Blake Books

Consider the last stanza of Blake's "The Scoffers"
"The atoms of Democritus
And Newton's particles of light
Are sands upon the Red Sea shore,
Where Israel's tents do shine so bright."

Or consider the first stanza of " A Poison Tree"
"I am angry with my friend,
I told my wrath, my wrath did end;
I was angry with my foe,
I told it not, my wrath did grow."

In these two small selections it is possible to see a good part of what defines the essence of Blake's greatness. The music of the verses, their hypnotic power which makes them so easily subject to memorization, the element of original thought, or idiosyncratic new perception, the psychological acuity the revolutionary kind of religious faith and social message, the aphoristic intensity, all these taken together define some of the elements of Blake's greatness, a greatness which is richly represented in this anthology.

I stumbled across this book in the humour section in my local bookstore and had to buy it as a joke for a good friend. This meant I got to read it before hand, of course. As one who has a stupid curiosity about the most inane and obscure things from time to time (e.g. the origin of matchbooks or the chemicals they use to make the ink in ballpoint pens), I found this book to be pretty funny and interesting all at the same time. Just as the title proclaims - this book is totally 100% freakin useless. A good choice for anyone interested in trivia or for anyone who just feels the need to satisfy that annoying curiosity that drives you to learn even MORE stupid known facts.

I originally read this book in 1974, published under the author Patricia Maxwell. I loved it. The author knew how to build the suspense, while also creating a tense anticipation. Claire, clearly torn by her ambivalent feelings towards the man she was forced to marry, begins to fall under his spell, as well as her new home, the plantation Sans Songe (Without Illusion). The story twists down to a satisfying conclusion, leaving the reader searching for more books by Patricia Maxwell. It took me many years to discover that she also publishes under the name Jennifer Blake. Which left me with a whole new list of books to read. Excellent read, I would recommend it to any one who enjoys romance spun around mystery!

As beauty is often said to be in the eye of the beholder, so history, it seems, is in the hand of the chronicler. This rings true of Blake's first book, A Brief History of the Evolution of Body Adornment in Western Culture: Ancient Origins and Today.

The first half of the book contains brief biographies and photo essays of several people Blake has named as heavily influencing the modern Western piercing community, in addition to other lesser-known characters important to his own history. Two early pioneers discussed, both born near the turn of the century, are Ethel Granger and the Great Omi. A thorough section with both images and words from Blake's guru Fakir is presented, followed by tributes to mentor Father Daniel Jensen and Blake's adventurous grandmother, Dr. Naomi Coval. He pays homage to these inspiring people with obvious affection and respect, as they have made a huge impact upon his life. This section has been peppered throughout with archival and artful black and white photographs of the personalities discussed, as well as color pictures from his pioneering grandmother's world travels rescued from her archives. The result is an insightful collection of memoirs, anecdotes, pictures, and quotes that combine to tell the history of body modification in the Western world as it has inspired both the industry in general and the author specifically.

The book switches gears when Blake steps in to tell his own highly personal account of his introduction and growth within the piercing industry. This autobiographical section gives the very casually written perspective of the author as he travels through the early stages of his career as a piercer. Taking credit for many advances and extremes in terms of larger piercings, he discusses freehand piercing and coins the term "tribal surgery" to describe the methods employed by himself and his colleagues.

The second half of the book contains an abridged cross-section of ethnic and historical piercing practices and jewelry from around the world. Most pieces depicted are from Blake's collection in the form of the Nomad Museum in Oregon, while select items from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and other famous museums demonstrate the prevalence of piercing practices and jewelry on all continents throughout the millennia. This section is only a brief introduction and does not delve very deeply into history, as the title suggests, primarily focusing on collectible jewelry that has survived from antiquity - though some contemporary practices and pieces are also shown.

Being quite familiar with cultural body modification practices and ethnic jewelry myself, I was wondering what new information this work would present. Unless one has passed through Bend recently to see the Nomad collections, A Brief History showcases a scrumptious array of ethnic piercing jewelry unpublished until now, cataloged here for posterity. While the anecdotes and chronology presented were primarily a useful review for me, most readers will find this an informative and easy to read introduction to the ethnographic and historic backgrounds that deserve our respect for significantly paving the way to where the practice of body art now stands.

Not sure this would rate a 5 star from an average reader. Being born and bred in Burnley around the time of the author I was able to relate to the areas he talks of in this former industrial town. Did surprise me to learn just how much poverty existed, post-WWII. Would recommend, found it enjoyabe. Now live in the US and have a desire to go visit and see all the changes in this town that had so much pride although I understand it no longer has a population where everyone knows and assists their neighbours. Apparently the culture spoken of in the book no longer exists. Not all lived in poverty but we all lived the friendly, Lancashire culture.

This fast-paced and tightly written tour-de-force cuts a swathe through the often mystifying world of advertising and consumption. Both students and veterans of the industry will find its sparkling insights open a multitude of intellectual doors. The contribution of the talented Dr Macrury is worthy of particular note: he is swiftly becoming an academic force to be reckoned with.

A great read, provocative and moving. The authors tackle their story with passion. I hope they're still alive and working on a sequel.

Three of North America's most respected sales leaders present a call to action urging companies and salespeople to change behaviors to keep up with a modern competitive business environment: this call isn't unusual; but what is unusual is its result: CHAMPIONSHIP SELLING; A BLUEPRINT FOR WINNING WITH TODAY'S CONSUMER. The book emphasizes that business building strategies need to be at the top of the drive for business success - and it tells how to hone customer-focused processes to do so. Chapters focus on common barriers to communications and effective listening, and how they may be overcome. This isn't just theory, either: the authors have worked with businesses and presented the principles of CHAMPIONSHIP SELLING, to see businesses increase by 30% or more.

I love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The story is exciting, and I love the demise and fate of the four brats. I'm always coming up with special effects for a stage version of the 1971 film, which I happen to love! Roald Dahl wrote some great books, which have sparked my imagination. I think that this 40th edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a great way to recognize Dahl's famous book.