Butler Books

THE GIFT THE AUTHOR HAS TELLING ME OF HORATIUS IS BEAUTIFUL. THE WORDS THAT HE USES BECOME A SCENIC PICTURE THT ENTRANCES MY MIND AND CAPTURES MY SENSES. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE LAND THAT HE SPEAKS OF AND FEEL AS IF I HAVE BEEN THERE IN MY MIND. HE IS ELOQUANT AND POETIC AND EVEN THE HORRIBLE BATTLES ARE BEAUTIFUL!

Then out spake brave Horatius,/ The Captain of the Gate:/ ``To every man upon this earth/ Death cometh soon or late./ And how can man die better/ Than facing fearful odds,/ For the ashes of his fathers,/ And the temples of his gods/ ... Then none was for a party;/ Then all were for the state;/ Then the great man helped the poor,/ And the poor man loved the great:/ Then lands were fairly portioned;/ Then spoils were fairly sold:/ The Romans were like brothers/ In the brave days of old./ Now Roman is to Roman/ More hateful than a foe,/ And the Tribunes beard the high,/ And the Fathers grind the low./ As we wax hot in faction,/ In battle we wax cold:/ Wherefore men fight not as they fought/ In the brave days of old./

THE GIFT THE AUTHOR HAS TELLING ME OF HORATIUS IS BEAUTIFUL. THE WORDS THAT HE USES BECOME A SCENIC PICTURE THT ENTRANCES MY MIND AND CAPTURES MY SENSES. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE LAND THAT HE SPEAKS OF AND FEEL AS IF I HAVE BEEN THERE IN MY MIND. HE IS ELOQUANT AND POETIC AND EVEN THE HORRIBLE BATTLES ARE BEAUTIFUL!

It can be challenging for a parent or guardian to help their child understand and cope with the loss of a loved one, particularly a sibling. There are many books that deal with children's issues when coping with the death of a family member. In his children's story, A Letter From Heaven, author Steve Butler addresses a rarely talked about issue regarding the questions and feelings children have when they discover that their parents had a previous child who died.

Jamie is a young boy full of curiosity and questions. His inquisitiveness about a ceramic jar sitting on a shelf causes him to constantly question his mother about it. For a long time, his mother was quick to give a simple answer that satisfied him. As time passes, he becomes even more curious. His mother finally sits him down and retrieves a letter from the jar. She reads the letter and Jamie discovers that it is written to him from his sister who died shortly after being born.

A Letter From Heaven is a poignant and heartfelt story that explains what happened to Jamie's sister before he was born. Within the letter, such themes as family, love, peace, life after death, and the connection with nature in terms of birth, death, and rebirth, are raised. The story is beautifully crafted to help children understand and cope with death. It is very positive and written with great care, emphasizing the grieving process that includes acceptance.

With beautiful illustrations enhancing the story, A Letter From Heaven, is a very tender and uplifting story. It is highly recommended as an aid for parents, therapists, and educators, to help children through the grieving process when discovering the unexpected loss of a baby through either a miscarriage, still born, or sudden infant death. The book is a must have for every library.

Tracy Roberts, Write Field Services

A Letter from Heaven is an excellent resource for parents or anyone dealing with the death of an older child. It is especially written to help young children understand the loss of a sibling. The book is compassionately written, a delight to read and the illustrations are colorfully done!

A LETTER FROM HEAVEN is an exceptional book that helps parents explain the death of an older sibling to a young child. This helps answer "who" instead of "why" which a young child is unable to understand. For families that have to answer the question, I highly recommed A LETTER FROM HEAVEN.

A friend of mine gave me "Only the Strong Survive" as a Christmas gift, and now I treasure it as one of the best gifts I've ever received.

This is more than a book about music--although eighty percent of it is. It is a history book, political book, inspirational book -- you name it! One would never think that a rhythm and blues singer had that much depth. For example, Mr. Butler uses the tragic case of his former bongo player to show the horrors of the war in Vietnam. Then, turning to politics, he reminds us of the debt we owe the late Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, and what all of us can do to make this world a better place. It is at once inspirational and entertaining, thought-provoking and profound -- a must-read for all serious readers!

