Wild Flowers in Danger

Amazon.com

There's no avoiding it; New Jersey has a very bad rep. I ought to know: I was raised there. I heard all the New Jersey jokes, suffered all the sneers, all the smart comments just dripping with contumely. But I'm grown now, enough to appreciate the riches of New Jersey, enough to welcome a book such as the one William and Kay Scheller have turned out that ditches the turnpike for the steadfast glories of the Pine Barrens and the Kittatinny Mountains, and the newly chic charms of Hoboken. From the black basalt cliffs of the Palisades to the marshy treasure of the Hackensack Meadows (in which more than 270 species of birds have been observed), New Jersey is more wilderness than most people realize. But there's history, too. New Jersey, well established and well settled by the time the War for Independence shook up the colonies, was known as the "Cockpit of the Revolution" and was no less essential to the following industrial revolution.

Home to the Battle of Trenton, Thomas Edison, and thousands of acres of preserved primeval freshwater wetlands, there is in fact no end to rewarding New Jersey destinations, excursions, and activities, if one plucks one's nose from the air and has an idea of where to look. To this end, the Schellers' guide is an excellent reference. A fount of historical tidbits, cultural oddities, and New Jersey savvy, Off the Beaten Path meanders from the African Art Museum of the S.M.A. Fathers to Lambert Castle, Turtle Back Zoo to the Turkish Kitchen, South Mountain Reservation to the Clam Broth House--and that's just in the urban Northeast. They provide the same eclectic service for Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey plus the long narrow strip known as the Shore. Whether you live in New Jersey and want to counter your friends' sassy comments or are traveling through and want to see more than a stretch of highway, the Schellers' advice is thoroughly trustworthy and a pleasure to read. --Stephanie Gold

Book Description

For travelers looking to avoid the crowd, this guide will help them discover the unique "must-see" attractions of the Garden State. Go beyond the usual tourist attractions to discover such hidden treasures as Lambert Castle, Well-Sweep Herb Farm, or The Bridgeton Hall of Fame All Sports Museum. Whatever you do when you get to New Jersey, get off the interstate-and take this book with you!

Off the Beaten Path - New Jersey: A Guide to Unique Places (Insiders Guide: Off the Beaten Path)

Average customer rating:

Off the Beaten Path - New Jersey: A Guide to Unique Places (Insiders Guide: Off the Beaten Path)
William G. Scheller , and Kay Scheller
Manufacturer: Globe Pequot Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Insiders | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

Off the Beaten Path | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1564406946

Average customer rating:

One of the best financial books I have ever read!

The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living Your Dreams....at Any Age You Want (New Retire-Mentality)
Mitch Anthony
Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Retirement Income Redesigned: Master Plans for Distribution: An Adviser's Guide for Funding Boomers' Best Years

Your Clients for Life: The Definitive Guide to Becoming a Successful Financial Planner

Get Inspired to Retire: Over 150 Ideas to Help Find Your Retirement

Your Client's Story

Storyselling for Financial Advisors : How Top Producers Sell

ASIN: 1419537245
Release Date: 2006-03-01

Book Description

The vision of a retirement spent playing golf or sipping martinis can be more of a dead end than a dream. For many people, retirement may span 30 years or longer and will not be viewed as an isolated economic event but rather a part of ongoing life planning.

In a comprehensive update of The New Retirementality, popular author Mitch Anthony revisits and expands on his groundbreaking concept of Retirementality—the ability to achieve the freedom to pursue life’s goals, at one’s own pace, on one’s own terms, and at any age. This book will help readers say goodbye to dreary financial opinions and hello to a whole new way of planning for retirement.

Drawing on the latest research on lifestyles and employment, Anthony debunks common myths about retirement, such as ""Age 65 is old,"" ""My retirement income will be spent on pills and doctor bills,"" and ""Retirement means not working."" Then, he gives readers a brand-new blueprint for retirement—from making a meaningful transition and maintaining a network of connections, to contributing through volunteerism and philanthropy, while ensuring there’s enough money to last a lifetime. Innovative ideas and planning techniques from top advisors in the financial world make this book stand out from others on the shelf. Anthony demonstrates that a life well lived after retirement should closely resemble life before retirement, filled with friends, family, work, travel, and hobbies. For the more than 77 million baby boomers on the cusp of retirement, The New Retirementality helps paint a detailed portrait of this ideal future and how to achieve it.

