Federalism, Democracy and Labour Market Policy in Canada (Social Union Series)

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An examination of both the overall political landscape of labour market policy in Canada and specific analyses of some of the most important labour market policy areas.

Federalism, Democracy and Labour Market Policy in Canada. (Book Reviews). (book review): An article from: Publius

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Federalism, Democracy and Labour Market Policy in Canada. (Book Reviews). (book review): An article from: Publius
David G. Murphy
Manufacturer: CSF: Publius
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Publius, published by CSF: Publius on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1358 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Federalism, Democracy and Labour Market Policy in Canada. (Book Reviews). (book review)
Author: David G. Murphy
Publication: Publius (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: CSF: Publius
Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Page: 185(4)

Article Type: Book Review

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Tom McIntosh, ed., Federalism, Democracy, and Labour Market Policy in Canada.(Book Review): An article from: Labour/Le Travail

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Tom McIntosh, ed., Federalism, Democracy, and Labour Market Policy in Canada.(Book Review): An article from: Labour/Le Travail
Tod D. Rutherford
Manufacturer: Canadian Committee on Labour History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00082LZZO
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Canadian Committee on Labour History on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1382 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Tom McIntosh, ed., Federalism, Democracy, and Labour Market Policy in Canada.(Book Review)
Author: Tod D. Rutherford
Publication: Labour/Le Travail (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Canadian Committee on Labour History
Issue: 53 Page: 277(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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No-Jazz

A great finance book / Errors were corrected

Magic Numbers De-Mystified

Magic Numbers De-Mystified

How to stay healthy

Magic Numbers: The 33 Key Ratios That Every Investor Should Know
Peter Temple
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Magic Numbers for Stock Investors: How To Calculate the 25 Key Ratios for Investing Success

Magic Numbers for Bonds and Derivatives: How to Calculate the 25 Key Ratios for Investing Success

Fire Your Stock Analyst: Analyzing Stocks On Your Own (Definitive Guides (Financial Times/Prentice Hall))

Screening the Market

It's Earnings That Count

ASIN: 0471479241

Amazon.com

In Magic Numbers, investment analyst Peter Temple provides a straightforward primer to calculating and interpreting 33 key investment ratios. The book is organized into five sections that explain market-based ratios (e.g., market capitalization, P/E ratios), income statement ratios (margins, earnings per share), balance sheet rations (price/cash ratio, burn rate), cash flow ratios, and risk and volatility ratios. Each chapter clearly shows the inputs necessary to calculate a particular ratio and explains its relevance in evaluating a company's performance. Recommended for serious investors. --Harry C. Edwards

Book Description

Quickly and accurately calculate key investment ratios
Written by a leading finance expert, this book offers simple explanations on how to calculate and interpret key financial ratios. This information is essential for the accurate assessment of a company's financial condition and the true value of its shares. This book is packed with many worked examples from actual company reports and readers will also find many online reference sources-including company Web sites and free software offers. Plus, this book features a supporting Web site at www.magicnumbersbook.com. Magic Numbers is essential reading for individual investors and non-financial executives.

Customer Reviews:

No-Jazz.......2006-06-06

The book is a no-nonsense reference manual for all Investors who are serious about value-investing and analysis of common stock based on metrics. For newbies, the book explains in a methodical way to calculate the ratios, while for expert investors, it acts as a primer.

The 33 ratios have been carefully selected and these are the ratios what you would need to analyze a common stock.

The examples, though, are UK and Asia- based. It would have been great if the author would have taken more American examples and financial statements done on American GAAP.

A great finance book / Errors were corrected.......2004-03-28

IMHO, *Magic Numbers* is one of the greatest finance books that I'm aware of (and I am aware of many of them). I agree with the positive reviews that have been written already. Rather than be repetitive, I wanted to add the following observations:

(1) The earliest reviewer mentioned that there were serious errors/typos in this book. That WAS true. However, reprintings of this book from Spring of 2002 onwards have incorporated corrections to the errors mentioned. So any new copy you buy here should be free of the errors that the first reviewer mentioned.

