Amazon.com
Literature and film buffs will be delighted by this collection of pulp novels, most of which were made into important films. James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice is a literary masterpiece with its spare prose invoking a savage, sexy, desperate world. It inspired no less than three great movies: Luchino Visconti's classic Ossessione, in 1942; the 1946 remake, starring John Garfield and Lana Turner and directed by the extraordinary Tay Garnett; and Bob Rafelson's underrated 1981 version with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. When you read the magnificent source for these movies, you'll be astonished at how three different incarnations could all, in their own ways, be faithful to the novel.
Cornell Woolrich's I Married a Dead Man also became three movies: No Man of Her Own, with Barbara Stanwyk; the French I Married a Shadow; and the American comedy, Mrs. Winterborne, which starred Shirley MacLaine and Ricki Lake. Edward Anderson's vivid Thieves Like Us was transformed into They Live by Night, Nicholas Ray's first important movie and one of the seminal noir films of the 1940s. It was brilliantly remade in 1974 by the great revisionist director Robert Altman. Kenneth Fearing's The Big Clock was transformed into a marvelous film starring Charles Laughton; 40 years later, the same source, retitled No Way Out, brought Kevin Costner to stardom. William Lindsay Gresham's Nightmare Alley was the source for Tyrone Power's best movie; Horace McCoy's experimental They Shoot Horses, Don't They? became one of the seminal films of the 1960s.
These dark, evocative novels, when taken together, are a fascinating study of how words can inspire a magnificent variety of cinematic images and styles.
Customer Reviews:
Splendid Read.......2007-06-04
This collection of novels from the 30s and 40s was terrific fun and an outstanding introduction to the genre. You can debate whether they're all noir (at least what I expected noir to be); but nonetheless they each convey a distinct impression and view of the time. Without getting into lengthy reviews, I enjoyed Woolrich's "I Married a Dead Man" the most--from his eloquent style to the actual story-line. You know you're reading a master story-teller. Second was Gresham's "Nightmare Alley;" although sometimes I thought he could have expanded on some aspects of the story and shortened other passages (i.e., a little bit of editing would help). But each novel was distinct and enjoyable. Highly recommended.
Crime Novels -- 30s/40s.......2006-11-07
Ha! Just skimmed some other reviews and I wanna add my two cents. Yes, this volume is definitely something. Some impressions follow.
The Postman Always Rings Twice: Indeed, Cain knew how to make the reader keep turning pages. Short, sweet, and fascinating. After I discovered the significance of the title (which is a bit of a "trick"), I liked the whole effort all the more.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?: A bit monotonous to read; a bit dark. That was the point. All told, a fascinating novel. Among all literature named in the world, *this* is one of few titles inspired by God: so memorable and unique, so perfect. It turns out to impart chilling meaning, as well, on several levels.
Thieves Like Us: My least favorite. This was a subjective reaction, however. I wanted the story to take turns it didn't take. Moreover, Anderson as an author took note of things I found not-so-interesting; apparently, the book's status to this day speaks otherwise on behalf of many other readers, however.
The Big Clock: Short, sweet and sterile. Almost machine-like in its plotting and execution -- if so written intentionally, a fascinating stylistic choice given its title -- but, notably, full of interesting and colorful characterizations. Possibly my favorite.
Nightmare Alley: Relentlessly grim and ugly. I'm not so sure there is a single character to root for in this story. That was probably very much intended. Fascinating but, again, very grim. Literary nihilists of today would do well to take a lesson from Gresham's characterization, plot and style.
I Married A Dead Man: Although the novels were presented chronologically, this was a nice way to end the volume. A very simple, linear, domestic story, without hard-boiled criminality or complication, which unfolds with some plot which stretches credibility, but lies ultimately within the realm of the possible. Notable among noir novels for Woolrich's ability to evoke two unexpected emotions at the end: a sense of deep and abiding love between two of the main characters -- before the real and final ending -- and a sense of genuine sadness.
Worth owning. Might take the reader a while to get through. This is, in effect, six books in one, running to nearly a thousand pages. But it was definitely fun; and as another reviewer implied, it's surprising how little has changed.
Thank God for the 1930's and 1940's/ .......2006-07-11
First of all, the Library Of America collection provides the reader with some of the most beautiful hardcover editions available today. That said, the selections chosesn for this edition are all first class; for someone just getting into hard-boiled fiction, this is the ideal place to start. If you're like me and have been reading this genre for many years, this is a perfect volume to add to one's collection.
