Quilts in a Material World: Selections from the Winterthur Collection

Book Description

In this pioneering publication, Winterthur's renowned quilt collection is presented through dazzling color photographs that showcase rich fabrics and skillful needlework techniques. The letters of twenty-three-year-old Mary Remington, a dedicated quilt maker, and the extraordinary whitework quilt she made in 1815—the only known example of an American quilted coat of arms—provide themes for the book, which looks at the quilts through the lives of their makers. Among the reproductions included—many are being seen here for the first time—are quilts that express religious faith or commemorate marriages and other family connections; quilts in support of political candidates, made by women who could not vote; quilted bedspreads with matching quilted valances and dressing-table covers pictured in room settings; and much more.

This exquisite presentation provides a rare opportunity to view the strengths of the Winterthur quilt collection—highlighting examples from the period of the early American republic—and to understand how the economics and politics of the time affected quilt materials and design in the early nineteenth century.

Customer Reviews:

Historical perspective on quilting focusing on the collection of H. F. DuPont @ Winterthur.......2007-06-05

My wife is a "quilter". While I was on the East Coast attending a family reunion, one of my cousins, with whom I was staying, asked if I wanted to join her in a tour of Winterthur, close to where she lives. I accepted the invitation and totally enjoyed it especially the quilt collection there. I am not a quilter myself - there are some males interested in and "artists" in this art form, but I have become acquainted with it through my wife's interest in it. When I saw this book, examined it and checked out other's reviews of it, I decided it would make a nice birthday gift for my wife. I liked the fact that it dealt with the history of this art form here in the US, the quilt makers of particular quilts, and the progression of technique in "constructing" them. To me it would appeal to my wife's knowledge of this art form through the collection of the H. F. DuPont family.

A Chance to See Magnificent Quilts from the Winterthur Collection.......2007-03-17

"Quilts from a material world" is a long-awaited opportunity to view some of the finest quilts in Winterthur's collections, but also to have them expertly placed in social, economic, mercantile, and political context by Linda Eaton's well-researched and readable narrative. This book is a must for quilt and fabric historians, American history buffs, and members of the general reading public who are interested in knowing more about American material culture (in both senses of the word "material"). It is an excellent contribution to the study of fabrics and quilts.

beautiful and fascinating.......2007-01-26

i have barely had time to savour this book. there is so much to interest quilters and non-quilters that it is hard to know where to start to review.

the photographs of the quilts are wonderful, with lots of details. the textile history is thorough and accurate, including a fascinating section on the different techniques of putting pattern on cloth. the history of the quilters is, yes, fascinating, including letters written by one quilter to her fiance and later husband in the early part of the 19th century.

anyone interested in early america, early manufacturing, and the lives of our forebears will enjoy this book as much as any quilter.

Average customer rating:

Long overdue, Well Deserved
It's a Small World Legend
Mary Blair rocked.
Blah Blah Blair
Beautiful!

Art And Flair Of Mary Blair, The
John Canemaker
Manufacturer: Disney Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786853913

Book Description

The story behind one of Walt Disney's favorite artists is celebrated in this delightful volume of whimsical art and insightful commentary. For more than a dozen years, Mary Blair, a quiet-spoken, unassuming woman, dominated design at The Walt Disney Studios with a joyful creativity and exuberant color palette that stamped the look of many classic Disney animated features, including Cinderella and Peter Pan. Favorite theme park attractions, most notably the 'It's A Small World' boat ride, originally created for the 1964 New York World's Fair, were also among her designs. In her prime, she was an amazingly prolific American artist who enlivened and influenced the not-so-small worlds of film, print, theme parks, architectural decor, and advertising. Emulated by many, she remains inimitable: a dazzling sorceress of design and color.

Customer Reviews:

Long overdue, Well Deserved.......2007-07-27

The work of Mary Blair is well-known to animation and Disney aficianados, but there is a dearth of material available about her. Her influence on animation and Disney design was enormous. John Canemaker, as one has come to expect of his work, has written a terrific book on Blair. Well-illustrated, carefully noted.
Although this book is very good, Mary Blair deserves a full-length biography.

It's a Small World Legend.......2007-07-21

When I visited Disneyland last year with my daughter I expected to fall in love all over again with various attractions at the park: Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Carousel. I honestly didn't expect to fall in love all over again with "It's a Small World" but I did.
I had already heard the name, Mary Blair, but I didn't know anything about her so I decided to research her online and I found this book.
What an incredible artist she was! John Cane tells her story and her contributions to everything Disney. She was an incredible artist! Her works now sell for many hundreds of dollars. It's too bad that she didn't live long enough to see herself become famous. Like most artists, she became famous after her death. At any rate, here is the story of the woman who created so much of the Disney magic. It's very well illistrated and an enjoyable read.

Mary Blair rocked........2007-05-25

Beautiful and unique look into the life and developed portfolio of a retro animator. This book is nostalgic, child-like awe packaged. Wonderfully whimsical images.