(2) One of the best features of this book - which distinguishes this book from other books of this type - is that it actually goes through the calculation of the ratios/numbers step-by-step. Better yet, these calculations are made from real financial statements from real companies (mostly in the UK or Asia). While other books will tell you the theory of how to arrive at a figure and maybe offer up a 'toy' example, *Magic Numbers* actually gives the reader solid, concrete, real-life, practical examples of how to arrive at the 'magic numbers.'

Magic Numbers De-Mystified.......2002-05-14

Peter Temple's MAG1C NUM8ERS is a straightforward introduction and useful reference tool for the serious investor on this topic. At the core of fundamental analysis are financial ratios that are essentially measuring tools for reaching a better understanding of a company's strengths and weaknesses. Temple's book manages to take some of the mystery out of these 'Magic' numbers by assembling them in one place. Here we have an organized summary of thirty-three key financial ratios. With each one we get a) definition b) the formula c)where we can find the numbers d) how the ratio can be calculated e) a specific corporate example and f) what relevance the measurement has for investors. The predictable organization of the book means it is an easy reference to flip open when we need to refresh our understanding of a useful ratio. Temple's observations about applying particular ratios to specific kinds of companies are helpful. I, for one, would like to have have received even more help in this area. Temple is British and many of his examples are drawn from companies US investors will not warm-up to such as Singapore Telecom, UK retailer Kingfisher, or the German utility company RWE. I'd recommend reading this book with the financial statements for a couple of favorite companies in hand to make the application of the ratios more relevant. Working your way through the jungle of numbers and verbiage for a company an investor owns with a few of Temple's ratios will contribute to an informed opinion of that business.

Magic Numbers De-Mystified.......2002-05-10

Peter Temple's MAG1C NUM8ERS is a straightforward introduction and useful reference tool for the serious investor on this topic. At the core of fundamental analysis are financial ratios that are essentially measuring tools for reaching a better understanding of a company's strengths and weaknesses. Temple's book manages to take some of the mystery out of these 'magic' numbers by assembling them in one place. Here we have an organized summary of thirty-three key financial ratios. With each one we get a) a definition b) the formula c) where we can find the numbers d) how the ratio can be calculated e) a specific corporate example and f) what relevance the measurement has for investors. The predictable organization of the book means it is an easy reference to flip open when we need to refresh our understanding of a useful ratio. Temple's observations about applying particular ratios to specific kinds of companies are helpful. I, for one, would like to have received more help in this area. Temple is British and many of his examples are drawn from companies US investors will not warm-up to such as Singapore Telecom, UK retailer Kingfisher, or the German utility company RWE. I'd recommend reading the book with the financial statements for a couple of favorite companies in hand to make the application of the ratios more relevant. Working your way through the jungle of numbers and verbiage for a company in which you have an investment with a few of Temple's ratios will contribute to an informed opinion of that business.

How to stay healthy.......2002-04-01

Magic Numbers does for the investor what chicken soup does for the common cold. it may not make you rich but it certainly will help you feel better.
Every real estate investor knows what IRR is and probably would not buy without it,ergo, why should a market investor ignore the tools available to help make prudent market investments. Imagine what would have happened had the Enron investors used these tools instesd of market tips from the so called Pros.
Read it, use it and its even better then chicken soup.

Book Description

"The LESI Guide to Licensing Best Practices, to which I was proud to contribute, has found solid acceptance in the international licensing community. The new volume of Licensing Best Practices maintains this high standard. It was designed to be complementary to its predecessor and broadens the scope of the scholarship. Standing alone, Licensing Best Practices is a valuable source of contemporary information. In combination with The LESI Guide to Licensing Best Practices, we have a very valuable source of insights and practical knowledge."
—Heinz Goddar Partner Boehmert & Boehmert

"Few if any other intellectual property references lay the required geographic foundation for the scientific, business, and legal issues presented. Goldscheider and Gordon demonstrate that tech transfer occurs in a global arena. The book lives up to its title: Licensing Best Practices."
—James E. Malackowski President & CEO, Ocean Tomo, LLC past president, LES-USA & Canada

An invaluable complement to the field's acclaimed book on licensing best practices

Spanning the globe, from Scandinavia to Japan and Mexico to Korea, Licensing Best Practices provides a comprehensive and user-friendly resource for professionals in licensing and technology management. Featuring contributions from some of the most highly regarded LESI professionals, this definitive guide includes detailed discussions on some of the hottest topics in licensing, including:

Licensing and Technology Transfer to China
Software Licensing as a Driver of the Indian Economy
Secrets of Successful Dealmaking in Asia
Licensing in Scandinavia-Home of Entrepreneurial Inventors, Industrialists, and Philanthropists
Global Innovation and Licensing Opportunities on the Internet
Energy and Environment Driving Technology and Licensing
Licensing Nanotechnology
Assuring Royalty Compliance in High Technology Licensing
Intellectual Property Allocation Strategies in Joint Ventures
Applications of Game Theory to IP Royalty Negotiations

Book Description

Provides OECD's five-year assessment of future trends and prospects in major agricultural commodity markets. It assesses the impact of policy changes and global economic developments on international prices and trade and highlights the need for policy reforms.

Agricultural Statistics, 1997 (Agricultural Statistics)

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Agricultural Statistics, 1997 (Agricultural Statistics)

Manufacturer: Government Printing Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0160490316

Arkansas Agricultural Statistics for 1997 MP 400

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Arkansas Agricultural Statistics for 1997 MP 400
Arkansas Agricultural Statistics Service
Manufacturer: Cooperative Extension Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L3ZSMG

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Agricultural Statistics 1997 (Agricultural Statistics)
Claitors Publishing , and U S Department Agriculture
Manufacturer: Claitors Pub Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Locate annual data about agricultural production, supplies, consumption, facilities, costs, and returns by state, for the U.S. as a whole, and for specified countries.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Quick Frozen Foods International, published by E.W. Williams Publications, Inc. on October 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1058 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: China's economic reform and policy of opening to the outside world rendered its fisheries to increase in production. A 28,132,900 ton output was recorded for 1996 which marked its seventh-year leadership in world-wide catch and farmed output. Its processed fish and seafood production also increased by 3.9% to 4.3 million tons, where 62.3% (2.7 million) of which was frozen.

Citation Details
Title: China leads world in fisheries output; frozen seafood volume also growing.(1997 Global Frozen Foods Almanac)
Author: Chen De Long
Publication: Quick Frozen Foods International (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1997
Publisher: E.W. Williams Publications, Inc.
Volume: v39 Issue: n2 Page: pA24(2)

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Digest of Agricultural Census Statistics, United Kingdom 1997

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Digest of Agricultural Census Statistics, United Kingdom 1997
Hmso
Manufacturer: Stationery Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Research | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Frozen food market in US tops $65MM; prepared foods account for growth.(1997 Global Frozen Food Almanac): An article from: Quick Frozen Foods International

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Frozen food market in US tops $65MM; prepared foods account for growth.(1997 Global Frozen Food Almanac): An article from: Quick Frozen Foods International

Manufacturer: E.W. Williams Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Quick Frozen Foods International, published by E.W. Williams Publications, Inc. on October 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1770 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Prepared foods were cited as the main contributor of the $65 billion sales that the frozen food market gained in the US gained last year. A volume of frozen foods were imported as a response to the low supply of basic commodities such fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, juices and drinks, and poultry. A 27% increase in imported french fries, to 423 million pounds was recorded.

Citation Details
Title: Frozen food market in US tops $65MM; prepared foods account for growth.(1997 Global Frozen Food Almanac)
Publication: Quick Frozen Foods International (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1997
Publisher: E.W. Williams Publications, Inc.
Volume: v39 Issue: n2 Page: pA14(10)

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Mid-year industry outlook looks rosy. (agricultural equipment industry: 1997): An article from: Implement & Tractor

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Mid-year industry outlook looks rosy. (agricultural equipment industry: 1997): An article from: Implement & Tractor
Mary Shepherd
Manufacturer: Agra USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00097TYBA
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Implement & Tractor, published by Agra USA on July 1, 1997. The length of the article is 441 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The Equipment Manufacturer's Institute reported that the 1997 mid-year agricultural equipment industry outlook looks rosy. The report was based on survey responses from 37 field and farmstead equipment manufacturers. Mid-year tractor figures indicate an increase over January's 1997 forecast. Round balers, windrowers/swathers, manure spreaders, field cultivators, farm loaders, chisel plows and disk harrows are expected to have increased sales. Dairy, beef and hog mechanization equipment sales are also expected to increase.