The Dark Underbelly of the American Dream.......2005-09-29
Noir emerged in the early 20th-Century from Pulp paperbacks published for mass consumption. Highlighting in gritty and sensationalistic detail the sordid undercurrents of Western society, Noir became an artistic force that became the medium for the representation of the down and out segment of the populace. Whether set in the impersonal grime of urban reality or at the deceptive simplicity of rural picturesqueness, Noir in Film and Literature revealed the odyssey and travails of lost souls whose misguided characters bore too much of the weight of their selves and their pasts to break from the shackles of their present.
"Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930's and 40's" is the American equivalent in prose of the influential and enduring genre. The grim and unforgiving tales of the dejected cast of mid 20th-Century American life are openly depicted ("The Postman Always Rings Twice"; "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"; "Thieves Like Us"; "Nightmare Alley"); vicissitudes of fate ("The Big Clock"; "I Married a Dead Man"). Whether set in scenic California, the vast and open Midwest, or a high-rise office in Manhattan, these novels uniformly render a panorama of blighted dreams, twisted turns of fate, and the sad recurrence of misfortune in desperate individuals doomed to tragedy.
None too substantial in content but highly readable, this edition is the first of a handsome 2-Volume anthology on American Noir fiction published by the venerable Library of America. Edited by Robert Polito (Poet, writer, anthologist on Noir Lit. and author of a biography on Jim Thompson), these stories enduring relevance are seen in various forms of contemporary society: from the writings of James Ellroy, Brett Easton Ellis, Lawrence Block, and Robert Bloch; in films like "Scarface", "Pulp Fiction", "Fight Club"; and in everyday life.
A Real Discovery: 4 or 5 of these make amazing reading.......2005-01-23
This is an impressive collection of early and now scarce Noir novels. "The Big Clock" and "Nightmare Alley" are particularly hard to find outside of this volume.
Cain's "The Postman Always Rings Twice" was probably the first crime novel I ever really got into, and it's a stunning departure from Agatha Christie-style mysteries. So much happens in this short book (as turns of plot, but also development of character) that it compares favorably to the first half Camus' "The Stranger." The drifter plumbs the depths of his desperation in a brutal attachment to another man's wife: it's not greed or lust that drives him, but a base need for someone to whom he can anchor himself. A raw and amazing experience, unmatched by anything else of Cain's.
McCoy's "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" is impressively vivid. I had no idea these dance-hall marathons took place before reading this story. This circus of exploitation of young and apparently desperate people certainly makes for excellent Noir. One of these benefits of reading these novels is the unearthing of buried episodes in America's past.
"Thieves Like Us" has been reviewed here as the weaker end of the collection, and I have to agree. It's still a very capable story of outlaws; and the stoicism of the young people caught up in the criminal's lives is admirably depicted here. I recommend reading Andersen's novel before the others (it's still definitive Noir), so one can more easily avoid expectations built up by the Cain and McCoy.
"The Big Clock" is interesting in the depiction of power relationships between employer and employee, and the shifting first-person style of telling the story works here. I never heard of Fearing before reading this novel, but he evidently had a deep understanding of the motivations of very different kinds of people. This novel has the most suspense of the collection, and is a great and sophisticated read.
The most surprising and bizzare novel is "Nightmare Alley," a strange and memorable journey of an aspiring carnival charlatan. It defines Sleaze. The longest and most complex novel, it feels like a long-lost classic that's been hidden away because of its disturbing content. Some may think of it as too long, but the twisting journey through sweaty farming towns, railroad stations and addled big-city martiarchs required time to establish some crediblity: by the end, I was convinced that such a grotesque collection of stunts actually belonged in the story of this country. "Nightmare Alley" alone is worth the price of the book. Fans of Tarot might be a little offended, but this is especially recommended for understanding fans of Ray Bradbury.
Finally, "I Married a Dead Man" by Woolrich is a suspense novel set up by a tragic accident. The protagonist, literally and figuratively hungry, siezes the opportunity to substitute herself into a more fortunate woman's life. Excellently done, and more grounded in comparison to "Nightmare Alley."
