I was given the original hard back by my father Richard W. Walton Sr. (Great Grandson of Col. J.B. Walton, Commander in Chief of the Washington Artillery). Once I started reading the book, I could not put it down, finished it in the same afternoon. I would have enjoyed reading it over and over through the years, but could not due to the age and condition of the original (copyright, 1885) I have read everything that I could get my hands on involving the American Civil War. After reading this book, I feel that I owe thanks to William Miller Owen for taking me back in time. I felt the experience as if I were there. As I came to know the men of the Battalion from day one upon their depature from New Orleans enroute to Richmond VA., I felt remorse in reading of the death of so many of them.

Very well written account of the Washington Artllery's engagements during the Civil War. Describes all major actions from the First Battle of Bull Run to the final surrender at Appomatox. You feel so close to the lives of the troops; makes you marvel at all the struggles and hardships that were endured. A must read for all Civil War buffs. First published in 1885 by Ticknor and Company of Boston. Reissued in a limited edition that is an exact reproduction of the original, with a few additions (an Introduction by Kenneth Urquhart, three additional illustrations, and the list of present-day officers) by The Pelican Publishing Company of New Orleans, June 1964.

I balked at paying $55 but this book has proved to be a bargain at the price. Bowditch has successfully distilled--in highly readable and enjoyable fashion--seven years of experience as a publicly financed developer of Ghana's newest national park. His insights are informed, not only by his impressive academic training (Harvard A.B. 1966; Princeton M.P.A. 1974), but by the obstacles he faced as a white American newcomer and the comparisons he can draw to his earlier endeavors in a number of countries in Asia and, before that, as Maine's Secretary for Economic Development. Bowditch's enthusiasm for Ghana is heartfelt and contagious. He gives many good reasons why Ghana is likely to be every bit as competitive in the new Millenium as the so-called Asian Tigers were at the end of the last. Whether or not Ghana will quite prove to be an African Lion, Bowditch is bullish on its prospects. His famous ancestor and namesake was known as "The Practical Navigator" of the open seas. Bowditch may well become that for American investor/entrepreneur or those just interested in Ghana. I therefore highly recommend this book!

I found this book to be very interesting and well organized. The author's personal experiences keep your attention. They make it much easier to follow and understand the points the author is making as he examines Ghana as a country of potential opportunity in the economically emerging continent of Africa.

Nat Jackson speaks for everyman --and woman --who wrestles with the joys and foibles of falling in and out of love and yearns for something more enduring --a "mature love," a lifelong friend, lover, companion. Inspired by his own experiences which he shares in an unpretentious style (so refreshing in this era of Mars-Venus-Godess "experts" on the human heart) Jackson is wise enough to turn to the real love gurus for advice on the dance between the sexes. Throughout, he includes illuminating nuggets of wisdom from thinkers and writers such as Chaucer, Ovid, Shakespeare, Plato, and Blake and gifted women like Jane Austen, Dorothy Parker, Virginia Woolf, Betty Friedan and Edith Wharton. These sages touch on everything from "Dating Advice for Women" to "Keeping the Love Alive." Love isn't stripped of its mysteries rather, like a fine wine, it's contemplated, celebrated, and savored for its paradoxes. (Check out page 115: "We need, when we love, really only this: to let each other go; for holding on is easy and does not have to be learned." Rainer Marie Rilke.)
Along with this wisdom there is Fun! The fun is that the reader gets to eavesdrop on centuries of conversations. Some women may protest a man entering this circle and sharing love advice for women, but Jackson freely admits that his views are subjective, not the final say, and does so without Hubris. I like this "Annie Hall" approach. As a reader I get to eavesdrop on love, on what appeals, from a man's perspective, and then I get to listen in on the sage women quoted throughout. It's a lively conversation.
###

Love Advice for Women is a truly exquisite book, both inside and out. The cover design is striking, and what's inside is just as impressive. I bought the book for myself because I'm a classic literature buff, but I plan to give some as gifts to my friends who moan and groan about their love lives. I highly recommend this book as a gift because it's very attractive and also an interesting concept. The author seems to have done extensive research to come up with so many quotes about love, and even though it's not supposed to be a heavy-duty advice book, the quotes and commentary are surprisingly on target for giving one fresh ways of looking at dating and relationships. So, I enjoyed it not only from the literary sense but found it practical as well.

