Genres Books

THIS BOOK SEES ART FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW TAKING A DISTANCE FROM DECORATION AND BEAUTY
AND HELPING US REACH MORE PROFOUND LEVELS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF AESTHETICS

I was a little worried this book might be really dry and difficult to read but it has been enjoyable and interesting so far. I decided to buy Umberto Eco's Beauty book too.

I've enjoyed Eco's fiction (The Name of the Rose, Baudolino), but was never familiar with his work as a semiotician. This book gives a wonderful taste of his intellect outside of fiction. "On Ugliness" is Eco's companion volume to his excellent History of Beauty, and takes the same style: here you will find descriptions of the Western world's ideas about ugliness, from the classical era through the modern, discussing things such as the devil, monsters, death, age and decay, damnation, camp and kitsch, etc. Eco examines this subject broadly, and provides great insight. This book is essentially a collection of visual art related to the different subjects, juxtaposed with passages from literary works from a number of Western cultures.

What keeps this book from receiving my full 5 stars is the fact that none of the pieces (whether literature or visual art) include any kind of analysis or description. Eco simply writes bookending snippets for each chapter and then basically lets the works speak for themselves, which is largely unsatisfying. However, for anyone interested in conceptions of beauty or ugliness, or who would like a fascinating addition to their library, this book is for you.

Since I am only a hundred-some pages into this book I hope you'll forgive the premature nature of this review, but thus far Eco's latest work has been so movingly fascinating that I wanted to step up and urge anyone who might be considering buying and reading it to go ahead and do so. Initially I had reservations about beginning it but have no regrets that I did. Although it should become apparent early on that this is honestly less a companion volume to History of Beauty than it has been touted to be, this study of perception, beauty, and above all beauty's often more charismatic twin, ugliness, takes on the entire sweep of history and makes an investigation of the output of some of the biggest names in western art and literature. Why are, say, Goya's more gruesome works his most enjoyable? What makes villains the best characters in fiction (and life)? Why does the repugnant occur so frequently as a theme in art, music, literature and even in everyday fashion? Most of all, why is one object or individual deemed "ugly" and another not? Less (at least thus far) an indictment of the cult of beauty which seems inextricably bound up in human affairs and more an exhaustive investigation that intelligently asks numerous questions from many angles, Eco's challenge here is to compel each of us to contemplate the nature of perception itself. I have loved what I've read so far and can't wait to read the rest.

'One man's trash is another man's treasure' might be a apt conclusion after spending the significant amount of time required to digest Umberto Eco's semiotic approach to 'ugly'. Eco's brilliance as an author is well accepted, yet his informed academic investigation (upon which many of his own novels are based) is only now being appreciated. It is difficult to read ON UGLINESS as a treatise, so lush and provocative is his prose style. Rizzoli International spared no expense on supplying Eco with images and design of this art treasure, and the result is a volume about art history and our manifold perceptions of the signs and symbols that through time have defined 'ugly' versus 'beauty.'

Eco wisely uses the chronological approach to his discourse on the semiotics of ugliness. After a superb Introduction in which he suggests the response of an alien visiting our planet, trying to determine what our civilization labeled beautiful (!), Eco launches into his presentation with gusto. He presents chapters on ugliness in the Classical World, religious use of ugliness (passion, death, martyrdom, apocalypse, hell), monsters, witchcraft, sadism, 'obscene pornography', the appearance of ugliness in architecture and industrial buildings, and finally the transition of the 'ugly' in the popular kitsch and camp.

Coupled with the fascinating written words by the author are copious reproductions of paintings, details of images (some of the details of Bosch's complex canvases are amazingly clear), by both well known painters and unknown painters, displayed with short excerpts from writers who wrote on the subject of the ugly versus the beautiful. Eco brings us to the absolute present (punk art, Cindy Sherman, current film, etc) and as his images emerge from the book's pages, so does his commentary quicken. And so we are left with a book on the subject of Ugliness, which as an art volume is quite the opposite: this is a very beautiful and informed new art book. Highly recommended reading and viewing. Grady Harp, November 07

This is a charming, humorous and educational book. The language is appropriate for the intended audience and the illustrations are beautiful. Especially nice was the introduction of a female as conductor (in a male dominated profession), the fact that the book is based on a real conductor and the interactive question and answer exercise, as well as the lesson in conducting. A book that will educate as well as entertain.

It is rare to find a children's book that teaches kids quite unbeknownst to them. This book tackles a subject that could be difficult to interest kids in (it does not just cover the instruments of the orchestra, but is also a biography of sorts), but they still keep coming back for more. This captivation is due in part to the words which are delivered as lyrically as you imagine the music they speak of to be. Even more exciting to me, though, are the illustrations which are rendered so engagingly that you see them differently upon each reading.