Overall, there's no legitimately weak entry in this collection. The variety of content in these novels is enormous, and acquiring this book will allow the reader to experience the different flavors of American Noir. Most modern crime/suspense movies will seem ridiculous by comparison.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent
- Morality Play
- Fatal Attraction
- Lost in the Mail
- Perhaps I'm the odd one out, but...
|
The Postman Always Rings Twice
James M. Cain
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Hard-Boiled
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Double Indemnity
-
The Maltese Falcon
-
The Big Sleep
-
Farewell, My Lovely
-
The Magnificent Ambersons
ASIN: 0679723250
Release Date: 1989-05-14 |
Amazon.com
Penzler Pick, April 2000: It is sometimes easy to trace a literary genre to its source, and James M. Cain's first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is the noir novel that paved the way for all the noir fiction that followed. The famous film starring Lana Turner and John Garfield is notoriously dark, but the novel is even more full of despair and devoid of hope. It is a short book--little more than a novella--but its searing characterization and depiction of tawdry greed and lust is branded into every reader's memory.
Frank Chambers, a drifter, is dropped from the back of a truck at a rundown rural diner. When he spots Cora, the owner's wife, he instantly decides to stay. The sexy young woman, married to Nick, a violent and thuggish boor, is equally attracted to the younger man and sees him as her way out of her hopeless, boring life. They begin a clandestine affair and plot to kill Nick, beginning their own journey toward destruction.
Horace McCoy, David Goodis, Jim Thompson, and the other notable noir writers never achieved Cain's spare brilliance. Virtually all of his major works have been filmed, though several Hollywood studios refused to make the films, directors refused to be involved, and actors turned down roles because of their repugnance at the lack of morality inherent in all Cain's characters. Reading him may not be fit for a Sunday school class, but once you begin you will be unable to resist continuing, like picking at a painful scab or watching a tarantula inside a glass dome. --Otto Penzler
Book Description
An amoral young tramp. A beautiful, sullen woman with an inconvenient husband. A problem that has only one grisly solution--a solution that only creates other problems that no one can ever solve.
First published in 1934 and banned in Boston for its explosive mixture of violence and eroticism,
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a classic of the roman noir. It established James M. Cain as a major novelist with an unsparing vision of America's bleak underside, and was acknowledged by Albert Camus as the model for The Stranger.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-08-23
Great story and Stanley Tucci does a great job with the narrative. Far better than the Nicholson-Lange movie version.
Morality Play.......2007-08-20
A very good book, that for the most part has stood the test of time well. Some excellent twists, about people who you get the feeling might have turned out differently if the circumstances of their lives had been different. Short enough for anyone to take a chance on, and most will probably enjoy the time spent.
Fatal Attraction.......2007-05-30
This story is about the triangle between an unhappy wife, her older husband, and a hired drifter. It tells how diner owner Nick Papadakis hires Frank Chambers because his hired help won't stay with him. Frank sees Cora, Nick's wife (Chapter 1). There is a fatal attraction (Chapter 2). [Did the other hire help leave quickly to avoid this setup?] Cora won a beauty contest in Des Moines and got a trip to Hollywood; but her pride kept her from going back home. [The beauty contest racket brought hopefuls to Hollywood who lacked money, connections, and acting experience.] Cora married the first honest man she found. But now she is unhappy and in love with Frank (the first who stayed?). They are now planning to murder Nick (Chapter 4).They consider running off together, but its not practical; Cora would return to the life she left. A new crisis for Cora leads to a new plot (Chapter 6).
They have a fatal accident on the mountain road to Malibu Beach. Their car goes off the road and down the cliff. Nick dies in the ambulance, Frank is badly injured with a broken arm. Cora escaped the falling car. The police and an ambulance take them away. After the Inquest District Attorney Sackett questions Frank, and gets him to sign a statement. Sackett suspects murder (Chapter 9). The best lawyer in town will defend Cora against murder; Katz will handle everything. Nick's insurance policy is the alleged motive. There is a shocking surprise plea (Chapter 10). Katz says this is the greatest case in his life, then explains how he will argue in court from the insurance policies (Chapter 11). [This technical detail is simplified in the film.] The rest of the story plays out. The differences in personalities between Cora and Frank result in growing conflicts. After one critical argument they resolve their differences. But an accident brings up the past, and their fate is sealed. [This story is told from Frank's point of view and seems self-serving to me.]
Lost in the Mail.......2007-04-27
I've got to say I don't understand what all the fuss is about. This is one of those rare times when, for me at least, the movie was better than the book. Perhaps I was the victim of unrealistic expectations, but I was expecting Faulkner or Hammet and got something else.
