This book was fabulous. It is considered the first novel ever published by an African American; the author was born into slavery but eventually escaped (his account of this, "Narrative of the Life and Escape of William Wells Brown," is included in the book). Clotel is the main character of the story, a mulatto fathered by Thomas Jefferson.

The novel begins with Currer (Clotel's mother and Jefferson's slave), Clotel, and her sister Althea. After Jefferson goes to Washington, Currer is left with another master, who eventually dies, leaving Currer, Clotel, and Althea to be sold on the auction block. The book then continues to tell the story of what happens to each one.

I've never been very into books about African-American issues or slavery. This wasn't for racial reasons; the whole genre just never sparked my interest, I guess. I decided to give this one a try; sort of dipping my toe into the water to see how it is. The book was great -- very easy to read, intriguing, no parts that dragged on and on. I highly recommend it. The only "down" side is that the chapters tend to skip from person to person, and by the time I came to the next chapter about one of them, I had already sort of forgotten how this person came to be in the situation they were currently in. That's probably just me, though; my memory is awful sometimes. All I had to do was flip back a few chapters and refresh my memory. No big deal.

The book focuses a lot on how religion was used as a justification for slavery. Funny how, one hundred and fifty years later, people are still using religion to justify all sorts of discrimination and violence. Learn a lesson much?

It also brings attention to the fact that there were a lot of slaves who were mulattos and could actually pass for white. For some reason, this never occurred to me. I mean, obviously I knew about the practice of slaveholders having children with their slaves, but the picture of a white slave toiling away in a field just never entered my mind. That's not something I ever heard about in my history classes; it was always "white" owners, "black" slaves.

I can't say enough good things about this book.

The genre of African-American fiction began in 1853 with the publication of this historical novel in England. Even though William Wells Brown, a fugitive slave from America, wrote four versions of this story, the first version was not published in the United States until 1969. The reason this novel was not introduced into American society until this time was because of its reference to the relationship Thomas Jefferson had with his slave, Sally Hemmings. The idea that Sally bore him children, which he sold as slaves, was enough to keep this novel out of the American public's eye forever! Still, this novel found its way here and in later versions, Jefferson's connection to Sally vanished all together. This novel centers on three main characters: Currer, a slave who was once Thomas Jefferson's housekeeper and mistress, and their two daughters, Clotel and Althesa.

The separation of Currer and her two daughters in the beginning of the story provides the actual framework of this novel. Through this separation, Brown is able to create three separate story lines united by the institution of slavery.

The first story line involves Currer's life as a concubine of Thomas Jefferson and later a slave to a Reverend John Peck. Through her life, Brown presents the hypocrisy of the slave owner owning another human being as well as some Christians' biblical approval of it. Brown uses the second story line of Clotel and her relationship with Horatio Green, to depict how vulnerable and hopeless life was for black women under slavery. Horatio adores Clotel so much that he provides her with a home of her own to raise their daughter, Mary. But Horatio desperately wants to further his political career and does so by marrying a white woman by the name of Gertrude. Feeling jealous and threatened by Clotel's presence, Gertrude sells Mary into slavery. The final story line involves the fate of Althesa. Like her sister, Althesa is a concubine to her master Henry Morton. But Morton later marries her and is a loving father to their two children. Even though Althesa experiences true love through marriage and was able to raise her children, the actual tragedy of her situation lies in what happens to her children. Through Althesa's story, Brown proves how her free rank in marriage did not grant freedom for her daughters, which continually shows slavery's disruption of the black family unit.

CLOTEL, though considered melodramatic by some, is an exquisite piece of literature. Its importance is not only tied to the fact that it is the first published work of its kind in this genre, but gives readers a glimpse into the English language used by black people at that time. I think this novel was an excellent start for the genre of African American literature.

This story is very interesting as we are descendants of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, whose relationship, the historians attempted to erase from history. The only problem with that is they left 1800+ descendants.

It is a good story that should not be discounted because it was not written about by the so call established historians.

As the Dred Scott papers appeared today on line. Many many stories are stillout there that could intrugue us about our county's past

This book is very informative, don't try and plant without it! Everything from working soil and crop rotation to container gardening and pest control. Plus great information on how to plant specific vegetables. Our neighbors dog got to mine and I had to get another right away!

I'm a new resident in the South and gardening is a lot different than where I came from. I needed tons of advice. This book was extremely substantive and a covered a multitude of topics. Had to buy one for my Mom, too. This book will become my major vegetable gardening reference.

I got alot of good advise from this book. With charts on frost dates and when to plant what there is no way to go wrong when gardening year round in the south. I have fresh veggies all year now because of the helpful points and advise.

The book is the next best thing to actually visiting a working ranch and smelling leather, sweat or burning hair -- or visiting Willie's gallery on a fine December evening for a showing of new works.

This is a BEAUTIFUL book!! I've had it for several years and I never put it away. I keep it out within easy reach so I can look again and again at the stunning watercolors within. In fact, the reason I was looking at Amazon for this book was to send it to friends for a Christmas present.

Willie Matthews does wonderful work depicting the lives of cowboys today. Much of my family have been in the cattle ranch business for generations. Being a cowboy is hard work and generally low pay. They work so hard day in and day out, with little vacation time. It's people like Matthews who appreciate this profession and record it for the world to see. My brother also happens to be one of the cowboys in this book. This is a great book of selected paintings of a dying trade

Fantastic. Wonderful reference for the professional and student

This book is an indespensable tool for the community design professional - don't leave home without it! Hundreds of color photos of well-designed multi-family housing in 85 case studies from around the US.

