In 1635, at the age of 62, John Pike embarked from Southampton, England to Suffolk, Massachusetts with two grown sons and three daughters. This book looks at their descendants who, after 14 generations, have spread through the United States from the shores of New England to the Gulf Coast and to the Pacific Ocean, covering over 350 years. Families are organized and presented within generations. Brief family histories and individual biographies add greatly to the well-presented family group and personal information. The author's personal insights and explanations increase the book's value and understanding. The index includes some 14,000 names. (Genealogical Helper, May-June 1997, p.198)

The ansestors of John Pike of Newbury, Massachusetts owe a debt of gratitude to Allen R. Pike for the substance, content and joy contained in his book. He strikes out from the first ship's manifests, journals, wills, deeds and letters of John and his family upon their arrival and generation by generation builds upon the family story and connection.

Included in this line are: Major Robert Pike, whose force of personality and logical defenses finally put an end to the public madness known as the Salem witch trials; General Zebulon Montgomery Pike, known for his exploration of the southern reaches of the Louisana Purchase lands at the same time that Lewis and Clark explored the north; he who was to discover Pike's Peak in Colorado, the mountain top that provided the inspiration for the song "America" and which provided the early settlers traveling east with a beacon and a slogan "Pike's Peak or Bust"; or there was General Albert Pike, commander in the Confederate army, who resigned his commission rather than carry out an order to enlist the Indians to attack the Union army and he who later became the most celebrated Freemason and whose statue stands at the corner of Third and Indiana Streets in Washington DC.

Family members and historians seeking to know and understand the impact of an early American family on the shaping of the country will find many samples in the stories of the men and women of this family. While not a narrative per se, tracing the lines from generation to generation gives a great account of the forces at work and the personalities.

Decendants should take to heart the importance of keeping a record of the accomplishments and notable accounts of their family members for archive and future studies of the family heritage.

Marshall Pike, Acting Sec.-Treas., Pike Family Association of America

Very well written and documented history of the Pike lines stemming from John Pike who came over from England in 1635 and settled in MA. His lines spread mainly through New England and the book covers twelve generations. A genealogy of this type will be of interest primarily to those who have the Pike name in their ancestry. However, if one is starting to prepare a published account of a member of their line, this is an excellent source for study and how to organize material. It is a large book, some 875 pages. However,it is well done and attractive. There is a significant amount of information here that may prove to be of immense value. Different typing fonts are used very effectively in high lighting names, dates, and lines of decent. In many cases, short biographies of numerous individuals are given. This adds an unusual slant and offers an insite into the lives of the people discussed. Wills are reproduced where available and in several cases weddings are described. An appendix is attached and gives family lines for allied groups which tie into the Pike line. Examples are the Carr, French, Bradbury, Plummer, Stockman, Cutts, Worth, Bloomfield, True, Fletcher and Coolidge families. An excellent bibliography is given along with a complete every-name index. Mr. Allen R. Pike is to commended for assembling this material into a usuable and interesting form. It had to be a monumental effort and the result is an exceptional addition to the family history library.

read one of the short pieces in this anthology. They are also incredibly uplifting too. A brilliant bedside companion for any dog lover.

Although each of the pieces in this book was inspired by the loss of a much beloved dog, this is really a book about vibrant, fully-alive dogs: family pets, fellow hunters, soul mates, and best friends. And while none of the dogs remembered so fondly here still lives, Old Dogs affirms the remarkably special place in the heart we reserve for our dogs. My own dog is sturdy in her middle-age, but reading the eulogies and odes in this moving anthology has made me appreciate more all the quirky habits I take for granted, like how she can't resist running off with one of my Reeboks when I'm shoeing up for our evening walk--the little prance she performs when I tell her, "Bring the shoe back!" Not a sad read but a celebratory one, required for every dog owner!

This is a remarkable anthology of stories and poems by outstanding authors of the past, as well as more recent times. Although these moving remembrances are only of beloved dogs, the lovers of any species of pet will find identical sentiments for their own losses. Whatever kind of companion animal you had, you will find your own bereavement and healing tears reflected here, as well.

