Alabama Books

Nall's retrospective to native artists from Alabama is a must for anyone interested in the work of this great artist.

Although not currently as well known as the artist he studied under, Salvatore Dali, he is fast becoming a modern day Dali in his own right.

Although focusing on artists from Alabama, Nall's personal contribution, in the form of an artistic interpretation of each artist is an example of his mastery.

I cannot recommend the book or the artist highly enough.

This work of art, representing the very nature of Alabama yet with a European accent, displays the scope and beauty of Alabama down to its very soul; a soul that is modern while very old, battered and yet transformed. Nall, an Alabama native, has collected not only artist from this state, but writers as well; ones who can, by the very nature of their birth and experience here, through art, tell of our troubled and celebrated history, our demeanor, our mindset, our culture, our connectedness to each other no matter what our outward or inward differences may be. It's something in the very earth here, that unless you are from here, you cannot understand. Nall, like so many of us, left for a time, and has returned to that native earth. And he has brought with him a gift that crosses all barriers and unites us. Alabama Art. Welcome home, Nall. And thank you!!!

I got this book as a father's day present and I absolutely love it. It has great photography of each of the finished projects, gives a brief description of the project and interesting facts about each. There are also photos of some of Graves' 3-d models for some concept buildings that never "made it to production", as well as a peppering of his wonderfully whimsical sketches. A must have for anyone interested in architecture or design, or anyone that has even a remote fascination into the beauty that is a Graves' design.

A wonderful addition to the library of any Graves fan. Beautifully photographed, with wonderfully descriptive texts.

If you're a fan of taking the backroad instead of the interstate, this is a great companion through a great state. I've lived in Alabama all of my life, and this book helped me discover things I didn't even know were around.

We don't leave home on a road trip without it.

As someone who has lived in Alabama for over 20 years now, this is old hat for me. However, if you want to get a taste of modern culture with a mixture of the old southern traditions and beautiful countryside, then this book is for you. Come by and see us sometime!

Very good book, nice to see all the things we have here in Alabama. Good book to have to plan a vacation.

I found so many exciting things to see and do in Alabama thanks to this book that I decided to take a vacation there. I also really enjoyed the author's style and insights.

Excellent volume on the railroad engines that were used in Alabma from the late 1800s through the 1930s. Excellent illustrations with many economic and cultural observations.

This is a side of Alabama you don't normally hear about. For the southern train buff, the Alabama historian, or anyone who loves a different side to the history of my state, Alabama, this should be on everyones wish list. I highly recommend it!!

These stories are true. Some are even actual! Though out of print, this book continues to sell as a prized hard-to-find title. Browze through these tales of Alabama life, and don't forget to check out the picture of me as an infant--my favorite picture!...

This a a great compilation of stories, "both true and actual," by people who can't get Alabama out of their hearts and minds. A later book compiled by Marie Stokes Jemison and yours truly (Jim Reed) carried on the tradition several years later, I WISH I WAS IN DIXIE (available from Reed Books at JimReedBooks@compuserve.com). Learn how deeply-felt the good the bad and ugly can be in the Deep South. Read both books!

Charles Seifried has taken absolutely gorgeous pictures of the state of ALABAMA. I wish all the people that say they don't want to visit AL would just look at this book. I shows the beautiful "mountains", waterfalls, flowers and botanical gardens, beaches and other landscapes that available for vacations in our state.

I am just a retired housewife, never worked for tourism, nor do I know Mr. Seifried. But his work is fabulous.

This book makes you want to visit every place shown - I could feel the dew on my feet in some of the pictures.

Make a birthday very special - for yourself or a friend.

Alabama Stories by John I Jones is a collection of short stories detailing bits and pieces of the life of one William Vernon Johnson (so called when his mama is yelling at him) or Billy as he is mostly known in the stories. The stories take place in the deep---very deep--south and begin in the middle 1940's, when Billy is about five years old and is introduced for the first time to racism by his mother and father. They run the gamut from a pool hall shooting, a high school hero dying, a 30-year high school reunion and plenty in between.

The stories themselves are easy to read, well written in a spare, succinct manner. They are also very charming, even the sad ones or the ones detailing a shooting or a dead body. They are charming, first because they describe a bygone era and secondly because they are a "slice of life" of the south that most northerners and even city southerners are not familiar with. Rural southern living was a world of it's own apparently!

There is another thing that makes the stories charming: The innocence of Billy. Although introduced to prejudice, he sees no reason for it so it never grabs hold of him. While spending the summer with his mother while she nurses a dying woman, he spends time with a grizzled, anti-social curmudgeon---who becomes something else entirely while hanging out with Billy--and seen through Billy's eyes. The story was sweetly and lovingly written, which gave it the innocence it deserved. Although this particular story is called Psychotic Love, to me it is the essence of love: I love you no matter who you are, I just love you. Forever.

