An exhaustively researched, even-handed account of the Great American Disaster. You know the general story, so the narrative builds with the crescendo drumbeats of inevitable tragedy. But Stewart's done the research better than anybody else and fills in the details. There are heroes and villians, but Stewart is always ready to give the benefit of the doubt, and believe the best in the characters until proven otherwise. What's haunting to me is that the Donner Party families were striking for the American Dream just like everybody else. But the men steered their families (thanks to ignorance, chicanery, and bad luck) into a hell.

This book told the historic story of the Donner party and had excerpts from the diaries of the members (Patrick Breen, and letters from Virginia Reed. VERY GOOD BOOK!

Besides containing hundreds of photos of some of Petty's best works for Esquire and Old Gold this book also contains the story of the artist, George Petty. From the beginning of his art career to his run arounds with the stuffed shirts at Esquire. The author masterfully paints a picture of a man that created one of America's most endearing icons. This book also contains a brief but very interesting story about the author searching out, finding, and actually meeting his hero a few short years before his death. Excellent read and masterfully designed.

I'm a big fan of the classical pin-up. George Petty's work is the epitome of pin-up art. His girls always seem to talk to you, to tease you. I was lucky enough to purchase this book and I feel my money was well spent. This book also tells the story of Petty's birth, childhood, and eventual rise to fame in the pages of Esquire, True and several other popular magazines of this era. It also tells how he became enthralled in the war effort and how his "girls" became the dreams and fantasies of many a G.I. during WWII, and especially one of his pieces recreated on the nose of the famous "Memphis Belle". This book is for the aspiring pin-up artist (like myself) too as well as the pin-up enthusiast. Do check it out!!

Letter received from Msgr. Sears

April 6, 1996 From; Monsignor W. M. (Padre) Sears Englewood, Fl. 34295

I have just finished reading George Stewart's books, and books on tape,`` The Circle, We Three, and There is The EGG- There is The SEED- Then LIFE gets Complicated, Solutions, and Thoughts about Life. As he states in several places and in several different ways, He is writing about his thoughts on many very important issues which face us all on a daily basis, morality, politics, economics, respect for life (all forms), self respect, and human dignity. He feels that many of his readers have thought and felt about those things as he does. I know I do.

As a former teaching monk of the Merist Brothers and now a priest (R.C.) for nearly forty years, I hold steadfastly to many of Mr. Stewart's thoughts which are based on the basics, or good, sound, reasoned, common sense.

Though he claims no religious affiliation and considers himself a naturist. I find him to be Catholic (large C) in many of his thoughts and definitely very catholic (small c) because of his world wide experiences which have helped form and formulate his thoughts and ideas.

I highly recommend his books to anyone who is interested in finding reasonable solutions for the serious problems we have faced and continue to face in our society. Mr. Stewart's books help us to identify the core problems and then he offers reasonable and well reasoned solutions to those problems. Mr. Stewart goes beyond the symptoms to find the root. He does not say tsk-tsk and stick his head in the sand as many of us have. He will make you think.

Msgr. Bill Sears

Englewood, Fl.

Grandpa Stewart:. "Thoughts about life"

Stewart ties past to future

By MIKE JORDAN Staff Writer for The Spirit Lake Beacon

Raised during the great depression in Norfolk, Neb., George Stewart has lived a different life than most from the very beginning. He is the son of a doctor. Only when growing up in The Depression doctors got paid a little differently than they do now. If they got paid at all. Stewart said, "Our family ate a lot of vegetables back then because that is what dad brought home. Food was an acceptable payment for his services. It was something we could certainly use." Stewart joined the U.S. Navy Sea Bees in 1951, working eight years in the service as a heavy equipment operator. After the service he worked mostly in feed and fertilizer sales in the Midwest. By the early seventies Stewart had his own feed business in Storm Lake, IA. During the eighties and the farm crisis his business ended in bankruptcy. He and his wife raised five children. However after 30 years of marriage they were divorced. "Those were tough times for me but things have worked out for the best." The Peace Corp followed. Stewart spent five years, from 1987 to 1992 in Sri Lanka and Thailand with the corp. He worked in agronomy and marketing during that time. Many of his writings are from those experiences. Stewart said, "I could always write my thoughts better than I could verbally express them." His first book" There is the Egg,--There is the Seed,-- Then Life gets Complicated" is about his life and travels and the people he has encountered along the way. Much of what he relates in this book is drawn from his peace Corp experiences. Stewart's book "We Three" is a fictional piece about a family living in a country in revolution 20 years after a failed democracy. The people in the story are attempting to re-establish a democracy against the power of a high tech. army. "The Circle" a philosophical look at humanity in the 1990's gives Stewart's perspective on life gained from being away from America for five years. It speaks to such hot topics as global warming and our educational and political systems. It also talks about the dignity of man, humility, and happiness. This book contains some of Stewart's poetry as well. Most recently Stewart has turned to books on tape as a change in delivery of his experiences and ideas. "Thoughts About Life" his first tape, describes a common sense approach to life. This tape draws upon the wisdom of those who have gone on before. The times of sharing at Sunday dinners, church events, picnics, or drives in the country, bring out the experiences of his elders. The tape relates to a drawing upon the past, while getting to know ourselves and learning to like who we are. Stewart's latest offering "Solutions" is a tape that touches on the frustrations Stewart sees in our country of not knowing what is wrong. Not knowing what is wrong makes it very difficult to know what to do that is right. Billed as "Solutions for the next millennium We Can DO" it is presented as a can do attitude to life's problems. The message is not one of change for change sake but a fixing of what we have in place. The focus is on the processes of change. Stewart has drawn on his experiences of living in several different countries as well as those he served with in the Peace Corp. He says that learning to communicate in another language was the most challenging and the most rewarding. Being able to learn about the culture was the main benefit of being able to speak in their language. He also writes poetry, some of which appears in his books and on his tapes. He has started his own publishing company and is about to embark on a new phase in his life. Stewart said, "I have looked back on my life and it seems I have lived it in seven year segments. I'm embarking on what I call my marketing phase now. Ending my writing phase for a while." "It is attitude that makes the difference. We can all choose our attitude. It is what we think that matters. We have to be aware of our attitude and make good choices." Hoping to be a teacher-mentor inspiring people to learn Stewart said, "I want to give others a way to find their own path. Their own way to live and think. As writing has grabbed me, people need to find out whatever grabs them and do that thing." Stewart's works do bring a part of the past right into the future allowing the reader to draw upon the part that has meaning for them.