Highlights

Author Mitch Anthony reveals the latest thinking about retirement to show readers:Why our culture has undergone a transformational shift concerning retirement and how to adapt to this changeHow to calculate income for life using powerful new methods from leading analysts and plannersWhat are the vital signs that indicate retirement is the right decisionHow to live a vibrant life and find meaning outside the traditional world of work

Customer Reviews:

One of the best financial books I have ever read!.......2007-01-23

I highly reccomend this book to all of my financial planning clients. This book will challenge many of the traditional views/plans of most Americans and I believe will point you to an optimal plan for your life. It is a great read- very interesting. Mitch Anthony is a gifted author and his other books targeted to advisors are great as well.

Book Description

Tips on caring for your cat while protecting native wildlife.

Customer Reviews:

Envirocat - answer to cat questions.......2001-05-21

This is honest-to-goodness one of the BEST cat books I have ever seen. This book gives you simple ideas on how both you and your cat can get the most out your relationship. You do not need to have expensive toys to amuse your cat... this book tells you simple things that work just as well (if not better) AND my favourite part of this book.... the body language decoded... tell what your cat is thinking by the way she moves her tail, flicks her ears and even what she is thinking when she has you in her teeth and is kicking you with her hind legs (and you always knew it was NOT a good thing!).

Seriously this book is great.. for you, your cat and the environment!!

an enviromentally friendly cat.......2000-07-04

this book is fairly good. t talks about cats and how your cat can be an evrirocat. t explains bathing and even covers a lillte bit of training like sit etc. It enourages your cat to stay inside to respect the environment and to get it to wear a belt. It does cover almost anything you will need to know about your cat and safe responsible ownership.

Average customer rating:

Drop the religion

Needs a New Title

A "gentle" anarchist author?

eye opening!

This is an important book

Knitting for Anarchists
Anna Zilboorg
Manufacturer: Unicorn Books for Craftsmen Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Confessions of a Knitting Heretic

Unexpected Knitting

Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks

Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitters' Guide: Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Pictures

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop

ASIN: 0966915372

Customer Reviews:

Drop the religion.......2006-09-30

The biblical and creator references in this book are overwhelming. I thought I was buying a book about knitting, but found the references too distracting to be able to focus on her knitting instructions.

Needs a New Title.......2006-08-11

There are a surprising number of rules and opinions laid down in a book advocating knitting anarchy. I found it sort of preachy and self-important.

A "gentle" anarchist author?.......2006-04-11

I did not buy this book for the designs---nobody should, and they are not the point of the book anyhow. I bought it to review the technical information for my knitting classes, which according to some other knitting teachers, was first rate and unbiased, in this book.
Instead, on page 24, this supposedly hyper-tolerant and unbiased author lets creep in a definite intolerance towards Continental Purling, saying "it takes quite a contortion" and refers to "being blocked by the difficult maneuver". While she does say in boldface everyone should knit however they want, just a few pages earlier, why then include the various slams against Continental purlers? It is simply another way to knit, and I am not the only one who does not find it contortious or difficult, at all.
The other reason I do not give more stars to this book, is that the information given is really nothing new---Elizabeth Zimmermann's several offerings include all of the technical information of this tome, including the now-sacrosanct discussion of how the stitch is mounted (leading leg/edge, whatever you wanna call it these days) and have some truly beautiful classic designs to boot. If you're looking for good coverage of knitting technique, you'll do much better with any of the Zimmermann classics.

eye opening!.......2005-02-14

I only just picked up a copy of this book the other day, but already it's having a profound effect on the way I look at my knitting.

It's not a pattern book, and it won't make you hip, but it will explain how knitting actually works, and how knitters can make that work for them. Zilboorg's book is a real eye opener, and equips those of us who do our stitches a little differently with the knowledge and ability to deflect purists, stitch nazis, and other fiber arts authoritarians when they tell us we're doing it wrong, and show them that our stitches are perfect regardless of whether we knit Continental or English, leading leg in front or back, or if we wrap clockwise or counterclockwise.

This is an important book.......2005-02-03

For several years I've been told by friends that I ought to lay hands on a copy of this book, before it goes out of print. When I finally found one and spent an evening reading it, I discovered why there is such a buzz about the book.

