Blair Books

I got this book for my b-day and I read it right away! This is a wonderful book about three teenagers who are swept back in history to the Civil War. Then they must learn to live like the people back then and each has there own part in the war. This book also teaches allot of facts about the Civil War that I never knew. I recommend it to anyone who loves to read and learn facts:)

Ms. Blair tells an action-filled story filled with humor and suspense. I reccomend this book to any and all readers interested in Civil War reenactment or time-travel. The characters are believable and honest, the true indication of a worth-while read.

This is a great book. I love it!!!!!!! The characters are really believable and funny. This author is much better than R. L. Stine.

The characters have depth and are really funny. I have read it at least three times before. If you like time travel, adventure, and all-out fun, this is the book for you.

This story is chock full of humor, action, and suspense. I suggest you read this book for the above reasons. I guarantee you will LOVE this book (guarantee void as of March 1997)

If you want to do more than just read about the Cherokee indians, this is the book to get! The first part of the book is a historical and cultural overview of the Cherokee indians. The second part of the book gives directions to historical sites and goes into some detail about the history behind the site. It also tells you what there is to see now. I am not aware of another book like this. Keep it in your car when you travel. I really enjoyed this book.

A photographer having a special interest in Cherokee history, Vicki Rozema's "Footsteps Of The Cherokees: A Guide To The Eastern Homelands Of The Cherokee Nation" is a seminal contribution to the growing body of Native American history in general, and the Cherokee Nation in particular. Traveling more than 4,000 miles and investing about 2500 hours visiting, researching, and photographing the sites associated with Cherokee history throughout southeastern United States, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" covers Cherokee farmlands, homes, and sacred sides in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and the infamous trek to Oklahoma in 1838 called 'The Trail of Tears', when thousands of Cherokees were forced by the federal government to leave their lands and live on a desolate reservation in an inhospitable western frontier. Some 190 sites are listed and provided with historical perspectives. Enhanced with black-and-white photographs, detailed directions to the sites, their hours of operation, along with entrance fee information, as well as relevant phone numbers, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" is the perfect travel planner and companion. An impressive and original body of work, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Native American Studies reference collections.

This book is excellent. It won an Award of Merit from The Tennessee Historical Commission. It is different from other books on the Cherokees because it gives detailed directions to over 190 different sites associated with the Cherokees. Well-organized as well as informative.

A very well written book and very easy to read. Divided into
two parts, the book gives the reader a goodly amount of historical as well as cultural information on the Cherokee Tribe in their Eastern homelands. The second part of the book is a listing of various places in this area that are of historical interest. Not only does Vicki Rozema tell the reader where these places are, but some of the background surrounding them and when available she also includes a picture to help in identifying these sites. As an added feature, the information on business hours and cost to get in is also included.

Vicki Rozema has a good talent for holding the reader's attention, which to me is important. The only thing wrong with this book is that it has now added all these different places I never realized existed before to my itinerary and I don't know if I will be able to get to see them all, but will surely try. The book will definitely go with me when I travel.

We used this book for two years to take prayer walkers to the actual sites of the Cherokee people for prayer and reconciliation in Jesus name. See [URL]. This book was invaluable. We found a lot more sites than she lists, but her book has great directions, history, etc. We met the author for lunch in Knoxville two years ago. She is shy, unassuming, and modest about the great gift she has given to the Cherokee and those who live on their lands today.

Robert Blair's "The Great Omission" is brilliant. I say that because it shows us the heart of God. I love the quote Robert included by Omar Bradley. "We have grasped the mystery of the atom bomb and rejected the sermon on the mount." The world has most definitely thinned to a blur the Word of God. We must get back to the unadulterated Word as Robert poignantly points out throughout his book.
This book is a wealth of knowledge about the history of the church age and is based soundly on scripture.
Jesus did come to fulfill the law and taught us love and meekness....His way! Meekness is not passivity, but the power of God through love...HIS love! Jesus turned the other cheek...He healed the ear of the servant of the high priest whose ear Peter cut off. Missionaries go to other countries to teach and preach the word of God. They cannot lead others to Jesus Christ with swords! He comissioned us to go into all the world and preach the gospel and heal the sick...we cannot heal and kill at the same time! It is The gospel of PEACE!
I am so overwhelmed to know someone who has written a book of this magnitude and who lets us know where we find our righteousness...and that alone is in Christ!
The Great Omission: Amazing Ways the Church Muddles the Message: How to Get It Right and Tell It Right

In an era where the church of Christ is trying to adapt to changing culture, Robert Blair calls us back to the simplicity of the Great Commission. Church leaders universally face the tempatation to succumb to societal demands and further dilute the pure gospel message. What the church needs is not a new method, but a renewed conviction to seek out the "ancient paths" and to walk in them (Jeremiah 6:16).

