Ferguson Books

Brook Thomas is an English professor, not a legal scholar, and, although much of his work deals with intersections between law and literature, he tends to be more discerning as to literature and social issues than regarding the law. While his Plessy v. Ferguson gives a competent overview of the case and its context, this book is not his strongest work by a long shot. I have had success teaching this book in conjunction with Twain's Pudd'n'head Wilson, and its brief documentary history works well to get students up to speed. But it has a distinctly text-bookish quality that would make it something of a drag in any but the classroom setting.

Brook Thomas is an English professor, not a legal scholar, and, although much of his work deals with intersections between law and literature, he tends to be more discerning as to literature and social issues than regarding the law. While his Plessy v. Ferguson gives a competent overview of the case and its context, this book is not his strongest work by a long shot. I have had success teaching this book in conjunction with Twain's Pudd'n'head Wilson, and its brief documentary history works well to get students up to speed. But it has a distinctly text-bookish quality that would make it something of a drag in any but the classroom setting.

The book contains a good analysis of the Plessy v. Ferguson case, decided by the United States Supreme Court, and establishing the doctrine of "separate but equal" that would remain the law of land until overturned in 1954.

Minor criticism: the cover illustration shows a low-class white attempting to evict a well-dressed black man from his seat on a train. The picture has nothing to do with Plessy v. Ferguson. First of all, Homer Plessy was only 1/8 black, and it was not noticeable to the uninformed observer. Secondly, as material inside the book indicates, the picture depicts an incident that occurred in Pennsylvania in 1856 (40 years before the Plessy decision). Finally, strange as it may seem today, racial segregation was supported by all strata of Southern society (and a good many folks in the North too). It was just the way things were done, and no one really thought much about it.

Except for the cover illustration, a great book, and all serious students of constitutional history should read it.

Thomas has done yeoman service in his editing of this volume on the Plessy v Ferguson case. Sure, we all know "separate but euqal," but there was so much more, and Thomas covers it succinctly and completely. As part of the Bedford Series in History and Culture this volume looks at Plessy through a collection of original period documents with thoughtful, but to-the-point analytical introductions. Within a small number of pages is included not only the entire opinion of the Court, but also legal and social backgrounds for the case and race relations in America. Also covered in the volume are reactions to the case from general newspapers, the legal community, and African American intellectuals, and the impact of the case as seen from the first decade of the 20th century. It even has a wonderful timeline of pertinent events to help orient the progress of the case. It will probably not be fascinating to the casual reader of history-if your tastes tend more to the straight narrative, you may find this volume frustrating. But if you want to really understand Plessy's "separate but equal" argument and where it came from, this is the volume for you.

This book was received in the condition as described by the seller. I was completely satisfied with this purchase.

I'm surprised I'm the first person to review this book! Having recently read a half-dozen other titles on the subject, I find myself coming back to this one again and again. If you want to start writing creative nonfiction RIGHT NOW, this is the book for you. It's extremely well-written and accessible.

Each chapter offers plenty of exercises for the individual writer and variations on the exercises for writing groups. All of the various forms of creative nonfiction are explained, as well as the challenges they entail.

The authors divide the book into three major parts focusing on "unearthing" the material, the forms of creative nonfiction, and "honing your craft." They discuss such topics as sentence rhythm, exposition versus scene, the pitfalls of "revenge prose," basics of good writing, mining your memory, and writing groups.

There is a very good bibliography and plenty of brief examples of other writers' work. In short, a wealth of information can be found between the covers of this slim 185-page book. Buy this book before you buy any other book on writing creative nonfiction.

I've gone round and round trying to find a reasonably good text for a creative nonfiction course I'm teaching in the spring. Tell It Slant was sitting on my bookshelf, so I picked it up one day. It gets to the point, offers excellent, accessible advice, and allows me to teach writing. For a complete novice, it might be too little, but for an experienced writer and teacher, it's an excellent introduction to creative nonfiction. My sole complaint is that it's overpriced. I suspect that's a result of it's textbook classification, a pet-peeve of mine. Students shouldn't have to pay $40 for a paperback, or for any textbook for that matter.

Even so, that's not the authors' fault, and I highly recommend this book.

Ralph Wahlstrom

I think the book touches on good stuff but I there's too much time referencing other people's works. Also, none of the information goes into detail; for example, the chapter on The Basics of Personal Reportage reads like an outline with the authors touching on key points and then moving on to different topic. The sections of the book are not even a page long. I just wish there were more writing help vs outline and trying to show their Knowledgeable by talking about other's work.

I enjoyed this book. I look foward to reading more of J.A. Ferguson's books

This book was a real snooze. The time travel element was not realistic. I've read better by JoAnn Ferguson, but I don't think I'll be reading anything else again.

I've been on a Scottish "kick" recently. As well as a fantasy binge. This book combined time travel, Scotland, and witchery. I was sold on it immediately, and still happy as I finished it. Great relationship. Fabulous hero. Great clash between the present and the past.