Many people do not realize the value of George Rodrigue's "calendars." In the past few years, this publisher has added Blue Dogs for every week of the year. They are wonderful. Most of us can't afford the price of a Blue Dog print, so get the calendar for the prints! I noticed that the 2004 Calendar will be released this year with a new publisher. I hope the quality continues. If not,I still have this one to keep as an art collectible.

I had a bought and borrowed a few for-sale-by owner books in order to help me sell my spec houses, but was always very disappointed with how and general and vague they were. This book, however, told me all the info I needed in a very easy-to- follow, step-by-step format. I really feel like I totally understand the process now, thanks to this book. If you follow all the advice and suggestions, you will definitely save thousands on realtor fees.

There are magnificent books about the French Revolution, Michelet's (not Burke, not Carlysle could match its emotional committment to the heart rather than the idea), Lammartine (readers have sung the Marselleise leafing through the history of te Gironde), then comes Lefevbre, a modern..narrates at Michelet's tempo the measures of Lammartine's events. No doubt the modern's attraction is to the more objective clause, and yet, at some point an image of Marianne strats to appear in the pages. Yes, a son of the Revolution, on the way to the annaliste school. This is what modern historical writing should be all about..

This fascinating book addresses, and counters, the many false interpretations of Hegel that have grown up from the start of his system to the present day. To be sure, these defenses, in the midst of much 'setting the record straight', might be challenged as partisan or excessively one-sided themselves, yet the fact remains that many attacks on Hegel have failed to grasp the nature of his thinking. This is not even a 'pro-Hegel' statement, being of equal relevance to those critics of Hegel who end up thrashing in the labyrinthine subtleties of his influence, and dialectical logic.
This works both ways, as Hegel is pressed into the service of ideology by his friends. Worth the price of the book twice over is the series and expose on the 'end of history' mythology now liberal propaganda a la Fukuyama. This material arriving via Koyre and Kojeve with assistant packaging by Alan Bloom constitutes the core Hegel phantom in State Department piece de resistance that graced the end of the Cold War. It is a good example of the Hegel you thought you knew, but definitely didn't.

England's Queen Mary--grandmother of the current Queen Elizabeth II--commissioned the construction of her extraordinary dollhouse (or "dolls' house" as it is referred to here) in 1921, during her own reign. It resides at Windsor Castle, as it has since being constructed there. Designed by Edward Lutyens (famous for his graceful furniture), the house is a reproduction of Windsor Castle right down to the last nail--almost literally.

David Cripps' photography beautifully captures the interiors of this amazing dollhouse, from the grand to the plebian. Here is the linen closet, each batch of towels tied with different-colored ribbon to denote whether they were intended for the nursery, the staff, or the kitchen. Here is a lacquer cabinet with gilded stand, dovetailed working drawers, and gold-leafed decoration. Here is a bed, complete with pillows, bolsters, sheets, blankets, and even a tiny walnut-handled bedwarmer. The toilet, complete with toilet paper discreetly placed in a bowl alongside, really works. The toothbrushes are made of ivory and have bristles made from the hair of a goat's inner ear. In the cellar, bottles of Chateau Margaux are properly corked and waxed and labeled. The pantry shows real bows of Fry's Chocolates sharing space with McVitie & Price biscuits, barley sugar candies in hefty glass candy jars, and Frank Cooper's Seville Marmalade in squat jars tied with brown paper and string.

The garage houses a miniature bicycle with brakes "in perfect working order," not to mention a Rudge motorcycle and sidecar, a seven-seater Rolls Royce limousine-landaulet, a Vauxhall, a "Sunbeam open tourer," and two Daimlers. Gorgeous royal crests are hand-painted on each. The house even has its own petrol pumps and fire appliances, as was normal for large houses in that era.

