For those only wanting an introduction to the breed, the book is useful. If you already know a great deal about CKCS, skip this book--it lacks depth.

I think this book is a must have for anyone interested in this breed and wanting more information. She talks about the history, the health, the care and lots of cute pictures. My mate and I both read it cover to cover and found it very informative and helpful.

Helpful in explaining our dog to us. The housetraining part did the trick for us. We were having trouble and now no more accidents.Good advice on alot of stuff. We love our little cav.

From over 2000 pages of manuscript, John Callahan, the literary executer of Ralph Ellison's estate has done his best to patch together what might have been Ellison's last great novel. Unfortunately while some of the prose is wild and beautiful in Ellison's way, the whole of this effort may leave the reader with a very choppy, unhinged body of work. The basis of the story is a good one, young white boy (Bliss) adopted and raised by big African American southern preacher (who is also something of a con - part and parcel), Alonzo Z. Hickman, boy becomes first a scam artist (in the guise of a movie maker) then a horribly racist US Senator (Allan Sunraider).... book begins when the then old preacher comes to Washington DC with a group of his more elderly churchgoers to visit with the Senator ('before it's too late") and is not allowed to see him. The group with the preacher are in the Senate Gallery days later when a young man near them stands up and peppers the Senator with bullets. The body of the book is a compilation of stream of consciousnesses, dialogues, monologues, conversations, and described situations during Bliss's/Sunraider's life. In Ellison style, much of the book is what is going on in the minds of the character(s) during given situations. So much is happening in this book - so much of what Ellison wanted us to understand, to draws parallels with, to see more 'racially' clearly... and I simply found it tedious to wade through. The extensive introduction written by Callahan at the beginning of the book, and the very interesting "notes" section at the end were a positive addition to helping me to more clearly 'hear' what was happening in the minds of these two men during the end of Bliss's life.

As with any other unfinished work (The Love of the Last Tycoon, The Garden of Eden, etc.) it is difficult to read this without wondering what it might have been if Ellison had finished it. On the downside, there is much here that needs explanation and fleshing out. There are interesting nods in certain directions that leave the reader longing for more. And there is the inevitable feeling that a much richer story lies just beneath the surface. However, there are rich passages of prose in this book which are a welcome addition to Ellison's body of work. The concept, the plot, and the route taken to get there is full of rewards along the way. "Juneteenth" is a sketch of something that could have been truly magnificent, but is still nevertheless a fascinating look into the mind of one of America's greatest writers.

Much of the attention surrounding this posthumously compiled and titled novel Juneteenth, has focused on it's unfinished nature. True, in many spots the prose is difficult and plot trasitions are hard to follow. However, Ellison's mastery of the language and his awareness of race relations in the US, make this novel, though unfinished, a poignant follow up to Invisible Man. Ellison, via Callhoun's splicing, delves into the possibilities for equality among races, and the hope that one day we might all, black and white, be led out of the bonds of slavery and into a glorious promised land. Unfortunately, in Ellisons rendering, that Moses is sick and dying, and desperately in need of remembering who he is and where he came from. The end of the novel, although it may be abrupt and full of more questions than answers, might actually be closer to the truth than Ellison might have hoped to achieve. It leaves us as readers to ponder who we are and what we think the outcome might be (infact the last of his notes suggests this kind of relationship of this novel to his redaers). Is racisim truly an eternal bond that we shall never be free of? As in the novel, the answer is up to you.

Officially, this book is taken for the work of Captain Charles Johnson. It is a compilation of narratives about various individual pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy, names like Blackbeard and Bartholomew Roberts (the dread pirate Roberts, from Princess Bride fame), Anne Bonny et al.

The conclusion that Defoe and Johnson were one and the same has come under fire these last few years and is not the accepted fact it once was. This text includes portions of the original volumes by Johnson, but not the whole, although it can be argued that it includes the stories that most readers would want. There is also some question about the validity of the stories, but we may never know whether they are true or fiction. P-)

This is yet another of the knock-offs of Captain Charles Johnson's General History of Pirates. It includes narratives of all the old favorites: Blackbeard, Kidd, Roberts, Bonny and others. As usual, Johnson's prose is preserved and some of the original illustrations grace the pages. The editor/publisher has includes a glossary, bibliography and notes to the original text.

However, the down side of this particular volume is that it includes only a subset of Johnson's original writings. And, there is no added index with which to quickly reference particular names and such. While I don't quite agree that the editor has ruined the original, I do find that this version falls short of its potential. P-)

As in the case of all Daniel Defoe books, the work is of exceptional quality though in places, the tone is unusually harsh & chillingly descriptive of the havoc that a twisted mind can wreak in the world.

Faith Cross's mother is dying. Before she releases her spirit, the woman entreats her daughter to search for the "good thing" then she dies. Thus begins the metaphysical journey of Faith as she attempts to find the good thing. Author Charles Johnson introduces us to a woman who is not satisfied with the medicrity of life but is determined to find something far more meaningful. She wants the good thing but finding out what it is becomes her dilemma.

Faith is led into poverty, prostitution, and false promises that look like the good thing but disappoints her every time. This tale is told through the lens of folklore, philosophy
and religion. Johnson's attempt to weave all of these elements together confuses and weakens the story. The reader is never sure of just what is happening with Faith.

