Dunne Books

Several young women, students from nearby colleges in semi-rural Pennsylvania, have been found murdered. The various police departments have yet to find the killer who favors tall, dark- haired victims and butchers them with relish.

Shelley Brinton is a new student at Spofford College and on the women's softball team. Tall, dark-haired, and beautiful, she is a skilled and powerful player who seems to harbor many secrets as well as a fierce temper. Angela Wedgewood and her teammates are curious about the enigmatic Shelley who will be competing with Angela to play first base. An equally skilled athlete, Angie, who has been nursing a broken heart for months, is actually more than curious. She is very attracted to Shelley. Is there some connection between Shelley and the murders? Some of the teammates find her secrecy suspicious. Could Shelley actually be the killer?

Dunne's mystery seems to go in two directions at the same time. The youthfulness of Angie and her teammates creates an almost comic quality of a Nancy Drew parody as the gang sets out to track down the killer! However, it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who all the ball players are. And some of the information that they discover seems unlikely. The severity of Shelley's situation is unnecessarily complicated. So much so that it makes her chances of returning to Spofford seem slim.

Dunne's descriptions of the softball games as well as the practice sessions are detailed and engrossing. The development of the romantic relationship between Angie and Shelley is
pleasantly paced. And the depiction of players willing to help one another improve their skills for the betterment of the team, is positive and makes an encouraging role model. It seems unnecessary to include the grudge carrying Hurtz who resents loosing her position because of Shelley. These elements maybe typical of women's collegiate athletics but they don't seem to fit with the high suspense and deadly threat of the grisly murders.

From the first page of Staying in the Game, the reader knows that the killer is female and lesbian. This reader understands the point of this choice as a plot device. However, it is both tremendously improbable and feeds into unfortunate, homophobic stereotypes to use such a ploy. Neither the killer's apparent mental illness nor the prominence of other "positive" lesbian characters justifies or compensates for the killer's lesbian identity.

Overall Staying in the Game is not a bad story and as Dunne's first novel, it does show promise. It will be interesting to see what future stories she pens. Hopefully she will continue to explore the craft.

This mystery, written by Nann Dunne, the co-author of the bestselling novel, TRUE COLOURS, is a finely-created mystery. Who is the mysterious Shelley Brinton? Is she a murderer? Can Angela Wedgewood and her college mates and softball buddies trust her?

The story is involving and lively. Readers will be kept wondering about the identity of the murderer right up to the end and stay on their toes with plot turns and red herrings. The co-ed murders are a bit grisly, but they make sense at the end, and the exciting unmasking of the murderer and the fallout from its denouement are capably handled with good pacing, flow, and narrative. I also liked the fact that the book's wrap-up didn't take place in a quick summary, but rather unfolded in a satisfying manner.

Along with other books like Trish Kocialski's FORCES OF EVIL, R.S. Corliss's CONSPIRACY OF SWORDS, and Sharon Bowers' LUCIFER RISING, this mystery is well-thought-out and with a cast of believable characters.

All in all, a fine mystery from this up-and-coming author.

What a great book! An "oldie but goodie" from the talented Nann Dunne, STAYING IN THE GAME is well worth the time to read. Starting with a protagonist who is secretive, talented, and beautiful, yet reclusive and mysterious, this book will keep the reader on their toes until the very last page. The mysterious woman, Shelley Brinton, has a history of transferring colleges, anger problems, and problems with the law. She fits the description of a serial killer who has been victimizing women at local colleges.

Despite the warning signs, Angela Wedgewood finds herself undeniably attracted to Shelley. Even worse, the more Angela falls in love with Shelley, the more she fears the dark woman might actually be guilty.

A riveting book, with multi-dimensional characters and an engaging storyline, GAME is one you most certainly should not miss.

I just finished Nann Dunne's book, Staying in the Game, and I have to say that it was a fantastic thriller. I couldn't put it down! The gripping, suspenceful mystery kept me guessing until the unveiling of the killer. There were more than enough twists and turns along the way to keep things interesting. Ms. Dunne's style reminded me very much of Barbara Michaels. As an added bonus, Nann Dunne weaves a touching love story in the midst of all the suspence. Much of the book revolves around the softball diamond and her experience with sports, and softball in particular, shows itself in her confident handling of the game scenes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, well-crafted mystery.

