St. Petersburg: The Hidden Interiors

Customer Reviews:

Much more than I expected.......2007-03-09

We visited St. Petersburg several years ago and were blown away by the belle epoque portions of the city. So many of the interiors were truly amazing. A significant part of what made it all so amazing was its existence surrounded by the painfully dreary balance of the city- thousands of dilapidated, identical, falling apart apartment blocks. I bought this book thinking it would have great pictures of the major buildings. It did. However, it goes well beyond to include other interiors of architectural and historical significance. Rather than being just a coffee table book, it is a wonderful architectural history that provides hours of interesting reading and viewing. My only wish is that the author had had a larger budget to have included more photographs and covered even more territory. That said, this book is more and better than 95% of books of its ilk.

A lavish and visual tour-de-force........2000-03-03

This visual tour of St. Petersburg's fine attractions reveals interiors from all periods of its history, from lesser-known sites such as the Russian National Library to those which have received more attention. Photographer Leonid Bogdanov has taken shots especially for this book: many are full-page displays, and all provide special views of Russian interiors dating from all periods of Russian history. This lavish title will delight both fans of Russian history and students of interior design.

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St. Petersburg: The Hidden Interiors
Katya; Bogdanov, L. Galitzine
Manufacturer: Vendome Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OD6PEI

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St. Petersburg: the Hidden Interiors
Katya Galitzine
Manufacturer: Vendome Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N67FI6

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EBRU - THE TURKISH ART OF MARBLING.
Nedim Sönmez
Manufacturer: Anadolu
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UAPNPC

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Ebru: The Turkish Art of Marbling
Nedim Sc6nmez
Manufacturer: Milet Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1840593296

Book Description

A beautiful, fully illustrated book about the Turkish art of marbling paper, called ebru in Turkish. Written by a renowned expert on the subject, it covers the history of marbling and then provides a guide on how to marble paper, focusing on well-known and "free" patterns. Includes extensive bibliography.

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Turkish Art of Marbling
Fuat Basar , and Yavuz Tiryaki
Manufacturer: Milet Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Textile Arts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9759714116

Book Description

The art of Marbling may be the single most important area of art appreciation in Turkey today.
The aim of this book is not to define Marbling, but rather to show it's progress from a craft to an art, to exhibit the work of certain Masters of the art, and to explain this body of work in simple terms.

Amazon.com

Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers focuses on the capabilities of Photoshop that are most useful to professional, particularly commercial, photographers. It's no cheesy production: with its crisp text and color images printed on heavyweight paper, and a companion CD-ROM with several substantial QuickTime movies, it's a beautiful way to learn.

The book is primarily a guide to using Photoshop as an effective photographer's tool. A substantial portion of the book is spent on digital image capturing, resolution, and color management. If you are at all unclear about the RGB workspace, but need to know the ins and outs of profiles, this book will definitely help. There's even a movie on the CD-ROM explaining the RGB, CMYK, and LAB spaces. Prepress proofing and outputting are also well covered.

Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers also runs down each tool and its options and then presents the techniques most photographers will want to know: basic image adjustments (for example, perspective cropping and unsharp masking), color adjustments (like using variations or replacing color), repairing an image (for example, cloning or rescuing shadow details), montage techniques, black and white effects (including helpful information on duotones), cool coloring effects (like channel mixer adjustments), and about 50 pages showing what can be done with layer effects and filters.

These sections are not so much tutorials as examples that illustrate an effect or set of effects, displayed in stages using professional-level photographs. As opposed to the numbered step-by-step approach, each section in this book has several paragraphs of text, written in a conversational yet supportive and knowledgeable style, accompanied by images and screen shots with detailed captions. (You can get an idea of this by reading excerpts from the book on the author's Web site, www.evening.demon.co.uk.) You'll be able to follow along better if you've already worked in Photoshop. However, if you work professionally with digital photos, the material in here is stuff you will want to know, no matter what level of user you are.

