Richard Stokes Books

Alfred Brendel - internationally famous as the supreme interpreter of the piano music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt - is also a poet. Between concert engagements and recording sessions, he has found the time to write this collection of sardonic, wise, funny, and beautifully turned verses. Penetrating light is thrown on those parts of the author's endlessly subtle mind and sensibility which his devoted audiences can barely have guessed existed. The supernumerary finger of the book's title, the appearance of Brahms's smelly ghost, the war between the bearded and the beardless, the camel's loss of his humps, the appropriateness of laughter, the eventual appearance of Godot and the usefulness of identical twins are among the important subjects he tackles. With the help of Richard Stokes, Alfred Brendel has produced English versions of his original texts which go out to meet the reader with refreshing directness and wit.

A gripping work of psychological horror, this novel explores the chaos of bureaucracy through the story of Josef K., who is arrested one morning without any wrongdoing. Released but required to report to court regularly, he finds himself trapped in a maddening cycle where nothing is resolved. As his uncertainty deepens, his personal life—his job at a bank and relationships with his landlady and a neighbor—grows increasingly unpredictable. In his quest for control, K. inadvertently accelerates his own downward spiral. The narrative maintains a pervasive atmosphere of unease, delving into themes of terror, absurdity, and the futility of human existence. Franz Kafka, a Czech-born German-speaking writer, published little during his lifetime and requested that his unpublished works be destroyed after his death. However, these manuscripts have become some of the most influential literature of the twentieth century. Kafka's other notable works include The Castle and Amerika. This thought-provoking novel has been described as a prophetic anticipation of modern bureaucracy's insanity and the rise of totalitarianism, offering everything yet confirming nothing.

Millions compete for exposure on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN Live Search, but 97% of them fail to get results. Search advertising specialist Richard Stokes reveals why and provides solutions.

Gathers letters written from Mahler to his critics, colleagues, family, and friends, and provides background information concerning each letter