John Gray Books

Scholarly, yet highly readable. Professor Fowler's new book provides needed background on the motivations of East Tennessee's Confederate volunteers, their wartime service, their medical histories and, uniquely, their post-war lives.

In the tradition of Inscoe, Fisher, McKenzie, Groce, et al, "Mountaineers in Gray" sheds much more light on East Tennessee's Confederates from Hamilton, Knox, Washington, Sullivan, Rhea, McMinn, Polk and Hawkins counties.

Organized by the wealthy Anderson County attorney and plantation owner, Col. David H. Cummings, the Nineteenth fought in almost all of the battles in the Western Theatre from 1861-65. After he was wounded at Shiloh, Col. Cummings joined his son as a cotton factor in New Orleans, Louisiana and on their plantation near Baton Rouge. Col. F.M. Walker replaced him.

The 62 pages of Endnotes and Bibliography are worth the price of the book by themselves for any serious student of the war in the Western Theatre.

The design and production of this and other recent University of Tennessee Press books is worthy of emulation by other publishers. Their method of providing headings (ie., "Notes to Pages 12-18") for the endnotes is especially noteworthy.

As a Past-President of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable, I can recommend this landmark treatise without reservation.

I find the book quite informative and entertaining, the combination of these two characterics are no easy matter. The discussion of Nantucket legends and lifestyles should be of particular interest to young people as well as to their parents.

The Hebrew Scriptures (old testament for christians), came from a particular time and culture, that of the ancient near east. That culture in that time had it's "stories" that were told about the "gods". This book is a good introductory sampling of the kinds of stories that were in vogue in the land of the old testament surroundings. The old testament should be heard and read with it's own background in mind; the kinds of stories and beliefs of it's own time and place. this book will give one an idea of the kinds of beliefs about the "gods" and such that were around in the ancient near east. For similar works check out Old Testament Parallels by Victor Matthews (new edition), and for a more thematic treatment try Ancient Near Eastern Thought And The Old Testament by John Walton.

John C. Hughes is one of the most well-respected publishers in the history of journalism.

He started out his career as a paper carrier more than 50 years ago. His story is one of myths -- rising from a boy to a cub reporter to the publisher of the newspaper which covers Pacific and Grays Harbor counties in Washington state.

He's seen it all -- and helped coin a couple phrases. In 1983 the Washington Public Power Supply System attempted to build two nuclear reactors on Fuller Hill in Satsop, Wash. Hughes famously nicknamed the agency WHOOPS -- a term that caught on.

The book famously tells that tale, as well as how Simpsons creator Matt Groening probably based the Simpsons' nuclear reactors on the Satsop plant. (A revelation for any Simpsons fan!)

Chalk full of unsolved crimes and popular tales -- the bank robbery in Oakville, Wash., the very last of its kind on horseback is one of many.

The book contains mysteries, too. Who killed Laura Law in 1940? It's a question Hughes tries to answer. Law was a well-respecter mother. She allegedly did no harm. The 65-year-old murder still remains unsolved to this day.

Hughes also famously recounts the tale of Nirvana's rise to Aberdeen and how the throngs of fans continue to flock to the logging town looking for the bridge Cobain allegedly slept under, the house he lived in and how Aberdeen has yet to come to grips with the tourism appeal of the untapped Cobain fans.

Hughes has won more than 50 SPJ awards, a C.B. Blethen Memorial Award for investigative reporting, and he was recently honored with the June Anderson Almquist Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism from the Western Washington Chapter of SPJ.

But probably more important than anything else in his career, Hughes has been a guiding light for generations of young reporters.

His book is a brilliant testimony to the history of his hometown.

Aberdeen, Grays Harbor and all of Washington state should be proud.

excelentes reflexiones sobre la existencia humana.
El ser humano ha crecido desde siempre con la idea de que es superior a todas las especias vivas del planeta, sin ponerlo en duda.
El ser humano es la cúspide de la evolución y no hay marcha atrás en este pensamiento.
Pero no es así ... ¿por qué no podemos aceptar la idea de que tal vez no seamos eso? ... tal vez somos solo una especie viviente más, con sus virtudes, pero también con miles de defectos.
La raza humana puede ser considerada como la plaga más grande que ha caido en la tierra. La raza humana es la peor especie viviente que se pudo desarrollar sobre el planeta.
No somos más que animales en nada superiores a otros animales o seres vivientes.
Aceptar estas reflexiones no es sencillo, es tirar por la borda toda la historia de la humanidad, es a fin de cuentas, aceptarnos como lo que somos.
Jhon Gray reflexiona profundamente en este sentido y nos da importantes argumentos para sustentar su idea. Lo hace desde una perspectiva que no es muy común y que rompe miles y miles de años de prejuicios absolutamente aceptados por todos.
Es mu interesante y realmente invita a una reflexión profunda

This biography was printed in a limited edition, and one could hope that it would be reprinted. The book is an essential reference for readers interested in seafaring novels about the Royal Navy during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is the biography of Rear Admiral Peter Puget, covering his entire naval career from the time he was a midshipman (starting at the age of 12 in 1778) serving in the West Indies during the American Revolution, to his final assignment as Naval Commissioner in India, with details of his final days in England, and some details on his children.

