Abbey Books

a remarkable collection, and worth every penny (...) i paid for them new. ed's voice never gets tiresome, especially reading some of his own best works.

A MUST Abbey "listen." Hear Cactus Ed himself. If you love wilderness and need a little jolt of Abbeyism, this is it. I use it as a class assignment, not only for its literary quality but for its passion for wild places. American Wilderness: Love it or leave it alone.

Listening to Ed Abbey read selections from Desert Solitaire, The Journey Home, Abbey's Road, and Down the River puts his writings in a whole new perspective. I found myself going back and rereading these selections after listening to the tapes. It is as though I never really read them in the first place. Highly recommended if you can find a copy. Don't understand why they are so hard to find. From the back cover, "Vintage Abbey. If I could have only one Abbey work on a desert island, I might choose this."

Here is a wonderful collection of some of Abbey's best essays narrated by the old curmudgeon himself.

Christina skye writes the best books. if you are looking for unusal supernatural aspects with romance-grab this book!

All the Draycott Abbey Novels are wonderful. Can't put them down. Was up until all hours reading to see what would happen next.

I am always intrigued by ghosts and Draycott Abbey has the most wonderful residents. Each time Christina Skye writes about Draycott Abbey, it's a "must read". Although a touch of sadness is in the story, the companionship that follows lends to all the future books.

This was an incredibly good historical/contemporary romance. Normally, I do not like switching back and forth in a book from different time periods but this was done so seamlessly that I must applaud Ms. Skye for her effort.

Michael Burke, ex-Royal Marine, and undercover operative has come Draycott Abbey to unearth an urn hidden away and containing information that people are willing to commit murder for. Enter Kelly Hamilton, a beautiful archeologist who is gifted with an amazing ability for second sight but what is she really looking for, and what are these amazing flashes of times long past that keep threatening her sanity and make her feel as if she is part of it? Both Michael and Kelly are caught up in more than just this dangerous intrigue - they both feel the powerful attraction which they both try to deny and this tale of deceit and betrayal is a powerful and well written tale that has you holding your breath while trying to fit all the pieces together. I loved both the contemporary and the medieval stories told in this book. The characters are very well fleshed out and you can feel all their pain, sorrow and complete joy as they learn to love and trust one another.

Glimpses of the Draycott Abbey ghosts are delightful and thoroughly enjoyable. This was my fist novel by Christina Skye, but definitely not my last. I look forward to

Well put together, very encompassing, good explanations...... It doesn't need a paragraph to describe it. If you like Da Vinci or want to learn more about him, this is a great place to start!

I never imagined that through a "child book" I would learn about this master-genious and moreover to be capable to comprehend the "details" about his art. I really enojoyed reading this book, I learn more about his famous paints and why they are considered pieces of art. I was motivaded to read more over the other great art's men such as Picasso or Michael Angel Buonorrati; I never thought that could be an easy way to understand this genious. I strongly recommend this book and the other series too; you can not only learn but also share with your child and encourage him to develop his talents or just enhance your "general culture" reading this great book. The talent consist in explaing complex ideas using a "simple language" that everybody can understand. There is not reason to became so sophisticated and not be able to "share" what you learn with the rest of the world. When you learn a good joke you want to tell the rest about it; it is meaningless if you just keep it for yourself...

This excellent book focuses on Leonardo's drawings in the Royal Library at Windsor. Everyone has seen the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, but Leonardo's greatest achievments are found in his drawings. Vivid HIGH QUALITY color reproductions are accompanied by insightful commentary and historical/biographical information. The book covers the whole breadth of Leonardo's intellectual development. 100 color drawings by history's greatest draftsman, and indeed one of most powerful minds the world has ever seen. As the book says "...[Leonardo's] drawings [are] the pure expression of his genius, boundless and magnificent."
What more could one want in a book? 5/5

It's not the best Da vinci book, but it has a LOT of drawings.

The author to that book is Collins, Vincent Paul; not Vincent Paul, Collins. This man was a priest in my town and I knew him personally. The book is still being asked for by many people around here and is still being touted as very insightful and helpful for people who have low self-esteem.

This book provides the best outline I have ever read, short of the Sermon on the Mount and the book Aloholics Anonymous, to put life in perspective, first to Self, then to Others, and finally with God. I read this book at least once a year and have attended group sessions wherein we go through the book, topic by topic, sharing our experience, hope and strength, one by one. I think that this book should be published by someone. (bluejean2@juno.com or jeanballow@yahoo.com)

This book provides the best outline I have ever read, short of the Sermon on the Mount and the book Aloholics Anonymous, to put life in perspective, first to Self, then to Others, and finally with God. I read this book at least once a year and have attended group sessions wherein we go through the book, topic by topic, sharing our experience, hope and strength, one by one. I think that this book should be published by someone. (bluejean2@juno.com or jeanballow@yahoo.com)

This wonderful self-help guide I stumbled upon years ago and have read numerous times. My copy is highlighted, with pages falling out, but never the less... one of my all time favorites. It's easy to read style, with short sections of only a page or two are wonderful for when you are feeling a little down, troubled, frustrated or angry. It is at those times when reading something uplifting is most beneficial, but your concentration for "heavy" reading is almost non-existant. That is when this book is so ideal.

