A History of World Societies: From Antiquity Through the Middle Ages He World

Book Description

In this lively work, Beatrice K. Otto takes us on a journey around the world in search of one of the most colorful characters in history—the court jester. Though not always clad in cap and bells, these witty, quirky characters crop up everywhere, from the courts of ancient China and the Mogul emperors of India to those of medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. With a wealth of anecdotes, jokes, quotations, epigraphs, and illustrations (including flip art), Otto brings to light little-known jesters, highlighting their humanizing influence on people with power and position and placing otherwise remote historical figures in a more idiosyncratic, intimate light.

Most of the work on the court jester has concentrated on Europe; Otto draws on previously untranslated classical Chinese writings and other sources to correct this bias and also looks at jesters in literature, mythology, and drama. Written with wit and humor, Fools Are Everywhere is the most comprehensive look at these roguish characters who risked their necks not only to mock and entertain but also to fulfill a deep and widespread human and social need.

Customer Reviews:

Witty is the jester.......2007-08-24

In the last few years I have been searching books offering a general overview of the past, and I have realized that many books entitled "History of ...whatever" only provide information about the West, the rest of the world being almost ignored.

Otto's on fools or jesters is different, is truly global. As far as I know, there are not many books (i) dealing with jesters (ii) including not only Europe but also other parts of the world and (iii) readable enough for the non-scholarly public. In that sense, Otto's work seems to me a fascinating examination of the jester tradition throughout the world and history, so I recommend it, my rate being between 5 (content) and 4 (pleasure, sometimes falling to 3, sometimes raising to 5).

Other books that I would recommend would be "Kings or people: Power and the Mandate to Rule" by Reinhard Bendix and "Vienna and Versailles: The Courts of Europe's Dynastic Rivals, 1550-1780" by Jeroen Duindam.

Additionally, as a complement to " Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World", I would also suggest to read (hoping that will be of use for those looking for a broad framework to understand the past) the following works, whose scope is as amazingly global as Otto's: 1. Agrarian cultures: "Pre-industrial societies" by Patricia Crone; 2. Economy: "The world economy. A millennial perspective" (2001) plus "The world economy: Historical Statistics" (2003) by Angus Maddison (a combined edition of these two volumes is to appear on December 2007); 3. Government: "The History of Government" by S.E. Finer; 4. Ideas: "Ideas, a History from Fire to Freud", by Peter Watson; 5. Religion: "The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach" by Moojan Momen; and 6. War: "War on Human Civilization" by Azar Gat

One of a Kind.......2003-07-20

Otto's first book, Fools are Everywhere, is a brilliantly crafted one and will delight readers. Her writing is extraordinarly gentle on the mind - eloquent and powerful. The quotes she has sprinkled throughout and the fun "flip-pages" that bring the popular juggling jester to life are added pleasures for the reader to enjoy.

Otto states in her introduction that she hopes to show that the court jester is a universal character and if not omnipresent, certainly omnifamiliar. Her research is vast and extensive - with fascinating similarities found between European and Chinese cultures - the latter's contributions to this subject being relatively unknown in our time. She provides information on characters found in other cultures as well - India, Native America, Africa and more. She emphasizes the important role of jesters within society and the obvious need for satire - discovered independently by peoples across the globe.

There is a selection of illustrations throughout the book and some fabulous excerpts from literature and historical documentation.

Though Otto remarks that there have been many books on the topic of jesters in the past century, I have found nothing comparable to this one. The most useful research on the topic has long since become shrouded by various forms of inaccessibility for the majority of readers. For these reasons, and many more, this book is an extraordinary contribution to our times. I, for one, look forward to the future books written by this author.

Foolish Fun and Foolish Seriousness.......2001-05-29

I can't think of a book that has a better choice of title than _Fools Are Everywhere_ (University of Chicago Press) by Beatrice K. Otto. Everyone would agree with those three little words, but Otto has the specialist meaning revealed in her subtitle: _The Court Jester Around the World_. Her title amply is demonstrated in a large and wide-ranging history of fools. Everyone knows of the fools in England, quite possibly because Shakespeare put many of them in his works. But Otto has gathered a huge amount of material from Everywhere; fools may be found also especially in China (which is, along with Europe, the arena of Otto's closest inspection), and in India, Arabia, and Tonga, within the Yaqui Indians, among the Aztecs, and, well, everywhere, even in corporate boardrooms.

