Book Description

Book Description
PJ Allen, a typical 21st century teenager with a non-typical lineage, must travel back in time and re-create the phenomenal quest of his ancestor, the Greek hero Perseus, to prevent worldwide catastrophe. However, PJ's toughest battle may be the one raging on the homefront between two fiery blondes who occupy far too many of his thoughts.2003 Independent Publisher Book Awards Finalist -Juvenile/YA Fiction Renaissance Learning Accelerated Reader novel (mid-level) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The Hero Perseus: Mad Myth Mystery Series
Percy John Allen (PJ), a seventeen year old high school student, has just moved to Athenia with his mother Dana. PJ and Dana had left New Jersey to build a new life for themselves after the tragic death of PJ's firefighter father, Zack. Though completely homesick, PJ is attempting to make the best of the situation. He even starts making some new friends.

Just as PJ's life is starting to look a little brighter, something strange happens. A man calling himself Hermes (messenger of the Gods) suddenly appears in PJ's dreams. Hermes tells PJ that the boy is actually the descendent of Perseus, a heroic character in Greek mythology. Moreover, Hermes demands that PJ travel back in time to slay Medusa, a gorgon so deadly that one glimpse of her would turn PJ into stone. How is PJ suppose to juggle traveling back in time to slay some gorgon while hanging out with his friends, studying for tests, playing football, and figuring out a way to impress Jana Langley?

The Hero Perseus: A Mad Myth Mystery is a new twist on an old story that will be enjoyed by all aged. This story will be equally enjoyed by those who have no knowledge of Greek myths and those who know these stories by heart. As with the original Greek myths of Perseus, there is a lot of action and adventure. However, this updated version adds a great deal of humour into the mix. Moreover, the characters are shown as just average people caught up in extraordinary situations. In this way, readers of this book will not only gain understanding of Greek mythology but also come to the realization that ordinary people can be heroes too.

Reviewed by Amy Ryder
When his parents divorce, PJ and his mom move to the tiny country town of Athenia.PJ finds an old art set in his room, and he draws a roly-poly old man who comes to life as Hermes.He convinces PJ (actually Percy, or Perseus) to help him behead Medusa and save civilization from a drought.PJ becomes much too close to people in his past and present who are actually characters from Greek myth as he accompanies Hermes on wild adventures based on the mythical Greek stories.

Thefast-paced action and element of mystery in these books would appeal to the modern adventure fantasy reader.They do teach as well as entertain, since they are based in mythology.The main character is a fantastic athlete, and each book also contains great sports action sequences.

The myths are woven naturally into the story, but at times they were hard to follow, with many characters and situations thrown at the reader simultaneously.For the young adult unfamiliar with Greek myth, this series would be overwhelming at first.The second book in the series has a smoother flow between the myth and the story.Some of the characters are cliché, like the tomboy neighbor with a secret crush on PJ, the "big man on campus" who is jealous of PJ's new popularity, and the crazy roommate who eats cold pizza and calls everyone "dude."Overall, these are satisfying reads that will appeal to readers who enjoy fast-paced fantasy and action stories.

Non-stop action for young adult readers (and others)
Story:Sixteen-year-old PJ Allen had a good life, living in New Jersey with his firefighter father and loving mother.He was his school's football team's quarterback, he had a pretty girlfriend, he was a good student, and he had a lot of friends.However, seventeen-year-old PJ had just moved to Athenia, a small town in up-State New York, after his father died.He was suddenly the new kid, with no friends, and the football team already had a pretty good, well-established (i.e., his father supported the team financially), arrogant quarterback.PJ had to start over.Thanks to an interesting neighbor, the tomboyish Andi, PJ starts to fit in, slowly.

