Western Books

I can't believe I found it! This was one of my favorite books from when I was in kindergarten. I remember it well. I'm buying it for my 6-year-old daughter tonight.

"Way out west in Cactus County there was a horse named Calico. She wasn't very pretty...but she was very smart. She was the smartest fastest horse in all of Cactus County." She could run like "greased lightning", and she could smell like a bloodhound. "Her nose was so keen she could track a bee through a blizzard." She was owned by a cowboy named Hank, and "...she would go to the end of the trail for Hank. They had a language all their own and understood each other perfectly." Life was good and happy for everyone who lived in Cactus County, no locks, no fences, and no sheriff or jail. But across the Cactus River were the Badlands where the villains of this story lived. And the meanest, sneakiest, absolutely worst bad man of them all was Stewy Stinker. He was so mean, "he would hold up Santa Claus on Christmas Eve if he had a chance." So sit back and get comfortable and see what happened when Stewy Stinker and his nasty gang came to town..... First published in 1941, Calico The Wonder Horse is as fresh and entertaining today, as it was over fifty years ago. This is an old fashioned, action packed, rootin' tootin' western that has it all...cattle rustling, hold-ups, a stampede and kidnapping, a wild and thrilling stagecoach chase, and through it all, Calico comes to the rescue, outsmarts the bad guys and saves the day. Virginia Lee Burton's clever, witty text is dramatic, engaging and full of wild west colloquialisms that will have both kids and adults laughing and cheering at all the fun. Her marvelous comic strip illustrations are expressive and full of detail and beg to be pored over and explored. Put it all together and you have the makings of a timeless classic to share with friends, family and future generations. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Calico The Wonder Horse is a masterpiece and a MUST for every home library.

The illustrations of this Wild West comedy saga are just as good as the lively and creative prose. Easy to read in one sitting as a great "before bed" story. The adventure and humor will keep even those with short attention spans listening intently. The ending is perfect!

My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I love this book! Best of all, and unlike many of our other favorites, the hero (Calico) is female whose merit is based on her intellect and problem-solving skills. I really like that subliminal message. I'll admit that at first I was a little put off by the artsy "comic book" format, but it grows on you, and I appreciate it more each time I read it. This book and Mike Mulligan are must-have Burton books.

I am a big fan of Virginia Lee Burton and Calico the Wonder Horse is another example of her great illustrations and story lines. The story is action packed; you laugh, you cry, and you want the good guy to win and live happily ever after. What is interesting about this book is that the color of the pages correspond with the action of the story. It is an all around good read for you and your child.

An outstanding resource for the home chef. Every recipe receives raves from the diners. A must on your shelf.

It is extremely easy to offer guests ( or yourself) a magnificent meal that looks like you are a great chef with very little work. Easy techniques and ingredients allow you to enjoy cooking. You will reach for this book repeatedly!

What a great cookbook! I use it frequently, particularly for the roast chicken (my family's personal favorite), shrimp salsa, the marinades and salad dressings, the chocolate truffle brownies, and an UNBELIEVABLY sinful chocolate cake! The format is attractive, the recipes are easy to follow, and the results have been uniformly consistent. If you enjoy flavorful, creative cuisine, this is for you!

I have many cookbooks, but this is one of my favorites. Every recipe that I made from this book has turned out well, which is, I think, a sign of a good cookbook. I particularly like the notes at the bottom of the recipe that tell you how far ahead and through what step you can make the dish. This is a big plus when entertaining. All of the dishes that I have made from this book have been crowd pleasers.

From salsa to chicken to rack of lamb to corn cakes to lasanga -- these recipes are fantastic. The flavors will remind you of dining out at a gourmet restaurant, although many of the dishes have a laid-back flair. One thing to remember, especially if you are a beginner cook, most of these recipes take some time to put together. If you start at 6, you may be sitting down to eat at 10! The time is well worth it -- you tastebuds, and your dinner companions, will thank you! The author also makes excellent wine suggestions.

This is the best introduction to one of the most - if not the most - important philosophers in human history.

