Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation and Other Evolutionary Writings

Book Description

Originally published anonymously in 1844, Vestiges proved to be as controversial as its author expected. Integrating research in the burgeoning sciences of anthropology, geology, astronomy, biology, economics, and chemistry, it was the first attempt to connect the natural sciences to a history of creation. The author, whose identity was not revealed until 1884, was Robert Chambers, a leading Scottish writer and publisher. Vestiges reached a huge popular audience and was widely read by the social and intellectual elite. It sparked debate about natural law, setting the stage for the controversy over Darwin's Origin. In response to the surrounding debate and criticism, Chambers published Explanations: A Sequel, in which he offered a reasoned defense of his ideas about natural law, castigating what he saw as the narrowness of specialist science.

With a new introduction by James Secord, a bibliography of reviews, and a new index, this volume adds to Vestiges and Explanations Chambers's earliest works on cosmology, an essay on Darwin, and an autobiographical essay, raising important issues about the changing meanings of popular science and religion and the rise of secular ideologies in Western culture.

Customer Reviews:

A true science time travel.......2003-08-12

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year. It's a true time travel through pre "Darwin-Wallace" natural history, and even more, since it deals with theories as the Nebular Hypothesis. This was, at his time, an all best-seller, specially if you consider it was a science book and not a novel. Robert Chambers style is exquisite, it certainly was a pleasure reading this book, and as in all books from certain epoch, this one is no exception, you can clearly read between the lines and learn a lot about what victorian society believed and what prejudices did they had. Delightful, but if you don't enjoy classics, please dont' even try this one, this is only for classic lovers.

Victorian Sensation : The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating look at Victorian and scientific history
Interesting history, poor epistemology
Interesting, but a little tedious
The Evolution of Evolution
A review from the Sunday Times, London

Victorian Sensation : The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
James A. Secord
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation and Other Evolutionary Writings
Death, Dissection and the Destitute
Defining the Victorian Nation: Class, Race, Gender and the British Reform Act of 1867
Heart and Science (Broadview Literary Texts)
Darwin's Plots: Evolutionary Narrative in Darwin, George Eliot and Nineteenth-Century Fiction

ASIN: 0226744108

Book Description

Fiction or philosophy, profound knowledge or shocking heresy? When Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation was published anonymously in 1844, it sparked one of the greatest sensations of the Victorian era. More than a hundred thousand readers were spellbound by its startling vision—an account of the world that extended from the formation of the solar system to the spiritual destiny of humanity. As gripping as a popular novel, Vestiges combined all the current scientific theories in fields ranging from astronomy and geology to psychology and economics. The book was banned, it was damned, it was hailed as the gospel for a new age. This is where our own public controversies about evolution began.

In a pioneering cultural history, James A. Secord uses the story of Vestiges to create a panoramic portrait of life in the early industrial era from the perspective of its readers. We join apprentices in a factory town as they debate the consequences of an evolutionary ancestry. We listen as Prince Albert reads aloud to Queen Victoria from a book that preachers denounced as blasphemy vomited from the mouth of Satan. And we watch as Charles Darwin turns its pages in the flea-ridden British Museum library, fearful for the fate of his own unpublished theory of evolution. Using secret letters, Secord reveals how Vestiges was written and how the anonymity of its author was maintained for forty years. He also takes us behind the scenes to a bustling world of publishers, printers, and booksellers to show how the furor over the book reflected the emerging industrial economy of print.

Beautifully written and based on painstaking research, Victorian Sensation offers a new approach to literary history, the history of reading, and the history of science. Profusely illustrated and full of fascinating stories, it is the most comprehensive account of the making and reception of a book (other than the Bible) ever attempted.

Winner of the 2002 Pfizer Award from the History of Science Society

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating look at Victorian and scientific history.......2006-07-01

One usually looks at history either as a chronological account of a particular place or discipline, or as broad account of a specific time period. This is the sort of slightly eccentric look at a time period that does so much to make connections between what one learns in more customary histories.

