Back to Nature: The Arcadian Myth in Urban America

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Many of us go "back to nature" to get away from civilization. But as often as not, our expectations and actions are shaped by idealized notions of natural order, purity, and even neatness that are in fact impositions of civilization on nature. This is a highly insightful, sometimes ironic study of the influence of such paradoxes in the early 20th-century love affair with nature: anthropomorphized animal stories, summer camps, wildlife protection, landscaped cemeteries, wilderness novels and scenic turnoffs that imposed an industrial ethic of order, neatness, and regularity on natural systems. Recommended.

Back to Nature: The Arcadian Myth in Urban America

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Back to Nature: The Arcadian Myth in Urban America
Peter J. SCHMITT
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MX5NG6

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Inventor of Gay Travel Reveals not-quite all........2002-01-08

This is a collection of autobiographical memoirs,
each one recounting an episode in the author's life - ftom his escape from Nazi Germany as a boy to his retirement in Key West, Fl. some sixty years later. Along the way he mrrts, hob-nobs with and guides some of the rich-and-famous, (as well as the 'used-to-be' and the 'wanna be'). English titles, Italian princesses, African Kings - all play supporting roles in Mr. Ebersten's drama whidh makes for fascinating reading. Finally, after forty years in the travel business and emigrating to New York, Mr. Ebensten gets the idea that gay men might like to travel together and so the first gay travel agency is launched, amid much scepticism on the part of the Industry. He was spectacularly right, of course; LGBT travel is now Big Business indeed, with a whopping share of the market. But the reader of these travel vignettes will wince, chuckle, and be amazed at the pitfalls, successes, and failures of some of the author's enterprises. Ebensten is brutally fair, and the ill-mannered oaf, (no matter how rich, titled, or gay),who spoil the fun, evoke his scorn as much as the elderly, feeble, but very knowledgeable, woman who is fun and a good sport earns his praise and admiration. This is not alwats "politically correct" but is very revealing., and always readable.

These tales are told from a gay perspective, of course, but they are not "gay" stories with perhaps one exception, his sory of a night in Florance, Italy with 98 motorcycle cops (!) In fact,, one of the failings of this very literate, informed, and entertaining writer is that we do not often learn of his personal involment in the proceedings. He is an observer, a faciltator, a a reporter, a commentator, but we never know how much of a participator. We get tantalizing tid-bits, (he likes leather, 'staches, muscular Greek boys, etc.), but not enough to build up a mosaic picture. He comes across sometimes as fussy, a bit humorless, and even prudish, which cannot be his dominant personality cinsidering his success as a travel agant, guide, and conpanion. Nevertheless, the characters he writes about more than make up for any lack of his owm.

"Volleyball wiht the Cuna Indians" is perhaps,not for everyone. The author assimes his readers know a few words of Latin, French, German and Spanish; also that they have read more widely than the Sports pages. Given his Euro-English upbringing of the 1930's and thet Mr. Ebensten is now nearing eighty, this reader quite forgave these rather quaint, old fashioned notions. Take the trip with Hans. You will be erll rewarded. I wqa!

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Volleyball With the Cuna Indians: And Other Gay Travel Adventures.
Hanns. Ebensten
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Travel | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OJ0JVW

Customer Reviews:

I am pleased.......2005-05-10

I am very pleased with this book. It told me everything I needed to know about Leonardo da Vinci. I am doing a research paper about him and it has been very helpful.

Excellent Biography.......2002-12-09

This book is not only an excellent biography of a gifted man, but it also contains valuable information about the world in which he lived. Beautiful color illustrations add to the easy readability of this resource. Excellent resource for a wide range of studies.