Aristotle's body of work is extremely wide-ranging as well as dense in detail, and often extremely complex and subtle. This Cambridge Companion simplifies and explains - without the loss of fidelity to the complex and subtle and innovative nature of his teachings - the most important of his teachings.

This Cambridge Companion to Aristotle has essays by preeminent scholars in the field. The book focuses on the most important and influential of Aristotle's philosophical thinking.

It includes essays on Aristotle's logic, metaphysics, ethics, philosophy of science and science generally, and psychology, poetics, rhetoric, and politics. These are the core subjects in Aristotle's canon. It is generally believed among scholars that most all of the work of Aristotle that has survived and come down to us today, consists of copies of lecture notes that his students took at his school (known as the Lyceum). Thus, much of his "writings" - though copied for generations and then edited by translators - often seems disjointed or unnecessarily complex in terms of its clarity and organization.

If you are new to studying philosophy, I suggest you start with this Cambridge Companion or the one on Plato. If you start with the one on Aristotle, I suggest you read this Companion and then either at the same time or right after, begin reading the primary texts. You can read all the secondary and ancillary texts you want on philosophers and philosophy, but they are never a substitute for the primary texts. The primary texts are infinitely more rewarding, provided you are able to understand them - and that is where guides like this one come in hand.

To start off on some of his most readable and understandable works (yet still highly important), I suggest you start with poetics (which is about the construction of and study of drama and story (think "plays" or stories like the Illiad by Homer), and narrative structure. What we have of poetics is short, excellent, and is generally believed to be only one part of a larger teaching that has been lost to humanity. I then suggest you read Aristotle's Rhetoric and then Politics. These are easy to understand, but you will gain tremendously by re-reading them over time in greater detail. You can then move on to his Logic (which Aristotle is known as the founder of logic, he invented, or depending on your view, discovered, the tri-partite syllogism and syllogistic structure and logical argument. You can then move on to his Metaphysics, but I suggest that you read and study Plato before embarking on Aristotle's Metaphysics, as you will understand Aristotle better by first reading Plato, as Aristotle was a student of Plato, and Aristotle's Metaphysics takes into account, is a reaction to, and is an extension and modification (or overturning of most aspects- depending on your viewpoint), of Plato's metaphysics (Plato's Ideas vs. Aristotle's Universals). The Cambridge Companion to Plato is also excellent. If you are embarking on a serious study of philosophy for the first time, you may want to read Plato and the Cambridge Companion to Plato before embarking on Aristotle. You will understand Aristotle better if you understand Plato's works first. These are the two most important philosophers in Western civilization, and in my view - and depending on your viewpoint - world history and civilization.

In any event I highly recommend this Cambridge Companion to Aristotle. This is the first one I purchased and read, and I have subsequently enjoyed and found extremely useful other Cambridge Companions for other philosophers.

The 'Cambridge Companion' to philosophy series has put out some great products. In my opinion this may be the best. Absolutely splendid articles that help the reader understand Aristotle rather than some philosopher's interpretation of him. For such a polymath as Aristotle, the authors did a good job of focusing on key facets of his philosopy that adequately prepare and stimulate the reader to investigate other of Aristotle's writings, which the Companion could not cover for lack of space. The bibliography and subject guides to the secondary liturature are well done.

The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle edited by Jonathan Barnes is a is an excellent book. If you are studing Aristotle or just reading him, you've probably gritted your teeth and started to put the reading down for later. Being that most of us do NOT read Greek, we rely on someone who can and the translations do vary. We also need a way to study and a plan to organize our reading in a logical manner.

This book is an excellent choice for that purpose. This book helps to alleviate some of the fears one has in reading a great thinker who is not only difficult and challenging but also complex. The content of this book are as follows: Logic, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Science, Science, Psychology, Ethics, Politics, Rhetoric and poetics. There is an introduction and a suggestions for reading section which are invaluable and help the reader to understand and comprehend what is trying to be said.

If you need help with Aristotle... look no further than this book to help you get organized and to better understand Aristotle. Approach and methods vary from person to person, but if someone has proceeded you in understanding it is prudent to follow those footsteps... then make your interpretation.

