Journals Books

In all practical aspects, the Dominguez and Escalante expedition was a failure. The two Spanish fathers were unable to locate an overland route between the Spanish colonies of Santa Fe, New Mexico and Monterrey, California, and in 1776 it seemed that all the two men had done was wander aimlessly in the north for six months. The lasting impact these two men have had on history (and particularly Utah's history), however, are far greater than they could have known.

The expedition made a map, but it is basically worthless in its inaccuracy. Still, the description they left of their route, and most notably that of Utah Valley, was later a great resource for subsequent explorers of Utah, especially John C. Fremont. Their expedition, failed though it was, nevertheless is important as the first written record of the territory that would later become Utah. In addition, the journal did not outlive its usefulness in 1844, when the second of Fremont's expeditions was completed, or even later when Stansbury, Gunnison, and others surveyed the territory. This journal is important even today, because it provides us with a natural look at the Native Americans of the area, before they were disturbed and corrupted by hordes of encroaching whites. This journal is a great document in Utah's history, both as the first written account and as a fascinating look at Utah more than 75 years before it would be settled by the whites.

Even if this book sucked, I couldn't rate it lower than five stars, if for no other reason than that this book is IT.
It's the only record of this particular part part of the Southwest from before the area was overrun by Spanish and Anglo settlers. It's the book that guided decades of explorers and missionaries, and that has mercifully survived to offer us hints of what life in the West could be like BACK THEN.
It's the story of Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, two Spanish friars, who were tasked in 1776 with the goal of forging a route from a mission in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to a mission in Monterrey, California, and of locating sites for new missions along the way-to convert Indian "heathens," "barbarians," and "infidels."
Domínguez was in his mid-thirties, but Escalante was only about twenty-five years old. The two, with a small group of others, decided to avoid a northern route--out of fear of an Indian tribe rumored to eat light-skinned travelers--and as a result were among the very first to make maps and to record details of the Southwest's rivers and mesas. Their group started late in the year though, a sudden blizzard soon made progress impossible, and when they reached north-central Utah, they decided to head south and work their way back to New Mexico. They ran out of food, lived by eating their horses, and suffered unbearable cold, rebellious group members, and severe, frequent thirst. They reached the Colorado River around present-day Lees Ferry, southwest of where Glen Canyon Dam is now, and worked their way north along the river, looking for a way across.
They passed the often-photographed Castle Rock and Gunsight Butte, chipped steps into the slickrock to allow their pack animals to get down to the shore, lowered their belongings over a cliff with ropes, and after some scouting, found an ancient Ute Indian river crossing, where the water was slow and shallow enough to ride across. That place became known as the Crossing of the Fathers, and is right around where Lake Powell's Padre Bay is now.
Their trip made an approximately two thousand-mile-long circle through mostly unexplored terrain, took nearly six-and-a-half months, and explored more undocumented, unknown land than Lewis and Clark would later in their over two-year-long journey. When the fathers got back to Santa Fe, however, only their failure to reach California mattered much to anyone, along with their apparent waste of funds, horses, and supplies.
Escalante was practically exiled, and died within five years as the result of bad health obtained from his trials in the desert.
Domínguez was demoted, his possibilities of advancement destroyed, and he died anonymously as an old man, never recognized for what he'd done.
If you are interested in the West, or the Colorado Plateau, or Glen Canyon, you need to read this. There's just no way around that. It contains information you will find nowhere else, and it's actually a fairly enjoyable read. (I never would have thought Spanish priests could be so SARCASTIC....)

How many books have you read that changed your life? This is one. The philosophy of helping without reward has been with me since I was a teenager because of this book. The idea of helping and for a reward asking only that the favor be passed on was fascinating then and fascinating now when I'm into my -- well, I won't mention the decade. A beautiful read.

This is not exactly a sequel to the "Magnificient Obsession" by the same author (Lloyd C. Douglas) but is more of an extension in the sense that it very subtly provides the meaning of and for unfettered gifts. For those who were carried away by the mystique of the "Magnificient Obsession" it is a MUST read. Although I read it 30 years ago I can still vividly recall the contents since it makes as profound an impression as the "Magnificient Obsession".

Plentiful pages. Paper has a smooth even surface that makes writing in it a joy :)

I have enjoyed the magical drawings and sweet sentiments of Flavia's greeting cards and gift books since the 80's. I was delighted when I discovered that there is now a line of journals with Flavia artwork and inspirational titles. These colorful journals lay flat for easy writing and have an elastic band on the back that can be used as a bookmark. The front picture is set back in a cutout. This book is thick enough to hold many thoughts for avid writers who don't want to replace journals monthly. I write on the front and back of the lined pages and mine last 2-6 months. For me, it is long enough to feel like it was worth my money and short enough for periodic fresh starts. I have gone through more then 3 Flavia journals, and still prefer them over others on the market. I just hope that more designs keep coming out! Your only problem with this journal will be choosing which one to pick first!

I found this book as a young child in my grandparents' library. It is composed of poetic, powerfully symbolic short stories that grapple with basic issues: what is truth, love, freedom, justice, heaven and hell? What enobles or destroys relationships?

I read and reread them then. And I still do. The language is of an older time, though easily understood and lovely. Glad to see this finally available in print.

Highly recommended.

I was thrilled to find this book has been reprinted and is available in a new copy. It is also great to find the company that publishes these reprints -- and keeps this book, and others, alive.

Giving birth to a premature baby is an experience that was often not expected, is overwhelming, and introduces parents to a whole new world of hospitals, procedures, and short and long-term complications for their infant. This journal provides parents with a place to structure all of the complicted and often overwhelming feelings brought up by having a premie baby. It highlights common experiences and provides signficant room for parents to journal in response to pertinent questions. It does a nice job of providing the necessary information and structure to help parents cope with their situation.

I purchased this book two years after my premature baby was born. Reading and working through this journal helped my deal with issues relating to my baby's birth and subsequent hospital stay. It is an excellent place to record feelings and emotions that at times are too painful to express in any other way. I highly recommend this book to parents of premature infants.

Eco Civilization 2140: A Twenty-Second-Century History And Survivor's Journal by Roy Morrison is a comprehensive introduction to a range of ideas and innovations with respect to modern energy alternatives and potential ecological struggles and possible advancements for the coming generations. Delving deeply into modern economics and the study of the futuristic town of Warner, New Hampshire in the year 2140, with a conceptual and likely predictive analysis of the post-ecological crisis of the 21st century, Eco Civilization 2140 is an essential log and wide understanding of the future world and its history in the times between now and then. With its unique approach of "reversed historical perspective", Eco Civilization 2140 is highly recommended reading for environmental activists and policy makers for its post-modern ideals and grand interpretation of futuristic and near-future realistic study of political sciences, ecology, and energy studies.

When I read Roy Morrison's Eco Civilization 2140, I wanted to run right out and tell everyone to get this book. The time is right for this creative and insightful approach to our desperate ecological problems. Our very survival depends on fresh, practical, optimistic ideas like this.

Roy Morrison's conclusion to address the destruction of our environment through the market economy and the elimination of income tax for an ecological value added tax is nothing less than brilliant!

Such common sense thinking on social policy is sorely needed in an age of category 5 hurricanes and melting ice caps. We can no longer afford to deny evidence of our nearsighted enviornmental and social policies. The time is ripe for a new vision that provides hope for our survival.

With any luck, this book will start a grassroots democratic dialogue that spreads like wildfire right up to the halls of Congress. This book has the potential to lead to "win-win" conclusions. If citizens, legislators, and social policy makers pay attention to visionaries like Mr. Morrison, we just might be able to save humanity and this beautiful planet.

my kids (7 and 5) could't get enough of this - probably their favourite bedtime storybook this year. The book has great pictures and the mysterious tomb robbery kept us reading avidly. Along the way we learnt more about everyday life in ancient Egypt than from any number of the usual history books for kids. The book also works as a starting point for exploring some of the features of ancient Egypt (necessarily) only briefly touched on.

I'm doing ancient history with my first grader, starting with the Egyptians. This is giving a very nice overview of the culture, in a format that a first grader is enthralled with. It goes along well with short readings from other about Egypt types of books.

This is one of the best photo-books I have ever read and I'll tell you why! First, the book contains lots of never before published photo's and they are from a very high quality. We can see Elvis on stage and off stage (e.g. with his family). Second, the story Mr. Wertheimer has written is accurate and special, because he witnessed Elvis' early days himself and was one of a select group to be able to talk to Elvis in private and hear his opinions about his career. Third the book has a really beautiful lay-out and so I can only recommend this book to, not only all the Elvis-fans around the world, but to all people interested in the beginning of pop-culture!

elvis in the beginning, unlimited photographic access
before there were contraols put in place on his person, alfred gained intimate access to the great elvis and captured truly beautiful images

Anne Barton, an emerita Cambridge, England professor of literature and history, called this book 'scholarly, wide-ranging, lively and witty', and she doesn't give out praise lightly: she also described it as 'a fascinating cultural history of England itself in terms of its obsession with Anne Boleyn's resilient daughter.' This was in the London Review of Books, which rarely gets that sort of thing wrong, so I bought it. And she was dead right. This is a stunning book -- broadens your whole sense of history. And such a joy and a stimulant to read. I can't think how they'll ever follow it, but thank goodness they wrote it.

This is a dazzling piece of cultural history about all the things people have wanted to be true about Elizabeth I whether they are or not, with fantastic pictures drawn from the plays and novels and movies in which her endlessly glamorous afterlife has been lived. It's a great book about why this enigmatic, dangerous woman matters and has mattered: it's funny, it's heartfelt, and it's scholarly too. Perfect for the thinking Glenda Jackson/Bette Davis/Cate Blanchett fan in your life, and a penetrating, witty meditation on fame, womanhood, and history.

This is basically an attractive spiral notebook with pages to record your dinner party particulars. Just what I was looking for but I did NOT pay over $100 for it. At that price go make your own from a drug store spiral notebook.

For the ultimate in AUTHENTIC Country French decor, you'll love having one of these spiral bound journals lying around your kitchen. It's perfect for jotting down a new recipe or for working out your next holiday menu plan. French born artist Guy Buffet is the ultimate in kitchen whimsy and style, and I highly recommend anything and everything that is GUY BUFFET for your kitchen entertainment!