A tradition this nearly universal must have strong reason to exist, and Otto demonstrates over and over, from one anecdote to another, that fools served both kings and subjects. Jesters were not only tolerated by the rulers, they were cherished. They may have made uncomfortable, biting attacks; Sultan Mahmud was lying in the lap of his jester and asked him, "What is your relation to cuckolds?" The jester replied: "I am their pillow." But even beneath the bite is understanding and even kindliness and acceptance. When King Tamerlane was roaring out 800, 1,200, and 1,500 lashes for a series of offenders, his fool Nasrudin interrupted him with what seemed to be an irrelevant question: "O King, do you know everything?" "Of course I do," retorted the King. "Then how could you inflict such punishment? Either you don't know the meaning of the number 1,500, or you don't know the sting of a whip." The jester is here shown to be the kindly servant of the king, as the one who might save the king from himself; but also, he is the servant of the subjects who would otherwise feel the king's lash. Thus the jester became in cultures everywhere a folk hero.

There are countless anecdotes here, and not all of them pay off. There are many that rely on the time, or the language, or "I guess you just had to be there." But plenty of this otherwise academic work is good, foolish fun. Otto has presented case after case, and her book has little theorizing. She does speculate upon where the fools of the court went, since they are now historic figures. They didn't really go anywhere, she says, they just specialized. Actors, cartoonists, and comedians took over the role, especially after the fools became presences on the stage. Otto hopes that the twenty-first century may have a rebirth of the fool (can you imagine someone paid to do pratfalls at the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks?), and does give some fine twentieth century examples. Will Rogers famously used his fooling to puncture politics-as-usual in otherwise impossible ways, and addressed President Wilson with great informality as Pres. And Otto quotes the best jester of the twentieth century (in my view), Groucho Marx, who was told by the management of a beach club that Jews were not allowed to swim from the beach. "What about my son?" came the reply that could have issued from a sprite clothed in swatches of colors, a horned cap, and bells. "He's only half-Jewish. Would it be all right if he went into the water up to his knees?"

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Fools Are Everywhere The Court Jester Around the World
Beatrice K. Otto
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPYQ10

Book Description

From the moment of fertilization until the day of birth, the extraordinary life of a fetus is chronicled in this awe-inspiring volume drawn from the latest in pre-natal research. How Life Begins, taking advantage of the relatively recent advent of ultrasound technology and other imaging techniques, offers a month-by-month guide to what a developing baby is seeing, hearing, dreaming about, and how it is accomplishing the miracle of preparing to be human. Readers will discover:

How a fetus's eye movements work to "boot up" the computer that is its brain
How the hands and feet commit programmed suicide to create fingers and
What role genetics plays in determining an infant's sexual identity and personality
How the baby becomes the choreographer of the mother's labor, and the director of his or her own birth

Interviews with leading researchers combine with truly remarkable photography to make How Life Begins an unforgettable journey marking the passage from single cell to bright-eyed baby.

Customer Reviews:

Really good.......1998-03-12

I am a father-to-be. After browsing through tons of titles, this book caught my attention. It offers an easy-to-follow description of what scientists have learned so far about life in the womb. From the mother-embryo links, to the development of the new human being, to the prepration for birth, this book is exciting. The chapter about the brain is particularly interesting. On the down side, I wish the book had suggestions for further reading on each topic.

How Life Begins: The Science of Life in the Womb

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How Life Begins: The Science of Life in the Womb
Christopher Vaughan
Manufacturer: Times Books/Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PHULP2

Book Description

This book offers one hundred of the best routes in Red Rocks from 15-pitch trad climbs to single pitch sport routes. While this guidebook focuses on the most classic multi-pitch routes such as Crimson Chrysalis and Epinepherine, cragging routes are also included. Includes formerly obscure and unpublished climbs to provide more options for avoiding crowds. As in all SuperTopo books, the authors personally climbed and documented each route with meticulous care to create the most detailed and accurate topos ever published.