The editor has written an excellent chapter on Metaphysics. Metaphysics is one of Aristotle's most difficult books to understand. Here the editor helps the reader to understand it and also how to read Aristotle with a logical approach.

Remember the best aid to reading Aristotle is Aristotle himself. Aristotle is difficult so read him slowly, very slowly, then he is inspiring and gripping. But, it helps to have someone to rely on and this book will help.

The work of Aristotle is difficult, wide-ranging and dry. As Joanathan Barnes explained in the introduction in this book, this is probably because Aristotle's work is an unauthorized collection of lecture notes. Therefore, an introduction to the main themes in his work is an invaluable help to approaching the master's work. The Cambridge guide has chapters on metaphysics, logic, ethics, philosophy of science, science, psychology, politics, rhetoric. It also contains a massive bibliography. The essays concentrates on explaining the content of Aristotle's work, but it also introduce readers to modern controveries in interpretating Aristotle. The essay of Barnes on the very confusing work Metaphysics is pure gold. Other essays are excellent too.

Barnes' interpretation of big A's "Metaphysics" in this book is the best I have seen. It really was right on que, and a very easy read, which if you know Aristotle, is as hard to imagine as saying Dr. Seuss is complex. The section on Psychology interprets "De Anima" quite nicely. Barnes also edits "The Complete Works of Aristotle, Vols 1&2", so if you are looking for an excellent commentary on Aristotle, want to read Barnes' work, but don't feel like reading over 2000 pages, get this.

This book and accompanying cd are awesome and so great at helping children to understand classical music and the stories and emotions that it conveys.

What inspires an artist? a composer? Why does music "speak" to so many different people? This little publication is a painless introduction to fine art and symphonic music. This is I Spy with a twist. You are asked to gaze at beautiful and interesting artwork while playing different orchestral tracks on the enclosed CD. "Can you hear the marching knights?" "Can you hear the mountain stream?" "Can you hear the rattling skeletons dancing?" The book and CD open with a lovely "meet the instruments" section, which, in itself, is worth the price. I think this book is best enjoyed with a parent and a non-personal CD player but a ten year-old with head phones could zip through all thirteen pieces independently. You might challenge that child to create her own artwork to a piece of her choosing. Or you could plunk a three year-old on your lap and look at just one or two masterpieces at a time. My eight year-old uber athlete loves it and now insists on doing his drawing to music. This book can be enjoyed in many ways, on many levels. It will add spice to a gallery or symphony outing (or even a sibling's band concert!) and with such a wealth of material out there, I sincerely hope a sequel is in the works.

This book has a collection of 26 paintings and a CD. Each artwork comes with a question, an item to locate on a page. After the item is found you play the CD and try to hear particular thing displayed on a page (like fish swimming in a lake, or bubbles rising to the surface of the water, etc). There are also clues to which instrument will play a particular musical effect that you will be looking for, so you can find it. At the end of the book, there is a short description of each artwork and each music piece that comes with it.

We have enjoyed the book very much, and would recommend it to families with young children who are ready for introduction of art and music. The music pieces are all classics such as Vivaldi, Saint-Saens, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, etc. My kids are 8 and 9.

This book has wonderful pictures and the accompanying CD lets the user expand with questions and dialogue. Great resource!

This elegant picture book and Cd combo provide adult and child partners at any level of maturity with a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the symphony concert hall at the same time. Page after page provide opportunites for delight,discussion and description. We danced, we laughed and we were amused ,even deliciously frightened, by the music and visual art. Brilliantly done, and available to experience during any season of the year, again and again.

these audio books are great, the music and voices make the stories. Parents who have kids that love dogs must get these. Way more entertaining than TV.

Hank the cow dog is an amazingly funny book at first I thought that it was a really bad book but after a few minutes it turned into the best book i've ever read!
It's a really witty book and a very exciting one at that.A great Texan adventure about a dog and his amazingly funny ,exciting adventures. Definetly a book which is hard to put down! A rolercoaster which never ends. (...)

