3 comments about Irish-English/English-Irish Easy Reference Dictionary, New Edition.

1. It is very easy to use and it can be a life saver when you are not sure about a certain word as you are learning irish.It contains about 24,500 entries. This is the main irish dictionary that I use. :) Although, it is best to buy this with an Irish course or at least have some knowledge about the pronunciation of irish words because the pronunciation is not listed with the word. But has proved to be very very useful, helpful, and invaluable as I learn about Gaelic Irish!



2. This is my first dictionary for learning Irish, and so far it's been pretty good. It is fairly complete in terms of entries, and often has examples of how words are used. It doesn't have pronunciations, which is a bummer on the Irish side but, in some ways, even more so on the English side because when I want to look up the Irish word for "live", for example, so I can talk about where I live, there is also an entry for "live" as in live music. So I have to go back and forth a bit. But overall I like this dictionary.



3. A great quick reference book. Convenient size, light weight, a perfect choice for the student of Irish Gaelic.

5 comments about Celtic Baby Names: Traditional Names from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man.

1. My husband and I have really enjoyed leafing through this excellent resource. We are searching for baby names that reflect our heritage, but are not ridiculous to spell or pronounce (like my Scottish name is). I haven't ordered any other baby name books...who wants to wade through a sea of 1500 names, when we know we will probably select a British name for our child?



2. I really liked this book. As someone who's been been pregnant five times I've read most baby name books and this one has some great options. (The pronunciations are so helpful). But I had one enormous problem with this book. It's not arranged according to gender. All names are just lumped together in each section. (This bothered me so much I wrote to the author.) I finally went through with a pink highliter and underlined all the girls names (since that's what I was pregant with at the time). It may not be a big deal to you, since many of these names are unheard of anyway; but I hated it.



3. My husband and I really liked this book. While I can't attest for historical accuracy of references, at least this book had many of them and seemed to be thorough with the info it provided. There were some names I learned a lot about, and some I decided NOT to choose due to information provided. I lent this to my brother for his children. We all love it. we chose Fiona and Gwendolyn for my red-headed twins.



4. Wonderful assortment of names (not definitive and maybe difference of opinion on some)> Not divided into male and female names, but then these days with a penchant for giving male names to females maybe I am being picky.

   It gives the meaning of the names,drawn from Celt Languages of Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Manx, Beton and Cornish - 1200 traditional first names from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, and the Isle of Mane, with the pronunciations, and interesting tidbits about people that had the name. The only US book with names offering this wide of a selection. Since many people have trouble with pronouncing these names, the pronunciations guide is every helpful.

   Of special interested to writers looking for Celt derivative characters for their books.




5. I'm a name lover. Always have been; always will be. Heck, I even spend most of my free time posting on a message board full of other name lovers. But more specifically, I love Celtic names. I look at every Celtic name book I see. And this is by far one of the worst, in my opinion. So many of their pronunciations are wrong, which means that when I find a name I haven't seen before, I don't know whether or not I can trust the pronunciation that they have listed. If you want a really good Celtic name book, check out Loreto Todd's "Celtic Names for Children". If I had to pick my all time favorite name book, that'd be it.

5 comments about The Irish Pub.

1. This stunning book on The Irish pub is sumptuous and gorgeous - if you have an interest in pubs, Ireland, history, interior decor or indeed anthropology then you should get this book for your self as well as for as many others as you see fit - engaging text - seriously beautiful photographs - this is a very important book that will become a collectors must. I can't recommend this more.



2. If you have an interest in visiting Ireland for the first time, you are a frequent visitor or a resident of Ireland, this book is a must read. The author managed to capture the flavor of the Irish Pub with his historical discriptions, and the photographer captured the vision. In the course of reading the book, I could see my relatives sitting in a number of the featured pubs debating current issues, tossing a few pints back and wondering what tomorrow will bring.



3. The Irish Pub is a terrific book with wonderful pictures, descriptions, and stories of several historic pubs in Ireland.