The plot is simple, and nothing wrong with that. A drifter pops in at a dusty roadside California cafe, and is drawn to the owner's wife, and vice versa. An affair soon follows and the couple decides for reasons meant to be simultaneously tawdry and noble, but also irresistible, decide the husband must be killed. Sometimes when I'm reading a novella (like this one) or short story that is primarily about something illicit I ask myself how much interest I'd have if it were about something else. I realize a murder mystery has to have a murder, but you know what I mean- how much do the characters stand on their own, how riveting or at least engaging is the dialogue, etc. This isn't a perfect test, but for some stories where the murder/rape/maiming is just a plot device it lets you picture a little more clearly what kind of skill the author has. I'd rate Cain no better than average. While the protagonist has a gritty fatalism about him, he was almost a caricature. I realize much of this has to do with the iconic status of this work itself, but it is still difficult to get past it. It's certainly a good book, and certainly not boring, but I don't find it in the classic category myself.
Perhaps I'm the odd one out, but..........2007-04-11
This is exactly the reason I don't read "classics." I think I summed it up as 116 pages of WTF? It's a dated story, and while some books stand the test of time, and in this case it really shows. I didn't "buy" any of the storyline, the characters were undeveloped and shallow, the plot thin and full of holes, and the entire idea trite, tired, and badly executed. Well, except at the end, when he was... I would be very angry at the book club for making me read it except it did only take an hour. It's funny, I am a plot-driven person, and this book was nothing but plot (a marked lack of description kept it short, at least), however, I'm picky and would like a good plot. Bottom line: uck.
Average customer rating:
- The Master, Masterfully Done
- "Noir at it's very best".
- Welcome to the Inferno
|
The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, and Selected Stories (Everyman's Library Classics)
James M. Cain
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Hard-Boiled
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man, Red Harvest (Everyman's Library)
-
Raymond Chandler: Collected Stories (Everyman's Library)
-
The Big Sleep; Farewell, My Lovely; The High Window (Everyman's Library)
-
The Lady in the Lake, The Little Sister, The Long Goodbye, Playback (Everyman's Library)
-
Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s: The Killer Inside Me / The Talented Mr. Ripley / Pick-up / Down There / The Real Cool Killers (Library of America)
ASIN: 037541438X
Release Date: 2003-07-22 |
Book Description
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
These three classics from the master of the noir novel, along with five otherwise unavailable short stories, are electric with the taut narrative voice, the suspense, and the explosive violence and eroticism that were James M. Cain’s indelible hallmarks.
The Postman Always Rings Twice, Cain’s first novel–the subject of an obscenity trial in Boston, the inspiration for Camus’s The Stranger–is the fever-pitched tale of a drifter who stumbles into a job, into an erotic obsession, and into a murder. Double Indemnity–which followed Postman so quickly, Cain’s readers hardly had a chance to catch their breath–is a tersely narrated story of blind passion, duplicity, and, of course, murder. Mildred Pierce, a work of acute psychological observation and devastating emotional violence, is the tale of a woman with a taste for shiftless men and an unreasoned devotion to her monstrous daughter. All three novels were immortalized in classic Hollywood films. Also included here are five masterful stories–“Pastorale,” “The Baby in the Icebox,” “Dead Man,” “Brush Fire,” “The Girl in the Storm”–that have been out of print for decades.
Customer Reviews:
The Master, Masterfully Done.......2007-07-13
If you haven't read James M Cain yet, you have to check him out.
This Everyman's Library edition is a great introduction. You get a lot of story in a tidy little hardback. Good paper, readable print, a volume that practically begs to be held and a nice wee ribbon for a bookmark. And the price is right, too.
Cain's prose is lean, tight and wickedly sharp. Like a back-alley razor-fight, you don't even feel the cut until after you see the blood. By then, it's too late.
Movies have been made of Cain's work. Quite a few, actually. He's stayed in print in Europe for the last fifty years. His work has cast a long shadow over many of our most popular noir authors today.
Way too good to miss.
"Noir at it's very best"........2007-02-21
I haven't been able to put this down since it arrived two days ago. I had
read some of James Cain's stories a long time ago, but in my opinion he is
the best detective writer of all. The movies don't follow his stories in
all cases, but they are still wonderful to read. A great collection!
