Acting as ghostwriter for his ``chocolate'' Labrador, Dido, well-known British espionage author Pincher (The Spycatcher Affair, 1988, etc.) here attempts to make a detailed study of the human- canine relationshipwith middling results. In the various chapters on eating, sleeping, fitness, sense, communications, discipline, and both physical and psychological behavior, Pincher/Dido comments on the differences and similarities between people and dogs. The comparisons are ongoing and relentless, from the big things (both are pack animals by nature and in need of constant companionship) down to the little things (the manner in which each yawns, sneezes, and snores). Pincher uses the book as a venue in which to rail about various ills of mankind, like overindulgence in eating, drinking, and smoking and how, for example, human sewage is much more of an environmental problem than dog droppings. The book is rife with punning expressions``not my cup of milk,'' ``the answer is sticking out like a sore paw,'' ``I'll be man-gone''that simply get annoying after a while, as do many of Pincher's sentiments on other topics: He's a strong hunting advocate; he's against having his dog neutered yet makes no statement whatsoever on the pet overpopulation problem. This is not to say that there isn't some material of interest here; there are many valid insights into the nature of canines and humans, and there is one rather enlightening chapter at the end in which the author speculates on whether dogs have souls and, thus, an afterlifea subject rarely, if ever, explored in books of this nature. Instead of the lighthearted approach one might expect from a book written from a dog's point of view, this work is, on the whole, serious, intellectual, and rather dry. (6 wash drawings, not seen)
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1995
ISBN: 1-56836-116-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Kodansha
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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