Blah Blah Blair.......2007-03-09

The world of animated films has largely become a slick faceless corporation. For those seeking some idea of where it started and how individual genius played such a huge part I suggest The Art and Flair of Mary Blair. A highly inspirational visual feast.

Beautiful!.......2007-01-31

Wow, what a great book, I recommend it for fans and colour designers in animation. It would of been great to see more images, but thats as always with art books!

Average customer rating:

Validates my choice to oppose Cheney & attack on Iran
Roz is so lucky...
Everyone should read this.
A strident call to action
But Zinn is the government!

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
Howard Zinn
Manufacturer: City Lights Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0872864758

Book Description

"Thank you, Howard Zinn. Thank you for telling us what none of our leaders are willing to: The truth. And you tell it with such brilliance, such humanity. It is a personal honor to be able to say I am a better citizen because of you."-- Michael Moore, director of the film Fahrenheit 9/11, and author of the New York Times bestseller, Stupid White Men ...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!

Find here the voice of the well-educated and honorable and capable and human United States of America, which might have existed if only absolute power had not corrupted its third-rate leaders so absolutely.-- Kurt Vonnegut, author of A Man Without a Country

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress, is a major new collection of essays on American history, class, immigration, justice, and ordinary citizens who have made a difference. Zinn addresses America's current political/ethical crisis using lessons learned from our nation's history. Zinn brings a profoundly human, yet uniquely American perspective to each subject he writes about, whether it's the abolition of war, terrorism, the Founding Fathers, the Holocaust, defending the rights of immigrants, or personal liberties. Written in an accessible, personal tone, Zinn approaches the telling of U.S. history from an active, engaged point of view. "America's future is linked to how we understand our past," writes Zinn; "For this reason, writing about history, for me, is never a neutral act."

Zinn frames the book with an opening essay titled "If History is to be Creative," a reflection on the role and responsibility of the historian. "To think that history-writing must aim simply to recapitulate the failures that dominate the past," writes Zinn, "is to make historians collaborators in an endless cycle of defeat." "If history is to be creative, to anticipate a possible future without denying the past, it should, I believe, emphasize new possibilities by disclosing those hidden episodes of the past when, even if in brief flashes, people showed their ability to resist, to join together, and occasionally win. I am supposing, or perhaps only hoping, that our future may be found in the past's fugitive moments of compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare."

Buzzing with stories and ideas, Zinn draws upon fascinating, little-known historical anecdotes spanning from the Declaration of Independence to the USA PATRIOT Act to comment on the most controversial issues facing us today: government dishonesty, how to respond to terrorism, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the loss of our liberties, immigration, and the responsibility of the citizen to confront power for the common good.

Considered a "modern-day Thoreau" by Jonathon Kozol, Zinn's inspired writings address the reader as an active participant in history making. "We live in a beautiful country," writes Zinn, in the book's opening chapter. "But people who have no respect for human life, freedom, or justice have taken it over. It is now up to all of us to take it back."

Featuring essays penned over an eight-year period, A Power Governments Cannot Suppress is Howard Zinn's first writerly work in several years, an invaluable post-9/11-era addition to the themes that run through his bestselling classic, A People's History Of the United States.

Howard Zinn is a veteran of World War II and author of many books and plays, including the million-selling classic, A People's History of the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Validates my choice to oppose Cheney & attack on Iran.......2007-09-03

Earlier today I reviewed The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America by Peter Dale Scott, and coined a new term of praise, "erudite patriot." That was one of many reviews from my long recent trip to the Middle East that I could finally post.

I would never have anticipated that in reading this book today, I would not only encounter a second "erudite patriot," but that my somewhat anxious decision to directly and repeatedly focus public attention on the high crimes and misdemeanors of Dick Cheney, would be so elegantly validated with a firm grounding in public resistance to tyranny and amorality.

The author, an eminent historian, is the people's historian. He alone has documented the many times in which public resistance brought odious government programs to a stop.

Although a collection of past essays, this book actually reads fast and well as a survey of the fundamentals empowered by historical example and accuracy. I was strongly reaffirmed in my beliefs by this book, reinforced in my relatively recent commitment to bringing Cheney to justice.

The author, unique qualified to do so, informs us that people have resisted before, that the osmosis of truth ultimate swings the public, and as the book title suggests, no government can resist an aroused public.

The author suggests, and I agree, that impeachment of Cheney first, is essential. Our government has lost all legitimacy in my eyes, and I would resist arrest by this goveernment to the death of them or I, after first attempting to persuade the good-hearted people sent to arrest me that they should disobey the illegal order to arrest me, and live to see their families that night.

Every single essay in this book is moving, intelligent, cogent, and relevant to the greatest crisis our Republic has ever faced. The author's review of our greatest betrayal, of the wounded from Gulf I and Gulf II (he does not mention that unlike Gulf I, Gulf II produced 16 instead of 6 wounded for every death, and we have 75,000 amputees across the land, lives shatted by Dick Cheney's lies, by Paul Wolfowitz's lies, by Donald Rumsfeld's idiocy and arrogance).