For readers of any age the Hank The Cow Dog series is one of the best. It will hold the attention of older struggling readers with lower abilities. Parents reading to their children will enjoy the books as much as the kids do. With wit and humor the adventures of Hank keep us turing the pages. I have not read every book in the series but I will.

Amazon should make a complete set of these available.

In this book Hank goes to his sister's house in town. A dog named Rambo in town is bullying his sister. Hank helps fight Rambo off once but Rambo comes again and Hank runs away. Hank has an idea to get his friend dog-pound Ralph to help him stop Rambo. Hank and Ralph run to town with the dog-catcher after them. If you want to find out what Hank's idea is and if it works read the story.

Every "Hank" book is the same, and every one a pleasure. I read them aloud to my 5th graders, to my kids and to myself. We all enjoy ourselves, sometimes laughing out loud. Hank is arrogant enough to laugh at, and his entourage provides a perfect backdrop for his inevitable comeupance. One thumb, way up!

Having been born and raised on a cattle ranch(not in Texas however)there is so much to relate to in the Hank books, we have rattlesnakes too, and learn to look very carefully before reaching for anything lying around in the summertime. My 8 year old loves me to read the Hank books to him,(I do a real good Drover) soon we both become part of the story, and lose track of time. Even if you've never had a cowdog, or lived on a ranch, you'll love this book, but if you have,you'll be hooked for life on Hank the Cowdog! We are.

I would recommend Hank the Cow Dog Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting because it's funny. Hank thinks two bumblebees have bitten him but it ends up that it was a rattlesnake. His face swells up like a balloon. He says, "It weighs 250 pounds". Drover keeps on saying that it was a rattlesnake, but Hank will be Hank - stubborn as a donkey. Hank keeps on saying, "it was 2 bumblebees in that pipe". Drover just goes with the flow and says "OK". I recommend this book to you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book is about a dog named Hank. Hank lives on a ranch, and is head of ranch security. Drover is another dog that live on the ranch. In this book Hank gets bit by a rattlesnake, but he thinks it's a bumble bee. Sally May his owner takes him to the vet to get a shot. In the end Hank finally get's better. I reccomend this because it's funny and thrilling to read.

The Case of The Double Bumble Bee Sting saved my life on a long trip. Of course, it almost ended it too. I almost ran off the road laughing as Hank tries to talk to the buzzards about his swollen head. Don't miss this one! Your kids will love it and adults will too.

Of all the dog heroes in the world Hank is by far our favorite. He takes his job as head of ranch security very seriously. It's funny but also touching to see Hank strive to maintain his dignity as he suffers the consequences of inserting his nose (in a pipe) before putting his brain in gear. I have read Hank books with my kids for years and this one had me taking more time outs for laughing than any of the others. I couldn't help but read the last chapter myself after the kids were in bed and thoroughly enjoyed the surprise ending.

In Casual Cuisines, musician and writer Lauren Lesmeister has compiled a series of "food fusion" recipes reflective of the varied culinary cultures he has encountered in his travels through Central America, Europe, and the Pacific Northwest. From Barley and Chickpea Stew with Curried Onions; to Tomato Peanut Soup; to Warm Vinaigrette Potatoes; to Chicken and Black Bean Salad; to Sausage with Caramelize Onions and Pasta; to Blueberry Bread Crumb Pudding, Casual Cuisine "kitchen cook friendly" recipes will turn any family meal into a full fledged culinary adventure.

In Casual Cuisines, musician and writer Lauren Lesmeister has compiled a series of "food fusion" recipes reflective of the varied culinary cultures he has encountered in his travels through Central America, Europe, and the Pacific Northwest. From Barley and Chickpea Stew with Curried Onions; to Tomato Peanut Soup; to Warm Vinaigrette Potatoes; to Chicken and Black Bean Salad; to Sausage with Caramelize Onions and Pasta; to Blueberry Bread Crumb Pudding, Casual Cuisine "kitchen cook friendly" recipes will turn any family meal into a full fledged culinary adventure.