Although you may be drawn to the colorful pages and designs (which are only a small part of the volume), what lies at the heart of this book are its sensible, clear, illuminating explanations of how those loops operate as they slide across your needles, leaning this way and that. Anna admits that it was not particularly appealing to her to so thoroughly describe the characteristics of stitches, but she seems to have dedicated herself to the task and succeeded very well. In fact, her explanations are really quite engaging, because they are so illuminating.

Once you take the time to read through her pages, studying her illustrations, you will never again knit without understanding what your stitches are doing. Basically, Anna has taken the time to open her eyes to the movements of stitches, and articulated and illustrated it well enough for the rest of us to benefit from her examination. If this sounds hopelessly abstract, it isn't - it's liberating and right before you.

Now that I've read the book myself, I have begun to recommend it in all the workshops I teach. It answers one question I hear several times every workshop, which is: "Why does this stitch lean the wrong way/what should I do about it?" This question will never mystify you again, and the concept of a wrong way will vanish.

Cat Bordhi, author of Socks Soar on two Circular Needles, A Treasury of Magical Knitting, and A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting.

Average customer rating:
Gardener's Essential Companion: Proven Advice and Lively Information to Help You Garden Smarter, Not Harder
Dora Galitzki
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NZSSF6

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Loved It!

The GARDENER'S ESSENTIAL COMPANION: Proven Advice and Lively Information to Help You Garden Smarter, Not Harder
Dora Galitzki
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0684863219

Amazon.com

"Heloise's Helpful Hints" meets "Dear Abby" for the gardening set, The Gardener's Essential Companion will quickly become dog-eared and dirty from repeated referencing. The combination of solid how-to's, practical advice, and wry observations makes for easy, entertaining reading. Galitzki, a gardening columnist for The New York Times and a contributor to Martha Stewart Living, advocates finding pleasure in getting down in the dirt--because the resulting garden doesn't always turn out as you intended. Ah, nature! Filled with spittlebugs, powdery mildew, and overly wet springtimes. These variables are out of the gardener's control and the sooner you accept that, Galitzki says, the sooner you will be serenely puttering in your little patch of earth.

Whether you need help with a traveling yellow slime mold on new mulch (keep scooping it off; it'll disappear when the mulch dries--it's not harmful, just disgusting) or want to grow your own gingerroot (it's tough, time-consuming, and not really worth it), you'll find Galitzki a humorous, no-nonsense voice of reason. The chapters are organized straightforwardly and succinctly cover a large variety of questions and situations. Later chapters explore being green in the city and people's need to touch the earth. Since Galitzki is based in the Northeast, many of her examples are specific to that region; nonetheless, her "get out there and garden" attitude and homespun advice are inspiring and will ring true no matter where you live. --Dana Van Nest

Book Description

Hundreds of Ideas on Improving Your Garden

"Since a garden is an attempt to impose our human sense of order and beauty on nature, it is also the perfect place to discover what a ridiculous idea that really is."

As readers of her popular New York Times column know, Dora Galitzki seamlessly combines solid gardening how-to with wry and knowing observations about the gardener's life. Organized in an easy-to-use format, The Gardener's Essential Companion provides tips on what to do when plants succumb to disease or weather; the basics of selecting the best plants for a garden and keeping them healthy; great ideas for growing unusual plants (like chicory for coffee or night-fragrant flowers); creating a garden to attract butterflies; and much more. Galitzki's gardening-with-an-attitude approach encourages readers to improve their skills, to find creative solutions to gardening problems, and to learn what works best in their own garden or yard.

Beautifully illustrated, The Gardener's Essential Companion is an invaluable reference and an inspiring guide for novice and experienced gardeners alike.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Loved It!.......2000-07-09

Smarts,humor, a great guide to learning how to garden and while keeping a smile on your face!

Book Description

You collect a lot of memories over a lifetime. Here is the place to keep them.

First there was To Our Children's Children: Preserving Family Histories for Generations to Come. A collection of over one thousand evocative questions, the book offered a very personal, human approach to genealogy, awakening readers to the possibility of creating a family history through the simple act of remembering.

From this book, hundreds of thousands of individuals have learned the value of passing on family treasures made of words. However, readers kept asking Bob Greene and D.G. Fulford for a version of the book with room to record the answers.

