Tag Archives: Barnes & Noble Leatherbound

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the complete works of william shakespeare barnes and noble

Title: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Author: William Shakespeare
Series: Barnes and Noble Leatherbound
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics
Dates read: 7th – 20th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Barnes and Noble
Year: 1623
5th sentence, 74th page: How now!

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

“The plays are arranged in the chronological order of their composition.”–Table of contents footnote.
“The text used for this edition is that prepared by the late Arthur Henry Bullen for the Stratford Town Edition, to print which he founded the Shakespeare Head Press in 1904.”–Table of contents footnote.

Thoughts

I have to be honest, I skim read through this. I understand why Shakespeare is so famous. And some of his lines did stand out to me. But he’s really not to my taste. There are some classical authors that I love… and then there are some that I’m a bit “eh” about… and it turns out that Shakespeare is one of them.

I think what I love most about this book is the actual book in itself. It is just beautiful. I have literally spent hours sitting there, looking at the cover and admiring the beauty of it all. The pages are kind of reminiscent of bible pages (I’m sure there’s a technical word for it, but that’s how I see it). There is just something about the way that this book was created that takes you to another world. Transports you to the time in which Shakespeare was living and his plays were something new and exciting.

This is a great book to have on your shelves. And I’ll probably pick it up again and again as time goes on. It’s one of those collections that you can read a chunk here and there, enjoy it and move onwards. I particularly like to do this over a glass or two of wine and a very long day. There is something soothing about Shakespeare’s words that help you relax. Which is weird, because when I’m relaxed, I find it hard to concentrate on his words… all very confusing.

This is the book that everyone should have on their bookshelves. There is something timeless about Shakespeare’s works. Even if I did just skim over some of the plays and pieces. It’s the kind of book that you will pick up again and again over time. Enjoying it differently each and every run through.

<- The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan PoeDracula and Other Horror Stories ->

Image source: Barnes and Noble

The Inventions, Researches, and Writings of Nikola Tesla by Nikola Tesla

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover inventions, researches and writing of nikola tesla

Title: The Inventions, Researches, and Writings of Nikola Tesla
Author: Nikola Tesla
Series: Barnes & Noble Leatherbound
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, History, Non-fiction, Science
Dates read: 16th October – 15th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Non-fictional text
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Leatherbound
Year: 1995
5th sentence, 74th page: Fig. 61 is a vertical cross-section of the motor.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

The Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla is the definitive record of the pioneering work of one of the modern world’s most groundbreaking inventors. During the early twentieth century, Nikola Tesla blazed the trail that electrical technology would follow for decades afterward. Although he pioneered inventions like alternating current (AC), radio, wireless transmission, and X-rays, and worked with innovators like George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison, the once celebrated Tesla was later largely forgotten by history. With illustrations and diagrams of many of Tesla’s early patents and inventions, as well as dozens of thought-provoking lectures and articles, this volume offers a rare glimpse of a true genius at work.

The Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla is one of Barnes & Noble’s Collectible Editions classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world’s greatest authors in an exquisitely designed bonded-leather binding, with distinctive gilt edging and an attractive silk-ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensible cornerstone for every home library.

Thoughts

This was an interesting, fun and open read. I mostly bought it because I needed it to complete a reading challenge, and well, the cover was really, really pretty. What I didn’t expect was that I would enjoy this adventure so much… after all, it’s been quite a while since I picked up anything physics-related.

Physics is an incredibly intense and fun subject – one that I’m kind of realising I miss a bit. This book explains that fact really well – not only is the use of electricity really intricate and intense, but this collection actually manages to explain it in a really fascinating way. And accessible… you don’t need a physics degree to understand what discoveries and creations Tesla came up with. The diagrams also go a long way to helping you understand exactly what engines, power sources and discoveries he made.

I did really enjoy the biographical aspects of Tesla’s life throughout this as well. Although it was very science-heavy, there was just enough of the personal to keep even the least scientifically-minded person engaged. So, not only did I learn a lot about what the actual discoveries, researches and inventions of Tesla were, I also learnt quite a bit about his personal journey and life in his obsession with electricity.

 <- Dracula and Other Horror Stories ReviewBeauty and the Beast and Other Classic Fairy Tales Review ->

Image source: BookDepository

Fairy Tales from Around the World by Andrew Lang

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for fairy tales from around the world book cover

Title: Fairy Tales from Around the World
Author: Andrew Lang
Series: Barnes & Noble Leatherbound
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fairy tales
Dates read: 20th January – 3rd October 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Barnes & Noble
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: This old man told him to beware o’ the next beasts that he should meet, for they were of a very different kind from any he had yet seen.

Synopsis

Fairy Tales from Around the World is a treasure trove of the world’s best-loved fairy and folk tales. It features more than 100 fairy tales representing more than fifty nations, all selected from The Blue Fairy Book and eleven other collections compiled by Andrew Lang. The book also includes more than 100 illustrations by H.J. Ford that bring their magic and marvels vividly to life.

Fairy Tales from Around the World is one of Barnes & Noble’s Collectible Editions classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world’s greatest authors in an exquisitely designed bonded-leather binding, with distinctive gilt edging and a silk-ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensible cornerstone for any home library.

Thoughts

It took me a long, long, long time to read this. But that’s just because it was one of those slowly enjoyed books. Like a really expensive chocolate. It was delicious to just sit there and savour it. closing my eyes with pleasure at the end of each tale. Or sometimes whooping out loud when a story was particularly familiar and I could place my modern day version quickly…

The illustrations that accompany this beautiful book completely swept me away. They were stunning, and more than a little distracting. But in the best way possible. They bought to life the stories – jumping at you from the page, but did so in a way that still felt timeless and classic – like the tales contained in this giant volume.

I originally bought this book because the cover is just stunning. There is something that brings out my nostalgia as soon as I look at this book… even if I hadn’t had a chanced to read over half of the fairy tales in this collection. Fairy tales + childhood = nostalgia. But the themes were also very adult… these really aren’t the stories you read as a child. They’re something far more fun, intense and dark… perfect for a little late night reading before you head off to bed.

I love that the first story in this is East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I have recently read a modern remake of this (North Child) and I loved that I finally got to sink my teeth into the original. There was also the original Aladdin (or some of it), Beauty and the Beast… so many tales. More than enough to keep me occupied again and again and again in the years to come…

 <- Gray’s AnatomyThe Complete Cthulu Mythos Tales ->

Image source: Barnes & Noble