Columbia Books

These essays brim over with authorial skill... They are at turns funny, wise, and introspective. They examine the world with a keen eye for detail. Excellent pieces, really. Quite good.

The essays in Jay Parini's book, Some Necessary Angels, traverse the line between memoir, literary essay, and political essay. Ultimately, Parini proves that the distinctions between these are meaningless; good writing is good writing--if it is memorable, it will not fit within any set of boundaries. Those familiar with Parini's fiction will know that he often works to blur boundaries; what is historically pinpointed becomes less important than the weight and drama of each of his books' moments.

These essays are wonderful to read, to spend time with, in the morning or at night. They provide a certain quietude, and this quality, so precious in today's general loudness, makes them truly remarkable.

Originally compiled in 1958, this book (Volume I) remains standard issue in most university courses on the study of Japan prior to 1868, whether that class is literature, history, philosophy or anthropology. The editor, Wm. Theodore de Bary, and one of the compilers, Donald Keene (see Keene, "On Familiar Terms") are two of the most highly regarded Western scholars on the subject of Japanese culture and literature, each having devoted an entire lifetime to the subject.

On the whole, Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1 is a reference book on intellectual development in traditional Japan. It is essential for anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding of Japan over a period of time, which means it is not intended as a quick read.

Volume I is mostly an overview of traditional literature, poetry, aesthetics, religion and philosophy from the earliest written works until the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the mid nineteenth century. The chapters are chronological and thematic, and each is prefaced with historical context for better understanding. The chapter bodies consist of translations of some of the most representative works from Japan, including excerpts from Japan's most famous novel, "The Tale of Genji" (early 11th century), as well as numerous samples from the spectrum of Japanese Buddhism (not just Zen), and plenty on the philosophy of neo-Confucianism and other Chinese influences on Japan. On the downside, although there is some discussion of Haiku poetry, there is not enough. And unfortunately, Kabuki, Japan's most popular form of theater, and Japanese painting, which has greatly influenced modern artists in the West, are hardly mentioned, and Japanese music is not even addressed. This makes the book somewhat of a companion to political, social and economic history - which is outstanding if that is what you are looking for.

The book represents the yardstick of compilations on Japanese intellectual history and should not be intimidating to readers who have some knowledge of Japan, nor too simplistic for the more informed. Because it is the old standard bearer, there is a definite need for an updated version that includes more for contemporary audiences, such as better discussions of Kabuki, Haiku and scroll painting. However, the volume is organized well enough for readers to concentrate only on sections they have immediate interest, making the book accessible to a variety of readers who seek a broader understanding of traditional Japanese culture and intellectual history.

This book is wonderful introduction to Japanese history. It covers Japan from the earliest sources through the late Tokugawa Shogunate in the 18th century. The sources trace political, social, artistic, philosophic, and religious trends throughout Japanese history, in the words of the Japanese of those former periods. Selections from all the important source material for Japanese history are assembled in this book.

i got the movie i wonder what the book will be like what happiend in the movie can happien in life and i am looking forward to reading this book stephen king is a great writer

HALLO, I have a great curiosity, I have just read "Stand by me" in a Stephen King's book and I would like to know if Gordon lachance doesn't exist...I have a doubt...... Thank you Giulio

10 years after it was published, this book is still a landmark in the field. Other scholars now are claiming to "discover" events, trends, and issues that were well covered by Alwood's book already.

This is a superb book and an indispensable contribution to gay history. Everyone concerned about the power of journalism to inform or distort should read it.

Fair disclosure: I always was a sucker for a good travel yarn. Bruce Chatwin's aphorism, that "a man's real home is not a house but the road and life itself is a journey to be walked on foot" is copied out on my office door. I enjoyed "The Snow Leopard" so much I followed Matthiessen's footsteps around Dolpo in Nepal some years ago, and it remains one of my favorite books. The author of these travel/history stories has made the back roads of the interior of BC, Canada, his home and he shares Matthiessen's attempt to bring together the physical beauty of the wild and the spirit of those who walk and have walked on the land. John Schreiber worked in logging camps, in an iron ore mine, in a seine boat, and as a teacher-counsellor. Although he now lives in the capital of BC, Victoria, he was raised in the interior. His father attempted to make a living for a while as a guide/hunter and John grew up there in the wilderness.

I enjoyed the stories, and have ordered several copies to give away to friends. As one can't yet look inside this book to sample it on the Amazon web site, perhaps the best I can do for a prospective reader is offer two quite different paragraphs from the book.

On the second page of the book Schreiber describes his youth.