Jo Ferguson's Timeless Shadows was interesting and kept me reading all night. The convoluted plot twists kept me on my toes. Sensuous and entertaining, the stormy relationship between the virile 17th century Laird MacLachlan and his confused timeswept lady, is captivating and titillating. I especially enjoyed the touches of witchcraft and enchantment that are woven throughout the novel. The author's knowledge of 17th century Scotland is extensive, and knitted into the book in a natural and skillful manner. Any intelligent romance reader will take pleasure in this magical story of timeless love.

It talked very little about serious bodybuilding

Great book. I've re-read it many times. Covers all three areas you need for fitness: Motivation, Nutrition and Workouts. Mr Nielsen also has his life priorities in order, and will help you do the same. It's more than just a fitness book. It's a "how to live your life to the fullest" book.

In life we are dealt ups and downs.This book was given to me as a gift from my girlfriend.At a time when I needed direction in eating and had hit rock bottom with my fitness program. Mr.Nielsen Knows how to motivate people to get off the couch and get moving.Also reading this book I learned you are what you eat.It has changed my Life.Mr.Nielsen Can be the next Jack LaLanne.

At age 15, Peter Nielsen became critically ill with Crohn's Disease; only seven years later he was crowned the bodybuilder's Mr. International Universe. In this four-part book, Nielsen tells his gritty story. He discusses nutrition, mental and physical fitness, and shows how they add up to a recipe for life

William Gunnarson is an attorney. His client, Ella Barker, is a nurse. She possesses a diamond ring taken in a burglary. She has been threatened. In nine out of seventeen burglaries the victim was in the hospital.

Broadman, a pawnbroker, dies from an assault. He is suspected of being a fence. Gunnarson's client gives him a lead to a friend of hers, a lifeguard who, it seems, has recently run off with a movie star. Later Gunnarson learns the movie star has been kidnapped and the chief suspect, at least for an earlier crime, has been shot by a police officer. Gunnarson's wife Sally is upset he does not spend more time with her.

More deaths and confusion ensue in the sordid and convoluted plot. It is possible the movie star is a willing participant in her own disappearance. It is also possible she has a double.

Lew Archer is nowhere to be found in this Ross Macdonald mystery from 1960. Instead, a very conscientious lawyer by the name of Bill Gunnarson serves the dual role of narrator and crime solver.
What starts out as a rather mundane case involving serial burglaries becomes increasingly complex and engaging as murder and kidnapping are added into the mix.
As in all Ross Macdonald novels, The Ferguson Affair is steeped in human tragedy stemming from the effects of ill-fated relationships and family dysfunction years in the making. Macdonald's grand theme seems to be that the past will dictate the future and that an individual's ability to alter his pre-determined destiny is extremely limited.
The Ferguson Affair gets 5 stars from me because of its intricately constructed and engaging plot, its highly descriptive and imaginative prose and its very compelling and moving character sketches.
Ross Macdonald took his craft quite seriously and the results of that are apparent in the pages of this remarkable book. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Originally published in 1960, the Ferguson Affair was released more or less in the middle of the Lew Archer series. Lawyer Bill Gunnarson substitutes for Archer, the most pronounced difference being he is married. It's of little consequence, because MacDonald keeps her appearances to a minimum. If you did a word search and substituted Bill with Lew and Ginnarson with Archer, no one would notice this wasn't an Archer mystery.

All of the Ross MacDonald trade marks are here; double identities, crokked cops, etc. The Ferguson Affair is thoroughly enjoyable, and hopefully Black Lizard will release it soon!

As the title says, this is a book about the "Music" of Pythagoras; and is concerned with the biographical, musical, and philosophical aspects of the Pythagoreans. If one is looking for a more mathematical treatment, see Maor's "The Pythagorean Theorem." A few of the chapter subtitles reveal the tone of the book, "At the hinge of legend and history," "All things known have number," "Plato's Search for Pythagoras," "Wherein Nature shows herself most excellent and complete," "'While the morning stars sang together': Johannes Kepler," and "The Labyrinths of Simplicity."

The reading was a little slow going midway, addressing the weight of previous scholarship. One senses an extra effort to be fair-minded, but the upside result of this deliberation was a more intense focus on what is essential and relevant about Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans today. This carries us far beyond the "series of facts" mentioned by the editorial review from Publishers Weekly. The last few chapters are the best, written with wit and insight. Pythagoras appears through the contrasting viewpoints, questions, and speculations by musician and author Kitty Ferguson. Arthur Koestler sums it up with a quote about the Pythagorean vision, "Cosmic wonder and aesthetic delight no longer live apart from the exercise of reason."

Some mathematicians tend to write dismissive works such as Bell's "The Magic of Numbers" or Dudley's "Numerology: Or, What Pythagoras Wrought." And some philosophers tend to be overly critical, e.g. Bertrand Russell. It is among musicians where you generally find the true spirit of Pythagoras, and the in-depth research of the code mentioned in the subtitle.

From the excellent references in Guthrie's "The Pythagorean Sourcebook and Library" and Godwin's "The Harmony of the Spheres: A Sourcebook of the Pythagorean Tradition in Music" one can find the work of Thimus, Kayser, Haase, and other musicians. Many scientists from Newton to Einstein have also embraced much of the Pythagorean legacy of an order and harmony in the foundational nature of the universe. The deeper mathematical code is perhaps too esoteric for general readership, see Bamford's "Homage to Pythagoras"; and from musicians Ernest McClain and William B. Conner, deeper explorations. And authors who go even further, Manly P. Hall and Franklin Merrell-Wolff.

