Barry Books

This well researched, well written history demonstrates the tragedy of failure to secure the peace following a war. This lesson must be kept in mind today.

On a number of levels, this is the most frightening of books. On the most factual of levels, the number of murders described is mind-numbing. The primary villains of the book each murdered around 200 men, women and children.

Even more disturbing is the popularity these man-eaters enjoy. Their victims are too easily dismissed as ethnic outsiders, people who didn't count or should have escaped to another land.

Finally, people living today in North Texas can recount hearing the man-eaters themselves bragging about their exploits, and they exhibit no revulsion. I mentioned the book to a long time resident of North Texas, in hopes of getting a 'it couldn't happen here' reaction. Instead, I got a wistful tale about a childhood encounter with the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.

The book recounts a microcosm of the 'second civil war', the war which returned vanquished Dixie to the control of the antebellum slave-masters. Specifically, it tells of the struggle between the North Texas unionist Lewis Peacock and his slave-master neighbor, Bob Lee. Peacock wins the battle with Lee, but loses the war and his life.

The details are chilling. Lewis Peacock is simply a man of principle and one has to wonder why he was so careless with his life. In short he foolishly fights the ethics of slavery. As Bob Lee put it, "I'll kill any [...] that won't tip his hat at me." Bob Lee and his pals (including John Wesley Hardin) go out of their way to perform this 'hat tipping' test, fulfilling his promise with stunning immediacy. Lee's threat carried the additional warning. Anyone interfering with his experiments in social order could expect to die. As Bob is quoted, speaking to a unionist he had just mortally wounded, "it's nothing personal, Bill". After pulverizing Lewis Peacock with 6 shotgun blasts at close range, the man-eaters leisurely visited the town under-taker and said 'Hello, Hello, in there! Parson Gent, you can go and dress the fowl. We've killed it." Additionally, there is the tale of a 16 year old killing a boyhood friend visiting to take his sister on a date. The old friend had unwisely turned unionist. In another tale, nephew murders uncle. The uncle had joined the posse that chased down Bob Lee. In his defence, the young man confided 'he drew first, but I was faster'.

This is a must read for anyone who fancies they understand Dixie, and the wild, wild west.

I bought this book for my older (now grown) children back in the early 1990s. They loved it, and our youngest child now loves it, too. It is a gentle story about friendship with beautiful illustrations. A perfect quiet book for bedtime.

Gorgeous in a quiet way. The friendship formed between the solitary man and his one true friend: the mole, feels sacred and crucial and the stuff of what it means to be someone's home.
An unusual and lovely book.

Here's a the background for this first ever "photo-zine".

Glen E. Friedman shot, art directed and published the influential punk chronicle My Rules, one of the first comprehensive looks at the American hardcore punk scene.

Including incredible iconic photographs shot by friedman of bands such as BLACK FLAG, DEAD KENNEDYS, MINOR THREAT, BAD BRAINS, MISFITS, CIRCLE JERKS, T.S.O.L., and many others including the GERMS, on the front cover (a live photo of Darby Crash, taken at their last show just days before his suicide.)

MY RULES is the "DIY" first ever solo publication of the work of Glen E. Friedman. Originally self-published in the fall of 1982, it was unique in it's time. The first ever "photo-zine". Billed as "The One and Only Issue", never planned to be a regular fan'zine that would be published on a regular basis, Friedman knew from the start it was to be a one off project. Basically a book put together in a fanzine format.

At the time it was made it was actually the biggest print-run for fanzine, ever. 10,000 copies were printed and distributed by Friedman himself. In the first 2 years over 8,000 were sold, and over the next ten years or so the rest were sold via mail order only. Nowadays it can be found occasionally on E-Bay often selling for over $100 a copy (It's original cover price was just $2.oo)

Once MY RULES was out-of-print entirely the folks at Henry Rollins' 2.13.61 publications, who would later split off and become CONSAFOS Press, approached Glen with the idea of re-publishing it as a soft cover book, he turned down the idea, but after the success of his first hardcover monograph F*CK YOU HEROES, instead agreed he would create a scrapbook of some of the images that were in MY RULES and many more, including his early skate and hip-hop shots, to create the book F*CK YOU TOO.

When G.E.F. was getting together the pieces for MY RULES he called upon some of his friends to ask if they would make written contributions to his special 'photozine'. These friends were all important figures of the American Punk Rock scene, from several of the major regions in the U.S. He told them: "What ever you'd like to communicate, or base it upon the MY RULES theme" (which itself was inspired by the BLACK FLAG song of the same name). He offered the UN-EDITED space, and this was to be the only writing in the entire 'zine. The contributors Included Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, H.R. of the Bad Brains, Al Barile of S.S. Decontrol, Keith Morris of the Circle jerks, Barry Hensler of the Necros, and Randy Turner of the Big Boys. (If you can't find a copy of My Rules, these essays can also be found on the Idealist Propaganda website)

All in all MY RULES in a punk classic as well as an incredible document of the early punk work of Glen E. Friedman.