There are a lot of creative ideas to be discovered in this book, in addition to the necessary facts about maintaining the visual integrity of your photographs as they go through the digital process. --Angelynn Grant

Book Description

The leading book written for the needs of photographers - now updated to include Photoshop version 6.0.

Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers has become a classic reference source written to deal directly with the needs of photographers. Whether you are an accomplished user or are just starting out, this book contains a wealth of practical advice, hints and tips to help you achieve professional-looking results.

Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers begins with an introduction to working with digital images, providing essential information on everything from scanning devices to color management and output issues. Practical workshops show you how to master the essential techniques, such as optimizing an image for prepress, color correction, retouching techniques, layers palette management, toning a black and white image, rendering textures and so on. Each technique is described in step-by-step detail, showing exactly which command to use, whether you're working with a Mac or PC.

The accompanying free CD-ROM contains invaluable movie tutorials and a selection of images to experiment with.

If you are just beginning to work with digital images or are looking for new ideas, the best techniques and ways to improve the quality of your work, this is the book for you!

Martin Evening is a professional photographer who has been working with digital images and Photoshop for many years. He works mainly in studio based beauty photography for PR and direct clients. The use of the computer has played a significant role in Martin's work, with nearly everything being retouched or manipulated in Photoshop. This is a regular everyday experience and one which has enabled him to gain an extensive, specialist knowledge of Photoshop.

Martin is an alpha and beta tester for Adobe Photoshop and has presented seminars on Photoshop techniques in both the UK and United States. He writes regularly about digital imaging for leading photographic and computer magazines and also acts as digital imaging consultant for design and photographic studios. He is a founding member of the Digital Imaging Group, London and is co-listowner of the ProDIG mailing list - a Photoshop discussion list on the web.

The author lives and works in Islington, London

Benefit from Martin Evening's experience as an alpha and beta tester for Photoshop
Includes a FREE CD-ROM with movie tutorials for MAC and PC
Practical techniques explained in step-by-step tutorials so you too can achieve professional-looking results

Customer Reviews:

Okay, but Kelby's new book is better.......2003-03-14

This book is pretty good, but lacking in good examples in my opinion. The techniques are fine but I thought the examples and the instructions given in Scott Kelby's book are better.
I had to choose, I think I'd buy Kelby's digital photogrpahy book (plus it's for Photoshop 7 and includes info on the new Camera Raw plugin)

Excellent Book.......2003-02-13

This award-winning book,complete with color illustrations and a very helpful CDROM with quicktime tutorials, is one must read for photographers. Thoroughly explaining everything from monitor calibration right up to the tricks of the trade to create effects seen in magazines, Martin Evening has a real valuable read for anyone serious about Photoshop. Although concentrating more on prepress and printing than web usage, the techniques he applies range from basic to expert, including how to remove fogged film cast, which my own Photoshop instructor thought impossible! I would very much like to see more books by this author on Photoshop's capabilities.

Definately not an easy to read book.......2002-06-16

I understand this book is about serious stuff, but heck it could be a little bit more easy to read. I bought it especially because everybody said the Color chapter was the best around, well, after reading it all I can say is that is boooooooring. My God there must be a better way to write all that knowledge down!!

Too much assumptions.......2002-02-25

Here's my scoop:
1) The author assumes you already know PS6.0. At least an intermediate user.
2) The author also assumes you are book publisher and knows what is a prepress plate, etc...
3) Key-strokes/mouse-clicks about a feature to perform an operation in examples were not indicated clearly in his book. E.g. "Double-click the highlight eyedrop-per icon in the dialog box" when there are 3 eyedrop icons. Which one is he talking about?
4) The explanations about Levels in Chapter 8 can be expanded much further to explain in more details what each button means and why I need to do it. How is it related to photography.

In short, I'm very disappointed and frustrated with this book and pretty much fooled by its title.

Written by someone who knows what he's talking about.......2001-08-26

Finally, a book on digital imaging that actually uses full color throughout! This is an excellent book if you are interested in digital photo reproduction and/or manipulation. While you'll need some knowledge of the terms in the profession to understand everything the book has to offer, even the casual photoshop tinkerer will find a lot of useful information. If you EVER use Photoshop to handle digital images, you will NOT be sorry you bought this book. It covers scanning, digital cameras, retouching, reproduction, and has extensive information on color management. The list goes on, but needless to say, the author covers everything that he, as a photographer, feels is important.

