Jackson Books

The Rogue is a bird's eye veiw of growing up in the period before the depression and during the depression,on the Rogue River. It's autobiograghical story of the author's childhood and adolescencse. His father wanted to move to the Rogue River to get away from the city and had actually found an ideal estate to accommplish that task. Inquiring from the seller whom he later purchased the property from,some old gold miner,who owned the property some years, he said that he acquired it because a fortune teller in San Francisco said that there was gold in that land. A lot of interesting stories, espescially how the one room school house worked. I always wondered about that. I love the life they lived, nothing like today. The book ends about Mr. Ohrt going back to the Rogue as an adult, probably looking for what he remembers,a slower pace, a better life, closer to the land. I have to criticize the author(He is a good friend of mine) for not giving the Fortune Teller her due. Maybe there was gold in them hills

In "The Rogue I Remember," Wally Ohrt has shown that rare talent among writers for telling an historic tale in a way that usually distinguishes fiction. Because fiction is make-believe, I tired of it long ago because a certain a certain sameness ultimately prevails. After all, how many ways can a pattern of themes be respun before they repeat? Ohrt has shown the truth in the old addage, 'truth is stranger (and more interesting) than fiction.' In "The Rogue," he makes history, and especially regional history, well worth the read.

Understanding a different place and time through the reflective narrative of the author makes absorbing history delightful. Reading the book will make you want to go find the Rogue of Mr. Ohrt's childhood, but it is not to be found. We can only experience this fascinating place through the reflections of somebody fortunate enough to have lived there and sensitive enough to have preserved the memory. Thanks, Dad!

This book has changed the way I see running and has inspired me to train for a marathon. It's so incredibly helpful and motivatingThere isn't one person I haven't showed it to who hasn't wanted to start running. This includes my flatmate, her dad, her little sister, my mom, and my best friend. The enthusiastic approach, stories of inspiration, charts, and running plans for every stage of runner has turned it into something I read and use every day. It's the best.

I bought this book in March and I have been running ever since. I was an overweight asthmatic who hated to exercise but was determined to get fit. This book made it easy to start running with their 60-second-secret plan. They have you run for 60 seconds, walk for 3 minutes and repeat three times. Each week you repeat more times or run for longer stretches of time. I found it easy to get going and stay motivated. With the help of this book I have now been running for over 4 months and can run for 13 minutes, walk two minutes and repeat twice!

I love the format of "Running made easy" it's modern, exciting and filled with practical advice and information that's fun to read and mostimportantly easy to apply. This is the first book on running that I really enjoyed reading and the only book I continually refer to. The book has a wealth of information on all aspects of running. The personal stories of other runners achievements were exactly what I needed to motivate me to start running again and with this book as a handy reference I trained for and succesfully completed my first marathon. I highly recommend this book to both existing runners and those considering taking up running.

I first picked up this book in my local library when I was in high school at the tail-end of the 1980s. It totally changed my life. I knew I was a poet/writer from an early age, but reading Rupert Brooke's work really inspired me to dig deeper within myself and be a better writer. With the exception of Dylan Thomas and William Blake, Brooke was the one writer I admired above all others. I have carried this book around with me for the past13 years, and whenever I need inspiration I read his poems. Although I don't find all of them to my taste, there are some that stand out above all others, most notably "The Call", "The Voice", "Success" and "Ambarvalia" - some of these are incredible mystic poems that inspired a lot of my simliar work. I would advise anyone interested in the war era poets, or just darn good poetry, to look this one up. It's awesome.

This book changed my life. Brooke is one of the most gifted writers I have ever read, not to mention my favorite. You will be hard pressed to find anything closer to eloquent, raw emotion on paper. "Love," "Jealousy," and "Success" are particularly notable.

I happened upon the poetry of Rupert Brooke in an old old (truly ancient) used bookstore in a serene corner of Vancouver Island... something about this aged, sepia-colored, hardcover beauty of a book made me feel it had been abandoned by someone else and left there especially for me to find. The rest of the day I was on the beach with it, and each new page further convinced me that I had stumbled upon greatness. Each phrase carried a thoughtful hush along with it, and I felt that to breathe was an interruption. Time and time again I have been brought back to the poetry of Brooke, and this collection has become one of my treasures. Someone abandoned it for me to find, and yet it has become something I would run back into a burning house to retrieve.