Customer Reviews:

Great collection of Red Rocks climbs.......2007-02-08

I've got every Red Rocks guide ever published, which is about 10 books, including a really old one published in Rock and Ice around 1982. This guide is not comprehensive but contains a good selection of classic long routes. One thing I enjoyed was the historical information on each route. For example, Triassic Sands has a section on the history of this climb that can't be found anywhere else.

However, if you just want to get up these routes you may think all this history is unnecessary. Red Rocks is a difficult area for one guide book as there are such a wide variety of climbs, from single pitch sport routes to multi-pitch sport routes to full day trad affairs. This book does seem to emphasize the latter and if you are more into sport climbing you are probably better off buying one of the comprehensive guides.

The photos in this book are superb. The online version, in particular, has some really good shots. I guess they reproduce better on a monitor than on paper.

Very dissapinting Guidebook.......2006-12-04

This the most useless climbing guide I have ever seen.

There are 3 guidebooks available for Red Rocks. The best one one is the new eddition of Mountaineers guide edited by Roxanne Brock, which is a very comrehensive, and gives good route descriptions pitch by pitch. It is similar to 'Falcon' guide; in fact it is a copy of it with much improved topos and graphics. It is also somewhat better organized then 'Falcon' guide and provides stellar guide for each route; very helpful. I definitely recommend it.

The only good thing about supertopo guide are actually topos but unfortunately the number of routes described in this book is very limited. I can only guess that the author included only routes he has done, otherwise I cannot understandthe reason of producing the guidebook to a fenomenal climbing area including only 10% routes or so.

Second problem with the book is a lack of detailed route descriptions; instead the author decided to suggest strategy of doing the route consisting of a statement such as that the route is very popular and you should start early to be first in line to avoid waiting in the que; I guess this is really difficult to figure out yourself.

Third problem with the book is the lack of directions on how to get to the route. OK after few days and after talking to other climbers, who have climbed there for few days, you can get a good orientation but if you don't have anyone to ask for directions, you cannot work-out from this book.

The book looks impressive if you never climbed in Red Rocks, but if you did, it is absolutely useless, unless you really want to limit yourself to a small number of routes described in the book.

So do yourself a favor and don't waste your money for this particular book; go for Mountaineers guide, it is very good and useful. Besides it is cheaper. I bought this book because it was offered in the electronic form and I could print it out and reap easily pages with topos for the route.

And go climbing in Red Rocks, it is really a stellar climbing area.

Red Rock Canyon: A Climbing Guide (Climbing Guides)

Average customer rating:

Lead astray
Solid climbing guide book

Red Rock Canyon: A Climbing Guide (Climbing Guides)
Roxanna Brock , and Jared Mcmillen
Manufacturer: Mountaineers Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0898864860

Book Description

The most comprehensive climbing guidebook ever published for Red Rocks, Nevada.

*More than 1500 trad and sport routes *Includes over 300 routes more than any other guidebook for the area, many of those routes never before been published *Features 90 topos and more than 100 photos with route overlays *Routes rated from 1 to 5 stars for quality

Just a 30-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area offers the best off-season weather of any climbing area in the United States. Its desert climate and its abundance of varied climbing routes-from beginner to advanced, trad routes and sport routes, single-pitch to big-wall-have made Red Rocks a prime year-round destination. In the past, no single guidebook offered climbers complete coverage of the area, but this new guide offers everything they'll need to know to get the most from their trip to Red Rock Canyon, including visitor information for the Las Vegas area.

Customer Reviews:

Lead astray.......2007-06-21

Nice photos but inaccurate descriptions. Approaches in Red Rocks are notoriously long, on more than one occasion a route was described as being in full sun or full shade only to discover the opposite was true once at the base. We were quite frustrated with the book's misinformation. Routes were also poorly described. It lead our party to wonder if the author forgot to proofread the manuscript.