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Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers-
Martin Evening
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adobe Photoshop | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OQ6IVU

Book Description

The Fischer house is a gateway to hell and the gatekeepers are the succubae: Cassandra, Erin, Irene, and Pauline. Beautiful demon women with the power to grant fantasies, but be careful because you might just get what you wish for.

Customer Reviews:

Portrait of a great man.......2007-01-15

This book is an American journalist's recollection of memories of his days with Gandhi in India from February to June of 1930 and later in England in September and October of 1931 during the first round table conference when working as a reporter for Chicago tribune. Shirer was then just turning twenty-seven. He wrote this beautiful memoir after nearly 50 years from his untainted memories of Mahatma.

One could read his beautifully worded, mellifluent memoir as if reading a story and one would feel as if traveling with him and was part of the drama that was played out between Gandhi and the British in the early part of the 20th century.

When I started reading this book, in spite of its title, I had the same qualms that I had when I started reading other Gandhi books. Most of the Gandhi books follow a chronological order of events of his life; his childhood in Gujarat, England studies, law career, his struggles in south Africa, encounters with General Smuts, home struggle, Kaira and Champaran struggles, round table conferences, Rowlatt act, his fasting and assassination, a monotonous repetition unless accompanied by new interpretations and historical evidences. But Shirer's book on Gandhi, unique in its genre and subject, remains as a true memoir from the beginning to the end. I finished the whole book in one sitting.

Shirer has given many first hand accounts of his acquaintance with Gandhi in his memoir. Shirer beautifully sketches Gandhi from his memories detailing it with even small incidents, relevant or irrelevant to the political struggle in which Gandhi was part of, thus drawing a broader picture of Mahatma, and for readers it is a great treat. This is a definitely a great advantage; for knowing Gandhi better, books written by people who spent times with him have an edge over those written by people who have never seen or was with Gandhi.

You will get to know some of the amazing qualities of Gandhi from Shirer who spent months with him in India and London. Irrespective of age, Gandhi listened to people, engaged in active conversations, shared ideas and even had banters. Gandhi was sixty-one when 27-year-old Shirer was meeting with him. But that age difference did not cause any uneasiness among them and the relation that started at Gandhi's ashram lasted till Gandhi's death nearly 20 years later. Gandhi continued to influence him for the rest of his life. There were many others (Horace Alexander, Charles F Andrews and Madeline Slade are only some of them) like Shirer who came to India to know who this man the world called Mahatma and succumbed to the `magic spell' of his individuality and principles.

In India, Shirer experienced Gandhi at work. Shirer had been in Delhi all the time when Gandhi was meeting with Viceroy Lord Irwin to iron out the specifics of the famous Delhi pact. One gets a sample of the hectic life that Gandhi lead in his life whose days start at 4 in the morning no matter what time he goes to sleep. Readers get glimpses of many of Gandhi's qualities from Shirer's memoir; Gandhi's boundless optimism even when things are in the dire straits (when asked by a reporter about the efficacy of his forthcoming trip to London on the eve of departing for round table conference on a very unfavorable atmosphere for discussing the possibilities of political concessions, Gandhi said, "I don't know. I am just going to ask them freedom".), his unlimited energy (Shirer was so amazed at seeing Gandhi who came back at 1'o clock in the morning from a meeting with Irwin after walking four miles from viceroy palace to his ashram, the distance he always walked except a few times when viceroy sent his car, spending another one hour at spinning before waking up at 4'o clock for his usual morning prayers), punctuality (he has seldom broke or delayed his morning and evening prayer meetings. Even while he was meeting with viceroy conversing matters pertaining to nation building, Gandhi took leave from viceroy and went back by walk four miles to his ashram to conduct his prayer meeting and then came back and continued where they left off. One another occasion during roundtable conference, he took off during the middle of an important negotiation to have his daily prayer on the corridors of House of Commons since going back to his ashram was an impossibility!). Shirer agrees that even at his younger age, he could not keep up with Gandhi's pace when he used to go with him during his morning walk.