Okay, the world has already turned upside-down on this kid, but it's about to happen again.One night, as PJ's about to go to sleep, Hermes (the Greek messenger god) appears in PJ's room, tells him that he's the descendent of semi-divine Greek hero Perseus, and he is now stuck with the job of re-creating a crucial moment in history that somehow has been erased:he has to kill the Gorgon named Medusa, who can turn you to stone with a single glance!Why PJ?Because he is the heir to the long-deceased Perseus.What if PJ refuses?Pegasus will not be born, and won't be able to bring thunder to Zeus, and without thunder, Zeus cannot bring rain to Olympus (or anywhere else).A worldwide drought will ensue, and everyone will eventually die.

PJ agrees, although he is not sure whether he believes any of this.By day, PJ gradually fits in with his new life and, lo and behold, by night, he embarks on an incredible adventure, aided by the Greek gods, opposed by the Greek Titans and their allies, and not at all helped by several acts of treachery.

Will PJ survive?Will he save the world?Will he ever get playing time on the football team?Will he figure out who to take to the Homecoming dance?

Commentary:Tony and Robyn DiTocco co-wrote and helped get this book published.It is part of their "Mad Myth Mystery" series for young adult readers, and is followed by a great sequel, "Atlas` Revenge".The book is very fast-paced and the action never stops.The authors deftly take us back and forth between the protagonist's "normal" daytime life and his magical-mythical nighttime adventure.The writing and the plot are complex enough for an adult to read, but fast enough and smooth enough for young adults (twelve and up, even ten for good readers) to handle and thoroughly enjoy.If you or a child you know enjoys reading about mythology, this is a great book, in the mode of "Jason and the Argonauts," and the authors seem to know their Greek mythology well.The authors have also tried to use the story to explore issues like loyalty, courage, and logical thinking, but not in a way that seems at all preachy or didactic.

Bottom line:This is a fun story, with lots of action and a rapid pace.The authors have themselves an interesting series concept, and they have executed it well in the first two books.I hope they can keep up the quality.

Outstanding
This is perhaps one of the most outstanding young adult books that I have reviewed in a very long time.
Concerned by the recent popularity of works teaching our children about witchcraft and wizardry; the authors set out to write a work that would show young people that they could overcome problems wihout the use of magic. That is exactly what they did in a way that will make young and old stand up and cheer.

PJ Allen has a lot to deal with in his young life.He has lost his father, has been moved to a new town and is thrust into a quest to save the world.
This work is packed full of adventure, suspense and even humor as PJ meets new friends, fights unbelievable enemies and travels on a journey to discover the life of his ancestor Perseus and the realization of what his destiny is.
Young and old alike will be drawn into this story and enjoy reading a work that combines Greek mythology with a modern day background.
This is a great read and I highly recommend it.
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

Best book I've read
This book, The Hero Perseus was the best book I have read. The librarian brought it to my class to see who wanted to read it and I took it and I read it in only 4 days. That is how great it was. If your kids are into witches and mythology like I am they'll love this book. The ending will surprise you but of course i can't spoil it for you. You're just going to have to read it yourself. Just remember best book I've ever read that I've gotten from school. ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1894 edition by David Nutt, London. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Julian May is noted for her two long, complex, and interlinked science-fantasy sagas, the Pliocene Exile and the Galactic Milieu series. Perseus Spur opens the more light-hearted Rampart Worlds sequence, which is full of colorful planetary descriptions and slam-bang action. This future galaxy is dominated by Earth's megacorporations, which have carved up space between them. The hero, who was fighting corporate corruption, has been framed and discredited but not forgotten, as shown by bizarre murder attempts: a giant alien sea-toad gobbles up his house, and soon he's staked out to die on a lonely comet. With help from his eccentric friends and estranged family of entrepreneurs, he sets off James Bond-style to smash an ugly galactic conspiracy among companies that are treacherously selling human secrets--including our DNA--to hostile aliens. Like Bond, he's repeatedly captured by the same bad guy and barely survives awful fates. Negotiating exotic, deadly jungles, he must penetrate a fortified enemy cave complex and then escape before the inevitable time bomb blows everything to hell. Will he defeat the villain and get the girl? Need you ask? Fast-moving, tongue-in-cheek adventure, with sequels to come. --David Langford, Amazon.co.ukBook Description
From Julian May, the acclaimed author who created the incredible worlds of The Many-Colored Land and The Golden Torc, comes a bold new science fiction adventure!

