Member: Toolroomtrustee

Thank you - I reviewed it for the Sunday Times initially but they did not have space for it. After I posted the review on Librarything James contacted me and I did a Q&A session with him that the paper DID run and which has been picked up by other publications as well.

So I hope more people will read his book and become aware not only of him as a writer and a fascinating footnote to the whole SLA phenomenon, but also take heed of the conditions he paints of Zimbabwe and what is happening in that benighted country.

posted by adpaton at 3:43 am (EST) on Oct 29, 2009

What a good idea - printing out a list of wants. I wonder if the new Collections feature would aid in your list making. A friend on LT told me she now has a collection of "Gone" books, books she has given away or sold. I like the idea. Of course, using tags could accomplish the same end, in my opinion.

posted by SaintSunniva at 11:19 am (EST) on Jul 25, 2009

Sorry not to respond to your query sooner. The difficulty of translating Hugo is of interest to me. It's true that English translations are often very bad. What is sublime in Hugo often sounds maudlin and trite in translation -- just why this is so pervasively true, I can't say that I've figured out. It has led some to conclude that Hugo's thought is fundamentally trite. Many critics have argued that it is simply a massive, virtually infinite exploitation of the trope of antithesis, and for many years it was de rigueur to dismiss Hugo as a thinker. I think it was Aragon who came along, though, and asked "Avez-vous lu Hugo?" Have you *really* read him? There is such an incredible abundance of material that at this point there are relatively few people who have taken the time to acquaint themselves with his work deeply.

It's not my view that Hugo was trite -- I believe Hugo was, on the contrary, a visionary, and that his visions (for lack of a better word -- I think he really did have something like 'visions'; there is a hallucinatory quality to his writing and also to his drawings, paintings, etc.) are quite interesting, and that his use of antithesis is a means toward a visionary end, and not the essence of what he was about.

Here's an attempt to translate (very freely) a few lines from 'La Légende des siècles,' which I published recently and dedicated to the memory of the mothers and children killed in the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza Massacre:

***:

EIGHT LINES FROM "LE COMTE FÉLIBIEN"
By Victor Hugo

Car la maternité, c'est la grande action.
Sachez qu'on doit avoir la même émotion
Devant Ève portant les races inconnues
Que devant l'astre immense entrevu dans les nues ;
Sachez-le, meurtriers ! les respects sont pareils
Pour la femme et le ciel, l'abîme des soleils
Étant continué par le ventre des mères,
Rois, le vrai c'est l'enfant ; vous êtes des chimères.

--Victor Hugo, "Le Comte Félibien," ll. 95-102, in La Légende des siècles, Tome I, Partie VI, Après les dieux, les rois, II: De Ramire à Cosme de Médicis

* * * * *

For giving birth is what is truly real.
As when Sol cuts through clouds, so you should feel
When contemplating Eve, who bore alone
The seed of all the races yet unknown.
You murder! yet you owe the same regard
To woman and to heaven million-starred
Whose mystery shines within each mother's womb —
Leaders, the child is Life; you are the tomb.

--Translated from the French by Mark K. Jensen

posted by jensenmk82 at 2:48 pm (EST) on Apr 17, 2009

I'm really glad you joined the group! And thanks for adding me to your "Interesting Libraries" -- I am honored. I love your tag "History of Math and Physics" -- we share the interest!

posted by stellarexplorer at 10:25 pm (EST) on Apr 16, 2009

Here's a new set for a rainy day.

Tenhi - "Näkin Laulu" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d06jAi5x0...

Agalloch - "The Lodge" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDakWq7aV...

Moonsorrow - "Jotunheim Part I" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lTM4N-bV...

"Jotunheim Part II" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PIVzR1gX...

Jesu - "Wolves" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfytPS6j4...

posted by stephenjchow at 3:01 pm (EST) on Apr 2, 2009

I'll just post some links here that I've really been enjoying lately. The pages have the band and song info. The heavier songs are last :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXr2iAQTM...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9E2uaKwe...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BjRmHMUW...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeVoCQwIa...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBdICUT50...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adZnMonDo...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5_GzuM7Z...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO9mxXtEZ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaL2PB8Ol...

posted by stephenjchow at 5:58 pm (EST) on Mar 16, 2009

Thanks for interesting comments on Hirsch's 'Validity in Interpretation.'

posted by jensenmk82 at 2:16 am (EST) on Mar 6, 2009

I only have Doctor Who audio books so far, [The Stone Rose], [Resurrection Casket], [Feast of the Drowned] and [Pest Control]. All read by David Tennant. We also have actual CD's for 2 non-Doctor Who audio books read by DT – [Quite Ugly One Morning] and [Whiteout]. He has totally ruined us for other audio books; we haven’t found anyone nearly as good.

I haven't seen any physical Doctor Who books except on Amazon, though I might take at look at CONvergence this year and see if I can get 1 or 2 if they aren’t too expensive. I liked [Pest Control] the best as it had Donna as the companion. I think that the TV show is better, at least the new series. I would love to get some Big Finish audios but talk about breaking the bank!

I did read an episode on-line. I think one of the free BBC ones. I rather enjoyed it, but it had a lot of stuff/people that I wasn’t familiar with, like Ace, I never saw any of the episodes with her in them, and there were some other things that I thought may not follow the actual TV series history, but again I really only saw the Tom Baker episodes with a few WH and JP thrown into the mix.