Care was taken to avoid over-sentimentality, in this assortment of loving reflections of dogs, celebrated here. These accounts are full of love, and are sometimes even funny - and we are thrust into the realization that perhaps that is the most wonderful kind of living memorials we can have for a beloved pet. Too often, we lose this perspective, while trying to keep from drowning in our own bereavement and sorrows.

Rather than being a collection of sad literary memorials Old Dogs Remembered is a joyful celebration of life with pets. This inspires healthy new points of view and adjustments to moving on into our new lives, without them.

Here we are treated to many different outlooks on how they permanently enriched the lives of their owners. Reading these heartwarming pages will broaden the understanding of each reader, concerning his/her own personal bereavement. Here, we are offered the collective wisdom of others, who reminisce on their honored pets. There is much to be shared and learned here, as well as enjoyed.

With so many different authors, one must appreciate that references and styles have changed drastically, through the ages. As an example of this, some might find the essay by the dramatist John Galsworthy to be interesting, but a bit troublesome to read. And, as with any anthology, there may be some accounts not everyone would appreciate. But all pet lovers will readily identify with the overall shared remembrances, here. This is a heartwarming collection, which can be enjoyed comfortably, in several installments.

There will be many an uplifting tear shed in its reading, and we suggest it for your reading pleasure.

I was required to use this text book in my Human Resource Management class for my MBA requirements. I do not have an HR background so a lot of the information presented in this book is new to me. The authors do a great job of presenting the material in an easy to understand manner. There are a lot of real life examples and case studies that are interesting to read and help to put the concepts in to perspective.

This book will be a great reference in my professional life. It has employment laws, recruitment strategies, training and placement strategies to name a few. This is a must read for any HR professional and it really brings to focus the need for a stronger HR presence in companies to help them stay competitive.

I used this book to study for the Excelsior College exam in Human Resources Management and I got an A. It was very well written and easy to follow.

This is a textbook for advanced students of Human Resource Management, but even old hands in this field can gain a new insight on different topics which are very often neglected such as career development or separation and retention. Beside the discussion on different subjects the editors are bringing in comprehensive bibliography as well as discussion questions and a modern approach by using the web for additional exercises.

The poetry of John Wieners is, I must say, one of my most interesting finds I have made. Wieners explored with perfect accuracy the pains and tribulations life had gift wrapped for him. Poet of minor fame (or rather, of none), his writing imagery and mental frame have created a prose of it's own. And the beauty to start off with his early - in which some are a tad weak, but talent surfaces - work to his later frame of mind and prose, in which, his prose trancends among the greats, not only of his era...but definately of a wider spectrum. Wieners is a sure bet and it's truly a shame that his name hasn't surfaced much during his living presence...and not of yet after his death. "...Cool breezes on my forehead / cool liquors down my throat / so soon if in years to come / someone hears a single note.".

In 1989 I had the opportunity to listen to John Weiners read and discuss his poetry. If discuss is the right word. By then Mr. Weiners mental state had pretty well deterierated to a point that he made little sense. But his poetry did. From his battles with drugs, his sexuality and religion, Mr. Weiners poetry spoke volumes about him and his life. I am not a poetry fan, but somehow someway his poetry spoke to me. His use of the language and his passion will touch and engage even a non poetry fan.

