Book Reviews by Philip Wilk (also on Amazon.com)

The Languages of China 
by S. Robert Ramsey  
List Price: $24.95
Princeton Univ Pr
Paperback - 355 pages 
Reprint edition (October 1, 1989) 
 
  A fantastic story of China by way of language.  December 11, 1999  
 I picked up the book out of curiosity and could not put it down. It gives an engrossing
history of the Chinese people by way of a study of the languages of the area. It is not
just a linguistic text however; it is about all aspects of life in China: politics,
economics, poetry,history, everything. Language is just what ties it all together, much
like the language ties the country together.  


 The Engineer of Human Souls 
by Josef Skvorecky, Paul Wilson (Translator)  
List Price: $14.95
Dalkey Archive Pr
Paperback - 592 pages 
(February 1999) 
          
  Fantastic  November 3, 1999  
 Quite an amazing book. I picked it up after seeing it on a book list of top influential
books in Prague. I guess it is popular in its original Czech language. The main character
being a Canadian from the then communist, totalitarian regime - was quite an experience for
myself, and gave me some insight on how the other half lived ... the fact was like a fairy
tale, and the fiction was such truth.  


 Lonely Planet Prague (3rd Ed) 
by John King, Richard Nebesky  
List Price: $14.95
Lonely Planet
Paperback - 216 pages 
3rd edition (May 1999) 
          
  Good, quality guide book.  December 11, 1999  
 The Lonely Planet series are usually great books. This guide is no exception. It is
definately suited for the budget traveller, so if you are flush with cash, you might want a
guide book that will review the more up-scale establishments. If you are strapped for cash,
this book will serve you well.  

Memoirs 
by Franz von Papen, Brian Connell (Translator)
Hardcover Reprint edition (June 1953) 
AMS Press; ISBN: 0404169759 

hear the story from the inside
Frantz von Papen was a german statesman and diplomat, born in Werl to an ancient
Westphalian Catholic family of nobles. His life spanned World War One as well as World War
Two. Having experienced both as a german, he definately has an interesting inside look at
the Nazi regime and the cause of its rise to power. Many have accused von Papen of being a
Nazi and I encourage all who are interested, to read his account of his life. He was tried
and aquitted at the Nueremburg Trials. However, he was sentenced by the german
denazification court (perhaps because of his harsh view of Bolshevism), but released
immediately after an appeal. Read the memoirs and ask yourself, was von Papen acting as a
patriot trying to serve his country, or a Nazi collaborator. Did the fear of Bolshevism
lead the government to enact poor legislation, or is this an excuse. Read von Papen's
rather aristocratic side of the story and make your own conclusions. Beyond the politics,
this is a facinating read not only of WWII which is only half the book, but also all the
events leading up to WWII including WWI and the the Versailles Treaty.