Welcome to the Inferno.......2004-07-02
Although Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler are better known today, James M. Cain (1892-1977) is at least their equal--and many consider that he bested both in his finest novels, which combined sin-blacked characters, sordid plots, terse prose, and all the power of a blast furnace. This anthology collects all three of his landmark novels as well as several short stories, all of them showing Cain at the height of his powers.
Published in 1934, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE is the truly deadly story of a drifter who squirms his way into a job at a California truck stop--and then squirms his way into the bed of a sexy waitress. Trouble is, the waitress is married to the boss... and she doesn't like it, not one little bit. Dripping with lust, deception, and irony, POSTMAN is at once sickening and fascinating, a true powerhouse of a novel that festers long after the story has ended.
DOUBLE INDEMNITY, published in 1936, is equally hot--the tale of an insurance sales man who stays on the right side of the law until he is tempted by a psychopathic femme fatale who doesn't see anything wrong with picking up a few bucks on the unexpected death of her unwanted husband. MILDRED PIERCE, published in 1941, is equally memorable in its portrait of a driven housewife with a wayward husband who discovers that she will do absolutely anything for her vicious, serpentine daughter.
All three novels have been famously filmed, but while the film versions (most created during the 1940s) stand well on their own, the novels out distance them in nothing flat. Cora, begging Frank to bite her lips until they bleed; Phyllis with lipstick splashed across her mouth like a bleeding gash; sleek Monte and his viper-like stepdaughter Veda--all portraits of reckless abandon so powerful that they blister the page.
The volume also includes five hard-to-find Cain stories that are often as memorable as the best of his novels, most notably I think "The Baby in the Ice Box" and "Brush Fire." But whether it is novels or his shorter works, you simply can't go wrong when it comes to the best of James M. Cain. Welcome to the inferno. Brace yourself for the straight-down ride.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Product Description
3 Titles By James M. Cain : The Postman Always Rings Twice Double Indemnity Serenade. three mmpb books.
Book Description
Once every generation, the tournament is held: the ultimate martial arts competition in which mortal warriors must fight against many supernatural opponents to defend the earth from evil forces.Now three young mortals have come to compete in the tournament.They are Liu Kang, raised as a fighting monk; Johnny Cage, an American movie star; and Sonya Blade, a beautiful U.S. Special Forces agent who seeks revenge on her deadly enemy Kano.With the help of the immortal thunder god Rayden, the mortals must conquer their inner fears to defeat Goro, the four-armed warrior prince, and save humanity from the dreaded sorcerer Shang Tsung.With over a dozen exciting photos from the hit movie!
Customer Reviews:
Combattimento Mortale.......2007-08-11
Based upon the popular film Mortal Kombat, 'Mortal Kombat: A Novel' is beginning to be recognised as one of the classic Bildungsromans, standing rightfully alongside "To Kill the Mockingbird", Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain", or even the Rob Reiner documentary "Stand By Me." The story's protagonist is Sub Zero, a sort of Wil Wheaton character we grow along with, his sparkling innocence complicated by his dark emotional past.
Generally the book is very faithful to the film, and what it lacks in the movies luscious visual textures it makes up for with Martin Delrio's robust lyricism. In one episode of the book, Sub Zero is looking at Scorpion, whose leg he has just frozen "in a legwarmer of diamond butterflies", while Scorpion "evacuates from the dungeon of his guts a powerful bellow." Or another scene, Johnny Cage uppercuts Reptile and the action momentarily suspends in this delicate lull; a wind "enchanted with a fine herbed pungency from whisking through a sage patch" passes between Johnny Cage and Reptile, who is "barfing green poisonous syrup."
I also found touching the comradery that develops between Lui Kang and Sub Zero. Whenever they made a "pinky swear" to keep a promise, my eyes would mist at the purity of their bond. I wish that we could all have such friends and such memories.
My only criticism is how artlessly Delrio handles the countless love scenes between Raiden and Sonja Blade, that they came off as very blunt and tasteless and even misogynous. "Raiden took the mewling Sonja, who he had little respect for" writes Delrio "and mounted her while grunting." Again 40 pages later, "Raiden was disgusted with the cheap perfume Sonja wore as he had sex with her." I mean, these are really crass compared with some of the subtler delicacies of Delrio's prose.
5 stars in any case. This book is timeless... immortal kombat.
Mortal kombat.......2007-05-25
This book is based off of the movie. its great to read after the movie and compare the two.
