Minnesota Books

On a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters last summer, I remember reaching the end of a mile+ long portage, flipping down the canoe from my shoulders, and, bearly breaking stride, plunging into Basswood Lake. My guide told me then of Paddle Whispers and of Douglas Wood's similar aprreciation for a well earned swim.

This summer, as I trained to be a guide, I finally got a hold of Paddle Whispers. Some nights I would read it aloud in the tent, pausing to listent to the cry of the loon or howl of the wolf. Wood's discriptions of everything I have felt on a canoe trip are so clear, even a non-canoeist could feel as if they were there. Reading Paddle Whispers is a great comfort to me when I get "Minnesota Sick".

For anyone who's tried to explain to others the "why?" of wilderness travel, especially canoe trips, this may be the answer! Must read it!!!!

PS- I don't like reading too much but I love this book, I think that says something!

Not since Sigurd F. Olson has a writer captured the true essence of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Wood describes the spirituality and adventure of this magical place. A very quick read, full of great sayings, and stories. Perfect to read chapter by chapter (of course in front of a roaring campfire). A must read for any BWCAW veterans. It will transport you back any time you pick it up.

This is not a how-to book about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). (For that look to Patricia Bell's superb "Roughing it Elegantly.") Instead, Paddle Whispers explains why we go into the BWCAW, with its often attendant miseries, at all. The BWCAW is a wonderful, magical place and Douglas Wood captures its essence in all its glory in this masterful work. It's a quick read as well, and so is a wonderful introduction for the person wondering why so many find the BWCAW irresitible.

This book will transport the BWCAW veteran back into the midst of his/her favorite memories of past trips, and will provide inspiration for those considering their first adventure in the wilderness. For those who never intend to experience the wilderness first-hand, Paddle Whispers is a wonderful, spiritual, inspiring work in its own right.

A must-read for everyone, I purchased many copies as gifts for friends.

This treasured book stands as a profound meditation on human existence in relation to the world, the manifold scales at which power operates, shading from literal to allegorical, then to economic to revolutionary, and yet all seemingly one vibrating phenomenon, that of host to parasite. Prepare yourself for an enlightening exposition of this theme, go ahead and try to prepare--this book will still blow your mind. I've never been able to escape the force of his argument yet. This is one of the books that changed the way I look at the world.

Serres the polymath strikes again, with an extensive and detailed examination of the history of the concept of parasitism in history, philosophy, science and literature. The discussion of the literary parasite is especially useful for Anglo-American readers that might not be familiar with the concept. Try to find this at a good university library, or order it online if you can.

Written by history and science professor Michel Serres, and expertly translated from the original French by professor of French Lawrence R. Schehr (no simple feat, as Serres often expressed himself in unusual styles and multilingual puns), The Parasite is an eyebrow-raising treatise that compares how human relations are frequently identical to the relationship between a parasite and the host body. Serres does not decry this situation as universally deleterious; to the contrary, he points out that by being vocal pests, small groups can raise their collective power to influence public dialogue, engendering the diversity and complexity vital to vibrant human thought and culture. "The position of a parasite is to be between. That is why it must be said to be a being or a relation. But the attribute of the parasite... is its specificity. It is not just anything that troubles a passing message. It is not just anyone who is invited to someone's table. A given larva develops only in a certain organism and is carried only by a certain vector." Originally published in 1982, this re-release of a classic philosophical text is highly recommended especially for college library philosophy shelves and scholarly reading lists.

I totally enjoyed this three-in-one book. I passed it along to a friend and she liked it too. Now I am looking for more books by Monica Ferris.

A handy way to read the first three Monica Ferris books! Supurb idea!

These are the first Monica Ferris books I have read. The stories center around a needlework shop called Crewel World.There are many references to different types of needlework. Being a needleworker, I enjoy all the very accurate comments to different types of needlework. Being a mystery lover this makes for a great combination. Easy enjoyable reading!