4. "The Irish Pub" captures the warmth and charm of this vanishing mainstay of Irish culture. The book invites you into its pages with beautiful photographs and histories of urban and rural pubs.



5. We were in a pub in Wexford called the Sky and Ground Pub. Great place. Johnny, the owner bought this place after it had burned to the ground with intentions to rebuild. When he first walked through the door, all he could see was the sky and the ground. So he named it that. He recommended this book, which we ended up buying the next day and using as our tour guide. It was a very good recommendation. We ended up hitting about 11 pubs out of the 38 or so that are in the book. We had the pub owners sign their respective pages. They were very excited by the idea. Most said none had asked them to do that before. This book is fantastic. If you have any interest in Ireland or pubs at all this book is a must, there is a ton of info in here, with a map to plan your route. Plus the photography is fantastic.

5 comments about Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland.

1. Though an Oxford scholar/scientist/professor, Sykes has provided even the casual reader with access to DNA research and its connection to our European roots. The reader will quickly imagine him/herself sitting before Sykes in a classroom and understanding the material! Well-written, documented, and accessible, this book is a must-read for amateur and professional genealogists alike.



2. This book attempts to find the historic origins of those living in the British Isles through DNA testing. The author and geneticist describes how his team gathered data and his interpretation of that data. He also highlights some of the historic immigration, e.g. Romans, Vikings, Saxons, etc...and what impact they had on the genetics of the Isles. It is an interesting and entertaining read, answering some but also opening new questions. I recommend it.



3. The book covers an interesting topic but the first 90 pages or so are all history of science (or historical summaries), not molecular genetics/evolution! The book is pretty basic--it doesn't seem to be written for an educated audience and I found Sykes's condescending tone rather irritating (and I am NOT a geneticist). Sykes doesn't write nearly as well as does Spencer Wells on very similar topics in human ancestry/molecular evolution. His conclusion is that most of the British Isles are inhabited by people with a very similar genetic or "ethnic" background, whether they think of themselves as "celtic" or not. The history of the idea of "celtic" identity was probably the most interesting part of the book for me. If you have any knowledge of human genomics at all, read something else, or check this book out from a library before purchasing it.



4. On page 92 the author has not yet begun speaking about the subject of his book.
   
   Cutting my losses and tossing it in the "take to Half Priced Books" pile.



5. 
   I was hoping to -listen- to this book and skipped over the hardback and softcover and opted for the audiobook CD-set...
   
   Boy, was that a bad bet.
   
   As far as I can tell Mr.Sykes book may have been well written and entertaining but the experience of trying to follow it when narrated by Dick Hill is a huge disappointment and downright painful.
   
   Our narrator sounds like an aged 1950's newsman with a continuously halting, irregular style of inflection that puts one in mind of Paul Harvey riding a bicycle down a never-ending flight of stairs.
   
   DONT BUY THE AUDIOBOOK, but do make time to read the book in print.
   
   PS: click the hyperlink on DICK HILL on the Amazon description for a warning of other audiobooks he has "narrated"... CAVEAT EMPTOR !

4 comments about Claddagh Ring.

1. The hands are there for friendship,
   The heart is there for love.
   For loyalty throughout the year,
   The crown is raised above
   
   It is extremely rare to find a friend who wants to be friends forever, but when you find them, this is the ring to buy. A Claddagh (klada) ring can be given to friends and is the world's cherished symbol of friendship, love and loyalty.
   
   The happiest day in my life is definitely the day I received a Claddagh Ring. Not only are these rings eternal symbols of friendship, it is a poetic and beautiful representation of love that is steeped in mysterious legends and lore.
   
   The ring is named after a fishing village and Malachy McCourt does a fine job of explaining all the stories surrounding this mysterious ring. This book is filled with stories of Vikings, Algerian Pirates, Legendary Fishermen, Superstitions, Traditions and stories of Mary of the Bridges.
   
   This book is really as much a history of Claddagh as it is about the ring named after the village. It also sheds light on the inventor and how he created the ring while in captivity. Malachy McCourt weaves a fascinating tapestry of stories with humor and a deep interest the history and culture of Ireland.
   
