Lewis Books

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.

After all the debate between street lit and literary fiction (as though Chester Himes had never existed) there is finally a book that expands the horizons of post-millennium Black writing. Not content to merely represent, Bronx Biannual pushes the limits, tittering on the cutting edge of wildness. Editor Miles Marshall Lewis recruited some great writers like Adam Mansbach and Donnell Alexander for this first issue. From the afrofuturism of Greg Tate to the bugged-out '80s funk of "Sweet Thing Superhero" (which reads like a collabo between Public Enemy and Ru Paul), editor Miles Marshall Lewis has flipped the black book script. Can't wait for number two...

This first issue of Bronx Biannual features an array of writers -- talented music journalists like Michael Gonzales, veteran fiction writers like Adam Mansbach and one of hip-hop's finest, KRS-One. My favorite piece is "Nothing Can Remain Unchanged," a short story by emerging fiction writer Dana Crum. The descriptions in the story put me right there, and the psychological portrayals of the different characters made me care about them and their struggles. Though the story thoroughly depicts the inner city, it also deals with those universal themes (friendship, abandonment, change) that unite us all. As for the first issue as a whole, my only complaint is that there was so little poetry. Given the poetic nature of the best hip-hop lyrics, there should be a fair amount of poetry in any hip-hop literary journal. Hopefully, we'll get more poetry in the next issue. All in all, this first issue is a strong start. And what better title for a hip-hop lit journal than "Bronx Biannual." The Bronx gave birth to hip-hop music. The music has spread all over the world, but it all started in the Boogie Down...

Warren Lewis, a devoted and understanding brother, has penned a journal which reveils his nature, his brother, and the situations surrounding them very well. A joy for anyone who has ever been inspired by Lewis, and a collection of writings by a man the world should know more about.

This is the best diary I have ever read. The editors have done a superb job of pruning it down to a manageable reading size while still preserving the essential commentary. My appreciation for the outdoors was greatly enhanced by reading this book. Warren Lewis knew how to paint scenes and tell stories with flair. Recommended reading.

This is probably the original source for information of pirates. It contains such a vast compendium of information that it is difficult to select anyone in particular. The cruel reality of pirates is sometimes terrifying; however, in the context of their times this may not have been so shocking. Each reader will take away what they find most interesting. I find that the interaction between the pirates and the indigenous people of these island most intriguing.

This is a book about buccaneering written by one of the participants. Esquemeling was a Dutch physian who went to the Caribbean during the heyday of the Spanish Main. He was the surgeon to Henry Morgan's expedition against Panama City.

Like many educated men of his time, he tried to be a scientific observer of the New World. As a result, you'll see descriptions of flora and fauna of the Americas mixed in with anecdotes about the famous and near famous of the period. The phraseology can be stilted in places, but that is how people spoke at the time.

Is it worth reading? I certainly think so! It's valuable in the same way that Bernal Diaz's account of the conquest of Mexico is valuable, it gives a flavor for how the participants saw themselves. So, if you want real, this is it.

Walker is the rare poet (like Ron Rash or Mary Oliver) who can be overwhelming without being intimidating. The latest collection is wonderful. Each individual poem is a jewel, but the collection as a whole reads like a wonderful novel, and I stayed awake late into the night, reading and savoring each poem because I could not put in down. In York, Walker creates a vision that is honest about both the world he lived in and the one his readers find ourselves inhabiting, with all theglorious and saddening connections between the two. Thanks, Frank.

I have read many of these poems along with many other of Mr. Walkers and I am amazed with his voice and vision that he puts into words. I was also privileged to be in a creative writing session that he taught. Not only is he a gifted writer, but an excellent teacher as well.
Read this book, read Affrilacha, and look for his new collection coming in October 2004.

A great read !!!!! Couldnt put the book down.It is as good if not better than the first Buffalo Gordon book. When is the movie coming out????

Bravo! I did not want this book to end!
I laughed out loud and at times was so deeply moved, I cried.

While I loved the romance between Nate and Cara, I found the descriptive encounters between Nate and the Plains Indians especially interesting and rousing - I felt as though I was sitting among them in the tipi. Rich in historical detail, this story is engaging and thought provoking.

The author has certainly left this reader anxiously awaiting the next installment of this powerful saga.
Cheers to J. P. Lewis!

It was easy to purchase and came quickly. I am very satisfied with the book!

Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Building A Knowledge Base In Reading is knowledgeably compiled and effectively co-authored by Jane Braunger (Senior Research Associate at the Strategic Literacy Initiative/WestEd in Oakland, CA) and Jan Patricia Lewis (the School of Education at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA). This completely "user-friendly" exploration is a highly researched study of children's comprehension and understanding of the curriculum and general education they receive. Introducing the reader to the implications granted to all students at every level, teacher resources for the translation of particulars into the classroom practice and summaries of the research presented in each chapter to help with putting together the ideas, Building A Knowledge Base In Reading acts a not only an outstanding guide and curriculum development resource, but a truly indispensable companion recommended to all novice classroom teachers struggling with addressing their students literacy needs and how best to approach the teaching process with respect to reading instruction.

