Charles Williams Books

This book is the true experience of a crew chief who flew with his plane dropping paratroopers and supplies in WWII's European theatre. It reads like the author is sitting and talking with you about all the things that happened to him as a very young man
who saw the service as a way to get out of, as he puts it, spending his life "looking up a mule's butt." Very honest, down-to-earth story.

I was an English major from 1948 to 1952, and this is the anthology I cut my teeth on. Williams not only went back to the 19th Century to include the first "modern" poets (e.g. Dickinson, Hardy, Hopkins, Housman) who were long dead in 1946, but he selected poets only then in their 20's who would later be acknowledged as great. His selection of poems also was excellent and these are now standard reading. He also includes 80 pages of delightful "Light Verse" seldom found in anthologies, much of which is not light in the sense of inferior. Also included are photographs of the poets and a useful index of first lines. 672 pp.

Published by Mythopoeic Society, this trade paperback has a really cute cover. To those of you who know me I am a friend of the Mythopoeic society the American fan group which has been responsible for keeping the memory of "The Inklings alive since its inception in 1967. Okay I confess that in the last thirteen years I have missed only two of three of their conferences.

The organization has produced far beyond its numbers over the last 33 years. It has held conferences, producing academic journals, and developed a whole new generation of scholars who have made high fantasy a respectable genre, and I might add a very hot marketing category to say the least. The Modern Language association has deigned to index their major publication Mythlore. This is no small honor because it means that as a respectable peer reviewed journal publications in it count towards tenure if you play the academic game.

The Mythopoeic Press which published items like this as a labor of love, and those work for its project do so for the best reason, they believe they are worth doing. This item is limited to a print run of 300 copies so it is in fact a rare book from the start. I read it over the weekend at a science fiction convention where I got a complimentary membership and I could not put the weird little thing down. It is weird because it transports one back to Oxford University press in London in the 20's and 30's This is the world which Charles Williams work is way up from a literary nobody who worked as a proof reader; to an individuals who became a peer of Likes of C.S Lewis, and J.R.R Tolkien. This is a world that might visualize like an old Alfred Hitchcock Movies, like the several we have been watching over the last month. But, it is a world that has almost receded out of living memory-which is a sad thing.

Here is what some of the big names in publishing in the second half of the 20th century have had to say about. From the Inside Flap "Charles Williams's masques are an intellectual frolic. Sometimes they deliver sharp and shrewdly apt comments on the publishing process. Sometimes this merges into a virtuoso display of Williams's own quirks and oddities. They are fun to read, and to imagine being performed before Caesar--also known as Humphrey Milford, Publisher to the august Oxford University Press. As a former London publisher myself I can vouch for the accurate but impish background to the masques. Such events would be hard to imagine occurring within the book-publishing industry today. But then Williams, like all the Inklings, was an original, and caused unexpected things to happen." --Rayner Unwin, former Chairman, George Allen & Unwin Ltd.; publisher of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien -----

"It is good to have, at last, easy access to these remarkable products of Williams's overflowing creative energy, which he placed here at the service of his ideal of congenial and mutually supportive community. The ingenuity and serious playfulness of his masques provide much delight. Selections from the music composed for them and from related occasional verse help round out our experience. An excellent introduction and judicious notes guide us through the topical and personal allusions and offer glimpses into the enigmas of Williams's life." --Charles A. Huttar, Professor Emeritus of English, Hope College; co-editor of The Rhetoric of Vision: Essays on Charles Williams About the Author Of course you would expect that sort of thing from those involved in this items production,

Charles William's (1886-1945) was really interesting in the sense that he was a self made man whose formal education was interrupted but never the less on the basis of his determination and intellectual merit was able to play in the field of power at a time when academic publishing was more than the grist mill for as tenure factory. Williams was also more than a bit of a ladies man but that is yet another story about the shortest lived of" The Inklings"

By the way a Masque is a kind play which the lines between audience and player are blurred indeed. The three plays take a bit of getting used, and some of the jokes take a bit of work to get, but as I read through it I found I just could not put it down. 206 pages with notes and index. Copyright 2000

Phillip Kaveny, Reviewer

Excellent Book on Human Potential, Applied Psychology and Human Potential. An abslolute breakthrough on mind sciences and peak potential of Mind.

WOW, this book hits the spot and gives great insights to the realm of 21st century metaphysics. It provides executive refresher insights and summaries of the best success, new thought, and metaphysics authors of our time. This manuscript has concise chapters on: Judge Thomas Troward, Prof. Wallace Wattles, Dr. Mentz, Dr. Napoleon Hill, Prof. Robert Collier, Dr. Charles Haanel, The acclaimed editor and writer Mr. Prentice Mulford, Dr. Joseph Murphy, Dr. William Walker Atkinson, Prof. James Allen, Dr. Christian Larson and much much more. This is the Advanced Secret Guide with exercises and executive summaries. It also has bonus sections on achieving health, wealth, and success with exercises, tips, and strategies to reach your dreams and goals.

