Book Description
With a New Introduction

Washington, D.C., is the final installment in Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire,his acclaimed six-volume series of historical novels about the American past. It offers an illuminating portrait of our republic from the time of the New Deal to the McCar-thy era.

Widely regarded as Vidal's ultimate comment on how the American political system degrades those who participate in it, Washington, D.C. is a stunning tale of corruption and diseased ambitions. It traces the fortunes of James Burden Day, a powerful conservative senator who is eyeing the presidency; Clay Overbury, a pragmatic young congressional aide with political aspirations of his own; and Blaise Sanford, a ruthless newspaper tycoon who understands the importance of money and image in modern politics. With characteristic wit and insight, Vidal chronicles life in the nation's capital at a time when these men and others transformed America into "possibly the last empire on earth."

"Washington, D.C. may well be the finest of contemporary novels about the capital," said The New Yorker, and the Times Literary Supplement deemed it "a prodigiously skilled and clever performance." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

DC Never Changes
This book kept my interest from start to finish.It is written on an adult level, reminiscent of an era when DC was still mysterious.

I'm a resident of DC, and this book reminds me of the Jimmy Stewart movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" not for the story line, but because even though this story was set decades ago, written decades ago, it could have been written today.DC absolutely never changes.

Read this book for a higher-level "West Wing" from the congressional side.Drugs, sex, affairs, power -- its all in there.

I recommend this book on the inside of DC -- and it is enjoyable for all -- Democrats and Republicans aren't mentioned, so it doesn't matter your party!

Enjoy.

My favorite of the American Chronicle
Apparently others disagree, but I thought this was the best novel in Vidal's American Chronicle series.It's also the best one to start with if you haven't read any others in the series, although it's near the end chronologically.I feel that it provides a good background for the other books, making it easier to understand and get into them.
Washington, DC will also stand alone as a great political novel.I'm not generally a fan of historical fiction, but I love Vidal, and this book is one of his best.

History, Politics, and Literature at Their Finest
Gore Vidal is one of America's most erudite and imaginative historical and political thinkers.He also happens to be one the most intelligent, witty, and capable literary craftsmen this country has ever produced.

In Washington, D. C., Vidal has created a novel that is simultaneously informative and entertaining.The story takes place between the 1930s (FDR era) and WWII.For anyone interested in that historical period, this book will be a fascinating read.The amazing thing is, however, that even if you're not interested in that historical period, you'll enjoy the satirical nuances of the book.Also, Vidal draws his characters with such authenticity that you'll get lost in the interpersonal relationships and forget the historical backdrop.

A vague outline of the novel is as follows:Senator Day twarts FDR's attempt to pack the Supreme Court; he then gets involved in an attempt to be elected president; while all this is happening his daughter's ex-fiance Clay Overbury (who is also Senator Day's aide) marries another woman whose father is extremely rich; and the political intrigue and madness ensue.

This, and all of Vidal's American Chronicle series, should be required reading for every American citizen.

Disjointed
The books that comprise the "Narratives of Empire" series were not written in order, and if you're reading them in order the cracks show up here in the sixth and final volume. In each volume, Vidal includes a preface telling you the story of the book you're about to read, and proudly reminding you that the entire series is the chronicle of a single family, direct in descent from Aaron Burr to himself. Yet when we get to "Washington DC" we learn that it was Blaise Sanford who purchased the Washington Tribune all those years ago and launched his publishing career, not his half-sister Caroline. In fact, Caroline Sanford has utterly ceased to exist, despite having been our main character during the previous two novels, during which she, yes, purchased the Washington Tribune and launched HER publishing career, only allowing Blaise to buy a 48% share years later when he was desperate. What's more, it was Caroline's mother who was descended from Burr, not Blaise's, as readers of volume three know perfectly well, which means that there are no more descendants of Burr left by volume six. Hmph.