I absoluted loved Reverend Blair's "paint" analogy and can cleary see in "The Great Ommission," how we have strayed from the truth of the gospel and have muddled the simple message of making disciples of all nations. Jesus called us to change the world one person at a time. I think all Christians need to step back and acknowledge that our efforts to legislate morality and to push forward the church's agenda of "christian rights" has only resulted in ridicule from non-believers and his hindered our divine mission.

In "The Great Ommission," Robert Blair fairly addresses the issues as they have arisen throughout history and comes to the only logical conclusion: Return to model of Jesus' ministry and that of the early church or continue to add to the "mix." "The Great Ommission" is a must read for all church leaders and recommended to all who desire a more effective model for church growth...Jesus' model!

This book needs to be read by all Christians. It is relevant to today, and makes us question the whole idea of church and state. Robert Blair brings forth some amazing truths in his book, and these truths seem to be skimmed over in today's popular Christian culture... I encourage YOU, to buy this book, read it, ask questions, and let it change your life...

I read this book from beginning to end and could not lay it down. The message is so true and the research that has gone into this book is amazing on Mr. Blair's part. He knows the Bible and he knows what is wrong in the world and churches today. Just keep to God's word and forget the extra's. Thank you Robert Blair for an imformative book that God himself would appreciate.

One must actually read the book to see that Mr.Blair presented in a logical way what God's views are on different matters. Every argument was based on Biblical facts. One must actually read the Bible in depth, and research the Greek and Hebrew language to fully comprehend the laws that God commanded, and the words He spoke. You cannot read only the first and last page in this book and get an accurate account of what this book is all about. Mr.Blair has been wrongly accused by one. Maybe those who did could actually read the book and have their Bible in hand at the same time so they can look up all the scriptures and see where they went wrong instead of slamming the book before they have even read it. My prayers are that they will open their heart to God's word instead of just believing what their church's hierarchy tells them to believe.

As I was reading this book, I had a difficult time putting it down. It really held my interest.
It reminded me of my growing up on the East coast in a similar neighborhood, surrounded by family, albeit an imperfect one.
Reading the book brought tears and fears, but mostly it brought enjoyment to me.
The characters were real and the writing style so outstanding that I would recommend the book to everyone.

Carol Blair exibits an unusual ability to bring life to her story and to all the characters in the book. Her ability to express her feelings in a true, down to earth, and interesting fashion captured my attention and made it difficult for me to put down her book until it was finished. Her poetic talent in describing people, things or situations makes for fascinating, enjoyable reading.

There are many deep, meaningful messages in this book for all of us.

I recommend this book to all who have ever loved someone and particularly encourage parents to share it with their teen aged children.

In this era of loose moral standards, the book is a breath of fresh air that supports our belief in God and His precepts, and in the value of family relationships.

This book was such a joy. It was wonderful to read about a real family struggle and have a real time doing it. While you read this book your emotions will go up, down, laugh and cry. One word...Beautiful! As soon as I finished it, I read it again.

I found it so delightful and enjoyable. It is really a wonderful story and so funny insome ways, and yet so heartwarming in other ways and just a beautifull book, I just loved it.

roe prajka

This story of growing up in New York in the 1950s really flowed. I couldn't put it down. The characters weren't perfect people but they were very realistic and I especially liked how religion was presented as such a natural part of life. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew the characters personally and I wanted to know what happened next in their lives. (I've heard there will be other books in the series.) This book should appeal to young people because the characters echo what they are thinking and it should appeal to us baby boomers because we can remember how it was. I urge everyone to read this book. You won't be disappointed.

I was born and raised in Kingsport and I even met the author of this book when he came to my high school in 1996. The name is a little hokey but the book is extremely well written and the research is very good, it even includes some newspaper clippings. This book is well worth the price and the read!

