Helpful votes received on reviews:
96% (26 of 27)
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Reviews
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No question, you won't read this book unless you already are half or three-quarters into Wilson's camp. Much of the material is old stuff to Wilson fans from such books as "Biophilia" or "The Diversity of Life". The theme is, of course, the massive degradation of the biosphere by man, and how to salvage what richness of life remains. While most of us are aware of the perilous state of wilderness and wildlife (as the gloomy coda to any nature show on public television reminds us), we tend not to dwell on it - it is so sad and, we feel, so unavoidable. But sometimes one must come to grips with things. This book is a good start; it was written in 2001, so is pretty current. Wilson covers the… Read more
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This is a review of a specific edition of Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" - namely the New Cambridge edition of 1990, edited by David Bevington. The book is a good size, and the print is easy to read. There are about 70 pages of front matter in this edition, and, on each page of the play, copious notes. Following the play's text, there is a discussion of general editorial choices and approaches, supplementing the specifics covered in notes. The front matter dutifully took up the sources of the play, its dating, structure, stage history, and a number of other topics. I found it occasionally a bit heavy going, as, in many sections, any straightforward statement seemed to be buried… Read more
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Just how interesting could a memoir by someone whose (real!) name is Bob Smith ever be? As it turns out, Bob Smith is a fascinating man with a talent not often celebrated, but that is absolutely central to art: he is a supremely-gifted appreciator. He loves painting and music and, centrally, Shakespeare. He never went to college, never wanted to learn to drive. Art museums and live theater are his ideas of heaven. He's done directing, acting, painting. But basically he loves being an audience, and feels it is his job to teach others how, as audience, to participate fully in Shakespeare's art. For him the Bard is redeeming, and is just the tonic for those that have to peel life down to its… Read more
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