Not the style of Burr or Lincoln, but superb nonetheless.
Gore Vidal has written a very vivid and engaging novel about the intrigues and power plays ongoing in our nation's capital.His dialogue is pitch perfect, his characters are duplicitously clever, and his descriptions of the nation's capitol are lush.Though dissimilar in style to, and ultimately not as fine a work as, the anachronistically written'Burr' or 'Lincoln','Washington, D.C.' still stands, along with Henry Adams' 'Democracy', as the gold standard work about the political animals on America's grand stage of government.It is a great, worthwhile read. ... Read more

Book Description
The Washington Irving Library is the classic collection of works by a man who dreamed up Rip Van Winkle and The Headless Horseman.What do you do after you have missed forty years of your life?And what exactly does this horseman want and what will it take to make him go away?Listeners will visit a time of yesterday, where horses were transportation and life moved at a different pace. ... Read more

Book Description
Here are 200 irresistible love letters from over the centuries, love letters both historic and fictional, love letters by poets and by princes, love letters enchanting, tragic, comic, superbly selected, beautifully printed, conveniently portable, to have with you wherever and whenever you're in the mood for love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Nuances of Love
Today we text message.We post messages on our Facebook or MySpace.We email, instant message, or call our beloved.And although it would be a mistake to judge these modes of communication as being better or worse than the love letter, one cannot help but think, and be awed, that for centuries the only means for two to send words of love was through the letter.Though there is poetry, though there are sonnets, plays, and novels without end expressing romantic love, for some reason the love letter holds a dear precious place in our hearts.Perhaps we remember our first love letter and through that remembrance of times past personalize the experience of reading the letters of another.Perhaps it is the concise passionate intensity of it.So much of one's heart in so short a space.Ink with the passion of one intoxicated by love.

Whatever it may be, we are drawn to it time and again.And in that fascination, Everyman's Library has taken passion of lovers and loved from the past centuries, for us to voyeuristically behold.Choosing to embrace all the nuances of love, rather than a single dimension, E.L. presents humorous love (G.K. Chesterton to Frances Plogg), intoxicating love (Keats to Fanny Browne), erotic love (Ann Hamilton and Barbara Villiers to Lord Chesterfield), deeply sad love (Nadia Mandelstam to Osip Mandelstam), and of course all consuming love(Bernard Shaw and Stella Campbell; F. Scott and Zelda).Through these letters, one sees love not as the construct of the imagination of an author, or poet, or playwright.Through these letters one sees love in all its living, breathing beauty and reality.This book does not idealize love.It does not have to.Love, as it exists in reality, is more beautiful, more perfect than any fancy any artist could conjure up.It is perfect not in spite of its flaws and pains and disappointments.It is perfect because of its flaws and pains and disappointments.In this book one reads of the joys and pains, the victories and defeats, the winters and springs of true love.In this book, filled with true love from true lovers, one sees that love is not perfected in books or art; it already exists perfect in life.

An old and uneven selection
There are a few quite good letters here, but many of them appear to have been selected either because the writer was famous or the editor was just desperate to fill the book. Nearly all of them are from before WW2 and most are from before the 20th century. As a result, most of the letters have language that would seem very stilted if used today. But even old age doesn't excuse the writing that in some cases made me cringe.

A terrific little Compilation!
Not only has this book been a fantastic source of beautiful quotes to share with my beloved, reading through it and using some of the letters it contains as a model has helped me express my feelings for her moreeloquently.

Well organized and easy to use as a reference book, thishandy little volume has love letters written by a large assortment ofauthors, poets, celebrities, and historical figures from a wide spectrum oftime periods. This brilliant selection of letters runs the gamut of thevarious emotions present in any romantic relationship and is divided intosections which helps in finding letters most applicable to specificsituations.

Most anybody will be able to find something that applies tothem personally - a nice reminder that it's all been said before, andprobably better than you'll ever be able to. I'm sure I'll continue to usethis terrific source of inspiration and reflection for many years to come.

-the binding ribbon is really nice for marking special letters - anadded bonus! ... Read more

Book Description

Over the past ten years, the Library of Congress has cataloged more than forty thousand drawings, prints, and photographs that capture important developments in the growth of Washington, D.C., and its greater metropolitan area, including Virginia and Maryland. This elegant volume, a guide to the library's massive collection, offers an introduction to its content and a celebration of the ambitious project of designing the nation's capital.

Capital Drawings features drawings for some of Washington's most important buildings, monuments, and memorials -- the United States Capitol, the White House, and the Vietnam Memorial -- as well as anonymous structures of everyday life and ambitious projects that were never built. These newly available documents tell the story of the capital's planning and growth. Each of these "capital drawings" reflects some aspect of the lives, history, and values of its creators and sponsors.

Featuring essays from distinguished scholars in preservation, architecture, and history, Capital Drawings invites us to explore the history and development of a city and nation through the buildings, monuments, and public and private spaces that have given them physical form and symbolic meaning.