This is a fascinating book. The places are real (and some are rather creepy) and the stories are supposedly true. Every story will draw you in. The history and research the author did was extensive. This is a book you could very well (regretfully) finish in one sitting.

This was a very suspenseful book. It has many short stories in it and all are suppose to be true. Many are folklore that was passed down and most have some eyewitness testimony. My favorite was the one called "A Part Of The Dark Is Moving". Every story takes place at real place in East Tennessee. This is a must have for anyone who likes old fashion ghost stories or folklore.

just got my wife a used air brush. she thinks this book will help her get started on several projects she has planned. she is used to oil painting, and says this looks like fun.
thanks!

I'll start off by saying I keep picking up this book over and over. The Troubleshooting chapter is so detailed. It covers nearly every problem I have ever had with an airbrush. I have other airbrush books and none of them have this much "fix it" info. That one chapter has saved me so much time and stress.
The rest of the book is great also. One of the learning chapters has a really fun exercise that was so easy but gave me really cool results.
The book is very easy to follow and the examples in the book can be applied to almost any airbrush project. She uses a common sense approach that takes away the complications that come up when I'm trying to learn a new technique.
And unlike my other airbrush books, it has lots of photos. The example chapters have many photos that cover each little step.
It also tells how to get great ideas to airbrush.
And I really appricated the way she also tells how to deal with how to not get discouraged when things go wrong. How to deal with the stress that comes from trying to be be artistic.
I have another of JoAnn's books and while I enjoyed that one, I like this one better.
It is also a large book with nearly 200 pages. I feel this book was a great buy.

I've been looking for an informative,complete and properly illustrated book that doesn't make the attempt to go over the heads of any novice, like me, and yet, covers all the neat little tricks that a good teacher of any skill and art combined, can put into a comprehensive book. I never lost interest at all. My attention span is a good way of telling me when a book that I'm reading is worth it's mud at all! I like this author,Ms. JoAnn Bortles puts it all out there in a way that makes it easy to apply to my own techniques as I go through each lesson. I like this book. I think it's the Bomb!! And I would recommend it as a fine gift for a friend or a personal purchase any time.

This would have to be the best book I've read about custom painting and airbrushing on cars/bikes. The book is great for the beginner (like me) who wants to know about airbrushes, suitable paints, and the techniques to start creating a custom paint job.

Very comprehensive. I felt the author was having a personal casual discussion with me about what I wanted to learn instead of just documenting technical information and techniques. Teaching painting techniques in writing must be a tough task, but I think the author did a good job.

I had the fortune of reading this book a few years ago, and since then I have been buying it as a gift for my friends and business acquaintances. It portrays the real Mexico at the turn of the 19th Century, and narrates the customs and habits of the elite in Mexican society that are not well-known or understood and still present in today's society. If you enjoy history, you will love this book.

Actually I just ordered it today but am sure I will love it as Albert Blair was my great uncle. Imagine my surprise when reading "merry bush's" review! My father is Morgan Blair who is the son of Alexander, brother to Albert.

I whole-heartedly agree with the reviewer from Connecticut. An excellent book. Very interesting. Really gives you a feel for Mexico in the early part of the 20th century. My only complaint is about the quality of the printing of the book. It is lousy. Their are many misspelled words and punctuation marks out of place. The quality of the photographs in the book is awful. I also have the book in Spanish and the quality of that copy is 100 times better. And there are additional photos not in the English language version.

I think that the book is wonderful, not only historically correct, but incredibly entertaining. Albert Blair, in the book, was my "Uncle Albert" who often came to our family's home for Thanksgiving dinner. As kids we were fastinated by him since he was from Mexico and would bring us "adult" gifts (like Guerlain perfume when I was around 10 years old...I still have the bottle!) Little did I know what a really fascinating life he had lead! I have been to Mexico and stayed at the home of the wonderful author. I hope she writes again!

...

The fascinating life of Antonieta Rivas Mercado, an impressive woman and one of Mexico's feminist heroines, told by the daugher-in-law she never knew. You will have to read this inspired biography and sprawling, gorgeously-written social history to learn why Antonieta never met Kathryn Blair -- in the meantime I can tell you that I would surely like to meet this wonderful author myself. Both English- and Spanish-speaking friends agree that her prose is extraordinary, with intelligence and grace shining through everything she writes. While drafting IN THE SHADOW OF THE ANGEL, Blair had access to a range of primary sources that most researchers would kill for, and she used them wisely and wonderfully, to bring both Antonieta, and her dramatic era (she was "born with the century" in 1900, and participated in many of its most important events and political-cultural currents), to life. Reading this fine book will definitely deepen one's understanding of Mexico in the first half of the 20th century, as well as one's regard for the strength of Mexican women; I believe it should be required reading of anyone who's been razzle-dazzled by Frida-mania!