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1...for this uneducated old fool who has been pursuing a strange intuitiive feeling that postmodern philosophy had hidden somewhere within it a core that would clarify my self educated understanding of existence but had almost given up on all the danmd word players, loyatard's 18 pages offering his overall view of existence and cosmic evolution has renewed my hopes of discovering even more treasures amongst the trash of this world. 2...i am also profiting from (learning and enjoying) the other offerings. 3...if there are other treasures up to this level available, this blind old hawg hopes to find them. 4...for "late-in-life" autodidact lovers of heuristic learning such as i aspire to be i say "don't give in to supposed expert word game players"

No wonder Lyotard (and many of the other European philosophers) have truly irritated most of the North American preachers of the TRUTH. To begin with, his style is not the old Aristotelian-based method argument but more in line with the brother's Grimm. In particular, his reply to Rorty just about made me cough up my cup of tea into the book it was that funny.

The argument of objectivity is getting very tired and, after all the work done by Godel, Chaitin, Perlovsky, Einstein and Prigogine, really seems to have been undermined by it's supposed saviour, science. Time for new ideas and Lyotard's style should be one of the first. After years and piles of books by de Bono one wonders why ideas are still being presented in the dry vacuum of middle-excluded logic.

Definitely worth reading and pondering.

1...for this uneducated old fool who has been pursuing a strange intuitiive feeling that postmodern philosophy had hidden somewhere within it a core that would clarify my self educated understanding of existence but had almost given up on all the danmd word players, loyatard's 18 pages offering his overall view of existence and cosmic evolution has renewed my hopes of discovering even more treasures amongst the trash of this world.2...i am also profiting from (learning and enjoying) the other offerings.3...if there are other treasures up to this level available, this blind old hawg hopes to find them. 4...for "late-in-life" autodidact lovers of heuristic learning such as i aspire to be i say "don't give in to supposed expert word game players'

One of the most outstanding book projects in our time is The Saint John's Bible. The background of how this book came into being and the detailed research that went into the creation of this Bible is fascinating. The text is only superceded by the illustrations.
Should you have an opportunity to see the traveling exhibit of this remarkable book, do so.
The bible is broken into several books. These are scaled down models of the original -- although they are still larger than most books that enable the reader to enjoy the wonderful illustrations and careful handwritten original Bible.
The books have been issued over a course of time and can be purchased individually.

Exquisitely handwritten and illuminated by Donald Jackson, Pentateuch: The Saint John's Bible is as much a work of art as it is a religious text. Commissioned by Saint John's Abbey and University as an expression of the Benedictine monks' daily focus on scripture and devotion to books, art, and religious high culture, Pentateuch presents sacred text in flowing English calligraphy, Hebrew book headings, and colorful marks studding the passages. The care put into each line is breathtaking. In oversized hardcover format, Pentateuch uses the sheer scope of its page to display the columns of perfectly penned scripture in vivid detail.

The book is beautiful. I purchased two books. One had a torn cover. When I informed the seller, the book was immediately replaced free of charge. I appreciate the good customer service as well as the beautiful book.

The books of the St. John's Bible are spectacular. The imagery is gorgeous, the colors are fantastic and the lettering is impeccable. I've even gone through the book just looking at the versals (drawn and painted letters at the beginnings of verses) because they are so varied. I might suggest that you purchase Illuminating the Word because it explains so much about the process. I plan to buy all the books of this series.

Beautiful! Gorgeous to hold and read and reflect on.
Arguably the most beautiful book published in the past 50 years.

Scribe to the Crown Office of British royalty, Jackson has undertaken a long-term project of illuminating and transcribing the Saint John's Bible held at the Benedictine Saint John's Abbey in Minnesota as medieval monastics illuminated Bibles centuries ago. The monks of the Abbey wanted a project that would bespeak their own regimen focusing in scripture, books, and religious art while at the same time be contemporary, interreligious, multicultural, and prophetic. This Wisdom Books counting Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Wisdom of Solomon, and Sirach is part of this singular project of 1,150 pages over seven volumes. The other volumes are Pantateuch, Historical Books, Psalms, Prophets, Gospels and Acts, and Letters and Revelation.

