Illinois Books

phil and the fox of illinois police are bewildered by a series of unexplained deaths. a duel of good vs. evil in progress.

This volume is one of several (about 10)that will make up a complete Flora of Illinois. Many volumes are available now, and a few wait to be published. The complete flora will include something nearing 3000 entries for individual species of this surprisingly diverse area of the county, with distribution maps specific to IL. Its entries are very readable, while including much information for characteristics and distribution, in addition to many line drawings that make it valuable for ID too.

Another great book by a real paranormal researcher. This book is easy to read, has maps, lots of useful information and the short stories in the back are very informative. I like how the book is broke up into sections, how you know where your looking and what your looking for. Jim Graczyk does what others have not in the past, and that is getting specific enough to tell you where the alleged haunting is taking place or where to actually look. Too many books tell you to just go to this area or cemetery, the author narrows the information down so that here is no guess work. The author covered a vast area of the state so he took upon a co-author that is actually a researcher herself.Two real life researchers could only make the book even better. These "Field Guides" are a series of books by the publisher, only makes us wonder what books are coming out in the future.

Norman Shapiro's four volumes of La Fontaine translations are better than we have the right to expect in English translation--what more can be said?

If you enjoy "Fifty Fables"--and you will--do investigate "Fifty More Fables," "Once Again, La Fontaine," and "La Fontaine's Bawdy"--each volume is full of perfect gems.

The 58 men who sat as judges in the South when Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954 had the least enviable job in America. Almost without exception, they had been raised in a climate of racism, and were respected members of their communities. Once the strategy of massive resistance took hold in the South, they were caught between having to follow the Supreme Court's directive in Brown, or continuing to be respected leaders of their own communities.

How they resolved this dichotomy makes for great reading, and is one of the most intense tests of character imaginable.

Figures of Resistance is a collection of essays, including previously unpublished lectures and essays, by the absolutely brilliant, feminist thinker Teresa de Lauretis. The texts in this collection span from the concept of feminist aesthetics (or deaesthetics) in film as well as the notion of the narrative, and lesbianism. This collection is perfect for both those already familiar with de Lauretis's work and those unfamiliar.

Patricia White, the editor of the book, has organized de Laurestis's texts beautifully. The collection is broken down into three sections: "Representations" which includes essays on cinema, literature and theory with a focus on self-representation in contrast to the medium; "Readings," in which each text is focusing on a very specific subject for analysis (ranging from a short passage in a novel to a film); and "Epistemologies," which focuses on ways of knowing and formulates figures of feminist consciousness. Also, each section the text is arranged chronologically, which gives the reader a chance to develop their own thoughts along with Teresa de Lauretis.

This collection is a rare and exciting opportunity to encapsulate the work of a critic and thinker at the top of her game. Figures of Resistance is a must have for any one with interest in feminist film theory, feminism, film and aestheics.

and he took finalist honors in the state competition....this book is very impressive with it's breadth and depth of study....definitely worthwhile reading

In Chicago, Private Investigator Mike Duncavan blames himself for the failures of his life as he recognizes that he made colossal mistakes. He cheated on his first wife who finally divorced him though she believes that she will always be married to him. He should never have married his second wife, who also divorced him. The Chicago Police Department fired him and now he is barred from practicing law. Financially he is a wreck. Emotionally, he wants his first wife back.

Septuagenarian attorney Artemus Shumway hires Mike to investigate the murder of Tadeusz Bartodzice, a Polish father of six, in a building where a working class Eastern European immigrant had no reason to be five years ago. Robbery was ruled out because his money and credit cards were left behind. On the day before civil suits can expire, the Bartodzice family sued the building's owner Moses Watson for wrongful death. The legal twist is that Mike has only fifteen days to learn why Tadeusz was where he was and any other related matter.

MUSIC ACROSS THE WALL is a superb private investigative tale with powerful insight into the Illinois civil legal system. The story line moves at a rapid pace except when Mike mentally kicks himself for his errors. Mike is a great protagonist, though he seems to be a more knowledgeable lawyer than the plot's other attorneys. His inquiries are fun to follow and the case makes for a delightful thriller that readers will value and want more novels starring Iron Mike making the rounds of Chicago.

Harriet Klausner

Giannone notes a "uniformity of attitude" among critics and suggests that their focus on seeking "the source of sin" in O'Connor's characters "cramps debate." Suggests that critics should, instead, focus on how her sinners "atone" for their sins.

Examines the empowering and "joyous aspects of O'Connor's fiction" and contends that it illustrates how her writings may be viewed as a "work of intimacy and ennobled humanity." Offers careful and detailed explications of virtually all of O'Connor's fiction as reflecting her own overlooked "great tenderness of spirit" and "controlled abandonment to love."

Reader's who find this work useful will want to track-down Giannone's, Flannery O'Connor: Hermit Novelist. Urbana and Chicago: U of Illinois Press, 2000 which focuses on O'Connor's themes of the desert life, ascetic spirituality and self-denial. Frequently cited, he has also written more than a dozen other essays and articles on O'Connor in a variety of other citical anthologies and journals, including: The Flannery O'Connor Bulletin, Studies in Short Fiction, Thought, Religion & Literature, Christianity and Literature, and Literature and Belief.

R. Neil Scott / Middle Tennessee State University

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This text is the result of the author's exhaustive inter-disciplinary research seeking to identify the origins of the three "fleurs de lis", as armorial emblems of the kings of France. The search probes the Dark Ages and beyond, encountering references to the legends of Troy, the Holy Trinity, Saint-Denis and more, all reflected in the royal lily banner.

William M. Hinkle is professor emeritus of art history, at Columbia University, who tells the complex tale of how the "fleur de lis" evolved into royal French emblem, and a sign of God's favor.

Hinkle, provides 56 plates to illustrate the text, plus detailed appendixes that explain the finer points of the origin of "fleurs de lis".

The bibliography provides a wealth of resources and offers materials divided into disciplines, thus: 1- Heraldry, Sigillography and Numismatics; 2- History; 3- Literature; 4- Art.

In the arcane, almost mystical processes at work in the evolution of the symbolic/heraldic representation of French kings, this book is vaguely reminiscent of James Frazer's "The Golden Bough", as it touches on the mystique of kings and the mythology of kingship.

A delight to the eye, this book is handsomely presented in startling French blue with gold lettering, all wrapped in a similarly colored parchment-like dust jacket. It is very well done.

Hinkle's work should be in the library of every serious Europhile and anyone else who has an interest in the art, mythology, heraldry, religion, literature, etc., which underlie the development of Western Civilization: the premier cultural achievement of mankind ---- don't leave your castle without it!