In Casual Cuisines, musician and writer Lauren Lesmeister has compiled a series of "food fusion" recipes reflective of the varied culinary cultures he has encountered in his travels through Central America, Europe, and the Pacific Northwest. From Barley and Chickpea Stew with Curried Onions; to Tomato Peanut Soup; to Warm Vinaigrette Potatoes; to Chicken and Black Bean Salad; to Sausage with Caramelize Onions and Pasta; to Blueberry Bread Crumb Pudding, Casual Cuisine "kitchen cook friendly" recipes will turn any family meal into a full fledged culinary adventure.

In Casual Cuisines, musician and writer Lauren Lesmeister has compiled a series of "food fusion" recipes reflective of the varied culinary cultures he has encountered in his travels through Central America, Europe, and the Pacific Northwest. From Barley and Chickpea Stew with Curried Onions; to Tomato Peanut Soup; to Warm Vinaigrette Potatoes; to Chicken and Black Bean Salad; to Sausage with Caramelize Onions and Pasta; to Blueberry Bread Crumb Pudding, Casual Cuisine "kitchen cook friendly" recipes will turn any family meal into a full fledged culinary adventure.

In Casual Cuisines, musician and writer Lauren Lesmeister has compiled a series of "food fusion" recipes reflective of the varied culinary cultures he has encountered in his travels through Central America, Europe, and the Pacific Northwest. From Barley and Chickpea Stew with Curried Onions; to Tomato Peanut Soup; to Warm Vinaigrette Potatoes; to Chicken and Black Bean Salad; to Sausage with Caramelize Onions and Pasta; to Blueberry Bread Crumb Pudding, Casual Cuisine "kitchen cook friendly" recipes will turn any family meal into a full fledged culinary adventure.

This book is fantastic, offering a well selected variety of early Celtic Christian literature. The selections, (many for the first time translated into English) offer a real feel for the dispositions, theology, and flavor of the early Celtic Christian. The introductory chapters offer valuable contextual information. If there is a fault with the introduction, it is that it leaves the reader thirsting for more. The end notes, as well, communicate important information regarding descriptions of geography, information explaining items which may not be self-explanatory to the first time student in this field of study. As with the introduction, the end notes leave the reader thirsting for more. I really only have one major complained or criticism: I hate end notes. Placing the references, etc, as foot notes is much more convenient, easier to locate, and keeps the reference in the context of the main texts. I wish for many more volumes such as this. In the meantime I continue rereading this one to two times per year, and continually looking up references. For a student of the early Celtic Church who is not fluent in either Latin or any of the early Irish, Scot, or Welsh languages, this book is a must read, and will provide much spiritual edification. An invaluable resource to include in one's library.

Celtic Christianity is rightly said to be the branch of Christianity which celebrates God's immanence in the cosmos, and this collection of works from Celtic Christians gives an excellent overview of this fascinating branch of Christian spirituality.

Very pleasing to me was seeing John Scotus Eriugena's Commentary on the Gospel of John, where he blasts the Manicheans for seeing the material world as evil (such a position was totally incomprehensible in Eriugena's eyes, and his admiration for the beauty of the cosmos runs through his works).

There are also other works including poems, hymns and stories of saints. This volume is a valuable addition to the library of any Christian interested in Christian spirituality.

This is an excellent book, edited by the founder of the MA program in Celtic Christianity, at the University of Wales, Lampeter. The book brings the topic to life, and allows the reader to gain an insight into the spiritual world of the Celts. Dr. Davies presents the reader with a wide variety of works, that give an excellent representation of Celtic writing and thought. It is a book that must be read and reread, in order to gain the full effect of the excellent pieces of work offered. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Celts and/or spirituality.

Partly there is a problem dealing with Celtic spirituality, or indeed, Celtic anything. It is comparatively recently in history that the coalescence of Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Briton, Manx, and other 'Celtic fringe' cultural groups have been classified as a unified Celtic society. Certainly the early people in these regions (not to mention those on the continent) would have seen differences as outweighing the similarities, and would have found unity only in being non-Roman and non-Germanic.

Certainly there is a sharing of story, world view, and spiritual sense, however, that helps us make sense of describing Celtic Spirituality as a category. This relates both to the earlier non-Christian Celtic religions (yes, there was more than one) and the ways in which Christianity spread to the Celtic regions.

