Lewis Books

Everyone who has ever used a library should get this book - not just librarians. Even the back cover is funny. People will say "he's just a kid" (I'm 16) and "what would he know"? But I'm telling you - I KNOW what's funny, and this book IS too, too hilarious.

I never know that forwards and introductions could be like the ones in this book. My librarian never told me that even title pages could be used for more than just breaking up sections.

If you're looking for something really boring, you should NOT buy this book.

This book won't suit everyone - you need a sense of humor, and at least a little knowledge about libraries to fully appreciate the dry wit.

Love the great cartoons, too!

William L. Sublette was one of the most important of the Mountain Men during the ten-year period 1823-1833. He was present at many of the most memorable events in the Far West during that time period and had associations with a number of the leading figures in western exploration and the trans-Missouri fur trade. Born in Kentucky, he was a member of Ashley's second expedition up the Missouri and participated in the ill-fated Arikara War that took place in June 1823 at the Arikara villages in northern South Dakota. Later that year he accompanied Jedediah Smith and Thomas Fitzpatrick to the Wind River, and then trapped along the Green before going with Smith to the Snake country. In 1826, on the Bear River, Ashley sold out his interest in the fur trade to Sublette, Jackson, and Smith. In the fall Sublette trapped the Yellowstone country (Yellowstone Lake was then known as Sublette Lake), before wintering in Cache Valley.

On January 1, 1827, he and Black Harris set off for the States on snowshoes, reaching Lexington, MO, by early March after a difficult journey. For the next few years Sublette took provisions from Missouri to the mountain rendezvous, only to return in the winter with that year's furs. In 1830, he used ten wagons, the first wagons to go through South Pass. Smith, Jackson, & Sublette sold out to the Rocky Mountain Fur Company that same year, and in 1831 he set out with Smith to Santa Fe from St. Louis with trade goods; it was on this trip that the fabled Smith was killed by Cheyennes.

He returned to St. Louis and got together another outfit for the Rockies and was at the Pierre's Hole rendezvous in 1832, where he was wounded during the Battle of Pierre's Hole by Gros Ventres Indians. He returned to the mountains again the following year, reaching the Yellowstone, but was so ill he returned to St. Louis by November. He sold his fur business to the American Fur Company, and then with Robert Campbell in 1834 established Fort William on the Laramie River (later Fort Laramie). The next year Fort William was sold and Sublette retired from the fur trade. He set up a mercantile business in St. Louis and became interested in local politics. He went back to the mountains one last time, in 1843, when he accompanied William Drummond Stewart, a wealthy Scotsman, on a "tour" of the Rockies. He died in Pittsburgh in 1845 of consumption and was buried in St. Louis.

Dale Morgan once wrote that Sublette "was probably the most consistently fortunate man ever to enter the Western fur trade," and other than being wounded at Pierre's Hole in 1832, it appears to be true. He was one of the few mountain men who retired comfortably on the money he made in the fur trade. John Sunder's biography is magnificent and captures the man, his accomplishments, and his times, especially in the mountains, perfectly. It's among the best of the mountain man biographies available, and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in the subject.

Since I enjoy reading about the fur trade era, and since I live in Wyoming with a county named after Sublette, I decided to read the biography of this noteworthy man to gain a better understanding as to what part he played in the early American West. John Sunder has done a wonderful job of research and writing in this book. It was a pleasure to read. William Sublette was a man of remarkable stature, being so instrumental in all aspects of the fur trade from the early 1820's to the mid 1830's. After reading one adventure after another during these mountain years in Wyoming, the author then takes us past these formative years to when Sublette was later a prominent farmer, businessman and political affiliate in the St. Louis area. I can see why Wyoming named a county after him.

There is so little available on the subject of black artists in America. This was written in 1971 and includes many of the major artists from then and before including such greats as Fred R. Wilson , Elizabeth Catlett,Noah Purifoy, Jacob Lawrence, Reggie Gammon, John Riddle, Ruth Waddy and many others. The interesting information and photos of both the artist and their work is very helpful in doing research on this subject. Thank you for making this book available. I wish there were many more of this quality which were more contemporary.It is very difficult to find this book in bookstores around the country and it is very important that it is available to collectors and schalars.