The author is compelling in stating that war is the enemy, and one is reminded of the outcome of War Games: the only winning strategy is not to play at war for profit or any other reason.

The author is compelling in cataloging the litany of lies by our Presidents, and the manner in which our Founding Fathers designed the government to protect the rich and enslave the poor.

The author is compelling in pointing out that we must all question authority, and that the one thing we should all recognize now is that we can unite and be invincible, non-violently invincible, in demanding dignity, justice, and liberty for all--not just all Americans, but every person on the planet and especially those repressed by the 44 dictators, 42 of whom are Bush-Cheney "allies."

The author is compelling in damning the hypocrisy of this Administration, and I will tell everyone for a fact that below the White House level, most political appointees are shocked, scared, scared, angry, and hopeful that America will impeach the idiot-in-chief and the thief-in-chief. I am an estranged moderate Republican, and I never, ever, imagined that the Republican Party would become the runner up to global crimes so grotesque and extensive that only Hitler and his genocide against the Jews rate above it.

The author is compelling in calling for new new ways, for waging peace instead of war, for undertaking a general strike (I even thought the time has come to make all our tax payments to an escrow account instead of to the existing hijacked government).

I stand with the author in commiting to non-violent opposition to this totalitarian and amoral White House. Non-violence works. All that We the People need to do is withdraw our obedience. I really like the idea of a general strike, and I respectfully suggest to one and all that if America attacks Iran with Israel, that is the day when we should all go on indefinite general strike, and not return to work, nor pay taxes, until all US forces are withdrawn from the Middle East.

Under existing law & regulations, the above statement could be interpreted by Bush-Cheney as giving comfort to the enemey, and I could be arrested and all my property confiscated. That is how low this Republic has gone.

I must say, Howard Zinn's brilliance and integrity have bathed me with a warm glow of confidence in We the People. I feel protected, reinforced, encouraged, renewed, heartened by his wisdom. With such great minds as his speaking out, I am confident We the People will prevail.

You must, absolutely, buy this this book, read it, and recommend it to others. Other books that I have reviewed and recommend:

The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen
Escaping the Matrix: How We the People can change the world
All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity (BK Currents)
Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency
The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People
The Fifty-Year Wound: How America's Cold War Victory Has Shaped Our World

Roz is so lucky..........2007-06-13

I love this book. I love every book written by Howard Zinn that I've read so far(5, maybe 6, I can't remember). His perspective is one that we should all try to live by because ultimately it's the only way for the planet and its occupants to survive. He also gives hope to Americans in certainly the darkest period I've ever lived through...and I think hope is a good thing, a necessary thing in order to face the challenges that we have today.

This book is excellent because it documents and explains historical situations, past and present, so eloquently and yet so simply that a child could read it and understand what he's talking about even if the larger concepts are too complex. It is inspiring because it demonstrates how any one of us can make a difference. I highly recommend this book in particular because Americans need to understand that they are, through their own apathy and reluctance to become active, responsible for what is going on but that they can effect change through the slightest of actions. It is an easy read because it's a series of previously published articles but they are all relevant to what is going on today and they all require reflection.

Highly, highly recommended.

Everyone should read this........2007-05-12

If you think you know American history, read this book and any other book you can get by Howard Zinn...he's easy to read, not ponderous like some intellectuals..yet he clearly states his points of view using documented events not theories...clearly I'm a big fan of Howard Zinn..won't you join me?

A strident call to action.......2007-04-10

Written by historian, playwright, and World War II veteran Howard Zinn, A Power Governments Cannot Suppress is a scathing attack against America's political and ethical failings, using examples of atrocities America perpetuated in history - from massacres in Vietnam to abuses of Chinese immigrant labor workers to complicity in the genocide of East Timor and much more - to add context to current ills such as the extended toll of the war in Iraq. "There is no certainty as to what would happen in our absence [in Iraq]. But there is absolute certainty about the result of our presence - escalating deaths on all sides." Zinn is firmly anti-death penalty and decries its usage as well. Of especial interest in A Power Governments Cannot Suppress is the author's denouncement of a disturbing tendency to compartmentalize the Holocaust, to forget the millions of non-Jews that were executed along with 6 million Jews, and worse, neglect the occurrence of modern acts of genocide thereby betraying the memory of victims of the Holocaust genocide. A strident call to action, speaking out against governmental and human misdeeds, and vociferously encouraging the reader to stand up and take action..

But Zinn is the government!.......2007-03-31

Zinn's attempts to position himself as a foe of oppression flies into the face of the reality that he works for the government - the only institution with a legally recognized right to commit violence against the individual. As a university employee, Zinn is the government, as are the legions of graduate students parroting his ideology as if were histroy in order to earn the right to be employed in government bureaucracies passing themselves off as universities. Were Zinn honest, he would resign his position and let the free market determine the value of his ideology. But instead, he has shamelessly used his government position in order to subsidize an ideological crusade know would pay for voluntarily.