When rebellious Asahel Frost was expelled from the Interstellar Commerce Secretariat on trumped-up charges, he lost it all: wife, citizenship, fortune, self-respect. Exiled to a beautiful but remote planet in the Perseus Spur, Frost became Helmut Icicle, a man without a past or a future. But someone remembered Asahel Frost--remembered him enough to send an assassin to kill him. And in so doing, brought him back to life.

Now, determined to track down the would-be assassin, Helmut finds himself caught in a conspiracy as convoluted as it is deadly. His sister, Eve, has mysteriously vanished. His estranged father wants him to find her with the assistance of the lovely Matilde Gregoire, who happens to hate his guts. As Helmut follows the tangled strands of deceit, greed, and violence back to their common source, he begins to wonder if he is the hunter or the hunted . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

This book was not written by Julian May
This book was not written by Julian May. It can only have been produced by a Haluk replacement with no writing talent whatsoever. The author of the 'the Saga of Exiles' must currently be floating in an a tank of gloop somewhere.

Perseus Spur actually isn't that bad except that if you do read it, you might be tempted to read the other 2 books. The last one is particularly dire, if you can just imagine the most predictable and uninteresting outcome for the trilogy, you will not need to bother reading it.

Finally, the trilogy Hero character. What a completely irritating [bad]. I really did want the 'baddies' to put him out of our misery, preferably in the first 3 pages of book 2.

Huluks, please release the real Julian May.

Goofy, entertaining space opera/detective story
Julian May is one of my favorite authors.Her books are always imaginative, detailed, witty, and colorful.May is unmatched in her ability to string together sentences with multiple adjectives used in novel ways to create a world with sight, sound, texture, and soul.Reading May is like reading good poetry-- effortless, provoking, flowing.

That being said, Perseus Spur, the first of the Rampart Worlds Trilogy is a different kind of book for her.A new universe, 200 years in the future, dominated by megacorporations plotting and scheming to make a profit by exploiting the resources of our arm of the galaxy.There are no world-smashing psychic powers or Pliocene-era ramapthicines here.The protagonist is a former police officer, framed by the megacorps, and exiled to a tropical paradise where he has nearly drunk himself to death.He is a quasi-cynical, what-the-heck rough-around-the-edges sort with lofty, wounded ideals set against the galactic might of big business.

This book has a sort of sardonic, tongue-in-cheek feel to it.May's imagination and visioncan leave you breathless with the images she provokes, but the overall plot is pretty basic.This is no Ludlum thriller or groundbreaking sci-fi epic a la Asimov's Foundation.What it is is a good fun, smile at Ms. May's sense of humor and imagery, and cheer on the good guy type of book.She also has a number of pretty interesting sci-fi ideas for the concepts-- with a strong genetic component as did her Galactic Milieu/Pliocene Exile series-- that I can appreciate.

The Pliocene Exile series is still my favorite from Ms. May.This one fails to deliver the depth of character for some of the supporting players in the story that her other series did.I feel like I understand the protagonist well, but not a lot of the others.Still, I had a great time reading it.Thanks, Ms. May.How about a sequel to the Pliocene Series?Hagen, Diane, Cloud, and Kuhal?

Science Fiction Epic with Cyber Punk Sensibilities
May did a great job of mixing the feel of a Science Fiction Epic (ie. Star Wars) with the corporate/political feel of a CyberPunk book. While her main character is like something out of a gumshoe detective novel. To me, a great mix.

