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THE DARK NET

Name: THE DARK NET
Author: Jamie Bartlett
ISBN: 978-1-61219-489-9

INSIDE THE DIGITAL UNDERWORLD

by Jamie Bartlett ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2015

A provocative excursion to the darker side of human nature set free by the anonymous and unregulated boundaries of...

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A Telegraph columnist and researcher of online social movements reports his findings collected while roaming the outer limits of the Internet.

Bartlett found a world inhabited by trolls, lone wolves, drug dealers, anorexia sufferers, libertarians, camgirls, pedophiles, and neo-Nazis, among countless others. Beginning with an informative and entertaining look at the beginnings of the Internet, the author briefly explains Arpanet, bulletin board systems, flame wars, and the evolution of radical online libertarians who came to be known as cypherpunks. These early colonizers of the Internet stressed that this new frontier of cyberspace should be used to shore up the values of “personal liberty, privacy and anonymity.” Bartlett deconstructs the intricacies of encryption, crypto money, and stealth addresses. The author combines technical information with his own excursions to the other side of the Web: making a purchase from the Silk Road; attending a camgirl session with one of the “world’s top cam-models”; meeting with a well-known member and founder of the anti-immigration English Defence League. As Bartlett notes, those in need of “talking” with someone regarding issues of self-mutilation, bulimia, anorexia, or suicide can find what they think is help and counsel online, where support groups have proliferated. Though the author’s tone is nonjudgmental throughout, Bartlett advises readers to be wary when entering this murky environment: “freedom in the dark net comes with a price. People have to be prepared for what they might encounter there.” Bartlett also explains that these shadowy online behaviors, which at first glance may appear to be simple moral questions of right and wrong, are more nuanced. He concludes with a solid compilation of endnotes covering the posts, articles, and websites he relied on and a reading list for further exploration of the subject.

A provocative excursion to the darker side of human nature set free by the anonymous and unregulated boundaries of cyberspace.

Pub Date: June 2, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-61219-489-9

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Melville House

Review Posted Online: May 4, 2015

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.