Citation Details
Title: Mid-year industry outlook looks rosy. (agricultural equipment industry: 1997)
Author: Mary Shepherd
Publication: Implement & Tractor (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 1997
Publisher: Agra USA
Volume: v112 Issue: n4 Page: p43(2)

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1997 CGIAR human resources survey: International staffing at the CGIAR centers with a focus on gender (Working paper / CGIAR Gender Program)

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1997 CGIAR human resources survey: International staffing at the CGIAR centers with a focus on gender (Working paper / CGIAR Gender Program)
Deborah Merrill-Sands
Manufacturer: CGIAR Gender Program, World Bank
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006REFHQ

Book Description

Copiously illustrated throughout with many fine drawings by John C. Holden, Science Askew: A Light-Hearted Look at the Scientific World is a refreshing antidote to the daily grind. From continental drip to the life of Konrad Finagle via the murky depths of Loch Ness, we are treated to an off-kilter trip through the scientific world. This pocket-sized goldmine can be produced whenever a spare minute or two presents itself, when the reader feels in need of a chuckle, or when just plain old-fashioned enlightenment is required.

Customer Reviews:

Witty! Clever! Splendid!.......2005-02-16

I wrote and published this review in The Journal of Irreproducible Results, the science humor magazine, vol. 48 #4, November 2004:

If you like JIR, you'll love Science Askew. Science satires, cartoons, puns, and parodies range from chapter-long tales down to punchy 1-liners.

Among the rules of the lab:
* Experiments must be reproducible; they should fail the same way each time.
* Experience is directly proportional to equipment ruined.
* Teamwork is essential; it allows you to blame someone else.

My reaction upon reading most of the articles was "we should run this item in JIR!". But we reprinted an entire chapter in the last issue, and we published 2 of the articles (by the illustrator, retired geologist John C. Holden) in the 1970s, and the whole thing is already in a nifty package - this book.

From the computer expert's glossary:
* On-line: The idea that a human being should always be accessible to a computer.
* Machine-Independent Program: A program that will not run on any machine.
* Documentation: Instructions translated from Swedish by Japanese for English-speaking people.

Simanek and Holden include fuel for debunking pseudoscience, and teaching students the distinctions. Ever the teacher, Simanek takes several opportunities to "talk straight" and point out legitimate science lessons. The pair of articles arguing opposing sides of the DHMO "controversy" afford chuckles, as well as stimulation for student exercises. "Di-Hydrogen Monoxide", of course, is H2O.

What engineers say and what they mean by it:
* "Test results were extremely gratifying": It works, and are we ever surprised!
* "The entire concept will have to be abandoned": The only guy who understood the thing quit.
* "The designs are well within allowable limits": We just barely made it, by stretching a point or 2.

Holden contributes many clever and witty illustrations. Several other authors appear too, along with some items that have circulated worldwide on the Web which could not be traced to their original authors.

Some of Simanek's Laws of Statistics:
* Anyone who trusts in statistics is taking a chance.
* When 2 lines of a graph cross, that must be significant.
* Once human subjects find out what you have discovered about their behavior, they begin to behave differently.

There are no important typos, and the trivial ones won't distract or confuse anyone.

Among the "do-it" 1-liners:
* Professors do it absent-mindedly
* Cosmologists do it with a bang
* Logicians do it symbolically

Institute of Physics Publishing produced this book extremely well. The type is clear, the illustrations crisp, and all the parts are where they ought to be, except that there is no index. The paper is very high quality. The binding is excellent, comfortable, tight, and ought to last a long time. That's essential for this book, because the owner, friends, students, visitors, and everyone else lucky enough to happen upon it will dip into it time after time.

Despite excellent achievements by the authors and producers, this book has not been reviewed or advertised as much as it merits because the publisher refuses to send out many review copies, advertises very little outside its own periodicals, and discourages retailers.

Science Askew belongs in academic libraries, both for amusement and to stimulate classwork. Scientists, doctors, and educators will love this book. And it makes a splendid gift for anyone with technical knowledge and a sense of - or need for - humor.

