Book Description
In this rousing examination of contemporary American male identity, acclaimed author and journalist Elizabeth Gilbert explores the fascinating true story of Eustace Conway. In 1977, at the age of seventeen, Conway left his family's comfortable suburban home to move to the Appalachian Mountains. For more than two decades he has lived there, making fire with sticks, wearing skins from animals he has trapped, and trying to convince Americans to give up their materialistic lifestyles and return with him back to nature. To Gilbert, Conway's mythical character challenges all our assumptions about what it is to be a modern man in America; he is a symbol of much we feel how our men should be, but rarely are.
Customer Reviews:
The Last American Man .......2007-09-12
The lifestyle and ideals of Eustace Conway go against the current of modern life, yet it is the fascination others have with his lifestyle (if not his ideals) that carries him along. Disciples (he calls them apprentices) are as important to his way of living as is Turtle Island, the place in which he lives. This book is about his failures with people as much as his untiring pursuit of union with nature.
Limited portrayal .......2007-09-05
Gilbert writes that she had "doubts about writing the book" but when someone said "wouldn't you rather make a mistake by doing something than make a mistake by not doing something?" she felt compelled to write Conway's story. And that's the sad part because had she listened to her own doubt she might have postponed writing this book until she became a little older and wiser. Although a gifted writer, I believe it would have been a different story. I can't help but think that because of her focus, Conway will be reluctant to allow another biographer such access. This is a man, who has lived an incredible life, little of which we are privileged to see in this portrayal.
How we like, in certain intellectual circles, to tear down people--to focus only on the defect not the accomplishment, not the journey--not comprehending that life unfolds in its own beauty. Very little, unfortunately, was written about the remarkable accomplishments this man undertook and completed. Traveling down the Mississippi River, hiking across Alaska, scaling cliffs in New Zealand and living with the Navajo of New Mexico, surviving in the wilderness--all are given short shift. Instead the focus of her book is on Conway's troubled relationships with family, later with staff at Turtle Island and through out the book, in great detail, with the women he tried to bond with along the way.
And then there's Gilbert's commentary--about politics, feminism, men's rituals, his family relationships--difficult at times to ascertain fact from tongue--in--cheek, admiration and pure condemnation. A powerful story tells itself--it doesn't need commentary. Let the readers draw their own conclusions. It sometimes felt as if Gilbert needed more pages turned out, thus the commentary--but come on--what a great story to tell, so many more things much more interesting to know . . .
Finally, people notice different things. Some pay more attention to feelings and things, others to nature, logic, art, science. Besides choosing different information to focus on (which often says more about ourselves than others), we also have access to different information. We tend to believe as if we have all the important information there is to know about another, but we don't and so what we choose to focus on is limited by what we see. Age often, but not always, expands what we are capable of seeing. And that's my main problem with this book.
Gilbert was young when she wrote it, most likely struggling with her own relationships, her own identity as a woman and thus the focus of her book. She repeatedly states, for example, that Conway's father was verbally abusive yet writes little concerning two extraordinary attempts of both father and son at reconciliation and yet, isn't this the more poignant story? Did she just have a deadline to meet? (And let me reveal my bias!)
Her portrayal is of a damaged man, not a man in the process of becoming. Becoming what? I don't know but from direct quotes of his conversations with her, a man willing to reflect upon his own life. This could have been a great biography and I'm not stating Gilbert shouldn't have delved into Conway's troubled relationships. I'm simply saying it is only part of the story, filled with commentary when the story could have been presented more powerfully and more simply merely by letting the story tell itself while including the extraordinary with the ordinary.
Modern Day Mountain Man.......2007-06-19
Fascinating read. You will come away admiring Eustace's work ethic and self sufficiency and will also question his intolerance for "us." Good lessons about American Utopian societies of the past and some of the lesser known facts about Mountain Men like Daniel Boone and Kit Karson. It is also "cold water in the face" to any dreamer who wishes to give everything away and start a new life in the wilderness.
Next generation Ed Abbey.......2007-05-31
In the end, Eustace Conway is no more or less human than the rest of us. He's got his own family issues and seems to be internally conflicted about what will bring him peace vs. what he should do. For those decrying Ms. Gilbert's awards, feel free to market the books you've written. The point of this book seems to be as much a reflection of her process to understand Mr. Conway as it is a description of his life. While her writing is more informal than "literature" (whatever that is), she effectively entices the reader to join in her journey. This book was enjoyable, as was Eat, Pray, Love. It provided a brief insight into living closer to the earth. Whether we agree is beside the point. Mr. Conway seems to be comparable to Ed Abbey in his view of the world, lust for life, difficulty in reconciling inner peace with changing other people's behavior, and inability to settle down with a family. We could all take away some of his respect for life (/nature) and our individual responsibility in recognizing how we each impact our environment. I'm looking forward to learning more about his efforts at Turtle Island.
Not what I expected.......2007-05-23
A friend suggested this book to me, because of my interests in nature. Although the book can be interesting, it did not hold my interest as well as I had expected. Not to mention the ending was completely the opposite of what I expected.