`While recognising the importance of Celtic primal religion at the earliest and most formative stage of evangelisation of the Celtic-speaking cultures, it must be recognised that the surviving evidence for Celtic religion in sparse, and often comes from widely differing places and times. But something of its general character does emerge.'

Included in this character are a sense of place (which often includes woodlands, water, glades, springs, mountains, etc.). Ideas of treasure, particularly hidden treasure, and that being a treasure that is not always what the world would value, abound. Heroism and bravery, often at dramatic cost with a deep sense of loss even in the victories, goes through many tales. Other worldly and pantheistic imagery coexist in many ways. Animals and birds are often seen as messengers, harbingers, or symbolic -- many of the illuminated manuscript from Irish monasteries show the continuation of this sort of influence. Celtic religions are also predominantly oral, hence the popularity of story, song, and poem as opposed to argued technical essays or homiletic forms.

The texts in this volume are divided according to the following categories:

Hagiography
These are lives of the saints, often told as heroic (and sometimes tragic) tales. Of course the greatest cycle known to us is the Patrick Tradition -- those stories and legends that have gathered around St. Patrick, who lived in the fifth century. These include letters, declarations, a life story, sayings, and St. Patrick's Breastplate, known to many as a very long hymn, but which actually exists in many different forms. Apart from the Patrick stories are stories of St. Brigit, St. Brendan, St. David, St. Beuno, and St. Melangell, all unique Celtic saints.

Monastic Texts
In a recently issued popular history, entitled How the Irish Saved Civilisation, Thomas Cahill argues that the preservation of culture and learning in the Irish monastic movement gives us much of our knowledge and continuation from civilisation in the past. There is much to be said for this argument, for the early Irish love of books, knowledge, and historical sense of preservation of the valuable gives us much of Celtic wisdom, as well as much of the Greco-Roman tradition as well.

Poetry
Early Irish and Welsh poetry are presented, most of it anonymous, and much of it seems very similar to Celtic devotional material of today. It still speaks to us with a very strong voice.

Blessing and brightness,
Wisdom, thanksgiving,
Great power and might
To the King who rules over all.

To the chosen Trinity has been joined
Before all, after all, universal
Blessing and everlasting blessing,
Blessing everlasting and blessing.

This could be a text from a modern hymnal. The Celtic peoples, with their love of number symbols in addition to natural symbols, fastened on the idea of the Trinity with very little difficulty. The trifold nature of the above poem, going several layers deep, shows this affinity.

Devotional Texts and Liturgies
These texts are meant to be used for lectio divina, a kind of spiritual reading, as well as prayers enacted in the community for blessing. Some litanies and excerpts from the great Stowe Missal give a sense of patterns of worship for Celtic peoples.

Apocrypha, Exegesis, Homilies, and Theology
These four categories include expansions of the biblical text (such as the story of The Creation of Adam), and interpretation of particular pieces (a Gloss on Psalm 103) which gives insight into how Celtic peoples interpreted the biblical texts, which come from a culture so foreign and yet so similar to their own. Also, the Homilies give a sense on what preachers found important; that these survive may give us a sense also of what the hearers considered important (most of my homilies will not survive the week they are delivered!). The theology texts here give a good flavour of the academic and spiritual side of Celtic learning and reflection. The theological treatises are introduced and interspersed with verse that drives home the spiritual dimension far better than any learned discourse could do.

Seventy pages of notes on technical and academic aspects of the texts (translation, interpretation, history, cultural notation, etc.) and a generous fifteen-page bibliography help round out this text, and make it useful both for spiritual direction and insight as well as for academic research and historical and literary investigation.

Edited and introduced by Oliver Davies with collaboration from Thomas O'Loughlin, Celtic Spirituality draws primarily from Latin, Irish and Welsh manuscripts to show the texts that have been 'rediscovered' frequently in Christian history as providing an 'alternative' to mainstream' Christian thought and practice. Perhaps it is the legacy and the gift of the Celtic peoples to always provide a fringe, from Roman times to the present, and from that fringe a freshness of ideas, approach, and insight comes forward to renew culture and civilisation in many facets.