I pretty much read everything, and (before Bruce) I dated someone who is one of the leading experts in AI, and I like computers - they do exactly what you tell them to do :-). I find heuristics fascinating, so understanding AI isn’t an issue (these books are still to be entered in LT). I did take higher level math & science in college too, then I needed a real job NOW with benefits where I didn't have to work nights, so my 10 key skills & I got into accounting. Maybe that is why I need to read so much - not that I am knocking accounting but really it's not rocket science.

It sounds like getting [the Science of Doctor Who] and not reading before 2010 might be an issue! Thanks for your input on it!

DS
(Bruce’s evil twin :-))

posted by bruce_krafft at 8:44 pm (EST) on Mar 2, 2009

Hello,
Thanks for the comments. I'll definitely check out Aristos. The metal bands I enjoy have exceptional musicianship and can keep my attention for the whole album by using riffs and rhythm with a hard funky groove, seamless transitions in the songwriting, and a wide variety of vocals--specifically Detonation's "Portals to Uphobia", Psycroptic's "Scepters of the Ancients", Augury's "Concealed", Spiral Architect's "A Sceptic's Universe", Dragonland's "Astronomy", and Gorod's "Leading Vision". I've only listened to Dark Tranquility's Character album, and if you liked that some of the albums above are very similar. Unfortunately I've never given old school metal, Nightwish or Dream Theater a chance. The closest thing I can recommend along those lines is Pharaoh's "The Longest Night", which is very much inspired by Iron Maiden. I can't help but recommend also Gothica's "The Cliff of Suicide", because I listen to this album more than any of the above combined. I'd love to know what you think when you get a chance to listen to some of these!

Stephen

posted by stephenjchow at 10:49 pm (EST) on Feb 27, 2009

I love Doctor Who. We go to a SciFi convention (CONvergence)every year in July where I have been able to get a few things, otherwise I have to use Amazon UK for my fix. I was able to get a Doctor Who cookbook and a Doctor who craft book last year, I am hoping to make a K-9 cushion or shoulder bag for the auction this year. Now I am trying to find someplace where I can get a ice cube tray. I am thinking about getting the Tardis ice bucket and a Dalek bottle opener. I think that they will be a hoot at our room party.

We are doing the 999 challeange this year, and I am already planning my list for next year. One of the categories is Science focusing mainly on spacetime, time travel, teleportation etc. Do you remember your overall impression of [The Science of Doctor Who]? Would you recommend it?

Thanks!

DS(Bruce's evil twin :-))

posted by bruce_krafft at 10:32 pm (EST) on Feb 27, 2009

I see that NicolasBazan also asked you to be his 'friend' now we got an e-mail from him pretty much advertising his new book, and informs us that since we like books on Latinos and New Orleans (news to us) we would be interested in it.

This just got me miffed. So I forwared the e-mail to LT today. Hoprefully they will take some action since LT is not to be used for solicitations.

Oh! Do you actually own [The Science of Doctor Who]? It's on my wish list.

DS
{Bruce's evil twim :-))

posted by bruce_krafft at 6:52 pm (EST) on Feb 25, 2009

Not a big fan of Spillane, although it has been a LONG time since I read him. I was kind of embarrassed by the sex! Might be worth revisiting now, I know he was great at the ruthless big ban ending.

posted by wfzimmerman at 12:05 pm (EST) on Feb 24, 2009

Hi -- my Helm collection is either complete minus one book or complete -- I have lost track of my checklist -- it's on my list of things "to do!" according to the Matt Helm list at yahoo groups, there is one more unpublished book still out there.

I have most of the other Donald Hamilton books, but not all. For example I don't have DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN (sic?), his first, nor TRAVELS WITH KATHLEEN.

posted by wfzimmerman at 10:42 am (EST) on Feb 24, 2009

Lets keep monitoring over the next day, and if he doesnt reply, lets post to Spammers and ask Tim what to do...

posted by DWWilkin at 11:08 pm (EST) on Feb 21, 2009

PS I don't understand how the system works, but if you go to the work page

http://www.librarything.com/work/14958/b...

you should get an option to "Add this book to my library", which will retrieve the most common version of the book (and its reviews). If it doesn't appear, then you may have to remove the existing version from your library first (saving the review somewhere!).

posted by Celebrimbor at 7:27 am (EST) on Feb 13, 2009

Works like dictionaries are very complicated, because people vary as to whether they mention the author/editor, or the publisher, or just the title. The OED is also a mess because some people have entered each volume as a separate work. I have the 20-volume OED in my library, listed as "Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (20 volume set)", with the author as "J. A. Simpson", not "Oxford Dictionaries". (Even then, it doesn't seem to show up properly in the author page.) If you add the book manually, rather than trying to get the system to find it for you automatically from the work title, it should be possible to get the right work into your library (I hope!), and then cut-and-paste your review across.

posted by Celebrimbor at 5:16 pm (EST) on Feb 9, 2009

I intend to do something along those lines when I retire

The next (and the last in our lifetimes) transit of Venus is June of 2012.... good luck!

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 7:12 pm (EST) on Sep 15, 2008

Hi, interesting library - and welcome to LibraryThing.

(Is your username a Nevil Shute reference?)

- Bob

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 9:18 pm (EST) on Sep 12, 2008