   What amazed me most was the story of 9/11 and how so many Claddagh rings were found on that day. Not only does this ring make its appearance in romantic tales, it has more recently made its appearance in great tragedy. Perhaps it is also now the symbol of the joining of hands to heal hearts.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



2. This story is incredibly beautiful. The story of the ring and of the town is really a tribute to the power of love and friendship which both are keys in any kind of relationship from lover to wedding partner to friends of every kind. This book captures the spirit of Ireland, especially Galway Bay where the town of Claddagh provides the setting for the story.



3. Ordered my copy in early February. Got it in almost mid-March.
   
   Something fell between some crack somewhere, eh?



4. The McCourts are not my favorite authors. Claddagh Ring is frothy. Doesn't say a lot. No original research that I could determine.

4 comments about Florence: The Golden Age 1138-1737.

1. Penned by an eminent historian, this book is superb! Very striking is Brucker's unique narrative style. He makes the readers think as if the events happened only yesterday. I strongly recommend his other works as well: You will feel enlightened. No other historian can capture the cultural richness of Florence with such delightful charm. I guarantee you'll fall in love with the city, her citizens, and this historian, Gene Adam Brucker.



2. The word "amateur" comes from the Italian "amare" which means to love and this is a book for anyone with an interest in and affection for Italian city states and Florence in particular. Mr. Gene Brucker is a distinguished American historian (University of California, Berkeley) with an admirable record but the book he has produced about Florence is meant for the general reader and obviously aims at sharing his passion for the quattrocento (Florence's golden age, the 15th century and beyond) with as many people as possible. The result is splendid : in seven chapters dealing with the great families, the economy, the forms of government, the Florentine dominion, the Principato, etc., the reader is taken through a pleasant voyage in history. The writing is never heavy but neither is it meant for those who give up easily : some of the chapters - on the conflicts between Guelfs and Ghibellines for instance - do require more than a passing interest in the subject. The book is lavishly illustrated and contains a number of separate "two pagers" I greatly enjoyed, which present a number of interesting topics in themselves, such as the description of a city plan, the features of a traditional Florentine palazzo, the currencies in use, the reach of Florentine trade, the guilds, Andrea del Verocchio, the geometric theory of perspective and many other topics. An admirable book, to be highly recommended.



3. After reading Mary McCarthy's The Stones of Florence, I decided that I wanted to read a more straightforward history of the city. I picked this book based on the Amazon reviews, but never expected a coffee table-type book, albeit with a paper cover. Lavishly illustrated, The Golden Age of Florence covers the city from the initial stages of the Renaissance to its end. Florence was a turbulent city, sometimes ruled by a group of nobility, sometimes by its guilds, and eventually by the Medici. The city faced as much danger from its own internal squabbles as it did from its external enemies. Yet, despite this, the city experience unprecedented economic , industrial, and artistic development , producing some of the finest wool in Europe along with Dante, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Botticelli, among so many.
   
   This book does a fine job of telling this story, not just the politics, but the economics and the various arts. It is a general overview, not meant to be a scholarly work. The writing is designed to bring the reader to the Florence during its Golden Age, drawing interesting portraits of all the relevant characters. I grew somewhat frustrated with the lack of connection between one event to another. Savonarola somehow sneaked up, took over the city, and died as a heretic, with no real explanation of who he was and how he came to take on such a role. Although the book itself only covers a 600 year period of time, an appendix in the back does have a brief synopsis of historical events starting from its founding and ending with the rule by the Austrians. The illustrations in the book are arranged in categories, so each page centers not on the text itself, though it may be related, but on the general theme. The author has selected drawings from manuscripts, photographs of sculptures and buildings, and representations of paintings.
   
   Despite any quibbles mentioned, I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to learn a general overview of the history of Florence illustrated with some of the finest works of art that man has ever produced.



