Journals Books

Although fictional, "Journal" provides a somewhat historical bird's eye view into the tragedy of the plague that affected Londoners for a period of a year. The book is interesting and detailed, and qualifies itself as one of the earliest known Novels. DeFoe is most recognized for Robinson Crusoe, written in 1719.

Since Daniel Defoe was only four years old in 1664, A Journal of the Plague Year is a novel rather than a journal. It was written as a pamphlet to warn people of what to expect and how best to defend themselves should another plague strike. What makes any book written in the distant past interesting is the glimpse it affords into the mentality of the people of the time. This was the plague that caused Isaac Newton leave London for the country, where he purportedly started the work that led to the invention of calculus and the laws of gravity. We can see the struggle between clear thinking and self-destructive superstition in the thoughts of Defoe's character.

On the one hand he insists the plague is doubtless "stroke from Heaven, a messenger of His vengeance, and a loud call to repentance," but in the next paragraph he understands that the plague arises from natural causes, propagated by natural means." So he concludes that God is using natural causes to exact his vengeance, even though he also says he must be allowed to believe than all who got sick received it in the ordinary way of infection. So he speaks disparagingly of fatalistic Christians, and especially Moslems, who ignore simple safety precautions because they are convinced that only those whom God wishes to will get the plague. Though convinced that the plague is God's way of punishing the wicked, he acknowledges that it strikes the good and wicked alike, and the wicked were just as likely to survive as the good. When the plague finally ends, he is convinced that nothing but God could have ended it - not even the worst of people could have doubted this. He seems surprised by man's unthankfulness and the return of all manner of wickedness soon after the plague. Presumably, the average people of the time really felt that they deserved to die arbitrarily of an awful disease, and after living with the horror of seeing friends and family die agonizing deaths, that they should feel thankful that God had not done the same to them. Thankfully, science has put an end to this kind of superstition. True, some people still cling to this ugly notion of God, but while we can respect Defoe as an unusually intelligent man of his time, any writer with such ideas today would be happily dismissed as a crank.
(Peter Payne, author of CAPTAIN CALIFORNIA BATTLES THE BEELZEBUBIAN BEASTS OF THE BIBLE)

This edition restores Defoe's original punctuation, with capitals for nouns and colons for stops, so that the writing has the vitality, weight and elasticity that Defoe meant when he wrote it.

To enjoy this book you need to read it as creative journalism rather than fiction otherwise it will seem dull, and Daniel Defoe is never dull. It can't satisfy as fiction because it isn't fiction. It doesn't have any of the benefits of fiction such as plot, author's whimsy, or character development. The Journal is based on the eyewitness experience of his uncle Henry Foe, which has been expanded by Defoe's own journalistic research after the event. He has simply taken the eyewitness experience of his uncle and created a masterpiece out of it for posterity.

This technique began with his first book, The Storm, except that in that book the eyewitness accounts - perhaps spruced up by Defoe himself - and his own work were separate. In the Journal of the Plague Year these are blended together so that his book has the vividness of the eyewitness view of the events as well as all the talent and research that history would wish of an account of these events.

By misclassifying the book as fiction (and by modernizing the punctuation) we have been degrading the book's value to history and to readers.

I wish the print was bigger and blacker and this applies to the Modern Library edition too, as does the above review.

The Great Plague took place when Defoe was five years old. Therefore his account written many years afterwards is as much fiction as eye-witness reporting. Yet his first- person narrator collects statistics and provides a credible account of the horrifying effect of the plague upon the citizens of London.
He relates the effects of the 'Plague' on various parts of the population and traces its develoment in time. One can sense in it how much Camus in writing his great work , " The Plague" is indebted to this work.
In the concluding days as the Plague wanes Defoe reflects upon the citizens of the city and their new reality.
This is the concluding section of the work, and gives an excellent feel of Defoe's language and narrative stance.

