Stewart Books

I was given this book as a gift, from my Occupational Therapist the day I was discharged from the hospital as a kind of "Pick-Me-Up" book.. It has been that to me and more. There are a lot of uplifting short sayings and a lot of truths. I want to thank the Therapist who gave it to me, so Diahann, THANKS!

Charles Ritchie's An Appetite for Life is a treat. The book is in diary form from 1924-27, beginning in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The book is an honest, refreshing story of a young man's torments and appeals. The second part of the book is when the author himself goes to Oxford, England.

The book is fascinating. Mr. Ritchie paints a picture that the discerning reader will appreciate. Here is an excerpt of his log for May 29, 1924 where he is reflecting a conversation with Tony, a gentleman from England:

"He is much more experienced that I am. Of course he is four years older. He has seen a lot more of the world. Some of the things that he told me about sexual practices between men and women and also between men and men were a complete revelation to me. I never could have imagined them."

I highly recommend this wonderful book.

Detective Inspector John Appleby loses his heart to Judith Raven in "Appleby's End" (1945) after floating down an icy river on top of a carriage with her, then spending part of the night burrowed together in a haystack. She beguiles him with gothic tales that were written by her Victorian great-uncle, Ranulph--tales that are now seemingly coming true. Marble cows and pigs are being substituted for unsuspecting livestock. Her brother Luke received a personalized tombstone in the mail, with his date of death carved on it. Spot, the horse is found hitched up to the carriage, facing backward. These all seem like minor pranks. Then Judith and John stumble across a dead body buried neck-deep in the snow on their way home from the haystack.

Judith, herself a sculptor lives in Long Dream Manor, along with a parcel of eccentric relatives and retainers. This is certainly the perfect set of in-laws for Detective Inspector Appleby, who is sometimes referred to by his colleagues as 'that wayward Appleby.' In fact at one point in this mystery, we find him wistfully thinking, "Would it not be pleasant to retire from the elucidating of crime and give oneself to the creating of unashamed fantasies--in which champion milkers might turn to marble at one's whim..."

This is the first of the Appleby mysteries in which the reader is introduced to the Ur-folk. It never fails to astonish me how much information a good author can pack into the monosyllabic expression, 'Ur.' This conversational art reaches its zenith in "Night of Errors" (1948) which is inhabited by a butler by the name of Swindle, whose utterances consist mainly of the croaked "Urrr" sound and displeasing snuffles through his nose.

I have to read the Innes novels at least twice before I really understand the plot and the subtleties of conversation, but his mysteries are certainly worth rereading. If you are a fan of the British Golden Age of Mystery, I can almost guarantee that Michael Innes (J.I.M. Stewart) will insinuate himself somewhere near the top of your list of favorite authors.

The cover on my edition of "Appleby's Other Story (1974)" is adorned with a badger dressed in a diamond choker, and a plastic peacock. A peacock, badgers, and diamonds are indeed featured in this British manor house mystery, along with Sir John Appleby, now retired from his high position at New Scotland Yard.

As this elegant story begins, an antediluvian Chief Constable, Colonel Pride (late of His British Majesty's Indian Army) is driving Sir John over to meet his neighbors at Elvedon Court. Sir John was New Scotland Yard's acknowledged authority on art-robberies, and the manor's owner has suffered a recent theft:

"'Grove nods at grove' -- Sir John Appleby quoted -- 'each alley has a brother--'

"What's that, my dear fellow?" Colonel Pride, who had drawn up his car on the Palladian bridge for a preliminary view of Elvedon Court, glanced at his companion with every appearance of perplexity.

"'And half the platform just reflects the other.'

"Ah, a bit of poetry." Pride nodded. He was seemingly gratified at having got, as he would have expressed it, right on the ball. "And I see what the chap means. All a bit formal, I agree. What another of those long-haired characters calls fearful symmetry."

The layout of Elvedon Court plays an important role in the ensuing mystery, so it behooves you to pay attention when the author is discussing its architecture.

No sooner do Colonel Pride and Sir John pull up next to the stately flight of steps leading to the manor's entrance, than they spot a police van.

Someone has murdered their host, Maurice Tytherton.