Jerry Butler's book tells an important--and fun--story about his history as the one great rnb singers. Did you know he co-wrote I've Been Loving You Too Long, with Otis Redding. Butler also worked with Curtis Mayfield, who produced and wrote for him. His composition "Brand New Me," has been covered by countless artists from Dusty Springfield to Phoebe Snow. Don't just get the book--pick up his greatest hits too.

A MUST READ ESPECIALLY FOR DUSTY RECORD FANS. MR. BUTLER IS CLASSY AND ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMERS BACK FROM THE 60'S, A TRUE PROFESSIONAL. I STARTED READING THE BOOK AND COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. TRUST ME THIS BOOK WILL NOT BORE YOU, WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT IS JERRY AND EARL ADD A TOUCH OF HUMOR TO JUST ABOUT EVERY CHAPTER. THIS BOOK IS A KEEPSAKE. JERRY ALSO HAS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VOICES I HAVE EVER HEARD, DID YOU KNOW THAT HE WAS THE LEAD SINGER OF THE IMPRESSIONS AT ONE TIME AND HE LED ON THE SONG "FOR YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE" I AM A LIBRARIAN, AND I CONSTANTLY REVIEW AND PREVIEW BOOKS AND THIS IS A WINNER. AS JERRY SINGS IN ONE OF HIS SONGS "I'M A TELLING YOU".

I picked up this book after hearing a talk on the the recovery of the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's ship, now going on near Beaufort, NC. The book has the appealing qualities of great stories, excellent prose, and solid scholarship. Using Butler's references, a reader can explore way beyond what the book offers.

Finding a chapter on James Waddell, born in nearby Pittsboro, NC, was a surprise and a delight. Waddell, in the closing days of the Civil War, circumnavigated the globe, intending to disrupt Union whaling, a task at which he succeeded admirably. Waddell's Shenandoah was the only Confederate ship to cruise in the Pacific.

Butler's book highlights seamen of the southern coast, and brings to life vibrant personalities that most of us have not heard of. Pirates (Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet) get adequate attention, but are not the stars of the show. Otway Burns, a real swashbuckling privateer, is by far a more interesting character. The Confederate privateers are heroes in their cause, leading and surviving adventures worthy of an O'Brian or Forester. Confederate naval commanders (Cooke, Maffitt, Wood, Waddell) give a new face to war-time intrepidity. Most of those were names I did not know, but all were intriguing new personalities.

The book is spare, describing eight individuals in a little more than 200 pages. Butler provides adequate detail, in general, but doesn't often go beyond that. Having read Butler's book, I want to find out more, as you might. Waddell's exploits, for example, get a book length treatment in the recent volume, "Sea of Gray," by Tom Chaffin. Maffitt's novel, "Nautilus," is still in print and could be worth a look. There are others.

Butler's book is a tiny bit repetitive in spots, not a big surprise, given the degree of interaction among the protagonists. The repetitive elements are brief and not distracting. The inclusion of multiple maps is very useful for keeping geographical track. The photos emphasize that these were real people, with real lives -- including their loves, losses, heartaches, disappointments, and achievements. The tedium of a naval career is also abundantly represented. Butler does a good job of humanizing men who could otherwise have been caricatured as comic book superheroes. I also liked the descriptions of the innovations in ship-building that occurred, especially in Souther shipyards, during the War.

A good read for the nautical history buff, worth the money to buy, worth the effort to recommend. The prose is accessible, I think, to adults and young readers from about high school age.

While visiting beautiful Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks recently I picked up this book in a local book store. I wanted to get some flavor of the island's history and had skimmed through a dozen or so titles before I settled on this one. I was not disappointed. Lindley S. Butler has captured the marine lore of the Outer Banks in a well written and researched book. "Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast" chronicles, without sensationalism, the often bloody careers of eight of the most important personalities of the days of pirates, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. All, from the pirate Blackbeard to the Confederate raider James I. Waddell, are shone in realistic fashion. I was much impressed by both the wealth of sources listed and with the easy reading style of this work. It made a great read during my flight from Raleigh-Durham to El Paso. This is, in my opinion as a non-historian, the way histories should be written to make them more accessible to the layman. I have to also give my compliments to the University of North Carolina Press for publishing this excellent account, which stands out among any number of books on pirates and privateers.