I love Martin Jerrold. He has all sorts of outrageous adventures, but is a normal guy, no super-hero. He, quite sensibly, doesn't want to risk his life. He'd rather have a good drink and a woman than fight battles. Sometimes the odd people in books who seem to have no fear and be willing to face death at the drop of a hat can pall. Who is really like that, after all???

This time out things are a bit more serious even though the task seems simple enough... Jerrold is to carry a letter-packet to the New World. After his last adventures, he's managed to annoy a number of powerful politicians and Royals and military folk, so getting out of the country for a spell is a good idea. Mr. Nevell of the Post Office has had the original messenger waylaid and the letter taken. They cannot open the letter since it's cleverly sealed, but Nevell says there's a possible conspiracy in the works and Jerrold just needs to deliver the letter and see if he can foil the plot.

Jerrold find himself in sea battles against a Spanish ships, dealing with a beautiful but deadly young lady and her rich and powerful father, having agents out to steal the letter--or kill him-- along the way to Pittsburgh, and involved in a conspiracy that leads him into the wilderness and down the Mississippi, led by the charismatic Aaron Burr...

This time out, Jerrold seems a bit more resigned to the adventures that keep him occupied, whether he wants them or not. He also seems to be growing a bit through the experience, also whether he wants to or not. Yet he's still very human, which is what I like about him.

I sincerely hope the author manages to sell more books in this exciting and amusing series.

Finishing the last installment of Thomas' trilogy for the Misadventures of Martin Jerrold saddened me. I thought that all three were very good entertaining reads and actually found some aspects of this last volume better than the first two. I liked that this story was a bit more serious than the others and the unexpected diversion of the journey to America where this story mainly takes place was welcomed. Learning about that time period in America and of Aaron Burr was very helpful and interesting. I like too that there were not so many MISadventures for Martin as we saw earlier in the first two books where he was constantly being accused of this and thrown in jail for that and his every footstep bringing him peril. There was more history here and not so much a murder mystery to be solved. The one aspect that I didnt like was the author's choice to leave out Martin's lover Isobel. I thought that a big mistake but something tells me he might have intended to bring her back in future volumes before he was told by the publisher that they were unfortunately cancelling the series. Too bad, I thing more stories would have been welcomed among the fans and I for one would have read more. You cant help but love Martin Jerrold. He's not the hero a lot of fans want him to be which makes his character all the more unique and fun to read. I loved this book and really am upset that no more are to come. I will miss our Martin, he was very endearing and his escapades offered many hours of enjoyable reading entertainment.

Martin is not our typical hero. Misadventure and calamity abound and Jerrold comes out on top. Well worth the read. There should be more in this series. At the end of this book we find that Martin is someone whom respect should adhere to, and he is ever maturing as a naval officer.

This is the third book in the Lieutenant Martin Jerrold saga. Jerrold is not meant to be a hero (he spent Trafalger locked up for drunkenness), and he continues not being a hero in this volume. Jerrold is off to America where he gets mixed up with the actions of former Vice President Aaron Burr in trying to take over the Spanish areas of Central and North America.

This is a fun book and I enjoyed reading it, but I found it ultimately unsatisfying. The main problem I have is that Jerrold doesn't actually do very much in the book. For the most part he is bundled onto a ship, or a carriage, or a raft, or another ship, and he is just along for the ride. By hewing so close to history, the author gives the non-historical Jerrold little to do. He has a few actions like saving his ship early and late in the book but for the most part is simply observing the shenanigans around him.

And I can't quite forgive the lack of a role for Isobel, who appeared in the first two books.

I'll read the fourth if there is another in the series. But I hope Jerrold rouses himself and puts more a stamp on the activities around him.

In the first book of this series we are introduced to British naval officer Martin Jerrold who missed the Battle of Trafalgar by being drunk in his ship's hold ('The Blighted Cliffs'). With a character like that, how can you go wrong.

In this book, he has offended some of the most powerful men in England. He is faced with two choices. He can stand his ground and fight. Or he can run away. No question in Martin's mind, and we find him on his way to America. Of course he has in his possession a mysterious package to be delivered to Pittsburgh. And of course some of his fellow passengers (a lovely lady who may be more than just beautiful) and her father who ... well you can guess.

Martin Jerrold is certainly an unlikely hero as he goes from one exciting mis-adventure to another in a story told with humor mixed with a bit of history.