I hope the sequel is better...
Julian May is a talented writer whose books I will buy notwithstanding reviews, because her best work (e.g., Jack the Bodiless, Diamond Mask, Magnificat) is so strong.Well, I'm sorry to say, Perseus Spur isn't up to her standard.The characters are shallow, the tension artificial, and the premise underdeveloped.I have seen reviews that praise the sequel, Orion Arm, and am willing to try that book as well, but I hope it has more of what Ms. May does well (thorough exploration of the characters and their society) and less of what she doesn't need to do at all - deus ex machina rescues, inexplicable blind spots and plot holes.(Such as, if the interrogation techniques and veracity-detecting machines of his era are essentially infallible, how could Frost/Icicle have been framed? Did he forget to volunteer to be questioned by those infallible techniques?) (Or, how severe is the penalty of Throwaway status if any interstellar CEO could restore his citizenship by hiring him?)

On the other hand, there is a certain energy to the headlong pace, and there are some similarities to Jack Vance's terrific Demon Princes novels.Plus, an author who predicts the survival of Jimmy Buffett's musical legacy in the Margaritaville of the Perseus Spur deserves some slack.I'll try the sequel ...

Strangely Adolescent
1. What happened to Julian May?

When it first came out, years ago, I read and loved the Pliocene Exiles series. Julian May became one of my favorite authors of the era. Now I was younger then, so picking up thisPerseus Spur book, I must conclude that one of two things has happened:either Julian May has never been very good, and my tastes have changes; orMay's writing is deteriorating. Based on the other reviews I have seenhere, I wonder if it may not be the latter!

2) What's wrong withit?

Oh, you know, everything. But worst of all: it reads like an awkwardadolescent male fantasy while Julian May is in theory a female adult. Themain character's painfully bad moves on the female interest are absolutelyagonizing, at every step. Moreover, none of the characters are evenremotely compelling. I couldn't care less who lives, who dies, or who endsup with whom. When they do eventually get it on, it is ick ick ick. Not tomention rather improbable.

One thing I particularly remember about thePliocene books was that they had vivid characters.

But the characters inPerseus Spur are flat, uninteresting, and unpersuasive.

3) Thestory.

Helmut "Helly" Icicle, comes out of exile to rescue hisfamily's galactic corporation. The rich good guys win, the rich bad guyslose, and the Helly's not-rich friends from exile are forgotten by chapterthree (except for the one rich friend from exile, who hangs around to savethe hero a couple of times).

Bad things happen to Helly: his house iseaten by a sea monster. He is staked to a comet. He is trapped in anunderground bunker with a bomb. A giant alien lizard falls on him. Goodthings happen to Helly: the bad fortunes of his exile are reversed,snivelling corporate weasels' jaws drop when they see him returned, heisn't killed by any of the bad things, he gets the girl.

But in the end,you probably won't give two figs one way or the other.

4) The best thingabout the book?

On the back cover is a blurb quotation from the aboveAmazon.co.uk review. When a publisher needs to go to Amazon to take avaguely positive blurb out of context to help sell the book, you know theyare scraping the bottom of the barrel.

(Ooh, but look: Amazon quotes theamazon quote in the "From the back cover" section. It's likemirrors receding infinitely into the distance!) ... Read more

Book Description
Practical Approaches to Dramatherapy is derived from the authors' experiences of working with dramatherapy in a range of different situations. It focuses on the flexibility of the applications of dramatherapeutic principles. The book provides a comprehensive account of the history, theory and practice of drama and its therapeutic use. The authors explain the shape of a session, how dramatherapy works, and how it can be interpreted via myth, symbol and psychological theory. Work with individuals and groups is described, as are sessions with masks, improvisation, and use of scripts. The reader is encouraged to incorporate dramatherapy approaches into a variety of existing ways of working: for example, in socials skills groups, assertiveness training and anger management. Highlighting the potential scope of dramatherapy and providing practical examples and advice, Practical Approaches to Dramatherapy extends the boundaries of dramatherapy practice. Madeline Andersen-Warren is a state registered arts therapist (drama) currently working for the NHS. She is a partner of Northern Trust for Dramatherapy, a training organization, and a visiting lecturer at several universities. She is the author of several publications about dramatherapy and is undertaking Doctoral research in dramatherapy. ... Read more

Book Description
The son of Zeus, to some a greater hero than Herakles, Perseus has his place amongst the first rank of Greek heroes. With the help of Hermes and Athena he killed Medusa, conquered the mighty Kraken and married the beautiful Andromeda. This volume tells of his enduring myth, its rendition in art and literature, and its reception through the Roman period to the modern day. ... Read more

Book Description
From Peter Drucker to Jack Welch, Karl Marx to Groucho Marx, a compendium of the most memorable, insightful, and amusing quotes on business, management, leadership, and the economy.

