Washington Books

This is by far the best reference available for George Washington. The A to Z format makes it a breeze to look up any topic related to Washington. If Washington said it, it is in his own hand. If anyone else said it about Washington, it is in their own hand. Forget the myths. Read this book and know the truth about George Washington.

This book is a perfect starting place for anyone interested in the life and career of George Washington. Covering all facets of his life, from his childhood on the Rappahannock to his youthful indiscretions and achievements on the frontier during the French and Indian War, and from his role as commander-in-chief during the Revolutionary War to his duties as first President of the United States and first EX-president, Grizzard's book provides a truly comprehensive and scrupulously accurate source. Everything you could ever need is here, clearly and attractively presented in one extremely useful volume. You'll find yourself pulling it off the shelf again and again.

That only taxes and death are certain would sum up what we know for sure about GEORGES du Mesnil DE LA TOUR AND HIS WORLD. Just as his native Lorraine lost its independence to France, so was he factored out of the art world during the 250 some years after he died in 1652. His "flea catcher"; "hurdy-gurdy player," variously mistaken as the work of 17th-century Spanish masters Herrera the Elder, Maino, Murillo, Rivera, Velazquez, and Zurbaran; and my favorite, Jacques Callot-type "newborn child" have been recognized as the most beloved of his art of Dutch- and Flemish-type earthy realism and luminously softened colors, eerily flickering light and spectacular lighting effects, finely drafted clothing and hair, highly focused and tensely concentrated mood, and minimal expressions, forms and gestures subtly cluing character. He excelled in not only the theatrically controlled daylight manner, with the henpecked "old man" and thin-lipped "old woman" of the piercing eyes and the careworn "old peasant couple eating" in worn clothing with pulled stitches accented by light brushstrokes and rubbed-thin paint, but also the deeply shadowed and dramatically night-time style, with "denial of St Peter" and "dream of St Joseph." His subjects ranged from the everyday life of ordinary people, as in his boys blowing on a charcoal stick and a firebrand, "girl blowing on a brazier," and my favorite "payment of taxes" with a Jacques Bellange-styled unsettling atmosphere of crowded space, deeply shadowed eyes, meticulously folded drapery and unusual candle-cast shine to arms and faces; to music, with "cornet player," "musicians' brawl" of gesturing arms and gnarled hands around beautifully painted musical instruments and lively highlighted weather-cracked and wrinkled faces, Jean Appier aka Hanzelet-type "woman playing a triangle," and "young singer"; to nonreligious moralizing with all the furtiveness and sideways glances by cheats with the aces of clubs and diamonds in Fontainebleau school-styled solidly brushed half-length figures and Simon Vouet-type colorfully light fine materials, "dice players," and my favorite "fortune-teller"; to religious meditations with "adoration of the shepherds," Job with his broken bowl for scraping sores and his Jacques Bellange-styled highwaisted wife, and such Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio- and Hendrick ter Brugghen-type ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events as saints Alexis, Andrew, Anne mothering Mary and grandmothering Jesus, Francis in ecstasy, James the Less of the brushy arthritic hands, Jerome the scholarly ascetic with a bloodstained knotted rope against self-indulgence, John the Baptist in the wilderness, Jude Thaddeus, Mary Magdalene sorrowing over her sins, Philip of the crystal buttons ingeniously refracting light onto his jacket, Sebastian tenderly cared by Irene and her tearful assistant, and Thomas transformed from doubt to toughly unflinching faith. I particularly like the way he showed children behaving goodly with "Christ with St Joseph in the carpenter's shop" and "education of the Virgin." Ever since reading Aldous Huxley I have wondered which three books I would take to a BRAVE NEW WORLD: chances are that one would be editor Philip Conisbee's carefully written, gorgeously illustrated and well-organized book, because I have loved de La Tour's art ever since learning about him from my artist mother and sister during my student years and because this one-of-a-kind, reader-friendly book plants his first American exhibition so firmly in the art world that, what with GEORGES DE LA TOUR in French by Paulette Chone, Pierre Rosenberg and Bruno Ferte, and Jacques Thuillier and what with David Huddle's upcoming LA TOUR DREAMS OF THE WOLF GIRL and Christopher Wright's THE MASTERS OF CANDLELIGHT, he should never be dislodged again.

This book shows thirty great paintings by what I consider the second-best French painter of the seventeenth century (to me, but to very few others, Simon Vouet was the best).

Those who haven't seen Georges de La Tour's paintings will be struck by the fact that the backgrounds are typically dark black. That was his style. He'd paint the design, starting with the light colors. Then he would add darker colors to it. And he'd finish up with a very dark background.

We see people paying taxes. We see a peasant couple. A hurdy-gurdy player. Brawling musicians. Dice players. There's a great work showing someone cheating at cards. In the version in the Louvre, the cheat has the Ace of Diamonds behind his back. La Tour did a copy of the painting, which is in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, but in that one, the cheat holds the Ace of Clubs!

Some of the paintings have religious significance. Three of them involve Magdalene and a skull. Another shows Irene tending to the wounded Saint Sebastian. And there are paintings of the Holy Family. One is of Jesus and Saint Joseph in Joseph's carpenter's shop. Another is of Saint Anne (Mary's mother) teaching Mary to read. One more is of Anne and Jesus. And yet another is of Anne, Mary, and Jesus.

The detail in all these paintings is stunning. And the expressions on the faces of La Tour's characters are remarkable.

I recommend this book.