Great Fun!

One of those books that grabs you and makes you read it all the way through to the end before you can ever think about putting it down. I could only think of Sean Connery playing the lead in this one. A fascinating story that is well written with a hard to accept background on how the book got started. I feel comfortable recommending this book as a must read to all !

A wonderful "male-action-adventure" novel with romance, intriguing characters and some tender moments to captivate even a female reader well into the wee hours of the night. It all seemed so real -- it COULD be real! I finished "Articles" on the third day of reading at 3 a.m. and found myself thinking about Danny, his dad and the rest of his family for days afterwards. I hope Rodin is working on a sequel...

The book is taut in its narrative, suspenseful in drama and probably "not far from the truth" in content. First half of the book is very well written - surely a page-turner with some interesting twists to the plot. Towards the end, the author seems to run out of ideas to "stretch" the storyline. All in all, an excellent first novel from Rodin. Enjoy!

As a long-time admirer of Melville's Bartleby, I loved this book. I loved its celebration of refusal and devolution. A novel that refuses to be a novel, the book is an especially good read for aging writers who may not have "fulfilled their creative potential" as the self-help goes. Though most of us know of the long silences of writers like Salinger, I had little idea how many writers have gone silent and for the most subtle of reasons.

Bartleby and Co. is an excellent entrance to get into the extremely rich literary work of the Barcelonian writer Enrique Vila-Matas. Described as a "series of footnotes of an invisible -unexistent- book", it compiles, following a labirinthic order, the observations of an early-retired writer about a pretty recurrent phenomenon among writers that he calls the "negating literature" (literatura del no). Mixing reality and fantasy, Vila-Matas gives account of the most interesting cases of writers, like Bartleby or Salinger, who stopped writing for good at some point in their lives. It is also a marvelous tour through contemporary literature and, at a higher level, it can be seen as a metaphor of abandonment and negation that explores the reasons we have for writing and telling stories and also as a homage to all those brave men and women who have decided to devote their live to writing, who have taken such a dangerous (and slippy) path.

A great follow up for this book, if you liked it, is "El Mal de Montano" (I'm not sure it's translated to english already).

Dear Mr. Vila-Matas,

I have no reason to think you will ever see this. Why, after all, should you spend your time reading the reviews on the English-language Amazon site? But I have decided to write this review as if I am writing it to you, because it's in the spirit of your book. And how will I describe this book? It is generous, open, friendly, conversational, and also -- I hope you did not think this was only going to be a friendly review -- also infuriating, loosely written, and hopelessly scattered.

The book is a treasure trove of wonderful books, because you report on many writers that your reader will not have heard of. I marked the margins of my copy with a dozen names that I will now have to go and read. At the same time, I was delighted to find the names of many others that I know and recognize.

And that leads me to my frustration. From very nearly the beginning of the book I found myself arguing with you. Your theme, you say, is "writers of the No," meaning writers who have, for one reason or another, stopped writing. But that is the crux of the matter, that "one reason or another." Writers stop writing for many different reasons. Beckett is not the same case as Rimbaud, and Melville is not the same as Hawthorne. Some were depressed, some tired, some scared, and some -- I would have thought they would be your only subject -- stopped because they felt that modernism (a word that is weirdly absent from your book) prohibited the endless production of novels.

I can hear you saying, Well, yes, but as I say in my book, this is a vast subject, and there are many nuances and many different cases that must be judged and weighed. Exactly. They are different, and where your book falls short (sorry, I am being honest because I do not think you'll see this letter) of, say, Blanchot or even Perec (whom you cite) is where it is necessary to really slow down and think about each individual case.

PS, please, some day, read Wittgenstein's Tractatus. You wouldn't have written what you did if you'd read it, and it might have changed your ideas about other silences as well.

Still, even though this sounds negative and even, I suppose, a bit petulant (or even arch in my mimicry of your easy way of writing), the book is wonderful. It is richer, more full of ideas and writers I want to know, than any academic book I can think of.