Contributors: Richard Longstreth, George Washington University; C. Ford Peatross, Library of Congress; Pamela Scott, American University; William Seale, White House Historical Association; Damie Stillman, Society of Architectural Historians; Gwendolyn Wright, Columbia University.

Customer Reviews (2)

Deceptive Title!
I purchased this book based upon its title and cover imagery; I was disappointed in that many if not most of the images and drawings contained in the book are NOT located in Washington, DC, as the title would have you believe.It's ok to illustrate other images by the same architect or draftsman, but the book includes tens of dozens if not hundreds of illustration that are located thousands of miles away from Washington, DC, the city.A better title would have been "architectural drawings at the Library of Congress" and leave out the reference to the actual City of Washington, which is not well represented.

Beautiful Drawings of Washington Architecture
Washington DC is one of the few major cities in the world that was designed from the start to be a city. Built on ten square miles of land donated to the nation by Maryland and Virginia, the city was conceptually laid out by L'Enfant. The streets were designed to be wide, straight and long instead of the meandering cow paths of the older cities.

Along with the general plan, the early presidents, Washington and Jefferson especially) recognized the expressive power of the capital's buildings and monuments. The major Government buildings and monuments: the White House, the Capital building, and the Washington monument have become recognized around the world.

This beautiful book consists of drawings from the Library of Congress illustrating these and other buildings in Washington. Some of these are historican and reflect various plans submitted before the final design was chosen. Some are more recent, reflecting the fact that the originals were lost.

This book illustrates the impact that the architecture of Washington has had on American architecture around the country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very Good
Great book for new/ newer readers.The information is concise, informative and easily understood by young readers.My son used this book for a 1st grade book report and his teacher LOVED this book because it was a perfect reading level for 1st graders.The pictures are nice and clear, my son studied them endlessly. ... Read more

Book Description
This collection of stories from Washington Irving includes some of America's best-known works of fiction-such as the famous Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow-as well as lesser-known works as The Specter Bridegroom, Westminster Abbey, English Writers on America, Stratford on Avon, The Art of Bookmaking, The Mutability of Literature, and The Christmas Quintet.Download Description
THE following papers, with two exceptions, were written in England, and formed but part of an intended series for which I had made notes and memorandums. Before I could mature a plan, however, circumstances compelled me to send them piecemeal to the United States, where they were published from time to time in portions or numbers. It was not my intention to publish them in England, being conscious that much of their contents could be interesting only to American readers, and, in truth, being deterred by the severity with which American productions had been treated by the British press. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

"Warm and cheerful pictures of English life"
Washington Irving's "Sketch Book" is an eccentric mongrel of literary types that mingles travel writing, literary reflections, and tales (fiction and historical); it is most famous for "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." In 1931, the literary critic Henry Seidel Canby remarked that "without the two Dutch stories, however, 'The Sketch Book' would not have worn so well. They are perfect examples of what Irving loved to do, and naturally he did them well."

Indeed, few readers ever encounter any of the other selections, except perhaps "The Spectre Bridegroom"--a comic tale of mystery and suspense. What may surprise many readers, however, is that nearly all of the book's remaining entries are about England--mostly about rural life and the landed gentry outside London, or (as described by William Cullen Bryant) "warm and cheerful pictures of English life."

Under the pen name of Geoffrey Crayon, Irving details his sea voyage to England, a comical fishing trip inspired by "The Compleat Angler," a walking excursion through Little Britain (a London neighborhood), and a visit to the library at the British Museum, where he "soon found that the library was a kind of literary 'preserve,' subject to game laws, and that no one must presume to hunt there without special license and permission." He attends a rural church service (during which he pays more attention to the congregants than the rites) and even crashes a funeral party. There are two essays on Shakespeare, a sequence of articles describing English Christmas customs, a biographical account of King James I of Scotland, and a tour of the tombs in Westminster Abbey.

From the safe distance of his exile in England, Irving hurls two essays describing sympathetically "the characters and habits of the North American savage." The phrase is jarring to 21st-century ears, but, while Irving repeatedly uses the unfortunate term, he simultaneously condemns that the "the appellations of savage and pagan were deemed sufficient to sanction the hostilities of both [colonists and writers]." Regardless of its bipolar sensitivity to language, the first essay is a rousing defense of Native Americans: "They cannot but be sensible that the white men are the usurpers of their ancient dominion, the cause of their degradation, and the gradual destroyers of their race." The second essay is a portrait of King Philip, or Metamocet of Pokanoket, the 17th-century chief of the Wampanoag tribe whose conflict with the New England settlers resulted in the near-eradication of his people.