If you visit the coast of either North or South Carolina and wish to know more about the rich local history, you cannot go wrong in reading Butler's volume on the subject!

With Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders, Dr. Lindley Butler has written an exceptionally readable narrative that attempts to transcend the myths of sea outlaws and tell the stories of 8 important seafarers who operated off the rugged North Carolina coast. The book spans over 150 years from 18th century pirates, to privateers during the War of 1812, and rebel raiders of the Civil War. The stories of the notorious Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet open the book with engrossing tales about these pirates' lives and activities during their relatively short stints as outlaws. Historical consultant to the archaeological team exploring the 18th century wreck off the coast of North Carolina believed to be Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, Butler has researched some of the most up-to-date material on the world famous pirate, though much of Blackbeard's early life remains a mystery. Equally engaging are the stories of the lesser-known privateer, Otway Burns, and naval commerce raider Johnston Blakeley who operated out of North Carolina during the War of 1812. The poignancy of Blakeley's final days is skillfully told through Butler's narrative. The book concludes with the exploits of Confederate naval officers James Cooke of the ironclad Albemarle, blockade runner John Maffitt, naval commando John Taylor Wood, and James Waddell, the commerce raider who sailed around the world in the Shennandoah. The stories of these naval heroes of the rebellion reveal the intensity of the national struggle that shook the country apart and draw the reader into a deeper understanding of the personal struggles that affected so many in the nation. Although the lives of these eight men are not romanticized in Butler's book, romance is not left out of his narrative as family life and personal relationships are woven into each biographical sketch. Nonetheless, the action packed stories of these maritime warriors and thieves are thoroughly captivating, making the book difficult to put down. What Butler has reminded us is that history in its truest form is first and foremost about story-telling. He has succeeded in telling the stories of these men's lives in a way that is both historically informative and skillfully narrated.

This book is tremendously broad in its coverage of planning topics, though not in depth. Most topics get only 2 pages, though some get 4-5. References are listed for each topic to help you find more detailed information. The book is well organized and indexed. It's loaded with illustrations such as graphs, diagrams, flow charts, line art, photographs, and maps. Most are black and white, but there are 16 color plates that are grouped together and stuck in a seemingly arbitrary position in the middle of an unrelated topic.

Some information is already out of date. For example, on page 580 it says that the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) expired in 2003 and Congress was still debating reauthorization. The new act (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted in August 2005 and is not mentioned.

My only real complaint is that the type is quite small and can be difficult to read for 40+ year-old readers. On the other hand, I understand that if they used larger type this huge, heavy book would be even bigger and heavier.

I also got the electronic, online version of the book and was disappointed in that, again because of the small type. Even using a 20" monitor I had a very hard time reading it. The viewer application that Amazon uses has very limited capability to zoom in on the text so it does not help.

This is a mandatory book in an urban planner or college bookshelf, for it has all the necessary information to complete urban projects. It is my handbook and that says all. It is also very well presented with a hardcover in good leather. The only shortcoming that I see is the absence of folded pages with urban plans in a larger scale, or renderings of zoning plans.

An excellent resource for anyone involved in public sector land-use planning. Contains great detail on many different subjects. Good illustrations throughout. Not the best resource for site planning, though.

I can't believe this book hasn't been reviewed yet. I found it a very thought-provoking insight into the techniques of these four poets. I particularly enjoyed the analyses of Whitman and Yeats, with the Pope and Dickinson running close second. This is not popularized dumbed-down literary criticism, but a rigorous examination of substantive issues. You will get out of it what you put into it.

Pope: His caricature devices include synecdoche, diminutive nicknames, scientific reduction (gold is yellow dirt), classical allusion, anticlimax (wisest, brightest, meanest), and word substitution (damned to everlasting [condemnation] fame).

Whitman: One of his devices is to state things reportorially, and then to restate them from a position of extreme empathetic identification with the things described, shifting from an emphasis on verbs to an emphasis on nouns; narrative incident turns to lyric description.

Dickinson: She gives the semblance of control by dividing a process into a series of arbitrary slots which she fills with detail, e.g a poem about a train's journey makes several stops at certain places, but other possible places it could have stopped are not mentioned. Vendler labels this "chromatic linear advance." Early on there was a definite ending in her poems, but this became more ambiguous as she got older. Also, things went from being ordered chronologically to being ordered in an emotional hierarchy.