How disingenous! Of both him and the sheep passing themselves off as intellectuals who believe his k-r-a-p.

Average customer rating:

Wish we could find more copies

The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys

Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1585741205

Book Description

A huge, oversize, fully illustrated look at an American folk-art treasure, complete with hundreds of lavish full-color photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Wish we could find more copies.......1999-12-21

This book spends more time on loan to antique dealers and decoy collectors then it does in my library. It is an excellent reference work for collector and waterfowler alike. Everyone who sees it and collects, deals or dreams wants a copy. But we simply can't find them. Superb pictures and detailed text. We rate it excellent all around.

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream

Average customer rating:

FRIDAY NIGHT LETDOWN
Ok quick read but it's more tabloid than it is journalism
Fantasictlickious Book
friday night lights
heartbeat of America..

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
H. G. Bissinger
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Football (American) | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0306809907

Amazon.com

Secular religions are fascinating in the devotion and zealousness they breed, and in Texas, high school football has its own rabid hold over the faithful. H.G. Bissinger, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, enters into the spirit of one of its most fervent shrines: Odessa, a city in decline in the desert of West Texas, where the Permian High School Panthers have managed to compile the winningest record in state annals. Indeed, as this breathtaking examination of the town, the team, its coaches, and its young players chronicles, the team, for better and for worse, is the town; the communal health and self-image of the latter is directly linked to the on-field success of the former. The 1988 season, the one Friday Night Lights recounts, was not one of the Panthers' best. The game's effect on the community--and the players--was explosive. Written with great style and passion, Friday Night Lights offers an American snapshot in deep focus; the picture is not always pretty, but the image is hard to forget.

Book Description

The classic, best-selling story of life in the football-driven town of Odessa, Texas, with a new afterword that looks at the players and the town ten years later.

Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa--the winningest high-school football team in Texas history. Odessa is not known to be a town big on dreams, but the Panthers help keep the hopes and dreams of this small, dusty town going. Socially and racially divided, its fragile economy follows the treacherous boom-bust path of the oil business. In bad times, the unemployment rate barrels out of control; in good times, its murder rate skyrockets. But every Friday night from September to December, when the Permian High School Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place where dreams can come true. With frankness and compassion, H.G. Bissinger chronicles a season in the life of Odessa and shows how single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires--and sometimes shatters--the teenagers who wear the Panthers' uniforms.

Customer Reviews:

FRIDAY NIGHT LETDOWN.......2007-09-26

I came into this one with high expectations, especially since I lived in Odessa for a short time in 1986 on a job assignment. Talk about a bleak and desolate place...But I was truly amazed at the hubub around the Panthers. I think that was Gary Gaines first year. I remember the dead-red build up before the Lee game. Saw it all firsthand as a very temporary transplant.

The book was a dissapointment. Okay, but not great. Maybe he should have just written a book about Boobie. He didn't talk nearly enough about the games, for instance. Probably half the book is devoted to off the field issues. Racism, favortism, school system, ect. The rest is Boobie, Boobie, Boobie. Could have been so much better. A letdown beacause it came off as some kind of expose piece.

Ok quick read but it's more tabloid than it is journalism.......2007-06-22

Ok book nothing outstanding. The writing I'd give about a 3. Pretty much college sophomore level. Negatively biased against almost everything generally considered good. A real hatchet job on just about everyone. The author bashes teachers, schools, colleges, parents, parenting, fans, churches, the school board, the coaches, he even spends a chapter bashing Bush #1 and the Republicans. He throws in some gratuitous scatalogical jokes about Bush. He goes out of his way to paint everyone in as poor a moral light as possible. In one case he beats up on a character but to obtain contrast later needs to paint that character in a good light so that he can paint someone else in a poor light.

I read the whole book in a few days at the beach. It's just an average book - not so bad that you put it down but nothing special. I can see the appeal especially to liberal boomer white America. It's the other white American that's bad in this book. You know the one that's not you or me. I figure the author must have won the Pulitzer by sullying some other sacred cow because honestly his writing just isn't that good. The metaphors he uses were unoriginal and were strangely forced in several cases. Read it if you got nothing better to do but I would think you should find better books on the subject of high school football.

Fantasictlickious Book.......2007-06-06

Drew Oliver
Friday Night Lights
H.G. Bissinger
Da Capo Press
©2003
416 Pages

"You saying I can't play football, all I know how to do is play football!" One of the famous quotes from Boobie Miles when he finds out that he can't be the star halfback he wanted. Back in Texas the Permian Panthers was in for a good football season, maybe even take state. With the star running back Boobie hurt, can they still pull it together? The answer to that and all the others is in the text of H.G. Bissinger's book Friday Night Lights. Friday Night Lights is a story about a football team playing their way to the state championship. My favorite part of the book would have to be the last game at state where they were getting completely pounded on but at the very end the Panthers were making an amazing come back. I think this is my favorite part because it is just so glorious and suspenseful and I just know exactly what that feels like. It seems that one big message just keeps coming up. It seems that the book is trying to tell you that you should never give up. To never let anyone hold you back, never let them stop you in believe what you strongly believe, just always try, just never give up. Friday Night Lights was pretty much an all around good book. Every part was exciting and really made you not want to atop reading. The only part that was kind of bad, but more of just a bummer, was the ending but only because I didn't wand it to end that way. But I guess it had more of meaning ending that way. I think all of you out there that like a good sports book that you should definitely go and pick Friday Night Lights up.

