger and stronger in his voice inflection and by the end of the seven debates, particularly in the 6th and 7th debates, he is booming with moral conviction and valor.

Richard Dreyfuss is just a delight to listen to.His voice and diction are sharp and are dripping with acid and contempt for his debate opponent.You literally squirm as he jabs and jeers at Lincoln, wondering how Lincoln is going to come back.

An additional note on Richard Dreyfuss.Here is a artist who clearly loves his profession.Of all the movies that he has been in (and there have been some great ones), I personally like Moon Over Parador.Not because it is a great movide, but because Dreyfuss has so much fun with it.In one of the last scenes, the Dreyfuss characher (who is an actor in the character as well) is about to getaway from Parador on a plane back to USA.He is parting with his romantic lead, there is a moon in the sky, and he can't help remarking what a beautiful scene this is.I bring this up to point out that Dreyfuss is very self-aware about the fact that he loves story telling.He brings this verve to the character of Judge Douglas till the very last word in the debate.A great performance!

almost as good as being there (in some ways better)
This 14 disc set includes the texts as transcribed by newspaper reporters, with introductions and occasional interjections by the audience.Allen Guelzo, who introduces the debates, does not sound like a college professor who happened to write a very fine book on the debates, but as another professionally trained voice.His spoken introduction is valuable for setting the context, but his book Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America (Simon & Schuster Lincoln Library) is even better.A little reading ahead of time will help you with the Lecompton constitution, Douglas and Buchanan's conflicted relationship, and Lincoln's reading of the combined effects of Dred Scott and the Fugitive Slave Law.

Richard Dreyfuss gives Judge Douglas a fair reading and then some.In the later debates, under the stress of travel and frequent speaking and the shock of seeing how effective Lincoln's rhetoric had been, Douglas took to the bottle.Eyewitness accounts report slurred speech and mumbled references to his opponent as "Misha Linka."Here, Dreyfuss is clear and persuasive in each debate.He makes sure you know the overriding importance of popular sovereignty as a way of settling regional political disputes.

David Strathairn is a superb actor, but here his tendency to swallow the last syllable or two of each line is distracting, and hence my reason for 4 rather than 5 stars.Otherwise, his Lincoln is the epitome of Midwestern common sense, and like Lincoln himself, his speech takes on more power as we enter the decisive sixth and seventh debates at Quincy and Alton.

Their discussions about "Negro equality" often sound like fingernails on a chalkboard to a 21st century listener.But when Lincoln finally moves the plane of discussion to the question of slavery's moral status, rather than just one more policy issue the people are entitled to decide through their representatives, you can see how Lincoln came to appeal to so many in the North beyond the hearing range of these debates in Illinois.

Phenomenal recording!
The Dreyfuss - Strathairn recording of these monumental historical debates helped me to appreciate the magnificent intellect of both Lincoln and Douglas, while almost squirming from both of their attitudes regarding slavery.Anyone who has an appreciation of history or politics simply must listen to this recording.It is one of the best you will ever hear.

A superbly performed recording, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates brings a pivotal moment in America's history to vivid life
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates is a newly commissioned, unabridged audiobook presentation of the epic debates between future president Abraham Lincoln (played by David Strathairn) and Stephen Douglas (played by Richard Dreyfuss) during their 1858 senatorial campaign in Illinois, only a few years before the outbreak of the American Civil War. In an era of rising tensions, the main theme of these debates was slavery and its proliferation into the western territories; Douglas felt that each territory should answer the slavery question for itself, while Lincoln refuted this view feeling that it would nationalize and promote the continuation of the ill of slavery. Even though Douglas was destined to win re-election to the Senate, Lincoln's oratorical prowess and his anti-slavery viewpoint (remarkable in time when extreme racism was common) helped broaden his reputation and pave the way to his presidential election in 1860. A superbly performed recording, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates brings a pivotal moment in America's history to vivid life, and is enthusiastically recommended especially for public library audiobook collections. 14 CDs, 16 hours.
... Read more

Product Description
Great magazine, plus Kenny Loggins and more! ... Read more

Product Description
September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered as the day that terror challenged the hearts of a nation. NEW YORK September Eleven Two Thousand One documents a day that changed our lives forever, from the shock of those first brutal moments to the horrific aftermath that followed.A selection of moving photos and thoughtful essays captures much of what the world saw and felt that day.