John Wieners' the authentic thing,surpassing all art-historic poetic requirement he's an insider from that ruthlessly over-publicized "BEAT" scene,"famous among the famous" if you will...He's an insider in the sense that he occupies the inside of an anonymous hotel like a religous retreat, inside his own sympathetic head where alls recorded in a private diarie, inside a lyrical quest for the heartbroken line eradicating everything...he's in the business of healing words: a modern-day Rilke with the gorgeous lyrical gift imparted on every page. One imagines his words coming from sitting on the edge of the bed like sitting at the edge of the world waiting for it all to painlessly end with the formality of an unacknowledged graceful bow. John Wieners knows the-HERO-IN-side-of-us-all; having suffered drugs:the divorce from societal companionship, the physicality of that narcotic hell,all for that invioable annihilating peace becoming of an unattainable suicide where forgivness reigns supreme. He knows the tortured homosexual shared-secret hell of keeping the forbidden joy hidden...as well as the erotic's supremacy of form and all's deposited in his pages in exquisite scripture. Reading his poems is comparable to getting high in a public restroom: consider it an indulgence in secret vice your closest friends can only guess at by the disturbed glint & gloss over your eyes. Going out in public is never the same after reading him, nor will the beat generation ever be the same for you again once you've found his work; a wholly unimaginable dimension of beatitude poetics will open your eyes, mind and legs to a vast new range of experience previously ignored by public and scholars alike. I do not consider it a startling sin he's un-recognized, un-acknowledged, and un-appreaciated, if anything it has merely made him stronger and deemed all his admirer's: initiates, and all those poets schooled by him: adepts. One more thing, besides the obvious study of evil he has accomplished in his verses lies all earthly and otherwordly heavens' astounding psalms. If you do not already become ecstatic when under the influence of poetry this will surely make you drunk, and if it's your first time, welcome;and if you don't heed the warnings of the fanatic,then for posterity's sake at least let me say : There is a hero-in-side-of-us-all...

In reading this book on Black Elk Speaks I was overwhelmed. It seemed like the book was meant to land into my hands. When I began to read this novel, I understood. My feelings about vision quests, and soaring with the creators helpers has been an enlightenment to me for being here. I see things that I read in Black Elk Speaks and I understand. I understand what it is like to want to save the people and to have this heaviness come over you when they don't understand you. I have heard your message and I understand.

This book is the most powerful book I have ever read. Black Elk exudes a spiritual connection that is unparalleled. He also was a man of service. He speaks with a poetic sense of the world that has been killed by science, rationalism and money lust. If we could recover the spiritual sense, this indigenous way of being, that this man had the world would be rich. This book is better than the book "Black Elk Speaks" by Neihardt, because Demallie publishes the interviews verbatim (Neihardt's influence is limited), he provides many footnotes and writes a 100 page introduction and biography on Black Elk using material not contained in the interviews. Demallie also discusses issues that arise from what Black Elk says.

We knew "BLACK ELK speaks" for a long time, through John NEIHARDT's translation. Now, we get - at least - the full text and it's a real hapiness ! I compared the two texts, some days ago, for my Belgian students and discovered how Neihardt had betrayed the Old Man by cutting, interpreting and rewriting the original interview. This book is the most important publication in Native American spirituality for years; it presents, in the same time, a vivid Lakota experience of Little Big Horn battle and Wounded Knee massacre, without any reorganization. Read it.

for religious seekers, those curious about spiritual
matters, those interested in Florida's history and
any with a mind to understand religious communities,
this book is a MUST read. The varied articles are
revealing, stimulating, fascinating, well-written,
with marvellous footnotes and bibliography. Oh, if
all university, edited publications could be so good.
If this ever makes it to a reprint or paperback,
more varied and colour photos would just be the icing on the cake.

Hi, I am Ian Guthrie, nephew of the late John J. Guthrie Jr. I have read this book, i even did a report relating to the occurences and information in it. it is a great text, and it is soooooo good. and my uncle john was a great man. so i would highly reccomend this to people of all ages and all interest. Thanks. -ian

He is back. Philop Marlowe the crime fighting gumshoe has returned to fight evil and champion the right and true. Raymond Chandler has written another spine tingling thriller that will surely blow your mind and emerse you in the ongoing plot and lead you to the exciting conclusion of this wonderful book.

It doesn't matter if the private eye's name is John Dalmas, it's still Phillip Marlowe and Phillip Marlowe fans won't be disappointed. Dalmas' life is saved by a beautiful woman who he initially tried to save. I won't say anymore than that because the intrigue, the classic Chandler characters and the atmosphere is all there intact. Elliott Gould is the perfect reader for this type of literature, his reading is cool and crisp and just understated enough for the listeners to lose themselves in the escapist world that is Chandler's.