To Shirer Gandhi once said that he will live up to see India winning its freedom and asked Shirer to bet on it. Gandhi was neither in a fool's paradise nor brimming with an unrealistic optimism when he made this prediction. The year was 1930. Gandhi was very well aware that British can't hold on to India for long owing to their increasing unpopularity, crumbling financial situations back in England, looming war prospects in Europe etc. The slowing pace of the freedom struggle after the failure of the first round table conference and the deteriorating health of Gandhi proved at times that Shirer was going to win the bet, but history had something else in its stock that Shirer `happily came to know' later though he lost his bet.

He watched Gandhi's composed countenance during their conversations, during Gandhi's conversation with others and during prayer meetings with astonishment even when things were going against him. Only time when Shirer thought Gandhi's composure was shaken was when the handpicked delegates of viceroy stood in the way of a unified India proposal during the round table conference.

Shirer also shares with readers his few meetings with Jinnah, in whom he saw a rebel and an impatient aristocratic politician. Jinnah's western upbringings and sole-politics approach without any commitments to the communal issues of the people were directly opposite to Gandhi's background and his involvement with the masses. Jinnah, a western minded, who enjoyed liquor and posh life and clean-cut beef had never been a match to the pious saint-clad politician Gandhi. If it was not for his contempt for Gandhi and Nehru, he would had never staged a come back into active politics in 1931 after having left for London to continue his law practice upon the non-acceptance of his 14-points-proposal to safeguard the interests of Muslims in a Hindu majority self-governed India by the delegates of Indian national congress three years before.

Shirer has given yet more accounts of Gandhi's unlimited enthusiasm and energy during his meetings with Viceroy in India's summer capital Simla. Unlike Irwin, the new viceroy Willingdon was more hard-lined and he took a sterner stance with Gandhi. Gandhi had to either opt for human-rickshaws or walk twelve miles to meet with viceroy since the viceroy denied Gandhi access to his personal car, a convenience that Gandhi sometimes availed from the previous viceroy. Gandhi in his usual manner, without even a slightest objection but with heavy enthusiasm walked all the twelve miles from where he is staying to the viceroy bunglove through cross country roads that were filled with puddles from heavy rains often arriving at viceroy palace fully drenched instead of choosing to become a burden to his own countrymen. However, the rain did not dampen down his political demands to the viceroy.

When Gandhi was in London, he had been invited by none other than the King George V to his palace, Buckingham and he went to see him in his loincloth! When asked by a reporter whether seeing the King in a loin-cloth was a good idea, he quipped: "the king was wearing enough for us both". Shirer gives Gandhi's stay in London in details; his desperate moments in London round table conference, his meetings with prominent political leaders, deans of colleges, mill workers and owners, school students, even passers by and all but Winston Churchill who refused to see Gandhi. It was during this time that Gandhi had given his only speech addressed for American audience, which was broadcasted live.

Gandhi always believed that propaganda was must to win freedom for India. His agitation of masses of India, his abundance writings, his reliance on reporters, his excessive travel and speeches, and above all his image, a figure in loin-cloth, were all designed by him as part of this propaganda theme for one ultimate objective, freedom for India. When British did not permit any foreign journalists to come to London to report the proceedings of round table conference, Gandhi arranged a ticket for Shirer to travel from Paris to London with him to report the same.