The diversity of testimonials, personal stories, images, poems and essays come from people of all walks of life who were affected by the events. Notable contributors include Deepak Chopra, writer; Noam Chomsky, MIT Professor, Middle East expert; Richard Dreyfuss, actor; Gary Fabiano, photojournalist who was trapped under the rubble; Robert Kennedy, Jr.; Matthew Modine, actor; Bill Moyers, journalist and writer; Liam Neeson, actor; Joan Rivers, actress; Salman Rushdie, writer; Julian Schnabel, artist; Shashi Tharoor, Senior UN Official and author.

As is fitting for a memorial to those who lost their lives on September 11th in New York City, proceeds from this book will be donated to relief effort funds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

GREAT DISCOVERY
This book is not easy to find. I finally ordered it from Amazon.com and I was amazed by it. I read all the critiques to this book. I usually like or do not like a book. I love this book, it is very factual, accurate and explores the feeling of about 30 people that had somenting to say about 9-11. It does not matter to me who they are and what they do, what matters is that the essays touch on fears that I had and still have. I do not pretend this book to change the world but to give me feeling and images to hang on to. On each essay I can find someting I can relate to and this makes the book special, it makes it personal. Highly recommended.

Not sure how I feel about it
Profits from this book are donated to The Robin Hood Relief Fund.I had a hard time reading this book because it is so overwhelming.

This book has a list of names of people who perished in the tragedies from that day.There are man thoughts, words and poetry from victims, and witnesses.It also includes Survivor stories, pictures of loved ones....and much more.

Although we all know we will not need this book as a `remembrance'....perhaps it is meant to be more as a memorial, a tribute to those who have suffered....to Americans.
There are a lot of things I am feeling about this book, but I don't know how to say them so I will let it be.

very awesome book
this is a very awesome book it has lots of pictures it also has poems, stories, names of all the people who died. etc..........

WANTS TO BE THE DEFINITIVE 9/11 BOOK, BUT FAILS...
After receiving a few mean-spirited e-mails about my review of this book, I feel I must clarify a few issues.

Again, I've gone through nearly 30 books about 9/11. After you get past the austere black cover, this paperback falls with a thud.

Simply put, this book tries too HARD to be profound.You see images you've seen before, such as the sequence of shots of one of the jets slamming into the south tower of the WTC.Nothing new.

Two things bug me:Layout and content.

In the layout, you get the feeling the editors are trying to SLEGEHAMMER the reader with the obvious.I hate this.For example, in some essays, certain words and phrases are laid out into single lines, as if they are poetry.Then there is the awful decision to use fonts of varying sizes to EMPHASIZE certain passages.This is a pretentious device that, I'm sorry, calls TOO MUCH ATTENTION to itself.It is completely unnecessary and smacks of a patronizing tone intended to magnify the depth and gravity of what occurred on 9/11.We all know about that dark day.We DON'T need it pushed into our faces under the umbrella of "literary art."

Meanwhile, about the Chomsky essay:It's short but it's awful.It's laid out, again, in a way that feels like "padding."His message reads like an "I told you so" lesson.Here's what he does:He points to America's "sins" of the past and then turns them around in a way that makes you want to believe that it's NOW THE UNITED STATES' TURN TO SUFFER.This is horrible.His opinions are the stuff of fiery pamphlets handed out on street corners. (BECAUSE WHO WOULD PAY FOR THIS?)

OK, what's good about this book?Well, some of the transcripts of phone calls and a handful essays from victims and witnesses are well done.Why?Because they ARE NOT pretentious.But when others try to be "inspirational," they end up stating the obvious.I can't help but feel most writers were given an outlet to "vent" their own emotions, which have more relevance to the writer than to the reader.

If you want more for less, pick up the December 2001 issue of American Heritage Magazine.There you get five-star opinions about 9/11 from individuals of world repute.It has a "permanence" this book lacks and it doesn't feel rushed together.

In sum, it's fine to read what people like Joan Rivers, Deepak Chopra, Richard Dreyfuss and others "feel" about 9/11.But is it worth PAYING for?You can't judge quality by "good intentions."This is a rush-to-market volume featuring opinions from most who have (or who will have) little if any impact on our lives.Why not opinions from Giuliani, Bush, Blair, Sharon and Arafat, even those recorded by the news media in the AFTERMATH of 9/11?Why not more views from individuals who can effect CHANGE?This book could have been GREAT.