Eloquent, intricately woven, and dark yet ultimately redemptive, Joseph Hurka's novel is a story about humanity. How does history shape who we are and who we become? From where do monstrous acts come, and how do we maintain our own humanity in the face of them? On the eve of September 11th, 2001, the lives on one street in the city of Cambridge collide, the how's and why's of each individual defining the moment of collision. Beginning with Nazi Germany and ending with a darkened street the night before the United States is forever changed, Hurka's novel is a vaulting sweep of the history of inhumanity and the choices we face in every moment as to what kind of human beings we are and what kind of human beings we want to become. Never moralizing, always insightful and compelling, the story echoes on long after the last page has been turned.

A troubled mind full of snarled webs can be treacherous. Are the voices and visions real or just imagined? Where will they lead and whose life will they ensnare? It was in a small neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts, on a poorly lit street that an uninvited stranger crept, unnoticed. Will the unsuspecting residents get more than they bargained for? Who is truly safe or just unaware? The answers are elusive.

Tika is a budding photographer, young and full of exuberance. She has become attached to an older couple in her apartment building. Juri, the husband, is recovering from a stroke and having difficulty adjusting to his current limitations. Wife Anna attempts to care for him alone, but appreciates Tika's helpfulness.

Juri is plagued with vivid images of the past, as he struggles with memories of the Nazi invasion. His losses were so great they still rip at his heart. He tries diligently to separate these events from current reality but waivers back and forth. Writing...he is always writing down what he remembers. The doctor says it is good for him, so he tries. But the memories bring unbearable pain and tears fall unbidden.

The residue of Ghost-man's deplorable youth still lingers, triggered by the simplest of things. He fights with his own inner demons and recollections as well, but they are more recent. Tragedies of the Gulf War were experienced in a gruesome and personal way, adding to the well of sorrow and pains from the past. His special training was meticulous and careful--but also deadly. When things don't go as planned, events spiral out of control and many lives are endangered.

Past and present collide and the results bring Tika, Juri and Ghost-man into a battle of wills, determination, and a triumph. But who will ultimately win the day?

Before is filled with vivid descriptions and emotions. However, the character's stories are so intermingled from past to present and back again they are at times difficult to follow, thus making the overall flow a bit bumpy. There is also a tad of explicit material that could be offensive.

Armchair Interviews says: Hurka's recent memoir, Fields of Light: A Son Remembers his Heroic Father, was a winner of the Pushcart Editors' Book Award and is now in paperback.

BEFORE

A review by Matt W. Miller
Wallace Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing at Stanford University
Author of Cameo Diner: Poems

In BEFORE, Joseph Hurka incorporates his powerful instincts as a storyteller with a poet's meticulous attention to image, music and metaphor to craft an exquisite and haunting tale of a group of people on the night before 9/11. The narrative, which moves lightly and necessarily back and forth between time and space, pulls the reader along with great intensity. In the joy of reading the story it would be easy to miss the echoes of image and metaphor that affect the lives of these people and tethers them together between the years, countries, and cultures that separate them. The idea that we are all in some way voyeurs is demonstrated in the parallel narratives of a stalker, a photographer, and a young man looking through thousands of photos of the Holocaust in an attempt to discover the fate of his family. The recurring images of sunflowers and cicadas demonstrate that we are all connected by the natural world. From Nazi-ravaged Bohemia during WWII to bohemian Cambridge, Massachusetts on the eve of September 11, 2001 we are inserted into the lives of men and women who bear life's wounds not with hyperboles of heroics or villainy but with the basic strength and weakness that we all possess. As a writer, Hurka does not take the easy path of merely creating sympathy or pity for the humans that people his story. Like Chekhov or Carver, Hurka is able to make us feel empathy for these people by showing that these people are us. The choices they make are the ones we may have made in similar situations, after experiencing the same blows that life inflicts. Whether it is an old man recovering from a stroke and haunted by his memories of being a boy fighting Nazis to avenge his slaughtered family, a photographer finding her place in a society of slippery meaning and morality, or even a Gulf War vet who has become a midnight stalker of women, we see something of ourselves in all of them. We understand them even if we don't always condone what they do or did in their life. That we can feel all this about these people the night before Al-Qaeda terrorists will kill thousands of people of U.S. soil may even unhinge the locked doors of that day's emotions and judgments. BEFORE is exactly what the title suggests. It is the story of how everything that comes before affects what happens now and what happens later. The human capacity for deep and detailed memory, not only in our own minds but in the methods we have developed to record history, are constantly at work on the way we experience and act in the world. Like the spider's web, where if you touch one strand all other strands will feel the vibration, so is the human race. The act of one person affects the lives of others all over the world and across time. We see this now in the world where we still fight over the actions and words of people written thousands of years ago. Like all great art, BEFORE challenges, and even disturbs, the way you think and feel about the world and yourself. Like all of life's important experiences, reading this book will not leave you unscathed but it will leave you closer to whole. And it will underscore the fact that in life there are no easy answers except, perhaps, for each other.