I just finished reading this book aloud to my children, ages 8 and 6. Each day, they begged me to read more. Our family was already familiar with what happened to the five missionary martyrs, including Nate Saint and Jim Elliot. After reading this book, we all felt that we were a part of Nate Saint's family, and we wept at the end of the book. The book was very well-written and very appropriate to read to children, but also very interesting for my husband and myself. In fact, about halfway through with my children, I finished reading it myself while they were asleep. Nate Saint's story was very challenging to all of us to fully devote our lives to Christ.

This book is all about a Christian man that gave his love of flying planes to God. This inspriational story about Nate Saint tells of his life, from his childhood, to his tragic death in Ecuador. Nate was actually a martyr for God. By the death of his friends and himself, he acutally opened up the door for others to minister to the savage Auca tribe. This is a wonderful book, I highly reccommend it!

This is the best selection to buy of Hawthorne's short stories because it is NOT a selection, it is complete and, if you believe the editor, it's actually more accurate in its assessment of what is and is not a Hawthorne story than some complete collections because he did not include here some stories that his co-editors on the Hawthorne Centenary Edition did want to include. (Hawthorne spent much of his career as an underpaid and unsung magazine writer and some of his work went with no byline and without reprinting at his own choice, so what he wrote is no easy matter to decide.) The stories are, you probably know if you're looking up this book, stark and wonderful. But some of them are also twee and a little fanciful and not so wonderful. That too is instructive. One very useful thing about this volume is that it includes a listing of when each story first saw print in magazine form and when in book form. In that way the reader can chart Hawthorne's development as a magazine writer and a professional which in every possible sense of the word he determined to become and despite some difficult odds finally was. Some of the most beautiful and terrifying stories in the language and a beautiful object to hold in your hand. Expensive, but if you can get it - this is the one to buy.

The only complaint I have about this book it its paper, which is "bible thin." The tales and sketches from all of Hawthorne's collections are included here, along with 16 previously uncollected stories. If you've read any of Hawthorne's more popularly anthologized tales, you will be amazed at the eloquence and quality of these lesser known jems.

This Norton Critical Edition of 21 of Hawthorne's
tales and sketches (arranged chronologically according
to date of publication -- from "My Kinsman, Major
Molineux" [1831] to "Feathertop: A Moralized Legend"
[1852]) is a truly wonderful anthology. But the editor,
James McIntosh, in the excellent Norton Critical
Editions manner, has also included the major "Prefaces"
from Hawthorne's collections of tales ("The Old
Manse"-- from _Mosses from an Old Manse_ [1846];