Trust me, this is NOT the definitive book of "think pieces" about 9/11/01.

If you disagree, fine.It's your money.But my advice is to borrow before you buy.There are other books worth buying.This one isn't.

The Anti-American Chomsky Strikes Again
Not satisfied to let the images speak for themselves, noted anti-American Noam Chomsky includes an article blaming the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks.

I was enraged to see that such a sad individual would capitalize on an American tragedy, to further his anti-American political agenda.

Do not support the publisher of this book.

I cannot explain how angry I was to see Chomsky's article quietly inserted among these horrifying images.Its existence invalidates the entire book. ... Read more

Product Description
In this groundbreaking, controversial, and ultimately definitive history, New York Times bestselling author Mark Kurlansky argues that nonviolence is not the same thing as pacifism; it's a technique that can speak truth to power to right social injustice or end wars. Gandhi utilized it; Martin Luther King, Jr., utilized it. It has been used to end apartheid and topple the Berlin Wall. Kurlansky offers a sweeping yet concise history of nonviolence from ancient Hindu times to today's many conflicts-including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq war. But he also draws into focus what a dangerous idea nonviolence has been perceived to be, drawing from history twenty-five provocative lessons on the subject, lessons we can use to effect change today. Is war necessary? Kurlansky persuasively argues that even the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II could have been avoided by nonviolent means. With Nonviolence, Mark Kurlansky has written an insightful and highly original book with lessons for our time. ... Read more

Product Description

The myths created by the Greeks and Romans, and the tales of the heroes and heroines that emerged during the Age of Chivalry in Europe, reflect man's enduring emotions: jealousy and hatred, compassion and devotion. They deal with the challenges that still confront man -- the search for truth, for a deeper understanding of the natural world, and of man's own nature.

Brought to popularity by American author Thomas Bulfinch, and beautifully recorded here by such esteemed actors as Olympia Dukakis, Richard Dreyfuss and Edward Herrmann, these tales of Pandora and her fateful box, Apollo playing his lyre, Cupid with his provocative arrows, and others, bring alive the themes, people and places of writings that have survived through the centuries, making this important source of all Western literature available to everyone.

Performed by: Blair Brown, Kate Burton, Richard Dreyfuss, Olympia Dukakis, Peter Gallagher, Edward Herrmann, Cherry Jones, J.K. Simmons and B.D. Wong

Customer Reviews (1)

Good infornation to put in your background
I'm a foreign student studying in the US. I listened to this audiobook while I was preparing for GRE. I learned many new vocabulary from the audiobook.
Later when I took western philosophy class, I understood what my professor was talking about because I had learned about Greek mythology from this audiobook.
I also notice people often use idioms derived from Greek Mythology in their writing or conversation. So it's handy to have such information in your background. Listening to this audiobook is an easy way to obtain such knowledge.

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Product Description
The skies over ancient Rome blaze with terrifying portents in this classic tale of duplicity and murder. Masterfully performed by an all-star, all-American cast including Richard Dreyfus, Kelsey Grammer, Stacy Keach, Bonnie Bedelia, John Delancie, and Jobeth Williams. Unabridged. February publication date. 2 cassettes. . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (50)

Fine
Jesus! They were all great! They were in good shape and they arrived in a reasonable amount of time.

Mike L.

Go, go, good countrymen...
Gaius Julius Cæsar is the Caesar we think of when we hear the word "Caesar" -- he conquered Gaul, bedded Cleopatra, and died a pretty dramatic death. And while he only appears in a few scenes of "Julius Caesar," he's the nucleus that William Shakespeare's taut conspiracy play revolves around -- his murder, his legacy, and the bitter jealousy he inspired.

Julius Caesar is returning to Rome in triumph, only to be stopped by a strange old soothsayer who warns him, "Beware the ides of March." Caesar brushes off the warning, but he has no idea that a conspiracy is brewing under his nose. In a nutshell, a group of senators led by the creepy Cassius are plotting against Caesar because of his wild popularity, suspecting that he wants to become KING.

And Cassius' latest target: Brutus, one of Caesar's best buddies. Brutus is slowly swayed over to the conspiracy's side, beginning to believe that Caesar as a great man corrupted by power. Everything comes to a a devastating assassination on... guess when... the ides of March, which will elevate some men to greatness and destroy others.

