In the meantime, I have created Book Search, a simple search tool for compiling results from many major book sellers online. It returns 10 results by relevance from each site and automatically sorts all results by price. Note that this tool is useful for finding rare, out of print books, but is pretty useless for searching books that are widely available. All currencies are automatically converted to USD for ease of use. Give it a shot and tell me what you think. Upon improvement I would like to integrate this service into NHB.

I’d also like to thank Gabbjectivist for his continuous and consistently excellent submissions, most recently the graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller.

The secretaries were twirling, each in her own leather chair
While they dreamed of a golden Bull, chasing away a black Bear.
And VP Smith in her pants suit, and I in my vest
Had just popped the cork on Coppola’s best.

When down in the lobby there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
My key to the locked drawer I flew like a flash.
And brought out my silver pistol hidden ‘neath the petty cash.

The moon on the barrel of…. I call her the Duke
Gave a sparkle that went well with my black Armani suit.
When on the security monitor what should appear?
A tall, quick-paced Capitalist, and eight profiteers.

With a proud, scornful gaze and cashmere robes flaring
I knew in an instant it must be the Robber Baron.
The Producers of wealth, his partners they came
And he lifted his head and called them by name;

Bill Gates! Jack Welch! Steve Jobs! Sam Walton!
Walt Disney! Dave Thomas! Howard Shultz! Tom Watson!
To the top 5%! Till the market can’t take it!
While others have money, you’re the men who make it!

As small business stocks that before the opening bell tolls
When they meet a corporate merger, increase in value by ten-fold
So through every office the eight CEO’s traded
Until luxury filled the firm and work’s tire faded.

And then, like an order, I heard at my door
The knock of The Baron- The great Commodore
I invited him inside and Smith drew a chair
But he pointed behind my desk and said, “I’d rather sit there.”

His suit had the quality that so easily upstages
(And worth more than most men’s annual wages)
Fine jewels he rolled, like marbles in his hand
And he looked like a merchant admiring his brand

His eyes– so attentive! The intellect he must employ!
But his face showed no age… Like that of a boy.
His manner was all business, but his mouth became a smile.
He thought of this night’s earnings and the profit he’d compile

Without further ado he spread his gems before my eyes
Desire flickered across my face and he quoted the price for his prize
My face did not flinch though the number was high
He knew what he was doing, but then again, so did I.

We went back and forth as he countered all I offered
Until he revealed a ruby for which I would’ve emptied every coffer
He grinned as I surrendered and swept his hand through his silver mane
“Capitalism is all about trade,” he said, “and each man’s mutual gain.”

I smiled and shook his hand, then I cut him a well earned check
He said, “Next year it’s plastics, call me for the specs.”

Then he and his partners caught the Bullet to the New York Hyatt.
(Jack Welch liked the train so much, he decided to buy it.)
Then I heard the Baron call, as the train moved away with silent stealth
“Happy Capitalism Day to all, and to all liberty and wealth!”

CAPULETTI. El pintor y su obra. (The biography of Spanish painter Jose Capuletti)
Virtues in Verse, by Berton Braley
Ninety-Three, by Victor Hugo
Maxfield Parrish by Coy Ludwig

It is mainly for this reason that On Truth is both so refreshing and so difficult to read.

At the beginning of his book Stefan Molyneux warns the reader of what awaits him. That “This book will mess up your life, as you know it.” And though this may first seem a dramatic or arrogant statement, he is right to warn us, and we are right to be afraid.

Focusing primarily on parents and background, Molyneux reveals the nature of the relationships we cherish the most, the relationships we have not chosen, and the unrequited duty and obedience to those relationships. Each of these relationships – family, culture, government, and religion – are bestowed, or rather forced on us at birth, and latch us to their respective codes of behavior. But the foundation of those codes, the source of the morality almost all of us have grown up with and accepted, is a blackout, an empty space.

Parents have the ability to declare right and wrong for their children with no qualifying criteria other than the ability to bear children. Culture attempts to define who you are by telling you who your ancestors were before, and who your brothers are now. The government passes laws that encroach heavily into the areas of morality, with nothing but the concept of patriotism to lean on. And religion, holding veto power over them all, offers the most complete system of morality, and therefore garners the most control.

Through his brief book Molyneux deftly exposes these false moralities for what they are: useless, destructive and evil. Parents with no real concept of virtue turn to religious or cultural definitions (more often that not, an entirely inconsistent hodge-podge of both) to provide a framework for ethical behavior, and in doing so cut off their children from their ability to reason the truth behind action and consequence.

At times, particularly when he discussed religion, I felt certain that Molyneux needed to qualify his statements, to assure us that not all religious figures are seeking a sense of control over their own lives by demanding the obedience of others. But it was quickly apparent what a mistake that would be. Such an abdication would serve as the apology his readers needed, and they would quickly throw themselves into that tiny minority of “not all.” Molyneux is unyielding, and as well he should be, because he is right.

Perhaps his most startling insight is the application by the power hungry of what Ayn Rand called “the sanction of the victim.” Those who wish to control do so by appealing to right and wrong, sin and virtue. In order to be good, they say, you must do as they command. And in doing so, Molyneux shows us that they are “using goodness in the service of evil.” By appealing to the drive in those under their control to be virtuous and moral, they succeed in fulfilling their own evil ends.