The To Our Children's Children Journal is just that: a handy and beautiful journal posing 365 questions (one for each day of the year), with ample space for families to write their own answers. Approachable, enjoyable, and thought-provoking, the Journal is a pleasure to read and to ponder--something that, once completed, will become a lasting part of any family's history, to be put on the bookshelf and treasured for generations to come.

Customer Reviews:

To Our Children's Children Journal of Family Memeories.......2007-01-11

I think it is a wonderful book. I gave it to my parents, now let's hope they fill it out.

Jan

Well thought out........2007-01-10

The questions are well thought out and interesting. This book has challenged me to revist my past and my family's past. Most important it has guided me to what it is that I want my children to know and remember about it all.

Family Memories Review.......2006-11-10

I bought this for family members for Christmas! Great gift for parents and grandparents who are hard to buy for.

Family History Journal.......2006-02-25

This is a wonderful gift to leave your children. The questions are ones that you may not think to ask. When completed, you are leaving your children something that money can not buy.

DON'T WRITE IN THIS BOOK!!!!.......2006-02-12

Now that I've spent hours filling in much of this book, I'm appalled to notice that the pages are NOT ARCHIVAL QUALITY. A family keepsake on ACID-BASED PAPER that will disintegrate in a few years? What were the authors and publishers thinking? I mean besides how to make a bigger profit....

Our Family Travel Journal (Travel Journal Guides)

Average customer rating:

best family journal

Our Family Travel Journal (Travel Journal Guides)
AAA
Manufacturer: AAA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1562518003

Book Description

Up to five family members can share individual vacation highlights in this easy-to-use journal. Common journal entry pages allow kids to read parents' comments and jot down their own notes as they learn from example how to plan, organize, and document a trip. Special features include helpful packing tips, travel trivia, a wacky story template, and games galore. This is the only journal for travelers who want to capture and cherish those magical family vacation moments.

Customer Reviews:

best family journal.......2007-07-14

We used this journal two years ago for a month long trip in Europe. All four of us, including my then 6 and 10 year old sons, made entries every day. The journal made it easy. We look at it now and really enjoy remembering our trip. I am so glad I can still get my hands on it. I am ordering extras so I have it for our 3 week trip to the East Coast and for future trips.

Book Description

A key work of 1970s conceptual art, currently undergoing a major revival of interest. This is a new edition of a classic conceptual-art text first published in 1976. Long out of print and much sought-after, Art and Social Function starts from the position that 'art practice operates within an environment of institutions and groups of people which effectively maintain it as an identifiable activity within society'. Instead of preaching to the converted - those already within 'art's social environment' who are concerned about such questions as what constitutes an artwork - Willats argues that the artist should embrace the concept of pluralism and with it the relativism of the audience's perception and the context-dependency of the artwork. As well as providing a theoretical framework, Art and Social Function documents two large-scale projects - one in west London and the other in Edinburgh - and introduced Meta Filter, an interactive machine designed to develop the relationships between individuals, and between individuals and groups through the examination of differing perceptions of social coding structures. 77 b/w photographs and diagrams.

Book Description

The inspiring story of one woman's journey of healing and transformation.

Sara Hall's life seemed perfect: a wealthy husband, a big house in an affluent suburb, three healthy children. But the surface of Hall's life hid a marriage filled with sorrow and pain. One day, at age forty-two, Hall sees a lone figure rowing in the harbor, and that image becomes her holy grail.

In this richly layered memoir, the author tells how her determination to master rowing a single shell gave her the courage to free herself from the dark forces of abuse in her childhood and the failure of her marriage. In lyrical prose, Hall describes the rigors of rowing, the elation of winning, the joy of total engagement in passionate enterprise, and the triumph of breaking free. Ultimately, she declares sovereignty over her life and wins a world championship gold medal. Drawn to the Rhythm is a brave and soulful book, written for all women who seek to find their strength and voice. 16 pages of b/w photographs. Reading group guide included.

Customer Reviews:

Engine Room Starboard.......2007-06-18

I borrowed a teammate's copy of this book and was disappointed. I would agree Ms. Hall has certain gifts as a writer and I'm sure journaling this was therapeutic for her, but I think I'd like to read her husband's account as well - like the old saying goes, it takes two to tango. Fortunately most gen x women finally understand that economic self-sufficiency & having one's own career is the way to go from the beginning (i.e., to avoid dependence on another).