Johnson's characters spew out philosophical musings about the good thing but are unable to sort out their own lives. Although the musings are good, they fail to capture the attention of the reader and fall flat. I enjoyed Faith who like many of us are on the same journey seeking the good thing. Defining what the good thing is and getting it are the challenges that faces everyone. Unfortunately, Johnson was unable to clearly articulate this through this tale but it was a good effort.

First of all, if you are a John Gardner fan boost this rating to a five. There are many John C Gardner's to enjoy: the poet, novelist, teacher, critic, playwriter. To me this man was at his best as a teacher and novelist and for this reason I rate 'On Writers and Writing' highly. His insights on the works of contemporary and some not so contemprary writer's offer, most particulary to Gardner fans, a better view of the mans opinions, values and philosophies, ones that come through a bit more cryptically ( most often for artisic purposes) in his often underrated fiction. For Gardner fans this is a must own. For others, an enjoyable read.

If you're looking for the biography of a great man, a hero, this isn't it. But one of the good things that has come from a culture where anyone can publish a book is that you're almost certain to be able to hear both sides of any story. Barkley has been pilloried by the media for his antics; it is interesting as a fan of sport to read Barkley's account of events and his role in them.

Other than those details, the book's contents are not going to surprise you unless you're unaware of how poor black people grow up in the rural South. The requisite funny anecdotes are there, along with a pro's insights into the game of basketball. But if you're looking for a biography that will inspire you, look elsewhere.

Some of my favorite pictures and short stories that are included are the ones that show everyday people doing everyday things... Women in church hats, men sitting on street corners and in barber shops, children playing and dancing in the streets, 80 year young woman having fun with a hoopla hoop.

There are pictures of famous faces...and the one that sticks out in my mind is the picture of Jesse Jackson and son on graduation day...the father son unconventional kiss.

This book shows a historical photography of People of Color. Pictures that make you smile, pictures that touch you, pictures that make you proud and pictures that make you remember. The only reason I do not rate it a 4 or 5 star is because I would have liked to see more.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a good example for writing, and the inability to write. Exchange Value was chosen by Gardner as one of the best American short stories of 1982 and has become Johnson's most anthologized short story. Two kids steal from a dead old woman who hoarded her money in fear, and they become as eccentric as she. How ironic. Popper's Disease has some interesting insights into racial matters, but then it degrades into a science-fiction story and anti-solipsistic philosophy. Similarly, Alethia starts out promising, with a sexy black woman blackmailing her philosophy professor, but then is swallowed up in dreamlike imagery and the tired notion that thinking is too much dangerous.

Occasionally Johnson displays that Ron Hansen tic of turning respectable nouns into clumsy verbs, while his classroom admonishment to get as specific as possible, is here shown to date stories. Several times he mentions Sanka rather than coffee. Who drinks Sanka anymore? Wendy Barnes in Alethia also uses trim in the sexual sense at one point, which seems terribly dated to me. But the stories aren't bad, entertaining enough, and there are early references to the Allmuseri, Johnson's fictional African tribe in Middle Passage. But I wouldn't seek out other Charles Johnson efforts as a result of this book.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a good example for writing, and the inability to write. Exchange Value was chosen by Gardner as one of the best American short stories of 1982 and has become Johnson's most anthologized short story. Two kids steal from a dead old woman who hoarded her money in fear, and they become as eccentric as she. How ironic. Popper's Disease has some interesting insights into racial matters, but then it degrades into a science-fiction story and anti-solipsistic philosophy. Similarly, Alethia starts out promising, with a sexy black woman blackmailing her philosophy professor, but then is swallowed up in dreamlike imagery and the tired notion that thinking is too much dangerous.

Occasionally Johnson displays that Ron Hansen tic of turning respectable nouns into clumsy verbs, while his classroom admonishment to get as specific as possible, is here shown to date stories. Several times he mentions Sanka rather than coffee. Who drinks Sanka anymore? Wendy Barnes in Alethia also uses trim in the sexual sense at one point, which seems terribly dated to me. But the stories aren't bad, entertaining enough, and there are early references to the Allmuseri, Johnson's fictional African tribe in Middle Passage. But I wouldn't seek out other Charles Johnson efforts as a result of this book.

Bushrod Rust Johnson was like any other man born in the 19th Century. He strived to make a living,serve his country and be a family man. Like many men who fought in the Civil War, the side he fought for was determined by circunstances that arose in his life. The story covers his life from his birth in Eastern Ohio to his burial in Western Illinois.

As General Johnson makes his way through life, he seems destined to be viewed as a man of contrasts. He was born into a Quaker family, yet attended the U.S. Military Academy. While serving in the quartermaster corps during the Mexican War, General Johnson was dismissed from the Army for proposing a bribe to a superior officer. He operated military schools in Tennessee and Kentucky during the period before the Civil War. When war broke out, he petitioned for a command in the Tennessee contingent. At the battle of Chickamauga on the Tennessee-Georgia border, he made his great move leading his troops through the Union enemy. He was denied any lasting glory of the battle until Noble Wyatt researched the total tale. Noble Wyatt lead the initiative to construct a monument on the Chickamauga site in 1975.

The death and burial of Bushrod Rust Johnson in Illinois, far from his home and the grave of his wife in Tennessee, seems the ultimate blow to a man befallen by bad luck and timing.