This is part of a series of spiritual and mystical writings from many religious viewpoints, produced by the Paulist Press. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim texts are presented with clarity, careful translation that works for accuracy both of word and spirit, and interesting historical insight.

In my eighteen or so years as a Celtic Catholic, and especially in the past five years, I have seen the term "Celtic Christianity" applied to everything from the sublime (love of nature and the saints) to the ridiculous (giving communion to your dog) to the utterly intolerable (worshipping pagan gods). Some modern writers on the theme do an excellent job of interpreting this strand of the Christian Faith for the modern reader; others are better left unread. So where is a serious inquirer to go for "the real goods"? Where to find out what our ancient Fathers and Mothers in the Faith really believed, thought, and did? Davies's book is an excellent resource.

Limiting his own comments and interpretations to the introduction (and with an excellent preface by James Mackey), Davies contents himself with providing clear and easily readable translations of original source material. Some of the most important documents for understanding the mind of the early Celtic Christian are here. You can read all of St. Patrick's own writings and the ancient biography by Muirchú. Discover the most ancient accounts of St. Brigit, St. Brendan, St. David, and even the dear but little-known St. Melangell and her hare. But that's not all. There is the monastic Rule of St. Columbanus, ten Irish poems, twenty Welsh poems, and several devotional prayer-poems. You can find some of the oldest Celtic liturgical material, interpretations of Scriptural passages, ten ancient sermons, and some theology courtesy of Pelagius and John Scottus Eriugena.

This is all original material, carefully translated and presented in an easy-to-use format. But it's not dry dusty stuff: it breathes a freshness from the early days of the Faith that is sometimes missing from more modern writers. We've perhaps been around too long, thought about it too much. Our Celtic saints got the good news "hot off the press," and embraced it with a shocking enthusiasm which is good for us jaded post-moderns. I hope you read this book and enjoy it as much as I have.

Adrian Louis kicks butt! Ceremonies of the Damned is the best poetry book I've read in years. He's sad and funny at the same time. He sees right through this pile of crap we call "America." I really loved this book. Check out his hilarious "Copulation" poem. Yeah!

Adrian Louis's Ceremonies of the Damned seems to have been written over a relatively short period of time. Louis writes in direct, aggressive and emotional voice, making extensive use of line breaks to emphasize words or phrases. He incorporates slang and profanity into his work and, while this is sometimes excessive, generally he chooses specific words or phrases because they communicate exactly the idea or emotion he wishes to communicate -- not for their shock value. His writing appears to be well-disciplined and well-focused. Louis demonstrates an ironic sense of humor. This humor, while enjoyable, is clearly used to make a point. For example, in "Dead Rez Land Dream" (47-48), Louis lays a scenario of an Indian man surrounded by cavalry who are shooting at him from all sides. He gleefully relates, "I only have a bow, but then a miracle happens./ I whip out a Thompson submachine gun/ with a huge wheel clip and start to/ mow the bluecoats down." This boyish wish to beat impossible odds is related in a humorous way, but it communicates the despair that would be felt by the Indian trapped by cavalry without a machine gun. Ceremonies of the Damned is a tightly-focused, well-constructed poetic work. The writing style is well-disciplined, coherent and easily understood. His manner is aggressive and emotional. His writing is rich in meaning and rewards careful reading.

Ceremonies of the Damned literally knocked the air from my lungs. One of the harshest and most beautiful poetry books I have ever read. Get it!

Ceremonies of the Damned by Adrian Louis is truly a collection of poems that is wrought with moral destruction. Louis leaves a lot to the imagination. Did he really sleep with his student Serena? He never really answers this. He lets the reader's imagination run. And what about his wife's Alzheimer's? How do you blame a man for being unfaithful to a woman who is just a shell of the woman he once loved(?). This collection of poetry is some of the best poetry that I have ever read. Louis paints a horrifying picture of reservation life that is decorated ever so slightly with a love for his wife that keeps his guilt alive and strong. I read this book beginning to end several times. Spellbinding!