Amazon.com
Wouldn't it be lovely to have a patch of corn, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and beans just steps from your kitchen door? Would you like to learn how to control your zucchini plant? Ed Smith, an experienced vegetable gardener from Vermont, has put together this amazingly comprehensive and commonsensical manual, The Vegetable Gardener's Bible. Basically, Ed and his family have been growing a wide variety of vegetables for years and he's figured out what works. This book, filled with step-by-step info and color photos, breaks it all down for you.
Ed's system is based on W-O-R-D: Wide rows, Organic methods, Raised beds, Deep soil. With deep, raised beds, vegetable roots have more room to grow and expand. In traditional narrow-row beds, over half the soil is compacted into walkways while a garden with wide, deep, raised beds, plants get to use most of the soil. In Ed's plan, growing space gets about three-quarters of the garden plot and only about a quarter is used for the walkway. Ed teaches you how to create raised beds both in a larger garden or in separate planked beds. One of the most important--and most often overlooked--aspects of successful vegetable gardening is crop rotation. Leaving a crop in the same place for years can deplete nutrients in that area and makes the crop more likely to be attacked by insects. Rotate at least every two years and your vegetables will be healthier and bug-free. There's also a good section on insect and blight control.
Before choosing what to grow, go through the last third of the book, where Ed takes a look at the individual growing, harvesting, and best varieties of a large number of both common and more exotic vegetables and herbs. Whether you are a putterer or a serious gardener, The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is an excellent resource to have handy. --Dana Van Nest
Book Description
Discover the last W.O.R.D. in vegetable gardening with Ed Smith's amazing gardening system. By integrating four principles -- Wide beds, Organic methods, Raised beds, and Deep beds -- Smith reinvents vegetable gardening, making it possible for everyone to have the best, most successful garden ever. By following this complete system you cultivate deep, powerful soil that nourishes plants and discourages pests and disease. The result is fewer weeds, healthier plants, and lots of great-tasting vegetables. Plus, you'll enjoy gardening as you never have before. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible -- the last W.O.R.D. in vegetable gardening.
Customer Reviews:
excellent.......2007-07-30
this book will be especially useful for the beginner. i've gardened for a long time, but rarely taken advice. but after reading this one, i will.
Really good book! Money well spent!.......2007-07-21
I will not regret I bought this book. Other people already said all the good things about this book. All I can add is that Mr. Smith uses photos of his own vegetable garden in his book. It really makes a book different and adds a personality to it. You can really see how he does it.
I also really like the structure of the book and vegetable description.
Awesome!.......2007-07-08
I got this as a gift for my husband who loves to garden. He LOVES this book. He already has gotten so many ideas for next year's garden. He thinks the W-O-R-D system is a great idea.
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible.......2007-06-19
I was very disappointed in this book, its like he took all the info from 20 other books and compiled it, as all he talks about is what every other book has already stated.
Great Organization.......2007-06-04
This book not only has good information, but it is organized in a way that makes it much more convenient than many books. Each vegetable has it's own page in alphabetical order, and each has a block of the most important details such as: plant spacing, growing temperatures, seed longevity, etc... All the most important stuff is laid out in an easy to access format. I have only 2 gardening books, the handbook of gardening from the american horticultural society, and this one. I grow a lot of vegetables and find myself referencing this one more often. It would help if they released another book of this style for fruit.
Book Description
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring antagonized some of the most powerful interests in the nation--including the farm block and the agricultural chemical industry--and helped launch the modern environmental movement. In The Gentle Subversive, Mark Hamilton Lytle offers a compact life of Carson, illuminating the road that led to this vastly influential book. Lytle explores the evolution of Carson's ideas about nature, her love for the sea, her career as a biologist, and above all her emergence as a writer of extraordinary moral and ecological vision. We follow Carson from her childhood on a farm outside Pittsburgh, where she first developed her love of nature (and where, at age eleven, she published her first piece in a children's magazine), to her graduate work at Johns Hopkins and her career with the Fish and Wildlife Service. Lytle describes the genesis of her first book, Under a Sea Wind, the incredible success of The Sea Around Us (a New York Times Bestseller for over a year), and her determination to risk her fame in order to write her "poison book": Silent Spring. The author contends that despite Carson's demure, lady-like demeanor, she was subversive in her thinking and aggressive in her campaign against pesticides. Carson became the spokeswoman for a network of conservationists, scientists, and concerned citizens who had come to fear the mounting dangers of the human assault on nature. What makes this story particularly compelling is that Carson took up this cause at the very moment when she herself faced a losing battle against cancer. Succinct and engaging, The Gentle Subversive is a story of success, celebrity, controversy, and vindication. It will inspire anyone interested in protecting the natural world or in women's struggle to find a voice in society.
Customer Reviews:
A sensitive subject indeed.......2007-06-25
Rachel Carson's careless criticism of DDT killed millions of people, mostly poor children, a point that deserved better coverage in this book. Even today, decades later, there is still no good alternative to DDT for fighting malaria.
Carson was correct to point out that DDT has very bad side effects, but as it turns out, banning DDT has had much worse side effects. Science eventually determined that very small amounts of DDT would have been effective against malaria-carrying mosquitos and safe for the environment-- but Carson's rush to judgement prevented the scientific facts from being adequately investigated and considered.