"It was now, as I said before, the people had cast off all apprehensions, and that too fast; indeed we were no more afraid now to pass by a man with a white cap upon his head, or with a doth wrapt round his neck, or with his leg limping, occasioned by the sores in his groin, all which were frightful to the last degree, but the week before. But now the street was full of them, and these poor recovering creatures, give them their due, appeared very sensible of their unexpected deliverance; and I should wrong them very much if I should not acknowledge that I believe many of them were really thankful. But I must own that, for the generality of the people, it might too justly be said of them as was said of the children of Israel after their being delivered from the host of Pharaoh, when they passed the Red Sea, and looked back and saw the Egyptians overwhelmed in the water: viz., that they sang His praise, but they soon forgot His works.

I can go no farther here. I should be counted censorious, and perhaps unjust, if I should enter into the unpleasing work of reflecting, whatever cause there was for it, upon the unthankfulness and return of all manner of wickedness among us, which I was so much an eye-witness of myself. I shall conclude the account of this calamitous year therefore with a coarse but sincere stanza of my own, which I placed at the end of my ordinary memorandums the same year they were written:-

A dreadful plague in London was
In the year sixty-five,
Which swept an hundred thousand souls
Away; yet I alive!"

Whatever these men have done in their lives has found its way into the thread of their works. What an enjoyable read. Saderup has his own voice where nobody would expect such rumbling sounds to become a thing of beauty. Buy it. Read it. Review it.

If we wait long enough good things will happen: justice will come. After waiting many years for good poetry it has arrived in the form of four ugly faces from Reno. Well, at least they call themselves the Reno four. Don't let the faces fool you. This poetry explodes in your soul. It is an incredible array of illusion and reality, fire and ice. The beats are dead and gone, and standing on the bones of yesterday are the words of these four poets illuminating the future world of literature. Books like this and Anthony Ziegler's "Cars and People: pissing at 60 miles and hour," are bearing the torch into the new era of literature. A must read!

S. Haddings

Anthony Douglas Ziegler (author of Cars and People, pissing at 60 miles an hour), Scott Elliott (a wordsmith), Randy Saderup (incredible artist) and Scott Shulim (a guy from the Bronx) are talented men whose paths were pre-determined to cross at some point. The years they spent in Reno, Nevada running critique groups, open mics and art exhibits were not wasted. As well as the many nights they tooled their craft with wine and wood parties, reading submissions to "The Okra-Chicken" a literary publication and travels to everywhere they could read show strong favor toward the emotional impact of these blue collar men. We often find ourselves wishing we had written or said this or that, staring in mirrors on freeways, mouthing words to songs and prose, imagining how others might see us saying these words for the first time. The work in this book is delightful as well as worldly. It is in your face and your heart. Women cannot help but hear Anthony speak in person and want to nurture him. Scott Elliott's strong vocal presence owns the stage when he talks. Randy Saderup corrals the soul with truth and sadness. Scott Shulim makes you laugh through your tears, trying to hide, afraid others may be watching you feel every word as if you gave them birth. I am indeed pleased to finally have the opportunity to encourage the purchase of this, their FIRST published work, together. They read on my KVMR public radio show many times in Nevada City, CA. Thank you guys! Great work!

If you are looking for something new in the world of poetry, then this is it. Wherever these guys came from, they kept to themselves and learned how to write. I found every influence from Rumi to Neruda in their work. Sensational. From feeling the death of a spider to eating a bagel in a New York apartment, and from the touch of that first love to the laughter of birds. A must for the private library. Good work, new and fresh. Something different for this century.

This is fantastic! I purchased this book mostly because of the cover (I know, don't judge a book...) This book has given me direction as a new parent on how to pray for my son. It takes different biblical characteristics ("loyalty", "humility", "patience", "love", etc.) and devotes a chapter to each one. The authors tell their own personal parenting stories, give prayers to pray, and questions you can ask/share with your child. This will be a great tool of communication for me and my son in the future. It also has places to journal your own prayers, thoughts, and stories (to share with your children as they get older?) I have also taken some lessons from this book for myself. This would make an excellent gift for new or "seasoned" parents! "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."~ Proverbs 22:6

It's so easy to lack focus in our prayers for our children.
This book takes 52 godly character traits and helps you pray
them for your child. I ordered one copy of this book and am ordering three more -- one for my husband and one for
each of the godparents. This book is most appropriate for
children age 2 and above.

