A refreshing combination of erudition and breeziness.
An always clever—but rarely too clever—educational and entertaining history of the alphabet.
Canadian journalist Sacks became fascinated with the history and use of written language while researching The Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World. Although he educated himself by delving into scholarly research on alphabets, he decided to build this work around an approachable gimmick for a lay audience. After a sweeping 40-page introduction to the origins and evolution of written language, Sacks devotes a chapter to each of the 26 letters used in the English language, which is based on the Roman alphabet. He characterizes each of the letters as extremely important or less important in daily usage, surmises how that degree of importance arose, explains whether the connotations of each letter are mostly positive or mostly negative, and sprinkles in various tidbits, ranging from surprising to downright edifying. The letter A, which, of course, comes first, frequently carries the connotation of “best,” as in a school grade of A or a Grade-A food product, but sometimes the connotation is negative, as with the scarlet letter A. The Roman alphabet is not alone in starting with A; most alphabets open with it or with its near equivalent. (Sacks explains writing systems that are not alphabetical, such as Chinese and Japanese, but does not dwell on them.) A, though, is not the most frequently written letter; E and T carry that distinction, in large part because they both appear in the oft-used word “the.” Skipping to the last letter, Sacks calls Z a consonant that “can seem racy or elusive or just plain disadvantaged.” The potential indignity of being the alphabet's caboose is compounded by one real weakness—Z is, on average, the least-used letter in printed English.” But it sure can increase a Scrabble score when used skillfully.
A refreshing combination of erudition and breeziness.Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2003
ISBN: 0-7679-1172-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Broadway
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2003
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
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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