Secord is not so much looking at what Vestiges proposed, nor critiquing it by current scientific information, nor creating a biography of the author. He does a little of all these, but his main purpose is look intensively at the work as a social phenomenon. He considers it as a book, published in different versions for different segments of society, he reports on the reactions of various social classes in various geographic areas, the reaction of scientists, clergy and laymen to its "atheistic" or "deist" point of view, gender perspectives, etc. For the most part, for all its detail, it is extremely readable.

In order to do this, he has done an incredible amount of research. Knowing that the social elites talked, rather than wrote about it, he has combed diaries for records of conversation. He has researched technical details and statistics of the book trade. Truly a daunting project.

Serious students of the time period, scientific and philosophical history should find it very worthy of their attention. It should also appeal to the general reader (like me) who has at least a moderate knowledge of the era and of scientific history. I certainly wouldn't recommend this as a beginning text in either field.

The book is filled with a variety of black-and-white illustrations: ledgers, title pages, portraits, caricatures and cartoons, probably at least one on every fourth page. There is an extensive bibiography and a detailed index.

Interesting history, poor epistemology.......2004-03-15

Unlike many of the horrible, theory-driven products of American graduate schools, Victorian Sensation is well written (despite occasional lapses into jargon) and readers can learn a lot about Victorian culture in the first half of the 19th century. Mr. Secord reads carefully and is sensitive to the nuances and social context of what he is reading. This makes for good history. He provides a finely detailed account of how Vestiges was received within different social groups and how the definition of science itself was developing during the period. I'm not sure why he is so surprised that people interpret the same information in different ways. All communication falls into an existing state of affairs. As for the concept of genius, anyone who studies any subject in depth will find that all works are built upon a foundation provided by others. There is no other way. This understanding does not diminish Darwin's achievements; it merely puts journalistic excesses into perspective. Further, hero worship encourages as many people as it discourages.

The real problem with this work lies in his epistemology, which is shoddy beyond measure. To wit: "The texts of science have no meaning apart from what readers make out of them, yet -ironically - they aspire to be a transcript of the truth of nature, needing no interpretation." Historians and scientists alike may well be confused about many of the details of how science developed, but Secord is a reader who can make little sense of science. He seems to be at home in the emotional, blustering, and over-moralized world our ancestors lived in before they learned how to evaluate the world with some degree of objectivity (full objectivity is impossible, of course). This was the problem the 19th century set itself. The fact that this rationalism was carried too far does not mean it needs to be rejected in toto. I am old enough to remember the distortions of print culture and I find those fostered by electronic media and espoused by Mr. Secord to be no improvement. All symbolic systems distort. The current obsession with cultural relativism is no more than an unconscious mimicry of habits encouraged by television, which favors rhetoric (he said-she said) over objectivity. Mr. Secord and his ilk consider themselves to be on the cutting edge of historical criticism when they really represent a new orthodoxy fostered by television. Secord is hardly the chief offender here. He retains both a readable style and knowledge of how to gather and evaluate evidence. He would be a better historian if he would rid himself of his philosophical pretensions.

Interesting, but a little tedious.......2003-08-13

Don't get me wrong, I liked the book, the problem is it seems to me James Secord digress too much. It's a good thing to know the context at which the events took place, but too much detail sometimes makes reading hard. Secord definitively can't be accused of superfluos, he really did a profound investigation and a great effort, though a little hard sometimes, the book still is worth reading.

The Evolution of Evolution.......2002-01-13

As Henry Drummond noted in 1883, "This is the age of the evolution of Evolution. All thoughts that the Evolutionist works with, all theories and generalizations, have themselves evolved and are now being evolved."
This remarkable work on the Vestiges of Robert Chambers is itself a history of the evolution of evolution, describing in wonderful detail the context of a book that perfectly fits Drummond's description. Springing from eighteenth century intimations, first theorized by Lamarck, the idea of evolution finally bursts into public consciousness with Chambers' Vestiges, whose sudden popularity, if not notoriety, made it one of the first modern bestsellers in an age of technological breakthroughs in communications, transport, and printing. Laying the groundwork for laters theories, it nonetheless is too often dismissed as pseudo-scientific when, in fact, the author was aware of certain aspects of the pre-Darwinian ideas of evolution that only now are resurfacing, after being shunted aside by the Darwin tide to come. The account in this work is an engaging hybrid of cultural history mixed into the biography of Chambers' book, and is useful for the student of evolution in its account of the social relations of science, from the gentleman scientist to the grub street popularizers, and indirectly brings to life the later relationship of Huxley to Darwin. The age of Darwin in which we live has made him the sole authority and source of a science of evolution and this distorts the facts, and has obscured the reputation of this and other books. Indeed part of the confusion over selectionist theories sprang from the need for Darwin to artificially separate himself from previous ideas of evolution, by a novelty of claims, since the idea of evolution had seen its foundations laid. It is good to remember the full tale. The reality is that Vestiges was the first thunderclap of the evolutionary idea, whose correct intimations mixed with much speculative confusion were filtered out of the positivist account of Darwin, that provoked its own firestorm of reactions, for not the least reason that it was as evolutionary as the work of Chambers, and did not truly foot the bill for a theory of descent.

