Salt Lantern by William Towner Morgan is an in-debth study of a man and his relationship with the home he was born and raised in. The story he weaves includes his personal recollections, other family members' recollections, as well as a chronological history of the structures his ancestors lived in over the centuries.

Salt Lantern is also a personal history of the various branches of Morgan's families--in England, Ireland, early America, and into the Twentieth Century. It appears he was born after the sudden death of his father, he was raised in a household of women, and he grew up not really understanding his place in the family.

Morgan seems to become the Salt Lantern, an artifact that has signifigant meaning within the family, but is not really understood. Morgan explores his own birth, life, and relationships through the structures he studies and describes.

This is a study of history, architecture, family relationships, and personal memoir. A good read.

SALT LANTERN: TRACES OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY is a salty journey with author, Bill Morgan, as he traces his life and records his family history. Beginning with his great-grandmother's salt-filled chimney lantern, Morgan captures his ancestral family history through his study of family homes, landforms, letters, and family artifacts.

Morgan travels back through time by visiting ancestral homes in England, Ireland, Scotland; then he moves to Vermont, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota searching for buildings and landscapes, letters and historical documents that help him tell his story.

Satl Lantern is also about Morgan himself. As a child gowing up in Pipestone, Minnesota, with a single mother, surrounded by older siblings and cousins, (his father died before he was born), Morgan uses the environment he grew up in to find his own sense of place and purpose within his immediate family and his ancestral family.

Morgan adds fresh memories written by his brothers and sister, as well as journals and other family documents to create a comprehensive American famiy history.

For anyone interested in family history, architecture, or just a good read, this book is a pearl. Photos throughout help to tell Morgan's story. Esspecially interesting is the story and photo of the Salt Lantern House that inspired Morgan to pursue this project. Morgan tells us he now has the family heirloom in his possession.

This book is good, not great. Its to small and many of the illistrations are too small,and hard to see. But for the money its worth it. They have many other books that are a bit better than this one. Here is one that is very good 'Masterpieces of the J.Paul Getty Museum Illuminated Manuscripts'. This book is awesome with easy to read text and wonderful pictures. Happy Reading.

This is one of my favorite illumination books. Being a practicing illuminator, I need photos much more than I need lengthy discussions, historical analyses, elaborate provenance notes, etc. They have to be color photos and they have to be large enough, and at a high enough resolution, that I can learn something from them--and maybe even copy an initial, a diapering pattern, a bit of the border, or more.

This book satisfies all these criteria. In fact, the only thing I dislike about this book is the fact that it's so small, it's really hard to keep open while I paint from it. REALLY hard, because if you get large and heavy enough items to hold both sides down, inevitably the items obscure parts of the page you are painting from!

Its size can be an advantage, though. I purchased this at the National Gallery in Washington, on a midday jaunt during a conference, then went back for the next conference presentation. When the speaker turned out to be droningly boring, I brought out this tiny book and paged through it inconspicuously under the table. Could I have done that with Janet Backhouse's monumental work? I think not...;)

The selections are wonderful, and they're usefully broken down into sections based on content--excellent when you need to find a quick animal or floral image for a border, a rendering of a king or queen, or a picture of a dragon or other supernatural being. Not so excellent when you need to find an example of, say, a late 1400's eastern French book of hours (there are many, just not in any kind of chronological or geographical order). But then, there are other resources that do that. This book is interesting for its variety, its excellent reproductions, and its well-selected and unusual miniatures.

Excellent reproduction of a number of styles, with reasonable commentary. Very valuable for me as a newbie, to provide a sense of medieval style and composition. The size is at once very handy and very frustrating.

When looking for Native American word lists, this was the first dictionary I came across. I bought it because it was the only one I could find. If I had spent a little more time with it before I checked out I might not have, because this dictionary is not realy just words but entire thoughts and terms. This maybe just a function of the Navajo language or it may be just the way it was edited. If you are looking for a word list this is not the book for you.

Having known only English as my primary language this book helps the laymen learn the basis of translating the Najavo culture and language into English and back again.

Extremely detailed with notations on pronunciation, verbage and usage of slang.

Having know a Navajo Native American for a while, this book helped me understand the subtlties of the Navajo Language and Culture.

Nothing compares to a real teacher, but this book does help. Buy it!

Members of the Navajo tribe have volunteered in the armed forces throughout every conflict since 1868. In WWII, the Code Talkers were able to transmit messages, and despite every effort, the US enemies never broke the complex syntax and complicated tonal qualities. The US Marine force acknowledges that without the members of this tribe the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima and other crucial locations.

The Navajo-English Dictionary was designed to aid Navajos learning English, those desiring to learn Navajo, and to help preserve this rich language. Without "The Sound System of Navajo" section in which Wall and Morgan teach about the pronunciation of the words this dictionary would serve as a research tool, but would not provide a way to correctly speak any of the over 9,000 entries.

The dictionary is formatted strictly with the Navajo words then the English definitions. If you wanted to find the perfect English word, then translate it into Navajo, you will have to search through the book. There are two columns of definitions per page. The Navajo is in bold, and I did not find it difficult to link the words together.

Writers:

The book will help create veracity whether your story is set in the old west, any world war, or current conflicts. Well-researched information allows the reader to suspend disbelief and become part of your story. For historians, this book is invaluable.

Here is a brief dictionary of a few of the words, but I am not able to show the correct grammar marks.

'a' a'a'n -- this is a hole in ground, tunnel, cove, or burrow.

bi -- he, she, it, they, theirs.

Be'e'sh Sinil -- Winslow, Arizona

giinisi -- fifteen cents

ha'adi -- where; where?

There are so many words and phrases, so much beauty and history, that any linguist, archeologist, or scholar will love the book simply for the history that is inherent in this ancient language.

5 Stars.

Victoria Tarrani

I think that this book provided me with great knowledge about African American music in the early years. It went into great depth and was easy to read. Great for research papers.

An amazing resource. Morgan has forgotten more than most people will ever know about the history of jazz. Spectacular work!

I am surprised to be the first person to review this book The Die Song, by Donald T. Lunde and Jefferson Morgan, was a wonderfully written nonfiction book It was about Herbert William Mullin, a mass murderer who was sent to prison although it was clear he was insane. The psychologist who helped write the book, Donald T. Lunde, was the one who worked with the murderer during the trial. It was written in a way that made the reader feel like a witness to the murders, the trial and the criminal's life. It provided a deep analysis into the background of Mullin. The book was very well written, and I could hardly put it down! I highly recommend this book to those interested in either psychology or criminology.

These songs are fun and interesting for all kinds of ages and levels of Spanish. The singing is clear and varied enough to keep it interesting. I noticed the music helping me learn more hidden details of Spanish such as where emphasis might be placed in a phrase, or how to express ideas more naturally rather than in "book language". The illustrations in the book are a little too like high school text books, but at least they are clear. The Spanish used seems to me more Castilian rather than the Mexican or Latin American one would run into here in the U.S., but is what is usually taught here anyway. Even my two-and-a-half year old enjoyed this thoroughly!

In many Native American groups, animals are personified in traditional tales, often playing consistant roles which reflect that animal's characteristics. Coyote is most often seen as a trickster who makes a fool of himself so that child listeners may learn the lesson. This book contains an introduction and six coyote tales. The illustrations are black pen and the stories retain an authentic tone. The text is perfect for second graders and would be a great series of school skits, with dialog and narration already in the text. Although this simple book does not use colored illustrations or a rewritten literary text, it does a great job of focusing on the cultural integrity of the stories and delivering them to an audience of 4-8 year olds.

Vivid and mysterious Lord of the Flies is one of those uncommon books which is susceptible to several levels of interpretation and analysis. It has this characteristic because it deals honestly and profoundly with human beings under stress, and because its author, William Golding, has a sympathetic and intense vision of the problems facing modern man, the varied reactions of different types of people under similar conditions, and the internal tension experienced by human beings forced to face new a difficult situations. Through its portrayals of human beings and human problems, this novel illustrated important general principles of human behavior and human relations. Lord of the flies is a thought-provoking novel. The book describes in detail the horrific exploits of a band of young children who make a striking transition from civilized to barbaric. The Lord of the Flies commands a pessimistic outlook that seems to show that man is inherently tied to society, and without it, we would likely return to savagery. Symbolism played had also played an important role in the development of story. This narrative technique was used to give a significance to certain people or objects, which represent some other figure. The following table lists many of the examples of symbolism used throughout Golding's book.

Can we really "trace the defect of society back to the defect of human nature"? This book was written in an attempt to find out. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows us, naked and exposed, at once innocent and corrupt, noble and cruel, and all to human. He uses symbols, theories, and ideas to help illustrate his point. For example, the female sow, represents the mother of the boys - the killing of the sow symbolizes the killing of the mother. The roles of the three main characters are different; Ralph being the ego (self knowledge), Piggy being the superego (conflict between thoughts) and Jack being the id (want). Lord of the Flies uses symbolism so well, that it is understandable, interesting to read, and catching. The writing in this book is structured so well. I was able to understand what he wrote, and I was hooked. What I liked best about this book was the clarity of it, the style of his writng and the plot of the story. His writing is also very specific. I was able to put pictures in my mind about what was being said - {Over the Island the build up of clouds continued. A steady current of heated air rose all day from the mountain and was thrust to ten thousand feet; revolving masses of gas piled up the static until the air was ready to explode}-this is an excerpt from chapter nine. It is obvious that his style of writing is excellent and should be highly acknowledged. It deserves a 5 star rating. Lord of the Flies is a wonderful, symbolic, adventure into ritual, primitivness, death, guilt, innocence, betrayal, and war. Only then, will you find the answer to the question, "can we trace the defect of society back to the defect of human nature"?

How long will it take for the mores and constraints of civilization to be eroded in a surreal, isolated jungle setting? A group of English schoolboys survive a plane crash in a post- nuclear world, to find themselves on a lush, tropical island, with no apparent dangers and even better-no adults! Sounds idyllic: no rules, no punishment, no judgment for bizarre behavior. Nor anyone to take responsibility for the "littleuns."

But social dynamics quickly emerge, as human nature is released from 12 years of training. Thoughtful Ralph is voted Chief, with bespectacled Piggy his second in command. The right to speak in council is formalized by the possession of "the Conch" shell. Is it human nature to require rules and ritual? Their critical need, of course, is to maintain a signal fire (especially the smoke) to attract a passing ship. For if there is no Hope of rescue, what will happen to this mini outbost of Britian; will they "go native?"

Rivalry increases as Jack--leader of the choir boys turned hunters--challenges Ralph's authority, gradually luring many boys to his tribe which offers disguises and promotes violence. Will Ralph realize that he needs to rely on both Piggy's logic and Simon's insight? Could a boy's game disintegrate so quickly into murder? Can Fear evolve into a hideous primitive religion? Is it necessary to create a god of sorts? A gripping tale of the immortal struggle between man's baser instincts and centuries of socialization. A grim must-read for all thinking adults, Lord of the Flies offers great adventure for kids. This is Not a CHILDREN's Classic.

Morgan's Run gets off to a slow start with in-depth background description. Once past the initial basic information of the story, Morgan's Run becomes a book that is hard to put down.

Convicted unfairly of a crime whose penalty is seven years and transportation, Richard Morgan learns to live as a prisoner. Life aboard the prison ship is a job in itself to stay alive.

Arriving in Botany Bay, Richard plies his trade as a gunsmith to the building of a convict community. Having lost his wife and child to death before being sentenced, he lives alone and desires no woman. As more and more convicts arrive, living quarters become sparse and each is required to take in a convict. A frightened young girl, half his age, ends up in his house and thus begins the thawing of his heart. Richard finishes his sentence and deems to stay in this new land and with his new love.

Having read most of Ms.McCullough's books, I was looking forward to Morgan's Run. Although the book got off to a slow start and the detailed descriptions made for very slow reading, I was not disappointed. One of the reasons I like reading Colleen McCullough's books is that her reasearch is very thorough. She describes in detail how people performed everyday tasks. Her descriptions of life in the jails and aboard the convict ships show the hardships of the times and what these people really had to endure. Alot of other books, and especially the movies, paint too romantic a picture. You could almost smell the stench of the prison hold. I liked the character of Richard Morgan. And, even though he may be bigger than life and almost too perfect, isn't that what a hero is? Looking forward to the sequel.

I have read all of Colleen McCullough's novels, and found the Masters of Rome series to be absolutely riveting as well as informative and "real" - Rome at that time came alive for me and the characters had real depth. In addition, she managed to create riveting plot lines that brought me into all the action and helped to make sense of a very far away and ancient time.

Unfortunately, I did not have this same experience with Morgan's Run. I really wanted to know about the beginnings of Australia, and in her usual thorough manner, Ms. McCullough taught me a lot. Even though Richard Morgan is a complex and interesting character, I did not feel myself really caring about him or the many, MANY people he comes into contact with. Near the end of the story I started to finally get into the message that I think she was striving to convey....quiet strength ultimately overcomes adversity, but Richard was SO quiet that he almost bored me. The character, Meghann, in The Thorn Birds, came totally alive for me and Caesar is incomparable in the Rome Series (I am in love with this man and wish I could time travel, even if only half of her description of him is true!). Richard Morgan seems to be more of a plot mechanism and she almost uses this poor man as badly as the people of his time tried to do. He is admirable but there is so much detail written about what happens AROUND him that I barely got to know HIM. I will, however, read the sequels because of the historical knowledge I will gain and because I am now familiar with the main characters and am beginning to see them as more three dimensional.

as above, it serves its purpose if that's what you want

This book is a good source on idioms in Navajo, and it also has lots of example sentences illustrating the idioms (as well as illustrating all sort of other things on the way). This should be quite useful to intermediate and advanced students.

However, this is /not/ for beginning students -- they will find this book basically unusable.

I advise beginning students to buy Goossen's intro book (/Dine Bizaad/), and to buy one or both of the other big Navajo dictionaries (/Analytical Lexicon of Navajo/ and /The Navajo Language: A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary/, both by Young and Morgan).