friday night lights.......2007-06-04

i thought that this book was just ok. it was just a meteocre book for me. yes, it is a good representation of big town fame and spotlight in a small town. it just did not hit the spot for me thats it.

heartbeat of America.........2007-05-30

a fabulous book about the Permian Panthers of Odessa, TX and the MOJO magic that permeates thoughout the city. H.G. Bissinger has found the heartbeat of America in high school football as he writes in fascinating detail the story of the 1988 Permian Panthers. It could be any high school across American as the tradition, passion and politics of local high school football reign over a city that would seemingly have no identity without it's high scool football team. A wonderful book.

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (Arbor House Library of Contemporary Americana)

Average customer rating:

Imagine Twain sending Huck Finn to California via Wagon Train
Great American Fun!!
Best fiction since Twain
A Dissenting Opinion
Some of the finest reading available!!

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (Arbor House Library of Contemporary Americana)
Robert Lewis Taylor
Manufacturer: Main Street Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385422229
Release Date: 1992-12-01

Book Description

Enjoyed by millions since its first publication in 1959, The Travels Of Jaimie McPheeters is the lively story of a 13-year-old boy's adventures on a journey across America in 1849. This million-copy Pulitzer Prize-winning classic details the journey of Jaimie and his father from Kentucky to gold-rush California.

Customer Reviews:

Imagine Twain sending Huck Finn to California via Wagon Train.......2007-09-02

What fun! But also exciting, poignant and heartbreaking at the same time. This is the story of Jaimie McPheeters and his father Sardius (a doctor), who is a bit of a gambler and prone to drink. Sardius has run afoul of his creditors and decides it's best to strike out with Jaimie to the California Gold fields to make their fortune and the adventure is on.

The story is told both in the first person view of Jaimie and by Sardius via letters home to his wife. Jaimie has one adventure after another -- from falling off the river boat, encounters with murderous thieves (loved how he got himself out of that one!), getting separated from the train and after being caught in a thunderstorm finally "finds" his camp again although it's really another camp he "found" (no spoilers here, you'll see that one coming a mile away). There are so many laugh out loud moments in this book one can't describe them all, but I have to say the time when Sardius tried to teach Jaimie the "dead" language of Latin was tops with me. ROFL.

Jaimie's travels take you across the plains of the Midwest, the Rockies, a winter stopover with the Mormons in Salt Lake (now those were some interesting moments), across the desert and finally over the Sierra Nevadas and on into the Gold Country and burgeoning San Francisco. All in all a jolly good yarn, both for the very young and the still young at heart. Highly recommended.

Great American Fun!!.......2007-06-15

I could not put this book down. It was my library's discussion choice and we had a delightful journey together with Jaimie and Sardius McPheeters. The historic detail keeps it interesting on a serious level, Jaimie gives us the wit and mischief. For something written in the 1950's to stand up to today's standards of political correctness is also important. This is a wonderful story for all ages. If you're looking for a book and can't decide, look no further.

Best fiction since Twain.......2007-05-19

This is quite possibly the most enjoyable work of fiction since "Huck Finn." Reading it was a pure delight--it is very well written, the story is gripping, and I was simultaneously satisfied and sad when I finished the last page.

I think of the best nonfiction as "brain candy." This novel is more, shall I say, "soul candy" or perhaps (without sounding smarmy, I hope) I can call it "heart candy."

A Dissenting Opinion.......2006-11-02

I have been reading my way through the Pulitzer Winners, and this book comes to the forefront as a headscratcher as to how it won the prize in the first place. I will grant that the narrative is paced well, and there are some humorous moments (Jaimie's dicussion of the merits of learning Latin with his father comes to mind), but overall, the book is episodic flim flam.

It is as if the author attempted to start with Tom Sawyer, mix in a little Holden Caulfield and Bertie Wooster, and then edit out the redeeming qualities of these characters. And then each plot turn is telegraphed, not merely by repeated use of foreshadowing, but by following every hackneyed recipe for calamity ever used in a frontier piece.

Any book set in the mid-19th Century and told in first person will, no doubt, be full of misogynism, racism, and general prejudice. What could be forgiven as "being true to time and character" seems less so after Jaimie attempts to give a balanced opionion of Mormons. Further, this book offers up its small-minded observations with a wink and a nudge as if pining for the old days of panning for gold while harboring ideas such as good Indian / bad Indian. Certainly, the book was published in the days of Ed Ames' cartoonish embarassments, but let's not forget that Twain wrote more fairly almost a century prior.