A review from the Sunday Times, London.......2001-02-18

From the Sunday Times, 18 February 2001

Bigger than Darwin

VICTORIAN SENSATION: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation by James A Secord Chicago U P pp624

MIRANDA SEYMOUR

Tennyson, with whom this accomplished work begins and ends, was an avid reader. In 1844, he spotted a review of an anonymously authored book which, according to the critic, convincingly linked the natural sciences to the history of creation. The poet, like many other readers of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, had already formed what we might consider advanced views on this subject. Man had resulted from a slow gestation beginning with simple invertebrates; man's ability to reason and distinguish between good and bad was part of his development. Tennyson had already completed much of In Memoriam, arguably the most powerful of Victorian poems. After reading Vestiges, he used its notion of an ever-ascending condition to celebrate the idea of a link "Betwixt us and the crowning race".

Tennyson's readers knew exactly what that reference meant. It is we who have lost it. Hailing Darwin as the great originator, we have forgotten that Vestiges, in the mid-19th century, had a greater impact, reaching far more readers and being discussed at all levels.

This is the central point of James A Secord's book. The idea he illustrates in a hundred entertaining ways is that we, as readers, like making narratives. We want things tidy, with beginnings and ends. It's reassuring to suppose that the concept of evolutionary culture began with Darwin's Origin of the Species in 1859. Reassuring, and wrong, not just because Darwin's grandfather had been writing about evolutionary matters in the previous century, but because geologists had reached Darwin's conclusions on evolution - not natural selection, which blew up a storm rather later - years before he published his turgid and, in many respects, quite cautious book.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, first published (anonymously) in 1818, was not directly responsible for the upward surge of new ideas about creation and spontaneous generation. Shelley's extraordinary book did, however, provide the creationists and their opponents with a potent image. Discussions of man's origins were regular among the circles in which she herself moved; her own interest in fossil history led her to consider writing a book on the subject. The suggestions made by Vestiges were, then, original only in the elegance of their formulation. (Even its opponents conceded that the prose was superb.) Revealingly, the gossips and critics were able to produce at least 10 authors who might have produced such an argument. Two of them, intriguingly, were women.

"Sensational" was the description always given to Vestiges. In Britain alone, it went through 14 editions and sold 40,000 copies: why? It helped, of course, that Vestiges looked small and user-friendly, its scarlet cover causing one irate reviewer to compare it to "the accomplished harlot". It was, unlike Darwin's later work, easy to follow and illustrated with homely analogies. Above all, it was a curiosity. The anonymity by which the Scottish publisher, Robert Chambers, screened himself for 40 years became one of the book's hottest selling points.

Not even Secord, whose knowledge is impressively omnivorous, is certain why Chambers continued to hide his identity for so long. The decision was first taken, it seems, from a combination of prudence and shrewdness. He wanted to sell copies; he knew that his unscientific status would be held against him. Anonymity, while frequent in fiction, was unusual in the fields of biography and history. To be anonymous in this area was to attract attention and speculation. Guessing the author became part of the enterprise in a period that extended into decades during which Vestiges and its authorship were passionately discussed. An anonymous sequel, published in 1845, may have sold only 3,000 copies, but it achieved the more important goal for Chambers of keeping up interest.