4. If you want to know about the most beautiful city on Earth during the Renaissance, look no further than this title. The author provides detailed information on everything you could want to know. Perfect for the history buff, lover of art, Florence-fanatic, or tourist headed to Italy. Much better than Michael Levey's Florence.

2 comments about Peter the Great (Critical Issues in History Ser).

1. Superbly written by Paul Bushkovitch (Professor of History, Yale University), Peter The Great is a terse, compact, yet artfully presented biography of one of Russia's greatest and most influential rulers. Portraying the culture and problems of Russia at the end of the seventeenth century, and examining the events of Peter's reign and its legacy to history, Peter The Great is a informed, informative, and thoroughly absorbing study which is very highly recommended for students of Russian History and non-specialist general readers with an appreciation of the art and science of biography.



2. I found this book to be disjointed and difficult to read. The sentences were awkward, and I detected several grammatical errors throughout the book that could potentially confuse the reader (they confused me!) The first half of the book centered on Russian politics and aristocracy; Peter didn't play much of a role until the latter part of the text. Even then, the chronology was confusing. Daughters that had never been mentioned suddenly got married; Peter died in one chapter, while his military strategy was described in the next, along with somewhat random details of his death that had been previously left out. Perhaps it's my lack of familiarity with Russian history, but I had great difficulty telling who was who and what happened when within the biography. In addition, it was rather boring in the beginning. However, the book did do a good job of providing the reader with a mostly unbiased view of Peter and the Russia he ruled, as well as an understanding of the political machinations of his day. All in all, I wouldn't recommend it for general readers.

5 comments about Stalking Irish Madness: Searching for the Roots of My Family's Schizophrenia.

1. I really enjoyed this book immensely. It was so sad and it hit home with my own feelings. I was impressed with his writing and the history was great and the best part was his love for his sisters. It was shared already with several people that have children affected by this disease by far the worst disease on earth. It robs young people of a life. I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it.



2. I absolutely love this book! So interesting and well written! My husband is reading it now and is enjoying it just as much. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.



3. Well, this certainly explains my family, all my uncles, my father, the one aunt, my cousins, all coming from my father's side. Irish to the core. Protestant Irish, but I guess that doesn't matter. Actually, I feel pretty good knowing that there is a reason for this. And why the Irish are known for drinking. Keeping something away . . .I don't know what, though. Most of us are agoraphobic and about a third of us have hearing/deafness problems. I can't wait to buy this book and I'm actually feeling better and calmer about myself just by reading the reviews. So, I am crazy, but not crazy . . .so it's not me, there really is a reason. Still, even Protestants from the Ulster area believe, like me, in the "little people." Leprauchans? I wouldn't bet against them. Thank you for the book.



4. I have been searching for many years for a book that describes watching a sibling descend into this disease, as I had watched my brother and several cousins do. I finally heard my story loud and clear through Patrick Tracey's words. This book was like a warm blanket to my soul, from his experience of waving up to his grandmother while she looked out the window of the institution, to watching a brilliant sibling disappear, only to be replaced with a "changeling". This so exactly mirrors my childhood, of visiting my grandmother at the state mental institution, to watching my brilliant brother become suddenly ill. As a young child experiencing this, I had a hard time making sense of what had happened. This book helped me come to terms with it and let me know I am not alone. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a sibling with schizophrenia. This book helped me so much.



5. All I can say is if you are in any way intrigued by the title, read it!

5 comments about Angela's Ashes.

