by W. Hodding Carter ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1994
Carter and his friend Preston Maybank set out to follow the route Lewis and Clark took on their search for the Northwest Passage. This account is a bumpy mix of slacker comedy, natural history, and bathroom humor. Carter, a former staff writer at M magazine, begins with a brief description of his childhood fascination with Lewis and Clark, which was cut short by his lascivious daydreams about girls (daydreams that seem to have lingered, since an inordinate amount of space is devoted here to descriptions of attractive female teenagers encountered along the way). After christening their raft Sacagawea (after the Native American woman who acted as a guide for Lewis and Clark) with a cup of iced tea from McDonald's, the two set out from St. Louis way behind schedule and already quarreling over which of them is Lewis and which is Clark. Carter and Maybank soon begin to rely on modern conveniences, using credit cards, eating in diners, and eventually renting a car. Unfortunately, the two never seem to have a reason for their trip, other than perhaps to write this book. It seems that Carter is attempting to comment ironically on modern life, and there are glimmers of thoughtful comparison, too, as when they meet up with two Native Americans while fishing and Carter contrasts their encounter with the Lewis and Clark method, which was to shoot off an air gun to instill fear. In the end, Carter and Maybank seem to have taken themselves too seriously to satirize themselves effectively. For example, Carter is truly impressed with his own ability to identify animal droppings with the help of a guidebook. A good idea that putters out, due mostly to an indecisive narrative voice, and a fascination with young women and bowel movements. (b&w photos, not seen) (Author tour)
Pub Date: July 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-671-79891-X
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1994
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by William Strunk & E.B. White ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1972
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
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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