Transmutation was the brand-new theory of creation that Chambers put on offer in his book, prefacing it with the bold, Frankenstein-led query: "In what way was the creation of animated beings effected?" The notion of endless ascent was not received with unanimous respect. Florence Nightingale joked that she found it impossible to climb down again, "and was obliged to go off as an angel". Darwin, scratching for fleas while he furtively studied the British Museum's copy, thought the geology and zoology were hopelessly amateur, although he agreed with the general conclusions. Philip Gosse, rejecting the idea that fossils indicated a pre-biblical history, wrote a response, Omphalos; 75% of the published copies were pulped through lack of demand. Vestiges continued to sell. Punch joked about a lonely book that is spurned at the door of every famous author who might have claimed it. Chambers, confronted with an inquiry about "that horrible book" and whether he had read it, kept his counsel.

It is hard to overpraise this book. Magnificently illustrated, erudite, thoughtful and stimulating, it has the added bonus of a wickedly subversive style. I liked, to single out a small example, Secord's throwaway description of a Punch journalist: "Douglas Jerrold was a known infidel (and ate his peas with a knife)." One of the illustrations shows a group of "advanced thinkers" chatting by the fire. The light catches their faces; they look intensely alive, and enthralled. Reading Victorian Sensation gives you the illusion, at least, of joining them.

Just before Darwin: Robert Chambers and Vestiges
Average customer rating:
Just before Darwin: Robert Chambers and Vestiges
M Millhauser
Manufacturer: Wesleyan University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books
Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006AW1AG

Explanations: A Sequel to
<I>Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
<I> (The Thoemmes Library of Science)
Average customer rating:
Explanations: A Sequel to Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (The Thoemmes Library of Science)
Robert Chalmers
Manufacturer: Thoemmes Continuum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History | Subjects | Books | Africa | Americas | Ancient | Arctic & Antarctica | Asia | Audiobooks | Australia & Oceania | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | Europe | Gay & Lesbian | Historical Study | Large Print | Middle East | Military | Military Science | Russia | United States | World
General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Biology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1843716208

Explanations: A Sequel To Vestiges Of The Natural History Of Creation
Average customer rating:
Explanations: A Sequel To Vestiges Of The Natural History Of Creation
Robert Chambers
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Science & Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1430483865

Book Description

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

God revealed in the process of creation: And by the manifestation of Jesus Christ; including an examination of the development theory contained in the "Vestiges of the natural history of creation"

Average customer rating:

God revealed in the process of creation: And by the manifestation of Jesus Christ; including an examination of the development theory contained in the "Vestiges of the natural history of creation"
James Barr Walker
Manufacturer: Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation

Average customer rating:

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
Robert Chambers , and Anon.
Manufacturer: Wiley & Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TNYMTI

Product Description

Bound with : "Explanations, a Sequel to..."

Average customer rating:

Vestiges Of The Natural History of Creation
Henry, [intro] Morley
Manufacturer: George Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J2PZBI

Average customer rating:

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
Robert Chambers
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1406844667

Book Description

Two-thirds of the plants of the carboniferous era are of the cellular or cryptogamic kind, a proportion which would probably be much increased if we knew the whole Flora of that era. The ascertained dicotyledons, or higher-class plants, are comparatively few in this formation; but it will be found that they constantly increased as the globe grew older.

Download Description

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (The Thoemmes Library of Science)

Average customer rating:

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (The Thoemmes Library of Science)
Robert Chalmers
Manufacturer: Thoemmes Continuum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Bare Fists: The History of Bare Knuckle Prize Fighting
Average customer rating:

As exciting as a real fight

Bare Fists: The History of Bare Knuckle Prize Fighting
Bob Mee
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books
Boxing | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America

John L. Sullivan and His America (Sport and Society)

The Classical Pugilism & Bare-knuckle Boxing Companion, Vol. 1

Boxiana; or, Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism, from the Days of the Renowned Broughton and Slack, to the Championship of Cribb: Volume 1

Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler

ASIN: 158567141X
Release Date: 2001-05-17

Book Description

In its heyday, which spanned the mid 18th to the late 19th centuries, the bare-knuckle prize-fight was a wildly popular sport which, as gloved boxing does now, produced some extraordinary characters and legendary bouts, both in Britain and the United States. With contests lasting hours and going into over 100 thrilling, punishing rounds, the sport drew crowds both common and elite-from royals and politicians to writers like Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope to Dickens and Thackaray, to the middle and working classes-all drawn together by the brutal excitement and the spirited wagering the sport generated. Much like gloved boxing today, average men could become superstars overnight, and they could lose the accolades and their health just as quickly.