By taking the readers through his memoir by postponing the most controversial chapter of Gandhi's life, his `Brahmacharical' experiments with girls, towards the end, Shirer was clearly delineating Gandhi's true greatness from a few controversies that cast a shadow on his later life. Gandhi had given elaborate explanations on these `controversial' experiments, which were never done in secrecy, to the readers of his journals. For Gandhi these experiments were all part of his `experiments with the truth' like many others that he had been experimenting all through his life with no malicious intentions whatsoever. However, Nirmal Kumar Bose (who was once his secretary and left Gandhi when he came to know about his experiments) and others that was enough for stirring much of controversy, whereas the girls with whom he shared his bed never spoke ill of Gandhi and only considered him as their own `mother'. I would say that the propensity of human beings is to search for filth and in the life of Gandhi also, what Bose and others did is searching that filth which was never existed. In his memoir, Shirer, perplexed by the extent to which Gandhi had taken his experiments, was trying to find some answers that had always eluded his mental capacity and reasoning abilities as had happened to many of the west.

Shirer was not to blame. Gandhi is no an easy man of intelligence and not many in west can clearly understand many connotations of his life political, spiritual or religious unless the significance of many spiritual and religious practices of the East can properly be understood (check out Richard Grenier's `Gandhi nobody knows' for a shining example). Even many in east really have no deeper understanding of some of these practices such as Brahmacharya, religious fasting, kundalini, higher consciousness, enlightenment etc., and without such knowledge a proper understanding of Gandhi is ever going to remain as a distant dream.

Gandhi once told that he is a politician masquerading as a saint, but the history shows the other way. For millions of people in India he was a saint and messenger sent by god down to earth for the welfare of millions of half-naked, ill-nourished millions of poor people of India who soil and toil in the hot sun to make a living. Gandhi miserably failed wherever he mixed religion and politics. For congress members, he was a political poplar without whom they knew the congress body would cease to work as a political mouthpiece of India. Shirer's book gives many accounts of incidents and events supporting this very fact while he was in India. In many ways Gandhi could only be seen as a saint than as a astute political, by his principles and teachings, way of life and his adherence to the teachings of Geetha and Ramayana. But what makes Gandhi different from other saints was his novel idea of putting the working mind of a saint into practice (not without failures) instead of letting it rot by the carefree life in the hermits. For his mixing of politics and religion, he has given this statement, "But though by disclaiming sainthood I disappoint the critic's expectations. I would have him given up his regrets by answering him that the politician in me has never dominated a single decision of mine, and if I seem to take part in politics, it is only because politics encircle us today like the coil of a snake from which one cannot get out, no matter how much one tries...Quite selfishly, as I wish to live in peace in the midst of a bellowing howling around me, I have been experimenting with myself and my friends by introducing religion into politics". His intention was never to establish a theocratic nation though he often spoke about `Rama Rajyam'. A more detailed discussion of this topic is beyond the scope of this review.

Though Shirer could not agree, or rather not understood Gandhi on many topics, he learned from him among many other things that a man can be a man even when he disagree and love has a prominent place in all kinds of relations including in politics. One could surprise how a few months of acquaintance with Gandhi could create such a lasting impression on Shirer. He later said, that was the power of love and truth. Even when mesmerized by the powerful character of Gandhi, Shirer was able to keep the very delicate balance between admiration and adoration, may be that was demanded of him by his job. Years later, when in America, hearing the news of the assassination, Shirer seemed to have lost that balance and only then he started seeing the real meaning of `Gandhi'. In the later years of his life, while writing this memoir, he was pondering over how helpful were his teachings for him at his life's many precarious moments. What attracted people towards Gandhi, as Shirer correctly pointed out, was his warmth in relations, his genuine openness and simplicity.

An Absolute Joy.......2004-01-13

It is with great sadness that I see that this tour de force memoir is out of print and has limited availablity. I had purchased my copy on the street never even imagining that it was hard to find.
It is impossible to do justice to this remarkable book in such a short space, but the author, the famous William Shirer, wrote this memoir some 50 years after he had met Gandhi as a young American reporter in India. Looking back over a lifetime, this book is his attempt to understand Gandhi in a larger context as a great yet humble man whose radiance, powerful intellect, and superhuman courage not only changed the world but also redefined the power inherent in the human spirit. I found the account intensely moving especially in its tragic ending. Not just because Gandhi's life came to an end at the hand of an assasin, but because his victory itself was bittersweet. His dream of a united India ended in the creation of two seperate states - something Gandhi had bitterly opposed. And although independence had been won through nonviolent means, that same independence engendered an unbelievable bloodbath. In finishing this book, one can not help but be struck with a sense of wonder that the human soul is capable of the greatness of a Gandhi and that, despite the greatness of the players, history itself must go its own way.
In short, I found this book to be both riveting and emotionally powerful. It was an absolute joy to read and I hope some day it once again becomes widely available.