Almost everyone at Elvedon Court is a suspect, including a shifty butler and his wife, a known art thief, the late owner's mistress and her husband, a sniveling nephew with financial problems, and a prying guest who may remind you of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Sir John insinuates himself amongst the guests and relatives of the deceased and has a splendid time smashing alibis and detecting motives. There are lots of red herrings to chase after--for instance a vicar who lurks about the distinguished grounds with a pair of binoculars--but when Sir John finally rounds up all of the suspects into the deceased's study for the grand denouement, you may be sure he will finger the actual murderer. After all, "Appleby's Other Story" is from the Golden Age of British Mystery--the genre's Age of Enlightenment, as practiced by authors such as Dorothy Sayers, Edmund Crispin, Margaret Allingham, and of course, J.I.M. Stewart a.k.a Michael Innes.

Incidentally, this book's title is a horrible bit of word-play on the solution of the mystery. I stumbled across its true meaning (shame on you, Professor Stewart!) while writing this review.

Henry Horenstein has done it again.

I won't pretend that I'm a disinterested reader; I wrote the introduction to the paperback version of this photographer's book "Creatures." But I'm a recovering photography critic, and I like to think I've learned a few things about what's good and what's merely glamorous. In "Aquatics," Horenstein has continued on a recent path, an approach to photographing animals and fish without going into the bush or strapping on tanks and going underwater. He does this by spending his days at zoos and aquariums, at no risk to his life or equipment (except maybe on trips to the Bronx Zoo). The advantage this gives him is that rather than worrying about survival, he can think about artistry. And the art that results is mysterious and wonderful. In "Aquatics," we see, in glorious black and white, sea creatures of surpassing strangeness, seen by a photographer who celebrates that strangeness with an unforgettable vision. It's an us-and-them world that Horenstein shows us, with fish, reptiles, jellyfish, and all manner of other oddities, coming into view in a way both beautiful and scarifying. He shows us denizens of a darker, colder world as we might encounter them through the glass of a face mask, but far closer than we might want or ever be able to manage. And the best thing is that, for all the sense of being right there with these critters, neither we nor Horenstein had to get cold, wet, or scared to death. This is an elegant and terrific book (and I didn't write the introduction).

Owen Edwards

For all of you people out there who love reading and Jesus Christ, this is the book for you. It's about a grown girl who gets in to troubles and how God and her church help her through them. If you are also having problems I reccomend this book you, you will throughly enjoy it!!!

Highly readable and appealing, this history is no cutsey look at how places in the US got their names; it's a page-turner of intriguing detail, with appropriate respect for NA Indians. Mr Stewart touches on subjects as varied as the War Between the States, how Oklahoma got its name,the prevalent use of "-burgh' in the eastern sections,and "Noah Webster's spelling book." Find a copy of NAMES ON THE LAND if you have any interest in finding yet another clue as to how the US got to be the way it is today.

"The Forest" contains a collection of related short stories about Mr. White's camping experiences in -- I believe -- South Eastern Canada, probably just north of Michigan. Mr. White's style is often humorous, often educational, sometimes exciting, and always entertaining. His vocabulary and syntax are of the early 1900's. Anyone who has ever been camping will find familiar at least some of the situations to which Mr. White alludes. Those unfortunate enough not to have enjoyed the camping experience will find themselves at least planning for such an adventure. I read "The Forest" several times in college and became so enamored with Mr. White's writing that I began collecting his books. The collection now numbers over thrity.

If you are not a fan of the Rheostatics, you should be. If you are not a fan of Dave Bidini's writing, you really should be. In this, his most current work, Dave is travelling the world and sharing his experiences after he learns that his band, the wonderful Rheostatics, are calling it quits after 20+ years and, it seems, his musical career will be a solo venture from now on. Dave's writing is honest, engaging and, usually, funny as hell. Chalk full of stories of his adventures with tons of pop culture references thrown in as well, the book builds up the final chapter describing the Rheos farewell concert at storied Massey Hall in Toronto. The book was very powerful to me as I was lucky enough to be at that show and even got to talk to Dave afterwards. Lucky me! But again, even if you weren't at Massey Hall on March 30th, 2007 or have never heard of the Rheostatics, Dave Bidini's writing still makes the trip around the world with him a joyous literary adventure.

There are SO many interdisciplinary art activities for children in this book...the format makes it really easy for teachers to read/ understand. If you're an Art Education student I would definitely recommend this book, for it's a GREAT resource - you'll be able to use it a lot when it comes to writing lessons plans, and student teaching. The book covers a little bit of everything in art...history, studio, criticism, and aesthetics. I also feel as though it's a good book for teachers in other disciplines....because this series gives you so much info...but like I said, in a really great, easy to understand format. I'm really pleased. A+