She and her followers in the environmentalist movement refused to consider the full consequences of their actions, and millions of people have paid the price for that refusal.
. png
A Beautiful Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson.......2007-03-08
Mark Lytle does fine justice to the legacy of Rachel Carson in this well researched summary of her early life, upbringing, education, professional experiences, evolution of her writing and publishing culminating with the struggles to write and publish her most potent and last book, "Silent Spring", a dire warning of how deadly pesticide and herbicide assaults were damaging the health of ecosystems and non-targeted life forms including humans and which many proffer, launched the modern age of environmentalism.
Lytle continues Carson's beautiful legacy in his "Epilogue" and "Afterword".
Packed with an abundance of notes, citations and bibliography, this little book gives one a huge sense of awe and admiration for Carson's perseverance and dedication to educate the world about the interconnectedness and beauty of Nature and to cultivate a sense of responsibility and good stewardship.
Book Description
What distinguishes a great garden from one that is merely beautiful? In her triumphant follow-up to the award-winning
Earth on Her Hands, Starr Ockenga illustrates how a diverse group of visionary American plantsmen and women have taken risks, pushed boundaries, and stretched traditions to create distinctive, idiosyncratic gardens. Boldly conceived and boldly executed, these 21 gardens are highly personal interpretations of paradise.
Each of the gardens bears the indelible stamp of the individual. Paul Held's Connecticut garden reflects his passion for the Japanese Sakurasoh, a variety of primula he propagates from seed. Marlyn Sachtjen's Wisconsin property is a sanctuary for the magnificent trees she has termed "majesties." In his Illinois garden, Justin Harper collects and propagates rare conifers, and in a New York penthouse Mark Bramble's obsession is orchids. Artists such as Sarah Draney in upstate New York and Marcia Donahue in northern California have conceived landscapes that serve as the ideal settings for their own works, while Richard Reames forms living trees into unique arborsculpture in Oregon. William Woys Weaver and husband-wife team Karen Strohbeen and Bill Luchsinger use their Pennsylvania and Iowa gardens as laboratories for ongoing experimentation in heirloom vegetable cultivation and ambitious perennial gardening.
From the making of welcoming garden rooms densely planted with exotic flowers and foliage to sprawling landscapes featuring drifts of native plants in their natural habitats, these gardens represent a personal vision of Eden for each of their creators. Intimate portraits of the gardeners themselves and invaluable lists of the plants and techniques these innovators have devised over years and decades of gardening make this a useful and memorable addition to any gardener's library.
Customer Reviews:
UGH!!.......2005-04-23
Check out "a reader" with one star. I agree. Buy something else.
Starr, Starr, How Does Your Garden Grow?.......2002-02-08
Starr Ockenga's newest book is called "Eden On Their Minds," a playful reference to the title of her recent companion volume, "Earth On Her Hands." Any gardener (or wanna-be) glancing through "Eden On Their Minds" will soon be transfixed...and transported.
I don't have a garden of my own - I have to rely on New York City's parks and mid-highway "malls" for my greenery. Somehow, though, Ockenga's gorgeous book takes me from concrete-bound trees to a world of sweet-smelling, dewy expanses of Iowa grass; the world of moss-hung live oaks lining a centuries-old Louisiana lane; the world of a sage-and-lavender-smelling "gravel garden" in New York State; the world of the proud almost haughty precision of Neville Bryan's Chicago flower garden. Magical.
This is the gift book I gave my mother for Christmas, knowing she would eat up every photograph. This is just the book for those frosty mid-winter nights when you lounge in your favorite armchair, surrounded by garish, boasting seed catalogs, planning your spring. "Eden On Their Minds" is a book that invokes new life, encourages those of us with less than a green thumb, and reminds us that the Earth is struggling to amaze our humble human species, even as we pollute and destroy and ravage.
A helpful addition at the end of every chapter is a list of the plants grown in that chapter's featured garden; both common and botanical names are given, along with a brief description of the plant. An excellent index completes the book.
Starr Ockenga's latest book does amaze us. If you are not already a gardener, after reading this book you will want to be one when you grow up.
A respite from gray winter days.......2002-01-23
As we await the arrival of the first of the spring catalogues,three of my gardening friends and I have been purusing the contents of Starr Ockenga's wonderful new book, Eden on Their Minds, marvelling that the author has come up with a gem equal to its companion book, Earth on Her Hands. Whether we are consulting the wealth of information contained in the detailed plant lists; being transported from the cold and dark of winter by the breathtaking images of Eden that fill the book; daring through the inspiration of these visions to be more adventurous in our own gardens; or imagining a conversation with any one of the gardeners who are introduced to us so engagingly in striking black & white photographs, we agree that this book--a bargain at its retail price, not to mention the [Amazon.com] price--deserves its honored place on our horticultural library's shelves and on our laps as we meet, talk about gardening, and look forward to spring!