Not bad..........2001-06-03
A fairly good book, but based too completely on the movie, not all that much variation. There were a few differences here and there, the fight between Sub-Zero and that guard guy, a few of Sonya's fights, and a few of the things in Johnny's Battle with Scorpion, but not much else. Being a die-hard fan of the series myself, I really enjoyed it, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone who isn't
Not for those who aren't fans.......1999-03-05
I'm still bending over backwards to be fair about this book. There's nothing wrong with writing a novel about Mortal Kombat, except this one is just a re-hash of the movie with no variation, panache, or even interest. The author writes the book as if it were a chore. Like the movie, it displays a very contrived plot and undeveloped characters. If you're an easily pleased Mortal Kombat fan, you might like it, but there are no garantees.
great adventure, two thumbs up, 10.......1997-07-03
I thought Mortal Kombat was a great book, probably one of the best I've read. I liked its type of action-adventre mix. A real good book to say the least
Average customer rating:
|
Mortal Kombat (Mortal Kombat)
Charles Marshall
Manufacturer: Titan Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1852866128 |
Average customer rating:
- Worth Reading and Doing
- MIND OVER MOOD
- Mind over mood
- Great Book!
- This Book Can Change Your Life
|
Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think
Dennis Greenberger , and
Christine Padesky
Manufacturer: The Guilford Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Mood Disorders
| Mental Health
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Compulsive Behavior
| Mental Health
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Emotions
| Mental Health
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Psychoanalysis
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Psychiatry
| Specialties
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
| Cardiology
| Critical Care
| Endocrinology & Metabolism
| Gastroenterology
| General
| Hematology
| Hepatology
| Infectious Disease
| Nephrology
| Neurology
| Oncology
| Pulmonary
| Rheumatology
| Urology
Cognitive Psychology
| Behavioral Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Cognitive Science
| Behavioral Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Cognitive Psychology
| Behavioral Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Behavioral Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Clinician's Guide to Mind Over Mood
-
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and Updated
-
The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook
-
Thoughts & Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life (Workbook Workbook)
-
The Feeling Good Handbook (Plume)
ASIN: 0898621283 |
Book Description
Developed by two master clinicians with extensive experience in cognitive therapy treatment and training, this popular workbook shows readers how to improve their lives using cognitive therapy--one of the most effective and widely practiced forms of psychotherapy. The book is designed to be used alone or in conjunction with professional treatment. Step-by-step worksheets teach specific skills that have helped thousands of people conquer depression, panic attacks, anxiety, anger, guilt, shame, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse and relationship problems. Readers learn to use mood questionnaires to identify, rate, and track changes in feelings; change the thoughts that contribute to problems; follow step-by-step strategies to improve moods; and take action to improve daily living and relationships. The book's large-size format and lay-flat binding facilitate reading and writing ease.
Customer Reviews:
Worth Reading and Doing.......2007-08-04
The principles it expounds are sound and the practices it prescribes are effective and beneficial. In a nutshell: it works.
That said, we are fortunate to have a better alternative for an individual who wishes to self-treat, without the assistance of a therapist. The magisterial book, _The Feeling Good Handbook_, by David D. Burns is one of those once-in-a-lifetime works which has no peer.
Both books share the same perspective on changing how you feel. As other reviewers have mentioned, _Mind Over Mood_'s basic tool is called a "thought record." You are instructed to change the way you think by writing down your thoughts and feelings in the thought record. You then identify the evidence for and against your thoughts. You conclude by writing a more balanced view of things.
The primary method of the thought record is looking at the evidence which supports or conflicts with your thoughts.
The basic tool of Burns's book is called a "daily mood log." This tool bears some resemblance to the thought record but there are subtle differences. Whereas Greenberger and Padesky have you critique your thoughts solely in terms of the evidence for and against them, Burns provides you with a more varied toolbox. He has identified a list of ways that we systematically distort our thinking. For example, we might get down on ourselves or others by using the words "should," or "must," or "ought." I might feel bad when I tell myself that "I should have turned left instead of right when I got off the highway." A more balanced thought would be, "I would have preferred that I had turned left and I can accept myself for having turned right." When I develop the habit of examining my thoughts and replacing them with more balanced thoughts, my mood brightens.
I currently am following Greenberger and Padesky's method in that I have done at least one of their thought records daily for 60 days. I haven't done one of Burns's daily mood logs for a few years. But I found Burns's mood logs to be a better method for improving my mood and I plan on rereading Burns's book soon.
