The House of Blue Light is the second collection of autobiographical "memory poems" by Catholic-schoolboy-gone-bad-turned-poet-made-good David Kirby, a stand-up comic of verse if ever there was one: "in Stardust Memories ... these wise space aliens who visit Earth ... tell [Woody Allen] that if he really wants to serve humanity, / he should tell funnier jokes -- wait, that's my duty, / I think, that's my public duty! Because sooner or later, / ...

"The Earliest English Kings is a sweeping and thorough overview of Anglo-Saxon History from the sixth century to the eighth century and the death of King Alfred. Kirby explains and explores the 'Heptarchy' or the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, as well as the various peoples within them, wars, religion, King Offa, and the coming of the Vikings. In this completely revidsed edition, the author brings this classic book up to date to reflect ...

In What Is a Book? David Kirby addresses the making and consuming of literature by redefining the four components of the act of reading: writer, reader, critic, and book. He discusses his students, his work, and his practice as a teacher, writer, critic, and reader, and positions his theories and opinions as products of "real" life as much as academic exercise. Among the ideas animating the book are Kirby's beliefs that "devotion is more ...

Embracing wit, wide-ranging scholarship, and an equal love of travel as well as the pleasures of home, this latest offering from Kirby depicts comedy as a radical from of intelligence." ...

Winner of the 1987 Brittingham Prize in Poetry. ...

"The Earliest English Kings is a sweeping and thorough overview of Anglo-Saxon History from the sixth century to the eighth century and the death of King Alfred. Kirby explains and explores the 'Heptarchy' or the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, as well as the various peoples within them, wars, religion, King Offa, and the coming of the Vikings. In this completely revidsed edition, the author brings this classic book up to date to reflect ...

Embracing wit, wide-ranging scholarship, and an equal love of travel as well as the pleasures of home, this latest offering from Kirby depicts comedy as a radical from of intelligence." ...

Sets out the political, social, and economic history of Finland, for centuries on the east-west divide of Europe, a country not blessed by nature, but which is one of the most prosperous members of the European Union. This book traces the evolution of the idea of a Finnish national state. ...

By standing on the shoulders of Goethe and Leopardi, Kirby offers a way to read, see, and savor a post-theoretical worldview that everybody can share. ...

By standing on the shoulders of Goethe and Leopardi, Kirby offers a way to read, see, and savor a post-theoretical worldview that everybody can share. ...