Solid climbing guide book.......2007-04-12

I got this book for a trip to Red Rock Canyon in March 2007. It was one of two books brought by our party -- the other was Rock Climbing Red Rocks, 3rd. The books varied slightly on route descriptions (three pitches vs. two longer ones), but as always, the guide books were just a guide and actual conditions led us to make some different decisions on the route. The route ratings were very helpful -- there are tons of routes to climb and with only a short trip, we focused on only the top-rated routes, and we were not disappointed!

50 Classic Hikes in Nevada: From the Ruby Mountains to Red Rock Canyon

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Adventure for the Truly Dedicated

50 Classic Hikes in Nevada: From the Ruby Mountains to Red Rock Canyon
Michael C. White
Manufacturer: University of Nevada Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Walking | Hiking & Camping | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0874176298

Book Description

Nevada boasts some of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes in North America and is rich in trails that embrace the state's scenic, geologic, and historic resources. Mike White, renowned outdoors writer and instructor, now offers a guide to fifty of the best Nevada hikes, ranging across the entire state from the Mojave Desert to the Sierra Nevada, from sagebrush basins to the alpine heights of the Ruby Mountains.

Here are hikes for every taste and level of fitness, including outings suitable for families with small children and full-scale assaults on challenging peaks. Each hike is described in terms of its route and special features, and includes a map and elevation profile. The book also offers information about the geology, wildlife, plants, history, and weather features of Nevada, as well as helpful directions to ensure safe and comfortable travel in Nevada's rugged and isolated backcountry. This is an indispensable guide for anyone seeking enjoyable adventures in some of the country's most spectacular natural regions.

Customer Reviews:

Adventure for the Truly Dedicated.......2006-10-11

I'm never sure what to make of Nevada's outdoor opportunities. On the one hand the state has some spectacular scenery. I think Red Rock Canyon is the best Vegas has to offer for hiking and sight seeing. I also like exploring (spring time only) the Lake Mead Recreation Area. Mt. Charleston offers fine mountain hiking and Great Basin National Park is a real gem in the national park system. On the other hand, I also like being able to drive an ordinary car to trailheads, and it is here that Nevada presents obstacles not found in my home state of California. A significant percentage of the hikes Mike White describes in this book require a high clearance vehicle just to get to the trailhead. On top of that, in many cases trails are not maintained. Fortunately White provides very detailed route descriptions, an absolute necessity when attempting Boundary Peak and several lesser known hikes in the state.

On the whole this is a good book. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but is rather a selection of what the author thinks are the best walks in the state. The Ruby Mountains receive a lot of attention, as does Nevada's half of the Lake Tahoe region. I was pleased to see that Cathedral Rocks State Park also received a nice write-up. Sharp pictures and decent location and hike maps will help those who want to further explore the Silver State. But in the final analysis, for many casual dayhikers (I am often in that category and my wife always is) the rigors of getting to the trailhead will discourage attempting many of these trips. What Nevada needs is an outdoors book along the lines of 'California Hiking' by Steinstra and Brown. Such a book would be far more comprehensive than this one and list hikes for all levels of walkers. It would also provide more opportunities for those whose sense of adventure does not include replacing the transmission pan on their vehicle after, or worse yet during, a trip to the mountains. But if you are willing to risk it, this book is for you. It offers high adventure without the crowds found in other western states.

Nevada's Red Rock Canyon : The Story Behind the Scenery

Average customer rating:

Bought as a reminder....

Nevada's Red Rock Canyon : The Story Behind the Scenery
Cheri C. Madison
Manufacturer: KC Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0887140254

Book Description

Nevada's Red Rock Canyon offers both dramatic vistas and detailed close-up views, the space and openness of the desert give the visitor an opportunity to blend with nature, to see its history revealed in rocks, plants and animals.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area, a unit of the Bureau of Land Management, under the Department of the Interior, is located west of Las Vegas, Nevada and was established in 1967.