My husband and I received this book as a gift from some good friends upon the birth of our first daughter and we truly feel it is the greatest gift we received. There are a ton of different topics (e.g. Paticnce, Having good friends, Having a heart for missions, etc.) about which the authors write. There is scripture for each topic or attribute and quotes from different authors or thinkers on the topic. There is a prayer to pray for your child and a place to record that prayer in a journal form. There are also some great ideas on pursuing these things with your family. Each time we read a chapter and pray together we are deeply impacted. We have decided to give this book to everyone of our friends who has kids. It is a gift with eternal impact.

This is a great prayer journal that you can use to chronicle the spiritual growth of your child. It's like a "baby book" for their spiritual lives. It makes a wonderful baby shower gift and will be priceless to your child when he is grown!

This is a great book for anyone who loves nostalgia and the way the old parks used to be. For those of us who grew up in the area and who have treasured memories of Kennywood, this is like having a family album around the house.

If you like Kennywood Park, and are a roller coaster fanatic, this book is for you.

This is the essential book for avid lovers of the park, visitors, or anyone. Pittsburghers especialy will like the old pictures and references to the days of old.

Any coaster enthusiest, history buff, or Pittsburgher will love this book. The pictures of the old rides, coasters, and swimming pool bring back fond memories of warm summer nights and afternoon thrills. A little dated since a lot has happened at Kennywood after 1982, but its a perfect companion for Jacques new book.

As an experienced knitter, I have dozens of projects scattered here and there. At last, the journal enables me to record each and every project for my own satisfaction and memory and to show others what I've done! The journal's paper is heavyweight and sturdy, with plenty of room for recording the dates, yarn info., needle size(s), pattern info. and comments for each project. There's even room for a yarn swatch or wrapper plus slitted corners to insert a photograph of your work! I would highly recommend this journal to any knitter. (Those who keep extensive notes on alterations to patterns, etc. may want to keep a separate journal for that purpose, since the comment portion is only 3 lines. However, I'd still recommend this journal for a special porfolio of your work!)

What a wonderful book! The book has everything I need to organize my knitting information and pictures. I got mine for a Christmas present and it was one of the best gifts a knitter can receive. I'm looking to get another next Christmas. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to keep a great record of all knitting projects. Thanks, Char Loving, for creating this book!

I've been looking everywhere for this book! I got one a couple of years ago and filled it up with all the scarves I've made. It was the perfect place to keep labels, a photo of the garment & swatches of yarn used. It is very impressive when filled in! I'm not usually the worlds most organized person, but this journal makes it easy. People are always asking me where I got it but I hadn't found it available since and now this is a great savings. Get this book, you'll LOVE IT!!

After examining several of the knitting journals which are currently available, I chose Char Loving's "Knitting Journal" as a gift to myself. Many of my knitting projects are for gifts for others in my family, and I wanted one place to record the types of yarn, gauge, washing instructions, and most importantly, pictures (!) of the finished item, before they are given away. The pages of this journal are made of very high quality paper, making a nice summary of various projects. As one other reviewer noted, the book is of such high quality that it can be used as a "brag book" to show your friends your completed projects.

The book itself has fourteen high-quality double-sided pages, with the design allowing one project for each side of the page. Being able to record details of 28 finished projects should last most knitters and crocheters for quite some time. There is a space to record your star date and completion date, pattern name and source, needle size and gauge, and yarn type, including fiber content and quantity. For any knitter who has completed more than a project or two, this book is a fantastic place to record your knitting milestones.

The only reason that I gave this book four stars instead of five is that I wish there were more photo pages. The book provides only one photo per project page, which is not enough for me.