What a fun and catchy treatment of a very unique subject -- internationally renowned conductor of the Virginia Symphany Orchestra JoAnn Falletta! More and more youth biographies about famous women are being written for young readers but this is one of the best. The illustrations are outstanding -- clear, bright, even funny! The text is as lyrically rendered as the symphany itself. Encore!

My Seven year old daughter just loves this book. She chooses it often at story time. She received the book as a gift for her sixth birthday and it was instrumental( no pun intended!) in her learning to read. She enjoys the catchy rhymes and bright and colorful artwork. I highly recommend this book!

This book so cleverly introduces a child to the symphony and many of it's components. We bought it for all of our nieces and nephews, many of whom take some type of music lessons, and whose parents go to the symphony from time to time. They have all loved the images so much and it's now one of those "what does this instrument say?" books with our two and three year old buddies. Fun,fun,fun!

From the security of a comfortable life in Oak Grove, Virginia to the razor cold streets of New York City, Jack Stewart is bound and determined to pursue a career as a jazz musician - against all odds. When he returns home from a tour of duty in Nam, all that life asks of him is that he settle down and carry on the successful family business. Why would anyone who could have it so easy cast their fate to the brutal winds of such an uncertain livilihood as a jazz musician in New York City? There is more to this story by Carlos Rubio than Young man from hometown America sets out to become a jazz musician. In the way that Dizzy Gillespie "like a majestic bird in flight" blows his magic horn and he is suddenly the indisputed center of the universe; from the bottom of his heart to the mouthpiece of his tenor sax, Jack has no doubt that music will deliver him. With Hans (a gothic cathedral of a man in the woof and warp world of jazz), the owner of the Jazz club Empty Hand as his mentor, beautiful woman at the snap of his fingers, some of the greatest jazz musicians of the day on a first name basis with Jack as his inspiration, and the jazz epicenter of Greenwich Village as his stage, you would think that Jack Stewart had arrived. Deliverance, however, comes with a price tag. If you have a tall mountain to climb, or a vast valley to cross, or a tenor sax you desire to master, then this book is a must to read. This is a users guide for those of us who prefer center stage to going through life sitting in the cheap seats in the back row. And for those of you whose only request from life is a good book to read, then this is your lucky day.

Alan Hodgkinson
Author of After Incoming

From the security of a comfortable life in Oak Grove, Virginia to the razor cold streets of New York City, Jack Stewart is bound and determined to pursue a career as a jazz musician - against all odds. When he returns home from a tour of duty in Nam, all that life asks of him is that he settle down and carry on the successful family business. Why would anyone who could have it so easy cast their fate to the brutal winds of such an uncertain livilihood as a jazz musician in New York City? There is more to this story by Carlos Rubio than Young man from hometown America sets out to become a jazz musician. In the way that Dizzy Gillespie "like a majestic bird in flight" blows his magic horn and he is suddenly the indisputed center of the universe; from the bottom of his heart to the mouthpiece of his tenor sax, Jack has no doubt that music will deliver him. With Hans (a gothic cathedral of a man in the woof and warp world of jazz), the owner of the Jazz club Empty Hand as his mentor, beautiful woman at the snap of his fingers, some of the greatest jazz musicians of the day on a first name basis with Jack as his inspiration, and the jazz epicenter of Greenwich Village as his stage, you would think that Jack Stewart had arrived. Deliverance, however, comes with a price tag. If you have a tall mountain to climb, or a vast valley to cross, or a tenor sax you desire to master, than this book is a must to read. This is a users guide for those of us who prefer center stage to going through life sitting in the cheap seats in the back row. And for those of you whose only request from life is a good book to read, then this is your lucky day.

Alan Hodgkinson
Author of After Incoming

Meet Jack Stewart, struggling jazz musician who could have coasted comfortably through life by carrying on the family business after returning home from his stint in the Army. His mother who he is so near and dear to him would like nothing more than this. And his desire as a good son is to please her. But he is torn. The problem is, this is not Mr. Two-story-house-with- white-picket-fence-in-the-suburbs. This is a man ultimately in search of himself. Something deep inside told Jack early on that he could only express himself through the mouthpiece of a saxaphone. Now, meet yourself. Knowing thyself is key to everything. This is what Carlos Rubio's novel is really about. The theme here is universal. People who have a profound effect on Jack, like Hans, owner of The Empty Hand coffee house who possesses the old world solidity of a gothic cathedral gives Jack his first clue concerning his unbeknowst quest for a voice when he tells Jack about Orpheus, the musician in Greek mythology who only finds his voice after coming to grips with his own insignificance; or Jack's idol Dizzy Gillespie, a man who blows his bent horn like his life depends on it. Jack meets him one day. During that meeting, Dizzy tells Hans that Jack just needs to "lossen up." Lorraine comes along and teaches Jack just that - how to lossen up. In doing so, she teaches him something important about life, this in a way a man could never learn from his parents. So, all these characters who become part of Jack's daily life in Greenwich Village converge to facilitate Jack's necessary transformation. But of course the real transformation has to come from within. The sudden death of his mother and uniting with his father for the first time as a result of her death is the nudge that completes his transformation. At last, Jack plays his sax like he has never played it before. You see, he is not playing his saxaphone, but he's living fully for the first in his life - he's living through the medium of a musical instrument, a medium that he loves. Jack finds his voice as we all must, least we perish, ironically in the realm of our own significance.