Though the story is supposedly about Julius Caesar, Caesar himself only has a few scenes -- but his charismatic, dominating presence hangs over the play like a heavy tapestry. What he does, what he plans, what he thinks and who he is are constantly on people's minds, and even after his death he is a powerful presence in the memories of the living.

And Shakespeare cooks up a dialogue-heavy play that is a bit on the slow side, but whose speeches are so powerful and intense that you don't quite notice. There's a lot of those speeches here -- not only Antony's famous speech to the Roman people ("The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones"), but Brutus' impassioned argument with Portia ("You have some sick offence within your mind") and Cassius' oily slanted editorials about Caesar.

Shakespeare's depiction of Brutus is also a beautifully nuanced one -- Antony calls him the "noblest Roman of them all" at the very end, despite the fact that Brutus calmly murdered his friend and leader. He's basically a gullible guy who follows his passions rather than his brain, and bounces into the conspiracy rather than trying to find out the truth about Caesar. You feel sorry for him, and at the same time you want the much smarter Antony to kick him like a soccer ball.

"Julius Caesar" is rather slow-moving, but Shakespeare's powerful writing and nuanced depiction of Brutus more than make up for that. Friends, Romans, countrymen...

Confusing page numbers
This edition of the text has very confusing page numbers.Rather than separating the sections by scenes and acts, the book numbers at the top 2.3.45 or 1.1.115.It makes it more difficult in a way to find specific scenes because they run together on the page rather than appear with a break between the scenes.However the Arden edition has very nice notes that help with difficult passages or references.

Not what I expected
This series is great for students. The books are divided into three sections: the first section is a kind of history of Shakespeare and his plays, the second section is the actual play, and the third section is more of the details of the play,i.e. where the story came from, how it is performed,how to directed the play. All in all it was a great for teaching the works of Shakespeare.

A classic
One of the classics -- we all had to read it in high school, but it's remarkably easier to get through than it was when I was 16. ... Read more

Product Description
The Crucible portrays 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, as a rigid theocracy eager to ferret out real or imagined deviations from the norm. The play indicts everyone in Salem -- and by extension American society -- for the crimes of intolerance and blind hatred. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (46)

Stop breathing into the mic, please.
I was hoping to use this in my 11th grade class to go along with the text of The Crucible, but there's just no way.The readers certainly do express the emotions in the scenes, but it's pretty overstated.Did they record this whole thing in a sauna, or something?Enough with the heavy breathing!If you just want to listen to it for your own purposes, it's great, but in a classroom, expect your students to feel awkward and make jokes about how some parts sound like a bad porno.

Please don't co-mingle different readings
All of these reviews appear to apply to the L.A. Theater Works reading of The Crucible. I wanted to read reviews about the Lincoln Center version. Co-mingling can be confusing. The Lincoln Center is unabridged and the reviews for the L.A. Theater Works make it sound abridged. I wonder if this review will end up in the L.A. Theater Works version reviews as well.

NOT the unabridged version
While this version is a fine audio production, it is labeled incorrectly as the unabridged version.There are several parts that are edited out.I purchased this one as a supplement to the unabridged version in my classroom.However, it simply is no the unabridged version.If you do want this version, you could download this version from itunes in a matter of minutes rather than waiting for it to ship.

Great for teachers!
This follows the play 99% of the time - every once in a while a word is substituted or a phrase turned around, but that's it.My students had no problem following the play.In fact, they prefer the taped reading over reading aloud in class.I'm in a Title I school with a high percentage of behavior problems and this was a "God send."The students listened much better with the taped reading.

The actors are animated and match the personalities of the characters.I recommend it highly.

Hard to follow along
I bought this cd set to read the play along with my students.It's very theatrical and there are a lot of sound effects.The actors go so fast, that it's hard to follow along if you're reading the play.There's a lot of mumbling, sighing, heavy-breathing.Anyway, if you are wanting to just listen to it, this is a great purchase.If you want to read along, I would try a different cd set. ... Read more

Product Description
American playwright Richard Nelson paints an intimate portrait of the American Revolution, from occupied New York, where British officers amuse themselves with decadent poetry readings, to the squalor of Philadelphia, where General Benedict Arnold struggles to keep order among starving patriots and political factions. When Alexander Hamilton arrives to question Arnold about wartime profiteering, the stage is set for high treason.. ... Read more