Hmm -interesting.......2007-06-07

I've read Sara Hall's book a couple of times. She's a fantastic writer.

Some of the recent reviews are interesting. It's my impression that Ms. Hall downplayed her absusive husband and in fact treated him with not just kindness but with necessary kid gloves in her portrayal.

Her book reminded me of other women I know who have been in non physically abusive marriages. The horror of her truly sociopathic husband is evident between the lines in her book. What actually took place in her marriage is likely far worse than the reader can imagine.

Curiously enough after reading Hall's book the last two reviews seem as if they could have been written by a very angry, very disturbed ex-huband.

I hope that Ms. Hall has moved on. Her book demonstrates that she has the pluck to do just that. Somehow I doubt very much that her ex-huband does

NOT Drawn..........2006-07-22

Many reviews led me to believe this book would be inspirational... but I just found myself thinking that Sara Hall was the most histrionic writer that I have read in years... her approach to her children was deplorable, her constant perseveration and use of unnecessary language made the book difficult to finish. HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED!!!

Definitely NOT Drawn to Sara Hall's Rhythm!.......2004-03-18

The Rhythm in Sara Hall's book is NOT sculling, as one is led to believe in the reviews. The book is a self-serving account of Ms Hall's priviledged life in which she seeks to blame her dispair in her adult life on incidents of abuse in her preteen years. She ridicules her life as a mother, trivializing the importance of being a presence in her childrens early years. Her life with her husband IS tragic, is it any of our business? She wants us to believe that winning is not what is important to her, yet the bulk of discussion on rowing focused on her accomplishments, placements, and medals. This is one of the worst books I have ever read, a complete disappointment.

Rowing & Life Interwoven.......2003-06-03

I bought this book because it's about rowing, but soon found that its power lay in the way Hall described her terrible marriage and the freedom she earned by taking up sculling. Certainly it became overly introspective at some points, but as I read I was willing Hall to break free, aware of the inevitable conclusion but entranced by her impending triumph. I usually discard such personal memoirs halfway through, but this work kept me engrossed until the end.

Alcott in Her Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of Her Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates (Writers in Their Own Time)

Average customer rating:

A portrait from life...
Alcott in Her Own Time By Daniel Shealy: redundant and yet still enjoyable
The Real Little Women
Carrots and Candlesticks

Alcott in Her Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of Her Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates (Writers in Their Own Time)

Manufacturer: University Of Iowa Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women Writers & Feminist Theory | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Women Writers | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 087745938X

Book Description

By 1888, twenty years after the publication of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was one of the most popular and successful authors America had yet produced. In her pre-Little Women days, she concocted blood-and-thunder tales for low wages; post-Little Women, she specialized in domestic novels and short stories for children. Collected here for the first time are the reminiscences of people who knew her, the majority of which have not been published since their original appearance in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the printed recollections in this book appeared after Alcott became famous and showcase her as a literary lion, but others focus on her teen years, when she was living the life of Jo March; these intimate glimpses into the life of the Alcott family lead the reader to one conclusion: the family was happy, fun, and entertaining, very much like the fictional Marches. The recollections about an older and wealthier Alcott show a kind and generous, albeit outspoken, woman little changed by her money and status. From Annie Sawyer Downs's description of life in Concord to Anna Alcott Pratt's recollections of the Alcott sisters' acting days to Julian Hawthorne's neighborly portrait of the Alcotts, the thirty-six recollections in this copiously illustrated volume tell the private and public story of a remarkable life.

Customer Reviews:

A portrait from life..........2007-03-25

I can't recall offhand any author who is so completely identified with one of her characters as Louisa May Alcott is with "Jo" of "Little Women," her most successful (and probably still her most beloved) work. It is therefore truly fascinating to read, as the book's subtitle says, "chronicles of her life, drawn from recollections, interviews, & memoirs by family, friends, & associates" (some quite short) in which we can detect ways in which Louisa does and doesn't resemble her most famous literary creation. She emerges as a fresh, funny, affectionate, morally indignant, struggling, ambitious, and totally appealing personality. While it is true that her father Bronson occupies rather more than his share of space, I think this accurately reflects the amount of airspace he took up in the Alcott family, and sheds a lot of light on Louisa's subsequent treatment of "Papa March" in her novels.