Customer Reviews:

Bought as a reminder...........2007-08-23

of how beautiful Red Rock Canyon is. If you visit Las Vegas, you have to visit Red Rock Canyon. As an extra bonus, take this book with you for the photos and the history and background of this breath taking area.

Classic Rock Climbs No. 28: Red Rocks: Nevada

Average customer rating:

It's an additional resource; not "the Bible"
Need Improvement
Total Pile
Better than most
The best book BECAUSE it's the only book to choose from

Classic Rock Climbs No. 28: Red Rocks: Nevada
Todd Swain
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1585920568

Book Description

Information and maps for the travelling climber on 200 classic climbs for this popular region in southern Nevada.

Customer Reviews:

It's an additional resource; not "the Bible".......2003-04-20

The book is a decent additional resource to Urioste's "Red Book" (see also her 2003 26 trad routes addendum). Combined w/ the Red Rocks' SuperTopos the three will almost give you one good guidebook's worth of beta.

It IS your Red Rocks' "Bible" if you are a sport climber.

Need Improvement.......2002-02-07

I've been living and climbing at Red Rocks for two years now. Swain's guide book publicizes a number of new routes that are not in the previous guide; however, not all descriptions are adequate, and a few are even dangerous (such as fixed anchors indicated in the book where there are none in reality). You may also tire of the author's rather feeble attempts at humour! Having said this, I do use the guide alot, and when coupled with the older Urioste guide it serves its purpose. I am saddened however, by Swain's decision to not include a relatively large number of very good routes that were in the old guide-- thereby effectively 'erasing' good routes from the public memory. This amounts to a kind of bizarre censorship, as many of the routes he has left out are quite good and worth preserving. I, and many others, hope for a more enlightened guide book in the future; meanwhile, however, Swain's guide will suffice for most occasional visitors.

Total Pile.......2001-11-19

I do not believe this book can even be considered a guide book. No topos for certain areas. Poor descriptions. I went to Red Rocks with this book and it only got me to where I needed to park. I used the kindness of locals to get me to where I needed to go. Don't waste your time on this book. It's a pile.

Better than most.......2000-03-25

I consider Swain's guide book to be a work in progress. I hear that the 3rd edition is out and that it is improved. You have to remember that Swain is tall and likes to sandbag, so if he downgrades your best onsight, don't let it get to you. Sure, he messes up some pitch lengths, pitch grades and approaches but I believe he's trying to do his honest best to write a quality guide. He's no Greg Opland, but maybe he can learn.

The best book BECAUSE it's the only book to choose from.......2000-02-29

The book is very good overall. However the author should have spent a lot more time editing it before printing. The book has numerous contradictions as far as the rating system goes. One climb might be listed as a trad climb only and then in the index that same climb is listed as a sport climb. The index's section on the 5.10a climbs is completely screwed up! About 85% of these climbs are listed as a sport climb but then when you flip to that page they are listed as strictly trad climbs. It's very frustrating sometimes. The book has a lot of very helpful information and as of 1999 it was by far the best available. Hopefully the author will fix all of these problems in the next printing that has been rumored to be release for about 2 years and going.

Nevada's Red Rock Canyon (Story Behind the Scenery)

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Nevada's Red Rock Canyon (Story Behind the Scenery)

Manufacturer: Kc Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Diskette
ASIN: 0887141781

Who Pooped in the Park? Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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Who Pooped in the Park? Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Gary D. Robson
Manufacturer: Farcountry Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1560373717

Analysis of the interrelationships of archeological surface assemblages: An approach to petroglyphs

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Analysis of the interrelationships of archeological surface assemblages: An approach to petroglyphs
Arnie Lynn Cunningham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Description and origin of soft-sediment deformational features in the Aztec sandstone, Red Rock Canyon area, Nevada

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Description and origin of soft-sediment deformational features in the Aztec sandstone, Red Rock Canyon area, Nevada
D. H Horowitz
Manufacturer: Exxon Production Research Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Aztec | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Geology of the Pyramid Lake - Red Rock Canyon area, Washoe County, Nevada

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Geology of the Pyramid Lake - Red Rock Canyon area, Washoe County, Nevada
George Stanley McJannet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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