a powerful story.......2003-03-31

Not knowing much about Gandhi, I decided that this brief book would be a good place to start to learn about this great man. I was not disappointed. I was very moved by Gandhi's story. I was shocked by the brutality of the British administration (such as the infamous crawling order). Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, his acts of disobedience (such as the Salt March), and his speeches and negotiations in defense of complete independence and Indian unity inspired and excited me.

Of course, there is a lot in the story that is sad. I must be naive because I was quite disappointed to learn about Gandhi's personal limitations (such as his sometimes disrespectful treatment of his wife, his issues with sex, and his dismissal of the Hebrew scriptures - all minor in the scheme of things.) Of course, the strife between Hindu and Muslim is tragic and continues to plague India and Pakistan.

A moving reading experience. Highly recommmended.

In-depth look at a great man with major flaws.......2002-06-22

It is one of the most amazing historical ironies that the one of the most non-violent independence movements in history became one of the greatest bloodbaths when the colonial power left. Once Britain relinquished power over the Indian subcontinent, hundreds of thousands of people were killed by their fellow citizens of the former colony. Ultimately, three different countries emerged from the British colony of India, and two of them, India and Pakistan, remain enemies and may go to war at any time. Mohandas Gandhi was the leader of the independence movement, and he lived non-violent civil disobedience with his every breath. In many ways, it seems inevitable that he too would also be a victim of the violent birth of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
William L. Shirer was a correspondent who spent a great deal of time in India in the early 1930's, and this is an account of that time. He spoke extensively with Gandhi and had a great deal of interaction with the other principals of the Indian independence movement. Clearly, Gandhi was a great man, and the circumstances happened to be right for a non-violent movement to be successful. Even though the British could be brutal, they were ultimately civilized enough to allow it to work. If Gandhi-like tactics would have been used against people like Hitler and Stalin the results would have been different.
Shirer clearly was impressed by Gandhi, his political astuteness and his understanding of the people of India. Fortunately, this does not blind Shirer to Gandhi's weaknesses. While Shirer does give an accurate, interesting and journalistic account of Gandhi's actions, he also explains some of the problems and how people in the independence movement like Jawaharlal Nehru at times grew very frustrated at Gandhi's ideas. With the advantage of historical perspective, some now argue that Gandhi was also bad for India, in that he never seemed to grasp the underlying religious and ethnic hatreds among the people. That is very clear in this book. He also did not grasp the need for a modern infrastructure, as his daily spinning of cloth really did not do anyone any good.
After reading the book, I did come away with some new perspectives on Gandhi and what kind of man he was. Humble, yet well aware of his significance in world history, he can be admired for the principles that he held so strongly. Some say that he died for them. I respectfully disagree, as I believe that he would have been assassinated no matter what philosophy he had expounded. Such was the violent nature of the birth of the nations that arose from the British colony of India.
William Shirer was one of the best journalists of the twentieth century. He was present at many of the greatest historical events and his descriptions of them are some of the best journalism the world has ever seen. This is another in his list of literary accomplishments.

Satyagraha.......2001-04-25

Despite being such a short book, Shirer does a wonderful job of zeroing in on the focus of Gandhi's life's work - Satyagraha.

"It would be best to see Gandhi first, to try to grasp the nature of his genius and its tremendous hold on the Indian masses, to get from the master himself an understanding of his unique contribution to the revolutionary politics of the twentieth century, Satyagraha, a word he had coined from his native Gujarati and which, I suspected, meant much more, at least in the Hindu consciousness, than civil disobedience, passive resistance, non-cooperation and non-violence, though it encompassed all of these." - p.15

Despite the mystical nature of the fountain of the non-violent movement, Gandhi was first and foremost a mobilizer of people - he began in South Africa and finished in India. A lawyer by training, it is evidenced by the quote below that he was not as naive about politics as we often ascribe to mystics (or perceived mystics) to be.