This book is easy to read and follow. It is inspirational and inspiring, we can ALL, with practice, have a glimpse beyond!

This book is well written and inspirational. What is brought up in the book is the TRUTH. Reader should read it with an open mind. God speaks to man on earth today just as in the past. I really enjoyed reading this book. It has everything that I too have been taught.

Quoting from the deeply religious John Adams to the dramatic deist Jefferson, God of Our Fathers provides an interesting window into a time when God was much more a part of the cultural vernacular, consciousness, and everyday conversation. There is no way to properly understand the culture at the time of our country's formation without considering the role religion played in the lives of the people. In a clear and user-friendly way, God of Our Fathers presents an important aspect to any study or understanding of the world that the Founding Fathers inhabited.

God of Our Fathers is an excellent compilation of some of the most fascinating writings and statements by the Founding Fathers regarding God, religion, and virtue. This highly-engaging book is clearly the result of meticulous research, and I highly recommend it.

I hope Amazon will order Going Places again from Green Acres School. I gave my last copy away assuming I could get it easily from Amazon.

It is the all-time best book about Places to See in Washington, DC -- for children AND adults. It gives useful information such as operating hours as well as very informative commentary about each venue. It's a MUST HAVE.

This book is not out of print, the 16th edition just came out in June 2003, with updated information on places to visite and things to do with children in the Washington, DC area. It is a must when planning a trip to the Nation's Capital! If you can't find it in a book store, you can order it from Green Acres School in Rockville, Maryland.

This is a "must have" for any Washington State golfer. This also makes a great gift for a golfer in your family. If you play golf and you don't have this book, BUY IT!

Daniel MacMillan has done it again. This is truely an awsome guide to the states golf courses. The information provided is both comprehensive and accurate to the smallest detail. Every golfer should have this book in his /her golf bag or vehicle for quick and easy access. What a handy and easy to use knowledge base.

Written by a mix of recognizable names and previous unpublished up-and-comers, this book is a great read! The stories are such an eclectic mix of genres written around a myriad of different themes. I really enjoyed this read, and only wish short stories collections would receive more attention from the media.

Great variety (humor, gravitas, provocation...) and great writing. Who knew we were hoarding this much literary treasure in the D.C. area?!

This 500 page book provides an in depth look at the Grand Coulee Dam in north-central Washington state and the politics and decsions which made the dam what it is today. The book is very thoroughly researched with an extensive bibliography and over 100 pages of endnotes. Anyone who is interested in Grand Coulee Dam or the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project needs to read this book!

The back cover reads:

"The Eighth Wonder of the World"

"The Largest Reclamation Project Ever Undertaken"

Those were among the accolades frequently lavished on Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. They hightlight a monumental construction effort that spanned the 1930s through the 1980s. Now, for the first time, the story of this gigantic undertaking is told in this definitive, spirited history.

When completed, the huge monolith at Grand Coulee on the Columbia River in north-central Washington became the biggest single block of concrete ever laid. One of the largest energy-producing stations in the world, it also supports one of the world's largest irrigation projects.

In the capable hands of Paul Pitzer, the fight for Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Project is a vital, animated saga of people strving for dazzling goals and then working to build something spectacular.

This 500 page book by historian Paul Pitzer provides an in depth look at the Grand Coulee Dam in north-central Washington state and the politics and decsions which made the dam what it is today. The book is very thoroughly researched with an extensive bibliography and over 100 pages of endnotes. Anyone who is interested in Grand Coulee Dam or the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project needs to read this book!

The back cover reads:

"The Eighth Wonder of the World"

"The Largest Reclamation Project Ever Undertaken"

Those were among the accolades frequently lavished on Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. They hightlight a monumental construction effort that spanned the 1930s through the 1980s. Now, for the first time, the story of this gigantic undertaking is told in this definitive, spirited history.

When completed, the huge monolith at Grand Coulee on the Columbia River in north-central Washington became the biggest single block of concrete ever laid. One of the largest energy-producing stations in the world, it also supports one of the world's largest irrigation projects.

In the capable hands of Paul Pitzer, the fight for Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Project is a vital, animated saga of people strving for dazzling goals and then working to build something spectacular.

I have read science excerpts on SAT tests, which is what I would have imagined if someone said "Essay in Science" until I found two anthologies of science essays: Galileo's Commandment and Great Essays in Science. This is a must for anyone in science who would like some nontechnical science writing. It can be relaxing, entertaining, diverting, humorous, and stimulating.

'Great Essays in Science' is a fantastic collection of great works of writing by some of the greatest thinkers of our time. This book is a definitely read not only for anyone who considers themselves to be any kind of scientist, but for anyone who has ever heard of people such as Darwin and Einstein. These are works by the men we all know, but here is a chance to hear their own thoughts on their science and it's implications. From discussing the amorality of nature to dream interpretation to talking about the implications of science for religion and vice versa this book covers all area of our lives and culture. This book should be considered required reading for anyone who considers themselves and informed member of our society!

This book is definitely worth the purchase. Some of Edgar Allan Poe's most popular writings,but also some less known that are equally valuable. This book essentially combines an economical price with a valuable amount of information, including a short biographical note about Poe himself. If you are looking for a research reference for any kind of report, or just to refresh your memory of some of his works, this is definitely the ideal book to add to your collection.

A wonderful compilation of the works of Edgar allen Poe. Complete with a beautiful introduciton that describes Poe in his worst and in his best days. twenty-one of his best short stories, and thirty-four haunting poems. Recomended to anyone interested in reading true horror.