Rather than begin her investigation with a historicist assessment of the non-existent facts, Ferguson holds fast to the reality of Pythagoras, that is, his legacy. In a field where reasoned conjecture is unavoidable, Kitty Ferguson presents a balanced view of the evidence. She integrates the findings of recent classical scholarship, such as Kahn (2001) and Burkert (1972), and manages to escape the dogmatism that normally surrounds academic commnetary on Pythagoras. A remarkable aachievement.

It's rather hard to describe this book. The author Kitty Ferguson attempts to write a book dealing with mathmatics without using any math, at best these efforts are dicey and Ms. Ferguson has created another flawed effort.

The book basicly take the reader from Pythagoras as a starting point of moderm mathmatics which is reasonable, although as the author states the usages of math predates Pythagoras with at least the Egypt ten centuries before Pythagoras. But since there is no documention of what the Egyptons did only some engineering examples it's hard to say what they knew and how. From there on she follows the journey of math through the Greeks (Plato/Aristotle, Romans (Pliny the Elder/Plutarch), the Dark Ages etc. The effort are the quest for some kind of universal theory which has yet to be found, that covers everything.

Although the author trys to avoid religion in most of her argurments don't be surprised to see this text as being used by groups trying to promote Intelligent Design.

In short I guess is that if you are going write about math, use math to illustrate your topics.

While a mostly useful Osprey reference book, this volume shows its age in the fact that it covers too great a time period - over 40 years in the standard 64 page Elite format. Newer Osprey volumes tend to cover less than 10 years and have far greater detail packed into such slim books.

This book is OK for now but hopefully Osprey will redo this subject in their newer, tighter focus format.

If you're a military historical enthusiast or a hobbyist (fine scale modeling, militaria, etc), this is a faburrific reference book whose illustrations highlight the early development period as well as the more commonly known/shown uniforms, equipment, etc. as well as showcasing lesser known para info such as the Gurkhas and post-WWII missions.

It hard to find detailed information on the subject of the British paratroopers. This book gives you an introduction on the subject. It explaines how the units were raised. which operation they were involved in and what they are doing now. The absolute best thing about the book are the drawings from the author. In high detail they show the uniforms, the badges and weapons used by the British Paratroopers. All together the book gives you a nice prespective of the history of the British Airborne forces from the date of raising until now.

I thought this book was great! I read it when I was 10 and now I am 16 but I couldn't get this book outta my mind and I still remebered the book and some of the lines so I went searching for it. Any child who loves acting and stuf wll love this book cuz I know I did!

I recomend it to people who dont like much action...but it was ok....kind of a bore. It was about a girl named Haley Loring who got written out of her show, Family Love. She goes to school in a really small town and struggels to be liked.Then this guy whos perfect gets stuck going to the dance with her. I wouldnt call it wonderful

This book was alright. Since the reading was pretty easy and quick, I would recommend this for about to 10 to 11-year-old range. This book is about a girl, Hailey Loring, who gets written off of her show, and now she wants her peers and fans to know her for who she is as Hailey Loring, not Samantha Love, (the girl she played on the show). This is a good book for most kids, girls would probably be more interested since the main character is female. Also, a great book for any kids interested in acting. Shows the rough but true side to it.

This work should be read as an update on Morton Fried's "The Notion of the Tribe." The authors do not give Fried enough credit but well read anthropologists will recognize that the key points stem from Fried. Read with caution as the two editors have never done long-term fieldwork among indigenous peoples.

Great book comprised of how state expansion helped initiate, dictate and continue trends of warfare; fostering, in some cases, the creation of tribes and at all times the 'tribal zone'. All the papers presented stem from the 1989 School of American Research advanced seminar on anthropology and warfare. Subjects range from ancient Roman and Sri Lankan state interaction in the tribal zone to Ferguson's more modern take on how western contact had major influence on Yanomami warfare.

The reviewer below must have something out for Ferguson since Fried is referred to many times in the chapter "The Violent Edge of Empire". Fried's idea of the state (expansion/domination) creating the category of 'tribes' and his rejection of the historical category of "Tribe" before state contact is referenced (Whitehead also refers to Fried in his chapter). Pretty bush league review from an anonymous anthropologist. The reviewer is probably upset that Ferguson shredded one of his favorite authors.

excellent book.

Ferguson has a great analytical mind, and a concise writing style. To dispel a myth, Ferguson does anthropological field research regularly.

Have read, but have yet to been put any where in avalanche territory yet to actually use information in the book. Good information and easy to follow and remember.

This book is not comprehensive enough to teach you what you need to know. There is no substitute for an avalanche course with a real instructor. However, if you have taken a course but haven't used your knowledge as much as you wished you could, and are therefore trying to refresh your memory this is a great book. Because it's short it's a quick read: you can read it cover to cover to review the details of safety in avalanche terrain. It's also a useful reference book or intro to use before or during your Avy course.