In Bare Fists, Bob Mee shows the fascinating evolution of bare- knuckle boxing, from the earliest days when there were no rules, to the introduction of the Broughton and London Prize Ring Rules, to what was, for bare-knuckle fighting, the beginning of the end-the Marquess of Queensbury Rules, with their call for gloves and timed rounds and their banishment of such brawl-like moves as wrestling holds. Rich in rare and exhilarating anecdote, Bare Fists recreates with thrilling immediacy all of the big bouts of the sport, including those of the legendary American champion of the 1880s, John L. Sullivan. Bob Mee brings the coverage full circle, with a report on how this strange sub-culture continues to flourish, fueled by films like Brad Pitt's Fight Club. Bare Fists is an exciting and important addition to the literature of boxing.

Customer Reviews:

As exciting as a real fight.......2001-12-25

This is an excellent read. Bob Mee takes you through the history of bare knuckle boxing from the past ot the the present day. My only gripe is that he sees modern day bare knuckle boxing as brutal. I disagree. While abroad, I have seen bare knuckle boxing. It is no more brutal than fights with gloves and there have been no deaths in the ring. The fighters are also evenly matched which is more than you can say for a lot of big fights. The fights I have seen have been fast, very exciting, and come to a conclusion quickly - usually with a knockout. If you get a chance to see one, do go. I found it thrilling. Apart from that, this is a good book.

Book Description

This isn't your parents' language book! It's not the French and Spanish you learned in school. This uncensored language guide has everything you need to speak real French or Spanish, from cool lingo to hard-core insults. Whether you're a student who's eager to learn street speak, a lover of French or Spanish who wants to talk the language of love, or a traveler ready to really hang out with natives, you'll be up-to-date on the expressions used by the masses.

Customer Reviews:

Hide this french book (berlitz hide this book).......2007-05-19

Very interesting topics in this book. For travelers to actually go out and have fun and very useful with the audioguide MP3 that can be downloaded from the website.

Audio Files at Website Add Value.......2006-08-22

I picked-up this slim phrase book to pass my time while waiting for a train on a recent business trip. My attention was caught by its black cover and tongue-in-cheek presentation as an insider's guide to vernacular phrases with an emphasis on the risque' and rude. Mock warning labels drive home the point. Most (not all!) of the words and phrases are in fact pretty tame. I've spent considerably more time with this book than my two hour plus train trip thanks in part to a website the publishers have set up. The book's street smart contents are available at the website in MP3 format. With a little expertise (and freely available iTunes software) the audio files can be converted to more conventional CD (CDA) files for all your older CD players. A Berlitz rep emailed me that managing the files in this way for personal use is not a copyright violation. The website in conjunction with the book raises the value of this inexpensive niche effort. Hearing the audio files turns a cute marketing ploy into useful learning tool.

Le Mot Juste.......2005-12-25

For those of you who are intrigued by the argot tossed about in slang books like "Merde", "Merde Encore, the "Street French" series, "Streetwise French and "Tune Up Your French, Berlitz's 94 page "Hide This French Book" will provide more than enough hip topics and expressions to satisfy even the most passionate slang junkie.

Especially geared towards students and those of us who want to know evolving street speak, Berlitz actually prints a two page disclaimer as a preface warning French speaking wannabes that some of the language cited in the book is to be used sparingly and in familiar company that will not judge you as crude.

With this in mind, the author, Eve-Alice Roustang-Stoller demarcates the crudest, rudest and crassest of her lingual tidbits using fetching forewarning icons of thermometers depicted as either with the mercury at a spicy half-way point to label the pretty vulgar or with the mercury bursting to the way-too-hot overspill point to indicate the totally offensive. Thankfully and shame-savingly, she provides gender symbol icons to inform the reader when a phrase is to be used only when describing a particular sex and a website where one can actually hear the correct pronunciation.