The Perfect Gift!.......2002-01-17
I just bought this book for my wife, an avid gardener, for her birthday. I had no idea if she would like it, but based on the publisher's write-up and the contents I thought she might enjoy it. Well I hit a home run! Not only did my wife love the book, but apparently she has another book by this same author. Now we are all happy, my wife loves this book and I scored some brownie points for "paying attention" to my wife's likes and needs!
Don't Miss This Book!.......2002-01-17
I do not often write reviews, however, after reading and enjoying Star Ockenga's Eden on Their Minds, I felt compelled to write this one. Earth on Her Hands, Ms. Ockenga's previous book about older women gardeners across America, was inspirational. Now comes Eden on Their Minds - covering more American gardeners. This time they are men and women, old and young. As the subtitle suggests, these people are bold and adventuresome. They are doing unexpected things in unexpected ways. Go see the living chairs in Oregon, a stone head in a bed of bamboo in California, brick carpets in the landscape of Long Island or 10,000 tulips in the ruins of an old plantation in Louisiana. These gardeners are seen in full page black and white portraits -and they seem to speak directly to us. Dirt gardeners all, they tell us how we can do it, too. Their plant lists and instructions are invaluable. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced gardener, there is lots to learn from this book. You'll also love these people. This is a great read.
Book Description
Thoreau’s literary classic, an elegantly written record of his experiment in simple living, has engaged readers and thinkers for a century and a half. This edition of Walden is the first to set forth an authoritative text with generous annotations. Thoreau scholar Jeffrey S. Cramer has meticulously corrected errors and omissions from previous editions of Walden and here provides illuminating notes on the biographical, historical, and geographical contexts of Thoreau’s life.
Cramer’s newly edited text is based on the original 1854 edition of Walden, with emendations taken from Thoreau’s draft manuscripts, his own markings on the page proofs, and notes in his personal copy of the book. In the editor’s notes to the volume, Cramer quotes from sources Thoreau actually read, showing how he used, interpreted, and altered these sources. Cramer also glosses Walden with references to Thoreau’s essays, journals, and correspondence. With the wealth of material in this edition, readers will find an unprecedented opportunity to immerse themselves in the unique and fascinating world of Thoreau.
Anyone who has read and loved Walden will want to own and treasure this gift edition. Those wishing to read Walden for the first time will not find a better guide than Jeffrey S. Cramer.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful book, helpful comments.......2007-06-14
This copy of Walden is beautiful and the extensive notes are very helpful.
Beautiful and accessible.......2007-01-31
This edition of Walden is a joy to read, with lovely typeface and layout. I am not a Thoreau scholar, but found the annotations accessible and absorbing. The layout allows you to read Walden straight through or wander off into the annotated notes, depending on your mood.
A book that serves as a miniature vacation every time you open it.
One step further outside of Concord.......2006-02-02
Walden, since the age of fourteen, has always been a special place for me. Ironically, I did not disturb the leaf laden path through Thoreau's wood until seven years after, but at a young age I enjoyed the utopia this book offers. Interestingly enough the surface was read, and with little understanding of history, of which I know have a Masters degree, I did not know the context. With this Annotated version you are thrusted further into Thoreau's world than ever before. I suggest strongly to read the text, then start over with just the annotations. It takes you into the historical/political context of the book's purpose, and from that, into a world leading to civil war, that would traverse those growing pains into a time of reform. Truly a book before its time, yet speaks to the reform movement of the latter 19th c., and perhaps today.
To Live at Walden; A Visit with Thoreau.......2005-02-15
150 years ago, a philosopher went to live in the woods off a small Massachusetts pond, and write about his experiences and meditations. Today, his thoughts, opinions, and experiences inform and educate us, enlightening us to a world of possibilities. Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden, and now all of us have a chance to spend time there in this richly illustrated edition.
Jeffrey Cramer, Thoreau scholar, has meticulously put together this labor of love for the book, as is shown on each and every page. Writing a short, insightful introduction to this book, and carefully research notes in the margins of the book, add layers of understanding to an already powerful book.
I hadn't ever visited Walden prior to this book. As a Walden novice, it served as an excellent introduction to an amazing man and an amazing work. I'm sure that both novices and scholars will benefit from this wonderful literary escape from the world. Yet the escape teaches us more about the world than we might ever know. Thanks to Cramer, and thanks to Henry for crafting this word feast.
A Plethora of Riches.......2004-09-24
Jeffrey Cramer's annotated "Walden" weaves together the "woof" of Thoreau's philosophy and observances with the "warp" of all the influences upon him in his life, current and remembered. Cramer brings light to bear on the puns and allusions that would likely escape the reader of today. It is an uncommonly rich reading experience.
The book itself is the best designed I can remember in years. The annotations are side by side with the text; the type is crisp and clear; the book opens flat for easy handling; and it is printed on fine stock. Cramer and Yale University Press have given us a rare gift.
Amazon.com
Earth on Her Hands celebrates the kind of people who have quietly and to minimal acclaim, over two centuries, developed and polished American garden style. These are the avid gardeners--mostly women--who establish and support community horticultural organizations and whose own gardens are examples of personal expression with unique local characteristics.