The World of Leonardo Da Vinci 1452-1519

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The World of Leonardo Da Vinci 1452-1519
Robert Wallace & the Editors of Time-Life Books
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PH11VK

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Applications of the newer techniques of analysis (Progress in analytical chemistry, v. 6)

Manufacturer: Plenum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Analytic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0306393069

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Applications of the Newer Techniques of Analysis (Prog. in Anal. Chem.)
I L Ewing, Galen W Simmons
Manufacturer: Plenum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSAAX0

Book Description

Spatial Patterns offers a study of nonlinear higher order model equations that are central to the description and analysis of spatio-temporal pattern formation in the natural sciences. Through a unique combination of results obtained by rigorous mathematical analysis and computational studies, the text exhibits the principal families of solutions, such as kinks, pulses and periodic solutions, and their dependence on critical eigenvalue parameters, and points to a rich structure, much of which still awaits exploration.

The exposition unfolds systematically, first focusing on a single equation to achieve optimal transparency, and then branching out to wider classes of equations. The presentation is based on results from real analysis and the theory of ordinary differential equations.

Key features:

* presentation of a new mathematical method specifically designed for the analysis of multi-bump solutions of reversible systems

* strong emphasis on the global structure of solution branches

* extensive numerical illustrations of complex solutions and their dependence on eigenvalue parameters

* application of the theory to well-known equations in mathematical physics and mechanics, such as the Swift--Hohenberg equation, the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and the equation for the nonlinearly supported beam

* includes recent original results by the authors

* exercises scattered throughout the text to help illuminate the theory

* many research problems

The book is intended for mathematicians who wish to become acquainted with this new area of partial and ordinary differential equations, for mathematical physicists who wish to learn about the theory developed for a class of well-known higher order pattern-forming model equations, and for graduate students who are looking for an exciting and promising field of research.

Nonlinear partial differential equations in physical problems (Research notes in mathematics)

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Nonlinear partial differential equations in physical problems (Research notes in mathematics)
Dario Graffi
Manufacturer: Pitman Advanced Pub. Program
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Physical Mathematics and Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations (Lecture Notes in Pure and Applied Mathematics)

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Physical Mathematics and Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations (Lecture Notes in Pure and Applied Mathematics)
Lightbourne
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

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Unexpected Early Science Fiction - 3 1/2 Stars

The crime: Tuberculosis; The sentence: Life of hard labor

better in concept than execution..

The story of life in Nowhere

From the Publisher

Erewhon (Penguin Classics)
Samuel Butler , and Peter Mudford
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Satire, Classic | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Butler, Samuel | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Looking Backward (Signet Classics)

News from Nowhere and Other Writings (Penguin Classics)

The New Atlantis

The Way of All Flesh (Giant Thrifts)

Three Early Modern Utopias: Thomas More: Utopia / Francis Bacon: New Atlantis / Henry Neville: The Isle of Pines (Oxford World's Classics)

ASIN: 0140430571

Book Description

Erewhon (an anagram for "nowhere") is a faraway land where machinery is forbidden, sickness is a punishable crime, and criminals receive compassionate medical treatment. Butler's brilliant Utopian novel is an entertaining and thought-provoking work, taking aim at such hallowed institutions as family, church, and mechanical progress.

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This is what I gathered. That in that country if a man falls into ill health, or catches any disorder, or fails bodily in any way before he is seventy years old, he is tried before a jury of his countrymen, and if convicted is held up to public scorn and sentenced more or less severely as the case may be. There are subdivisions of illnesses into crimes and misdemeanours.

Customer Reviews:

Unexpected Early Science Fiction - 3 1/2 Stars.......2007-06-02

I bought this book expecting strait social satire. It turns out that the first five chapters are more of an adventure story through a jungle, and are really quite boring. If I could re-edit the book today I would cut them out. When we finally enter Erewhon, the story and the satire pick up, and the read is much more pleasant. Then, unexpectedly, about two-thirds of the way into the book, it becomes a very interesting science fiction tale of why the Erewhonians abandoned technology for fear that the machines would evolve into intelligent, conscious, thinking machines able to reproduce and replace man at the top of the evelutionary ladder! I was pleasantly surprised by this because science fiction is my favorite genre, and in all my reading I've never heard of this concept being thought of more than 130 years ago!

If you can get through the first five chapters, I recommend this book.

