Amazon.com
Transpose Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure to New Brunswick's rugged Miramichi River. Surround Job with loose fists, malicious boots, and cold, gallon wine. Invite the Macbeths over for drinks. Add a lame dog named Scupper Pit and you've got the raw ingredients of David Adams Richards's Mercy Among the Children. Set in an isolated, wind-besieged house with bullet holes in the tarpaper walls, Richards's novel wonders-- pointedly, beautifully--whether goodness is merely a luxury.
At the age of 12, having borne more suffering in his child's body than any adult should endure, Sydney Henderson vows never to harm another human soul. Turning his back on the violent alcoholism of his upbringing, self-educated Sydney wins the honest respect of the beautiful Elly and the children they bear. Honest respect, however, is rarely a match for fear and base human opportunism. Manipulated, attacked, and abused by a small community eager for a scapegoat, Sydney loses his job, the health of his wife, and, most importantly, the respect of his son Lyle. "There is no worse flaw in man's character," Richards knows, "than that of wanting to belong."
The superb, controlled, and unapologetic Mercy Among the Children is nothing less than an inquiry into human strength. Richards uses the crack of ribs on a frigid night to remind us of the opportunistic populism of much so- called morality. Mercy, which shared Canada's premier fiction award, the Giller Prize, with Michael Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost, combines the hound dog's attention to locale of fellow Maritimer Alistair MacLeod with the quotidian insight of countryman Timothy Findley's The Wars, especially its reminder that the emotions behind war also drive fights over who should scrub the dinner dishes. --Darryl Whetter
Book Description
When twelve-year-old Sidney Henderson pushes his friend Connie off the roof of a local church in a moment of anger, he makes a silent vow: Let Connie live and I will never harm another soul. At that very moment, Connie stands, laughs, and walks away. Sidney keeps his promise through adulthood despite the fact that his insular, rural community uses his pacifism to exploit him. Sidney's son Lyle, however, assumes an increasingly aggressive stance in defense of his family. When a small boy is killed in a tragic accident and Sidney is blamed, Lyle takes matters into his own hands. In his effort to protect the people he loves -- his beautiful and fragile mother, Elly; his gifted sister, Autumn; and his innocent brother, Percy -- it is Lyle who will determine his family's legacy.
Customer Reviews:
I gave up........2007-05-07
Fine writing, beyond a doubt. I read widely and skip the fluff, but this was just sooooooooo unmitigatedly depressing, page after page of utter misery, that I could not go on. If you are really STRONG, get it, read it. Otherwise, you may never reach the mercy. I didn't.
Fiction on a Monumental and Profound Scale.......2006-09-24
Don't miss this one!
I have just completed this amazing novel, after devouring it in three days. David Adams Richards is a novelist of such staggering power that it is not at all a stretch to compare him with Hardy, Melville, and Tolstoy. His story of Morality, Poverty, Family, Violence, and the inevitable hand of Fate is a controlled steamroller of mounting tragedies, set in motion by a collection of common saints, fools, and monsters, characters in a town bound together by generations of interlocking lives.
Author Richards's unflinching portrait of a family destitute and battered by the condemnation of their community reminded me of the great novel "The Dollmaker" by Harriet Arnow, while the awesomely constructed plot that unfolds with such terrifying inevitability reminded me of that greatest of thrillers, "A Simple Plan" by Scott Smith.
That a book can be such a profound comment on our Humanity, and still be such a monster of a gripping story that you'll be unable to stop reading, is a gift to the lover of great novels.
And it is as affecting to the reader as Greek drama -- it will take me days to come down from the experience of reading it, and perhaps years to find a novel as perfectly formed as Mercy Among The Children.
a book on human morality and values.......2006-06-16
Mercy Among the Children was an incredible book. Dark and movingly dramatic, the characters are poetic martyrs in a strongly written story. Set in the depths of squalor and absolute depravity, we are introduced to the Henderson family, struggling to eke out a living in a small rural community.
