Irish. 1882-1941. The only volume of stories by one of the greatest literary figures of all time, the Dubliners cycle renders key moments in ordinary lives in less arcane prose than that found in Joyce's novels; yet his carefully worded stories prowl deep in seemingly still psychological waters.

Readers will be familiar with Gabler, whose critical edition of Ulysses (CH, Dec'84) continues to excite interest and controversy. While noting that the text of this new edition of Dubliners and that edited for Viking by Robert Scholes in 1967 (now out of print) are "close in their readings," Gabler points out that, taken as a whole, the Garland edition is such that it "encompasses, beyond the words of the text, the totality of its presentation in print." The introduction traces the history of this controversial work, which is further illustrated by examples of manuscript traces that predate the first edition. The text itself is supported by various types of bibliographic apparatus, calculated to provide a definitive reading of Dubliners. It is difficult to say at this point whether this work will receive the same attention devoted to Gabler's Ulysses, but it should interest principally scholars, bibliographers, and graduate students. And, as the Viking edition is no longer in print, the text should serve undergraduates, who may not have to concern themselves with bibliographic matters. J. A. Wiseman; Trent University

Actor Sheridan proves an excellent choice to interpret Joyce's classic story collection, first published in 1914. He brings an authentic Irish accent and an air of gravitas to the 15 tightly observed scen--es of ordinary people around Dublin. He infuses life into Joyce's numerous and wide-ranging characters, from an adolescent boy's stifling infatuation with the girl who lives across the street ("Araby") to the husband and wife whose marriage is haunted by the death of the wife's former lover ("The Dead"), easily handling the shifting points of view from story to story. Each character is given a distinct personality and individual voice. But it is with Joyce's rich descriptive prose that Sheridan's skills shine brightest. His thoughtful and heartfelt delivery captures the full emotional weight of the stories, and by the end the listener has been transported to Joyce's Dublin. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Now here is something special. Widely recognized as one of the greatest collections of short fiction ever produced, Dubliners here gets the red carpet treatment it deserves. Lavishly decorated with more than 300 illustrations of people, places, and things referred to in the text, this oversized volume contains scholarly annotations for each of the 15 stories plus a general introduction to the collection as a whole. Though many less expensive editions are readily available, this illuminated Dubliners offers something for the serious Joycean student and the casual reader alike. A Dubliners to be cherished, it is well worth having if your library's budget can handle it. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.