"Preface to the 1851 Edition of _Twice-told Tales_";
and "Preface to _The Snow-Image_), as well as
Letters, excerpts from Hawthorne's notebooks, and
finally, an excellent series of critical essays,
extending from Hawthorne's own time up to 1980
[among these is a full inclusion of Herman Melville's
wondrous essay of praise and idolatry, "Hawthorne
and His Mosses" -- first published in _Literary
World_ on 17 and 14 August 1850.].
Even though one might have one's own reasons for
having bias against Hawthorne the man, still the
quality of literacy and the insight into human
psychology and feelings is of such an exceptional
artistic and genius sort that one must leave those
qualifiers outside the temple when one comes inside
to ponder and meditate upon the spirit and wisdom
of this artist.
The best words in speaking of him, of honoring him,
perhaps come from himself and from others who knew
him and read him and were influenced, in whatever way,
by him.
* * * * * * * * *
"Lightly as I have spoken of these old books, there
yet lingers with me a superstitious reverence for
literature of all kinds. A bound volume has a charm
in my eyes, similar to what scraps of manuscript possess,
for the Mussulman. He imagines, that those wind-wafted
records are perhaps hallowed by some sacred verse; and I,
that every new book, or antique one, may contain the
'Open Sesame' -- the spell to disclose treasures,
hidden in some unsuspected cave of Truth."
--Nathaniel Hawthorne; "The Old Manse."
* * * * * * * * *
"When a new star rises in the heavens, people gaze
after it for a season with the naked eye, and with such
telescopes as they may find. In the stream of thought,
which flows so peacefully deep and clear, through the
pages of this book, we see the bright reflection of a
spiritual star, after which men will be fain to gaze
'with the naked eye, and with the spy-glasses of
criticism.' The star is but newly risen; and ere long
the observations of numerous star-gazers, perched up
on arm-chairs and editors' tables, will inform the
world of the magnitude and its place in the heaven of
poetry, whether it be in the paw of the Great Bear, or
on the forehead of Pegasus, or on the strings of the
Lyre, or in the wings of the Eagle. [from Norton
footnote: Constellations, here representing -- rough
power, dynamic inspiration, musical grace, lofty
majesty.]
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; from an unsigned
review of _Twice-Told Tales_, 1837.
* * * * * * * * *
"No man can read a fine author, and relish him to
his very bones, while he reads, without subsequently
fancying to himself some ideal image of the man and
his mind. And if you rightly look for it, you will
almost always find that the author himself has somewhere
furnished you with his own picture. For poets (whether
in prose or verse), being painters of Nature, are like
their brethren of the pencil, the true portrait-painters,
who, in the multitude of likenesses to be sketched, do
not invariably omit their own, and in all high instances,
they paint them without any vanity, though, at times,
with a lurking something, that would take several
pages to properly define."
-- Herman Melville; "Hawthorne and His Mosses."
* * * * * * * * *
Wondrous praise for this Artist of the Beautiful
and Insightful -- Revealer of the Heart and Mind...

This is very well edited and prepared collection of Hawthorne's tales. It has everything what a critical edition needs. But the real value of this book are, of course, Hawthorne's tales themselves. For a long time Hawthorne was almost forgotten author, forgotten for common readers I mean, and he was only a name from literary history. But he did not deserve that. His place is among his readers. His tales are among the finest allegories ever written. "Wakefield" is maybe the only real predeccesors of Kafka's works. "Young Goodman Brown" reminds of "Twilight Zone". Hawthorne's tales are great and exceptionally and surprisingly modern.

My son brought this book home from kindergarten for me to read. I love the way it's written and plan to buy it as a gift. Even on the first reading, the words really flow off the tongue and it's a blast to read out loud. The story itself is charming and quite silly. Why would a grandmother put a cow in a child's bed to help him sleep? This is a typical story format for young children, basically repetitive with new items added each time. The repetitive style is naturally good for children around age 3, while the illustrations,zany nature of the story and the acceleration of reading speed enchant older children. The text invites plenty of sound effects for those who get dramatic while reading out loud. This is one of those stories your child may want every night -have fun!

My 3 year old son loves this story. He enjoys the repetitive story and is bemused by the grandmother who runs around trying to help her grandson get to sleep. This is not a scary story and in fact, helps me get my son to sleep. It is also very funny, especially when all of the animals are in the bed with Nathaniel and the bed breaks. It is a fairy tale which is why it is so fun. Enjoy the story with your child or grandchild.

Warning: ON THIS DAY will not blow your mind with its complex plot, excessively self- indulgent characters or snazzy, newfangled prose. You will not need to re-read chapters or passages to figure out what the author is saying. If this sounds refreshing then read on, because ON THIS DAY is an honest, elegant and compelling first novel by Nathaniel Bellows.

In 265 pages of simple, descriptive prose, 18-year-old Warren and his 20-year-old sister Joan flounder through a year of life after the quick successive deaths of their parents: their father from cancer and their mother by suicide. Brother and sister are left with the family home and "enough money to live on comfortably" in a small coastal Maine town. But they are not comfortable. Their physical world, while vibrant and full of detail, wears desperately thin.