Shunned, despised, and ridiculed in so many ways, they strive to conquer the cruelty of human heart through a humbly noble but suffering spirit. All except for Lyle, the narrator, who watches his father, an unrecognized scholar, become a pariah, his beautiful mother become the piteous object of desire and defamation, his sister Autumn the center of ridicule, and his small brother Percy whose painful innocence is undaunted in the face of disappointment after disappointment.
Unlike his sister and mother, Lyle refuses to accept his father's way of quietly refusing to fight back against the antagonists. Throughout the story a seeping rage builds in him from a simmer until we finally see the repercussions of a tormented childhood and early adulthood come full tilt.
This book is brilliantly written. It explores human strengths and weaknesses, morality and intrinsic values, in a raw, almost primeval story of survival.
exquisite.......2006-05-27
I'm finding it hard to find words in our language to describe this book - exquisitely beautiful is all I can come up with - this book is a must read
Haunting.......2005-12-06
I have owned this book for three years now and only recently read it for the first time. The characters of this tragic story will haunt me for some time. The story takes place in an economically depressed region of Canada, the Maritime provinces. Because the characters are the 'have nots' of society they are victimzed for it whether it be those that have and even those who do not. Sadly some even allowed themselves to become victims.
The characters all wear a heavy heart, but there is joy in this story even with its deep sadness. This is the third David Adams Richards novel I have read. Each one is exceptionally written where the region (Chatham, New Brunswick) plays such a significant as well as the theme of GOOD vs EVIL in which is very present, but brilliantly murky thus reminds the reader that to be truly good, one needs to know a bit about evil and so goes the other way. The male and female characters are both strongly presented which I cannot imagine is an easy thing to do since the author like protagonist in the book are male.
I wish that readers after finishing the book will scamper out and pick up other books by the same author and of the same beautiful region of Canada, that is the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland. Believe me, you will not regret this.
Book Description
Before They Could be Blades...
They Were the King's Daggers
Young Stalwart, known as Wart to his fellow students, is expelled from the academy fo King's Blades, only to be plunged into a current of breathless intrigue and danger. Together with Emerald, a former White Sister, Wart must survive corcery, swordplay, ambush, a chimera, a quagmarsh, and more, and uncover a devious plot to assassinate their king...and prove himself worthy of a place among the King's Blades.
Before They Could be BladesThey Were the King's Daggers
Young Stalwart, known as Wart to his fellow students, is expelled from the academy for King's Blades, only to be plunged into a current of breathless intrigue and danger. Together with Emerald, a former White Sister, Wart must survive sorcery, swordplay, ambush, a chimera, a quagmarsh, and more, and uncover a devious plot to assassinate their kingand prove himself worthy of a place among the King's Blades.
Customer Reviews:
Nice side history.......2007-04-12
After hitting all the King's Blades books, I went looking for more Duncan to read. I found this little series, and, loving the Blades, I figured the Daggers would be good, too.
Stalwart is one of the legendary Ironhall students destined for the binding ritual that will ensure his loyalty to the king. But in the time of the Monster War (when evil sorcerers war against the king) there are some things that need a young, but unbound, blade to do. Enter Sir Snake of the guard, and Wart suddenly finds himself the first unbound, but official blade in history. Teaming up with one of the sorcery-sniffing white sisters, recruited in similarly dubious fashion, Wart must find the ringleaders of the Monster War in time to save the king from magical assassination attempts.
While not as good as the main Blade series, these books are a light, entertaining, and fast read. Fast paced with many interesting characters, the plots are simple, but with one or two good twists. These should really be found in the "Young Adult" section of a bookstore, but I still enjoyed them.
The first book I've read by Duncan........2003-01-04
This is truly what I call an exciting and interesting fantasy .I could barely breath in the fight scenes ,and I was greatly intrigued by the way things worked in Chivial.It was slightly confusing at some points,but eventually I could figure it out .I finished this in a day .Here is the plot in more detail than the back will describe .There have been several attempts to assasinate the King ,but nobody knows who is causing them .Stalwart ,a knew member of the Kings Blades is sent on a breath taking quest to find the assasins .This is a really good book!