I received the book very promptly and it is just what I need in my recovery.

This book on co-dependency is a real eye opener for anyone who struggles in this area. It was a catalyst for me; I have let go of the responsibility of overseer of the lives of those within my family. It is an essential tool in order to gain freedom from co-dependency.

I don't think we as human beings actually recognize the power of daily reading, meditation, and reflecting. Practicing these powerful principles allows us to remain mindful of the moment and reflect upon the deeper question in our lives. To devote ourself to a daily meditation and to journal on these quiet times is priceless and will certainly aid in the evolution of our soul. For me this practice has allowed an awakening to take place and opens my life up to all the opportunities that are available in this universe. Please give this practice a try! This book will help you in your journey of living and cultivating an active consciousness in your daily life.

Richard A. Singer Jr. Author Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present.

I just started using this book as a recomendation made by one of my college teachers last semester. By reading the daily pages, and journaling a little bit about each topic for each day I have been able to make some very profound discoveries about myself. It is helping me to not only better understand myself, and my situation, but it is allowing me to become more tolerant of others, and is helping me to understand that I am allowed to feel some of the emotions in which we are conditioned to discount. I would recomend this book to not only people that feel they have issues they need to work out, but to anyone that is interested in learning a little more about themselves.

If you've ever wondered while traveling to scenic locales whether they served as backdrops for some of the most momentous events in this country, this book has the answers. Brought to you in the lovely form of photographs taken across a glorious landscape - in conjunction with the impressions made on Lewis and Clark back in the day - this work transcends other photography books and moves in the direction of magic.

I especially enjoyed the humanistic asides on the "slave" and "female" perspective that featured so powerfully on the journey.

A beautiful book at many levels.

I was surprised and excited to receive a signed photo journal from George Thomas. I had looked in books that offered good quality, applicable pictures that I could look at while researching and reading other books (i.e. Undaughted Courage- Steven Ambrose, and Out West- Dave Duncan). I was surprised how hard it was to find a book with many pictures of the trail highlights

This book has not only pictures of the many landmarks along the trail but also suggested old camp sites and river forks described in the story books and journals (I believe they were taken around the same time of year the explorers traveled).

I would suggest this book for everyone!

This is an excellent overview of the terrain Lewis and Clark encountered on their expedition of 1804-1806. It consists mostly of gorgeous photos of scenery. As the author states in the preface,"If Lewis and Clark had had the good fortune to document their amazing journey with photographs, these are the scenes that would have been recorded because these are the scenes described in their journals." The photos cover the entire route, and at about the time of year that Lewis and Clark were there.

I recommend this book.

The photography was breathtaking. It is an excellent book for the layman. I would advise any history buff to read this book. It is also an excellent resource for teachers.

I would highly recommend this logbook for anyone who has thought about using a training log, but has found them to be too daunting and clumsy. LogbookONE is so simple(very orginized,) and fun(great visual symbols,) that I actually look forward to writing down my daily runs. Being much more of an "intuitive" runner, I was able to tailor the logbook to fit my style. I used more of the space to describe my dreams and the mood of the run.LogbookONE can be easily used by the most "scientific" of runners, leaving space and symbols for resting heart-rate, weight, sleep, ect. I've seen my training improve since using the logbook and believe every athlete could benefit from using it!
-Michele Tetreault
(just completed 50 mile trail race after using this book!)

Logbookone is the most asthetically pleasing training log I have ever seen and as a runner for most of my life I have seen a lot. It is very well thought out and perfect for runners of all abilities. Highly recomended.
-Sean O'Brien
Nike Farm Team 1500m pr - 3:38

Finally!! A training log that is simple, easy to use and lets a runner get into the detail that he/she needs to keep an accurate log of their training.

I have been using this book now for a month and I love it. You can start the log on ANY date, so you are not tied into the normal calendar. It has places for things that you just don't find in a normal log. Things like time of sleep, heart rate, weights, interval sessions, heartrate, massage, are all easily listed. Only complaint is what took the running world so long to make a log like this!