The crime: Tuberculosis; The sentence: Life of hard labor.......2007-05-03

A novel similar in concept to "Gulliver's Travels", this novel leads us to the unexplored country, for Europeans anyway, of Erewhon. Through the eyes of the unnamed English protagonist, Erewhon serves as a satire to the Victorian society in existence when this book was penned. Erewhon delivers harsh criticisms of certain valued institutions, yet it lacks the pertinence and timelessness of a truly great novel.

Granted, "Erewhon" was written in the 1870s, at the height of Victorian society in England. The protagonist wanders into the undiscovered country of Erewhon, which at first glance seems to be a utopia. However, the true nature of Erewhon is revealed, where a set of perverse and absurd laws govern the citizens and keep then in a static state of existence. Illnesses are crimes, whereas "moral" sins (such as embezzlement) are treated sympathetically as a sickness. Although they had been technologically advanced, all "modern" (think steam engines) machinery has been outlawed lest the machines will evolve and eventually rule the world, a la "The Matrix."

Butler leads the reader into an alternate vision of reality in his land of Erewhon. The Church of England and religion in general are ridiculed by the Erewhonians beliefs, or lack of, in their own deities. The idea of imperialism and colonization for the benefits of the natives is rendered absurd, as the protagonist dreams of enslaving the Erewhonians to a "religious" sugar plantation owner for their own good (at least, I hope Butler was not serious). The aristocracy and treatment of the poor are indirectly ridiculed in the Erewhonian emphasis on aesthetics and wealth above all else. Vegetarians are satirized in a prophet's misguided treatise on how animals are similar to people. The anti-machinists and anti-progress activists are dealt a blow in the rambling, non-sensical diatribe on the diabolical humanization of machines. In addition, higher education is criticized as a bastion of singular thought where original ideas are discouraged and pompous professors profess to know everything (some things never change).

Unfortunately, many of the criticisms are too obsolete for the modern reader. A central parody, the "Musical Banks", refers to an outdated process of money-changing in the English church, a reference sure to allude most readers (I needed to research it myself to see what the #@*&! Butler was alluding to). The idea that the Erewhonians are the "lost tribes" of Israel also seems to repute logic, as this country is presumably in New Zealand. The last third of the book, save the conclusion, contains a lengthy treatise on the anti-machine movement, followed by another on animals, and then plants. The anti-machine essay, in particular, is convoluted, contrived, and seems to never end, a sleep inducer if there ever was one.

"Erewhon" certainly would have been provocative and controversial in the era it was written. However, it has lost some potency over time. Yet, if you can gloss over the "Book of Machines" chapters, then "Erewhon" provides a delightful and
light-hearted look into the window of the Victorian mindset and one author's attempt to bring awareness of the ills of his society.

better in concept than execution.........2006-11-10

'Erewhon' has all the makings of a great book. Written during the stifling Victorian era, 'Erewhon' is about a fictitious land where society and government behave in ways counter to (the then) modern thinking. For example, machinery of nearly all form is viewed with contempt. And being physically sick is a criminal offense. Etcetera, etcetera. Too bad this 'Brave New World' predecessor wasn't produced by a more a capable writer.

So what is wrong with 'Erewhon'? For starters, almost no effort is spent on character development. The leading character, who narrates 'Erewhon', is a young British man .. and that's the extent we know of him. And there is scant plot development. After our young Brit finds himself in Erewhon he really doesn't do much other than lecture the reader on the odd Erewhonian customs. After a short while it gets a bit boring. Mercifully, 'Erewhon' is a short novel.

Bottom line: its creative premise is wasted by poor writing. A miss.

The story of life in Nowhere.......2006-03-14

As all good social satirists do, Samuel Butler turns the world on its ear as he lambastes the hypocrisies of his day, inspired by a close reading of Darwin's THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. The narrator Higgs, discovers a previously unknown country beyond the mountains, in which live an unusual race of people. Jailed as a trespasser, he is tended to by the kindly Yram, who only becomes displeased with him when he says he feels ill. It's shortly after this that we learn that in Erewhon illness is considered a crime which can be severely punished (doctors prescribe flogging instead of medicines). Crime, however, is merely an annoyance that should be tolerated and pitied. These people believe that man goes through life backwards, that the soul is most mature before birth. In school, only useless things are taught. Machines are evil and have been outlawed, while animals, as living things, can never be killed, not even for food. Vegetables have this same inherent right, but since this would mean starvation for the Erewhonians, they have bent the rules a little not to include vegetables (all morality is relative). Higgs finally plans his escape in a hot-air balloon, which he does, with Arowhena, one of the native women, in tow.