For people struggling with what to make of Susan Cheever's book on Louisa's Concord, "American Bloomsbury," this book is a wonderful compendium of primary sources on the subject, and the introductory paragraphs that head each of the 36 pieces are most informative. The Hawthorne, Emerson, and Thoreau families all make appearances amongst these pages, and one may judge for oneself the nature of their inter-relationships.

Alcott in Her Own Time By Daniel Shealy: redundant and yet still enjoyable.......2007-01-12

The book Alcott in Her Own Time is not just another biography of the famed author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott and her incredible life. Nor was it written by some person living in our time who never knew Louisa May Alcott. No, this biography on Louisa May Alcott was written by many people and each and every one of them knew Louisa May Alcott or had a memorable encounter with her.
This biography is full of stories about the author and her "All-American" family; many of the stories have never been known to the public until now. This book delves deep into the lives of all the Alcotts with many funny stories and childhood friends mentioned. The book shows just how connected the Alcotts were, too, with family and with many important people from that time period.
Stories from family or close friends never fail to make the connections between the childhood of Louisa and the story about her family: Little Women. This is an interesting and enjoyable aspect of the book because it shows how important family was to the great author and it shows that great characters are found in real life too. Another component of the book that is enjoyable is the photos. There are photos of Louisa and her family, as well as a few drawings done by May Alcott, otherwise known as Amy March. It is also interesting to read the many comments on how the unforgettable character of Jo March is the absolute heart and soul of Louisa May Alcott, even down to the adventures and experiences she has. Like the ever memorable characters of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, the Alcotts and Louisa's characters are some of the very few that will live on forever in books and in the minds of those who read about them.
The book is very good, but somewhat redundant at times. It often repeats stories or facts, even though they are written by a different person each time. It can get quite tiresome to read the same stories or family tree of the Alcotts seven or eight times. Overall, the book was sweet and interesting. This book is better suited for those who could ake it through the unabridged version of Little Women and all Alcott lovers. It portrayed the Alcotts as they were and as they were known to everyone who met them.

The Real Little Women.......2006-07-04

This book is a real gem. The editor did a marvelous job and I think it is a must have for anyone who is interested in Louisa May Alcott.

Within this book we have eyewitness accounts of people who knew Louisa May Alcott and her family, before and during her fame. The editor gives a brief biography of the person giving their account and this is very helpful because you have a greater understanding of how this person knew Louisa. I found some of the passages very moving especially those that spoke of Lizzy(Beth in Little Women). There was one part in the book where a person encountered Louisa sewing Lizzy's burial shroud and Louisa was so upset she ran from the room. These are the small glimpses that make the book priceless.

I will agree with the other reviewer that this book does cover a lot about Louisa's father. Although, to be fair, I found that he was mentioned when people were recalling the family. I do not recall any stand-alone essays on him.

Some of the entries found in this book maybe redundant if you are an avid Louisa May Alcott fan. For instance there are some journal snippets from Louisa May Alcott and a few other things that I have read before. However, this is an excellent addition to your Alcott collection.

Carrots and Candlesticks.......2006-03-15

Daniel Shealy, an expert on Louisa May Alcott who has edited or co-edited a dozen books about her and by her, turns his attention now to contemporary accounts of her life and personality. He has dug up old interviews from the nineteenth century, as well as scores of memorials published after her death, from the people who remembered her and loved her best; and, in a few cases, from people who barely knew her at all but who knew what star quality she had. Alcott was one of America's greatest novelists but her reputation suffered from the "stain" of being known primarily as a writer of "girls' literature." She hid the dozens of blood and thunder pulp stories she wrote under pseudonyms, publishing a few under her own name at the very end of her life as a kind of metafictional illustration of the kind of thing Jo March, LITTLE WOMEN's heroine, might have been writing during the years she was scrambling so for money.

The Alcotts' household is enchantingly Bohemian, up to a point. Edward Emerson, son of Ralph Waldo, credits the Concord circle with inventing all the famous childhood games that came into vogue later in the century. They put on their own plays, invented "Charades," wrote impromptu poems on set subjects in half an hour's time. He remembers a period when the Alcotts didn't even have enough money for candlesticks, but their inventive minds carved out niches for candles in the small ends of large orange carrots! These details really bring back a period of American history long lost to us.