Adrian Louis's Ceremonies of the Damned is a book wrought from love so rare that it destroys down to the last particle the image of the emotionless Indian man. It is the personal tragic journey of dealing with the tragedy of losing one's life partner to a debilitating disease, Altzheimers, and is a pain-filled love story. Ceremonies is the best book of poetry written by a Native American man in the whole history of native literature. It begins with the human contradicitions in character in a poem entitled "Petroglyphs of Serena," in which Louis documents an affair. The stage is set for what comes later. We have to question if the disease that afflicts his wife is a direct result of infidelity? Maybe. Without this preface, though, I believe, we would elevate Louis to sainthood. In the end, without this poem, we as readers would not be privey to the real human contradictions at work in Ceremonies. There are implications to our own lives. The last poem, too, is a remarkable testimony of human resiliency wherein Louis, despite his pain, is still able to ask if there is still the possibility of love. Between the two ends of this spectrum are: beauty, pain, tragedy, and anger. Louis is a fine-tuned poet that pulls you from laughter to tears in a few lines. I read this book from front to back in one sitting; I could not put it down. When I finished reading it, I wept.

A friend let me borrow this book to read. Great book! I will be purchasing it to add to my collection. It's Very well written and a true life story. If you enjoy history (how people lived before this day & age) or outdoors you'll enjoy this book! Would recommend for anyone around age 10 & up. Tells how they lived in a very rural area of Southeast Alaska where boat was your main way of transportation. They hunted, trapped & fished to provide food for themselves & to sell to make living. Their experiences through all this give you a very real idea of what it would have been like. I think this took place in the 1940's-1950's, but I don't remember for sure. Some of the expiences have some humor in them too. This book talks about a mailboat coming with mail & goods...there is also a book out about that specific mailboat called "In the Wake of an Alaskan Mailboat" by Dennis Sperl, also a very good book.

I have lived in Southeast Alaska for the past eight years and am still learning a great deal about this magnificient part of the world. One of the ways that I learn is by reading books about the area and particularly those of local writers who have experienced the lifestyle. The Cheechakoes and Wayne's second book, This Raw Land, are two of the best I have read. They truly give one a feeling of what it must have been like in those early years. Having grown up in rural East Texas during the same time period as the books, I found that the part I enjoyed most was comparing the experiences of Wayne and his family with those of myself and my family. While many things were similar, the books truly give one the feeling of the vastness of the area and of the frontier spirit of the people who settled it.

These are great reads. I highly recommend them for all ages.

This one is hard to put down! END

I LIVED IN ALASKA FOR FORTY YEARS, AND THIS A VERY TRUE STORY OF THE FAMILY, I WAS AQUAINTED WITH THE SON MARK SHORT AND HIS WIFE LORENE, MOUSE TO HER FRIENDS, ALSO MET BARBRA AND WAYNE, LIVED IN PETERSBURG, WHERE WAYNE WAS MAYOR AT ONE TIME, I THINK BARBARA STILL WORKS THERE AT THE TIDES IN IN THE SUMMER. GREAT READ, DON'T MISS IT, ALSO THE SECOND BOOK, THIS RAW LAND, THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT. THE FIRST BOOK IS WHEN WAYNE'S DAD TOOK THEM TO ALASKA AS CHEECHAKOE'S, GREEN HORNS, AND THE SECOND BOOK IS WHEN WAYNE WENT SOUTH AND MARRIED BARB AND TOOK HER BACK TO ALASKA, TO BUILD HIS OWN FAMILY AND HOLDINGS. DON'T MISS THIS.

Paints a very realistic picture of what it was like to be a fisherman in Alaska. Plenty of interesting stories about the people, and the adventures the Shorts had when they first arrived and started fishing for a living.
I bought it at a garage sale when I was 12, and I still enjoy re-reading it. I thought it had gone out of print, and wouldn't loan it to anyone for years for fear of losing it.
The only disturbing part is that wildlife (fish, mink, bears and seals) are something to be harvested and/or cleared away for the people. Loads of animals meet their maker in this book.