Besides being large in size, Jackson's volumes stay true to the making of the original illuminated manuscripts in both materials used and craftsmanship. Natural materials such as egg shells and calf skins were used for hand-ground inks. The manuscripts were entirely handmade by teams of craftspersons with various skills such as calligraphy, making parchment, and binding pages. This Wisdom Books goes so far in imitating medieval manuscripts as to also have some illustrations of small animals in the margins; in this case, a butterfly and bumblebee. One of the common examples of this touch in medieval manuscripts is an illustration of a cat; imagined to be whimsically put in by a monk in a moment of boredom with his task. Collaborators on this work include artists, designers, and specialists in Hebrew and Greek script (all listed on the copyright page).

Despite its inspiration in the medieval manuscripts which are treasures of Western civilization and reference to them as artistic models, the Wisdom Books is modern to be sure. The style of the illustrations manifests this, as does the script and footnote-like entries on many pages. And of course, this and other Saint John's Bible volumes have been multiplied beyond their original hand-crafted copy by modern-day publishing production technology.

In the volume, the original hand-drawn script, whatever size it was, is about twelve point type, much smaller than the size in medieval texts. The script displays the constrained ornate touches of medieval script, though it has the polish of many computer-generated scripts for easy legibility and comprehension. The smaller size of the script means much more text per page than in a medieval manuscript even with the folio-size pages. The illustrations--i. e., the illuminations--too manifest modern influences; most notably influences of collage, expressionism, and graphics. A couple are almost psychedelic in meaning to portray the dazzle and glory of spirituality. A couple have perspective missing from medieval illustrations (perspective having come into art not until about the time of the Renaissance). The planned volume on the making of the Bible will give more background on the making of the text and artistic choices and intentions of the art work.

Save the Colors is very interesting and filled with great knowledge. Charley, the main character in the book runs away from home to join the civil war. I really liked the character. The book was well written and very enjoyable. Great for adults and children. I would highly recomend this book.

I found "Save The Colors" to be a wonderfully written, patriotic book for all ages, not just middle-grade. The writer draws you in and carries you through a young mans journey of patriotic optimism. It was very entertaining and easy reading. I didn't want to put it down! This is a "must have" book for all middle grade students and up. It is especially appropriate at this time to look back upon the Civil War and the patriotism around the country at that time and the sacrifices made for our great nation!

It's 1861 and America is plunged into Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln calls upon the nation for volunteers to join the Union Army. That's when twelve year old Charley Olson, in defiance of his family's wishes, enlists with the First Minnesota Regiment as a drummer boy. His new friend Gunnar's job is to protect the regimental flag as their regiment commits to combat at the Battle of Bull run. With only their courage to defend them, Charley and Gunnar must march into the first major battle of the Civil War bearing only a drum and a flag. Save The Colors is a riveting, highly recommended novel of war time battlefield courage that provides young readers with a kind of "window in time" through which to learn and feel what it was like for boys their own age on the front lines of the American Civil War.

Yesterday, 26 April, I wrote a review for you of this book under the above title, & I'm wondering if it is possible to add 2 words to the final sentence of that review. The final sentence said, "It breathes with life." What I'd like for it to say is, "It breathes with life and love." I hope it's possible to make this addition. Thanks!

First & most basically, this is a geography & history text, complete with dates, stats, maps, data, 329 footnotes & a 253-item biblio. But it is unlike any such book I've read. As the title says, it describes life on the land of central Siberia by focussing on the tiny village Djarkhan, representative of 250 such hamlets in the huge Republic of Sakha. Djarkhan is in "polar land," less than 300 miles south of the Arctic Circle (1200 miles north of Chicago!), with 8 or 9 months of what I can only call winter. How the people have managed to survive there since 1600, from pre-Czarist to post-Communist eras, is an enthralling, almost unbelievable, story. But the sub-text of the book tells another tale, of 3 Djarkhan natives -- a grandfather who was honored in distant Moscow as the Sakhala record-holder for hay cutting, a mother who was "the most famous plastic oral surgeon in Sakha," & a daughter who is the co-author of this book with her husband, a distinguished American geographer. Thus its 112 pages of text are enriched with 62 personal photographs, reminiscences by villagers & on-the-spot observations. It breathes with life.