There is so little available on the subject of black artists in America. This was written in 1971 and includes many of the major artists from then and before including such greats as Fred R. Wilson , Elizabeth Catlett,Noah Purifoy, Jacob Lawrence, Reggie Gammon, John Riddle, Ruth Waddy and many others. The interesting information and photos of both the artist and their work is very helpful in doing research on this subject. Thank you for making this book available. I wish there were many more of this quality which were more contemporary.It is very difficult to find this book in bookstores around the country and it is very important that it is available to collectors and schalars.

I bought this book for my kids and before they had a chance to open it, I became mesmerized by the beautiful illustration and enchanting story. The CD was shockingly professional with different actors playing each part.... I say this because I have listened to so many shockingly bad books on tape (any parent who has been tortured by this tapes will understand). I wasn't sure how my boys would like the book since it has no swords, knights or dragons... they did however, really enjoy the book. We have read it many, many times and it is currently in our top reading list (With Chimp and Zee and Captain Underpants.)

Black Bear, Loon & Walleye: A Fable from the Northwoods is a children's picturebook with an accompanying audio CD featuring a dramatic reading and guitar music. Black Bear, Loon & Walleye tells the story of three friends - one furry, one feathered, one sporting fish scales - and each wishes for the gifts of another. Black Bear longs for shiny scales to look flashy and impress his friends; Loon wants to sport and enviable fur coat; and Walleye wants to fly. But when their wishes mysteriously come true, each realizes a disadvantage: Bear's scales can't keep him warm, Loon can't fly with fur weighing her down, and Walleye has bad eyesight and is no good at flying even with feathers. "The friends learned a valuable lesson that day. Trying new things is important, because you might find something that you really enjoy. But if it doesn't work out, you still get to know yourself better. From that day on, the three friends agreed to always appreciate each other's gifts, but most of all to value their own." A charming story, whimsically illustrated by cartoonist and magazine art professional P.A. Lewis, recommended for sharing with young people.

This is a one of the best fact books about the German SS.
The author did a huge research going through personnel records of SS officers in Berlin document center back in the sixties.
A very useful reference matter with interesting structure diagrams, maps and notes is included in this original first edition.
The book is a fantastic reference for people like me with a genuine interest in the terms and structure about the different branches of the complex organization SS.

If you're looking for a general informative and illustrated easy to read book about the German SS, this is not the one.

This book is a great portrail of the hierarchy of the Nazi's dreaded SS. The author goes far beyond the concentration camp guards and explains the feeble begining as a SA battalion into one of the greatest fighting and guard units inside of Hitler's Geermany. This book shows how Himmler came into the the lime life of Germany and how his forces were what helped keep Hitler in power. The author does not portray the SS as a evil force but, instead he shows that these men were men and not monsters that were only doing what they were told to do by both Hitler and Himmler. As the SS grew out of the SA, and later totally replaced the SA, it came to control the police and a large piece of the German Wehrmacht. Thus giving Himmler unbelievable powers to do what he felt was for the good of Nazi controlled Germany. If you are looking for a book filled with pictures you will not enjoy this book because it is mostly a fact filled book that explains everything about the extremely complicated Nazi SS.

Rayvon Fouche's Black Inventors In The Age Of Segregation: Granville T. Woods, Lewis H. Latimer, And Shelby J. Davidson refutes the common notion that inventors were lone geniuses who worked in relative isolation in the late 19th-early 20th century world. Most indeed developed their ideas within industrial organizations that supported their experiments: for blacks, this meant real challenges in working on innovative designs while breaking social barriers. Fouche here uses the lives and works of Granville Woods, Lewis Latimer and Shelby Davidson to detail the social frustrations underlying their research.

Professor Fouche has written a fabulous book! Black Inventors in the Age of Segregation is clearly the most thoroughly researched book on black inventors to date. He provides a detailed account of how difficult it was for black inventors to succeed in a segregated society. His book describes the experiences of three black inventors and explains their importance to African American people in the twentieth century. This is a must read for anyone wanting to know more about black inventors, their inventions, and their lives, as well as those interested in African American history and the history of invention.