Delightful.......2002-10-08

If you want a good chuckle this is the book for you. One of the chapters is "Statistics is a Chancy Business" with a wonderful drawing of Wall Street, giving a historical timeline. One section gives us statistics to help us understand the real world. For example, "Did you hear about the statistician who drowned while wading in a pond with an average depth of six inches?", or "Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital".

A pleasure to read........2002-02-18

This book is one of those rare books that has a lot to offer, including amusing puns and deep philosophical ideas. And it is just a nice book to own. The type style and quality paper make it very attractive. Simanek's wit and Holden's illustrations complement each other nicely. The focus farm where the sons raise meat is a pun that is hard to top. The warning about Dihydrogen Monoxide(by Dan Galvin) and the Hazards of solar power(by Donald Simanek) have great pedagogical value for one and all. As Donald and John say, the book is "An Almanac of Scientific Ephemera."
WARNING: this book is not written for the scientist only. There are no academic degrees required to enjoy and appreciate this book. A careful reading of the book is probably as rewarding as any science course you will take. In fact, as with most good writing, a good course could be built around this publication. I dare you to put it down.

Book Description

This new high-quality, hardcover series of timeless classics features the finest works of world literature. This standard edition has an attractive jacket design. Each title chosen for it's literary quality and for the untold pleasure it will give readers of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

Josh Welch's Cool Report of The Pickwick Papers.......2001-10-25

This book is about a man named Mr.Pickwick.Mr.Pickwick is not a rich man but he still goes on in life.What Mr.Pickwick does is he trys to help out his friends.He is a man not a kid like some may think.The book is trying to create a positively good man.He works in a newspaer publishing place with very little pay.This book is about never giving up.

The posthumous papers of the Pickwick Club (Signature classics)

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A true joy to read! I did not want it to end!
Travel the cities and towns of England with Mr. Pickwick and the Pickwikians in this hilarious comic masterpiece by young Dicken
Good
brilliant
Charles Dickens's 1st Smash!

The posthumous papers of the Pickwick Club (Signature classics)
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Trident Press International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

ASIN: B00069XCPA

Book Description

In "The Pickwick Papers", Dickens' reached his peak of humor. First commissioned to match illustrations that had benn done, "The Pickwick Papers" took on a life of its own. Serialized in 20 monthly installments from March 1836 to November 1837, it took the public by storm, From 400 copies in the first installemnt it rose to 40,000 copies by the fifteenth.

The Pickwick club is a thinly veiled parody of the English Parliament complete with ludicrous speeches, pompous debates and insult presented as apologies. Not satisified with mocking Parliament, Dickens then took on the English Court system.

More the 150 characters appear in this novel but two stand out above the rest, Pickwick himself and cockney Sam Weller.

Download Description

The Pickwick Papers explores the perils, travels, and adventures of the Pickwick Club's members: the founding chairman, former businessman and amateur scientist Mr. Pickwick; his trusted companion Sam Weller; the sportsman Winkle; the poet Snodgrass; and the lover Tracy Tupman.

Customer Reviews:

A true joy to read! I did not want it to end!.......2007-03-15

Charles Dickens is by far among my most favorite writers. The Pickwick Papers was such wonderful light humor and a rollicking adventure, that I never wanted to put it down. Every page, every chapter, brought these wonderful characters into a whole new unique set of adventures! I highly recommend anyone who enjoys Dickens to not miss this one, as although it is an early work, it shows the wonderful humorous side of the author that you will not quite see in some of his later works. These characters became like good friends by the time I was done with the book. A true joy to read.

Travel the cities and towns of England with Mr. Pickwick and the Pickwikians in this hilarious comic masterpiece by young Dicken.......2007-02-05