I can't be shy about this book. Buy it, read it, and keep it near you. If you want growth and peace of mind, research and learn the keys to power included in The Masters of the Secrets. As a note, I was really impressed with the bonus chapter on the Science of Gratitude in 25 parts as well as the biographical information on various authors and greats.

Further, this book brings light issues of conscious entrepreneurship, developing harmony with excellence, & becoming your best while maintaing peace of mind. In sum, if you like to research issues on the laws of: Success, Effectiveness, Purpose, Attraction, Increase, Action, Gratitude, Health, Peace, Constructive Thinking, and Harmonious Living; then, this is a must read and a keeper.

Here are some of the chapters from the Table of Contents:

Think and Grow Rich - The Philosophy of Dr. Napoleon Hill;
Summary of the Philosophy of Prof. Wallace Wattles;
The Master Key System - Summary and Exercises by Dr. Charles Haanel;
Abundance and Success Techniques for Business Professionals - Dr. Mentz;
The Mind Philosophy of Dr. Christian D. Larson;
A summary of the Science of Getting Rich Metaphysics - Prof. Wattles;
Exercises to Augment your Mental Abilities for Prosperity;
A Spiritual Exercise for Health - Prof. Wattles;
The Science of Gratitude in 25 Parts - Haanel, Wattles, Mentz, Larson;
Thoughts are Things by Prof. Prentice Mulford;
Prof. Robert Collier 25 Secrets to Spiritual Wealth;
An Analysis of the Secrets of Judge Thomas Troward - Author of the Edinburgh Lectures;
The Limitless Mind Power of Dr. Josephy Murhpy;
Prof. James Allen - As a Man Thinks;
8 Pillars of Prosperity - Analysis of James Allen's Secret Works;
Beatitudes - A Brief and Positive Interpretation;
12 Steps to Right Thinking and Success;
Attraction by Thoughts;
Contemporary 8 Fold Path to Effective Living;
Metaphysical Glossary and Terms

Thanks, W.

you will not be disappointed by this novel

but get the latest Penguin edition

A highly readable and thorough examination of Lt. Colonel John Fremont's disastrous fourth expedition through the central Rockies.

The intent of the expedition was to locate a future railroad passage through the central Rockies during the winter months to see if a rail system would be feasible at that time of year. All signs pointed to a severe and brutal winter when Fremont and thirty-five others (many of them seasoned veterans of the frontier) undertook this impossible assault on the mountains. The outcome was ten dead.

The author explores every scrap of evidence from governmental documents, personal letters and newspaper articles to rationalize Fremont's failure. From the misguidance of "Old" Bill Williams, to the personal vendettas amongst the men, to the geographical disorientations at hand, we gain a better understanding as to what went on in the breakdown of this expedition.
A captivating and engaging read.

This is a suitably vast book for a vast subject. It covers every aspect of the application of human genetics to medicine, and the reviews are not only an ideal introduction to a genetic disease, but are heavily referenced as well. This makes it ideal as a guide to the most recent literature on the subject. The introductory chapters are essential reading as well.

I bought this book to read the author's thoughts on Bukowski and Miller and was quite impressed with the passion and clarity of his criticism. The best thing about it for me, however, was an introduction into the works of B. Traven, a writer I had never heard of before this book. Traven, the author of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and many other novels, is a forgotten treasure in our literature.

I highly recommend this slender volume to anyone interested in discussions of contemporary American literature. Be warned, though: This is not dry, academic discourse. William Joyce, for all of his erudition, is a bloody, passionate thinker and a living man. In other words, he's the perfect sort of fellow to write criticism of Bukowski, Miller and B. Traven.

I have nearly always gone to school, but for the past several years I've rather lost my sense of direction with respect to educational goals. Recently, though, I was browsing through a catalogue for a local community college and discovered a cabinetmaking degree. I've gotten rather burned out on nursing--not enough to give it up entirely, but certainly to have doubts about working many shifts at the bedside once I'm past 62! But I'm also a bit of a workaholic; that is, I definitely need to feel like I'm doing something constructive. A career in cabinetmaking seemed to fit the bill, so I've registered for two night courses (out of 17 required) so that by the time I'm ready to retire, I'll have Plan B in place!

For both courses the recommended text is Umstattd and Davis's Modern Cabinetmaking. It's a beautiful, well written, and thorough book on the cabinetmaker's craft, and covers everything from design, drafting, forestry and milling principles, wood types, non-wood products (glass, plastic, ceramic), hardware, processing wood for products, discussions of tools and techniques, finishes, and furniture design, to the employment opportunities available in cabinetmaking. It's such an exciting and informative volume, that I got almost 1/3 of the way through the 854 pages of the book within a couple of days before my classes even began.

Tonight it's Basic Woodworking Fundamentals, tomorrow it's POWER TOOLS!!! (Boy, if anyone had told me when I was a little girl I'd be this excited about a trip to the hardware store, I'd have thought they were crazy.)

It is a shame that this classic of American religion is not available for purchase. Every current scholar cites this as the authoritative text on the history of evangelical revivalism. McLoughlin is certainly no friend of many of his subjects, but his study is indispensable.