I am usually not a big fan of memoirs, preferring biographies instead, but a friend's suggestion led me to "Bloodsisters" and I'm the richer for it. It is the story of a young girl snatched from the loving care of a foster mother by a clueless family court judge and returned to her biological family-and her abusive father. At the heart of the story is the deep bond that develops between Annie and Kate, Annie's strong-willed, tough, fearless sister who protects Annie from the advances of their father. It's written beautifully, lyrically, but Travalini pulls no punches in getting the reader into the head of a child abuser. There are some brutally honest moments as Travilini forces the reader to look at the reality of child abuse full on. But there is humor too, and tenderness and empathy.

Travalini makes some unique decisions in the composition of her memoir. Instead of writing in the voice of an adult looking back, Travalini writes in the voice of Annie as a 10 year old. The consistency of the voice in describing Annie's innocent view of the world, fractured by the reality of her father's monstrousness is what gives the narrative its power. Also, Travalini doesn't fall into false sentimentality or bathos. She eschews the temptation to grind an axe by presenting a balanced view of her father as a person who does demonstrate a humaneness and decency at times but who is prevented by his demons from revealing his better side. In the end it is a true and moving story of love, forgiveness, and redemption. I recommend it highly.

In her non-fiction tale of a childhood horribly gone wrong, Billie Travalini creates memorable characters and paints unforgettable pictures that will delight and haunt readers for a long time to come. Travalini depicts Annie and Kate, the "Bloodsisters" of the title, bonding together to try to escape the violence and sexual advances of their father. In the beginning of the story, we see Annie leaving the loving home of a foster mother, "Mama Cope," to return to her biological parents, who had rejected her at a very young age. From the first scene, we see life through Annie's eyes as she rides in the front seat of a garbage truck with a driver who has a glass eye, stroking her beloved cat "Sissy Jupe," and pushing as close to the door as possible, wishing to escape from a frightening future.

Through her use of detail, Travalini puts readers in the truck with Annie, and through her eyes we see her June Cleaver type of mother and especially her father-a Bible-believer who always lies. We also get to know Annie's sisters, Rose, a whiner interested only in appearances, and Kate, the spunky tomboy, who shows Annie how to survive a frightening world by using her imagination. Together Annie and Kate explore the neighborhood stores and the woods nearby, playing tricks on unsuspecting adults and inventing their own language.

Travalini's story has the ring of truth, and she holds us in suspense up to the very end. Will Annie survive the menace of her predatory father? And what will happen to Kate and the rest of the family? Readers will turn pages eagerly to discover the answers.

Once again Suzanne Lewis has provided us with an explosion of color for each month of the year. I always hang my calendar where I can see it throughout the day because it literally makes me happy to look at these splendid bouquets. They are each so special and so intense that you can almost smell the flowers. Mmmmm. Bravo.

Once again Suzanne Lewis has provided us with an explosion of color for each month of the year. I always hang my calendar where I can see it throughout the day because it literally makes me happy to look at these splendid bouquets. They are each so special and so intense that you can almost smell the flowers. Mmmmm. Bravo.

Suzanne Lewis captures the colors of spring rains, summer heat, and the crisp edge of autumn in her Bouquets calendar. Each month I am inspired to seek out the blooms in my own neighborhood, looking in neighbors' yards, out in the wild fields of Cambria, hoping to find the flowers that glow from this calendar.

Bouquets is my favorite calendar. The colors are rich and vibrant and the arrangements are perfect. Every month I feel sad to be leaving the current bouquet only to be delighted by the next one which is just as beautiful. Looking at the flowers always makes me feel good.
Suzanne Lewis is a gifted artist who uses her camera like Monet or Van Gogh used his paintbrush.
Don't miss out!
Caroline Forell

I sat down with a tall cold one and The Bride of Trash and got so caught up in the wacky, weird, wild and seriously, seriously sick imagination of Mike Segretto and when I came up for air my beer was warm and I was halfway through the book.

Few writers take the kinds of risks he takes, and almost no one pulls it off with such punk elan.

Thumbs up!

I am a big fan of Mike Segretto. His books are outlandish, crazy, funny and vile (in that order). this one is a love story between a crazy old junk shop owner and a reanimated headless corpse he finds in the garbage. It's no accident that the book carries a thumbs up from Hewschell Gordon Lewis, because it is the literary equivilent of one of his peak era movies - gloriously violent, surreal and hilarious. Mike writes in a genre of one, with no consideration for literary trends and I for one salute him. I'm holding out for a sequel.