Solid medieval fantasy.......2002-09-27
Dave Duncan takes his "Blades" series to the young adult level in "Sir Stalwart," a new subseries about a not-yet-bound Blade and his adventures. Well thought-out, well-characterized, and sprinkled with sharp dialogue and a tight political storyline, this is a book for those who like the sword part of sword-and-sorcery.
Stalwart (called Wart) is one of the King's Daggers, one of the young men trained to become the elite Blades when they are older. Unfortunately, he is also shrimpy and sweet-faced, though he is an expert swordsman. When a senior Blade shows up, Wart is not bound through the magical sword-striking ritual, but he is initiated into the Blades through only his word, so he can be sent on a secret mission. Elsewhere, the White Sister Emerald sees a giant spider, and is expelled from the order when she refuses to deny the spider's appearance.
She ends up travelling to another city with the disguised Wart as her driver, but senses that he is not what he claims to be. And when they stop at an inn, Emerald meets a woman with a hideous good-luck charm and a sad-faced doctor who asks for her help. She and Wart soon become enmeshed in a frightening tangle of sorcerers, rogue White Sisters, and a political plot that stretches to the King himself.
Duncan shifts effortlessly into kids/YA territory, with minimal awkwardness. This book is essentially a clean, profanity-less version of his adult Blade tales, with the same fast pacing and heavy machinations. He doesn't dumb down anything for the kids, and so adults will probably enjoy "Sir Stalwart" as much as their kids will. The only signs of transition problems are things like Wart thinking "Oh, vomit!" (at an all-boys academy, he didn't learn to swear?) or the comment "Peculiarer and peculiarer" (an awkward homage to Lewis Carroll?).
His fantasy world is very like medieval Europe, with some not-so-subtle differences. The idea of the Blades (who obey their king because of a magical ritual where they get stuck through the heart with a sword) is exceptional, and plenty is done with this idea. The White Sisters are also given some more dimension, a nunlike order that has the ability to detect magic. Duncan displays that even they are subject to political pressure, even if the means to an end are wrong.
Wart is a likeable hero: He shows fear, courage, irritation, cockiness, humility, and occasionally rage that overshadows everything else. In a reversal of "you can't judge a book by its cover," his sweet boyish exterior hides a passionate swordsman with a somewhat seedy past. Emerald (also known as Lucy Pillow) is a good counterpart as the cool-headed voice of reason, a strong female character with a brain -- and perhaps a future love interest in Wart. Sir Snake will catch attention and interest of the readers, while the repugnant Thrusk will have readers hoping that Wart dispatches him in a particularly gross way.
Fans and newcomers to the Blades series will love this fast-paced, high-intensity fantasy thriller. A great read.
Great book for teens.......2002-02-21
Sir Stalwart is a wonderful book, the first of a trilogy. It has a great plot, the characters are described well, and it's action-packed. Science Fiction or Fantasy fans would like it the most, probably. If you've already read it, go on to the next two, The Crooked House and Silvercloak. Silvercloak's my favorite.
As for plot, Stalwart is sent on a secret mission, a very dangerous secret mission, to help find some people that want to kill King Ambrose. How? They use a White Sister (a person trained to detect magic) for bait. When they (Stalwart and Emerald, the White Sister) are captured by those who they are looking for, and Stalwart meets an old enemy, the suspense builds up until the final scene.
Sir Stalwart is a very entertaining read, a book that can be read over and over. It's a young adult book, and I totally agree with the age rating. BUY THIS BOOK!
A Disappointment.......2001-08-20
Dave Duncan is truely an excellent writer, in the novel The Gilded Chain he demostrated his mastery of his craft. However, I was rather disappointed with this book. He was writing beautifully up until the end when he seemed to cut the story short. It sadden me, to see such a sudden end that was not as rich as the first half of the novel. Which, is why I can only rate this novel with 2 stars, since the ending just killed the story for me. A tale needs to keep the same pace throughout, and this just didn't.
Book Description
The latest Archive Edition spanning the JLA's Silver Ageadventures reprints JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #51-57, 59 and 60, featuringthe return of super-villain threats such as the Royal Flush Gang and theQueen Bee! Plus the fourth JLA/JSA crossover and guest-stars Elongated Man,Hawkgirl and Zatanna.