_Mind Over Mood_ is an excellent book. I recommend you read it and practice it. If you could only buy one book, I would recommend you buy Burns's book. But most of us have the ability to buy more than one book and _Mind Over Mood_ is certainly worth studying.
MIND OVER MOOD.......2007-06-27
I love this book! It is a great resource and very easy to follow. It has helped me tremendously. Teresa
Mind over mood.......2007-05-13
I am currently working with the book in conjunction with CBT (Cognitive behaviour Therapy) I was reccommended the book by my therapist. I am finding the book extremely helpful . I think everyone should have a copy whether they are working on themselves with a professional or not. I am learning new life skills. Excellent stuff
Great Book!.......2007-05-13
My Psychologist recommended this book to me. I ordered it the next day and received it within the week. It has helped me tremendously. I would recommend it to anyone who suffers from depression or any other mood disorder. I would also suggest that a loved one of someone described above read this book also.
This Book Can Change Your Life.......2007-04-10
After years of therapy that helped a little, this book finally transformed my life. Instead of just learning to deal with my crazy anxieties, I was finally able to eliminate them. I am now a firm believer in cognitive behavioral therapy. This book provides easy exercises that work - to teach you how to change your life by changing your thoughts, one at a time.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone and will continue to do so.
Book Description
22 different napkin folds enable even a beginner to make napkins in the shape of a heart, clown's hat, love knot, silverware holder, boot, etc. Step-by-step drawings and instructions show exactly where and how to make each fold. Photo of each finished napkin. 22 napkin folds. 63 drawings.
Customer Reviews:
Great for beginners .......2007-06-04
I bought this book many years ago and I still use it today.
(I'm the kind of learner that needs a how-to book on napkin folding.I can't just look at a napkin and do it)
So,if you need a book with great step-by-step instructions on napkin folding, then this book is the book for you.
PS: Plz note that this book was written in the 1980's. The photos are mostly in black and white.
Good, Simple Instructions.......2000-12-17
I had no problem using this to fold napkins for Thanksgiving. I did the cardinal's hat (on the cover) and the one that makes a pocket for slipping the silverware into. They came out great and added a lot to the table setting. Small book, maybe 25 different folds -- more than enough for me.
pas cher et très bien expliqué!.......2000-04-26
Ce livre est très bien fait. Il a 22 figures. J'ai beaucoup aimé: rabbit, swan, boat with sails, laddy's slipper. Il a des photographies en noir et blanc et un peu en couleurs. Les autres figures sont: heart, nest, candle, clown's hat, place card holder, boat, silverware holder, cockscomb, love knot, flower holder, japanese kimono, ascot, peacock, cardinal's hat, dutch hat, african bird, fan et butterfly.
Books:
- Dark Eye: A Novel of Suspense
- Darker Than Amber (Travis McGee Mysteries)
- Dead North: An Alaska Mystery
- Deadman's Poker: A Novel
- Delete All Suspects (A Turing Hopper Mystery)
- Dove in the Window (Benni Harper Mystery)
- Entombed: A Novel (Alexandra Cooper Mysteries)
- Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs : The Powerful Principle of the Three Chairs
- False Premises (Domestic Bliss Mysteries)
- Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy from A to Z (Fast Facts (Harvest House Publishers))
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day
- Smokin': Recipes for Smoking Ribs, Salmon, Chicken, Mozzarella, and More with Your Stovetop Smoker
- Introduction to Limnology
- Man and Microbes: Disease and Plagues in History and Modern Times
- Molecular Biotechnology: Principles and Applications of Recombinant DNA
- Rick Joy: Desert Works
- Shadows at the Fair : An Antique Print Mystery
- Designing Public Consensus: The Civic Theater of Community Participation for Architects, Landscape A
- Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture
- Burke, Paine, Godwin, and the Revolution Controversy
Complete Novels: Red Harvest / The Dain Curse / The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key / The Thin Man (Library of America)
Stories and Early Novels: Pulp Stories / The Big Sleep / Farewell, My Lovely / The High Window (Library of America)
Later Novels and Other Writings: The Lady in the Lake / The Little Sister / The Long Goodbye / Playback /Double Indemnity / Selected Essays and Letters (Library of America)
Rendezvous in Black (20th Century Rediscoveries)
