Fitzgerald Books

This sequel to The Long Way to a New Land was the perfect choice for our family's unit study about the Westward Expansion. My first grader was able to read aloud easily, and my four year old was able to comprehend the story well when read to. The characters (Carl Erik, Jonas, and their family) are easy for children to connect to. With so many books written about this period featuring girls as the main characters, it was refreshing to offer my son interesting male characters.

The Long Way to a New Land and The Long Way Westward are companion books that chronicle a family's journey from their Swedish farm, which is suffering from an extended drought, to a new home in Minnesota. The books describe the difficulty and dangers of the journey in a way that is non-complaining and full of optimism for a new life in America. Teachers, these books are wonderful for integrating with other subjects and topics, such as immigration, westward expansion, steamships, trains, geography, and American life in the 1860s.

Absolutely the most brillant piece of histo-drama ever written on the political affairs of men and their madness.

Absolutely the most brillant piece of histo-drama ever written on the political affairs of men and their madness.

I enjoyed the book and would like to formally ask for permission to down load and copy the cover. I think it is and excellent book to introduce ethic culture in a simple form.

I enjoyed the book and would like to formally ask for permission to down load and copy the cover. I think it is and excellent book to introduce ethic culture in a simple form.

Featuring cheerful, child-friendly illustrations, Marley's Treasure is a picturebook with a strong moral lesson. When Marley, a young monkey, stumbles across a beautiful treasure of shining golden bananas, he hoards them to himself - yet discovers that he isn't happy. The wisdom of an old pelican helps him understand that the greatest value of a treasure lies in sharing it with friends. "Life was good again and Marley realized that the treasures of life he had found would never be lost, as long as he shared with others." Highly recommended.

I picked up this book because the monkey on the cover was so appealing. It is definately one of the cutest books I have ever read to my niece... but the actual story has a great message. I loved the idea of reading a story to children that discusses how easy it is to get distracted by wealth and "treasure". In the end, Marley finds out what is important... a great book for kids. They will love the pictures and story, while their parents will get a lot out of the message as well!

Robert Weisbrot's Maximum Danger provides another cogent analysis of the Kennedy/Cuba crisis: this from the viewpoint of Kennedy's overall attitude toward the Soviet Union's growing missile strength. Weisbrot argues that John Kennedy attempted to minimize confrontations with the Soviets, pursuing different options to avert the crisis. Maximum Danger provides an engaging, thoughtful series of different viewpoints about the missile crisis.

"A powerful and provocative look at what the publics view was on the Cuban missile crisis. Maximum Danger reveals startling information from both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. Robert Weisbort tells the real story of what Kennedy and his administration endured through almost near nuclear holocaust."

I just finished reading Marc Dolan's _Modern Lives_ and found myself blown away by it. What a gem! The author's knowledge of modern American literature and culture is encyclopedic, and the sheer insightfulness of this book is almost impossible to imagine. Yet, for all that, it is written with the greatest lucidity and flair, and one follows Dolan's arguments easily. He has the rare ability to speak to the specialist without losing the general reader, and what he has to say will have a serious influence on all future studies of modern America. Anyone who knows Hemingway and Fitzgerald will find his readings of their autobiographical writings brilliant, and if you didn't appreciate the significance of Malcolm Cowley before, you will after reading this book. But what makes the book so utterly convincing is not only the close readings of the texts, but the thick description of those texts and events that form the context of the period. It's certainly nice, every once in a while amidst the oftentimes mindless drivel of academia, to read the work of someone who knows what he or she is talking about. I cannot praise this stunning book highly enough. It's a book I will return to again and again in the future.

This is a lucidly written and extremely illuminating study of the Lost Generation that locates autobiographical works by Ernest Hemingway, Malcolm Cowley, and F. Scott Fitzgerald in the context of their contemporaries and within a bold new understanding of modernism, modernity, and modernization. Dolan's prose is precise, crisp, and often quite eloquent, and his grasp of the material is masterly. This is a must-read for anyone interested in modernism, the 1920s, or just a dmaned fine book.

This was the first book I learned to read. The words are very easy and not long. Morris will keep you reading to find out what is going to happen next. I totally recommend this book for younger kids and I also recommend it to be one of the first books kids read.

Morris meets a cow and a deer and tells them that they are a moose just like him. Of course the cow insists she is a cow, and now the deer tells Morris he is a deer. Oh my! You have to keep reading to find out who wins this arguement.
This is an adorable book and one that is easy for children to read or would be enjoyable to have read to them. Cute illustrations are well.
Shirley Johnson

Squidward tricks Spongebob and Patrick that they are no longer friends because Squidward is annoyed with the bubble messages. Unfortunately, these neighbors are too naughty thayt Squidward has a plan to make them friends again!

This book was great motivation to get my 7 year old to read! She loves watching Spongebob Square Pants and remembered watching this episode on TV. The book had a very funny story and my daughter laughed a lot. I think it is a wonderful book for fans of Spongebob Square Pants, but maybe not for children who do not watch the show. I plan on purchasing more Spongebob books because they keep her so well entertained.

"The Odyssey", as with other Greek poetry, was poetry intended to be recited orally as opposed to being read. Fitzgerald's backgroung in poetry brings out the lyrical passion of the Odyssey so prized by the Greeks as no other translation has done.