If you want a good page turner, read this, but only if you can avoid cringing at bad stereotypes and a plot littered with the cliche.

Some of the finest reading available!!.......2005-08-25

This was a thrilling read, at times heart rending often humorous. A historical tale enveloping the reader in the intrigue and danger of the western travels of the early settlers and gold venturers of the mid to late 1800's. It is filled with chronologic reference to place and event that gives accurate insight and depth into the struggles of the time. I highly recommend this book to one and all. A character builder for the young! Even found the bibliography was inspiring.

Antique Needlework Tools and Embroideries

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Antique Needlework Tools and Embroideries
Nerylla Taunton
Manufacturer: Antique Collectors' Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1851492534

Average customer rating:

good job
Informative, insightful, appealing
A beginner's guide to love of country.
Partly Cloudy, Always Wonderful
Witty, uplifting, and educational collection of essays from a proud American citizen

The Partly Cloudy Patriot
Sarah Vowell
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0743243803

Book Description

Sarah Vowell travels through the American past and, in doing so, investigates the dusty, bumpy roads of her own life. In this insightful and funny collection of personal stories Vowell -- widely hailed for her inimitable stories on public radio's This American Life -- ponders a number of curious questions: Why is she happiest when visiting the sites of bloody struggles like Salem or Gettysburg? Why do people always inappropriately compare themselves to Rosa Parks? Why is a bad life in sunny California so much worse than a bad life anywhere else? What is it about the Zen of foul shots? And, in the title piece, why must doubt and internal arguments haunt the sleepless nights of the true patriot?

Her essays confront a wide range of subjects, themes, icons, and historical moments: Ike, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton; Canadian Mounties and German filmmakers; Tom Cruise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; twins and nerds; the Gettysburg Address, the State of the Union, and George W. Bush's inauguration.

The result is a teeming and engrossing book, capturing Vowell's memorable wit and her keen social commentary.

Customer Reviews:

good job.......2007-09-16

Just because Vowell is unapologetically partisan in her essays throughout The Partly Cloudy Patriot doesn't make her book any less interesting. In fact, it really enhances it. Even though I found myself agreeing with basically all of what she said, I suppose I could understand why some conservatives could get upset at some of the content here. That would be a waste though; Vowell didn't write a political manifesto, she wrote rather eloquent and heartfelt pieces about what it means for her to be an American, full of contradiction and inner-conflict. That for her, being an American necessarily would include some mention of her political views shouldn't be a surprise. And anyway, I doubt the ability of most conservatives to write about what it means to be patriotic and maintain the same level of nuance and, well, thought that Sarah does. I really liked it, and I'll gladly read whatever else she writes.

Informative, insightful, appealing.......2007-07-02

THE PARTLY CLOUDY PATRIOT is a collection of essays and personal stories by Sarah Vowell, who has an interesting resume--she has been a contributor to NPR's "This American Life," has a pretty impressive list of writer pals (Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby and David Sedaris, to begin with), has written some guest editorials for the NY Times and has provided the voice of a character in the animated film "The Incredibles." This is the second of her four books.

Vowell has a "nerd" obsession with American history and civics. Confirming her nerd credentials is a high school experience lacking the usual teenage graces with the concomitant bad gym memories. These themes, especially the civics lessons, absorb most of the essays in this book. Such is her voice, her ability to get to the heart of a matter and finding the heart not exactly where we generally think of it being located in the given matter, and her sheer passion that book is informative, insightful and immensely appealing. My favorites include her exploration of what it is to be a "nerd," a look at how Al Gore's nerdiness not only recommends him as a national leader but also intruded on his success in the media and public image, her tour of Presidential libraries (posed as a letter to Bill Clinton as he was leaving office and building his own), Teddy Roosevelt and the Gettysburg address. Her essays on the 2000 election and 9-11-2001 are also strong and bring fresh perspectives to both topics. She treats the office of President with abiding respect but makes no bones about not appreciating George Bush. Her criticisms and conclusions about him flow from analysis of his leadership and choices. She loves the American way but understands that it is flawed, hence our "partly cloudy" patriot.

The only reason I nick a star off my rating for this book is that having first read the author's most recent book, ASSASSINATION VACATION, this looks by comparison more like the training wheels or practice for that mature achievement. Also, many of the essays are topical and you are left wondering, given more recent events like the 2004 election and the Iraq war, what the author would say today. However, I do recommend this. I think Vowell would be surprised to hear herself called "cool" but that's exactly what she is.

A beginner's guide to love of country........2006-11-17

What I love about this book is that it puts a younger voice on patriotism, tapping into our generation's love of the quirky and random by showing America for many of its quirky, random components--like the underground snack bar in Carlsbad Caverns or how preparing cornbread dressing can make you contemplate death. My favorite essay, "The Nerd Voice", I think perfectly translates that youthful randomness-bordering-on-apathy into an expression of what would be and is appealing in terms of elections and government, and it made me care about voting like I never have before.