This audio collection of short stories - by three American Masters, Raymond Carver, John Cheever, and John Updike - is perfect for that next long drive, morning commute, or anytime you need something really good to listen to. I highly recommend.

Before discovering a dusty old hardcover copy of John Gardner's 'On Becoming A Novelist' in an infamous New York City bookstore (Gotham Book Mart), I was under the impression that every book related to the art of writing fit into one of three catagories. Either it focused on technique (Robert McKee's 'Story'), it offered encouragement (Anne Lamott's 'Bird By Bird'), or it took memoir form (Annie Dillard's 'The Writing Life'). I was wrong.

This book is a portrait of the writer as a young man (or woman). After years of teaching creative writing courses and wallowing around the publishing industry, Gardner acquired an opinion or two (major understatement). He correctly believed that writing novels is not a profession or a pasttime for the timid, and so he outlines the prototypical writer's 'character'. The purpose, of course, is to get the young writer to ask himself if he is really cut out for this. In the course of telling you what traits a talented writer must have (verbal accuity, a discerning eye, faith, etc.), Gardner offers up some brilliant insights into the craft. His discussion ranges from writer's block to writers' conferences, and while you may not always agree with him, his views are always thought provoking and perceptive.

In the end, this book may be mildly discouraging for the would-be writer who is currently on the fence. Gardner does not sugar coat his opinions, but I am glad for that. He has no qualms in informing his readers that worthwhile writing takes a great deal of talent, and not everyone has that talent. As he says, the worst that can happen after reading this book is that you will realize you don't have the right stuff, and you will move on to something else.

In reading this book, you get the impression that he was a brilliant writing teacher, as is evidenced by perhaps his greatest student, Raymond Carver. Carver wrote the brilliant introduction to this book, which familiarizes the reader with Gardner's personality and makes it easier to put the rest of the book in perspective. I, for one, would have loved to have Gardner as a teacher. As that is no longer possible (he died in a motorcycle accident years ago), this book is no small consolation.

Don't imagine that is book is out dated. It's actually better than most other books on writing out there today. Read it with your highlighter to capture some really helpful and inspiring advice. This is one you'll want to own.

There are lots of books out there on the mechanics of writing a novel. There are others that give you plot outlines, character sketches, or tell you how hard, hard, hard, or easy, easy, easy it is to build a career in writing.
Gardner, on the other hand, simply tells you how it is- at least from his point of view, and he makes it clear throughout that his advice to young writers is only one wall of the pigpen. The most refreshing aspect of this book is that it is geared to the "serious" novelist- i.e. someone who doesn't want to write books based on formulas or what sells, but just wants to write what they want to write. Gardner doesn't lie about the slim possibilities of making a living as a novelist, but he does give solid advice on how to make money without your job interfering with your work.
Though it was written more than twenty years ago, this book is still valuable today for the beginning writer- I'll keep it on my shelf for many years to come.

Here are six essays by John Ashbery about six of his favourite minor poets, ranging from John Clare, born in 1790s England, to David Schubert, born 1913 in New York. John Brooks Wheelwright and Laura Riding are included, from the early 20th century, as is Raymond Roussel (a French precursor to anti-novelists, a specialist in parenthetical labyrinths, and endlessly detailed descriptions of bottle-labels). We have, too, the doomed author of "Death's Jest Book," the 19th-century poet Thomas Lovell Beddoes.

These essays are engaging and readable, informed and informative without being pedantic. There are anecdotes, too (about Riding, most notably, who is aptly diagnosed by Ashbery as "a control freak"). We notice that half of the authors are homosexual or possibly so, most either committed suicide or had a parent who did so, three were affected by mental problems, and the majority were ardent leftists (Riding being an exception).