Business is an indelible part of our culture, inspiring humor, deep insight, scorn, and even poetry. The Big Book of Business Quotations showcases more than five thousand short takes on business, covering the gamut from high finance to advertising, from the qualities of leadership to the impact of technology, ethics, strategy, and the will to succeed. From John D. Rockefeller to Will Rogers, Bella Abzug to Jack Welch, The Big Book of Business Quotations illuminates the art and folly of business through the observations, witticisms, and commentary of the writers, pundits, and pioneers who have left their mark on the world of business. The Big Book of Business Quotations offers a glimpse into this world that is at once amusing and incisive, and will serve as a handy reference for anyone looking to spice up conversation, reports, or presentations. ... Read more

Book Description
Perseus is a remarkable multimedia resource on CD-ROM that is revolutionizing the study of ancient Greece for educators, scholars, and enthusiasts everywhere. Version 1.0 of this HyperCard-based database, called "trailblazing" by the Wall Street Journal, has been widely praised as one of the most innovative educational tools published to date. Perseus 2.0 is the most comprehensive collection of primary sources and supporting reference materials on ancient Greece ever created. Superb navigational tools and hypertextual links make searching this enormous resource quick, intuitive, and effective. This unparalleled program supports teaching and study in literature, art, language, and history, and is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in Greece. Among the contents of Perseus 2.0: complete and selected works of 31 authors in Greek with classic English translations from the Loeb Classical Library; a collection of 25,000 images of architecture, sculpture, coins, and vases with detailed catalogue entries; an extensive atlas including schematic, topographical, and satellite maps of ancient and present-day Greece; an on-line version of the Liddell-Scott Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (35,000 words); an encyclopedia of major historical and mythological figures, places, and terms; a chronological summary of the major historical and cultural events from the archaic period to Alexander the Great, with more than 2,000 hypertextual links to the rest of the Perseus database. Perseus 2.0 is available in two editions: Comprehensive Edition, on four CD-ROMs, contains the complete textual database, encyclopedia, lexicon, and atlas, plus the complete visual database of 25,000 full-screen images; Concise Edition, on one CD-ROM, provides the complete textual database, encyclopedia, lexicon, and atlas, with about 5,200 full-screen images and small-format thumbnail sketches of the entire image catalogue for reference. A separate single-sided videodisc companion to Perseus 2.0 containing all 25,000 images is also available. Major funding is provided by the Annenberg/CPB Project with additional support from Apple Computer, Inc., and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Packard Humanities Institute, Xerox Corporation, Boston University, Bowdoin College, and Harvard University. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Unless You Can Program Yourself: STAY AWAY
Kreutzer's review was very helpful. unfortunately, I bought the stupid cd anyway. it's worthless. I only bought it for the quick morphological analysis. the software displays SGreek, but it won't use it for morphological analysis (yes, I was using the proper accents - I noticed the chicago and german mirror PP sites were fussy about that as well). why is this a problem for me? well...because I don't know the keystrokes for Athenian, the default font. it's not a complete loss. I can still cut 'n' paste Greek words from any text that is in the collection, and the morphological analysis tool works properly then. but $160 is a heck of a lot of money to waste on such user-unfriendly software. I'm using the "platform independent" version. I'm sure there's a map for that stupid Athenian font somewhere. I just have to find the stupid thing and hope it works w/o the programming tricks Kreutzer mentions (that're beyond my computing skills).