Could the book be a litle bit longer than it has to? The only reason I wonder this is, if you pick up the book and flip to any page, you might not find any mention of Louisa herself. Many of the memoirists wrote as much about her father, Bronson Alcott, as they did about her. And believe me, he gets tiresome after awhile. A book more sharply focussed on Miss Alcott herself might be a welcome treat. However, on second thought, there's no getting arund the eternal mystery of Bronson Alcott, a man so transcendental he he believed, like Christ, in letting anyone come into his house. Thus the four daughters had often to give up their beds to literally the scum of the earth, and the quacks, and the sexually adventurous, and the "hippies" of the 1840s of which, it seems, there were plenty. LMA rarely complained but I can only imagine there must have been some resentment about the way Bronson A. forced his girls to encounter the lame and the halt? Maybe that's why she left him out of LITTLE WOMEN, shipped him off to fight the Civil War.

Average customer rating:

Drawn from Life
E.H. Shepard
Manufacturer: Methuen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0413772489

Average customer rating:

Drawn From Life
S.J. Woodf
Manufacturer: Woodf Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1406763713

Average customer rating:

Drawn from Life: An Autobiography
Rowel Friers
Manufacturer: Blackstaff Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Drawn from life: An autobiography
John Rattenbury Skeaping
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0002160285

Drawn from Memory ; Drawn from Life: The Autobiography of Ernest H. Shepard

Average customer rating:

Drawn from Memory ; Drawn from Life: The Autobiography of Ernest H. Shepard
Ernest H. Shepard
Manufacturer: Methuen Publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0413144003

Emerson in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates

Average customer rating:

Emerson in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates
Ronald A. & Joel Bosco & Myerson
Manufacturer: University Of Iowa Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Book Description

At his death, Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was universally acknowledged in America and England as “the Great Romancer.” Novels such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables and stories published in such collections as Twice-Told Tales continue to capture the minds and imaginations of readers and critics to this day. Harder to capture, however, were the character and personality of the man himself. So few of the essays that appeared in the two years after his death offered new insights into his life, art, and reputation that Hawthorne seemed fated to premature obscurity or, at least, permanent misrepresentation. This first collection of personal reminiscences by those who knew Hawthorne intimately or knew about him through reliable secondary sources rescues him from these confusions and provides the real human history behind the successful writer.
Remembrances from Elizabeth Peabody, Sophia Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott, Rebecca Harding Davis, and twenty others printed in Hawthorne in His Own Time follow him from his childhood in Salem, through his years of initial literary obscurity, his days in the Boston and Salem Custom Houses, his service as U.S. Consul to Liverpool and Manchester and his life in the Anglo-American communities at Rome and Florence, to his late years as the “Great Romancer.”
In their enlightening introduction, editors Ronald Bosco and Jillmarie Murphy assess the postmortem building of Hawthorne’s reputation as well as his relationship to the prominent Transcendentalists, spiritualists, Swedenborgians, and other personalities of his time. By clarifying the sentimental associations between Hawthorne’s writings and his actual personality and moving away from the critical review to the personal narrative, these artful and perceptive reminiscences tell the private and public story of a remarkable life.

Good Girl and True Woman or Elements of Success Drawn from the Life of Mary Lyon and Other Similar Characters

Average customer rating:

Good Girl and True Woman or Elements of Success Drawn from the Life of Mary Lyon and Other Similar Characters
William T. Thayer
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

The plan of this book is similar to that of its companion "The Poor Boy and Merchant Prince." Mary Lyon is the leading character, around which are grouped a large number of incidents from the lives of other distinguished women, both for the purpose of illustrating certain elements of female character, and of making the book more attractive to the young. The author hopes this volume will assist girls in cultivating the highest virtue, and in prosecuting the work of life with credit to themselves, and acceptance to God.

The Life Of Abraham Lincoln Part One, V1: Drawn From Original Sources And Containing Many Speeches, Letters, And Telegrams Hitherto Unpublished

Average customer rating:

The Life Of Abraham Lincoln Part One, V1: Drawn From Original Sources And Containing Many Speeches, Letters, And Telegrams Hitherto Unpublished
Ida M. Tarbell
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Presidents & Heads of State | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0548144869

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books