The book covers a wide spectrum of situations beginning with the basic greeting expressions, and moving through dating, love, sex, homosexual life, sports, games, shopping, fashion, body parts, technology, gossiping, food, partying, friendship, entertainment and ending with 6 ultimate French gestures. Sidebars like "Un-Censored" (the really vulgar skinny), "Oops" ("I cant' believe I said that" embarrassing stories), "the Scoop" (what you need to know to stay in the know) and "Fact" (cultural similarities and differences) along with cartoon-like illustrations interject a little eye-moving fun into the fast-paced format.

Published in 2004, the language in this book proves to be up-to-date when inspected by a 30-something native French speaker. The only caveat? Obviously, a fifty-year old speaks differently than a fifteen year old; language used in a club differs greatly from that at the dinner table. The language in HTFB most definitely can be offensive when used in the wrong situation and by the wrong person. Perhaps les gros mots don't attract much attention until a non-French person makes use of them, so my tip is to be careful as you expand your language range.

Bottom line: Recommended, but depending on your age and the situation, use with the utmost care. "Tune Up Your French" by Natalie Schorr provides a more thorough treatment of the whens and whys of slang usage, but this books format is sure to have more eye appeal for a student.

Incroyable!.......2005-03-23

I have found this guide to be among the most helpful in regards to colloquial French: while others contain extensive information, they lack phonetical instruction. However, Berlitz has an online audio site that readers can visit to actually hear the slang spoken by native speakers. Therefore, "francophiles" of all speaking levels (beginning to advanced) can master the phrases presented in Ms. Roustang-Stoller's book!
Other works on French slang casually present phrases that may offend native speakers so as to humor English-speaking readers. For example, one would not approach an attractive person and exclaim, "Quelle cul t'as!" (Toned-down meaning: "What buttocks you have!"). Indeed, a less extreme pick-up would most likely be in order. This being said, the book certainly presents its wealth of phrases and idioms in an amusing fashion, but it singles out ones that particularly are not appropriate in everyday conversation.
Along with ratings and online resources, Roustang-Stoller dashes her book with sidebars about French culture and gives the reader conversational examples. Thereby, the active reader can not only master the phrases but apply them appropriately. I just lent my friend this guide on his school trip to France, and he said that it came in handy numerous times. Even if you speak school-taught French perfectly, it really helps to know conversational slang for real-life situations. So, if you don't know a lick of French and want to get a few laughs, or you are a high school student in French V AP who is traveling to Paris in the near future, this book is perfect for you!

A great guide.......2004-09-03

This book is not for the beginning French student who wants to anger the teacher for laughs... It is for the intermediate-advanced student who wants to know the French you never learn in school. Not necessarily "naughty" French (though there is a book for that), but common street expressions that are very handy if you want to go far with the language.

Hide This French Book provides not only the expressions useful for conversations related to dating, computers, people, and much more, but also literal English translations as well as American equivalents wherever possible. It is also strewn with fun facts and information related to French culture and the phrases you are using, so you feel that you know as well as any native exactly what it is you're saying, rather than just repeating what you read in a textbook.

I recommend this in particular for any high school student such as myself who is going into AP French or planning on traveling to France.

Berlitz Hide This Phrase Book French (Berlitz Hide This Book)

Average customer rating:

Berlitz Hide This Phrase Book French (Berlitz Hide This Book)
Inc. Berlitz International
Manufacturer: Berlitz Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Canada | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Hide This French Book (Berlitz Hide This Book)
Berlitz French Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Books)
Berlitz Hide This Spanish Phrase Book
Hide This Italian Phrasebook
Hide This French Book for Lovers (Berlitz Hide This...)

ASIN: 9812467629

Book Description

Building on the success of the Hide This Book series, the language experts at Berlitz Publishing are proud to introduce a line of Phrase Books with attitude! Designed for young and hip travelers, these useful, edgy books teach the phrases travelers really want to know.