"So I imprinted to my own walking, to wildness, and most especially to those classic markers of the southern BC interior: dry air, redolent `bee-loud' wild-rose hillsides, open woods, dry-belt fir trees, cool nights and clear night skies, golden autumns, and the heart-shaped leaves of quaking aspens fluttering in the slightest breezes. I learned in my early growing up to be quite at ease with my alone self, with the untamed shadowy woods, the dark and the usually sudden sightings or sounds of creatures, mostly wild: coyotes, owls, deer, porcupines, quick weasels in the woodpile; a snake with a toad feet-first down its distended throat; a tiny pugnacious sharp-toothed shew crossing the road; a startled hawk on a branch over the outhouse in the dim light of evening; Mr. Janning's cattle as I walked through them on the way to school; a wounded black bear up the train to Frog Lake; our turned-out horses moving around in the night; our gone-wild cats returning to be fed in winter; a moose under my window; wolves howling twilight in the bright snowly hills above the lodge. All this left a mark on me. Those knowledgeable about child development tell us we attach to where we live and play when we are seven and eight years of age....

About 50 pages on, after stories of native Americans and the early contacts, he occasionally becomes philosophical/spiritual, in a way that reminds me of Jim Harrison, in his later writings, rambling with his dogs and only pretending to hunt. Schreiber writes:

`There seems to me to be wild at the heart of all things: in valleys little visited, in earth, in growing trees, in old places once lived in, in our backyards, in our bodies, in our unconscious minds, in all decay. Wild is that which is beyond our control. The more I watch and see, the more I conclude that, despite all our efforts at domestication of the outer world and of ourselves, we remain as much wild as tame. The line between culture and chaos is paper thin. Read the news. Watch TV. Look at the creases on your hands and on your neck and face; listen to your heart. Even our efforts to define the word `wild' are tricky, as if the word itself resists taming. We define `wild' by what it is not, but what at its core is it? Is not a mountain, a volcano, an ocean or a robin inherently wild? Must we conclude that the essence of all existence is wild? Is there anything in our world that is not ultimately beyond our means to control? Death feels like wild to me.
"The trees are closing in, you know" my mother in the intermediate care home would say in her dementia-driven way several times a day. I could never disagree...'

John Schreiber ends this beautifully written meditation upon the Cariboo-Chilcotin Plateau of south central British Columbia with, "Stranger Wycott's place is more wild now than before he settled there, more wild than those last elder years of his, alone, falling back into himself. And we are a little more wild for having heard his story." Schreiber practices quiet contemplation in the act of walking through country he knew as a boy and has learned to love as an adult. As he points out, European settlers in this land have created their own myths, often merging their lives with those of the First Nations. The book explores the question, "What is the connection between myth and wildness?" Stranger Wycott was a real person who has assumed mythic proportions in the stories old-timers tell about him. Schreiber's writing is itself mythic in the sense of revealing greater truths in the mundane events of history. Wycott was stranger in this beautiful but still wild land that resists cultivation. The book is more about the land than about a single person, and Schreiber's writing gives it a shimmering transcendence. It is a beautiful read and makes a wonderful gift.

When I was Reading this book i got the chills. The creative quality of the statistics and inciteful view of populations is so rad. I love this book.

I have to say that before reading this book I hated statistics and everythingto do with any type of natural sampling. But this book has changed my life! It's easy to read text and easy to follow examples have reinvigorated my love for statistical sampling. I recommend this to anyone who has any interest in statistics. It will change you life too!

This is a good book because it covers the subject of "Southwest Louisiana Pop" music in great detail. Lots of names and quotes of the people who shaped the sound. The author did his homework and the reader gets a lot of info - a LOT. I have read this book several times because it is a great refresher course on the musicians, promoters, the night clubs, and what all.

Louisiana musicians have always gone their own way, fusing elements of various styles to create music of stunning beauty. One of the most creative and finely crafted forms is Swamp Pop, a fusion of Cajun, R & B, country, and pop styles. Shane Bernard has written a definative history of Swamp Pop based on extensive interviews with the makers of the sound. He discusses the diverse background of the music and its interracial origins. This book is essential for any collection of American music.

No health and safety restrictions for these boys growing up in the wilds of early 20th century western Canada! Diving for money thrown from visiting boats, stalking inhumane deer-hunters in the dead of night, playing practical jokes on psychotic camp cooks; not only would kids not have opportunities like this today, there'd be social services to contend with if they did!
This is a unique perspective of a bygone era, with yarns almost too good to have really happened, although they have the ring of truth in the capable hands of Mr. Hammond. There are characters, such as Jack, Charley "The Old Indian", and even the visiting German pot-mender, who ought to be national folk heroes in Canada, as I have no doubt they will be as soon as the first film or TV adaptation is inevitably done.