Carlos Rubio captures the struggle of a young artist and the feel of New York City's jazz world. His vivid descriptions brings the sights and sounds of a village night club to the reader to the point of hearing the soulful music and smelling the smokey Empty Hand Cafe. Jack Stewart, the main character, struggles with fullfilling his dreams against all odds. Along the way the importance of mentors, friends, sacrifices, and believing in oneself are interwoven in the theme. This story will be enjoyed by all.

Step into the little known world of struggling artists, musicians and writers. This novel of a man's self discovery takes us through close relationships and a troubled past. The author vividly immerses us in the culture and lifestyle found in the Empty Hand, a nightclub whose after hours camaraderie fostered by Hans, their benefactor and philosopher, who holds them, and the novel, together. This is a very well written and descriptive novel that lets you feel the comfort and joy, the frustration and hope of a section of our society few know about. For anyone who has the artist within them, this is one you don't want to miss.

I was shocked when this book arrived, it's so thick packed with 400 pages, thank goodness for the plastic coil binding. This book includes a huge selection of songs, many of the well-known pieces that I already had in several other books, but also a wide variety of new songs that I haven't heard/played before. The level is intermediate to advanced-intermediate. I'm picking up piano again after a very LONG hiatus and I'm absolutely thrilled to have found this gem. If I had to give up all of my books and keep just one, THIS WOULD BE IT! And I would still have enough to play for a very long time. I highly recommend this book.

This 400 page book edited by Amy Appleby includes the best of every book I've ever studied from. It contains over 125 great masterpieces. There are 24 Renaissance and Baroque (e.g. Purcell, Scarlatti, Bach and Handel), 21 classical (e.g. Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart) , 28 Romantic (e.g. Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky), 16 Impressionist and Modern Composers (e.g. Debussy, Dvorak, and Rimsky-Korsakov), 10 Light Classics (e.g.Gounod, Strauss and Waldteufel), 10 opera themes (e.g. Bizet's 'Carmen,' Mozart's 'Marriage of Figaro' and Sullivan's 'H.M.S. Pinafore'), 10 scenes from the ballet (e.g. Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet and the Nutcracker) and 7 duets by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Diabelli, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Tchaikovsky. The book is beautiful bound with a rugged plastic binding that stays open on the piano.The pages are bright with legible notes. I would recommend this book for the serious student who is playing four years or more. This would make an excellent holiday or special occasion gift for piano enthusiasts. It is an excellent value. You may want to throw away all of your old piano books and just keep this one with all of your favorites.

Good Collection to have in your library. The piano pieces are the originals with fingerings, not simplified arrangements. The orchestral transcriptions are okay, although I have seen better from Schirmer, e.g. "Dance of the Reed Flutes". Still, they are not over-simplified arrangements, as I found to be the case in "The Definitive Classical Collection", which I returned. Over all a good addition to your musical library, especially when put together with Amy Appleby's "Piano Classics". Difficulty level is advanced-intermediate to advanced.

This is a fantastic collection. It ranges in difficulty from intermediate (the full, unabridged version of Fur Elise), to quite advanced material. It is sure to keep me playing and improving for a long time to come. Wonderful material, great variety, great range of difficulty, and great price. This is 100% recommended.

When I bought my abbreviated keyboard in April, 2005, I did not realize I would need ALL the keys. However, this collection of classical pieces has caused me to start saving so that I may indeed purchase a full-sized keyboard. Currently I feel rather comfortable with Beethovan's beautiful "Fur Elise" and would like to master Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" from "The Messiah" by Christmas (as a gift for my husband). For those who want to maintain their skill level, for those who want a challenge, and for those who want to experience some beautiful music "up close and personal," I highly recommend this collection.

I played many Clementi sonatinas in my younger years and decided to give this a try. I've only been able to try out a few since I just received this book but I have a feeling it is going to be one of my favorites. I can't wait to be able to sit down and really play these. The book is beautiful and the music is difficult so I would not recommend this for a beginner.