Partly Cloudy, Always Wonderful.......2006-11-10

Sarah Vowell is my favorite essayist writing today. Her style is her own - quirky and by turns heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud. The topics in 'Patriot' range all over, unlike my favorite of her books (Assassination Vacation), but this makes it a good introduction to her: you'll probably find at least one piece you agree with.

Witty, uplifting, and educational collection of essays from a proud American citizen.......2006-10-13

Sarah Vowell is a patriot. She might be left-leaning in her political views and voting trends, but first and foremost, she's a history buff and a lover of America. Her essay collection focuses on the political and cultural issues surround the end of the Clinton presidency and the first years of George W. Bush's tenure in office. She explores a wide range of topics, but without any anger or vituperation against people on the opposite end of the political spectrum.

The shining star in this collection is her ruminations on presidential libraries. Vowell writes an open letter to President Clinton about the her ideas for his presidential library. She sets out to visit the Kennedy, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Johnson libraries to examine their treatment each man. Johnson directed his curator that no one had managed to save his reputation in the last twenty years, so there was no need to sweep any of his presidential controversies under the rug. Nixon, on the other hand, used his library to present his side of political scandals and the dark side of political witch hunts. Eisenhower's library focuses almost entirely on his military career, while the JFK library shows videos, home videos, and pictures of the cultural icon. Vowell recommends that Clinton celebrate his charisma like JFK, openly address issues like Johnson, and remember that presidential adversaries will seek out scandal wherever they can find it.

Vowell also gives the reader (or listener, if you pick this up in its outstanding, musically accompanied audiobook form) an inside look at a serious media misquote of presidential candidate Al Gore. While speaking at Concord High School, Al Gore told students that about environmental hearings he held on sites like Love Canal. A Washington Post reporter left out a key word and the context of his statement, and soon Gore was lambasted in the media for claiming to discover Love Canal. The students were outraged at this mistrial in the press. Their teacher was dismayed that a formative day for many students was tainted by controversy and late-night television jokes. Vowell, a liberal, explores the issue fully, and is willing to grant the harried report a pass for a small mis-quote during her 20-hour day. Vowell also ponders our propensity to report only on negatives and controversy; no one writes about the powerful and moving statements that get made in speeches and debates.

Other essays include a visit to the underground lunchroom in Carlsbad Caverns, ruminations on Canada's "modestly spectacular" rise to sovereignty from the British, a visit to the theme park that is Salem, MA, explorations of great moments in American history, and personal pieces about family, tourism, outdoorsiness, and Montana. This is a funny, uplifting, and educational collection of essays from a proud American citizen.

Hispano-Americana: Introduccion a LA Literatura De LA Conquista Al Siglo XX

Average customer rating:

Great Anthology
Introducción a la literatura Hispano-Americana

Hispano-Americana: Introduccion a LA Literatura De LA Conquista Al Siglo XX
Gladys M. Varona-Lacey
Manufacturer: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0844276790

Customer Reviews:

Great Anthology.......2003-04-14

This book is an very good anthology of hispanic writers from the 1800's to the present. It contains short stories, essays and poetry. In it's pages it includes essays from José Martí and Simón Bolivar. In the short stories categories, it includes writers like Rulfo, Alejo Carpentier,and Rosario Ferré. It also has some poems by José Martí and Gertrudis López de Avellaneda. This book is a great source for class or a great addition to your personal library.

Introducción a la literatura Hispano-Americana.......2000-09-24

In my upper level Spanish college class, I used this book last semester, and am using it again this semester. It is a wonderful book, with short stories and poems written by the best authors in Spanish literature. The questions at the end of each work help the reader to understand the meaning of each story, as well as to delve deeper into the Latino/Castillian culture. More difficult or unusual vocabulary words are footnoted at the bottom of each page. I highly recommend this book. It will be especially enjoyed by a native speaker or anyone fairly fluent in Spanish.

Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide

Average customer rating:

Great resource, but are the prices realistic?
Fed Up With This One, Too
Too Much HYPE !
WHY NO BLOTTERS??
Great coverage - but shame-on Allan's pricing...

Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide
Allan Petretti
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Americana | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0873492412

Book Description

Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide has been called the “bible” of Coca-Cola collectibles—and with good reason! This impressive 11th edition of the hobby's standard reference depicts, describes, and values more Coca-Cola Company marketing, advertising, and promotional items than any other published source. The new volume covers items produced from the 1880s through the 1960s, and includes 96 full-color pages; photos and descriptions of previously undocumented items; up-to-date pricing information; and revised guidelines for collectors. Allan Petretti, long regarded as the foremost authority on the subject, has combined years of experience in the hobby with his proven expertise as a Coca-Cola collectibles dealer and auctioneer to provide the collecting community with the up-to-date information needed to keep pace with this popular and fast-growing hobby.