In 1982, photography, BLACK FLAG and the value of $2.00 meant nothing to this then three-year-old kid. Some 20 years later, I picked up nearly mint copy of MY RULES for around $70.00 on eBay and finally experienced, albeit on yellowing paper, what I was born too late to witness at the time. But this is a vital time capsule worth preserving to remember the mentality and energy that's harder to find these days in these art forms. For me, it's better than any yearbook from grade school.

Those of us who have read the Guardian for decades, or watched the BBC news, know that they have a problem: an obsession with Israel. British attitudes towards the Jews of Israel have had their ups and downs. This book tells us where things now stand.

We see that violent antisemitic incidents have gone up somewhat in the past couple of decades. And I noted with interest that such incidents tend to occur at about the same time as anti-Jewish violence in Israel. That is, we're seeing violence that is in sympathy with the terrorist attacks in Israel.

Jonathan Sacks makes some excellent points. First that antisemitism exists whenever people simultaneously believe that Jews are so powerful that they are responsible for the evils of the world and that Jews are so weak that they can be attacked with impunity. He dismisses the possibility that such attitudes are caused by Jews, given the extreme antisemitism we see in countries where there are no Jews at all. And he points out how this hatred puts the hater in at least as much risk as the hated.

We see a silly essay from Antony Lerman explaining that antizionism is not antisemitism. But surely, the fact that one makes antisemitic remarks is insufficient to prove that one is Not an antisemite!

Jonathan Freedland also argues that antizionists may be sincere, consistent, and not antisemites. After all, they say that Israel's existence caused the dispossession of Arabs! But he's wrong. Yes, they say it. But they don't care if they are telling the truth or not. And in fact, what they say is false.

Douglas Davis writes an excellent essay exposing outright antisemitism by the BBC. And Winston Pickett examines the use of standard antisemitic "topoi" by some of the British media.

My favorite of the articles was by Melanie Phillips, on Christian theology and the new antisemitism. She shows how many so-called liberals, for theological reasons, have decided to support the terrorists and describe the victims as monsters. And that's a problem that I think extends well beyond the fate of the small nation of Israel.

Antisemitism has always been with us - but its current vigour and forms may be expressions of something quite new. This perceptive collection identifies the issues and analyses what is behind this Europe-wide antagonism.
A new antisemitism is sweeping Europe, and Britain is not been immune. A rise in 'street-level' violence against Jews and synagogues has allegedly been accompanied by an 'elite', or salon, antisemitism - manifested in the media, university common rooms and the dinner parties of the chattering classes. For some commentators, such contemporary expressions of old hatreds represent a 'new antisemitism'. But is this really a new phenomenon? Is it antisemitism - or something else? How does it compare with earlier incarnations of Jew-hatred? Who are its perpetrators? And to what extent has the situation in the Middle East contributed to the rise in anti-Jewish sentiments and rhetoric? Has demonisation of Israel only inflamed the issue - or are claims of antisemitism being used in an attempt to silence criticism of Israeli policies? This book debates these questions in greater depth than can be found in the print and broadcast media in a collection of essays by leading Jewish intellectuals, including Geoffrey Alderman, Richard Bolchover, Douglas Davis, Ronnie Fraser, Jonathan Freedland, Howard Jacobson, Antony Julius, Edward Kessler, John Levy, Tony Lerman, Melanie Phillips, Winston Pickett, Peter Pulzer, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Kate Taylor, Michael Whine and Robert Wistrich.

A valuable contribution to analysis of the current surge in anti-Semitism
Will stimulate debate in Britain, Europe and the USA
Gives an unusually broad range of divergent and contrasting opinion
Provides a lively mix of written formats: journalism, scholarship and polemic
Written by leading commentators and experts
Paul Iganski is Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology, University of Essex, and Civil Society Fellow at the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, London. Professor Barry Kosmin is the Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, London.

This volume contains the story which is probably the most frightening is all of science fiction or fantasy - "Who Goes There". It has been made into a movie twice - titled "The Thing". None of them send the chills up and down your spine like John Campbell's writing style does. He has a skill in writing that takes you right there with him.
This is a must read book.

First, a brief note: the following review is predicated on the assumption that the reader of it is familiar with John W. Campbell, Jr. (Don A. Stuart) and his works.

This book A New Dawn: The Complete Don A. Stuart Stories (Nesfa's Choice Series, Volume 22) contains all of the short stories written by John W. Campbell, Jr., the editor of ASTOUNDING STORIES/ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION/ANALOG SCIENCE FACT-SCIENCE FICTION from 1937 until his death in 1971. He wrote many stories, including all those here, under the pseudonym Don A. Stuart and while he did not write many stories after he became editor of ASTOUNDING, what he did write was of the highest quality.