Customer Reviews:
Classic tales of teamwork, friendship, and justice.......2007-09-21
I held off buying the DC Archive editions for years because of the hefty price. Then I bought a couple used and I saw that they are worth every penny. At least they are worth it if you grew up with these titles. It was amazing how many of these stories (and specific panels) that I personally remembered after nearly 50 years.
Volume seven contains stories originally published in Justice League of America #51-60. The collaboration of Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky was still going strong (we thought that it would never end.) There were many guest stars making an appearance- Zatanna, Zatara, The Elongated Man, Hawkgirl, Batgirl (from the Silver Age), and Mr. Terrific, Hourman, Wildcat, Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt, the adult Robin (from the Golden Age.) It will be noted that the "go-go checks" at the top of the cover came to an end in this collection- as the super-hero craze that had started in '66 slowly began to fade.
These stories look better on the high-grade, glossy paper than they did when first printed- and much, much better than they look on old, yellow newsprint. The maroon leatherette covers (with the Justice League of America logo embossed in silver) are first rate- though I would never take the heavy, glossy jackets off of them.
Treat yourself to the age of true heroes.
Zatanna Leads Off This One..........2005-01-17
This is the top of the run of Mike Sekowsky's art, here is the Justice League in all its glory. Starting in Volume 8 we see a changing of art and writing styles as the line up changes. But for now we have the classic JLA line up.
The volume leads off with the wrap-up of the Zatanna storyline that wove its way through several DC titles in the 60's as she searched for her father (available as a trade paperback on its own-just do a search for Zatanna).
Good old silver age fun ensues with the reapperance of the Queen Bee, yet another Crisis and crossover with the Justice Society of America from earth two, and the League gets an assist from the newly minted Batgirl.
Issue #57 is reprinted which served up the well meaning (but sometimes heavy handed) lesson in racial/cultural tolerance "Man, Thy Name Is Brother."
It does not get any more fun than this. Get braced 'cause in volume #8 Dick Dillin takes over the artistic reins and the JLA would never be the same again.
Make way for the JLA.......2004-08-31
These books are awesome. Buy 'em, read 'em and read 'em again. These are all classic stores.
Book Description
It behooves the African anthropologist to use every scientific discipline that modern technology has to offer, in the tradition of Chiekh Anta Diop, to acquire the correct perspective on African high culture and civilization. Now is the time for Africans to wrestle Egyptology from the clutches of the distorters of our civilization, by a more forceful and public attack on their lies. We must expose to the light of truth, every falsification and every claim of a European or Asian origin of Kemit and re-establish the link with our ancestors for the sake of our children.
Customer Reviews:
Unbelievable........2006-02-19
Africans are truly God in the flesh. We are beginning to ressurect once again like Asar(Osiris)!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eye opening.......2001-09-03
For those people interested in the historical significane and powerful meaning of the ankh, as well as its scientific properties this book would be great reading for you.
My one suggestion to any reader would be, keep an open mind. It is not a book rooted in the status quo, by any means. Some of the scientific evidence is truly intriguing but if you are not accustomed to reading about electromagnetism and the properties of it, then this might be a little hard to follow at times.
Overall, this book did raise my eyebrows more than a few times and sparked my interest to learn more.
Average customer rating:
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Chocolate: A Sweet Indulgence
Carolyn Miller
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Chocolate
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0756757622 |
Customer Reviews:
A beautiful book.......1999-06-11
I will buy any book Sara Slavin provides the art direction for. Her books are so beautiful and they are perfect companion resources for the subject matter they cover.
Book Description
WINNER of the BEST SPECIALIZED BOOK for Numismatic Investments: NLG Annual Writers' Competition for 2003. Provides an overview, analysis and history of proof and mint sets issued by the US Mint from 1936 to date.
