Books Articles

Culture and Society » Books | By Holly Franklin @ Friday, 4th January 2008 @ 6:30 PM

Bianca Castafiore first appears in the King Ottokar's Sceptre and was to make an appearance in several of the Adventures of Tintin albums written and illustrated by Herge. Bianca Castafiore character is a Milanese opera singer and her disposition is definitely one of an opera diva. Herge the creator of Tintin was not a big fan of opera and the creation of Bianca Castafiore was considered by many to be an acknowledgment of that fact. Castafiore is presented as being one of the... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Ranju Kumar @ Monday, 24th December 2007 @ 8:15 PM

I am a great Fan of Audio Books. I have been listening to this for years. I listen to audio books while driving to and from work. It is a great way to avoid the stress of heavy traffic and the repetitive task of driving the same route to work every day. Listening to this is enjoyable since it is easier and more entertaining to do so. Furthermore, it does not consume a lot of time to listen to a book as it would take to read it. One of the best means to enjoy a book virtually anywhere is t... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Ranju Kumar @ Sunday, 16th December 2007 @ 7:01 AM

I am a great Fan of Audio Books. I have been listening to this for years. I listen to audio books while driving to and from work. It is a great way to avoid the stress of heavy traffic and the repetitive task of driving the same route to work every day. Listening to this is enjoyable since it is easier and more entertaining to do so. Furthermore, it does not consume a lot of time to listen to a book as it would take to read it. One of the best means to enjoy a book virtually anywhere is t... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Ann Knapp @ Friday, 14th December 2007 @ 3:47 AM

Horse racing, the second most-popular spectator sport in America, remains as vital as ever, but its age, high drama, and historical appeal as the "sport of kings" ensure that it also has a place in the history of literature. Countless writers have been drawn, in their search for subject matter, to the romance of the racetrack - the triumph and tragedy of equestrian life. It'd take the endurance of a draft-horse to compile a complete list of such novels - ex-thoroughbred-horse-racer-... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Jim Brown @ Sunday, 25th November 2007 @ 12:34 AM

Traveling, walking the dog, doing the laundry, strolling around the park, studying your history books, and gardening are just some situations wherein you can conveniently use a portable media player and listen to an audio book. Definitely in our world today, audio books are a simple sign that people are traveling life along a fast lane. With no time to read books, audio books are indeed helpful. But to whom exactly are they most helpful to? Dyslexics and the Blind People They are o... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Holly Franklin @ Wednesday, 7th November 2007 @ 4:07 PM

Captain Haddock is one of the characters created by Herge the man behind Tintin. The Adventures of Tintin are now some of the well known comic albums in history. Tintin has been able to shift over 200 millions books over his life time. Captain Haddock was introduced to the world in The Crab with the Golden Claws and was depicted as a feeble character who indulged too much in the drink. Captain Haddock's drink of choice was Loch Lomond brand whisky which he drank in copious amounts. I... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Holly Franklin @ Monday, 5th November 2007 @ 2:24 PM

Professor Calculus otherwise known as Cuthbert Calculus was one of the more humorous characters in the Tintin world. Known as Profesor Tryphon Tournesol (meaning: Sunflower) in French his character was hard of hearing which led to much hilarity as he misunderstood conversations. For example: "attachez votre ceinture" (fasten your belt) is repeated as "une tache de peinture?" (a paint stain). Calculus never admits to being deaf and insists he is only hard of hearing in one ear in ... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Holly Franklin @ Monday, 5th November 2007 @ 1:52 PM

Thomson and Thompson are two of the best loved characters in the Adventures of Tintin. Thomson and Thompson first featured in Cigars of the Pharaoh where they arrest Tintin and Snowy as they are enjoying a holiday cruise. In their first outing they prove to be highly efficient characters using a cunning not seen in later albums they appear in. They save Tintin from a firing squad using a disguise that even fools Tintin. Thomson and Thompson still cause much debate over whether they are tw... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Holly Franklin @ Monday, 5th November 2007 @ 1:51 PM

Herge reached a watershed in his work around his 30th birthday and the release of Tintin and the Blue Lotus. The Blue Lotus was released in 1936 and was the fifth Tintin adventure. The end of the fourth album Cigar of the Pharaoh had led to a mention that Tintin would be off to China in his next adventure. A University of Leuven professor one father Gosset got in touch with Herge and asked for the illustrator to be perceptive about how he approached China in his next album. Gosset was th... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Holly Franklin @ Monday, 5th November 2007 @ 1:51 PM

The Herge's Studio's was set up in April 1950 in order to lighten Herge's workload after his second breakdown. He employed assistants such as the artist Bob de Moor to help produce The Adventures of Tintin. This was to be the case for the rest of the Tintin albums where assistants would fill in the details and backgrounds such as the lunar landscapes in Explorers on the Moon. Many believe the new set up allowed Herge to craft some of his finest creations with The Calculus A... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Holly Franklin @ Monday, 5th November 2007 @ 1:50 PM