I can't express how much I loved this book. I bought it on clearence at Wall Drug on the way home from a backpacking trip in Wyoming, and I had it finnished the week i got back. It is an amazing book that really brings you to the beautiful land of the west. If you love the west and if you love the land, then you must read this book!

I have to admit, I thought I was a pretty seasoned traveler on the back roads of America. I have 4-wheeled to the summits of fourteen thousand peaks in Colorado; explored the canyons and slick rock country in and around Moab, UT; and traveled over the Mojave Road, not once but twice, in the east Mojave Desert. I have traveled from coast to coast and border to border, logging many miles on what William Least Heat Moon called Blue Highways, in his first, and in my opinion, best book. But, dear reader, after reading Coyote Nowhere, I now know that I am just a beginner on the journey. Coyote Nowhere is a road trip like no other you have ever been on. It is 26,000 miles in one yeaar in the northern high plains of the North American West that few have seen as up-close and personal as John Holt. The journey stretches from Montana to the plains of northern Alberta, from Wyoming to the Dakotas and the Missouri Breaks. The Purpose of the trip? "Coyote Nowhere will explore and examine the northern high plains from an extemporaneous and contemporary perspective through our eyes and translated into our words and photographs. We're looking for the true west, not the shortsighted vision myopically viewed by most as they whiz here and there along the interstate rarely seeing anything. The west-what we see in the Coors commercials and the SUV ads on television-has been bastardized by too many drive-in espresso kiosks, glitzy ski lodges, swank dude rances and flyfishing guides in pastel waders who serve champagne and caviar in their drift boats. In a word 'Californicated.'" And explore the area he does. Holt, along with photographer Ginny Diers, leave from Livingston, Montana, and travel the back roads, which is a charitable term in many cases, through eastern Montans, Wyoming, and Canada's Northwest Territories, with stops to fish and visit and meditate in some of the most out-of-the way locations imaginable. Travel with Holt and you will visit such towns as Clyde Park, Winsall, Pryor (pop.50), to the Pryor and Big Horn Mountains, the Powder River Country of Wyoming and the town of Ekalaka and the Badlands of South Dakota. The east and west of Alberta is dissected along the way to the Blackfeet Reservation, the Sweet Grass Hills, the Sun River Country to the Solid Sea Islands and back to Livingston. I will not describe in detail how to reach these places because, well, I suspect Holt would never forgive me for telling folks how to find his last frontier. Holt is a witty; biting; sometimes curmudgeon that set out to explore what he believes is America's last frontier. He ultimately believes that our high-tech, high-speed world will not spoil this rugged region. At least that's what he says. In reading the book I wondered if perhaps he made the journey to see this awesome splendor one last time before... This may well be the best road book on the market today. The title is taken from Jack Derouac's classic On The Road. This book may well become for the 21st century what Kerouca's book was for the 60's. If you like Ivan Doig, Norman Maclean, or Wallace Stegner you will treasure this book. Don't look for a travel book for this trip. It's one of a kind.

If your idea of a great family vacation is to travel to the great outdoors and spend your whole time in overcrowded campsights, ski resorts or tourist towns, then you may want to take a pass on "Coyote Nowhere." Author John Holt won't mind since he doesn't like your kind anyway. Holt spends most of the book extolling the virtures of the pristine and empty West while lamenting that so much of it is being ruined by housing developments, strip mines and golf courses. Of course, economic development is always a double edged sword, but Holt confines his comments to merely ranting impotently against it.

That said, Holt captures some great images and moments in his book. Most of these are his descriptions of the land and the joys of getting back to nature. As a storyteller, he doesn't have the touch of a Bill Bryson, and his narrative wanders unfocussed at times and not in chronological order. Nevertheless, he creates a strong sense of place that is worthwhile for anyone interested in his subject matter.