Yeats: Overlayed images to present a vertical harmony of choral unison. Here's a typical Vendler sentence: "Yeats's bitter diptychs, though presented serially, are contrived so as to assemble themselves ultimately into a densely overwritten palimpsest." He frequently moved a single poem's mode from narration to meditation to an ode.

That's about 120 pages of densely overwritten Helen Vendler in a nutshell.

Vendler is very entertaining--she truly holds her reader and gets us right inside the poems themselves. That's rare among today's literary critics, an almost forgotten way of thinking about poetry.

"Even when a poem seems to be a spontaneous outburst of feeling, it is being directed as a feat of ordered language, by something one can only call thought. Yet in most accounts of the internal substance of poetry, critics continue to emphasize the imaginative or irrational or psychological or 'expressive' base of poetry; it is thought to be an art of which there can be no science."

She goes on to illustrate for us what "poetic thinking" actually is with illustrations from some of our greatest poets.

Readers of my reviews will know of my enthusiasm for Vendler's commentary on Shakespeare's sonnets The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets as well as my appreciation for Emily Dickinson as shown in my reviews of The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Reading Edition and The Cambridge Companion to Emily Dickinson (Cambridge Companions to Literature).

Vendler's treatment of Emily Dickinson is especially interesting. The great crisis in Dickinson's poetry happens when her instinctive practice of serially filled in chromatic advance encounters unavoidable fissure, fracture, rupture and abyss.

And what an opening this provides Dickinson!

Vendler guides us through the opened up strategies Dickinson employs in "After great pain, a formal feeling comes" (372; 1862); "Before I got my eye put out-" 336; 1862) and many other great poems. She is at her best, I think, in her treatment of "Renunciation - is a piercing Virtue" (782; 1863).

Poets have what they refer to as "moves," or ways of handling particular situations that come up in the writing of poetry. William Stafford has "moves" and he talks about them frequently in his writings on poetry. Some of the very best "moves" are the ones Dickinson makes--and certainly Yeats as well. Vendler as a critic is very sensitive to this. She is always on the trail and looking for the "moves" a poet is making.

Vendler's looks are convincing, even though she may not be the last word on everything and she may not always get everything exactly right.

With a good deal of literary criticism today you as a reader want to scream: "Stop! Read the poem you nitwit!"

Thank the stars, there's Vendler.

Arguably the most widely read poetry critic in the US today, Professor Helen Hennessey Vendler displays characteristic erudition in this work on Pope, Whitman, Dickinson and Yeats. Reviewing her book is as recursive as viewing a picture in a dream.

Her arguments rescue poem making from the exclusive precinct of mythical and mystical mediums yet they do not surrender it to the uncompromising demands of logical positivists. As strongly as John Hollander craves rhyme and reason, Vendler imputes intentionality. For each of the four poets she reads, she demonstrates quintessential styles in rational thought and lyrical composition without any of them sacrificing variety.

There are interesting suggestions in this book - one, for instance, is that where the prolific reader-writer-critic and her former colleague at Harvard, Harold Bloom, an acclaimed Shakespeare authority, makes assertions about poets and their poems, Vendler, a veteran Yeats scholar, produces evidence. A devotee and biographer of Irish Nobel laureate, Seamus Heaney, Vendler, the polymath, who holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, is a literary guide as accessible to the lay reader as she is to the academic. Would not Emily Dickinson have reaffirmed that Vendler's mind is wider than the sky?

An invitation to sample Vendler's resourcefulness, eloquence and control of her material in a Harvard classroom is currently posted on each of Amazon.com's web site for Vendler's books, "Part of Nature, Part of Us: Modern American Poets" and "The Music of What Happens: Poems, Poets and Critics." This thorough, 48-minute explication of Yeats' poem "Among School Children," an intertexture of Greek mythology, philosophy and mathematics, continues for about ten pages in Poets Thinking.

One note of caution: the first impression of this book was dated 2004 and it had 142 pages - be careful to purchase the one on this page, the `New Ed' edition that has 160 pages.