The upcoming Tintin movie trilogy has heightened interest in all things Tintin. Herge the creator of the well known comic character Tintin will once again be in the mainstream consciousness. Herge was the pen name of Georges Prosper Remi who was both writer and illustrator of all 23 Tintin albums dying before he could finish the 24th Tintin and the Alpha-Art. Georges Prosper Remi was born in Etterbeek in Belgium in 1907 and was to become the father of the ligne claire style of illustrati... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Jimmy Cox @ Monday, 22nd October 2007 @ 8:40 AM

Before the beginning of the 20th Century little had been written about calligraphy except The Story of the Alphabet by Edward Clodd and Maude Thompson's fine work on Greek and Latin Paleography together with his volume on English Illuminated Manuscripts, published in 1895 and out of print before 1906. But since the time that Edward Johnston published his book on Writing, Lettering and Illuminating a steady stream of works upon all aspects of the subject have been written; probably it was be... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Ranju Kumar @ Friday, 12th October 2007 @ 9:56 PM

Do you have enough time to read a book? NO, you are too busy to read. These days everyone feel that they just dont have enough time to read a book. By the time they crawl into bed they cant even spend another 30mins trying to stay awake in order to read whether it is for entertainment or for learning. A good solution for such problem is Audio Books. Listening to audio book is pleasant because it is so much easier and more fun to do so. Moreover, it doesn't take as long to listen t... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Jim Brown @ Tuesday, 7th August 2007 @ 10:14 AM

Every time a mother goes to clean out her son's bedroom and puts his comics in the trash, a heart is broken, a memory is made and collectors everywhere smile. Partly, because they remember the painful day it happened to them, and partly because the value of their collection just went up. Comic book collecting is a great pastime and way to be involved in entertainment. Investing in comics is a long term strategy that will usually reimburse or pay out in the end. Unlike baseball cards... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Jim Brown @ Tuesday, 17th July 2007 @ 7:24 PM

Audio books have raised a lot of eyebrows already. Some people even think that they could only promote laziness among individuals using them. Contrary to that, the audio book's main purpose of existence is for busy people who fail to find the time to read. Finishing a book by simply reading it will take days. But with audio books, you can finish a book in three days max. So what exactly are audio books? Audio books are just recorded versions of actual books read by actors or b... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Stephanie Foster @ Wednesday, 11th July 2007 @ 12:37 AM

One of the things I love to discover is different versions of a particular science fiction story. It's fascinating seeing how a short story can transition into a novel or a movie. But my own favorites are the novels. Two of the best-known stories that went from great short story to brilliant novel are Isaac Asimov's Nightfall and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Both were excellent stories in each instance. The fascination comes in being able to see how the shor... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Jim Brown @ Tuesday, 3rd July 2007 @ 9:34 AM

Since the advent of the internet in the early 90s, avid readers have a host of information right at their fingertips. There are businesses that have used this medium to promote not only their goods and services, but online magazines as well. The written word has taken a new path for reaching readers, and the internet is in no small part responsible for this shift. The reason for the popularity of e-zines can be contributed to a few factors. One of the main factors is the cost. Not only do... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Jim Brown @ Monday, 18th June 2007 @ 11:38 PM

I don't know about you, but magazines seem to mark a new level of development in my life. A few years ago I would go and buy the latest computer gaming magazine. I could always get a CD with the latest demo of the "cool" games and give them a try. Plus you had the latest commentary on what was happening. What games was coming out, cheats, and guides to not only beat the game, but find all the hidden secrets. Then I pulled away from the computer games and found myself lovi... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Jimmy Cox @ Monday, 21st May 2007 @ 10:47 PM

Before the beginning of the 20th Century little had been written about calligraphy except The Story of the Alphabet by Edward Clodd and Maude Thompson's fine work on Greek and Latin Paleography together with his volume on English Illuminated Manuscripts, published in 1895 and out of print before 1906. But since the time that Edward Johnston published his book on Writing, Lettering and Illuminating a steady stream of works upon all aspects of the subject have been written; probably it was be... more...

Culture and Society » Books | By Mike Chudej @ Thursday, 10th May 2007 @ 7:30 PM

There are many different types of audio books around these days, literally something for everybody. Whether you prefer to be engrossed in a spooky tale, a romantic love story, a side-splitting comedy or a gritty crime story, there are thousands of audio books that you can choose from. There is a lot of difference between reading and listening. Listening makes you feel that you are there and you can enjoy the story more. Perhaps, listening to audio books can bring out the best in books. Go... more...