Irving has a tendency to dilute his delight with an abundance of detail, but his mastery of the quip and his sarcasm--so abundant in his "History of New York"--is still on display throughout "The Sketch Book." Its unevenness, ponderousness, and lack of thematic coherence can be challenging, however, and those looking for fiction rather than "sketches" may prefer (as I did) Irving's "Tales of a Traveller," which is comprised entirely of ghost stories, pirate adventures, and tall tales.

Washington Irving slept for forty years
My memories of reading ' The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and ' Rip Van Winkle ' in school are memories of vague misunderstanding, a haze of wondering what they were all about. This is especially true in regard the story of Rip Van Winkle.But there was nonetheless in the atmosphere of the stories, something of the feeling of oldAmerica, the Dutch- English America so present in the Renssaeleer County I grew up in. Later in life returning to Irving's work I read some of the Alhambra Tales and sketches. All the writing seemed to me to come of ' another world and time' a world and time much more leisurely and slow than the America which was to follow. It is hard to believe but it is little more thanthirty-years between Washington Irving's gentelmanly meanderings, and the American Renaissance of Melville, Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman. Irving is the first American writer known to the world, but he does not really presage the great American creative outburst that is to follow him.
One more point. There is a story from the Talmud about Honi ha- Maagel who goes to sleep for a generation. And when he wakes up finds a wholly new world. He makes then the famous remarks ' Death is preferable to living without friends'. Perhaps Washington Irving too had a sense of being somewhere back in the past, far out of the time of present everyday America. And thus perhaps he suggests that if you sleep too long when you wake up your world is lost and it as if you are dead . i.e. it is as if you have not woken up at all.
Irving in this sense as a writer seems more some one read as a relic than one who gives the kind of inspiring fire his great American successors will provide.

Thoughtful collection of observations, essays, and stories.
I must admit I bought this book solely out of a desire to read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," probably the work Irving is most well-known for today. Every year on Halloween, when I was growing up, a small group of friends and I would watch the old Disney cartoon version of the story while we sorted through our candy. More recently, I fell in love with the 1999 live action adaptation "Sleepy Hollow" starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. I figured it was about time I read the original story to see how these two films stack up in comparison. The rest of the material in the book was of secondary interest to me in making my purchase, but having now read it I can say that, while it wasn't quite what I expected, it was well worthwhile.

The title is both apt and misleading by turns: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other stories in the Sketch Book." The use of the term "other stories" led me to believe that it would be just that - a collection of short fiction stories. Not so. There are three pieces in the book which would fit this description - "Rip Van Winkle," "The Specter Bridegroom," and the aforementioned "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" - but the rest is a conglomeration of various other types of writing. The title "Sketch Book" is very appropriate. Irving has, in essence, provided us with a series of short, literary "sketches" on a variety of subjects and in a variety of styles. The topics vary, but they are also arranged in such a way that one usually flows smoothly into the next, lending a sense of continuity despite the variability of material covered.

A large percentage of the book is devoted to the author's observations on life in England, himself, though an American, having spent 17 years there. Some are purely observational, and some have elements of fiction and imagination woven in, as is the case with "The Mutability of Literature," an interesting little piece in which Irving imagines a conversation between himself and an old book. Irving also occasionally ventures into the realm of satire. Other topics he explores include the differences between America and England, the role of women, English funeral traditions, Christmas, love, etc. He also did travel pieces, including the interesting "Stratford on Avon," which tells of his exploration of places connected with the life of William Shakespeare. Toward the end there are two pieces discussing the lot of Native Americans - not politically correct by today's standards, but offering an interesting insight on the mindsets of the time.

I should probably take a little time to discuss "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" itself, since it was my primary motivation for purchasing the book and, I suspect, will be what draws most other modern readers to it as well. If you've only seen the 1999 movie version, do NOT expect anything remotely similar. The old Disney cartoon is much more accurate. It is actually a very short story - about 32 pages in length. Ichabod Crane is a schoolmaster (not an investigator as in the 1999 movie) in the town of Sleepy Hollow, and falls for the young and lovely Katrina Van Tassel. Katrina, however, is also being courted by a rival suitor, Brom Van Brunt. Following a town "quilting frolic" at which many tales of local superstition are told, including that of the Headless Horesman, Ichabod sets out into the night alone, is beset by a headless rider before he reaches is destination, and is never seen in Sleepy Hollow again. It is left up to the reader to determine what happens to him.