I bought this book solely to play the G minor "Didone Abandonata" Sonata because it is so tragic, but he has so many other quality sonatas. I had never heard any of Clementi's sonatas until I had to do a presentation on Clementi's music for a Piano Literature class in college and I heard several of his sonatas. His music really is underestimated and I find it challenging to play, even more difficult than Mozart. These sonatas are a pleasant surprise considering how long they have been around. I love Dover's editions for the price and the quality of the music. Buy this book and you won't regret it.

This reproduction by Dover of the Peters edition of these sonatas is pretty good and very affordable.

I brought this after reading about how Beethoven liked Clementi sonatas and how much better his sonatas are comparing with his sonatinas (which i find boring). The very first sonata - op.7 no.3 attracted me immediately so that I decided to learn it. There're some very rich sound/polyphonic elements in it like Bach's, and also dramatic elements like Beethoven's, which just make this sonata sounding quite unique and fun to play. It's my first time learning a Clementi sonata, and find it a fascinating experience. I'd recommend any intermediate or advanced pianists give Clementi sonatas a try!

I learned a few superficial Clementi sonatinas when I was studying the piano as a child and was surprised and delighted to find (through this collection) that his sonatas are significantly more substantial. If you like Haydn piano sonatas, try these; eight measures into the first one, you'll be thinking "hey, this is nice."

Along with providing a good understanding of old-time fiddling in West Virginia, this book also provides a wider discussion of other forms of folk music within the state. Milnes's discussion of the various folk traditions associated with fiddling is really interesting to read. He has fine descriptions of house parties, square dance callers' patter, and a good variety of the folk beliefs associated with fiddle tunes. The chapter on the ballad of Naomi Wise is especially good, and I also appreciated the chance to learn more about the dulcimer tradition in the state. Prior to reading this book, I thought that the dulcimer was primarily a recently introduced instrument that became popular only with the 1950s and 60s folk music revival. Milnes broadens that view and demonstrates that there has been an interesting and rich tradition of dulcimer playing in the Appalachians.

Gerry Milnes knows more about the tradtional music of West Virginia than probably any other writer on the subject.

This book presents a delightful look at the history of West Virginia fiddling, profiles of the players, and the culture in which this music thrived. It is well researched and presented in a very engaging style. Of particular interest to me were his profiles of some of the musical families of the state. In addition to his look at fiddlers, other folk music traditions are covered as well, including a look at the fretted dulcimer players and builders of the region. There are many helpful and interesting photographs as well.

Also recommended: "Fiddles, Snakes, & Dog Days," Milnes documentary film on the same subject which features the playing of many traditonal West Virginia musicians.

A fine book, evoking a lot more than just thoughts of fiddles. It brings back a lot of memories. There's endless stories winding on late into the night and square dances at the fire station with bright lights and cake walks. It's playing rhythm guitar while sitting on the porch hypnotized by the "play of the fiddle", playing those simple little tunes over and over and over, breathing life into them till they break loose and come alive. Reading Jerry's book was like stumbling into an attic full of memories.

There's something hypnotic about the sound of a fiddle, and Jerry weaves his own spell. All those countless, nameless, fiddle players were drawn to it and just couldn't ever get away. Way back "up the holler". It seems like the devil got hold of them & wouldn't let go. It's like sitting around a campfire, deep in the woods, listening to the baying of the hounds and just wondering what's really out there. Lot's of mystery up in the mountains and those old fiddle players felt it and made it sing out. Jerry really loves his fiddle music, but I think he really loves the spell of the mountains even more. Seems to come out best in the sound of a fiddle, played on the front porch, all alone, nothing but that fiddle sound, a full moon, and the deep silence of the endless woods. That fiddle music just floats in the silence. The hills don't care, they just sit there, and the fiddler plays on, just hearing that sound, going on and on and on...

Yep, it's a pretty good tale.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Milnes provides good descriptions of the history and the cultural contexts for fiddling in West Virginia. He provides especially good descriptions of dances. My favorite part of the book dealt with some of the traditional beliefs and practices associated with fiddling. There are fascinating traditions that fiddlers continue to use, and there is a wealth of folklore associated with the instrument. Milnes also provides a fine history of dulcimer music in Appalachia, and his work provides a corrective perspective about this instrument as he challenges the degree of purism and perhaps "snootiness" that is associated with fiddling.

As a storyteller and passive folklorist I found this book to be extremely useful and well written. The work the author has done to trace the origins of lore is an incredible journey into the past and speaks clearly to the persistent little voices in my head that are always calling out- "Now how on earth did someone think that up." The book does much more than instruct the reader: It creates a whole new world around folk traditions that is as colorful and as engaging as any novel and as useful for understanding Appalachia as any history book.