These are brief poems about love and longing, doubts, serenity, nature and goodness, frivolity, victory and jealousy, and stirring wartime sonnets that express a noble idealism in the face of death. These latter are grouped under the author's title of "1914" and are his most well-known series, perhaps not only because of their perfection, but also because of their prophetic nature. Brooke lived a brief but eventful life (1887-1915). With the outbreak of World War I he was commissioned in England's Royal Navy, and took part in a disastrous expedition at Antwerp which ended in retreat. At the age of 27, he died from blood-poisoning on board a French hospital ship off the coast of Skyros, Greece. He was buried at night, by torchlight, in an olive grove about a mile inland. Reportedly, if you go there you will find a little wooden cross with just his name and the date of his birth and his death marked on it in black. The fifth poem (entitled The Soldier) in Brooke's sonnet sequence begins... "If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England."

Whether you are a grandparent reading this book to younger children or giving it to older children to read themselves you will be "hooked" yourself after reading the first few pages. Your heart will be warmed by the characters and the adventure will carry you from chapter to chapter. The values demonstrated as the story progresses will be the best examples children could possibly read about. I read the book cover to cover!

A story within a story, Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster is one of the most imaginative children's books to surface in a long time. Ruth Ann is more than just the protagonist--she really exists. The story was originally written over eighty years ago for Ruth Ann deValley by Frances Beebe, her mother. Years later after both had passed on, Ruth Ann's daughter, Kathy Luders, brought the forgotten story out of its cupboard drawer, dusted it off, edited and prepared it for publishing.

Perhaps the most poetic aspect of the book is that it centers on the death of Ruth Ann's dog, Dukey Daddles, and his consequential visit into "High Country" (Heaven). Frances Beebe seems to be using the story to connect with her daughter and granddaughter from her own version of High Country.

The story begins on the day before Ruth Ann's birthday, as she wanders around aimlessly, longing for Dukey Daddles' company. She stumbles across a discarded whistle in the grass. To her astonishment, it begins talking to her! Much like the infamous Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, Whistle Stick needs a bit of grease to make his joints work again, and he enlists Ruth Ann's aide in obtaining the magical salve. Thus begins the adventures of Ruth Ann as she takes on a new companion, discovers the monstrous Green Blowster hidden deep in the forest, and travels to High Country to find Dukey Daddles. The pair encounters a vast array of characters, each lending a unique hand in the search for Ruth Ann's lost dog.

The simplicity of the time period is evident in the writing, with interactions between humans kept at a minimum and a rare connection to nature permeating the pages. Perhaps this is what allows Beebe's creativity to flow freely with truly inventive characters. It is regretful that Beebe was not a published author while she lived, as she surely would have made some valuable contributions to children's literature.

Armchair Interviews says: Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster is a heart-warming story that revives the wonder of childhood.

After reading about the origins of this humble, unassuming little story, I decided to pick it up and see for myself how this personal creation straight from the heart could turn out. I've just finished with it, and I have to say that I'm downright blown away.

"Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster" combines ideas that have been done before and mixes them into a very original blend. The story concerns a young girl, Ruth Ann, whose dog, Dukey Daddles, has recently died and gone to "High Country", which is a fantasy world floating in the sky. She visits High Country herself to try to meet her dog, and along the way, makes friends with some anthropomorphic creatures while embarking on numerous adventures.

One of Ruth Ann's traveling companions is Whistle Stick, a stick broken off of a tree who had once been used as a whistle, who grumbles and complains a lot and offers humorous sarcastic observations. Her other, Lonesome Snake, is a snake who had been sent into High Country after being killed by a mule, and just wants to find a place where he can be happy. The two companions bicker back and forth with each other while Ruth Ann cheerfully bears their grumbling and sometimes tries to make peace. Along the way, they meet many other eccentric characters, such as the Singing Lantern, or St. Bernard, the leader of the Heaven for Lucky Dogs.

It's a delightfully playful romp, but it's also a rather adventurous tale with surprising undercurrents of menace. I don't wish to spoil any of the fun surprises, but there's a lot of danger and excitement in the story, handled by the heroes in creative and fun ways. Former enemies become friends, and Ruth Ann keeps her head up even when dealing with Enemy Birds who wish to stone her, the cruel army of Pinheads who want to burn the Singing Lantern, and other hazards. All this while realizing she's working under a time limit, and if she should fail, she would be stuck in High Country forever! At the end, all of the loose ends are neatly dealt with and no previous element of the story is forgotten, making the finale very satisfying.

The book is a real page-turner. As I read it late at night each day, I couldn't wait to return to it the next, until I had finished it. I can say that about very few books, and I must say, even if the co-author, Kathy Luders, was afraid this story might be too personal for the public to relate to, I think it's amazing. The sheer personality of the whole story is precisely what makes it so much fun.

Definitely give this book a try.

One of the most outstanding book projects in our time is The Saint John's Bible. The background of how this book came into being and the detailed research that went into the creation of this Bible is fascinating. The text is only superceded by the illustrations.
Should you have an opportunity to see the traveling exhibit of this remarkable book, do so.
The bible is broken into several books. These are scaled down models of the original -- although they are still larger than most books that enable the reader to enjoy the wonderful illustrations and careful handwritten original Bible.
The books have been issued over a course of time and can be purchased individually.