To this reader, the two Johns, Clare and Wheelwright, are the most immediately endearing, and David Schubert's disjunctive colloquial tone does fascinate. Some of the comments about the gang of six do shed some light into Ashbery's curious methods: Clare's mucky down-to-earthiness and Beddoes' elegant, enamelled "fleurs-du-mal" idiom both being "necessary" components of poetry, in Ashbery's view. Some of Wheelwright's elastic sonnets have a Saturday Evening Post-type folksiness that is often found in Ashbery's own poetic inventions; Schubert's poems (in Rachel Hadas's words) "seem(ing) to consist of slivers gracefully or haphazardly fitted together." An aside: Look at the first two lines of Schubert's "Happy Traveller." Couldn't that be John Ashbery? About Raymond Roussel, whose detractors accuse him of saying nothing, Ashbery mounts an impatient defence that reads like a self-defence: "If 'nothing' means a labyrinth of brilliant stories told only for themselves, then perhaps Roussel has nothing to say. Does he say it badly? Well, he writes like a mathematician."

We learn that Ashbery is not fond of E E Cummings, and he is unconvincingly semi-penitent of this "blind spot": Cummings, with his Herrick-like lucidity, his straightforward heterosexuality, and his resolute nonleftism, would not appear to fit nicely into Ashbery's pantheon. Ashbery even takes a few mischievous swipes at John Keats -- rather, he quotes George Moore doing so. Ashbery will doubtless forgive his readers if our enthusiasm for the poetry of Keats and Cummings remains undiminished.

There is much in the poetry explored by "Other Traditions" that is dark and bothersome; but there are felicities. These lectures form a fascinating kind of ars-poetica-in-prose by one of America's cleverest and most vexing of poets.

Every once in a while, I come across a book that opens up new doors for me. They introduce to me to areas of life that I otherwise might never have encountered. Other Traditions by John Ashbery is just such a book.

I have always had a love for, but limited knowledge of, Poetry. It was Edward Hirsch's great book How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry that first introduced me to Ashbery's work. He is, in my opinion, one of the greatest living poets. Therefore, I jumped at the opportunity to read Other Traditions.

Other Traditions is the book form of a series of lectures given by Ashbery on other poets. Ashbery writes about six of the lesser-known artists who have had an impact on his own life and work. All of them are fascinating. They are:

-John Clare, a master at describing nature who spent the last 27 years of his life in an Asylum.

-Thomas Lovell Beddoes, a rather death obsessed author (he ended up taking his own life) whose greatest poetry consists of fragments that must often be culled from the pages of his lengthy dramas.

-Raymond Roussel, a French author whose magnum opus is actually a book-length sentence.

-John Wheelwright, a politically engaged genius whose ultra-dense poetry even Ashbery has a hard time describing or comprehending.

-Laura Riding, a poet of great talent and intellect who chose to forsake poetry (check out the copyright page).

-David Schubert, an obscure poet who Ashbery feels is one of the greatest of the Twentieth Century.

The two that I was most pleasantly surprised by are Clare and Riding.

Clare has become (since I picked up a couple of his books) one of my favorite poets. He is a master at describing rural life. I know of no one quite like him. Ashbery's true greatness as a critic comes out when he depicts Clare as "making his rounds."

Riding, on the other hand, represents the extreme version of every author's desire for the public to read their work in a precise way--the way the author intends it to be read. Her intense combativeness and sensitivity to criticism is as endearing as it is humorous.

Other Traditions has given me a key to a whole new world of books. For that I am most grateful.

I give this book my full recommendation.

This book is much smaller than I thought it would be, but this only enhances its gem-like charm; from its rich cover to its finely homespun interior. I thought at first I had heard it all before from Ashbery, in his short Schubert and Roussel essays, and in comments dropped in Reported Sightings; but even when covering the same ground he subtly brings forth new worlds. It's refreshing to hear him talk of these beloved poets, like a tour through the comfortable rooms of his mind, which of course also offers countless insights into Ashbery's own career of poetic journeys. I recommend this book to both literary scavengers of the past and arcane poets of the future, but especially to the intriguing combination of both living a dream right now.