...this book is definitely for the obsessive. These are pioneers who, for the most part, predate the concepts of stardom. Early recording companies, like early movie studios, were not interested in sharing any revenue with any "stars" that required promotion -- yes, Sarah Bernhardt made a movie or two, and Caruso sold a lot of records, but they were exceptions -- people who had reputations built outside the new mediums. For this reason, you'll find a lack of big-name stars. What you will find is a wealth of information on the practically unknown legions of men and women who were among the first to actually record the sounds and songs from the last two centuries. I found it fascinating, and of value in the obsessive cataloging that often goes hand-in-hand with the hobby of record collecting. It also helped to make a great many names a lot more human to me, and I'm thankful to the author for that. Not for the average reader, but if you have an interest in the acoustic recordings of popular music from the earliest days... well, you'll be as happy as Jones & Hare.

This is a well written biographical dictionary of the key popular (vs. classical) performers featured on early recordings. For example, you can look up "Edison Quartette" and find out that it was also known as the Hayden Quartet and exchanged performers with the American Quartet. Then you can look up the individual singers. I just consulted it this morning to find out about an early recording of John Philip Sousa's band.

While it is not a discography, it has information about selected early records, along with a song index. If you want to get a peek at the style, check out Tim Gracyk's site online.

I don't see how any collector of early popular records could live without this book.

POPULAR AMERICAN RECORDING PIONEERS: 1895-1925, by Tim Gracyk, has detailed biographies of singers/musicians on old records! 444 pages. This is the ONLY book ever published to give biographies of early recording pioneers. Learn facts about the singers who made records of "popular" music before 1925! The book's opening essay gives a summary of the history of the early recording industry, the "acoustic" era. Rare sources were used--trade journals like TALKING MACHINE WORLD, memos from the Edison, Victor, Zon-O-Phone, U-S Everlasting, and Columbia record companies, etc. Following the long intro are detailed encyclopedic articles (organized alphabetically): 100 artists with separate entries in the book include the American Quartet, Billy Murray, Ada Jones, Cal Stewart (Uncle Josh), Nat Wills, Steve Porter, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (other "jass" bands of 1917 covered, too), Paul Whiteman, George J. Gaskin, Carl Fenton, Sam Ash, Aileen Stanley, Henry Burr, the Peerless Quartet, Arthur Collins, Byron G. Harlan, the duo Collins and Harlan (separate entry--new info!), S. H. Dudley, Al Bernard, Edward M. Favor, Rudy Wiedoeft, Sousa, Walter B. Rogers, Vess L. Ossman, Sam Lanin, Bert Williams, Frisco Jazz Band, Olive Kline, J. W. Myers, Ben Selvin, the Green Brothers, Haydn Quartet (the quartet that sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for Victor), Marion Harris, Arthur Fields, Irving Kaufman, Will F. Denny, Frank C. Stanley, Nat Shilkret, Frank Ferera (did his wife and fellow recording artist Helen Louise die of foul play? she vanished during a ship voyage in 1919!), James Reese Europe (Jim Europe), Victor Military Band, Victor Light Opera Company, Werrenrath, Shannon Four (Revelers), Richard Jose...many more! Rare info here from descendants of the artists, from old letters sent to historian Jim Walsh (some never published by Walsh), from rare primary sources like birth & death certificates, from archives! This is the ONLY book that covers artists who, from the 1890s to the mid-1920s, made records of music that was "popular" in nature, as opposed to records of operatic arias, symphonic works, or concert pieces. A pre-electric method for recording was used, with musicians performing into a horn, not a microphone. This encyclopedia covers American artists who recorded Tin Pan Alley numbers, Broadway show tunes, ragtime, "coon" songs, novelty numbers, quartet arrangements, parlor ballads, early jazz (sometimes called "jass"), blues, dance music, hymns, and early country. This book makes a distinction between stage personalities who happened to make some recordings--when they found time in their busy schedules--and artists who made their living largely by recording regularly, perhaps finding a little time on the side for theatrical performances, vaudeville, or concert recitals. Few stars of the stage made records regularly, exceptions being Bert Williams, Nora Bayes, and Al Jolson--even their output is minuscule compared with that of Henry Burr, Harry Macdonough, Lewis James, Vernon Dalhart, Irving Kaufman, and others who, for a long time, earned a living by recording. Over 100 of these kinds of artists covered in detail, with info available nowhere else! This book has a GREAT INDEX if you want to look up specific records/songs.

Anyone who collects old 78s knows how frustratingly difficult it can sometimes be to learn about the musicians responsible for making the recordings. This book spotlights dozens of acoustic-era (1890s-1920s) recording stars, in most cases providing the most complete and detailed biographies I've found anywhere. The introduction is particularly helpful, providing an overview of the recording industry in its early years, examining how recording limitations dictated what and who was recorded, offering glimpses into the studios where these records were made, and a valuable note about estimations of record sales. This introduction nicely balances the individual accounts that come after and helps us see how these musicians fit in the "overall picture." If you've got moldy stacks of old 78s by Arthur Fields, Irving Kaufman, Ada Jones, The Sannon Quartet, Joseph C. Smith, or others like that, you might just find yourself cleaning them off and playing them again after reading this book. I find these old acoustics are much easier to enjoy once I know something about the people who made them.