Berlitz hide this french book 101 (Berlitz Hide This Book)

Average customer rating:

Berlitz hide this french book 101 (Berlitz Hide This Book)
Inc. Berlitz International
Manufacturer: Berlitz Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Slang & Idioms | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Hide This French Book (Berlitz Hide This Book)
Hide This French Book for Lovers (Berlitz Hide This...)
Berlitz Hide This Phrase Book French (Berlitz Hide This Book)
Easy French Reader

ASIN: 9812467602

Book Description

These new mini editions of the popular Hide This Book contain the need-to-know language you don't learn in school in an enticing miniature format that makes hiding them even easier.

Hide This French Book for Lovers (Berlitz Hide This...)

Average customer rating:

Hide This French Book for Lovers (Berlitz Hide This...)

Manufacturer: Berlitz Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Hide This French Book (Berlitz Hide This Book)
Berlitz Hide This Phrase Book French (Berlitz Hide This Book)
Tune Up Your French: Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Spoken French
Merde!: The Real French You Were Never Taught at School
Berlitz hide this french book 101 (Berlitz Hide This Book)

ASIN: 9812469796

Book Description

Hide This French Book For Lovers lets you get intimate--in French. This little black book of love has everything from pick-up lines to erotic sex talk. Chapters cover hot topics ranging from "hooking up" and "sweet talk" to "love & sex" and "breaking up." Also included are fun black, white, and red illustrations and a red ribbon bookmark. A compact hardcover edition, Hide This French Book for Lovers makes a great gift. Get passionate about language with Hide This French Book for Lovers.

Book Description

Darkness and despair have descended upon the people of Meridian. The Guardians join Elyon and the rebel forces to try and bring back the Light to Meridian.

Customer Reviews:

.................ermmm , kinda cool.............................2006-01-16

This book waz %30 cool.
The girl who wrote it involed sex , is a div , i mean so wat !
didn't u wach the sexul intercorse video at school , PLUS your gonna do it wen ur older , ssshhheeessshhh!:@:@:@:@

ANYWAY... so in this book Elyon starts 2 have second thoughts 'bout her bro , the witch girls also sence theres somthin going on ...

read 2 find out the rest ..

hope you found my review helpful ( espeshaly that girl )

C C

2nd best book eva.......2005-12-11

the guardians have to help elyon. the coronation is coming up and they still dont no wat phobos has planned. i think it waz stupid how caleb turns into a flower cornelia needed to stop cryin she hardely knows the guy u can tell that elyon doesnt like meridian at all.the book waz pretty exciting though. dont woorry elyon will get the happy ending she deserves and phobos will be left in shamme

Review of W.I.T.C.H. #11 by Julia, a 9 year old girl.......2005-07-18

I liked this book a lot, because Phobos carries out his plan to drain Elyon's power. Luckily, the Guardians save Elyon by creating an Astral Drop (or exact double) of her. Phobos uses his idea on the Astral Drop, so he really doesn't get any power at all! He gets very upset, so it's pretty funny at the end! It's also kind of sad, because something bad happens to Caleb. Read to find out!

Review of W.I.T.C.H. #11 by Julia, a 9 year old girl.......2005-07-18

Another good book from the W.I.T.C.H. series........2005-07-01

This is the eleventh book in the W.I.T.C.H. novel series, about five young teenage girls - Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin - who have been chosen as the Guardians of the Veil that separates Earth from Metamoor, a world that is ruled by the evil Prince Phobos.

The final battle for Metamoor is approaching. The Guardians are worried about their friend, Elyon. Elyon grew up with them in Heatherfield, but she turned out to be a member of Metamoor's royal family, who had been brought to Earth for safekeeping after her parents died. Although her older brother, the evil Prince Phobos, has lost some of his influence over her, Elyon is still under his power. He has announced Elyon's coronation as Queen, but Elyon doesn't entirely trust him. And the Guardians feel he may be up to something. They travel to Metamoor, hoping they can convince Elyon that something is truly wrong before it is too late.

This was another good book from the W.I.T.C.H. series. It would be very confusing for new readers, but I'd recommend it to all the readers who have read the first ten books in the series. I can't wait to read the next book in the series which concludes this story arc. I'd recommend the series mostly to young readers who enjoy fantasies with strong female characters. However I am much older then the target audience and enjoy this series a lot, especially the comic excerpts featured at the beginning and end of each book.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books