Disappointing, given the price
I am a classical student. I use Perseus Online almost daily. I decided to buy the CD version, because I am moving to an apartment without Internet connection. I bought the Perseus 2.0 CD Concise Edition for 165$ (including shipping + taxes) from the official Yale website. (The Concise Edition is the Comprehensive Edition without 3CDs of images. If your work focuses on texts, there is no need to buy that expensive Comprehensive Edition.) I am happy with the CD, but there are many disappointments: 1) There are no Latin resources on the CD. The texts and the linguistic tools are Greek only. Furthermore, the Greek texts are without commentaries. The Greek dictionary is the Intermediate Liddell-Scott, and not the complete Liddell-Scott-Jones. 2) The Morphological Analysis tool requires you to type the precise accents and diacritical marks. What is worse, the Perseus CD does not use Unicode, but a GreekKeys font. Therefore, you cannot use the Greek Polytonic keyboard to type. In order to type Greek accents, the help file says to buy (!) the GreekKeys program. However, the GreekKeys website states that their Windows version is not supported and not for sale since 1999, because everyone nowadays uses Unicode. I sent an email to Yale support and never received response. I decided to solve the problem myself by editing the source code of Perseus. Modify the following three lines in the file MORPH.TCL, so as to make the Morphological Analysis tool accept latin input:

set form [$::perseus::greek2beta convert [$w.form get]]
set form [$w.form get]

$w.form insert end [$::perseus::beta2greek convert $form]
$w.form insert end $form

entry $w.form -font [pfont greek]
entry $w.form -font [pfont large]

The only advantages of the Perseus CD versus the online version are faster display and advanced text search; for instance, you can search words in proximity of others. (Final note: During the installation, once you have run Fonts.EXE, you have to open the Windows Fonts folder, so that the new fonts are recognized. This is not in the installation instructions but without it, Perseus will not display the Greek text correctly.)

Multimedia as serious reserch tool
Perseus is represents a major innovation in how to access information about the classical world. A collaborative effort developed by specialists who have taken pains to present vast stores of information usually only available in major museums or research libraries is now are accessible to any enterprising novice student. The heart of the Comprehensive Edition is the huge picture archive especially of sculpture and illustrated pottery that makes close study of visual and textual sources. The Concise Edition provides the full textual and interactive resources but only provides thumbnails of the picture library this can inhibit serious study of the visual record. This work is an indispensable tool for any serious study of Classic Greek culture and history. The variety of approaches to linking the content makes Perseus an effective interactive teaching tool. And research resource that exhibits the fuller potential of multimedia. ... Read more

Product Description
The ancient Greeks worshiped a complex group of deities, weaving their characters into timeless tales of love, heroism, and intrigue. Plays, poems, paintings, and sculptures commemorating these tales have survived for centuries. Even as world religions and scientific knowledge have evolved, bringing with them new beliefs and understanding of the world, the ancient Greek tales continue to provide a basic foundation for Western thought and sharp insight to the human psyche. In the story of Perseus, the hero, rejected and feared by his grandfather, is cast into the sea with his mother to die. Fortunately for Perseus, fate has other plans for them. Perseus kills a gorgon, a giant, and an angry sea monster; marries a beautiful princess; turns a crowd to stone; and saves his mother from a vengeful king. His destiny takes him back to his birthplace in search of his grandfather. Only then does he finally fulfill his fate and live happily ever after. ... Read more

Book Description
An introduction to the phenomenon of Weblogs--online journals and diaries--and the people who keep them.

Instantaneous and raw, unedited and uncensored, Weblogs are self-publishing at its best and its worst--occasionally brilliant but often pretentious, sometimes shocking but always fascinating. We've Got Blog is the first book to explore this phenomenon, which has been quickly rising from obscure Webpages to national attention in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Weblogs are free, searchable journals of opinions and links updated daily by an individual or a group and they have become some of the hottest Websites. We've Got Blog has pulled together some of the best writing explaining their history, the mavericks who created them, and how they are changing the way we use the Internet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

As I Blogger Myself I Found This Fascinating
For the first time in months I have read a book cover to cover, and it is We've Got Blog.

