Bennett Books

This is another of those books that has long been out of print. It is one that is becoming increasingly difficult to find as the years go by. This is a pity. Anyone and everyone who has the slightest interest in books, or I should say reading, should give this one a shot. On second thought, it should probably be read by those who have no interest what-so-ever in reading or in books, as they are the ones who sorely need the knowledge contained in the pages of this work. Needless to say, this is one of my all time favorites. It was first published in 1923, and while some of the information this book contains may seem a bit dated, it is far from that. What was true then is more than true now.

This work is actually a number of closely related essays concerning reading. Almost each chapter could be read as a stand alone work. The author's primary purpose in writing this book "was for it to act as a guide to books which can give such a realistic understanding of the essentials of knowledge as will permit the individual to adapt him or herself more happily and satisfactorily to life because he or she will have gained new understanding of life and of him or her self." These were the author's words and I must say she hit her goal.

The author covers reading in history, art, philosophy, personal adjustment to life, harmonious self-development, biography, science, sociology, current events, prose fiction, drama and poetry, essays and Belles-Letters and books for children. Do not let the title mislead you though. This is not just a "recommended reading list." It is far more. The author quite well puts forth the argument that the only truly education people in our society are those that are self educated, not matter if they have advanced degrees from universities, or if they are third grade drop outs. The author stresses the pure joy that can be had from reading. How much is lost, as an individual, by those who not actively read. It is interesting to note that she takes some pretty hard shots at the education system of that time (hey folks, this was over 80 years ago when she wrote this) and I note that most all of her complaints about the system still exsist today. Go figure.

"There is no royal road to education. The "best" books do not constitute such a road. The colleges and universities can not open up such a road. Everywhere the best educate men/women - best educated in the sense of being not merely well informed but in the truer sense of heaving knowledge and thought as a vital part of their daily lives - are found to be self-educated whether or not they have had much formal education."

I find this book to be quite inspirational and very, very helpful. I wish I had read it soon after high school, before college. My outlook would have been completely different, I am sure, and I feel I would have gotten much more out of life had I looked at things just a bit different.

If you can find a copy of this one, grab it, read it, hold on to it and pass it on to your kids and grand kids. You will not be sorry...I promise.

This is a wonderful coffee table book full of Tony's (Anthony Benedetto's) beautiful art and lots of personal "asides" that we fans all appreciate. Well done!

Humans should not be treated as machine parts within a corporate or state system. In the end these systems will fail because all people seek freedom. The point at which this will happen is fast approaching, due to the development of the internet, improved personal health and mistrust of governing powers.

Bought this book and had it autographed by Craig Shoemaker. Wonderful present for fathers who are trying to teach their kids the values of where they came from.

This book deals with one of the most important and controversial issues confronting the Church of the Last Days; the place of Israel and the Jewish people in God's prophetic plan. Containing valuable information and compelling Scriptural insight vital to proper understanding of the Middle East, When Day and Night Cease will challenge the way you think about prophecy and the End Times. As it unfolds prophecy concerning the nation of Israel, it explains the direct effects upon the Church, your nation and yourself while offering a glimpse of the great harvest that is yet to come. When Day and Night Cease gives a prophetic warning to nations and individuals which we ignore at our peril.
--- from book's back cover

Charming and delightful are the words that come to mind when I remember the experience of reading White Mountain Blues. This novel is based on a script Hal Zina Bennett wrote for the TV series Northern Exposure. His wife, Susan Sparrow, loved the story so much that she urged him to convert it into a novel when Northern Exposure was cancelled before the script could be produced. The transformation from script to novel was quite effective -- the result is very enjoyable on its own merits, while retaining the quirky humor of the TV show. (Now and then, the author receives a letter from a Northern Exposure fan who has read his book and discovered the link.)

White Mountain Blues "celebrates the spirit that connects us to each other and to the natural world, where eagles fly." In fact, one of the characters in this book IS an eagle whose name is Sun.

In his prologue, the author warns that "the tale is pretty sparse on impertinent sex scenes, kinky emotional abuse and colorful violence. Even more out of fashion, there's a mostly happy ending." Venture into White Mountain Blues -- you'll have a great time.

Wild Hearts On Fire is the best book in the series. I think The character Kimmy should open up more and be more confident that she is a good guitar player

On the surface, Dean Bennett's "The View from Chamberlain Farm" is an exhaustively researched history of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Below the surface, it is a petition to use the Allagash as a template for the foresight, the courage, and the persistence required to preserve the wilderness, as well as a warning of the continuing threats to the integrity of the founders' intent. Deeper still is the author's worshipful approach to the inner peace and personal fulfillment which comes to the human visitor capable of giving himself over to the spirit of the refuge. The historic component is excellent, starting with the earliest Indian settlements following the retreat of the glacier, ten thousand years ago, and right up to Governor Muskie's dedication of the Allagash in 1970. In the intervening pages we meet Henry Thoreau and his Indian guide, Joe Polis, the founder and operator of the Chamberlain Farm, David Pingree and E.S. Coe, naturalist John Burrows, guide Lucius Hubbard, Governor Percival Baxter, who donated the 200,000 acres comprising Mt. Katahdin, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, and the man to whom the Allagash owes the most, Robert Patterson. Against unimaginable odds, Patterson won a life-defining struggle against an adversary comprised of the Federal Government, the powerful landowners and their forest products industry which bankrolled them, and even the State of Maine, which at the time was a "company state." In an era when environmental protection had none of the cachet, none of the funding, and none of the legislative framework, or judicial precedent which it now enjoys, Patterson, Douglas, and Muskie locked arms to leave a legacy of controlled-access wilderness. Bennett leaves the reader with Robert Patterson's firm admonition, "Lesson Number One: Never relax."

This is not a book for the masses, nor is the Allagash itself a destination for the masses. It is written for the reader of the natural history of the lakes, forests, and rivers comprising the Allagash. And with its multiple layers, and with the stories of the saintly men and women whose names will forever be associated with the Allagash, the book leaves us with hope for a kind of spiritual redemption that is found only where vistas still remain as the earliest humans found them. Bennett picks up the mantle of John Burroughs, who wrote in "Wake Robin," in 1871, that his mission was to "depict the immediate, total harmony between man and nature."

The other books in this volume are Four Hundred Million Customers by Carl Crow, The Return to Religion by Henry C. Link, North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and An American Doctor's Odyssey by Victor George Heiser.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.