Beginning with his spiritual initiation on August 15, 1947, and continuing through his enlightenment nine years later, this is a guide for seekers moving toward the same goal.

    Alvarez, "has permeated Western culture like a dye that cannot be washed out." Although the aims of this compelling, compassionate work are broadly cultural and literary, the narrative is rooted in personal experience: it begins with a long memoir of Sylvia Plath, and ends with an account of the author's own suicide attempt. Within this dramatic framework, Alvarez launches his enquiry into the final taboo of human behavior, and traces changing attitudes towards suicide from the perspective of literature. He follows the black thread leading from Dante through Donne and the romantic agony, to the Savage God at the heart of modern literature.

    It illuminates important aspects of Japanese literature for the general reader and places each subject within the context of the tradition as a whole.

    It is, Terence McLaughlin suggests, "evidence of the imperfections of life, a constant reminder of change and decay. It is the dark side of all human activities --human because it is only in our judgements that things are dirty; ther is no such material as absolute dirt." Dirt comes in legion shapes, colors, smells and textures. Even more fascinating than the phenomenon of dirt itself, however, is the variety of people's attitudes toward it. One man's dirt is another man's garden. Terence McLaughlin's delightful study of dirt covers much cultivated and uncultivated ground. The historical perspective begins with the Romans' answer to body odor (baths) and the early Christians' rejection of Roman values, including cleanliness. Following mankind down the dusty road to civilization, the author leaves us where we are now: surrounded by what all seem to agree is dirty air, dirty water, dirty landscapes and dirty cities.

    Selected by Professor Eugenio Florit, the poems are presented in the full original Spanish text, with expert literal English translations on the facing pages. Enjoy the poetic inspiration, imagery, insight, and wisdom of such masters as Lope de Vega, Miguel de Unamuno, Federico García Lorca, Margués de Santillana, Jorge Manrique, Garcilaso de la Vega, Fray Luis de León, San Juan de la Cruz, Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Antonio Machado, Rafael Alberti, Pedro Salinas, and many more. In addition to the poetic texts, Professor Florit has also provided a wealth of biographical and critical commentary, outlining the significance of the poets and their works in the long tradition of Spanish literature. Portraits of the poets are included where available.

    Nearly 250 of the most important ones appear here, modeled by their most typical wearers. The paintings -- based on contemporary photographs for accuracy-depict all the primary styles ptive sections explain each uniform's place in the hierarchy, the battle roles of the wearer, and a fascinating range of detail.