This isn't a sit-down-and-read-like-a-novel book, it's more like an encyclopedia, with 1-10 page articles about individual musicians and groups. At times, the articles feel a bit "choppy," but on the whole they are quite readable and there's plenty of information. Unfortunately, the binding of this paperback version is rather poor (the sheets are just glued directly to the flimsy spine, not sewn together), maybe the hardcover version is better bound? So far, my paperback is still intact, but for how much longer, I can only guess. This is a book I pull off the shelf often to answer many of the questions that come up when I listen to my 78s. Gracyk and Hoffman will give you a whole new appreciation for these old records! Highly recommended!

POPULAR AMERICAN RECORDING PIONEERS: 1895-1925, by Tim Gracyk, has detailed biographies of singers/musicians on old records! 444 pages. This is the ONLY book ever published to give biographies of early recording pioneers. Learn facts about the singers who made records of "popular" music before 1925! The book's opening essay gives a summary of the history of the early recording industry, the "acoustic" era. Rare sources were used--trade journals like TALKING MACHINE WORLD, memos from the Edison, Victor, Zon-O-Phone, U-S Everlasting, and Columbia record companies, etc. Following the long intro are detailed encyclopedic articles (organized alphabetically): 100 artists with separate entries in the book include the American Quartet, Billy Murray, Ada Jones, Cal Stewart (Uncle Josh), Nat Wills, Steve Porter, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (other "jass" bands of 1917 covered, too), Paul Whiteman, George J. Gaskin, Carl Fenton, Sam Ash, Aileen Stanley, Henry Burr, the Peerless Quartet, Arthur Collins, Byron G. Harlan, the duo Collins and Harlan (separate entry--new info!), S. H. Dudley, Al Bernard, Edward M. Favor, Rudy Wiedoeft, Sousa, Walter B. Rogers, Vess L. Ossman, Sam Lanin, Bert Williams, Frisco Jazz Band, Olive Kline, J. W. Myers, Ben Selvin, the Green Brothers, Haydn Quartet (the quartet that sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for Victor), Marion Harris, Arthur Fields, Irving Kaufman, Will F. Denny, Frank C. Stanley, Nat Shilkret, Frank Ferera (did his wife and fellow recording artist Helen Louise die of foul play? she vanished during a ship voyage in 1919!), James Reese Europe (Jim Europe), Victor Military Band, Victor Light Opera Company, Werrenrath, Shannon Four (Revelers), Richard Jose...many more! Rare info here from descendants of the artists, from old letters sent to historian Jim Walsh (some never published by Walsh), from rare primary sources like birth & death certificates, from archives! This is the ONLY book that covers artists who, from the 1890s to the mid-1920s, made records of music that was "popular" in nature, as opposed to records of operatic arias, symphonic works, or concert pieces. A pre-electric method for recording was used, with musicians performing into a horn, not a microphone. This encyclopedia covers American artists who recorded Tin Pan Alley numbers, Broadway show tunes, ragtime, "coon" songs, novelty numbers, quartet arrangements, parlor ballads, early jazz (sometimes called "jass"), blues, dance music, hymns, and early country. This book makes a distinction between stage personalities who happened to make some recordings--when they found time in their busy schedules--and artists who made their living largely by recording regularly, perhaps finding a little time on the side for theatrical performances, vaudeville, or concert recitals. Few stars of the stage made records regularly, exceptions being Bert Williams, Nora Bayes, and Al Jolson--even their output is minuscule compared with that of Henry Burr, Harry Macdonough, Lewis James, Vernon Dalhart, Irving Kaufman, and others who, for a long time, earned a living by recording. Over 100 of these kinds of artists covered in detail, with info available nowhere else! This book has a GREAT INDEX if you want to look up specific records/songs.

Push Comes To Shove is a heartwarming story that depicts nomatter how hard you try sometimes you can't get ahead. Greg Patterson is facing some hard times and the odds is stacked against him and his family with no way out. This story shows how a man and his wife is involved with a simple assault, but gets charged w/a robbery case. GP's children gets sent off to the same shelter that he grew up in and abused him as a child. The family is separated and broken financially, physically, and mentally. GP tries to get back everything he once had, but soon as he take one step forward, he's knocked back down 3. Jewels, GP's lesbian best friend, steps in to help save the day. Jewels getting money from a loan shark was the easy part, but getting robbed was hard and now GP is back to square one: GP is still looking at doing time, In debt, Homeless, trying to get children out of group home, and still broke. GP's see's the only way out is to do whatever's necessary and by any means to make everyone in his way pay the cost.