A series of sporting prints was about to be published. The artist Robert Seymour had been hired. Now it was needed that an author be hired to add his prose to the series of prints. Charles Dickens became that author and literature has never been the same! The artist Seymour committed suicide; the 20 monthly numbers by Dickens shot him to instant popularity and a career as Victorian England's most successful novelist!
Dickens grew up reading "Tom Jones" by Henry Fielding and other picaresque novels especially "Don Quixote" by Cervantes. Their influence on him was profound as evinced in Pickwick's many pages.
The story tells of the fat, rubicund and funny old gentleman Mr. Pickwick who sets out to explore England. He takes with him three younger men Snodgrass, Tubman and Winkle. Along the way Pickwick hires young Samuel Weller to be his factotum. Weller steals the book with his cockney wit and wisdom. His father Tony also appears commenting on everything from women to jurisprudence. These characters are among the funniest ever created by Dickens.
This book is very early Dickens lacking the seriousness, plot development and social realism of later works such as "Bleak House";
"Little Dorritt" " Hard Times" and "Our Mutual Friend". It is instead filled with memorable characters getting themselves involved in one complicated incident after another! Mrs.Bardell the amorous landlady who sues Pickwich for Breach of Promise. Mr. Pickwich's attempts at ice skating; the Wardle Christmas Ball; the variious short stories told by characters interspersed in the text; the wild rides in stagecoaches across the landscape described with insight by the young genius; the trip to Newgate Prison where Pickwick is briefly incarcerated; the greedy lawyers; the hypocrites; the scoundrels and scamps of living. All are there in the Dickens universe.
The Pickwick Papers was Dickens most popular novel. It has never been surpassed in the English language for its light and lively look at British Life in the 1820s. If you have time to spend with a good book liking to laugh and be entertained pick up a copy of this classic novel!

Good.......2006-09-29

It is good for being Dickens first work. Although the characters are not as well developed as other works it does fit the book. It suits because it is not as serious of a work as other books. This, to me, shows where Dickens was in his own life. He was young and jovial where as when he gets older he gets darker because his view on life does. The only thing I have never really liked about Charles Dickens is that all of his books seem to be slow but if they were any different they wouldn't be written by Dickens would they.

brilliant.......2006-08-20

an early work by dickens that gave obvious signs of the genius to come

Charles Dickens's 1st Smash!.......2006-07-25

It is interesting that both William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens began their writing careers with a comedy. Charles Dickens is best known for his harsh portrayals of Victorian England (especially in "A Christmas Carol"). But this 1st book shows that he can draw hilarious comedy as well. We meet the Pickwick Club. (Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Tupman, and Mr. Winkle.) They are a bumbling group, but they are benevolent. Undoubtedly, Mr. Pickwick was based on Charles Dickens's father. The great Charles Dickens's father was a warm hearted and caring man, but he was also unlucky. He did in fact spend time in the debtors's prison. Well, moving on, the Pickwick club meets the comical villain Mr. Jingle. Mr. Jingle gets the Pickwick club into various sorts of trouble. He stops a would be wedding between Mr. Tupman and Rachael Wardle. (Jingle himself wants Rachael's fortune.) Well, Jingle shows himself to be good at double talk and alienates the 2. While his plot fails, he tricks Pickwick into appearing in a girls' school after hours. You'll probably notice that this book (like "Moby Dick") is full of digressions. We hear unrelated tales from different characters. (To some, this is a welcome technique while others find it annoying. Though the tale of Gabriel Grub does foreshadow the phenomenal "Christmas Carol.") Moving on, in a well worded passage Mr. Pickwick leads his landlady Widow Bardell into thinking he wants to marry her, when in fact he was just considering hiring a man servant. And of course Mr. Pickwick goes on trial for not keeping a promise of marriage. (Charles Dickens himself actually did many live readings of this chapter.) While we know Mr. Pickwick is not guilty, he ends up being charged 750 pounds which he refuses to pay. And of course, he (like Charles Dickens's father goes to prison). While he can afford the money, he refuses to pay because he is innocent. The scenes of the prison break the comedy. Even Widow Bardell is thrown in prison by Dodson and Fogg. But all is not lost. Pickwick's servant Weller comes to his aid. And Mr. Pickwick realizes that he must leave prison to help Mr. Winkle. (Mr. Winkle has married Arabella, and her brother is not so happy about it.) Mr. Pickwick pays what he must to exit the prison and he of course comes to the aid of his friend Mr. Winkle. The story ends in utter happiness. Mr. Pickwick even forgives Mr. Jingle. Perhaps the greatest thing about this book is that it is NOT ONLY hilarious comedy, but it shows how true friends stick by one another, and it even takes it to the next level by showing the wonders of fogiveness. This book drove England Pickwick mad when it came out. (There were Pickwick coats, hats, cigars, candy, and canes.) Need we ask why?

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