Wallpaper collapses without warning. Curtains fade and unsavory smells fester and waft from sources unknown. The siblings cling and bond together in their helplessness. They screen phone calls obsessively to avoid "the enemies": alcoholic "Auntie E." and con artist uncle Steve, who surely are out to exploit them. Everyone, they imagine, is out to exploit them. In a touching exchange the two muse about getting a guard dog or building a moat: "protection from people in general".

Well-meaning townsfolk genuinely do want to connect with them, and their bumbling attempts are comical and strike painfully close to the heart. The real enemy attacks when Warren and Joan are looking the other way. Their father's former business partner Richard, using Joan and Warren's hermetic inaccessibility to his advantage, legally swindles the siblings out of their financial stake in the family-owned plant nursery. A heated standoff ensues. In a businessman versus brother and sister blowout, our heroes rise up in a powerful and united front. The dialogue here is spectacular, one of Bellows's real strengths.

The author demonstrates a profound grasp of the humor, hatred and intimate bond between brother and sister. He has keen insight into the workings and ambitions, or lack thereof, typically found in small-town Maine life. The prose is simple and honest. We instinctively trust Bellows; he seems to be taking us toward the light.

But we squirm midway through when the pacing slows to an exasperating crawl. Occasional nouns sag under the weight of one too many adjectives. Some scenes are repeated and we can't help but wonder if the author whiffed and is going in for another attempt. Warren is the narrator; this choice contributes to the drift.

Warren is an intelligent yet unambitious high school grad who passes his days cataloging microfiche at the local library and obsessing over household chores like retrieving mail. Together with his sister, he is able to create a protective shield. But he is incapable of reaching beyond it and opening his heart to the kind of help he desperately needs. Big sister is too distracted by her doltish and unreliable boyfriend to help.

But we like Warren. His pain is poignant and real. We might miss this gift of intimacy with him if he were a more dynamic character or, rather, if the author was less honest about the true nature of a shell-shocked teenage introvert. As Warren fumbles painfully to find the words "I need help" and a person to whom he can express them, we rally around him.

Ultimately, it is this honest treatment of our hero that keeps us flipping pages clear through to the end. The author speaks to us bravely through a challenging story without the use of gimmicks. And, in the end, we thank him. ON THIS DAY is a nice escape, and an honest and rewarding read.

--- Reviewed by Tanya Corrin

This book caught me by surprise - I saw it in a neighborhood bookstore, but didn't recognize the author's name. The lucid, elegant writing and evocative imagery immediately drew me in, then I couldn't put the book down. Bellows has accomplished an amazing feat in turning a novel about such weighty, impenetrable subjects - grief, memory, human frailty - into a compelling, and utterly readable, story. The characters are rich and varied, and you wind up caring deeply about the two main characters, Warren and Joan. And the book is often darkly funny, too. It's hard to believe this is a first novel. One of the best books I've read for some time.

Our class learned how to make canoes by reading this book. The book was very funny when the bear ate all of the fish. We learned about many different types of animals. Having something bigger is not always better. This book would be good for kids to read because you can learn about a lot of things.

The time has come for Red Fox to have his own canoe. He decides that it must be from the largest tree he can find. But when the canoe is finished, and he begins picking up hitchhikers, he learns that more is not always better! This was one of my favorite books as a child, and I am very lucky to have found it to share with my own children.

I teach a Bible class to preschoolers and I purchased this book as a guide for my "how to be good lessons," which I use in conjuction with the Bible lessons. I start each lesson with a "how to be good lesson" found in Right Choices and then proceed to the Bible lesson. The structure of the book is great - one subject per story, simple questions to ask the children, a prayer and a scripture. The children grasp the concepts and are quickly learning the basics of how God would have us live.

We picked up this book while looking for a guide for our family devotions with our three year old. The structure of the book is great - one subject per story, simple questions for you to ask your child, a prayer and a scripture. Our three year old grasps the concepts quickly and is learning the basics of how God would have us live. We have enjoyed the book as parents and our son asks to have devotional time and brings us the book.