Average customer rating:
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Color: The Essence of You
Suzanne Caygill
Manufacturer: Celestial Arts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0890871957 |
Average customer rating:
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A Little Book Of Alphabets & Aphorisms: The Engraved Work of Leo Wyatt
Manufacturer: Pocket Paragon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Alphabet
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1567921396 |
Product Description
Working a steel burin by hand through boxwood, copper or steel is a skill that has been all but abandoned in this age of photomechanical reproduction. It requires patience, strength and an unerring sense of how the whole will develop from lines that once engraved are not easily erased. One of this century's masters was Leo Wyatt, an artist born in South Africa, settling, most appropriately, in Newcastle-on-Tyne (the home of Thomas Bewick who virtually invented the technique) and who took up wood engraving after he turned fifty. He was also a man who passionately loved the Roman and cursive alphabet in all its infinite variety.
What we have attempted in this lovely, small volume is to give a sense of the vitality and virtuosity of Wyatt's engravings. Selecting what we feel are his best alphabets and aphorisms, we have printed them in four flat colors and provided a preface that provides a brief introduction to the man, his life, and the technique he made his own.
Average customer rating:
- A must have for comedy aficionados
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Ventriloquism for Dummies: Life of a Comedian
John Wing
Manufacturer: Black Moss Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Comedy
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0887533701 |
Book Description
Ventriloquism for Dummies is based on the life of comedian John Wing and his education into standup comedy. It starts with his trying to be funny as a boy in Sarnia leading to his leaving university degree-less and moving to Toronto in 1980, where the real work began. The bulk of the story takes place from 1980 to 1987, when he worked in ten provinces, fifteen states, fifty weeks out of fifty-two, forty-seven out of town. The year ended with his first national U.S. television exposure. It will include the two years on Amateur night, learning to write jokes, then learning to write jokes that worked, then finally learning to write jokes that worked for him. The building of the comedian from all sides -- from the drug paraphernalia in one pocket to the pack of DuMaurier King size and the cocktail napkins filled with illegible scribbling in the other. The struggle that many endured to come out on the other side with a living and a functioning liver.
In addition to the history of the Toronto comedy institution, Yuk Yuks Komedy Kabaret, the joke history, the road history (from Vulcan, AB to Sarasota, FL), and what he is able to recall about the drug history, there will also be a considerable amount of shameless name-dropping. This is fair, as Wing sees it, since the group of people who passed through Yuk Yuks with him in the 1980s was as glittering an array of talent as that of any other time and place ever produced, many names that everyone will be familiar with from TV and movies.
After over 100 television appearances, including six Tonight Shows, 3 books of poetry, two children, one marriage, and over a thousand auditions for TV commercials without ever appearing in one, John Wing now ventures into that most subjective of artistic endeavors, the prose memoir.
Customer Reviews:
A must have for comedy aficionados.......2003-08-08
For anyone interested in what the life of a standup is really like, this is an excellent book. The stories of John Wing's development as a comic are both entertaining and interesting. His assessments of others involved in the business are very frank, sometimes brutally so (did I mention it was interesting?). This book will also be of interest to those starting out in the standup field. Although it's not written as a how to book, it contains excellent advice. A thoroughly enjoyable read from one of the top working standup comics today.
Customer Reviews:
Tropical Plant Information.......2001-11-16
I felt this book was an excellent source of identification for tropical plants. It has photos, common and scientific names and useful information to assist the tropical gardner. The only thing I would have liked to have seen in the book was information regarding whether the plant liked sun or shade, low or high watering. I live on a tropical island and this book was an excellent source of identification.
Fabulous reference book.......2000-07-05
I have been planting two gardens,one at home and one at my son's school and I haven't been able to find any reference books as good as this one. It has helped immensely to determine the type of plant, where to plant it, history of the plant, colors, size, bushiness, and the origin of the plant. I wish I had had it when I started the landscaping and was very excited to find it to help me out with the rest of my work.