By the end of the book Molyneux leaves no question as to what isn’t a reliable source of virtue and morality. As he points out, we would not trust a doctor who does not heal, and so we should not heed the teachings of the unlearned. I expected that the second half of the book would discuss what should be the source of virtue, and I gather from his epilogue that Molyneux expected that as well. But the books power lies partly in its brevity, so that answer is saved for another read, one I hope to get to as soon as possible.

On Truth: The Tyranny of Illusion is available from Lulu as a paperback book or audio download. Stefan Molyneux is the host of Freedomain Radio.

Written in 1902, Monna Vanna was Maeterlinck’s first brilliant success. It was played on every important stage in Europe, except in England, where it was forbidden by censor. In 1911, Maeterlinck was honored with the Nobel Prize for literary achievement.

“It is the late fifteenth century, and the battered city of Pisa faces imminent vanquishment by the superior army of Florence. As the city’s commander prepares for the inevitable end, he receives from the enemy an astonishing offer of rescue. The attack will be called off, the siege will be lifted, the starving city will be resupplied — on one condition. The commander’s wife, a woman revered as the epitome of honor and virtue, must surrender her body for a night to the hated leader of the Florentine army.

“Thus begins Monna Vanna — and thus is unleashed a torrent of conflicts and sub-conflicts, masterfully orchestrated by the playwright, concerning the meaning of honor and the pursuit of values.

“You will find a noble, distinctively elevated spirit in this 1902 drama. All the characters, even minor ones, are loyally committed to some moral principle and act only out of profound conviction. There are no shallow men or petty motives here — only heroic figures, sublime choices and epic decisions.” Second Renaissance, Inc., Publisher

For those of you able, I would definitely recommend going to see the live production, which is playing November 29 thru December 16, 2007 at the Stella Adler Theatre. It will definitely be a treat. For those of you who can’t make it, be sure to check out the Monna Vanna Blog where you can listen to regular podcasts from the director and cast about their roles and experiences with this play.

For more information visit the Monna Vanna website. And don’t forget to read the play!

This week five new works have been submitted and approved.

• Books
  • July 5 by Joseph M. McHugh
  • Revolutions by Stefan Molyneux
• Movies
  • Dangerous Beauty
  • Queen Christina
  • Bicentennial Man

Recent Reviews

argounova posted a short but spirited review of Edmond Rostand’s excellent play, Cyrano de Bergerac:

“F*cking fantastic. If you want a great piece of poetically rich Romanticism, Cyrano is your man.”

And I posted a brief review of The Mysterious Valley by Maurice Champagne.

Movie Previews from Unbox

Using Amazon’s Unbox, you can now watch previews of the movies listed on NHB available for download from Amazon. It’s a new service, so only a handful are available, but hopefully this will improve over time. You can view the available previews here.

After completing Faith of the Fallen I started over from the beginning and made my way through Goodkind’s incredible books. I had learned at some point that Terry Goodkind is an Objectivist, and its presence was an explicit, driving force in his novels. As such we watch the philosophical growth of the hero, Richard Rahl, over the course of time. Becoming more strict in his standards, more sure of his judgement, and more confident in his abilities. Especially in the later novels Richard makes decisions that even his closest friends cannot understand, but throughout we see that Richard is guided by reason, and is unfailing in his commitment to seeking the truth.

The series follows Richard as he comes to grips with both his powers and his heritage as a king as the entire world is threatened by the Imperial Order, an army beyond measuring that preaches common good and brotherly love while wiping out cities by the handful. A truly selfish individualist, Richard fights for his own values of freedom from tyranny and brute force, matched only by his love for his wife, Kahlan. The books are fast-paced and mysterious, with a good amount of action thrown in. But as the story has progressed the battles become far more moral and psychological, and Goodkind uses every opportunity to point out the dichotomies between freedom and collectivism, obedience and choice, love and fear.

Tomorrow, November 13th, the eleventh and final book in the Sword of Truth series, Confessor, is released. I pre-ordered my copy weeks ago, and I can’t wait for it to arrive later this week. The hardcover is available from Amazon for $17.97. Visit Amazon to reserve your copy, or see all books we list by Terry Goodkind.

User Accounts

You can now register with New Height Books. Doing so makes it quick and easy to use some of the special features in the site (more on that soon), and allows us to keep out any rif-raf that may try to spam our site and tarnish our shiny new digs. So what does a user account get you? Glad you asked!

User Features

Registered users can rate and review any book they like, comment on the blog (that’s this part right here), submit books for inclusion in the site and more. All you need is a username and an email address. This ensures that you get credit for your contribution to New Height Books, and you’ll be able to use this same account on any future New Height projects.

Improved Navigation and Search

The first draft of New Height Books was made page for page from scratch, and as such was a hassle to keep up and difficult to get around. Now NHB is completely dynamic and database driven, meaning that any additions are instantaneous and all the books listed are searchable by author or title.

Other Stuff

RSS Feeds: We’ve got RSS Feeds for just about everything. Each book category has its own feed, or you can get just books or just movies, blog posts, or everything in one.

Monthly Newsletter: As if RSS Feeds didn’t make it easy enough to never visit the site, we also send out a monthly email update on new listings and featured content.

FAQ: New Height Books covers a very specific niche, and it’s important for all those who use the site to what we’re about, so use the FAQ to get to know the ins and outs of our operation, and feel free to post your own question for us.

What’s The Same

New Height Books is still dedicated to creating a comprehensive library of romantic realist literature and rational nonfiction, and neither our drive nor our standards have changed. We hope you enjoy the rebuild, and please let us know what else we can add for you.