The story is fast moving and leads the reader in many different directions. It was a very enjoyable read, with a twist at the end. The characters had depth and were described so that you felt you had known them in a real encounter.

What a great story. Once I started reading i couldn't put this book down.

Who is going to do their friends in so they can end up with more of the lottery winnings if the group wins, and how are they going to do it? The story has lots of twists and turns, and a very satisfying ending. A fun read, but be careful who you share a lottery ticket with!

A great, short read and a believable story. Very entertaining. I'm sending copies to those friends we travel with. Hopefully, they won't be getting any ideas to do in their friends!

From the very beginning I wanted to learn more about the characters and who would do what for the lottery money. I look forward to a sequel.

On a recent trip to the Carolina Outer Banks, I saw a book called NAGS HEADERS and found myself asking "Who are these Nags Headers?" Since I have enjoyed reading about various New England sea coast people, I thought I would broaden my knowledge and extend it to the people of the North Carolina coast.

Nags Head is one of the vacation resort communities in the Carolina Outer Banks, near where the Wright Brothers had their first flight and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The book tells how this sandy peninsula went from what appeared to be wasteland to become a beloved vacation community. The history is told through the eyes of the first families who vacationed here and many whose decedents still continue to vacation in Nags Head. We hear about the strong characters with temperaments that would be just as at home in Maine or Cape Cod, but also have a char that is unique to Nags Head. We learn about people who weathered many of the nation's worst storms (the Outer Banks is a favorite place for hurricanes to hit land) and the bonds that developed between the families. We also get a glimpse of North Carolina history, including some civil rights history as it touched this community.

I am certain that people who have vacationed in Nags Head will enjoy this book, but it will also be of interest to people who enjoy local history, particularly since the author includes writing samples from actual people who are decedents of the first Nags Head families or people who worked for them.

Souther journalist Susan Byrum Rountree does an admirable job of conveying the flavor of Nags Head--both the old Nags Head and the new. Before the bridge over the sound went in in the mid-20th century, Nags Head was a sleepy hamlet year-round with little to do other than swim and walk on the beach. Though it's now a booming vacation town (a little too booming for some folks' tastes!), it maintains much of the flavor of its younger self and Rountree does a terrific job of capturing the elusive charm of the area.

Nags Head, named after the old piratical practice of looping a lantern around the head of a nag to lure ships, is a thin slip of land on Bodie Island, off the eastern coast of North Carolina. Its year-round population has grown to thousands, if not tens of thousands, but it used to be quiet all year-round. The older families--the Midgetts, the Buchanans and others--have consistently come back generation after generation. This constancy and devotion are among the things which makes Nags Head so historical and so tempting to vacation-goers today. It's exciting to feel you're part of a continuum.

Covering everything from the pirate activities of yore to the sundry big hurricanes and nor'easters to the historic Wright Brothers aviation experiments at nearby Kitty Hawk, Rountree provides a rounded, well-developed taste of the whole area. She salts her narrative with wonderful old photographs and with first-person accounts of Nags Head stays. One of her fine accomplishments in this area is the inclusion of black Nags Headers--usually the maids, cooks and so on for the white families which came to spend the summer. One heartbreaking story has to do with a white Nags Head vacationer--an attractive young woman--who began to have trouble staying afloat in the ocean. Her family sent out the strongest swimmer--a young black man who worked for them. Unfortunately, the girl drowned anyway because the young man, justly afraid of being accused of improper behavior involving a white woman, tried to bring her to shore just holding her arm instead of looping his arm across her chest. With this story alone, Rountree shows the prejudices of the time and the dangers lurking in this seemingly idyllic place.