Average customer rating:
- Condescending, racist, out of date
- Not ideal for true shoppers
- out of date and incorrect
- Good but could be better
- Indispensible shopping guide for a China Trip
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Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop Hong Kong, Shanghai & Beijing, Second Edition
Suzy Gershman ,
Aaron Gershman , and
Jenny McCormick
Manufacturer: Frommers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Retailing
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Hong Kong
| Asia
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| China
| Asia
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Beijing
| China
| Asia
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Shanghai
| China
| Asia
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Travel Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
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National Geographic Traveler China (National Geographic Traveler)
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Shop in Shenzhen - An Insider's Guide
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China (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
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Fodor's Beijing and Shanghai, 1st Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides)
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Fodor's Pocket Shanghai, 2nd Edition: The All-in-One Guide to the Best of the City Packed with Places to Eat, Sleep, Shop, and Explore (Pocket Guides)
ASIN: 0764525603 |
Book Description
"Gershmans may be the best guide for novice and pro shoppers alike." —The Washington Post
For nearly twenty years, Suzy Gershman has been leading savvy shoppers to the worlds best finds. Now Born to Shop Hong Kong, Shanghai & Beijing is easier to use and packed with more up-to-date listings than ever before.
Inside youll find:
- Whats hot in Hong Kong, from hip new fashions and designer labels to porcelain, jade, and colorful markets
- The best of Shanghai, from the Old City to the exciting new Pudong area
- Terrific buys in Beijing, from the Silk Market to the Pearl Market to the famous antiques street of Liulichang
- A completely new section on Hanoi and its unique treasures such as contemporary art, sophisticated lacquer, and funky ethnic fashions
Customer Reviews:
Condescending, racist, out of date.......2005-05-16
Gershman's entries for Shanghai--a place that's truly heaven for shoppers--were awful. The places she recommended were tourist traps, her comments were perfunctory, and her information was woefully out of date (not by one year, but by several). There wasn't one valid tip in that entire section of the book. Hey, if she doesn't like shopping, eating in Shanghai or staying there, then why is someone forcing her to write a book on it. Of the five guides I bought before traveling there, this is far and away the worst!
Not ideal for true shoppers.......2005-01-10
A bunch of my girlfriends and I live in Hong Kong and are serious shoppers in Asia. We found this book to be outdated, commercialized and definitely not clued in to where the best shopping lies, particularly for Shanghai and Beijing. There are so many wonderful boutiques which were not included. You are likely to get the same information from the local hotel concierge if not more.
out of date and incorrect.......2004-10-20
Advice given regards places and items was either out of date or just plain wrong. China, especially in cities likeBeijing and Shanghai, is changing so fast I suggest using only guides with current year copyright dates.
Good but could be better.......2004-01-03
Good solid tips on where to go for good shopping for the 1st time visitor, but it could be organized better as it tends to jump around and return to the same topic. For example, in Shanghai, the book mentions the Dong Tai Market under Bargaining, Old City, Antiques and Antiques Market when it could have been in one section.
Also, for Hong Kong, the book gives a plug for the Hong Tourism Agency (p.44). However, beware their "QTS" seal of approval for trustworthy stores. I got ripped off at one of their approved stores (Louvre Jewelry) and they said they could not help address the problem.
Indispensible shopping guide for a China Trip.......2003-11-01
I just returned from a tour of China and this book was a tremendous resource and was the most popular book on the tour. We used it to have a fun shopping trip to the Pearl Market in Beijing and found it a useful resource for items to buy all over China. It had a good section on price bargaining and some helpful tips on transportation within the three cities. China had great prices and wonderful buys. This book is a must have for your trip to China.
Customer Reviews:
It's good it's short.......2004-12-09
John Marshall was born to a lower class of aristocracy on 24th of September 1755. His parents, Thomas Marshall and Mary Randolph Keith were uncommon people. Mary Keith Randolph connected her family to other upper echelon families of Virginia, families like the Jeffersons, the Lees and, of course, the Randolphs. Thomas Marshall however, did not come from the best families, or even one of them. He did however manage to work his way through the layers of society by being appointed to government positions. Stites unfortunately does not show the reader why his Thomas Marshall was appointed or thought qualified. The important fact however, is that the Marshalls became an important family in an important colony.
John Marshall followed in his father's footsteps, climbing even higher in Virginia society. After fighting in the American Revolution, becoming a local war-hero he was elected to the House of Delegates, representing his native Fauquier County. Establishing himself as an up and coming young gentleman he married, and married well. Polly Ambler was one of Jaquelin Ambler and Rebecca Burwell's daughters. The Amblers were of the most prominent families in Virginia.