I was lucky enough to have a chance to assist the authors in the manuscript typing for this book, getting to read it as I typed. Without any education in geography, this book was easy to understand, but educational at the same time. I have never enjoyed an academic book more than I enjoyed this one. The people and places in the book come to life as stories are told as only a native villager could tell them. A must read for anyone interested in cultural studies.

This is by no means an easy read, but it is beautiful. Lispector is often compared to Joyce; her psychological landscapes and stream of consciousness writing can be likened to his. However, Lispector's writing is thoroughly Brazilian, warm and soft, feminine, dreamlike, interior, yet unafraid of starker realities at the same time. Stream of Life, Lispector's masterpiece, poses the question, "What does it mean to be at the crux of life?" In the process of asking this question, the book's sense of time and concrete reality expands. There are no real narrative boundaries... nothing to exactly grasp on to. It is because of this that this book is difficult. But as much as it is difficult, it is rewarding. It's an intriguing work, trying to explain life while at the same time be life. It begins, "It's such an hallelujah..." and there is rejoicing. it is a book rejoicing in life, wondering at it, and hungering for more of it.

Clarice Lispector's "Stream of Life" takes her experimentations with language in "The Passion According to G.H" to an even more abstract level in this novella, if anyone can define it as such. Her fluid use of symbols and language attemps at the impossible: narrating the unspeakable. From this perspective, the reader can appreciate the apparently meaningless meandering of her words and let go of trying to understand. In her own words, "Let go of understanding. To be alive far surpasses the limits of understanding." With this in mind, I was able to enjoy my reading of this work as one who lives fully, wholly present in the company of a witch who uses words to enlighten the dark depths of our pre-historical caves. Viva Clarice!

And that nobody has reviewed this piece for four years and I'm only the third one ever to do it. Maybe I've read too much Joyce, Cixous, Beckett, Celan, Kristeva, et al, but I am surprised to see all the reviews on this page refer to this piece's difficulty. It's ecriture feminine along the line of Beckett's _Unnamable_. What could make more sense? Either I'm irrevocably warped or I've attained to the rhapsodic state of "it" that she so effortlessly riffs on and dances around/within--spins, hums. How could such a gem be so underappreciated in America? Shame on us. That editorial review above sums up all that's wrong with the readerly sensibility of people: "this is weird, go to her more 'accessible' stuff." As if "it" has anything to do with accessibility. Let me tell you one thing: read this, hang with her, try to get in with what she's doing. You'll get a lot more "life" from this than from reading all the reader-friendly hogwash that pours out of Creative Writing programs combined in one week. Start to try and get this stuff? We got a whole lot of liberation ahead of us . . . via jouissance! "Hallelujah!" as Lispector would say. Even when I'm scared in a world that doesn't know what to do with Lispector. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Donna Long is amazing. The only thing I would reccomend is to write a book about Wisconsin. I know for a fact the Wisconsin has better places to eat, more hometown charm, and our cheese is better. But Donna Long did an amazing job. I bet she had a lot of fun going all over the state and getting a taste of everything. The stories of the people she met was the best part of the book. A must have for anyone who would like to learn more about food and local town charm.

This book is a must-read for Minnesota natives and tourists alike! Tabbert Long has written a book that honors Minnesota's unique culinary traditions. In so doing, she honors the state's inhabitants. Unlike a travel guide that offers no personal perspective, this book's author both loves and understands the place about which she writes. An added bonus: the book contains delicious recipes from Minnesota restaurants!

Wonderful! Not only has Mrs. Long compiled an exceptional resource of the supremely underrated food-gifts that Minnesota generously offers its denizens and travellers, but she has done so with superb writing and wit. I hope there are many more books on the way from Mrs. Long!