"A Burst of Firsts" is wonderfully written and illustrated in a larger than life scale which fits hand in glove with the inspiration that flows from every colorful and witty page. All the main characters, the doers, shakers and brakers are fully cranked and in real life had to be. These folks exceeded the epectations of others and themselves. Susan Montgomery Williams is clearly surprised and awed at what she can do, which underlies the theme of the book, which Susan whimsicly floats through. Brian Ajhar's pictures are hilarious and brilliantly done. I loved the first men on the moon "kangas". I was in outback Australia in 1969 when moon walking happened. With a group of miners in a picture theater we witnessed the astronauts hoping across the moon. Out of the dark came the comment which bought the house down, "They are like a coupla bloody kangas" (outback for kangaroo)

This is a great book because I think it can encourage kids by thinking bigger than the ordinary.

What a wonderful book! The brillant illustrations fill the pages with humor! And color! And action! The poetry fills a child's mind with thoughtful imagery. But the illustrations and poetry put together are enough to spark a child's creative side into full throttle!

A Burst of Firsts brings to life in child-size quantities the feats of "the biggest", "the best", "the first". The children I have read it to wanted to know what feats they could preform to be "the first" as soon as I had put the book down. We giggled together thinking of all the possibilities! They laughed at the pictures of the fat cow blowing a bubble and of the Dino breaking the sound barrier!

All the way down to the silo on the front cover, the illustrations are big and beautiful. The poems are thoughtful and playful!

A marvelous book that children will pick up over and over again!

I LOVE Joe Landsdale. I came across this book by accident about 10 years ago. Now that I know that it has been out of print for some time, I feel almost like one of the chosen ones. I feel lucky. I certainly recommend it to the fan of macabre short stories, if you can get it (ha, ha, na, na). Good luck.

Joe Lansdale is truly a rare and gifted talent. I consider myself to be quite hip with quality horror/dark fantasy fiction, yet I only heard of Lansdale relatively recently following the hooplah surrounding the adaptation of his short story 'Bubba Hotep' (not in this book) into a low-budget film by the director of the 'Phantasm' series. My curiosity led me to his novella 'On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks'(included in this book), which is jaw-droppingly brilliant - inventive, surreal, grotesque, savagely violent and outrageously funny. Actually that's probably a good a description as any of Lansdale's signature style.
Don't be turned off by the more extreme nature of many of his stories, though. While his material does tend to skew towards the grotesque, Lansdale is a writer very much to be taken seriously. He is capable of great subtlety and tone when he chooses to be. His prose manages to be economical, but extremely evocative. Some of the short tales in this collection are VERY short, yet they are all striking, highly enjoyable, and more than a few of them are truly unforgettable.
As best of an excellent bunch, subjective as that is, I'd nominate 'On the Far Side', 'Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back', 'The Pit' and the truly confronting 'Night they Missed The Horror Show'. The last one will make you squirm, I kid you not!
This collection is worth owning because there are tales not featured here in some of his other compilations. The more recent 'High Cotton' has about 7 of the 16 featured herein. Yes, it IS annoying. Maybe in the not-too-distant future there'll be a truly comprehensive collection. That will be a momentous day indeed, my friends.
Don't um or ah about any Lansdale collection. Snap it up! You will NOT be disappointed.

Great Biography of a Great teacher and Philosopher in the great tradition of American Pragmatism. Points out the difficulties in the Material Implication that has bummed out students of Logic for years. Probably the best teacher of Modal Logic as well. The Biographer does a good job showing Lewis' place in American Philosophy.

The entire 2006 winter number of the journal TRANSACTIONS OF THE C. S. PEIRCE SOCIETY was devoted to a "Symposium" about this important book. A dozen or so philosophers, historians, and logicians - chosen by the editor Peter Hare for their knowledge of Lewis's work - wrote critical essays on different aspects of the book. Each essay is followed by a reply by the author. The first essay "C. I. Lewis: History and Philosophy of Logic" (pages 1 to 9) was written by John Corcoran, a historian and philosopher of logic known for his sympathetic interpretation of Lewis's logical writings. The following are excerpts from Corcoran's essay. 1. "The welcome and long-awaited publication of Murray Murphey's masterful intellectual biography C. I. LEWIS: THE LAST GREAT PRAGMATIST (Albany: SUNY Press, 2005) is occasion to reexamine Lewis's contribution to this field. Thankfully, Murphey saw fit to include ample discussion of the logical aspect of Lewis's wide-ranging thought - which in its full scope goes far beyond history and philosophy of logic. As Murphey indicates, logic was a small part of the Lewis legacy. He is regarded as a towering figure by many who have little or no appreciation of his great achievements in history and philosophy of logic." 2. "C. I. Lewis (1883-1964) was the first major figure in history and philosophy of logic - a field that has come to be recognized as a separate specialty after years of work by Ivor Grattan-Guinness and others. Lewis was among the earliest to accept the challenges offered by this field; he was the first who had the philosophical and mathematical talent, the philosophical, logical, and historical background, and the patience and dedication to objectivity needed to excel." 3. "Lewis's judgment that Boole was the founder of mathematical logic, the person whose work began the continuous development of the subject, stands as a massive obstacle to revisionists whose philosophical or nationalistic commitments render this fact inconvenient. Lewis's articles and books form an essential part not only of history and philosophy of logic, but of logic itself. His criticism of lapses in rigor in PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA served to notify generations of logicians that proof was not to be identified with formalistic manipulation of esoteric formulas."