Push Comes The Shove was a heartfelt, and laugh out loud book that had it's tender moments. Oasis gives you the message that hard times will come and life will throw curve balls, but it's how you throw that curve ball back will keep you ahead in the game of life. This was a wonderful page turner and had me shouting, crying, laughing, and at the end saying what a entertaining, powerful, and wonderful read.

Wow! This book was so good! From the first page I was hooked! GP has a wife and two kids, but no job. His means of making money is stealing. He's made so many promises to his family that the promises have turned into lies. When both his wife and him end up in jail things start to go downhill for GP. He doesn't know what way to turn and what way to go.

His best friend and hardcore lesbian, Jewels helps him as much as she can always putting her life in a dangerous situation.

It seemed like every time life gave GP a small break he took ten steps back! I felt so bad for him and his family, but they do have some good times and in some parts of the book I was laughing so hard.

Pick up this book today, you'll love it!

A multicultural-suspense novel, vibrant and rich in characters. A plot so intense it literally leaves wounds on the heart. A stunning debut.
--Dawnny Ruby, Mahogany Media Review

Take a young man with his back against the wall and not a dime in his pocket, add to that a wife and children, robbery charges, and a treacherous loan shark and you have the essence of Oasis' "Push Comes to Shove."

Greg "GP" Patterson is struggling. Struggling to make ends meet, but those ends just seem to drift further and further apart. But he can't give up. Something he is reminded of every day when he comes home to his wife and children. Determined to keep his head above water, GP comes up with a plan but things go terribly, terribly wrong. Can GP make it right again?

Oasis has introduced an intriguing plot with many characters that blends well with no drop in action or plotline. "Push Comes to Shove" is well worth reading.

Oasis, a creative thinker, has a wonderful talent that he clearly puts on display in the pages of "Push Comes to Shove." Smart, well-paced and vividly entertaining.

Reviewed by: Toni

Push Comes To Shove has to be one of the best books I've read in a very long time! Its real life issues, believable characters, and its twist and turns, have you laughing, crying, and shaking your head. Oasis is a talented author who is destined for great things in the literary world. This book is going to put him where he needs to be--at the top.

This book is a book about timeless virtues and friendship. It is book about rising to find one's place in society. With newer books today attempting to push political special interests, this is a personal message. The story shows how one can rise with a simple positive character and persistence. These stories should be brought to the forefront in today's education. A simple warm and inspirational story for young and old alike. I wish I had the power and will to bring these to all middle schools and other young people.

This is a realistic book about a young boy doing "good" and in turn he has many lucky breaks. It is supposed to be a child's book, but I don't know how many children would voluntarily read this. I read it for my Children's Literature class and I loved it! It deals with a less severe form of didactism, which is a nice change. It is a fast read also.

Great writing and an excellent read. Truly a delight. I highly recommend it.

i have read Ragged Dick in paperback recently and found it to be a very well written book that is fast paced and easy to relate to as wellas understand.i highly recommend Ragged Dick;to all school children,as well as adults.

Published in 1867, RAGGED DICK was both Horatio Alger Jr.'s first and most popular work. Like all Alger's novels, it is extremely diadactic and exists to promote specific values: hard work, thrift, honesty, integrity, and bravery. Given this, one would expect it to be a dry read, but Alger takes pains to paint his story in bright colors: the novel swirls with shops, crowds, and a range of characters, and while it could not be called exciting in any modern sense it nonetheless remains unexpectedly readable to this day.

The title character is Richard Hunter, better known as Ragged Dick, an orphan living on the streets of New York and scraping a living as a shoe shine boy. Although he is quick witted and has a basic morality, he lacks direction--but when he is employed to act as a guide to the city to Frank Whitney, a boy of his own age, he is impressed with Frank's manners and education and determines to better himself. Dick later meets Henry Fosdick, an educated youth who has fallen on hard times through no fault of his own, and Fosdick agrees to tutor Dick. They take a room together and, with the aid of kindly Mr. Greyson and a sudden twist of fate, are soon on the road to financial security and social respectability.

Throughout Alger's career critics frequently complained that the ultimate success of his heroes actually depended more on pure luck than upon any of the values Alger so carefully preached. This is certainly true of RAGGED DICK; although he faces considerable adversity, at his worst moments he is always fortunate enough to find a sympathetic older man who is willing to reward him--and some times spectacularly so. This may arise from the fact that Alger himself tended to be fortunate in precisely this way throughout his life, and when success came to him, he made an effort to help boys in exactly the way that his many novels describe.