Starr Ockenga has interviewed 18 women who have worked and shaped their land, often over the course of several decades, into their dream gardens. From Ellie Spingarn's Connecticut stone wall to Georgie Erskine's Southern California citrus allée, each has features that are unique but fit seamlessly into their environment. There are meadows, orchards, a bonsai garden, vegetable gardens carved out of woodland, one walled English-style garden, and one that's intensely French, with topiaries, espaliered bushes, and a copper-roofed teahouse. Each woman is a plant collector of sorts, and each garden description is accompanied by a list of recommended plants. This is a joyous, soulful book that explores the complexity of garden-building and the effect it has on gardeners' lives.
Customer Reviews:
Not for women only!!.......2007-03-27
Men: please do not be put off by the title! This book is an inspiration that proves to be accessible to both sexes. Beauty in the garden cannot be bounded by gender lines. The photographs (many of which are full-page, with lovely sepia and white prints of the women themselves) are stunning, and this is one of the few gardening books where I actually read the accompanying text.
This is not a how-to-do-it, but more of a how-they-did-it; the stories really capture the continuity that results from a years-long commitment to one's land. For instance, one photo shows how a single plant purched in the 50s has grown into a sweeping carpet along a stone wall.
18 women and their US spaces are showcased here. (However, Alaska and Hawaii are not featured and I think this could have made the book even more wonderful.) Each woman gets a separate chapter, complete with pages and pages of well-captioned glossy photos, very readable text, a hand drawing of their garden designs, and several relevant lists. Some of the lists cover woodland carpet plants, white annuals/perennials/bulbs, and personal recommendations.
All sorts of gardens - alpine, rock, seaside, miniature/bonsai, water, citrus, huge-scale, small-scale, woodland - make up this large compendium. The book is 12.5 by 9 inches - a great contribution to a field where books seem to be getting smaller and smaller, and its size is really appropriate for the subject matter.
This is a book that I would have been thrilled with, sight unseen, and it would make a marvelous gift for someone special in your life, if you could bear to part with it. This one's a keeper, and it will not sit still on your coffee table!!
Refreshing Approach to Gardening.......2004-07-06
I love gardening how-to and reference books. Although this book is neither, I love it nevertheless. The idea behind this book is simple. 18 women and their gardens. Each woman is interviewed, there are many many photographs of both the gardens and the gardener. You get to hear each woman's voice and hear her wisdom. You get to see plant lists, garden plans as well and understand the philosphy and approach that each woman has taken in her gardening endevour. If the context of this book were a village, it would serve as a storyteller of the female elders and their creation of special space. Gardening is most than simply landscaping. Reading this book you understand the difference. I only with there were more women gardeners in this edition!
Beautiful women, beautiful gardens.......2002-11-24
Another fabulous Clarkson Potter Publishers book, Earth on Her Hands is a series of short biographies of 18 women who are non-professional, private gardeners and who have spent a lifetime growing and creating outstanding gardens. Each biography includes stunning color photos of the gardens and lovely sepia toned photos of the gardeners themselves as well as garden diagram sketches and individual gardener plant or project recommendations from their personal experiences. Ideas, inspiration and knowledge abound from these women (use flower arrangements IN the garden for areas where color is needed; 'Jersey Knight' asparagus is male and will not seed making it more productive) and their lifelong committment to their land, spaces, and plants gives every gardener something to aspire to. Any gardener worth her soil will find this an inspirational gift to give and receive, and a delightful off-season read.
An inspiring book.......2001-11-10
This is definately one of the most beautifully photographed books I have seen. Eighteen women gardeners from across the U.S. and their stunning gardens are profiled. Most of the women gardeners here are older and have been working on their gardens for decades. Some of them are also active in their local communities in garden clubs, parks and botanical gardens. If you enjoy looking at other people's gardens, you will love this. The photos are mouth watering. Each profile (about 10 pages in length) is wrapped up with a list of the gardener's recommended plants. This would be a good companion to Rosemary Verey's excellent book "The American Man's Garden".
Won American Horticultural Society's 1999 Annual Book Award.......1999-08-05
Starr Ockenga's luminary profiles of some of North America's most dedicated women gardeners are inspirational for anyone who gardens. This book is a wonderfully designed blend of fine photography and eloquent writing. A must for the avid gardener.
Book Description
From his celebrated seaside garden, a beloved poet-in his one-hundredth year-speaks about life, poetry, and the kindred spirit in all living things.
Throughout his life Stanley Kunitz has been creating poetry and tending gardens. This book is the distillation of conversations—none previously published—that took place between 2002 and 2004. Beginning with the garden, that "work of the imagination," the explorations journey through personal recollections, the creative process, and the harmony of the life cycle. A bouquet of poems and a total of twenty-six full-color photographs accompany the various sections.
In the spring of 2003, Kunitz experienced a mysterious health crisis from which, miraculously, he emerged in what he called a "transformed state." During this period, his vision of the garden-constant source of solace and renewal-propelled him. The intimate, often witty conversations that followed this time are presented here in their entirety, as transcribed. Their central themes, circling mortality and regeneration, attest to Kunitz's ever-present sagacity and wit. "Immortality," he answers when asked. "It's not anything I'd lose sleep over." 26 color photographs.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful.......2007-08-13
This book is an absolute MUST : the photos do Stanley Kunitz justice : he was a charming old man of nearly 100 years of age; his view on life & poetry are just what one needs at ANY time . It's a jewel of a book!!!