I am a blogger myself (goodbyejim.com) and this book helped me clarify what it is I have been doing for the past year. There are some weaknesses in this work, but even so I highly recommend it.

The book provides alternate definitions of what is a blog. Auseful one is that a blog is a chronologically ordered, regularly updated website that is primarily the work of one person and contains a high number of regularly updated, chronologically ordered links to other sites. The links and the other ordered chronological material are often contained within the same short piece of micro-content.

I am not sure what micro-content is. The phrase pops up in the book but is not explained.

We've Got Blog focuses on diaristic blogs or blogs in which the blogger blogs about whatever is of interest or about a very broad topic. But there are many tightly focused blogs. (Mine is for liberals who oppose a certain nominally-Democratic politician andhis machine in a single congressional district. How is that for narrowcasting?)

The book rarely discusses topics of specific relevance to single issue blogs. It devotes great space to people who have diaristic blogs and want to have other diaristic bloggers like them and link to them. For single point-of-focus blogs this concept is irrelevant. Often we are the only blog dealing with a subject and there would be no one to link to us even if we cared for them to do so.

Some of the material in this book is already dated. The book describes the robotwisdom.com blog, but when I visited it I got the impression that it has not been updated for a year. When some of these essays were written Google was not the overpowering presence that it is today. It would have been nice to see some discussion of how Google placement affects blog.

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Within 24 hours of purchasing this fairly thin volume I had read it in its entirety, and for me that is the highest praise that a book can earn.


Jonathan Mark
Blogmaster
GoodbyeJim.com

A book without a personality
I had such great hopes for this book.The list of contributing authors reads like a "who's who" of blogging, and I really enjoyed headliner Rebecca Blood's "Weblog Handbook".Alas, I was to be disappointed.This book is not a grand collaborative effort but merely a collection of unrelated essays, interviews and weblog posts.Some of these articles were new, some were familiar, some were intriguing, some were dull or inconsequential.Worst of all, these articles are mostly available on the web for free, And there's not even a linking paragraph of new content between them.One of the distinguishing characteristics of weblogs is that each rings with the individual tone of the author.Jumbling a bunch of such differing styles together made my head spin.

I find it hard to imagine anyone who will get full value out of this book.Most people will find some of the articles informative or inspiring but also find some a waste of time.A book to check out from the library and dip in to, but not one to keep and cherish.

Interesting, but not filling
I was hoping for a more in depth look at what blogs mean to our culture, to the net, etc. This book doesn't really provide that. While most of the essays collected here are interesting, it doesn't provide a huge amount of point or commentary or new info. Good read though.

Have you blogged today?
This is my letter to the World
That never wrote to Me-
The simple News that Nature told-
With tender Majesty

Her message is committed
To Hands I cannot see-
For love of Her - Sweet - countrymen-
Judge tenderly - of Me

--"A Blogger's Anthem" (actually a poem by Emily Dickinson, c. 1862--change the "Hands" in line 6 to "Eyes" and it fits rather nicely.)

Well, the novel is dead or dying, I forget which, and there's no cinema in Hollywood, and TV's still a wasteland, and pro wrestling's fixed (yes, sad), and the news is biased, and I don't need no stinkin' make-over, etc.So why not blog?

Is it an ego trip?Cheap psychotherapy?Pathetic?How about an exercise in futility?Or a way to know for sure how meaningless your life really is?(And a way to document same?)

A new art form?The new New Journalism?A synergistic combination of link and commentary?Open letters to the world?A great adventure in self-discovery?A way to make friends and influence people?

Judging from this book which serves as a spiffy, if limited, introduction to the world of blog, all of the above, I would guess and something more.In fact, anything at all.Link and ye shall know.Write and somebody might write back.

There's a Glossary.It's short.The first word I looked up ("filter") wasn't there.That's my test.I read a technical word in the text that I am not sure about and I flip to the Glossary.I do this three or four times.If it's there, good Glossary, otherwise not.There are footnotes.All are URLs.Cute.