Now with his new bride and plans coming together, Marshall moved to Richmond to practice law. He had not been an outstanding law student, however, he had shown general aptitude in understanding government and law. He was young and had very little, but with hard work and calculation he excelled.
Within three years Marshall became "a leading member of the Richmond bar". This was no mean task as there were many well established and men already practicing at Richmond. His law career took off, leading to judicial appointments and even cabinet positions. He eventually became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, where he stabilized the unpredictable court.
The private life of John Marshall, as Stites portrays it, impresses on the reader that Marshall had black piercing eyes and had a wonderful, passionate marriage. At the end of the book Stites apologizes for the several passages on Marshall's gaze by admitting, "John Marshall was a careless record keeper who simply did not believe the records of his life worth preserving." His record of Marshall's public life is different.
This difference is because "Without the public records of his career as a lawyer, legislator, and chief justice, we would have only fragments, many gleaned from the more carefully preserved records of his correspondents". Stites admits that most information about Marshall comes from Public records.
Marshall was a Federalist. He became established in politics through his ties with Federalists. The party enjoyed his support, especially because of his sway in Jefferson's home territory of Virginia. He became involved in the Adams's administration as a delegate to France during the difficult times with that country. Also while serving in the Adams administration he was appointed to the chief justice seat on the
Supreme Court. Once in office he revolutionized the judicial branch of the United States government. He fought for judicial review, providing the Supreme Court to the interpreters of the Constitution. He also worked to bring the National government into a place of authority over states. Marshall's influence also brought unanimous decisions to the court, making it an impartial branch of government.
Among his lasting impressions of the court itself was that before Marshall was appointed to the court, it was very difficult to keep judges on the bench. They would constantly resign after a short period. Marshall attributed this hardship to the difficult routine of judges under the system of courts that were in place then. Instead of resigning, Marshall retired the system, putting a more efficient one in its place. After Marshall was appointed no one found higher callings, except when their Maker called them.
The significance of Marshall's relationship with Jefferson was not very well explored by Stites. Stites being the sole source of information on this relationship, the reader is left not knowing.
I did not like Stites. Marshall, I felt was able to come through a little, in spite of Stites and his apologies. Coming to know a smidgen of Marshall, I also have a better appreciation for Federalists and what they were about as a whole.
Average customer rating:
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Kommunikation Vernetzt 2000
Volker Albus , and
Volker Fischer
Manufacturer: Art Books Intl Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Arts & Photography
| German
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| German
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ASIN: 3898020231 |
Customer Reviews:
Very informative !.......2001-02-09
A very informative book for Bedlington Terrier fanciers. The book contents include: Characteristics of the Bedlington Terrier, the history of the breed, famous sires and dams, The Bedlington Terrier Club of America, the breed standard, the illustrated standard, purchasing your Bedlington Terrier, breeding, health, grooming, the Bedlington in the show ring, National Specialty winners 1982 - 1998, Gallery of Specialty Winners, and working with a Bedlington Terrier.
Amazon.com
For those gardeners intimidated by the thought of planning color symphonies, creating color echoes, or applying any color theory to the garden as a whole, Choosing Plant Combinations will come as a welcome relief. Granted, color is the single most important effect gardeners work with--nothing is more important to the first impression a garden gives and the emotional response it evokes. However, color can be a challenge to work with, as it depends greatly on surrounding colors, quality of light, and individual perception.
The author, Cathy Wilkinson Barash, describes her book as "a non-designer's garden design book." Her idea, and it is a good one, is that pleasing gardens are built combination by combination. You don't need an overall scheme, but rather dozens of workable combos of two or three plants that, seen as a whole, make up a garden. All plants are clearly identified in 250 full-color photographs that illustrate ideas for effective combinations. Barash also explores the role colored and variegated foliages, architecturally shaped plants, and ornamental grasses play in creating pleasing, long-lasting combinations.