It's difficult to put a "tag" to it, since it's abour gardening AND poetry as ways of life...
Small Gem.......2007-05-13
This is one of those books I will keep and return to frequently, a small gem produced just before Stanley Kunitz's 100th birthday. It is a lovely combination of photos and text. Quiet, thoughtful, respectful, the book shows the relationship between tending gardens and writing poems. Kunitz has long been one of my favorite poets. Having examples of some of his best poems along with his comments about writing them and writing poetry in general is a treat.
A Celebration of Old Age, Gardens and Poetry.......2007-02-25
There are so many aspects of this wonderful book to comment on. The photos of Stanley in his garden celebrate the beauty of his garden and of living life to the fullest in old age. My favorite is a picture of Stanley's gnarled hands behind his back with dirt on the tips of his fingers.
I am new to Kunitz's poetry so the poems sprinkled throughout the book were wonderful to read. More than the poems though, I was fascinated by his thoughts about the process of writing poetry and what constitutes a meaningful poem.
"Almost anything you do in the garden, for example weeding, is an effort to create some sort of order out of nature's tendency to run wild. There has to be a certain degree of domestication in a garden. The danger is that you can so tame your garden that it becomes a THING. It bcomes landscaping.
In a poem, the danger is obvious; there is natural idiom and then there is domesticated language. The difference is apparent immediately when you sense everything has been subjugated, that the poet has tamed the language and the thought process that flows into a poem until it maintains a principle of order but nothing remains to give the poem its tang, its liberty, its force. Once the poem starts flowing, the poet must not try to dictate every syllable."
Thanks to my dear friend who recommended this wonderful book.
Reflections and Expressions of a life in relation to the "natural universe" .......2007-01-15
These reflections and poems of Stanley Kunitz express his understanding of the garden as a place that "leads to an appreciation of the natural universe", his delight in each day, and his readiness at 100 years of age to take the next step on his journey.
Still cultivating wonder at the century mark.......2007-01-09
Stanley Kunitz's slim volume, written shortly before his death at age 100 last May, is destined to become a treasured volume for writers, gardeners, nature-lovers and anyone who seeks to live fully. The poems and photos woven throughout are as gorgeous as the text, which contains inspirational (I hesitate to use this overused word in relation to such an extraordinary context) and instructional lessons on living to the fullest, even as life winds down like the garden in winter. Kunitz is a quiet hero for embracing life in all its complexity and wildness, and this book is one to return to over and over for pleasure, comfort and discovery.
Book Description
A definitive biography of a contemporary literary icon whose life was a web of contradictions. Cahalan sets the record straight on "Cactus Ed," separating fact from fiction to show that much of the myth surrounding Abbey was self-created and self-perpetuated. This meticulous work gives readers the most complete picture to date of the writer's life-and a fuller, more human Abbey than most have ever known. The book contains 30 photographs, capturing scenes ranging from Abbey's childhood to his burial site.
Customer Reviews:
Meet the real Cactus Ed: Alcoholic Ed.......2006-05-26
It's true that Cahalan never uses the term, and Abbey himself certainly never fesses up to it, but it's clear that's the case, as a careful reading of this great biography shows, especially if you've read the bulk of Abbey's own work as well, as I have.
Clues? The womanizing and multiple marriages, whether or not Abbey was a misogynist. The immature and obstinate behavior (Example A: Abbey rolling a tire off the South Rim of the Grand Canyon). These alone, if seen in the context of someone's drinking, almost stamp them on the forehead as a stereotypical Type A male alcoholic. If they don't, the whopper storytelling part of his personality does.
But, of course, that's not all.
Although it turned out to be an incorrect diagnosis, normally, there's only one reason you get a diagnosis of pancreatitis without some other medical condition being indicated along with it. And, of course, Abbey's ultimately fatal esophogal varisces are traceable directly to alcohol.
Now, that said, in addition to never owning up to being an alcoholic, Abbey never quit, contrary to myth that even Cahalan doesn't appear to catch.
That's clear from Abbey's final years journals, from which Douglas Peacock, Abbey's model for Hayduke, quotes in "Walking it Off."
In early 1988, Abbey describes the effects of withrdrawal from the codeine he had been using to try to suppress chronic coughing that aggravated the varisces. He explicitly says beer does not ease his codeine withdrawal symptoms.
To the degree that Cahalan, without labeling or analyzing, does catch Abbey's alcoholic behavior, he described it well. Unfortunately, whether because of lack of experience in dealing with the breed or whatever, he unfortunately doesn't analyze Abbey.
The alcoholism is of a piece with other parts of Abbey behind his legendary self-spinning, a glimpse behind that sometimes Abbey gives us himself.
Abbey adamantly insisted he was NOT an environmentalist. Well, the Grand Canyon incident, among MANY others, prove that point all too well. Again, Cahalan sees the pieces, but doesn't do the dot-connecting as much as one might like.
