Spencer Books

From the cover: Theodore Gentilz (1820 - 1906), a Parisian trained in the disciplined draftsmanship of French academic tradition, played a significant role in the French colonization of the wilderness beyond San Antonio. Painter, draftsman, and engineer, he was engaged in 1843 by Henri Castro, the French entrepreneur, to serve as surveyor, artist, and promotional agent for Castro's projected colony in Texas. Gentilz carried his paining gear and surveying instruments on trails from the western reaches of El Paso del Norte to the Gulf Coast and deep into Mexico. He focused his artistic vision on the indigenous cultures of the Southwest: nomadic Indians, Mexican ranchers and villagers, street scenes, Spanish missions and other historic buildings. His work illuminated events, characters, customs, urban and rural landscapes, architectural and sculptural detail, flora and fauna of early Texas.

What a provocative title! Paxton's book is not about evolutionary psychology, but the relationship between Spencer and Eliot laid the groundwork for much of what came about in the twentieth century focus on the place of biology in determining relations between man and woman, the individual and society, and the role that evolutionary theory plays in helping people to determine the paramaters. Actually, that is just what I looked for when I picked this book up. Paxton has an excellent grasp on these issues and her knowledge of Eliot and Spencer is remarkable. I could not put this book down because reading Paxton's writings is like sitting in front of her. She commands your attention by her sheer brilliance in controlling the topic.

I was happy not to find too much parroting of current literary trends and her focus on the texts of Spencer and Eliot are genuine. Some may not like her for that reason, but an honest person looking for an unbiased treatment of poor Spencer will find plenty to think about. This is the best book on the relationship between Eliot and Spencer, and the only one to treat it with the care and civility it deserves.

Detective Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend is booted out of Scotland Yard and sent to the 'provinces' where he is immediately assigned the case of a murdered policeman. Determined not to give the outsider with the reputation for being difficult any advantages, Woodend's new boss saddles him with a female Detective Sergeant determined to interpret anything he says as a sexual advance, and a staff of detectives willing to subvert the hunt for justice in order to protect the reputation of the fallen cop.

Woodend, along with Blonde bombshell Detective Sergeant Monika Paniatowski, descend into the English tourist destination of Blackpool with its barkers, tame girlie shows, lame comic routines, and close-knit carney community and find themselves cut off from effective work. If Woodend doesn't find a way to overcome Paniatowski's predjudices against all superiors, and to get effective work from the resentful local detectives, he'll fail.

Author Sally Spencer does a powerful job describing 1960s England, from its smokers, its transition from the war years and the coal/textiles-based industrial economy to a modern service economy, and the provincialism that remained in the north of England. At the same time, she has created two fully dimensioned characters in Paniatowski and Woodend. It's a joy to watch them step through initial distrust to achieve something akin to a partnership.

I could have done with a few fewer descriptions of Woodend's cigarette of choice (Capstan Full Strength), and found the first chapter a little distracting but once I got into this story, I couldn't put it down.

Highly Recommended

As an avid collector of Florida postcards, I was delighted to add this book to my collection. It was a great way to find out about postcards I still needed to locate -- always one of collector's biggest challenges! The ilustrations are good considering that most are of linens. More color would have been nice, but it would probably have increased the price a great deal. I recommend this book to Florida postcard collectors and anyone interested in Florida in earlier times.

I grew up in the 1970's as a big hockey fan. I loved the hard-nosed scrappers. None was more hard-nosed or scrappier than Brian Spencer. I knew Brian as an exciting, intense player, who had a decent career playing for a few teams.
What I did not know was the hardships he faced all through his life. His father was an overly intense man, who once knocked out a young Brian while 'teaching' him to be a better player. His father would also play a tragic part in Brian's first NHL game.
After his career, Brian's life went in a downhill slide which included a murder trial. Brian was eventually acquitted due to lack of evidence, but the ordeal took its' toll.
Eventually, Spencer's life seemed to be on the upswing, only to have tragedy intervene once again. This time, it was permanent, as Spencer was killed while being held up.
This is a great book, which examines every part of Spencer's life. This is an honest look into Spencer's life on and off the ice, which was often sad, tragic and ugly.
After Spencer's career ended, I, as a young fan, wrote a letter to Spencer's family trying to obtain a signed picture. I had no idea what was developing in his life, until the FBI called my house to determine my involvement with Spencer. I was advised to stop my attempt to communicate with him until all was resolved. After reading this book, I finally got the whole story.

Writer Alan Tennant succintly describes the striking geology of the nearly all-limestone Guadalupe Reef and the post Ice-Age remant forest that perches on its summit and in some canyon recesses. However, even more interesting, to this reader, is his account of the human history of the Guadalupe Mountains, from the collision between the Apaches and the Latin or Anglo invaders to the rather improbable concatenation of events that led to the protection of the place as a national park, in a region that tends to be hostile to public ownership of land and environmental protection.
The book only follows the story up to the first couple of years after the opening of the Park, but, other than some water-mining in the vicinity that poses an indirect threat, not much has changed since then.
Michael Allender's photographs are still the best visible representation of the Park available, even in this day of internet picture-posting. In fact, Tennant weaves the figure of the non-conformist Allender into the account in a way that adds a strong dramatic and personal value to the book, without making it over-literary in a way that might weigh on some readers.

At the beginning of WWII Louise and her husband were on Masbate Is., phillipines. Spence (her husband) was an engineer who built and now ramrodded the IXL goldmine. They got word of the Jap attack on Pearl Harbor via radio. The few Americans and Filipinos started making preparations for the upcoming invasion. I believe they endured about 2 yrs. before they were evacuated by a sub to Australia. They island hopped a little bit before settling down to a life well inland. One of Louise's friends had a baby while they were on the run. Some of their missionary friends surrendered to the Japs, who then slaughtered them. They had many close encounters with the enemy, but always able to stay alittle ahead of them. Well written and makes excellent reading. I've read it once every winter for the last several years and never get tired of it.

If you work in higher education and are thinking of planning any studies abroad, you will need this book as your guide. The book is very well planned and contains tons of information. The guide is very practical and much of the information will be new to you. A wise investment, buy it before you plan your trip(s) abroad.

When I read "Hair In the Air" aloud to my third-grade class for the first time, we were all laughing so hard I could barely read! I passed it around to some of my co-workers to read to their classes, and everyone agreed it was one of the funniest things we had ever read.