The trick in a book like this is to make the satire, the craziness, as believable as possible, while keeping the point of attack sharp and biting. Butler pulls this off admirably. The Darwinian connection or the hypocrisies that existed in Victorian England might be lost on some, but the images of being flogged for an illness or being thought suspicious for having a watch, among others, are hard to forget. Worth checking out.

From the Publisher.......2005-10-12

"In this privately published work (1872), written in the tradition of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, English novelist, essayist, and iconoclast Samuel Butler (1835-1902) describes an imaginary visit to a topsy-turvy country called Erewhon (an anagram of "nowhere"), where it is a punishable offense to be physically ill, but where criminality and immorality are looked kindly upon as treatable diseases. The English church is pilloried in the system of 'Musical Banks,' whose currency nobody believes in but which everyone pretends to value. Universities teach courses on how to say nothing at great length, and all machines have been banned for fear that they will develop through evolution and enslave the citizens. In this and other classic works, including The Way of All Flesh, Butler delighted in attacking the complacency and hypocrisy of Victorian manners and religion."

Erewhon and Erewhon Revisited: Both Novels Complete in this Volume (Modern Library, 136.2)

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Erewhon and Erewhon Revisited: Both Novels Complete in this Volume (Modern Library, 136.2)
Samuel Butler
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ETUFPM

Product Description

Both Novels Complete in this Volume

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Samuel Butler gives form to the modern dystopian novel

Erewhon: Or, over the Range
Samuel Butler , Hans-Peter Breuer , and Daniel Francis Howard
Manufacturer: University of Delaware Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Samuel Butler gives form to the modern dystopian novel.......2003-11-03

Following in the tradition of Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels," the English novelist, essayist, and iconoclast Samuel Butler published "Erewhon" privately in 1872. The title is an anagram of "Nowhere," which is the literal translation of the word "Utopia," the title by which Thomas More's 1516 work has commonly become known. "Erewhon" is arguably the first anti-utopian or dystopian novel, anticipating the later and better known works such as Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and George Orwell's "1984." Whereas More and other utopianists are primarily interested in attacking society's ills and making the world a better place, the anti-utopians engage primarily in either satire of the society in which they live or in making dire predictions about the dismal fate that awaits humanity. Butler is most decidedly in the former category, since he proves in not only "Erewhon" but also his more famous work, the semi-autobiographical novel, "The Way of All Flesh," that his main concern is in attacking the complacency and hypocrisy he saw infecting Victorian society.

Like More's island of Utopia, Butler's Erewhon is a remote kingdom, not to be found on any map, which is discovered by the narrator of the novel (biographers of Butler have assumed it is modeled on a part of New Zealand, which anyone who has viewed the "Lord of the Rings" movies can attest has some spectacular landscapes). Cut off from the rest of the world, the citizens of Erewhon lives according to their own rules and dictates. Butler breaks from the tradition of creating an idealized world that goes back from More to Plato in favor of a more realistic society. In Butler's world there is still money, and both the rich and the poor still exist; there is even a monarchy in charge. It is when we notice strong parallels between Erewhon and the members of Victorian society that we start to see Butler's true purpose.

Hypocrisy is rampant in Erewhom, where citizens think nothing of agreeing with things they do not believe in and their friends know that they are doing so. While the citizens pretend to worship deities that are the personification of lofty human qualities such as love, justice, and hope, they really worship a goddess, Ydrgun, and the Church of England is transformed into the sytem of "Musical Banks." As Butler hits his stride in this novel he creates a topsy-turvy world where illness is treated as a crime (there are no physicians in the country) and criminal behavior, such as theft, are seen as minor weaknesses in character.