Collage is an art - or craft - form that is becoming very popular today, permitting as it does a great diversity of materials, treatments and subject matter. This is an ideas book for those who are interested in the craft. The authors treat collage in a wide sense, using paper, fabrics, stone, string, metal, wood and in fact anything handy as backgrounds and media. The ideas can be applied to clothing and to the decoration of the home, and the lively work illustrated - from a variety of artists - is sure to spark off new ideas in the reader. Brian French is an artist; his wife, Ann Butler, an embroiderer, and both are teachers too.

This book explores the different uses that collage can have not only in art but in everyday life- the pictures alone make it a fascinating non-academic work, with ideas to explore in greater depth if wished. Most highly recommended.

Brian French has here expanded on his previous book, 'Principles Of Collage', by coauthoring this book which takes collage ideas into the real world and examines how collage, pattern, shape and space is part of our everyday life. There are great illustrations from art works but also from everyday homes, showing how a little artistic innovation can transform any object or place

Unterecker's "Reader's Guide," a vade mecum for the apprentice
or seasoned reader, informs and instructs. As commentary or teaching tool, it advances a concise, systematic way to interpret the ideas, literary devices, images, symbols, and occult motifs that permeate Yeats's poetry, a thematic
analysis that connects one poem with another and reveals the visionary design at the center of Yeats's work. From the allegorical quest in "The Wanderings of Oisin" to the meditative panorama of "Under Ben Bulben," Unterecker explicates the motifs of Yeats's evolving mythology of a unified self.

In terms of understanding the writings of WB Yeats, this book is a must. It provides insights into otherwised missed subtleties that allows for a greater appreciation of the work of a great artist. (I use the diction of great artist because this truely describes his work). Anyway, this book is well written and recommended by myself.

Unterecker's "Reader's Guide," a vade mecum for the novice or seasoned reader, informs and instructs. As commentary or teaching tool, it advances a concise, systematic way to interpret the ideas, literary devices, images, symbols, and occult motifs that permeate Yeats's poetry, a thematic analysis that connects one poem with another and reveals the visionary design at the center of Yeats's work. From the allegorical quest in "The Wanderings of Oisin" to the meditative panorama of "Under Ben Bulben," Unterecker explicates the motifs of Yeats's evolving mythology of a unified self.

This digital book is GREAT!! If you're just starting out in sales, it gives the fundamentals of a "result" methodology. If you need to train your sales staff...get this book! Be on the lookout for Butler's newest book, it will be just as helpful as his first.

This is a great Manual for Sales Representatives and Sales Managers who need to get the most out of their territories and put in place a solid methodology for growing Sales. I was nodding along in agreement as I read it - the advice is practical, simple and easy to implement. It is also product and industry "neutral" - the methods described should deliver results no matter what you are selling.

This is a "Concise Handbook" for everybody in the sale game.

In a series of six books Tom Butler has set out a path to add
science to the art of selling. I have been in sales for 16 years.
Smart Selling has given me refresher courses in sales methodology
and gave me lots of new ideas that I have applied to my daily sales
activities with results. Happy Selling.

Excellent bit of children's literature here. The text is easy to follow and flows quite smoothly and the story is very, very good. I loved the illustrations and technique in this one and it certainly captures the attention of children. Little Bear and all his critter friends are quite likeable. This is a fun one to read out loud to the group or one that the kids seem to like to cuttle up in a corner with. Recommend this one highly.

When Little Bear wakes up early from his deep winter sleep, he looks out on a beautiful world of snow. However, what good is such a wondrous place if there are no friends to play with? And so, Little Bear starts to make himself a snowman. However, before he knows it, others start showing up to help and a good time is had by all!

I am back to being a connoisseur of children's books, due to the fact that I have a little three-year-old who loves being read to! Well, she loved this book. She loved the cute little animals, and seemed entranced by the sparkly snowman. She loves this book, and that's good enough for me. We give it two thumbs up!

The glitter on the snowmen in Snow Friends is a plus, but this book doesn't need shiny gimmicks to give it appeal. The illustrations are gorgeous--the bear, otter, and rabbit all look friendly and appealing, and the landscapes show a real appreciation for nature. I absolutely love the trees!
And let's not forget the writing. The story flows very naturally, without the awkwardness many children's books feature. Humor and kindness fill these pages.
A great addition to the world of children's literature!