Billy's teen years crack me up when he discovers pool, pool halls (with no women) and where you can cuss all you want and seem to be able to do just whatever. Being a women, I felt I was gaining some inside info into boys/men that maybe would--- if not help me to actually understand men--would at least give me glimpse of what my sons were really like when not around me!

Even as Billy grows older, works (a journalist and sports writer) gets married (several times) he somehow maintains the same innocent view point---maybe because he always seems to have the ability to see something happening without judging it----the true mandate for journalist everywhere.

It is a fun book to read and I think everyone will enjoy the stories and find something meaningful in them. Each story seems to illustrate an important moment, perception or event in his life, moments that are life altering in some way---and if we all searched back into our own lives could find many such moments ourselves---moments that define who we are becoming.

For instance, the summer Billy spent hunting relentlessly for a Gil McDougal baseball card to complete his extensive collection helped solidify who he was to be. As his father watched him, Billy not only didn't give up searching for the elusive card, but he figured out ways to earn money, trade, and hunt for the card he wanted. Billy developed perseverance and ingenuity that summer and I am sure those qualities became integral to who William Vernon Johnson was for the rest of his life. I would like to think that I have such a defining moment---summer---in my life that helped to shape me into the person I am today....

Bottom line, my most favorite story was the Grandfather story. I love Billy's experience with his grandfather and the fact that he finally remembered it and found a way to recreate a similar experience with his grandchild. Many of the stories brought tears to my eyes, but this one had me crying.....I raised my children myself, no grandparents in the picture....the story made me deeply realize an experience that was missing from my children---two boys who could have really used a male image----and I was just happy as heck that Billy had the experience and passed it on. So much better than passing on prejudice!

I believe you will find more than one of these stories will resonate with who you are and bring back memories of your own life. Not to mention you will laugh out loud at some of them and feel your heart clench at others....read them for yourself and see if I am not right. And make sure you have a ripe tomato and mayo with salt and pepper on white bread sandwich next to you, accompanied by a tall glass of sweet tea with lemon. Hmmm Hmmm good.

This novel is a roller coaster ride, a no-holds-barred character study of a wide variety of folks as seen through the eyes of a country boy from Alabama. Each chapter is a story unto itself, a penetrating study of one character, warts, blemishes and halos exposed.

This book will make you laugh and think. The author includes references to all forms of prejudice as espoused in the Old South, but presents them with the eye of someone who has traveled the world and looked back with a studious, informed eye. And the characters he has created live and breathe off of the printed page.

Thank you, Mr. Jones! This is a little treasure.

This is one of many adventures of Hal and Rodger Hunt,they work for thair dad John Hunt on an animal farm where they are sent to many countries to collect live animals, they usualy end up in trouble which adds more excitment to this already brilliant book!

Williard Price wrote some fabulous adventure stories featuring Hall and Roger two brothers who are wandering the world finding rare animals for their father John Hunt's animal farm in New York.

The ambience is fairly authentic, comes from the author's travels to 77 countries in early to mid 20th century, may not always be politically correct, but leave that to to the political people, this is a darn good yarn.

Whale adventure is an adventure story that is based in a old-type whaler, a square-rigger (whatever that means) in which whales are hunted without the advantages of modern weaponry. fairly elemental battle between the largest creature and the most cruel one.

The adventure includes being stranded on a harpooned whale's back and the necessity of steering it to reach your ship, a nice ship-wrecked sequence without the glamour and also a sojourn on the modern whalers which can process 48 whales every day.

notwithstanding all his animal stuff, price, i think was an animal lover, in most his books animals have a positive role to play, the villians are mostly human in form, and his understanding of animal behaviour and research is impeccable.

Read this book, with no pre-conceived notions and hopefully this will lead you and your kids into a world of pure reading pleasure, adventure, action, and knowledge gained as a by-product

Third Battalion, Third Marines has recently served valiantly in Afghanistan and Iraq. As always, they served their nation with honor and valor.

3/3 was the battalion of Ollie North during Vietnam. It was also my battalion. I joined 3/3 not long after it returned from Desert Storm, and I was trained, hazed, and befriended by the men described in this book. I heard many of these stories firsthand from the grunts who lived it, and I can tell you this book is not only accurate but also well written.

While this is the story of a unit in the First Gulf War, it had direct bearing on what's going on over there now. This story follows the Third Battalion of the Third Marines (The 3/3). This is one of the famous units in the USMC having fought at Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, then in Vietnam and in 1990 in the Persian Gulf.

The author has a great ability to take oral histories from a wide number of people and put them together with his own commentary to form and interesting tale that flows very well while conveying the tone and material from the oral interview.

During the war the 3/3 fought in the battle of Khafji, then were the first to penetrate the Iraqi wire and minefield to provide flank security for the beginning of the allied offensive. It is a remarkable tale of the events in the war as seen be the members of one of the fighting units.