The breadth of the book's approach is quite impressive, especially as it is contained in only 193 pp with notes etc. I am grateful for the writers defining out so much detail in their step-by-step approach. It really gives context to what is involved in the value drivers of the businenss. The market is screaming for tools to handle the areas of intangible value and leadership decision making still and while SBfV talks about it in theory they still are a voice in the wilderness saying we need some innovation in the near future. There is nothing in this book that a business owner cannot take immedialtely and put into practice. A good read; simple in delivery, very comprehensive in scope and well worth the time if you want to understand all the options there are to look at for determining value in the eneterprise. Well done.

Finally! A readable book that brings the Harvard Balanced Scorecard and Economic Value Added to the private business owner. Only 193 pages, Driving Your Company's Value: Strategic Benchmarking for Value brings a specific and focused Five Step Process to making more money. The Process incorporates a Return on Strategic Effectiveness (ROSE) framework utilizing all tangible and intangible assets to fullest productivity. Implement this Process and your ROSE will be leading your P&L.

This is a marvellous book on the valuation methodology for enabling companies to enhance and maximise shareholder value through the use of strategic benchmarking. The book is well written in simple/plain English that should make it easy to follow and understand by any reader.

The book presents critical insights into how companies can enhance shareholder value. It arms managers with tools that enable them to make decisions that facilitate growth and create value. This is achieved through clear and practical methodologies and tips that can be employed to maximise company value. Case studies reinforce the message and help the reader to understand how to practically implement the concepts highlighted in the book.

Among the concepts and methodologies that the reader can benefit from the book include the use of the balanced scorecard, performance measurement, and economic valuation and fraud prevention techniques.

The book is recommended to anyone who needs to learn about benchmarking.

Beautiful photographs explaining the antiques in relation to use! Very nice as a coffee
table book.

Patrick Dunne is one of, if not the, leading experts on food-related antiques in America, and French antiques in general. His shop on Chartres street is one of the best-kept secrets in New Orleans. This book lists "et al" as additional authors of The Epicurean Collector, but don't believe it: without Dunne, there is no book. This stunning book is a fascinating look at lovely pieces and Dunne's excellent prose. If you love antiques related to food, own this book and be very happy.

This ravishingly beautiful book is also a highly entertaining and informative jaunt through history. Patrick Dunne writes with great wit and intelligence. Whether discussing the unusual "sugar nipper" or the ordinary egg, he succeeds in bringing alive whole worlds. This is a wonderful book.

I have read this bible to all four of my kids at bed time, they love it. The pictures are colorful and cute and follow the text very well and it helped my kids to learn how to read. I recommend buying it, maybe two. I have to get a new one because mine is worn out.

The Hosanna Bible helps kids grow in the Spirit by emphasizing praise, worship and prayer. Through 120 short, lively stories, it includes all the traditional favorites as well as often overlooked stories of miracles & prophesies. The Hosanna Bible is perfect for beginning readers & for reading to younger children.

I have had this bible for my youngsters and they love it. Not only does it give the bible verse before the story but, the pictures are excellent. My five year old loves reading this bible because it's fairly easy to read and the colors are vibrant. I especially like the way the New Testament covers a bit of Paul and the return of Christ. I orginally purchased one five years agao and am looking forward to replacing it for my younger one as a few pages are now missing. I hope your toddler to early reader enjoys it as much as my family.

Using Darkwood's wit, quotes from 18th, 19th and early 20th Century travel books and some choice period illustrations this book is a fun collection of absurdities. I read it on a long bus ride from the Gaza border down to the tip of the Sinai and I must say it really hit the spot. Travel has never been so much fun!

This is an engaging and utterly engrossing book. Highly recommend this gem when you are traveling, if not for the entertainment value but for some ludicrous exerpts from old travel guides. Hilarious and a fun read that you won't want to put down.

Vic Darkwood has mined the hilarious regions of travel guides from the 1820's to the Victorian era. Those were the days of imperial ambition when Europeans could travel the globe and admire the "strange" cultures of Asia, Africa and remote parts of Europe and the Americas.

Darkwood has extracted the most bizarre anecdotes and travel "tips" for our edification. It is funny when it isn't scary. Just put another raw egg in your shoe to cushion your foot when hiking. Be cautious when building fires in boats, and so on.

Darkwood writes and collects like a man from another time. The book includes many wonderful period illustrations.