Unlike Francis Bacon's utopian work "The New Atlantis," where science was seen as the salvation of humanity that would correct all ills and provide all necessities, Butler's world has outlawed machinery because they might one day become the masters rather than the servants of humanity. Clearly Butler was no more enamored of the Industrial Revolution than he was of Victorian society. In many ways this is the section of "Erewhom" where Butler makes his most cogent arguments. It is also the point where the book's narrator, whose initial attitude of admiration turns to one of surprise, now beocmes one of condemnation as the eccentricities of the citizens of Erewhon are fully revealed. Ultimately, the shortcomings Butler sees in them are the same of which he accuses British society, politics, and religion.

Because Butler is satirizing Victorian society his value to modern readers remains inferior to that of Huxley and Orwell, not to mention Edward Bellamy ("Looking Backward 2000-1887") and Yevgeny Zamyatin ("We"). However, in many ways "Erewhon" is a pivotal novel in the history of utopian literature, not only because of how it follows and breaks away from More's original work and how it sets the stage for what other forgotten writers of dystopian fiction, such as Alexander Bogdanov ("Red Star") and even Jack London ("The Iron Heel"). "Erewhon" remains one of those novels where its historical significance outweighs its literary appeal.

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I suppose I'm an idiot

Attention all Atheist, Skeptics, Freethinkers etc. !!!

Erewhon And Erewhon Revisited
Samuel Butler
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Butler, Samuel | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1417902299

Book Description

1927. Butler's satirical novels revealed his long interest in Darwin's theories of biological evolution, though he had spent a great deal of time criticizing him. Some now find these books prophetic in their discussion about machines becoming intelligent and the extent to which humans would become dependent on them, as well as their increasingly rapid development.

Customer Reviews:

I suppose I'm an idiot.......2004-05-04

I've tried several times to read and enjoy this piece of fantasy freshman English types have been forced to drudge through for the last century. I've never succeeded. I tried it as a young man, forced to write papers on it and hated it. I've tried it as a horrid old codger, discovering tome by tome that books I once found awful have now grown merit and become a source of joy. Not so with this one.

Likely as not Erewhon was imaginative when it was written. Today it's been superceded by thousands of better reads with the same theme. There's nothing here that won't be found more interestingly expressed on any library or bookstore shelf in America.

Attention all Atheist, Skeptics, Freethinkers etc. !!!.......2003-11-29

Anyone willing to question tradition without any biases should read these books with an open-mind. I am not going to tell you about the books because you should read them yourself. They may offend many christians but thats what the truth does to some people I guess.

A bibliography of the writings of Samuel Butler (author of "Erewhon") and of writings about him, (Burt Franklin: bibliography and reference series 178)

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A bibliography of the writings of Samuel Butler (author of "Erewhon") and of writings about him, (Burt Franklin: bibliography and reference series 178)
A. J Hoppe
Manufacturer: B. Franklin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

A Bibliography of the Writings of Samuel Butler (Author of 'Erewhon') and of Writings about Him. With Some Letters From Samuel Butler to the Rev. F. G. G. Fleay, Now First Published.

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A Bibliography of the Writings of Samuel Butler (Author of 'Erewhon') and of Writings about Him. With Some Letters From Samuel Butler to the Rev. F. G. G. Fleay, Now First Published.
A. J. Hoppe
Manufacturer: Burt Franklin.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000L4XTSU

Catalogue of the Collection of Samuel Butler (of Erewhon) In The Chapin Library Williams College

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Catalogue of the Collection of Samuel Butler (of Erewhon) In The Chapin Library Williams College
foreword Wilson Caroll A.
Manufacturer: Southworth-Anthoensen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UD8YS2

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Cradle of Erewhon Samuel Butler in New
Joseph Jones
Manufacturer: UNIV OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PKY16O

The Cradle of Erewhon: Samuel Butler in New Zealand

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The Cradle of Erewhon: Samuel Butler in New Zealand
Joseph Jay Jones
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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EREWHON
BUTLER
Manufacturer: WORDSWORTH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S6K2EA

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