While the book's design (graphically lively to the point of excess) itself is questionable, the photographs are nevertheless lovely and may inspire gardeners to experiment, loosen up, and help them to worry less about using color. Nothing can set a mood or enliven a garden more than the bold use of color and form, and Barash's new book provides plenty of ideas to encourage gardeners to do just that, one plant combination at a time. --Valerie Easton
Book Description
This book does the homework for anyone who wants to create a beautiful garden but lacks the time to plan and design. It helps readers achieve maximum effect with minimum effort, with examples of combinations in the book for a bold or subdued look.
Gorgeous, full-color photographs of different plant combinations based on color and form.
Plant combinations shown give optimum effect using the aesthetics of color and form—including single color, bold color, subtle color, similar form, subtle form, and bold form.
Suggests alternative plants that give the same look and add to the regional diversity of the plant material included.
Combinations are adaptable to all regions of America.
Includes complete cultural information and mail-order sources for every plant shown.
Customer Reviews:
Stunningly beautiful.......2000-03-24
If you're looking for inspiration, this is a gorgeous book. Packed with beautiful photos and unusual plant combinations.
I've been too busy drooling at the photos to read, but this is one of the most beautiful-to-look-at gardening books I've seen this year.
Ideal if you are trying to design around a colour scheme, or just want inspiration to get started.
Average customer rating:
- Scheidel and Saller's Simplistic Suppositions
|
Debating Roman Demography (Mnemosyne, Bibliotheca Classica Batava Supplementum)
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9004115250 |
Customer Reviews:
Scheidel and Saller's Simplistic Suppositions.......2005-11-15
Walter Scheidel has put together a well researched and erudite text on Roman demography, featuring work by some of the field's most eminent scholars; however, the endorsement by the pre-eminent Roman demographer in America of the erroneous thesis of Richard Saller (Patriarchy, Property & Death, Cambridge University Press, 1994), who is featured in this book, and Brent Shaw- that Roman males married on average at twenty-eight and females at age nineteen - is disappointing. As has been shown in The Age of Marriage in Ancient Rome (The Edwin Mellen Press, 2003), the ages at first marriages of Latin speakers were actually between fifteen and nineteen for males, twelve and sixteen for females: as almost everyone had assumed before Saller began to analyze dedications on epitaphs in 1983. (see: Friedlander, Ludwig. Darstellungen aus der Sittengeschichte Roms in der Zeit von Augustus bis zum Ausgang der Antonine. 10th ed., 4 vols. Leipzig, 1922.)
What the epitaphs actually show is that by twenty-eight most husbands had in fact lost their fathers, who always commemorated sons as long as they could, with the result that their wives thereafter became their principal commemorators. Likewise by nineteen most wives had living children, so that their husbands, who therefore got to keep the dowry, overtook their wives' fathers as commemorators. Scheidel has challenged anyone disputing Saller's assertion to prove his claim, stating that the burden of proof rests on his shoulders, rather than on Saller's. Why should this be the case - whatever modern fertility transition theory argues - when it is Saller who has made the revisionist claims against the accepted demographic interpretation?
Book Description
Art and religion are two words that have no equivalents in languages spoken by Native Americans. Yet these intensely spiritual people created objects for everyday use that are unsurpassed for sheer beauty, originality, and craftsmanship. The Spirit of Native America explains this apparent contradiction in language as rich in symbolism as the art itself. Stunning full-color photography augments the text, yielding a new perspective on this often misunderstood facet of Native American culture.
Customer Reviews:
Visually inspiring........1998-05-17
This book is a culmination of all that makes us part of the earth. The beauty that The American Indian sees is one of pure refinement and Mother Nature content. This book recently inspired a twelve-year old to paint, in an expression of renaissance art, for a history project at Malibu. High School. The picture is Crooked River, Maine (photographed by Willard Clay).
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- Mister Posterior and the Genius Child
- Motherhood Made a Man Out of Me: A Novel
- Mr Wroe's Virgins
- My Dying Breath
- Next Door Lived a Girl
- Odd Corners: The Slip-Stream World of William Hjortsberg
- Peace Breaks Out: A Novel (Thirkell, Angela Mackall, Works.)
- Perfect: A Novel
- Prayer-Cushions of the Flesh
- Revival: An Anthology of the Best Black Canadian Writing
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