As Mann charts the Buddenbrooks’ decline from prosperity to bankruptcy, from moral and psychic soundness to sickly piety, artistic decadence, and madness, he ushers the reader into a world of stunning vitality, pieced together from births and funerals, weddings and divorces, recipes, gossip, and earthy humor.In its immensity of scope, richness of detail, and fullness of humanity, buddenbrooks surpasses all other modern family chronicles. With remarkable fidelity to the original German text, this superb translation emphasizes the magnificent scale of Mann’s achievement in this riveting, tragic novel.

    Chesterton's collected essays on subjects ranging from detective stories and penny dreadfuls to heraldry and patriotism. The essays originally appeared in "The Speaker" but were edited and revised for republication.

    In the novel, Jean Lorrain presents experiences of the darker side of his life in Paris as the adventures of the Duc de Fr�neuse (Phocas) and his relationship with the svengaliesque English painter Claudius Ethal This book ranks with 'A Rebours' as the summation of the French Decadent Movement. Modelled on 'The Portrait of Dorian Gray, ' it drips with evil and certainly would have been unpublishable in fin de siecle England. "The madness of the eyes is the lure of the abyss. Sirens lurk in the dark depths of the pupils as they lurk at the bottom of the sea, that I know for sure - but I have never encountered them, and I am searching still for the profound and plaintive gazes in whose depths I might be able, like Hamlet redeemed, to drown the Ophelia of my desire." ― Jean Lorrain, Monsieur De Phocas

    Whilst this is not a story about the artistic personality, it is rather the story of talent and youth falling victim to the obstacles, the unpredictability and the accidents of life. The novel charms the reader with its gentle description of teenage Levon, passionate about the opera, theatre and music. Possessed of a tender sensibility and creativity he is however trapped into circumstances inimical to his ambitions. In Levon's mother, a rather weak, perhaps broken woman, Shirvanzade encapsulates well some of the plebeian hostility to the artistic character often seen as good for nothings incapable of putting bread on the table

    Also included is his earlier short play The Stronger (1889), a fascinating study of the power of personality."Michael Meyer is the translator most actors turn to when seeking a definitive text" (Sunday Times)

    Beautifully illustrated by the author.Good for children and adults. It can touch all. A little mature themed for small children. I first read it when I was 8 to 10 and many, many times after that.

    However, there is a running German thesaurus at the bottom of each page for the more difficult English words highlighted in the text. There are many editions of Joe Wilson and His Mates. This edition would be useful if you would like to enrich your German-English vocabulary, whether for self-improvement or for preparation in advanced of college examinations. Webster's edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of difficult and potentially ambiguous English words. Rare or idiosyncratic words and expressions are given lower priority compared to "difficult, yet commonly used" English words. Rather than supply a single translation, many words are translated for a variety of meanings in German, allowing readers to better grasp the ambiguity of English without using the notes as a pure translation crutch. Having the reader decipher a word's meaning within context serves to improve vocabulary retention and understanding. Each page covers words not already highlighted on previous pages. This edition is helpful to German-speaking students enrolled in an English Language Program (ELP), an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program, an English as a Second Language Program (ESL), or in a TOEFL or TOEIC preparation program. Students who are actively building their vocabularies in German or English may also find this useful for Advanced Placement (AP ) tests. TOEFL, TOEIC, AP and Advanced Placement are trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which has neither reviewed nor endorsed this book. This book is one of a series of Webster's paperbacks that allows the reader to obtain more value from the experience of reading. Translations are from Webster's Online Dictionary, derived from a meta-analysis of public sources, cited on the site.