Barton Books

This book was read to me as a child and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it for any child, or adult for that matter. It would be a lovely addition to any book library.

KEEPING ANNIE SAFE is a wonderful story revolving two very strong-willed people. The passion that ignites between the two and the danger involved will keep you on the edge of your seat and ready to jump into a cold shower. It's a book worthy of your time and money.

The book covers all aspects of what led Lincoln to what he wrote, the reaction from what was written and what he wanted to convey.

Ever get a song stuck in your head and you can't remember all the words and it starts to drive you batty? This little book is just what we all need for those times. Covering most of the most popular traditional songs, it is a great reference guide.

"Mary Barton" is one of five books written by Elizabeth Gaskell. Mary Barton is a young woman in a working class Manchester family in the early years of the Industrial Revolution in England. Industrial workers often lived lives of poverty and squalor, at the mercy of factory owners who ruled them with a rod of iron and fired them whenever economic conditions deteriorated.

Another of Gaskell's books, "North and South" deals with the same theme, but from the point of view of the better-off classes in society. Both books vividly portray life in the rapidly growing Midland towns of England.

It is difficult to say much about the plot of "Mary Barton" itself without giving away important details of the story. Suffice to say that Mary Barton is put through the wringer of life in a story that reaches an exciting and satisfying climax.

The characters and their actions are often exaggerated to the point of almost being caricatures to modern readers. But this style maximises the emotional content of many of the incidents described in the book and is very typical of "romantic" English literature of the era. The same can be said of Dickens, Thackeray and Jane Austen. However, it must be said that this book is the "worst" of Gaskell's books so far as convoluted and turgid prose is concerned.

Extended descriptive passages and the drawing-out of emotional scenes can be irritating because it slows down the narrative and is too obvious a device to hook the discerning reader. Presumably readers of the day loved this stuff - much as modern readers go for similar depictions on TV and in print.

However, the narrative itself is gripping, especially towards the end of the book when events reach their climax and the various threads of the plot are drawn together. There are exciting twists and turns in the plot, almost like a modern thriller. This is where Gaskell shines - she is a very skilful constructor of intricate story plots. It is difficult to put the book down as we near the end of the story.

Another area in which Gaskell shines is her depiction of characters, even though they might be standard "types" to readers of the day. What strikes the modern reader is the submissive role of women and attitudes towards women in the first half of the 19th century. Yet the actions of Mary Barton strikingly deviate from the norm as the story reaches its climax.

"Mary Barton", like all Gaskell's books is an enjoyable read for the story alone. One can skip over much of the purple descriptive bits without any loss. The book also gives a valuable insight into attitudes and ways of life in the early 19th century. This will interest readers who love history. Fiction such as this can illuminate social history.

The Mohammedan world of today: being papers (by various authors) read at the first missionary conference on behalf of the mohammedan world held at Caior; April 4th-9th 1906; edited by S.M. Zwemer, E.M. Wherry, and James L Barton. Chapters: introductory paper; Islam in Egypt, in west Africa; in turkey; in syria and Palestine; islam in Arabia (two different chapters on this); islam in Persia; in baluchistan; in north India; in south india; the new islam in India; in sumatra; in java; in bokhara and chinese turkestan; in china; how to arouse the church at home to the needs of islam; statistical and comparative survey of islam in Africa; statistical and comparative survey of islam in asia with totals for the entire word. Black and white plates (almost sepia toned); six maps and statistical charts... some of which are pull outs.

Be certain to buy the updated, 2005 reissue of this book in order to get the History Channel DVD. The book itself is also updated to Birdstone's defeat of Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont.

Affirmed won the triple crown in 1978 and Seattle Slew in 1977, so this 1975 edition will only have the first nine winners--another reason to buy the 2005 edition.

A fun illustrated version of Paterson's poem, designed to please kids.

Adults should be entertained by this as well, if familiar with the material, I think.

The Creation Myth of the Zuni Pueblo is fascinating to say the least. This book begins with a short preface relating the current location and brief history of the Zuni. The introduction tells us of Frank Hamilton Cushing's life and research among the Zuni. The body of the Work sets forth Editor Barton Wright's versions of the original Myths. Mr. Wright also illustrates the Myths with original and descriptive scratchboard etchings. The original Myths were recorded by Frank Hamilton Cushing in the late 1800's, however, none of Mr. Cushing's particular style of writing is demonstrated in this book. An excellent modern interpretation follows the immediate Myths telling what the myths are describing and how they were formed. Because the Myths were recorded from Zuni Oral Tradition the possibility of misinterpretation is always present.

The book also includes two helpful appendices. In the first appendix Mr. Wright gives us a list of the sources of the Myths he has presented. The second appendix is a glossary of Zuni and Hopi names and terms. The Glossary falls short by not including some of the very basic terms and concepts used in the Myths. This might encourage an interested reader to use the bibliography at the end of the book, however, the lack of basic terminology could be frustrating for the casual reader. Although well done, the book is not for someone without a fundamental knowledge of the Southwest Native American history.

This edited volume provides the reader with a good selection of scholarly essays on historical and current aspects of the Northern Ireland Question. The first several entries outline the history of nationalism and unionism in Ireland as well as the political and historical circumstances surrounding the partition of Ireland into two administrative and political entities in the 1920s. The solidification of fundamental communal division between Nationalist and Unionist populations in Northern Ireland is then traced in essays detailing social (housing and jobs) and political (electoral) discrimination. The volume concludes with essays on current economic and ideological developments. Overall, this work provides the reader with good background material for understanding recent developments in the social, economic and political environment in Northern Ireland.