The house's garden is splendid despite the absence of a single living thing. The lawn, made of cut green velvet, boasts several tiny mowers (both motor-powered and not), and the nearby garden has its own lovely benches, hoes, spades and the like. There is even a robin's nest, complete with eggs, and a tiny, tiny snail.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing in the house is the book collection. Famous authors were asked to contribute their own works. Arthur Conan Doyle obliged by submitted "How Watson Learned the Trick," an original 500-word short story done in his own handwriting. The bookplates for each of the books were designed by beloved Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator Ernest Shepard. Rudyard Kipling submitted not only two poems, but illustrated them himself as well. Other well-known authors who gave their own works to the Queen's house included G. K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad, Robert Graves, Aldous Huxley, Hilaire Belloc, Rose Macauley, W. Somerset Maugham, and Vita Sackville-West. Topping off the fine works of this distinguished crowd are the leather-bound autograph books--one each for famous folks from stage and screen, famous folks from the military, and famous politicans.

There is even a room for storing the scepter, crowns and other regalia--all featuring flawless gemstones!

The details are endlessly fascinating and the house and its furnishings so well-constructed that without a tennis ball or coin or some other everyday real object, you easily forget that everything your eye falls upon here is miniature. For those who cannot get to Windsor Castle themselves to view the house in person, this book offers a very fine tour.

This is another of the "follow the old road" books and gives much insight to the history of predecessor roads as well as the conditions of the highway circa 1949-1950. Although the old US 40 signs are fast disappearing, the book will help you find the old segments off the interstates.

Grandpa Stewart:. "Thoughts about life"

Stewart ties past to future

By MIKE JORDAN Staff Writer for The Spirit Lake Beacon

Raised during the great depression in Norfolk, Neb., George Stewart has lived a different life than most from the very beginning. He is the son of a doctor. Only when growing up in The Depression doctors got paid a little differently than they do now. If they got paid at all. Stewart said, "Our family ate a lot of vegetables back then because that is what dad brought home. Food was an acceptable payment for his services. It was something we could certainly use." Stewart joined the U.S. Navy Sea Bees in 1951, working eight years in the service as a heavy equipment operator. After the service he worked mostly in feed and fertilizer sales in the Midwest. By the early seventies Stewart had his own feed business in Storm Lake, IA. During the eighties and the farm crisis his business ended in bankruptcy. He and his wife raised five children. However after 30 years of marriage they were divorced. "Those were tough times for me but things have worked out for the best." The Peace Corp followed. Stewart spent five years, from 1987 to 1992 in Sri Lanka and Thailand with the corp. He worked in agronomy and marketing during that time. Many of his writings are from those experiences. Stewart said, "I could always write my thoughts better than I could verbally express them." His first book" There is the Egg,--There is the Seed,-- Then Life gets Complicated" is about his life and travels and the people he has encountered along the way. Much of what he relates in this book is drawn from his peace Corp experiences. Stewart's book "We Three" is a fictional piece about a family living in a country in revolution 20 years after a failed democracy. The people in the story are attempting to re-establish a democracy against the power of a high tech. army. "The Circle" a philosophical look at humanity in the 1990's gives Stewart's perspective on life gained from being away from America for five years. It speaks to such hot topics as global warming and our educational and political systems. It also talks about the dignity of man, humility, and happiness. This book contains some of Stewart's poetry as well. Most recently Stewart has turned to books on tape as a change in delivery of his experiences and ideas. "Thoughts About Life" his first tape, describes a common sense approach to life. This tape draws upon the wisdom of those who have gone on before. The times of sharing at Sunday dinners, church events, picnics, or drives in the country, bring out the experiences of his elders. The tape relates to a drawing upon the past, while getting to know ourselves and learning to like who we are. Stewart's latest offering "Solutions" is a tape that touches on the frustrations Stewart sees in our country of not knowing what is wrong. Not knowing what is wrong makes it very difficult to know what to do that is right. Billed as "Solutions for the next millennium We Can DO" it is presented as a can do attitude to life's problems. The message is not one of change for change sake but a fixing of what we have in place. The focus is on the processes of change. Stewart has drawn on his experiences of living in several different countries as well as those he served with in the Peace Corp. He says that learning to communicate in another language was the most challenging and the most rewarding. Being able to learn about the culture was the main benefit of being able to speak in their language. He also writes poetry, some of which appears in his books and on his tapes. He has started his own publishing company and is about to embark on a new phase in his life. Stewart said, "I have looked back on my life and it seems I have lived it in seven year segments. I'm embarking on what I call my marketing phase now. Ending my writing phase for a while." "It is attitude that makes the difference. We can all choose our attitude. It is what we think that matters. We have to be aware of our attitude and make good choices." Hoping to be a teacher-mentor inspiring people to learn Stewart said, "I want to give others a way to find their own path. Their own way to live and think. As writing has grabbed me, people need to find out whatever grabs them and do that thing." Stewart's works do bring a part of the past right into the future allowing the reader to draw upon the part that has meaning for them.