The book is divided into three parts, Part 1, "Me Vs. Myself", deals with how to live with yourself... how to be happy, how to not let things bug you, etc. It is wonderful... and has helped me out of many bad mind-sets. The book states that there are only three major obstacles to happy living... injurious feelings, overreaction to others and your confusion as to your place in the scheme of things. This section then goes on to explain in simple terms, how to overcome those obstacles.

Part 2, "Me Vs. You", is basically about not letting the actions of others bother you. Here we are reminded that it is not the person who has to put up with unreasonable behavior who has the problem, it's the person who is behaving unreasonably who actually has the problem.

Part 3, "Me, Myself and God", is about our relationship with God or a higher power, and reminds us that help is available instantly, at all hours of the day and night through him.

This book embodies the "Live and Let Live" philosophy of life. The author, Vincent P. Collins, has done a wonderful job of cutting right to the heart of injurious emotional issues and presents them in a way that even the most depressed individual cannot help but relate to and embrace. In today's stressful society, almost everyone suffers from some form of depression, frustration, anger, guilt or worry. With that in mind...this book should be required reading!

this is a book for everybody who want a moment of meditation the beautiful pictures take us to moments we never have in our daily life, this book also help to understand more about monastic life,and the cistercian charism of silence, prayer and love.

TRAPPIST: LIVING IN THE LAND OF DESIRE describes in words and pictures the quest of the monk to encounter, know and love Christ in the ordinary and routine activities of his daily life. Michael Mauney's striking photographs complement Michael Downey's thoughtful meditations on monastic life. A must read for anyone seriously interested in the "imitation of Christ" in the ordinary circumstances and activities of daily life.

Right off I want to comment that the book is well written and shows the proper respect to the community. The photos are outstanding and the quotes appropriate. This beautiful book seeks to express the spirit of monasticism through an examination of one Trappist (Cistercian) monastery, Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina. And it does just that.

The book is written in two main sections. In the first part the author takes us on a tour of the Monks at Mepkin. We see their history and the present life within the community. It shows us a glimpse of a vibrant community that is both living the ancient life of monastic practices and have blended it with the world of today in such a way as to take nothing away from the former.

As we read the second section of the book we see it focus on the monk himself. What is it that makes up a life of a Trappist monk? His work, prayer, worship, sacred reading; as well as how they blend a life of community, solitude and true Christ like hospitality.

This book was not written to explain the monks nor the monastery, but to allow us a glimpse of what it is to see through the eyes of these monks. We have the opportunity to learn while reading this book that that there is a universal call to holiness to be found in each and everyone of us.

TRAPPIST: LIVING IN THE LAND OF DESIRE appears almost to be a coffee table book. It was written as a companion to a PBS special about the monks at Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina, but it is more like a spiritual guide to the Trappist way of life. The author, Michael Downey, gives excellent background information about the Trappist order as well as the history and life at Mepkin Abbey itself. We see what life is like at a typical day in the monastery. The day is rather routine (compared to most standards) and changes only on occasion, but it is in the routine that Trappists believe that God can be found. We also meet some of the personalities of Mepkin and we discover that monks are not people who flee from the world, but actually discover the world by setting themselves apart. Downey is able to capture the richness of monastic life in the book as well as how these adherents to the strict rule of St. Benedict as interpreted by the monks of New Citeaux in France and later reformulated at La Trappe also in France, live an ancient lifestyle that is somehow not outdated in today's world. The material in the book is both spiritually enriching and informative. The exquisite photographs also add the beauty of the book and make it a book that can cause a person to pause and think about God's presence in the world.

This is a beautiful Calendar. My favorite of 2003. I have tried to find a 2004 edition with no luck. If anyone knows of a 2004 version of this calendar please post the information.

I always buy 3 or 4 calendars per year, and this might be
the best one since the 1976 National Lampoon Bicentennial Calendar. The shots of these ruined abbeys are mah-velous. My birth month, October, was suitably misty, but every single image is a keeper. This is one I'll recycle in 7 years!

I have been a fan of his work since
Smithsonian Magazine ran an article in 1998.
Absolutely stunning artwork. Well worth
the money.

This is a fast moving story with issues that remain timely. The characters are intersting and the images are powerful. I couldn't put it down!

Geisler gives us a fascinating fictional tour through 12th century Shaftesbury Abbey. The story is reverent of its focus, and readers are likely to sense the author's deep appreciation for her subject. It never devolves into genre or religious tract. With this much religious matter, both Christian and Jewish, I expected to be preached to at least a bit, and I kind of held my breath waiting for it to happen, but my fear was unwarranted.

Ostensibly a murder mystery, the crime serves primarily as a great excuse for us to look in on the lives of the religious in 1141 England and the forces influencing them. The characters are well developed, with individual voices and motivations. The text is well written with great attention to quality story telling and no perceivable axe to grind.