The language of the book is antiquated, to be sure, having been composed in 1820, but it is not difficult to read. Irving's writing is very warm and inviting. He does tend to paint things rather romantically, and the England he shares with us is not the England of the Industrial Revolution during which the book was written, but this almost makes it more appealing as it opens up room for imagination. One must also remember that Irving wrote the pieces in "The Sketch Book" largely to combat his own depression, a condition he suffered from greatly, and he probably needed a cheerful outlet to distract him. We do, nevertheless, get a glimpse of his more melancholy thoughts in pieces like "The Widow and Her Son," "Rural Funerals," and "The Pride of the Village," all of which deal with death.

The last chapter of the book, "L'Envoi," is a closing piece that was included at the end of the second volume of the London edition. It is an interesting collection of the author's thoughts on and explanations for his own work. He makes an interesting note on the ecclectic nature of the book: "His [the author's] work being miscellaneous, and written for different humors, it could not be expected that anyone would be pleased with the whole, but that if it should contain something to suit each reader, his end would be completely answered. Few guests sit down to a varied table with an equal appetite for every dish" (362). Also included is an Afterword by Perry Miller, which offers observations and insights on Irving's life and career.

"...bright gems of wisdom and golden veins of language."
Not to be read quickly and to be savored like fine wine, Washington Irving's "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon" is a matchless classic in American Literature. Written in 1820 and destined to become a true American literary pantheon (along with his preceeding work "Diedrich Knickerboker's History of New York), Irving introduces us to timeless observations and wit that ultimately become enduring discources defining early American Literature.

Irving's mantra with this work is a set of observations, indeed "sketches" of his many travels and musings while roaming through England and his home in upstate New York along the Hudson River. The eternal figures of Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane are evoked in this tome and set a literary standard that others aspire to, but one that Irving effortlessly achieves time and again. Not only does this volume frame these two classics, "The Sketch Book" also contains other literary giants such as "The Angler", "John Bull", "Philip of Pokanoket", "The Specter Bridegroom", "The Mutability of Literature" and "The Art of Bookmaking" wherein the essence of Irving's literary style is neatly conveyed in the following:

"Being now in possesion of the secert, I sat down in a corner and watched the process of this book manufactory. I noticed one lean, bilious-looking wight, who sought none but the worst worm-eaten volumes, printed in black letter. He was evidentley constructing some work of profound erudition that would be purchased by every man who wished to be thought learned, placed upon a conspicuous shelf of his library, or laid upon his table, but never read. I observed him, now and then, draw a large fragment of biscuit out of his his pocket and gnaw; whether it was his dinner, or whether he was endeavoring to keep off that exhaustion of the stomach produced by much pondering over dry works, I leave to harder students than myself to determine."

With a style that has emitted diverse emotions (Lord Byron "unashamedly wept" over the melancholy pieces "The Broken Heart", "The Widow and her Son" and "The Rural Funerals") and having enjoyed over a century and a half of eminent popularity, Washington Irving's "aim in life is to escape 'from the commonplace realities of the present' and to lose himself 'among the shadowy grandeurs of the past' ". Readers tuned in to this philosophy continue to enjoy Irving's literary prose (by buying and re-reading his works), and also, by buying and reading, secure his reputation as a master in American Literature. When one has digested "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon" and "Diedrich Knickerboker's History of New York", one has embraced the essential works of Washington Irving and most would then assuredly join me in saying that he rates eminately in American Literary standing.

This book offers so much
I was happily surprised by this book.I have only heard of Irving's ghost stories, which are great and why I purchased it.As I was reading the other stories, I was surprised to be reading of distant lands and historical sites as well.Normally, that would not interest me, but Irving's imagination is profound.He can turn a run down liabrary into a living soul who speaks and interacts with us humans.He can turn an ancient palace into a love story.The only thing I had a problem with was the old school language.It did make reading a little more difficult, however I plan on reading this book again, so I'm sure the second time around will be easier and I will be able to come back and turn the 4 stars into 5. ... Read more

Book Description
A celebratory guide, stunningly illustrated,of one of the world's great libraries. ... Read more