Many people have read WHO GOES THERE? which is his most famous story, having been made into a film twice now [The Thing from Another World (the better version of the two), The Thing (Collector's Edition))](and the basic plot element having been used many more times) but this particular edition of Campbell/Stuart's short stories, beautifully printed and bound, is the way to go if you don't already own a copy of this story (and even if you do!). NESFA's (New England Science Fiction Association) books are all priced reasonably and are printed and bound to a much higher standard than run-of-the-mill books.

Anyone buying this edition will be pleased both with its content (most important, of course) and with its presentation. It is a beautiful book.

Amazon sells most, if not all, of NESFA's science fiction books (all of which are made to the same high standard). I recommend them highly.

What a surprise New Hope for Divorced Catholics was for me. I thought being a divorced person that I could never marry again before God. The well-written book 'New Hope for Divorced Catholics' opened my eyes that not every marriage is put together by God, that annulments are used only in 15% of the Catholic world, that the process, though good for the educated Western mind, is a liability to the poor and many ethnic groups. I never knew the process is virtually only 35 years old in a 2000 year old Church. The concept of the death of a marriage was most understandable. It was fascinating to learn that if marriage is a Sacrament, in abuse it can be a sacrilege. This book is well titled. Truly, it is new hope for divorced Catholics and, I would add, for all Christians.

As a Catholic divorcee, I found New Hope for Divorced Catholics to be a superb book. I discovered profound understanding of a divorced person, startling insights into our Christian tradition, and a common-sense view of how no one is without a solution. This book is a must for all divorced Christians who have a faith, and all those in ministry who help the divorced and separated.

What the author has tapped into here is a rich vein of thought, and an extraordinary quality of mind, that is this guy Barry Lopez. The very idea of a "hope-full literature" could seem to be merely goofy in this life and time; but when that hope is got-to the hard way, with fine intelligence and a sure voice in a devoted writing practice like Lopez's, a reader can begin to see the shape of our next evolutionary step.

I met Lopez once for a brief few moments, but long enough to recognize a writer/personage for whom the real work (in Lewis Hyde's sense) is the larger life-task of shaping the world in a smarter, more delicate way. Lopez is a Figure of Outward in the form of a man who started out simply wanting to write, then did so with such powerful grace that he now has a footing from which he can exert some measure of influence upon the mind of man and thus the larger course of global events. We should want our world to be so directed--smartly, softly, emphatically--by such a man.

Reading Newell to better read Lopez is a happy task we should all undertake, if a larger arc of the world is of any interest at all. Hope is a small fire that keeps us alive through the night. Newell and Lopez are what you should read beside that fire.

Embarassingly, I had very little knowledge of Barry Lopez and his written works until recently. Having read Mike Newell's terrific new book, "No Bottom," I feel like I have now been introduced to this important American writer in the most fascinating of ways. The book, a journal of conversations between the author and the subject, is a wonderful glimpse into the world around us, and the marriage between our beautiful "host orb" and us, the caretakers of it. Newell's writing style is comfortable and insightful, and he succeeds in highlighting the historic footprints of this towering literary figure. Barry Lopez admirers will love this book. "No Bottom" is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it to all.

Mike Curtain is the most respected newsman in Ohio and this book is required reading for every reporter who wants to understand politics in the Buckeye State. This is not an opinion book or a partisan screed -- that's not Curtain's style. This is a straight-forward and detailed accounting of who got elected, what the trends were, and how each region of the state tends to vote -- and why.

The most comprehensive source for Ohio politcal history. Not intended to read cover to cover, this almanac is a great fact book. Mike Curtin, former statehouse political reporter and now Editor of The Columbus Dispatch, lives up to his name as THE source for Ohio politics facts.

I don't remember exactly how i came to find the publisher's website or this book...but I hunted it down and found it a quiet, peaceful and joyful book about life in the garden and respect for nature, and taking the time to appreciate and respect it, a lesson for human-kind as well. I was so intrigued and inspired that on a visit to Toronto I hunted down a walking guide who took me to the area of Toronto mentioned in the book (Cabbagetown). I, and my canine daughter, had a wonderful time, and I owe it all to this author and her book. We're looking forward to returning again. P.S. I am a social worker and when admiring someone's beautiful back yard, we began talking about the book, and she was anxious to track it down as well!

Good reading skills are recommended for this lush title which blends botany and memories of plants and people. A variety of gardens are profiled, adventures in them are detailed, and young gardeners receive inspirational insights on gardens and beauty. A lovely picturebook.

Is easy to read, and you can see a videos and presentation

Book is well written and easy to follow. It provides great insight into how top organizations conduct its business. I like it a lot.