What Abbey really was, as shown by things such as his fondness for 20h century classical music mentioned in "Desert Solitaire," was an existentialist philosopher with a heavy dollop of libertarianism on top. If he had fallen in love with another way of expressing and getting in touch with both existential and libertarian selves, he wouldn't have been out in Arches National Monument.
And yes, we would have been poorer for that, but not as much poorer as Abbey idolators would have us believe.
Abbey deprived the environmental world, the world at large, and many people around, of what could have been much more that he had to offer. But, that's because he was ultimately depriving his own self of -- himself.
But, again, Cahalan, while laying out all the pieces, doesn't quite put the jigsaw together.
That's the prime reason this otherwise excellent bio falls a star short of the top.
Leave it to Abbey.......2006-05-06
Reading about Abbey provided me with the realization that some people in this world really do have a "life" - without many constraints, guilt, or heavy-duty obligations that are often tagged on to an individual by nature of his/her duty to satisfy others. Cahalan presents Abbey as a human being in search of his soul while dispelling the myths of his misogyny. Made more interesting by the fact that Cahalan was my professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2003, I easily became immersed into the journeys of Abbey, who like myself, see no boundaries for where I travel or where I go in the future. A great piece of interesting literature!! From the sands of Abbey's Southwest to the sands of Kuwait, I have fallen victim! This inspires me to write my own account of the life of an American woman who finds her passion in the deserts of Kuwait.
A very interesting book about a great writer.......2005-09-18
Having never heard of Edward Abbey or any book he ever wrote (I picked up the book because it was the first on a shelf at the library) I was absorbed by this guy's life and tribulations. I even made it a point to start to read A Fool's Progress. I'm glad I took the time to read the book because it makes you realize that the guy was human, introverted and not the eco-rebel everyone thought he was. He was a writer. I love his mantra:
1) Write Right!
2) Write Good!
3) Write On!
Though he had his troubles with family life I thought his struggles with life, writing and being successful made for a good story.
Terrific book on Abbey's life and writing!.......2005-02-21
I had never even heard of Edward Abbey until Dr. James Cahalan's book was published. I live approximately 35 miles from Indiana and Home, Pennsylvania, and happened to catch an interview of Dr. Cahalan on my NBC affiliate in Johnstown.
This sparked an interest in Abbey and I immediately bought "The Fool's Progress." I struggled to get through 250 of the 513 pages of his "Fat Masterpiece."
I received Dr. Cahalan's "Edward Abbey: a life" as a gift and found it extremely interesting. The author provides very good insights into Abbey's life, his viewpoints and his writing style.
Reading this book has breathed new life into my interest in Abbey. Having read Dr. Cahalan's book has given me what I needed to now finish "The Fool's Progress" with a better understanding of the context in which the book was written. Also, as soon as I finished "Edward Abbey: a life" I bought "Desert Solitaire."
"Edward Abbey: a life" has given this casual (or maybe wannabe) Abbey fan the inspiration and understanding to become a true Abbey fan. In my opinion, this book is the perfect starting point for those fans wanting to explore the many facets of Edward Abbey's life, relationships and writing.
A biography that reads like a novel.......2004-09-30
Edward Abbey's life was so interesting that most any decently-written biography of him should be entertaining. Cahalan's biography is certainly that, but he also delves into Abbey's psyche through the presentation of details that are ignored in other biographies of Abbey. Thus, the reader is provided an image of Abbey that has a lot of "texture," and, I believe, is closer to a faithful picture of the real man, faults and virtues combined. Cahalan does a good job of remaining impartial, and tries to present the events just as they are, so that the reader is pretty much left free to make his/her own judgements about Abbey The Man. This doesn't mean that Cahalan's personal opinions about Abbey don't come out in the book (he is sympathetic to Abbey), but he lets the reader know when he is expressing an opinion, and when he is stating what is taken as fact.
Biographies of famous authors, especially revolutionary ones like Abbey, is a genre that I have started to really enjoy. It seems that, for me at least, reading about the events, and the author's reactions to them, that helped to form such an extraordinary individual is often more entertaining than the author's own writings! That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed most of Abbey's books (not all, though). The same goes for Jack Kerouac. Cahalan's biography and Ann Charter's biography of Kerouac are two fine examples of biographies that read like novels, but are in some ways better, because they report actual events!
Book Description
From the acclaimed author of
The Wilder Sisters comes this bittersweet, deeply moving story of four displaced women who unite to run a flower farm, heal their hearts, and real- ize the depth and necessity of friendship.
Phoebe Thomas has lived life as a spectator, confined to a wheelchair, in awe of her beloved Aunt Sadie and overshadowed by her financial wizard brother, James. But when Sadie dies, leaving her a flower farm, the world opens up to Phoebe in ways she could never have imagined. Taking in three roommates to help get the farm running, she finds herself, for the first time in her life, part of a close circle of woman friends. Each displaced from her home, these four women form an invaluable bond as they help one another learn to change their lives.