- Current market prices for every item depicted and described
- New color sections featuring trays, calendars, and other highly sought after items
- Includes additional, recently found rare pieces not shown in any other collector guide
- Contains an expanded and improved bottles section
- New chapters include Coca-Cola candy and Coke's “Diamond Design” from the 1960s
- Offers new guidelines for grading and evaluating Coca-Cola items

Customer Reviews:

Great resource, but are the prices realistic?.......2003-11-18

I have owned most editions of this book, and as a resource for researching Coca Cola memorabilia, I would have to say it is unsurpassed. I haven't seen any other guides come close in the number of items shown.

I do question the pricing of these items, however. I don't see how everything can continually increase in price from one edition to another, especially when you consider internet sales activity (a very large part of Coca Cola memorabilia sales nowadays). As a collector, I never pay at price-levels shown in this edition, and I certainly do not obtain these prices when I occasionally sell an item off on an internet auction site. I just feel that the prices are a bit inflated. No one could keep track of the huge amounts of Coca Cola memorabilia sales in all venues around the country. I tend to take pricing in guidebooks with a grain of salt, especially, as in this case, when the author is also a major collector. Just a little too much potential for conflict of interest.

Fed Up With This One, Too.......2003-10-04

Right off the bat: I agree that the omission of blotters and assorted other collectibles from this guide is a gaping omission as big as a barn. I hardly use this guide anymore for several reasons:

1) The back index is as bad as they come. Totally incomplete.

2) You want to find a certain tray? Be prepared to bounce from one end of the book to the other looking for what you need. There is no apparent logic to the way this guide is arranged. I'm sure the author felt it was completely logical, but his logic escapes me.

3) The front index is just painful to figure out. There is a usability book out there called "Don't Make Me Think". The author of this Coke guide should study it.

4) Too much rhetoric and opinion about "fantasy" items. I find this section of the guide painful to sift through. Just the facts, please. And then there's the illogical order of everything .

The best that can be said about this guide is that it's big. It is poorly organized and has way too many omissions to be my primary guide. If a 12th edition ever comes out, I'm going to check it out before buying, to see if these problems have been fixed.

I much prefer Wilsons' guide over this one.

Too Much HYPE !.......2003-06-28

A lot of pictures. Prices that reflect nothing on reality. Not one Cleveland Electric Neon Clock. Not one American Time Clock. I have 3 originals hanging in front of me. Missing some of the major buttons. Typical collectors book. Pictures of everything that's out there, except the rare items you buy these books to find out about. Total dissapointment. I have stacks of collector books that have proven useless. There all written by the "authority" on the subject on hand. I think this explains the ... in collecting and the stacks of used books available. If you're going to make a "Know It All" book, than you better know at least %90. Monster let down.

WHY NO BLOTTERS??.......2001-07-28

I'm very dissapointed in this book! After waiting 3 months beyond the original publish date, I find there are no blotter pages. I understand there will be no more blotters in future books, also. As I've been buying and selling blotters based on the Petretti's prices, I feel I cannot give this book a good rating. Also, why do we now have to jump all over the place to find the trays? They used to be simplified in one area.

Great coverage - but shame-on Allan's pricing..........2001-07-06

This book has excellent pictures and wide range of coverage - more than in any of the prior editions.

I did find some inconsistancies in item pricing (Litchfield bottle pg 398 - $70 and same item pg 400 - $55, pg 152 item pcs108.000 - $1300 and same item pcs108.000 pg 87 - $1000). Given that this book has become the "bible" for Coca-Cola collecting - these inconsistancies can cause some problems...

I could overlook some of the pricing errors - heck there's thousands and thousands of items and no one is perfect. But the real problem I have is how high the prices are for all of the items.

Let me get on my soapbox for a minute and conclude by saying that I've been collecting 1890's - 1930's Coca Cola items for the past 20 years and have acquired a pretty extensive collection. I have to say that in my humble opinion the prices that are in this book are dangerously overstated - perhaps in an attempt to help us older guys as we approach retirement. Afterall, we are the one's that acquired the vintage, quality items inexpensively in the early days... In the end I'm not sure its working -- in fact I think the prices have begun to fall!!! One only has to look at the prices being realized on auction sites like ebay to see what I mean - even the "near mint" items don't even come close to the prices in the 10th edition, let alone those in the 11th. Many desirable items have no activity because of greedy sellers that set minimum prices that are out of sync with demand.

I think the high pricing in guides like this actually harms the market, since most collectors can no longer afford the older, quality items. As the old-timers have seen, in the end - the winners are the manufacturers of the recent garbage made in CHINA as it becomes desireable since it's the only thing that's affordable. Vintage-item collectors die-out or begin to get frustrated since they can't find quality merchandise at affordable prices and move on to other hobbies, and there are no replacement collectors coming in.

At this stage, as an old-time collector, I shouldn't complain I guess. Because of Allan's books my items have appreciated substantially. But I still enjoy the hobby - yet I can hardly afford to stay with it. I'm fearful that the number of vintage-item collectors is wanning, and the interest in the hobby is really falling off. If that happens - we will soon find ourselves using Shelly and Helen's old 1970's four volume price guides to buy and sell.

Maybe that wouldn't be so bad afterall...

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