Because Chekhovrsquo;s plays convey the universally recognizable; sometimes comic; sometimes dramatic; frustrations of decent people trying to make sense of their lives; they remain as fresh and vigorous as when they were written a century ago. Gathered here in superb new renderings by one of the most highly regarded translators of our timemdash;versions that have been staged throughout the United States; Canada; and Great Britainmdash;are Chekhovrsquo;s four essential masterpieces for the theater.From the Trade Paperback edition.
#563171 in eBooks 2003-08-12 2003-08-12File Name: B000FBJAP0
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good book on possibly one of the most notorious eBay scandalsBy classicalsteveKenneth Walton was not in the most fulfilling of jobs; overworked and underpaid in a law firm. And then he connects with a friend from his army days; Ken Fetterman. Fetterman is an online art dealer; offering items through the relatively new online trading site; eBay. At first it all seems innocent enough. Go to thrift shops and find valuable paintings for pennies on the dollar and resell them online. Walton makes much more than he can as an associate attorney at his law firm; and its much more fulfilling work. He decides what hours hes going to spend looking for paintings and when to post them; and the money just comes in. They even find a very valuable painting at a thrift shop and consign it to a more prestigious auction house. At this time; eBay was a huge open field but only with an auction platform; many interesting items were appearing through the site online. EBay was instrumental (along with .com) in forging the new online trading communities.However; Fetterman has certain tricks up his sleeve. At some point; Fetterman asks Walton to consign for him certain paintings by big-name artists which appear to be signed by their creators. Fetterman doesnt tell Walton how he acquired them; just to post them; and say in the description that they "may be signed by the artist" but they cant guarantee it. However; after several postings; Walton suspects the signatures may not have appeared from the artists brush but maybe by another hand. And then Walton posts a painting by a huge name artist in which the bidding accelerates higher than anything theyve posted before; and starts to get press and media coverage. And interest from the FBI.Probably the first (but not the last) large eBay scandal which rocked the online trading world. A must read for anyone who wants to engage in serious online trading. It can serve as both entertainment and a how-to book in avoiding fraud: from both ends.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A true story the reveals the redeeming power of honest confession and regret... and the building of character.By Mark WithrowKenneth Waltons book is a cant-put-down revelation of true character growth.In the beginning; he describes himself as nothing more than a shallow; run-of-the-mill law school graduate who -- after only a year on the job -- was already desperate to escape his boring daily grind as just another faceless attorney at a large Sacramento law firm. Ive known many young; newly-minted professionals (accountants; doctors; lawyers) in the same predicament: After investing years in their educations and taking on crushing student loans; they finally graduate and are suddenly faced with the reality of the inhuman hours; incredible stress; and limited options inherent in working for a large; traditional institution (as the author discovers; such big law firms are always the same; whether located in Sacramento or Paris). At that point; many start to desperately seek a way -- any way -- out of the madness. I know a couple of former corporate attorneys who are now much happier working at other jobs (rafting guide; truck driver) that have nothing whatsoever to do with the law...Unfortunately for the young Mr. Walton; he didnt choose at that point to simply abandon the practice of law and run away to become an honest cowboy; fireman; plumber; Starbucks barrista; etc. Instead; he unhappily struggled on. Soon; his sad career plight was noticed by the slyly experienced Mr. Fetterman; who proceeded to milk Mr. Waltons desperation into a slippery plan to assist him in his lucrative eBay con games. However; since any successful con game depends on the greed and deception (especially self-deception) of BOTH the conner and the connee; Mr. Walton convinced himself to continue compromising his principles by acting as an eBay shill. He sank slowly ever deeper into his moral quagmire; mainly by choosing to adopt a Sgt Schultz outlook ("I know nothing... NOTHING!") towards the whole stinking mess. Eventually; the young lawyer gives up even that flimsy charade and commits a single act of deliberate forgery that explodes on eBay in a truly unforgettable manner.Kenneth Walton is a wonderful storyteller. His clear prose and spare style move his tale of self-deception right along. I cant recall any other memoir that has impressed me so much for its sheer readability; and the honest and painful regret that is eventually expressed.The real payoff (for both the author and reader) is in witnessing the amount of redeeming character growth which is experienced. In the end; he doesnt whine or complain about being treated unfairly; or try to justify his nefarious behavior. Rather; after finally coming clean; facing the music; making restitution; and accepting a felony conviction; Ken expresses sincere regret for his actions and the harm they caused to his victims (who were often working their own cons) and; most importantly; to his innocent friends and family members whom he let down (and who steadfastly stood by him as the saga unfolded). His denouement reminds me of the moral truth so forcefully expressed in the monologue by Danny DeVitos charactor at the end of the movie The Big Kahuna.A great book!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Tangled webBy stoplossFascinating account of the early days of ebay and one mans getting caught up in their loopholes. Mr. Waltons writing style keeps the reader interested regardless of any disposition toward art or online auctions.The story describes his involvement with procurement of thrift store/antique shop paintings for resale on ebay and the shill bidding and occasional frauds that seem inevitable in an online auction site. He starts out bidding on his own items for sale to stimulate further bidding by others; and eventually picks up a brush and adds ambiguous initials to one of the paintings to encourage speculation about the identity of the painter. That painting gets bid up past $100;000.00 and attracts unwanted attention from the press; previous ebay bidders; and; eventually; the FBI. The feds were; at the time; under moderate public pressure to do something about internet fraud and the authors offenses were lumped together into a felony called "wire fraud". The charge was used by the feds as plea bargain leverage in getting the authors cooperation in convicting his partner.The irony of it is that; in retrospect; it appears that Mr. Walton could have broke away from his "tutor" and made a good living selling these paintings without the shenanigans.