Rountree also gives her full attention to the well-known Unpainted Aristocracy, which is a few dozen oceanfront homes which have stayed in the same families for many generations. Self-taught architect and contractor S. J. Twine designed and built many of them and incorporated many ingenious design elements to help them withstand both the test of time and the year-round test of the weather and corrosive salt air. Her alive and vital portrayal of Twine, with all his genius and his idiosyncratic behaviors, is alone worth the price of the book. All in all, a job very, very well done.

Nags Headers is a combination of oral history and narrated storytelling that opens a window to the summer lives of the families who lived and loved in the Nags Headers beach cottages. These cottages, which are now a century old, lie next to the Atlantic Ocean and are also colloquially known as the "Unpainted Aristocracy." They have survived terrible hurricanes, yet they are now threatened by the unyielding sea itself. The stories in Nags Headers capture myriad slices of history, from settlement before the Civil War, to a luncheon hosted for President Franklin Roosevelt, to modern day efforts to preserve the cottages' historical legacy. Of special interest is an interview with Virginia Hall, the 100-year-old survivor of a 1933 hurricane. Warm and picturesque, Nags Headers makes past years come alive.

My family owns one of the cottages in the area this author writes about, and I've been going to Nags Head since I was just a few months old. Rountree accurately captures the flavor and feeling of the area as I remember it, and as my grandparents remembered it (my grandfather first went to Nags Head in the 1930s.)

The book is filled with many black and white photos from as early as 1900, and has interviews with many of the locals whose families were among the earliest settlers along the beach. There are stories told of names like the Midgett family, Rev. Drane, the Nixons, Ras Wescott, the Buchanans, the Rascoes, Carolista Baum, and of course, the cottage builder S.J. Twine.

This book would be a pleasure to own for any who remember the "good old days", when families traipsed down the sand from one cottage to another for a cocktail party every night; when mothers would come to the beach with the kids for the whole summer and fathers joined them on weekends; when Harris's grocery store was the best (and only!) place to buy your freshly ground hamburger; dancing at the Casino; driving Jeeps on Jockey's Ridge; pig picks and clambakes on the beach; the days before Nags Head was quite so filled with tourists and more populated by summer people. It's a real trip down memory lane, and I recommend it highly.

Great book for for getting the inside scoop from the people who were there. I enjoyed rehashing the stories from the book with my grandfather, 89, who still lives in Manteo; he first got to the OBX in the mid 1930s. I have lived on the OBX and also visited there my whole life so it was great to relate with the history and personal family narratives. I especially liked the Casino stories, and the exciting storm and war memories too. Good pictures.

This book not only gives history of barbecue, but also gives political and other historical notes.

bob garner is the man. no other person in history has captured the true spirit of n. carolina bbq. it is a must for anyone who enjoy's bbq. it is something that can be passed down to generations.

Though I only lived there two years, I've often yearned to go back to Carolina. This book made that yearning into a painful ache! How many cooking books do you read with the intensity of interest as a thrilling novel? I did this one. Warning: This is not a recipe book. Yes, of course it has recipes, from both eastern Carolina and western Carolina barbecue traditions, as well as some variations of both. But the stories and history of this book make it a treasure in my collection. This one is going into my library, far more worthy than to be consigned to the kitchen to collect dust under the microwave (a fate deservedly given to a certain book by Martha Stewart).

This book makes me more homesick than ever for my adopted home. If you have any glimmer of passion for Carolina style barbecue, you MUST get this book.

All native sons of the Tar Heel State, and those who wish they were, who love pork barbecue and always wondered about the history of that flavorful dish should check out "North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time." Funny, insightful, and well-researched, author Bob Garner takes you first on a history lesson back to 17th Century Jamaica to the roots of barbecue, then covers the importance of barbecue to political and religious life in the state. His own life growing up is filled with barbecue-related stories, which he tells herein with wit and style. He also imparts two excellent barbecue recipes, one for pork shoulder, one for the "whole hog."

The last half of the book contains reviews of the state's better- and lesser-known barbecue establishments, and could serve as a good starting point for a state travel guide. Photographic coverage leaves something to be desired, varying from wonderful historic photos to those that are barely legible.

Although the book would likely appeal only to those readers from the South for whom barbecue in all its forms is a tradition, it is an excellent read nonetheless. The down side is that reading this book makes you hungry

A superb piece of work by a wonderful writer, this book gives you the history and background of NC bbq, plus all the information you need to either produce your own or get out and find it in NC. The man knows what he's talking about -- and he talks it so well.