I was very fortunate to be given a copy of this book for Christmas last year, as I don't think I would have found it for myself. It hasn't had nearly the attention it deserves, for if it had, we'd be seeing it everywhere.
Two young lads growing up in one of the last frontiers to be discovered by the white man, having no end of fascinating adventures, these stories are all true (if Mr. Hammond is to be believed, which somehow I think he is), unique, funny, informative, and delightfully engaging. They could hold their own in any decade, and don't rely solely on their unusual context as so many of the genre seem to, but are well told and have a breadth that one might not expect.
If you are interested in the west coast of Canada, you must buy this book. If you are indifferent to it but like a good read, you likewise must buy it. I can't endorse it strongly enough.
That Mr. Hammond's father told his son of these times and events, remembering such detail, and that Mr. Hammond was then able to write it all down, is our great gain.
There are two other books courtesy of Mr. Hammond and his father Hal, and I recommend them also.
This one, the first, deals with boyhood and has the added benefit of being of equal interest to adults and older children alike.

I have absolutely zero natural sense of direction so this guide is perfect in its level of detail. It seems to cover every inch of Portland, including a full street index in the back that makes it easy to locate an address.

I have purchased the Thomas Guides for Portland for the last several years and have found them to be an absolutely indespensible navigational aid. Every street in the metro area and surrounding suburbs is detailed within this guide. Its comprehensive detail and ease of use make it a real help. If you have to drive in Portland even occassionally I cannot recommend strongly enough that you buy this guide.

Eric Collier's story should be much better known than it is. Eric was a trapper and hunter, which I know some people think is wrong, but he was also an extremely dedicated conservationist who expended much time, care, and backbreaking labor to restore wildlife habitat in Canada. The truth is his hunting and trapping were done with such care and awareness of natural systems that he did far more good than harm to the animal kingdom, by helping to restore balance to the land. For instance he would trap wolves that killed the beavers which created habitat for all the animals, but other wolves he would leave alone. It also has plenty of adventure, from near freezing to encounters with attacking bear and moose. If you like the outdoors, this is a good read for a fair price.

One of the most famous books about Canadian province British Columbia, Eric Collier's gripping Chilcotin memoir `Three Against the Wilderness' (1959) is a classic homesteading account. Born in Northampton, England in 1903, Eric married a girl of Indian descent, Lillian Ross, in 1928. Two years later, in spite of his wife's hip deformity due to a childhood accident, the couple took a wagon, three horses and their 18-month-old son Veasy, along with a tent, some provisions and $33, and reached the Stack Valley where they lived in an abandoned cabin. In a few years they relocated to Meldrum Creek, ten miles away, where they lived in a tent and built their own cabin. He and his wife Lillian had promised her 97-year-old grandmother, LaLa, to bring the beavers back to the area that she knew as a child before the white man came. Collier imported several pair of beaver, and raised the area's water table sufficiently to reinstate the beaver population. He encouraged more humane trapping methods and increasingly turned his hand to writing. In 1949 he was the first non-American to win Outdoor Life's Conservation Award and in the 1950s the staff at Outdoor Life encouraged him to consider writing a book about his experiences as a pioneering conservationist and trapper. Written by longhand and then transcribed onto his Remington typewriter, Collier's recollections of 26 years of family life and 'roughing it in the bush' for Three Against the Wilderness (1959) were a hit, and soon condensed by Reader's Digest and re-sold in at least seven translations around the world. See abcbookworld for more details of this and other books related to British Columbia.

Soft-spoken and usually unassuming, Eric Collier moved his family to Riske Creek in 1960. He sold his 38-mile trapline on March 26, 1964 for $2,500. He died at Riske Creek on March 15, 1966. Collier's wife and trapping partner Lily moved to Williams Lake and died in 1992. Their son Veasy, schooled by correspondence, served in the Korean War, married Judy Borkowski, and settled at Williams Lake. Erected in 1946, the Collier's much-deteriorated, second, four-room log home at Meldrum Creek was slated for demolition in 1989, under the auspices of the Chilcotin Military Reserve north of Riske Creek, but local protests in Cariboo encouraged Captain Paul Davies and the Canadian Army Engineers to resurrect the remote dwelling and its log barn with new roofing, shakes, doors and windows. A very rough road leads 40 kilometres off Highway 20 to the site--one of the few literary historical sites that have been preserved in British Columbia.

I read a `Companion Book Club' version of this book as a boy (about 11) and loved it. It must have been condensed though, so I would recommend an original 1959 to 1960 hardback. Amazon resellers often have them for sale (mine was published by Hutchinson, London around 1960). They aren't expensive (a fiver or so) and have piccies of the log cabins, the family and local moose. The book has 270 pages of (quite small) text. I loved this book as a kid back in the sixties, it opened a window on another world. The book was lying about as part of my fathers 'bookclub' selections, but went missing years ago. I've since purchased a better 2nd hand copy from Amazon for a few dollars. The Collier's story would actually make quite a good film, and its very sad that the book is now virtually unknown to the younger generation.