This book smells like....Victory.

Doug Consiglio 1988 Olympic Track and Field Runner (1500m Canada) 3:53 miler.

I have been running, training and racing for over 20 years, and this is the best running log that I have come across, by far. This is the only log that I have seen that has been user-friendly. The book is not predated, which is great. Therefore, an athlete can start using the book in January or August. Or you can put the book aside for awhile and start using it later.

I wish this log was around when I was coaching a few years ago, when I was coaching. It would have helped me keep better track of my athlete's training. My kids would have used this book--if for no other reason than the pictures of current and past superstars like Steve Prefontaine, Nicole Teter, Joan Benoit, Mary Decker and Fred Carter. Each picture corresponded with an inspirational quote. The journal allows athletes and coaches to not only track mileage, course and effort--but also heartrate, the amount of sleep each night and several other training aspects. The icons used in the book are really creative and well done. They really did help, and save a lot of writing space (one of my criticisms of other logs, and the reason I used a paper notebook since I graduated high school). The other thing I liked about the journal was that it didn't try to overextend itself by trying to be a training journal, and a how-to-run-a-marathon guide.

In many american universities there is a sharp division between the classic art historians and the linguistics-inclined post modernists. Bryson's range encompasses both.

If you're wavering on your decision to purchase this work, just go for it. I took a seminar from Professor Bryson one semester, and let me tell you, this man simply exists on a whole different intellectual level. He constantly confronts and re-perceives art and artistic theory, pushing your mind to process visual information in radically different ways.

There is not much literature available on the subject of still life painting that goes beyond the obvious surface information. This is the first review of the history of still life painting which reexamines the human implications of different still life ideas throughout history. The four essays are in depth explorations of the challenging questions asked by seemingly ordinary subject matter and the formal ways in which artists engage these concepts. I wish I would have known about this book years ago.

This small and highly accessible book reflects on the significance of the slighted area of still life painting. It is a gentle and reflective reminder of the significance of domesticity and the interior in painting.

I must say that I was a little skeptical at first when my good friend bought me this book. My friend had seen Kathy Eldon's books on Oprah one afternoon and thought that this one would be good for me. I was in a bit of depression because I couldn't seem to really find love for myself. Kathy Eldon's book was amazing! It really got me to open up and see my inner self. I highly recommend Love Catcher for anyone looking to find love and happiness in their life!

This journal/book is great, it helps you look down to your inner feelings and helps you either move on or appreciate the relationship you have now and work it out.

A year or two ago, I bought this book not unlike the others here ... as a skeptic. But I figured, I liked Soul Catcher, so maybe this would be good to do as well.

The questions posed in this book really hit home. They really opened me up to the possibility of love (after a truly horrendous break-up, I didn't think it was in my future ever again). So I feverishly filled out as much as I could. Throughout the year, I picked it up every once in a while & made some adjustments/additions.

Earlier this year, I re-met a man (I had met him a year earlier, but only corresponded briefly). Nine months later, we're completely head over heels for one another. I recently reviewed my answers in this book & every last thing I had written that I wanted in a mate had personified itself in this man.

Now I'm not saying that this will happen with anyone who fills out this book, but at the very least, it will open you up to the possibility.

Good luck in love!

I'll be honest ... I picked up this beautiful journal because it was on sale .. and being the skeptic who was convinced that love was a concept ... there are some real surprises in this excercise book. Warning - it is not designed to draw in or attract a love. Rather, it is a tool for healing the heart so it can once again re-presence itself towards love in the "agape" sense. The heart's job is to love ... people, places, pets, and a few other of the world's wonders. When we have been hurt or wounded it is natural to be indifferent and frozen like armour. Love Catcher is one possible path to restor the natural flow of our heart chakra ... so it can love and manifest our life and heart's desires. When our heart is closed it eventually aches and prevents us from living.