And there are chapters.In six parts: A Brief History; Meet the Bloggers; Blog, Blog, Blog; Advice; Weblogs vs. Traditional Journalism; and Community.Neat.Each chapters is written by a different blogger including Rebecca Blood, who wrote the Introduction, and Weblogs, A History and Perspective.Here are some examples of the most interesting chapters:

Weblogging: Lessons Learned by Kulesh Shanmugasundaram whose dicta include: "Content is everything."That's a duh, but a Great Big Duh.And "Having ten million hits is not the game plan.Having 10 regular readers is a home run."

The Libera Manifesto by Chris Pirillo, whose words of wisdom include: "Most of us seek recognition, not fame" and "Opinions aren't wrong."

Metascene's Ten Tips for Building a Bionic Weblog.His style is lively, snappy, a bit of a controlled hard-boil (and foul-mouthed), but somehow mature, and includes this gem: "Once in a while remind yourself that just because it happened to you does not necessarily make it interesting."

Put the Keyboard Down and Back Away from the Weblog by Neale Talbot.He gives an example of a Blog Style Journal and a Journal Style Blog, and comments, "I'm not sure which one is worse." (Actually both are great.See page 158.)

Tim Cavanaugh's Let Slip the Blogs of War has the virtue of pointing to what might be expected of a lot of blog text: it's political.The political fires are what motivate some bloggers to blog."The weblog is not the most useless weapon in the War On Terrorism," he writes."That title is still held by the nuclear submarine." (p. 189)Clever, but I think he's wrong.The decentralized exchange of opinions that blogs offer may be exactly what we need, the fact that the blogs that Cavanaugh read were pretty much lockstep jingoism, notwithstanding.There are other opinions that go out to the world.

What is wonderful about the blog is that it allows almost anyone to have his or her say (with the hope that somebody might be listening).Yes, the journalism is mostly somebody else's (but often there's a link); and as an art form the blog is in its infancy--although some bloggers would surely say the opposite, that blogging is already a mature art form (measured at the speed of webtime), and out there in Cyberspace, already quietly perfecting their art, are the Shakespeare and Botticelli of blog.And they aren't necessarily A-list.

Or is blogging possibly a way to fame and fortune?Will it be possible some day to make a living as a blogger?Ah yes, a tenth of a cent a hit cometh your way.Ten thousand hits a day = a hundred dollars.(I just wish they would charge even a tenth of a penny for each e-mail.That would hit the spammers where it hurts.)

If nothing else this book inspired me to check out the blogs themselves.I was expecting some pretty amateurish stuff, but the ones I looked at were easy on the eye and fairly well composed and edited.They combined links with commentary.Many were political and some were obviously biased, but that is to be expected.If you take the time to surf I suspect almost anybody will find a blog that appeals.

Ironically this excellent little book makes the point that blogging is another example of the decentralization of the publishing world.This is a semi-official acknowledgment that the commercial publishers are watching.Where blogging will lead is anybody's guess.Maybe someday everybody will have a blog, started from youth and continued throughout one's life.Instead of a resumé or a formal introduction, you will send the URL to your blog.And you will be judged.And possibly loved.

The origins, trends, and pros and cons of weblogs
The editors of Perseus Publishing's We've Got Blog also explore the new trend of self-published web-based logs and journals. Weblogs are self-publishing at its strongest - and its worst. This explores the origins, trends, and pros and cons of weblogs. ... Read more

Book Description
THIS 60 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Greek Fairy Tales, by Charles Kingsley. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564594793. ... Read more

Book Description
Could a monster whose very look turns men to stone be a challenge too perilous even for the son of Zeus? King Polydectes has designs on Perseus' mother, Danaë. But first the king must get rid of young Perseus once and for all. So Polydectes hatches a plan to trick the young hero into performing an impossible task--slay the snake-haired Gorgon monster Medusa, whose very look turns men to stone. Yet, as the son of Zeus, king of the gods, Perseus has many powerful allies. Will Perseus' strength and courage--and the favor of the gods--allow him to do the impossible? ... Read more