Exquisitely handwritten and illuminated by Donald Jackson, Pentateuch: The Saint John's Bible is as much a work of art as it is a religious text. Commissioned by Saint John's Abbey and University as an expression of the Benedictine monks' daily focus on scripture and devotion to books, art, and religious high culture, Pentateuch presents sacred text in flowing English calligraphy, Hebrew book headings, and colorful marks studding the passages. The care put into each line is breathtaking. In oversized hardcover format, Pentateuch uses the sheer scope of its page to display the columns of perfectly penned scripture in vivid detail.

The book is beautiful. I purchased two books. One had a torn cover. When I informed the seller, the book was immediately replaced free of charge. I appreciate the good customer service as well as the beautiful book.

The books of the St. John's Bible are spectacular. The imagery is gorgeous, the colors are fantastic and the lettering is impeccable. I've even gone through the book just looking at the versals (drawn and painted letters at the beginnings of verses) because they are so varied. I might suggest that you purchase Illuminating the Word because it explains so much about the process. I plan to buy all the books of this series.

Beautiful! Gorgeous to hold and read and reflect on.
Arguably the most beautiful book published in the past 50 years.

Scribe to the Crown Office of British royalty, Jackson has undertaken a long-term project of illuminating and transcribing the Saint John's Bible held at the Benedictine Saint John's Abbey in Minnesota as medieval monastics illuminated Bibles centuries ago. The monks of the Abbey wanted a project that would bespeak their own regimen focusing in scripture, books, and religious art while at the same time be contemporary, interreligious, multicultural, and prophetic. This Wisdom Books counting Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Wisdom of Solomon, and Sirach is part of this singular project of 1,150 pages over seven volumes. The other volumes are Pantateuch, Historical Books, Psalms, Prophets, Gospels and Acts, and Letters and Revelation.

Besides being large in size, Jackson's volumes stay true to the making of the original illuminated manuscripts in both materials used and craftsmanship. Natural materials such as egg shells and calf skins were used for hand-ground inks. The manuscripts were entirely handmade by teams of craftspersons with various skills such as calligraphy, making parchment, and binding pages. This Wisdom Books goes so far in imitating medieval manuscripts as to also have some illustrations of small animals in the margins; in this case, a butterfly and bumblebee. One of the common examples of this touch in medieval manuscripts is an illustration of a cat; imagined to be whimsically put in by a monk in a moment of boredom with his task. Collaborators on this work include artists, designers, and specialists in Hebrew and Greek script (all listed on the copyright page).

Despite its inspiration in the medieval manuscripts which are treasures of Western civilization and reference to them as artistic models, the Wisdom Books is modern to be sure. The style of the illustrations manifests this, as does the script and footnote-like entries on many pages. And of course, this and other Saint John's Bible volumes have been multiplied beyond their original hand-crafted copy by modern-day publishing production technology.

In the volume, the original hand-drawn script, whatever size it was, is about twelve point type, much smaller than the size in medieval texts. The script displays the constrained ornate touches of medieval script, though it has the polish of many computer-generated scripts for easy legibility and comprehension. The smaller size of the script means much more text per page than in a medieval manuscript even with the folio-size pages. The illustrations--i. e., the illuminations--too manifest modern influences; most notably influences of collage, expressionism, and graphics. A couple are almost psychedelic in meaning to portray the dazzle and glory of spirituality. A couple have perspective missing from medieval illustrations (perspective having come into art not until about the time of the Renaissance). The planned volume on the making of the Bible will give more background on the making of the text and artistic choices and intentions of the art work.

An in-depth study of real life -- will keep you spellbound from cover to cover.

I loved this book. It tells a story that will appeal to a lot of different people. One moves from the world of automobile manufacture, a candy-making chef of old Detroit, a young girl trying to make it in Hollywood, the dark underworld of the Mafia -- illustrated with photographs that hint at the reality behind this story. -- Therese

I loved this book! A great read with unexpected twists and turns. It's filled with heartwarming relationships, romance, unexpected predicaments, and sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat adventure!

This is a wonderfully silly story -- silly enough to be entertaining to children -- but also insightful enough to remind adults of just how silly we often are.