Being personally familiar with western monastic tradition, I found her details ring true and the settings spring to life in 3D. I highly suggest this to all fiction readers. You do not have to have a penchant for historical or religious fiction to enjoy Graven Images. But don't expect a fluffy murder mystery that just happens to be in a monastery. This story has substance, including an important peek under the cloak of historical oversimplification.

I've already passed my copy on. I'm sure you will do the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of this series (The Averillan Chronicles) -- it was a delicious mixture of history, mystery, anthropology, and superb writing. Ms. Geisler has really done it again with her newest offering. Dare I say that I found it even more entertaining than the first? Okay, I will dare. This (like the first installment) is one of those books that you buy extra copies of as "lenders" because you are afraid of your personal one leaving the house without an armed guard. I look forward to the next installment in this series (please say that there will be one....)

I have to admit, I normally wouldn't have read this type of story but was "forced" into it because the author is my niece. [g] (Hello to Beckers, if she ever happens upon this!) Her writing style is believable, fun and I found myself reading non stop. Trust me when I tell you, that had I not loved this book I wouldn't be writing this now. A great read!

This book is a tour-de-force in technique. Pen Baker has mastered Conan Doyle's voice perfectly. If you believe in your heart that Sherlock lives, you can believe that this book was written by his daughter!

If you like feminist thought, Sherlock Holmes, a good mystery, good dialogue, and a a fun sense of history, go for it.

Saturday February 1, 2003 was a sad day for the U.S.: The shuttle Columbia disintegrated in space, killing flight commander Rick D. Husband; pilot William C. McCool; payload commander Michael P. Anderson; mission specialists David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla and Laurel Clark; and Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon.

It was especially difficult for Israel and the Jewish people, who had placed so much pride and hope into the voyage of Ramon, the son of a refugee from Germany and a veteran of Israel's War of Independence and a mother who had survived Auschwitz. In 1981, he had flown with seven other Israeli F-16 pilots who destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad. "If I can prevent another Holocaust, I'm ready to sacrifice my life for this," Ramon had selflessly told his comrades.

All Israel and the Jewish people considered Ramon's mission a source of honor, a testament to positive spirit, despite a troubled time that had claimed 768 Israelis in terrorist attacks since September 2000.

Ramon was cool-headed, modest, "a humble hero," who although he was not an observant Jew, took with him Jewish symbols into space--a small Torah smuggled out of Bergen-Belsen by a Holocaust survivor, a mezuzah wrapped in barbed wire, and the drawing of a moonscape by a victim of Theresienstadt. For Israel and the Jewish people, he had said, it was "a very symbolic mission."

And so it was. For Ramon reminded the Jewish people, said a Jerusalem Post editorial after his death, "we can make the desert bloom and build modern cities on sand dunes. And we can reach for the stars."

This book is a fitting tribute to a Jewish hero.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

I just wanted to thank you that you wrote this book

I want everyone to know that this book was a labor of love. I want to help make people aware of the life and the legacy of Ilan Ramon, a hero and inspiring figure for all of us.

This very short book is helpful for those of us with low self-esteem to learn to love ourselves because it is the least we can do for God.

This book changed my life. I thought I knew how to love myself, but I didn't. At least not the way God intends. The unspoken inculturation I grew up with interpreted Jesus' command to "love others as you love yourself" to mean this: put everyone else first and yourself, last. In reality, we tend to lose ourselves in the shuffle of everyday life, diligently seeking to meet others' needs before our own. This book helps the reader to realize the balance must be there in order to really love God and our neighbors. Loving ourselves is NOT an option. Further, this book helps the reader to bring this balance into practice with viable suggestions. "Loving Yourself for God's Sake" would make an excellent resource for a Bible study group or adult eductation course.

You will not find a better gift for yourself or others than Adolfo Quezada's small gem, Loving Yourself for God's Sake---one of my all-time favorite books. Why? Because it helps people. It is affordable. It is precise. It is poetic. It is wise. It is one of those special, rare works that speaks with timeless appeal to the heart of every reader.

My own copy is underlined on practically every page. This book calls us to be our highest selves, it calls us to take care of ourselves, it calls us to spiritual maturity. For all these reasons and more, that is why this little book has become a classic, selling thousands of copies in the U.S., Japan and other places. I have often said, "every person on the planet should have a copy of this book, it changes lives and companions the reader as a friend and mentor. You feel it has been written just for you."

Some of the classic statements Quezada makes include: "What you sow in your mind, you reap in your heart. Your value is not dependent on the approval of others or even on your own approval. Responsibility for yourself is your number one task. Let your decisions reflect the totality of your love for God, your faith in God's love for you and the humility of your love of self. You face choices every moment of your life and every choice is an opportunity to take care of yourself. The love between yourself and God cannot be exclusively for you---it bursts from your heart into the world to do God's bidding." This small book is of the highest caliber, a spiritual treasure house that illuminates our deepest longings, hopes and aspirations. For years, I kept my copy by my bed, a prayerful companion to end the day and my reflections as I slipped off to sleep. In my outreach work, I have recommended this highly-readable, affirming book more than any other.