The sequel to "The Iliad", it represents the last phase of what is known as Greece's Heroic Age in which human events are governed by gods, demi-gods, and heroes. The mortal heroes are endowed with godlike gifts and are mostly tragic. They interact with emissaries from the gods who aid them to their destinies and forewarn them of the fates. Tales such as Jason and the Argonauts, the labors of Hercules, Perseus, Thesseus, etc., are also of that period. The uncertainties in Fate, glory, and mortality are always the dominant themes in these tales. The setting of "The Odyssey" is c. 1200 B.C. at the close of the Bronze Age. The Greeks are actually Myceneans, a Greek-speaking group that dominated Greece prior to the Doric invasions several centuries later. The story poetically recites a time of Myceanean geopolitical expansion across the Mediterranean and its coasts and encounters with hitherto unknown civilizations after the fall of legendary Troy.

"The Odyssey" starts many years after the Trojan war where, after many ordeals, Odysseus is reciting his travels to Princess Nausica: the young heiress of a kingdom upon which Odysseus washed ashore after being shipwrecked. He recites his departure from Troy after its sacking and how, having angered Poseidon, the god of the sea, he has been condemned to wander across the Mediterranean away from his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus goes on to recite his encounters with various peoples and mythical beasts during his travels such as the lotus eaters, the sirens, the cyclopse, Scylla and Charibdis, etc. Odysseus is also held captive by powerful demi-godesses and witches such as Calypso and Circe. In Odysseus' absence, Penelope is constantly courted by unwelcome suitors who are wasting her estate. Now a young man and fed up with the suitors, Telemachus travels to mainland Greece to inquire about his father. Odysseus eventually returns to his home of Ithaca to reunite with his family and to dispose of the suitors.

There have been many disputes as to whether "The Odyssey" was really written by Homer and there's substantial evidence that it was not. Many scholars believe that a good portion of the Odyssey was written by a woman: probably a princess named Nausica whose court was in the Greek colony of Syracuse in Sicily and who cleverly inserted herself into the story. There's probably truth to that conclusion as the book is, first of all, a novel as opposed to a epic poetic recital such as "The Iliad" in which there is really no 1st person narrative. The main characters are also primarily women. The narrative seems to have a keen understanding of the female gender in terms of expectations, emotions, and behavior whereas the men are mostly faceless caricatures. This is completely inapposite to Homer's "Iliad" where the development of the male characters is rich and complex in contrast to those of women who are stereotypical representations without much depth (e.g. the women weep, moan, and are continuously reminded that their place is either in the bed or at the loom.) If one follows "The Odyssey" carefully, they will notice a distinct change in narrative style every time scenes are illustrated with nature or in various scenes involving the Gods which are very similar to the narrative style of "The Iliad." Another indication that Homer was not the main writer is that, unlike "The Iliad", the writer has no clue as to ships, navigation, or wind patterns.

Regardless of its true authorship, "The Odyssey" has been hailed as a literary jewel for the past 2900 years and there's a reason for it: it's a timeless look into the human condition as recited by a poet of immense talent. Although the characters may have lived over 3000 years ago, the epic drama has much relevance for humanity today. Fitzgerald provides a good translation that isn't weighed down like earlier ones with your "thys", "thees", "shalts", "doths", etc. Although some his word choices can be awkward such as 'wily-nily' and such, his translation is more fluid than those of many other writers and allows the reader to appreciate the meter much more without being weighed down or diluted with either archaic or overly modern English. So enjoy this masterpiece of literature in one of the best translations available to date: your money will be well spent.

Robert Fitzgerald's poetic vision brings Homer's vibrant Greek verse through into full powered English poetry. I struggled through the original Greek in high school and find other translations wimp out compared to Fitzgerald's accurate, high energy images bringing the reader the vitality of the original. This is the best-ever translation of a timeless classic: one man's longing for home, loneliness and desolation overcome by insight and perseverance. Fantastic

This book has outstanding photography of Oklahoma. As an Okie I can attest to the sites and authenticity of the photos. Amazing photography. I own this book and purchased another one as a gift for someone who is retiring. Love it, love it, love it. A must have book for your collection.

The publisher of this wonderful book, based in Portland, Oregon, has a well deserved reputation for producing quality coffee-table style books. They published two prior volumes on Oklahoma to wide acclaim and have watched as they became collectors items. However, with this book they have truly outdone themselves. This is an absolutely gorgeous testament to Oklahoma's stunning beauty and diversity and, if that's not enough, it is being released just in time to commemorate the upcoming Oklahoma Centennial celebration.
Where to begin? For starters, the book is filled front to back with spectacular full color photographs of both the cities and countryside of Oklahoma by none other than the award winning photographer David Fitzgerald. For over 40 years he has been documenting the incomparable beauty of Oklahoma in both the two previous volumes and indeed, in venues nationwide. The photo of the new state Capitol Dome is priceless and the myriad pictures of the geographical diversiaty of the state serve as both a reminder of, and source of pride in, Oklahoma's rich heritage.
Not to be outdone is the text provided by former Miss Oklahoma and Miss America (1967) Jane Jayroe. She is a former television personality and stays true to her journalistic training by providing a highly readable, entertaining and informative essay on the contents of the book. From Western Oklahoma through Central to Eastern and all places in-between the reader is taken on an almost magical trip both in pictures and text of a place I call home, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma has come a long ways from the scenes depicted in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. He would be proud.