1. I'm an avid reader, and after much critical and popular acclaim, I read Angela's Ashes, and was not disappointed. By now most people know what the story is about. I for one didn't love the style in which it was written, almost as a stream of consciousness, with not much use for puncutation and I found that distracting at first. It written in the first person present tense, which I agree with other reviews gives the reader the notion that this is happening now, and the events are described to you through the eyes and voice of this child.
   I came away with the impression that Angela is the reluctant hero in the boy's eyes. She was not, it seemed to be, a mother who moved mountains with her sheer will and determination for her family, but rather she did what had to be done, knowing there was noone else who would do it besides her, since her husband was an alcoholic who could not keep down a job for very long and drank what little money he made. I found curious the comment that young Frankie made about how they may not have had enough money to buy a little food, but that "Mam always had her" cigarettes. I also found it interesting that Frankie didn't make similar comments about his father. He speaks of his father as if he understands he is a broken man, and that he doesn't mean to disappoint his family, that he doesn't intentionally do the things he does. Frankie reminisces fondly of the time he spends with his father on his lap, listeneing to his very imaginative stories, or spending time with him early in the morning before everyone else gets up, so he has his father all to himself. He never speaks of his mother that way, and I wonder why. Is it because he knows his mother is too consumed with misery and worry over where their next barely adequate meal will come from, where the rent money will come from, to be able to enjoy such moments with her children? I suppose that's what we are meant to infer. I didn't appreciate the ending, the not knowing what happens to his mother and his brothers after Frankie leaves for America. It seemed rather abrupt the way the novel ended, with him saving enough money for his boat trip to America. We don't know what becomes of him afterwards, but i suppose that's so we will buy the next book 'Tis.
   All in all, I did enjoy this memoir. It is an uplifting story, one that should make 90% of us in this country hug our children closer and thank God in Heaven that we didn't share Frank McCourt's background.



2. Book was in excellent shape. As described in listing. Shipped quickly & reasonably. Great deal!



3. Written with verve and plenty of style, plus inundated with a lot of dark humour. This is a modern Dickens-like autobiography of poverty first in New York and then in Ireland. This is no sociological study and there is little self-pathos - thankfully. Much of their poverty would have been alleviated if their father was not drowning in pubs. If there is anyone despicable in this story it is Frank's father - a man who father's children with no moral rectitude for their upbringing. But the remainder of the family battle onward and not necessarily upward - at the end the author is back in New York with a new life to begin.
   
   All the characters are colourfully depicted. The poverty, more so at the beginning, is rather unrelenting. When the author enters school his world begins to diversify. Some of the anecdotes (particularly the sexual ones) do seem apocryphal.
   
   In Ireland, as one character narrates, the Irish dancing style is akin to having a `pole up your arse'. This restrictive dancing becomes a metaphor for the country which is plagued by tribalism and Catholic indoctrination. Fortunately the author sees beyond this limited horizon and we have a magnificent story.



4. I'd definitely recommend this to a friend. I might even re-read it since it has been a couple years.



5. i have heard about this book for years and decided to pick it up at my paperback exchange store. i can't finish it. am a third of the way through, and it's all the same- poverty, starving children, abusive catholic teachers, alcoholic father, dead tired mother. it's just events. no character, nothing to grab onto. it's heartbreaking that this is life in so many places for so many people. but i already know that and see it. and contribute to help. i don't think it's worthy of a prize, it just seems a rambling narrative and nothing more. conditions like this need action, not reporting.

5 comments about A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland, Second Edition.

1. This book doesn't give me all the answers I needed, but it has been a trememdous help in getting closer to finding my Irish Ancestors. Worth adding to my bookshelf.



2. This book is just what it is called: an atlas. It does not give advice or information about irish history, genealogy, or anything of the sort (which is what I had mistakenly hoped for). It is a very, very detailed atlas of the counties, parishes, and every other conceivable subdivision of the land of Ireland over the last 200 years. It could be a valuable resource for anyone who has their genealogical research within Ireland already. If you are like me, and have traced the family to the boat ride but no further, this will not help you quite yet.
   
   Thank you still to the author for the extensive research that must have gone into this!



3. This publication perfectly fills my need as a tool to visually orient myself with Ireland's complicated system of local area boundaries. Invaluable when sorting through parishes, townlands, poor law unions and baronies.



4. Very easy to read maps, great helper when your trying to figure out Baronies, Poor Unions and Parishes for anyone whether starting or revisiting their Irish genealogy projects.



5. This book contains nothing except outlines of maps, then inside maps are various sections with numbers on them. A list follows indexing the map number to a place. Not what I thought it would be ... but will most likely prove worth the heft price for a small paperback at some point.