Set against the gorgeous backdrop of California's central coast, Bad Girl Creek is the inspiring story of how friendship and purpose can transform even the most compromised of women, as well as situations. With her rich, melodic prose and charming wit, Jo-Ann Mapson enchantingly chronicles female strength, family complexities, life crises, the use of humor as a curative power, and love in all its many aspects. Bad Girl Creek is a breathless and pitch-perfect tragicomedy of female friendship in the new American West.
Download Description
Phoebe Thomas has lived life as a spectator, confined to a wheelchair, in awe of her beloved aunt Sadie and overshadowed by her financial wizard brother James. But when her aunt dies, leaving her a flower farm, the world opens up to Phoebe in ways she could never have imagined. Taking in three roommates to help her get the farm running, she finds herself, for the first time in her life, part of a close circle of women friends. Each displaced from her home -- a result of job loss, a romantic break up, eviction -- these four women form an invaluable bond as they help one another learn to change their lives. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of California's Central Coast, Bad Girl Creek is the inspiring story of how life at its lowest can, with a little communal effort and kindness, transform to a brief idyll. Uplifting and deeply moving, Bad Girl Creek explores womens' strengths, family complexities, life's crises, the use of humor as a curative power, and love in all its many definitions. Jo-Ann Mapson's rich, melodic prose captures the exquisite beauty of the American West as well as the tremendous power of friendship among women.
Customer Reviews:
Bad Girl Creek.......2007-01-06
Jo-Ann Mapson leaves you wanting to read more about everyone in the book...which she does in the next two books in this series. She is one of the best at women's fiction.
Awesome Book, great author.......2006-11-02
This book is an awesome book, I found this author when i bought a book, on special from my local BJ's store, it was only $4.99 and being a book buff I couldn't pass it up and I am so glad I did. So I searched and searched for this author and am so glad I did cause this book and another one and the one I bought were all in a set of 3. You won't go wrong with purchasing this book, as well as Good Bye Earl and Along Came Mary they go hand in hand with one another.
Mapson novels should come with a warning label: ADDICTIVE .......2006-09-29
This was the novel that hooked me on author Jo Ann Mapson. I have read and loved all of her books. She writes about community and love and family in a way that few others can. Her prose is addictive! Her novels are the ultimate fiction escape.
great!!!.......2006-07-26
I'm only half way into the book but can't put it down. Makes me laugh out loud! Great characters, books like this don't come along often. Realistic but hopeful!
Totally Enjoyed!!.......2006-01-11
I really enjoyed the book. The characters were wonderful. Very human, complete with flaws. They all begin with those flaws, feeling themselves lost and adrift, but when they find each other, they find themselves and realize that they are all strong women. When I read the last page I knew there had to be a sequel. I haven't read it yet but will be picking that up soon. I hope Mapson continues with the same strong characters. I lent this to friends who have enjoyed it as well.
Amazon.com
Dorothy Freeman, a fan of environmental writer Rachel Carson, was also her best friend. The correspondence between them charts the growth of their long affection; it also offers much detail about Carson's concerns as a writer and scientific reporter, to say nothing of her misgivings about being anointed as one of the environmental movement's chief intellectual leaders. The letters are full of talk about birds, books, and the changing seasons. Fans of Carson--and of the forgotten art of correspondence--are sure to enjoy Always, Rachel.
Book Description
Rachel Carson's landmark book Silent Spring set the modern environmental movement in motion.This very special collection of letters from Rachel Carson to her Maine summer neighbor Dorothy Freeman offers an intimate, spellbinding look at Carson's private life and thoughts.
An intimate collection of letters from the woman who sparked the modern environmental movement.
"What is revealed in this selection of letters is the extraordinary, private person of Carson and her relationship with Freeman, the nature-loving, homebody friend of her later years. . . . It is not often that a collection of letters reveals character, emotional depth, personality, indeed intellect and talent, as well as a full biography might; these letters do all that."
-Doris Grumbach, The New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2000-12-05
I loved this book. It gives an inside look into the life of Rachel Carson. You get a sence of who she was and her passion for nature. I recomend it.
Books:
- The Magical Garden of Claude Monet
- The Master Cleanser
- The Mini Zen Gardening Kit (Miniature Editions)
- The Most Beautiful Gardens in the World
- The New Garden Paradise: Great Private Gardens of the World
- The Practical Encyclopedia of Orchids: The Complete Guide to Orchids and Their Cultivation
- The Reef Aquarium: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tropical Marine Invertebrates (Volume 1)
- The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)
- The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit
- The Tropical Garden
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- IT Manager's Handbook, Second Edition: Getting your new job done
- Traditional Mexican Style Interiors
- Queer Looks: Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Film and Video
- Schumann: The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius
- The Goon Volume 1: Nothin' But Misery
- The Truelove
- The Tree: A Natural History of What Trees Are, How They Live, and Why They Matter
- Principles of Accounting, with Annual Report, Student Workbook, Vol. II
- Stealth KM: Winning Knowledge Management Strategies for the Public Sector
- Land That Moves, Land That Stands Still
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Stern Men
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Pilgrims
A Writer's Workbook: Daily Exercises for the Writing Life
Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea
