Prophet? Madman? Or philosopher? The mythological characters in William Blake's prophetic poetry present a conundrum for the reader who confronts these characters with the traditional literary expectations of a symbolic reading. Indeed, the vanguard of contemporary criticism would argue that the very complexity of Blake's mythology precludes an all inclusive schemata.

Yet S. Foster Damon's A BLAKE DICTIONARY offers compelling testament that there was methodology in Blake's madness. In addition to providing a detailed enunciation of virtually every character in Blake's poetry, Damon further offers an exposition of the major themes and symbols which Blake repeatedly returned to in his longer prophetic works. Along with both Northrop Frye's FEARFUL SYMMETRY and David Erdman's PROPHET AGAINST EMPIRE, Damon's meticulously cross-referenced dictionary is an essential reference work for anyone who dares delve into Blake's complex mythology.

Breakfast with Sammy is a sweet story of a darling kitten and a loving little girl. I also enjoyed the glossary which helps the young readers I know understand some of the tricky words. I really loved the illustrations by Susan VanLaar; so much so that I scanned in some pictures from the book for the desktop background on my computer! A great read!

My mother loved the BBC radio production of this play, with Imogen Stubbs as Lizzie Siddal; I thought it was very good, but the book is better.

The only thing many people know about William Morris is his wallpaper, and of Rossetti is that he dug up his wife's grave to retrieve poems he'd buried with her (including poems to his mistress). Clever As Paint not only explains how someone could do something like that, but makes it seem like a reasonable thing to do. Siddal's ghost refusing to give him the wording to the poem seems natural as well - what wife would ever give her husband the text to a love poem written to another?

Clever as Paint is beautiful and useful: a very funny black comedy, based on solid historical research. It benefits from being read, and reread, since there are so many levels to the play. It's witty without sacrificing compassion and even though it is very funny, the despair and grief of Rossetti is genuine. The poetry quoted is glorious and the book includes sheet music for Siddal's poems composed by Elizabeth Parker.

This play is a delight for people who know nothing of the Rossettis, and a joy for those who do.

I recommend that any fan of William Blake buy this volume and the other 5 in the series. The books are beautiful, large, and handsomely bound. Each book is reproduced in full color, using a six-color printing process rather than the standard four. The pages are heavy, opaque and have a gorgous lustre indicating very high quality paper. The text of each book accompanies the color reproductions in standard typeface with very competent commentary to boot.

I am 38 years old and I read this book when I was 17 years old as a senior in high school. It wasn't a requirement that I read this book. I simply saw it in the library and was intrigued by the title. Now that I am an adult, I want my children to read this powerful book. I am also ordering the book today so that I can reread it. There were so many people who participated in the civil rights movement and it is time we learn about more of those American heros. I could not put this book down. I read it in two days! Myrlie Evers shares her darkest fears and greatest joy.

In his book From Coronado To Escalante:The Explorers of The Spanish Southwest Dr. J.M. Morris told the story about Don Francisco Vazquez de Coronado's journey of 1540 to the present-day Southwest, and skillfully depicted the origins of this expedition. He used the accounts of the previous Spanish conquistadores like Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro who before Coronado organized their "entradas" and subjugated the mighty Aztec and Inca empires. The author has also drawn the images of the people who participated in these adventures by portraying their ethnic and social status, and what motivated them to endure hardships such as fatigue, thirst, cold, and heat in the terras incognitas. As Dr. Morris followed every footstep of the Coronado conquistadores across the vast territories of Northern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas, he educated the reader about the types of landscape they encountered. The author not only pointed out the geographical terms of the landscape such as the Continental Divide, the Great Canyon or the rivers of Sonora, Pecos and Rio Grande, but he also linguistically enhanced the characteristics of that environment by providing the terms used by the Spanish explorers themselves like despoblados,"desolate, cactus-strewn wastelands", and the Llano Estacado, "Staked Plains",a part of the plateau streching across Northern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle, to name just a few. The author introduced the reader to a variety of Indian cultures that the Coronado expedition encountered in its way. "The Zunis, the Opatas, the Hopis, the dwellers of the pueblos in the Rio Grande Valley, the Querechos of the buffalo plains, the Teyas of the barrancas and the Wichitas of Kansas" provide evidence of a diverse world of the America's indigenous population. Besides this ethnic diversity, Dr.Morris exhibited various attitudes of how Europeans were perceived by the Indians. The title From Coronado To Escalante is a timeline during which the power of the Spanish conquistadores declined (since gold was not found to be abundant) and the ascent of the Catholic Church missionaries began. Where the magic and attraction of the riches were gone, the abundance of the Indian pagan souls prevailed. Friar Silvestre Velez de Escalante and his small group in 1776 opened a new era in mapping the landscape of the Southwest that resulted in creation of more missions in that area, the monuments to the legacy of the Catholic Church of Spain. Dr. J. M. Morris book provides a focused, comprehensive narrative that makes the reader open the map of Mexico and the present-day Southwest in order to plot Coronado's trail as he or she reads about the Spanish explorers' adventures in search of gold, glory, and fame.

I loved this book. It demonstrated for me the real "art" of gardening. William Morris was a clever and far sighted man who advocated staying within the parameters of nature and natural beauty when making gardens. He also perpetuated the "garden room" theme which has been enormously popular since the eighteeth century. I refer to this book continuously and strive to design and construct garden rooms in my own garden which are as beautiful.

I can't believe this is out of print. We use ours as gift wrap, coffee table conversation piece, bookmarks (when you don't use the whole sheet), etc. I HIGHLY recommend the investment; beats the more commercial-looking gift wrap by a long way.

This is usually considered the first of William Morris's fantasy novels. Whether that is the case or not, he had certainly perfected the genre by the time he wrote this novel. Morris's pseudo-mediaeval prose style is at its most enchanting, while the story keeps the reader enthralled throughout the volume. I highly recommend this book for all lovers of imaginary-world fantasy.

I love this book on Huckleberries, it is blank so it is a quick read.