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THE WORDS WE LIVE BY

Name: THE WORDS WE LIVE BY
Author: Brian Burrell
ISBN: 0-684-83001-9

THE CREEDS, MOTTOES, OATHS, AND PLEDGES THAT HAVE SHAPED OUR NATION

edited by Brian Burrell ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1997

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A study of American ideals wrapped up in a spirited anthology of key texts. Burrell, a mathematics instructor at the University of Massachusetts, is a hobbyist of history, continuing a family tradition: His father collected ``words to live by'' for many years, filling notebooks with company mottoes and fraternity pledges alongside the American oath of citizenship and the Marine Corps hymn. Burrell approaches this work with much more than a hobbyist's sophistication, and the result is a fine sourcebook in what might be called the history of America's idea of itself. That we need a national self-identity is a matter of great interest to Burrell, and he offers a lively and thoughtful discussion of the ways in which Americans are taught to regard themselves as different from Britons or Russians or Thais, quoting favorably de Tocqueville's observation that ``in the United States, the majority undertakes to supply a multitude of ready-made opinions for the use of individuals who are thus relieved from having to form opinions of their own.'' Burrell's book is full of such ready-made opinions, but he examines each with a critical eye, ranging widely among primary and secondary sources and crafting tidy essays on, for instance, the struggle to arrive at a national motto that would exclude no group. (We do not have such a motto, Burrell opines, in the 1957 coinage ``In God We Trust.'') Elsewhere he examines the history of wedding vows, Masonic rituals, and corporate mottoes, always turning up interesting nuggets. And in any event, you have to like a book that includes not only the usual run of great texts, from the Golden Rule to the Postal Service motto, but also the Mafia initiation oath and—a real treasure—the creed of the Elvis Presley Imitators International Association.

Pub Date: July 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-684-83001-9

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Free Press

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1997

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.