A large segment of the book deals with his service as second lieutenant aboard His Majesty's sloop Discovery under the command of George Vancouver during that ship's voyage to the northwest coast of North America (1791-1795). It gives some valuable insight into that voyage and the personality of Captain George Vancouver (Vancouver had served with Captain James Cook on both his second and third voyages). Lieutenant Puget was promoted to lieutenant at the age of 25 (see Richard Woodman's, "A King's Cutter," for a story about the difficulties of a midshipman from the American Revolution struggling for promotion).

The voyage of the Discovery started out soon after the mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty (see William Bligh, "The Mutiny Aboard the H.M.S. Bounty"), with the result that a consort, the armed tender Chatham under the command of Lieutenant William Robert Broughton, was sent to accompany the Discovery. George Vancouver and William Bligh had served together on Captain Cook's third voyage, Bligh being the sailing master. There is no doubt that the mutiny on the Bounty influenced Vancouver's attitudes towards his officers and men. Vancouver had also been present when the natives in Hawaii killed Captain Cook, and that undoubtedly colored his attitude towards native peoples.

Peter Puget was responsible for surveying and charting Puget Sound in what in now Washington State. He apparently made a good impression on Vancouver. When Broughton was send overland to carry dispatches back to England, Puget was given command of the Chatham, skipping over Lieutenant Mudge, the first lieutenant on the Discovery.

Puget participated in the capture of a Dutch East Indiaman during the return voyage to England in 1795 for which he received an unknown amount of prize money (records show the final account was not closed until 1834, when his widow received a small balance of one pound, 17 shillings, 6 pence). The balance of the book covers the remainder of his career, promotion to commander in command of a transport, service at Gibraltar, command of a flotilla of transports, command of a sloop, promotion to Captain by Admiral Jervis at Lisbon in 1797 and assignment to command of a Spanish ship of the line captured at Cape St. Vincent, and then service with the Home Fleet in command of various ships of the line. He commanded the in-shore squadron at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. He was appointed Commissioner of the Navy at Madras, India, in 1810, and continued in that position until 1817, among his duties overseeing construction of the dockyard at Trincomalee. He was forced to retire due to ill health in 1817, arriving back in England in early 1818, and never held another active command. He reached the top of the Captain's List in 1821 and was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue after 24 years as a captain. He died the following year at the age of 56, having never regained his health. The book gives a good account of naval service during that period of time, including accidents and illness, the hard life at sea, successes and failures. He had enough time on shore to father 7 sons and 4 daughters.

John Gray knows his material so well it is a priviledge to listen to this presentation. The outline is clear and easy to listen to and the stories he tells help to make the information very memorable. Each time I listen to the cassettes I gain a new idea that is helpful and works in developing positive parenting skills. The best audio book I have found on the topic of parenting.

This publication gives the reader a dynamic understanding of the nature of mankind as it relates to power. We are able to see ourselves as we struggle to control everything in our environment under the disquise of seeking to understand things. It is extremely abstract and should be read with others to discuss general content and have group feedback. It offers some reasonable solutions to the problems in American culture today.

Great background on the experiences of companies implementing S&OP. Technology agnostic describing the process, challenges and benefits of S&OP. Highly recommended for anyone considering or going thru the challenges and (ultimate) rewards of an S&OP process.

Those are the immortal words spoken by 21-year-old Sam Davis, the Confederate scout (often mislabled as a spy) who was about to be hanged on Nov. 27, 1863. His Union captors, under the command of Gen. G.M. Dodge, pleaded with Davis to reveal the name of the leader of "Coleman's Scouts", which was a select group of Confederate scouts (of which Davis belonged) that went behind Union lines in Middle Tennessee to gather information on Union forces gathered there. The leader of this group was Capt. H.B. Shaw, who went by the name of E. Coleman to mislead the Yankees who were always searching for him and his men.

Later Sam Davis was asked to tell who gave him the secret documents that were found on him when he was captured. Davis refused to reveal ANY information to Gen. Dodge, saying,"I know, general, that I will have to die, but I will not tell where I got the information, and there is no power on earth that can make me tell. I am doing my duty as a soldier, and if I have to die I shall be doing my duty to God and my country."

This book, first published in 1947, provides a great summary of his life, as well as a section on monuments and tributes to Davis following the war. And it also has a detailed genealogy of Davis' family. There are also several great photos showing the interior and exterior of the Sam Davis home, which has thankfully been restored and remains open to the public to this day. I've visited and toured his home many times, and I highly recommend that any tourists traveling nearby (it's located in Smyrna, TN) take time to see that beautiful place.

Unfortunately, this book is out-of-print and has become quite rare. I myself have only seen two copies for sale, one for $27.00 (-the one I bought) and one for $75.00. However, this book is defintely worth searching for, as it is one of the few Sam Davis biographies that I know of. I also recommend "The story of Sam Davis" by W.B. Romine, "Lest we forget: Sam Davis" by William F. Currotto, and "Sam: the Civil War experiences of Private Samuel Davis" by Beverly A. Rude. This book is highly recommended for all history buffs.