This may not have been entirely altruistic. While his defenders dismiss it as so much gossip, various records pertaining to Alger's brief work as a Unitarian minister indicate that he was removed from the ministry due to questionable relationships with teenage boys, and other documents include comments by Alger which seem to support this. Interestingly, however, once fame placed him in the public eye no further scandal arose, and it may be that he was able to subliminate his sexual interests into artistic ones. Still, it would be very easy to turn a Freudian eye upon his novels, which inevitably involve a young boy being rewarded in some form or fashion by an older man.

Whatever the case, RAGGED DICK--and indeed all the Alger novels--are perfectly harmless so far as young readers are concerned, and the quality of writing is very good indeed. Teenagers brought up on what passes for youth-fiction these days will likely to find it tough going, but most adult readers will find it a mildly amusing return to innocence.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

(Official Apex Reviews Rating: 3.5 Stars)

Rayna Powell is fresh out of college and ready to begin a new adventure, but as she drives home from school to tell her mother that she plans to move out, something happens that changes her plans more than she ever could have imagined. After a freak lightning storm and accident, Rayna is thrust into another world, far from her own.

Rayna soon finds herself in Taren, a small agrarian country surrounded by a deadly band of red air and continuous lightning strikes that destroy anyone who tries to pass through it--except Rayna. However, this is not the only thing that sets her apart from the Taren inhabitants. Tareners also have pointed ears, and some of them can perform magic. Rayna soon joins forces with a mysterious wanderer named Keris - who turns out to be a princess - and a diligent worker named Arstinax - with whom Rayna soon falls in love.

Keris convinces Rayna to accompany her on her quest to convince an old friend to join forces with her to overthrow the Queen's regent, who is an evil usurper to the throne and tyrannical ruler who has framed Keris for murder and wants her dead. When her quest is unsuccessful, Keris takes Rayna to a guild of scientists to try to discover a way back to her own world--but Rayna discovers a terrible secret instead. Meanwhile, the Queen dies and the regent takes over, learns where to find Keris, and sends his minions after her.

In Rayna Of Nightwind, R. A. Baker has created a fascinating world with a rich history and a fascinating cast. While the main character is a bit flat and annoying (so much so that she does not seem real), other characters in the book are quite admirable and likeable. The author puts some interesting new twists on the swords and sorcery genre with the juxtaposition of Rayna's scientific mind and the medieval, magic-wielding Tareners. The story is a fun read, filled with intrigue, betrayal, friendship, and adventure. Although the book is in dire need of editing, it is quite enjoyable and promises to deliver more exciting adventures in further installments of the series.


Jennifer Walker
Apex Reviews

It is my opinion that R.A. Baker is a masterful story teller and his debut novel, "Rayna of Nightwind" is a must read. I enjoyed the concept of a modern day electrical storm that plummeted Rayna into a whole new world of fantasy and adventure. I believe Baker did an excellent job with imagery which allowed me to travel on this magical journey with Rayna and build my own vivid images of the characters and the scenery in my mind. Baker kept me involved with each character as each adventure unfolded on every page. I believe R.A. Baker has a bright future in sci-fi fantasy and I can't wait to read the other two books in the Taren series. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Rayna of Nightwind" and take the journey for yourself.

This book grasps your attention and keeps it. I find it hard to put the book down. The story line flows very well, and the character development is extensive. Great book. What's next?

One thing that sets this book apart from many is its attention to the characters. You get a real sense of who these people are-- not some cardboard cutout made just to move the story along. Speaking of story, Baker does a pretty good job in that category too. Good plot and you always have a feeling of suspense reading the book. There is romance, but nothing too explicit. The battles scenes are nice, detailed and imaginative. The author finds time to add a little humor to the story to keep it from getting too dark--which I appreciated. If you are looking for a new and different fantasy, that's not too long( just under 350 pages), then Rayna of Nightwind may fit the bill nicely.

Rayna Powel is a college student, who one nights decide to take her car for a ride, to figure out how to tell her mother that she's moving out. A storm comes up, and she swerves to avoid hitting a women standing in the street. She is caught in a strange lightning storm and she's transported to another, exotic world. She starts off in Kuara, an agricultural province. Rayna is not there long before she is caught up in a political struggle between an exiled princess named Keris and a power-hunger king named Nephredom.

Keris promised to help Rayna get back to her world if Rayna helps Keris defeat Nephredom. The only problem is that Keris doesn't have an army. So they must first journey to Soren so Keris can try convincing the leader Ciredor and his men to fight with them. Along the way, they encounter Beast- people that were turned into hideous creatures during a recent war.

The people of Taren use "Psi-magic", which is kind of like psychic powers. The story has sci-fi elements to it, but is fantasy at its heart. The author did a good job creating a world with a rich history and culture. The main characters are not predictable and in fact, Rayna often unwittingly does things that defy logic or good judgment. That's funny because she is a science major. But that is what makes her character believable and likeable.

It's was a very entertaining book and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.