[....] It's clear that we need to provide our kids - especially boys - with tools to counter the violence and knee-jerk aggression ubiquitous in popular culture. These children's stories by Idries Shah are just this kind of tool. They're not preachy. They don't offer simplistic lessons or moral platitudes. They're more like exercises for "mental muscle groups" grossly underdeveloped in this culture: A strong sense of one's own value. Empathy. Flexibility in thinking and responding. Appreciating that not everyone is the same, not every outcome is predictable. Seeing that there are more than two sides to a situation. A sense that patience and perseverance can pay off, sometimes in unexpected ways. Not demanding easy answers. A sense that things are not always as they seem, that the viewpoint of "experts" - or even the whole community - is not always right. The experience of seeing something that even adults don't see, of creating clever solutions. The sense that taking positive action is possible and rewarding-even when one has to buck the tide. That help can come from where and when we least expect it. The sense that life has interesting "loose ends" for us to reflect on. And so much more. At least one of these books should be on every child's book shelf.

I've seen some of Jeff Jackson's fantastic animation work, and I'm thrilled to see that his illustration work is just as great! This book is a must-buy!

I gave this to my 9 year old niece, who likes to draw. I had a book very like this one (probably an earlier printing) when I was small. She loves it! She particularly likes the way it helps her to draw the "difficult" things--proportions, perspective, etc. She has already gotten a lot of use from the book and I am glad I gave it to her. It's not a bit outdated it seems, although it was originally published 50 years ago.

We purchased this book for our 7-year old daughter. The book is written and illustrated where she can read it herself and learn as she goes. She was able to improve on her drawing of an apple withing 5 minutes of using this book. It has great drawing techniques that a young child can easily pick up and learn themselves or with the help of a parent or older sibling.

I purchased this book for my daughter who is twelve years old. She has always had interests in art, and drawing in particular. This book clearly demonstrates techniques that will allow her to develop her existing skills as well as add new ones. I wish that it was one of a series of books rather than a single publication. She loves it.

It's the 1947, in a small town in Alabama and Sonny's dad has just walked out on them. "You don't know my daddy," the book begins, and Sonny tells the reader of the day his life changed. He knows there has to be something more to the split up than he has been told, and it puzzles him. A few years go by, and the reader sees small town Southern life through Sonny's eyes as he tries to handle his own life without a father, as well as every day living with his sometimes funny, sometimes difficult family. Sonny deals with heartbreak, pain, and love, familial and otherwise, and at last finds peace within himself regarding his father.

Sadly, this brief synopsis does nothing for the book. Telling a skeleton outline of the plot with no spoilers and none of Lyon's amazing writing is so unjust! This is an amazing book, with prose that sometimes verges on poetry. Lyon had me laughing out loud with Sonny's predicaments on one page, near tears on another, and spellbound from the sheer beauty of her language so often. She captures the feel of the South so well and so subtly that there are bound to be references that will pass by those uninitiated to Southern culture.

I couldn't NOT share a few lines that caught me especially:

"It was a sleepy kind of morning, the air like bathwater."

"Like some reversable cloth, Mama's laughter flipped over into sobs."

"We just stood by the shiny gray coffin with its handles like fancy toilet-paper holders and said "Yes" and "No" and "Thank you" and breathed whatever breaths came by: mint, onion, tobacco, whiskey, and bad."

"All the windows had been propped open, but it was one of those afternoons when the air lay on top of you like a big cat, and no waving of cardboard Jesus-at-the-door fans could make it get up and move."



My main regret is that I fear the intended audience will not be interested in the subject and that some of the emotional dimilemas may really be too mature for grades 5-8. It would be more appropriate, I think, for older YA readers. I would suggest that a parent of younger readers read it first (I give it a full recommendation for all adult readers) and then decide when/if it's appropriate for their child at that age.

Another quibble is that the dust jacket blurb is not very appealing; I only chose to read it because it took place in the South. I really can't see a child picking this up and saying, "oh, this sounds just what I've been wanting to read". It will most likely take an adult pushing it on them to get a child to read it. A new, more interesting cover would be advised.

But, as far as the book goes. . . It's a five star read for older YAs and adults. Masterful writing all the way through; I will be looking up her other novels right away.

This book is a good read, exclamation point. No matter who you are, you will stay awake at night to finish it, and then be mad at yourself the next night, for being so greedy. It engages huge issues, but they are located in human hearts, in a neighborhood like the ones we all live in, no matter if they be rural or urban, penthouse or tenement. The characters -- both male and female -- are brave and honest and trying their very best to live in a complicated world. In this book, people hurt people and people help people, but there are no "bad guys" -- there are just human beings, painted in words by a master story-teller and poet, George Ella Lyon.

Red Alert! All middle school librarians take note. My grandson, who thinks reading chapter books is a bit like eating ground glass, could not put this book down. That is after I bribed him to read the first two chapters!

There are people in this book, Loretta, especially, who will make you cry and laugh out loud. Warning, adults and kids both, you will have a hard time putting it down. So you will read it as fast as you can and then, like me, wish you had read it more slowly so you could stretch the enjoyment. It is a winner!