Arts & Music Books > Literary Criticism & Theory Arts & Music Books

Advantages: Attain Happiness, Tranquility and Ultimate Success
Disadvantages: Nil

The book "The Magic of Thinking Big" was given to me as a gift by one of my colleagues. At first I thought, at this age, what achievements I can accomplish by reading this book, as I have already reached the evening of my life. But I was proved wrong, as I started to read the book, I got deeply engrossed in it. It put me in a mode of self analysis and I started to evaluate my life in terms of what I read in those pages. I got convinced that I was ...
...Magic of Thinking Big' in the year 1959. This classic has been read by millions of readers and has helped them in selling better, managing better, to earn more money and consequently attain greater happiness, peace and tranquility. The author gives methods which are very practical. He expresses his ideas and techniques with utmost originality and uses very simple language to convey them to the readers. He explains each technique with a dramatic illustration ... Read review

Advantages: A very comprehensive overview
Disadvantages: Sometimes not detailed enough

...been updated on several occasions. The main focus of the alphabetical listing is writers and their major works. Writers of course include authors, playwrights and poets. Shakespeare is afforded two and a half pages, which must be one of the longest entries. (Milton's is comparable.) Within the entry for any writer, an asterisk next to the title of a work or the name of another writer indicates a separate entry where more detail can be found. So, ...
...are entries for example on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, war poetry, the literature of food and major characters of works. I have come across the composer Delius and the painter Gainsborough, as well as various pseudonyms. Even theatres are included here, as are libraries, both academic and public. I have used this book with a pupil as young as twelve, who comes to me for one-to-one tuition. He was recently asked to find out what connections certain ... Read review

Advantages: Suitable both for undergraduates and specialists, broad range of readings.
Disadvantages: None

Published by Harvester Wheatsheaf Price: I paid about £20 but cheaper second hand obviously! I bought this book when I was an undergraduate studying postcolonial theory as part of my degree in English Literature. I have since used it while working on my Masters and my Doctorate. It is an excellent source book for all levels of study. First published in 1993, the textbook is introduced and edited by Laura Chrisman and Patrick Williams, both of whom ...
...it is this experience that has led to the creation of such an accessible textbook. As lecturers they know what their students need. Contents: Introduction by Chrisman/Williams: The introduction provides a detailed overview of the main debates and theories to be explored in the body of the book. There is also a short introduction by Chrisman and Williams at the start of each section, detailing the historical and political context of the readings ... Read review

Advantages: Engaging and fun to do.
Disadvantages: none

...to discover their creativity,and in the process of doing so,discovering themselves. The author is particularly good at encouraging her readers to believe in their own creativity regardless of whether they think they are creative or not, which brings hope to us all! The book is divided into twelve sections/weeks and has the feel of being on a course because of this structure in place,it helps the reader to stay focused. Each section has various writing ...
...'true self'. I found the suggestion of doing "morning pages" each day a very helpful tool for discovering and becoming aware of thinking patterns. I also appreciated and enjoyed the inclusion of what the author described as "artist days out". overall It's a lovely,well organised book with the feel of having a friend on the journey. I also like the good size print and overall size of the book,which is a little larger than A5. I highly recommend ... Read review

Advantages: very original concepts
Disadvantages: non

There has been a flux of books in recent times presenting a new angle on the evolution man, his rise to civilization and the steps that took him there. Some are very off the wall and offer massive re-thinking in our veiw of the past, often relying on extra-terrestrial interference or lost lands such as Atlantis. Others are more reserved in the ideas they present, David Rohl and his new chronologies of ancient Egypt for example, ideas that are able ...
...of fuss in the grand scheme of things. What Knight and Lomas offer us here is something close to the later, but a book that takes loose ends from sources as varied as the Book of Enoch, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Kenniwick Man and uses them to lead to a yet undiscovered use of Technology in prehistoric times. Firstly I must point out that by technology we are not talking about the machinary and mechanisms that the word counjours in the modern mind, ... Read review