"Satyagraha, or soul-force, sounded very religious and spiritual to me-a fine thing for the human race to embrace, but not a very effective or even practical way to fight a revolution against an alien ruler who depended upon old-fashioned brute force. My face must have betrayed my disbelief, for Gandhi immediately added: "Believe me, Satyagraha is a very practical weapon." I realized, and I thought Gandhi saw, that I was too ignorant to pursue the subject further for the moment. "We will go into it further at another time," he said. "Is there anything else on your mind today?" "A great deal," I said. "Supposing that your negotiations with the Viceroy are successful and you reach an agreement. Do you still have faith in British promises?" "I had faith in them-until 1919," he said. "But the Amritsar Massacre and the other atrocities in the Punjab changed my heart. And nothing has happened since to make me regain my faith. Certainly nothing in the last ten months." - p. 22

and

"It was Gandhi's genius, to be sure, that had inspired the Indian masses, given them the technique of Satyagraha with which to stage a non-violent revolution, and hit upon the Salt March as a symbol to arouse them to action. But it was Patel's ability as an organizer that had molded the Indian Congress into a nationwide political machine capable of carrying on the civil disobedience campaign, even after thousands of its leaders had been incarcerated, until the Viceroy agreed to negotiate." - p. 127

History has as a force has done many great things for Gandhi. One of the greatest disservices to Gandhi is to elevate him to mystic. Seen as a saint or deity to die hards of his belief - as he has been credited as the source of inspiration for Martin Luther King and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. What this sets up for most is scenario for disappointment. How? If biographers like Shirer bring in the "real" or place Gandhi in a scenario that he really has no answer for or where Satyagraha seems doomed to fail, then does it discredit the whole effort. The key is not to escalate men of like this to god-like status as the weaknesses of the man does not detract form the greatness of his accomplishments.

"It became painfully obvious to me as I sat in Berlin, the center of the storm, and read the above pronouncement and many others Gandhi wrote in Young India, that though he was sympathetic to the Jews and the Western democracies threatened by Hitler, he did not understand the nature of the Nazi totalitarian dictatorship. He had no conception of how brutally far it would go in destroying those it believed stood in the way of its domination of the world. His "advice" to the Jews to practice Satyagraha, to the Ethiopians to "allow themselves to be slaughtered by Mussolini's legions," and especially to the English during the worst days of the Blitz, when they were fighting for survival, to let Hitler "take possession of your beautiful island" but not of "your minds and your souls" sounded inane to those actually facing the Fascist tyrants." - p. 215

In the end, the greatness of his accomplishments still shines through. Shirer does a balancing act throughout the book but in the end falls prey to the mystical Gandhi. I have never met either one nor will I ever and that is why I read biographies. I then humbly read and learn.

"The example of his life, like theirs, his search for Truth, as they sought Truth, his humility, his selflessness, which was akin to theirs, his granite integrity, and what he taught and practiced and accomplished were bound to leave an indelible imprint on this earth. Satyagraha, his supreme achievement, taught us all that there was a greater power in life than force, which seemed to have ruled the planet since men first sprouted on it. That power lay in the spirit, in Truth and love, in non-violent action." - p. 251

Book Description

This work chronicles Mohandas Gandhi's work as a free-lance journalist, editor, and sponsor. "The purpose of this book," in the author's own words, "is to bring his contributions in this sphere to the limelight so that those working in the line could be benefitted."

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Mahatma Gandhi the Journalist
S N Bhattacharyya
Manufacturer: ASIA PUBLISHING HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UCI9AQ

Mahatma Gandhi, the journalist [by] S.N. Bhattacharyya

Average customer rating:

Mahatma Gandhi, the journalist [by] S.N. Bhattacharyya
S. N Bhattacharyya
Manufacturer: Asia Pub. House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007IUL5E

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