This book provides an excellent summary of the architecture of affordable housing and the best way to design and develop it. It is particularly useful for architects, planners, city staff and developers interested in improving their communities.

A wonderful audio tape. You feel his pain,and finally the truth comes out! No cover ups! If you love the Titanic as much as I do, this tape if for you!

In this great audio book, which is the companion to "I built the Titanic," Willam Barne's publisher has done an excellent job in editing the actual past-life regression sessions into chronological order. The result is like hearing Thomas Andrews tell the story, step by step, in his own words and his own voice.

So real, it sent chills up my spine.

This is not just a re-hash of the material on the first book. In There is new regression material here, plus an excellent interview with William Barnes, telling how bringing forth the past-life sotry has brought healing and peace of mind in this life. You can also hear a very clear difference between the voice of Tommie and the voice of Bill Barnes. So much more convincxing that a printed book!

I recommend buying both of these "Titanic" audio books -- they really should be considered a two-part set!

This book contains the actual past life regressions that brought forth Tommie Andrews and made him alive again. I can't get enough of the sound of of Mr. Andews speaking through the author. There are additional regrassions that weren't included in I Built the Titanic along with a terrific interview at the end, making this the perfect compliment.

(And by the way, it's pronounced "Loney.") I can't add much to the other positive reviews of this ground-breaking book. Written well, convincing...long live the Earl of Oxford--"Though I once gone to all the world must die" indeed!!

Book arrived in the late afternoon, I started reading and didn't get to bed till 10 AM the next morning. A stunning detective story.

This book introduced the revolutionary idea that an aristocrat named Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550- 1604), wrote the works of Shakespeare under a psuedonym. Oxford is now considered the leading candidate for the authorship of the Shakespeare canon largely because of the influence this book has had over a 75 year period. It first addresses the documentary evidence "against" Will Shakspere from Stratford as the author, then presents the positive evidence on behalf of Oxford as author. The evidence for Oxford is detailed and circumstantial: literary and intellectual parallels in the works of Oxford and Shakespeare; parallels in the life of Oxford, his family and friends and the plots of the Shakespeare plays; topical references in the plays that pre-date the time during which Shakespeare allegedly wrote the works; professional, political and historical knowledge displayed in the plays for which the Stratford actor could not have had the training or access; and so on. Exhaustive research; excellent organization of materials; superbly written. A book that academics have not been able to refute since its publication in 1920.

Sources of Indian Tradition is to date the best compilation of primary sources from India's long intellectual, philosophical and religous traditions. It introduces the reader to seminal texts in the Brahmanic tradition, to ethics, metaphysics, and theories of state and society in Jainism and Buddhism, to ethics, treatises on art and culture, political theory and statecraft and philosophical and religious texts in the Hindu classical and popular tradition. It concludes with a look at the Indian Islamic tradition including the writings of Islamic rulers, ulama, sufis etc. Despite some omissions from the compilation (I would have liked a more in depth exploration of Indian epic literature, classical Sanskrit drama and poetry, the Sikh tradition and Urdu poetry), it is readable, engaging, thought provoking and will illuminate your understanding of one of the world's most fascinating civilizations.

India has one of the richest and most intricate cultures in the world. Imagine a book that compiled all the ancient sources of this culture into a single volume. This book is as close to that ideal as possible. This volume covers India from pre-historic times until the mid 18th century. It includes selections from the Vedas and the Upanishads, foundational Hindu texts; selections from important Jain texts; and selections from early Theravadan and Mahayanan Buddhist texts. It them embarks on an elaborate discussion of Hinduism, organized on the four goals of life -- *dharma*, *artha*, *kama*, and *moksha* (the section on *moksha* contains selections from the *Bhagavad Gita*, other scriptures, and the writings of mystics & saints). The last section of the anthology is a detailed treatment of the Muslims period in India, from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Overall, this is an invaluable sourcebook for anyone who wants to know more about the history of India.

Having read this book cover to cover many times for several research papers, this book contains more than enough information for even the diehard fan of Indian history. Hay has compiled the best of the most significant Indian and Pakistani leaders, both Hindu and Muslim alike to make sure the reader can attain a complete picture of Gandhi and Nehru's India. This is one of my all time favorite resource and reference books on India and I recommend it to anyone interested on the subject.

This bibliography of Thomas B. Mosher, one of the more interesting actors in the printing and graphic arts at the turn of the 20th century, is an essential tool for collectors, librarians, and book dealers. The author's meticulous, compulsive even, research uncovered much new information, both bibliographic and biographic, and presents a stunningly complete picture of the man, Mosher, and his importance. Bishop investigates, and throw much needed new light on, Mosher's reputation as a "literary pirate." Equally important Bishop examines Mosher's "graphic piracy" and identifies many of the artists, mostly British, whose designs were used by Mosher, often without attribution. Finally Bishop establishes Mosher's importance in disseminating, in America, the works of many known and unknown British writers. The appendices at the back of the book are, alone, worth the price of the book.

This bibliography of Thomas B. Mosher, one of the most interesting actors in the printing and graphic arts at the turn of the century, is an essential tool for collectors, librarians, and book dealers. The author's meticulous, compulsive even, research uncovered much new information, both bibliographic and biographic and presents a stunningly complete picture of the man, Mosher, and his importance. Bishop investigates, and throws new light on, Mosher's reputation as a "literary pirate." Equally importantly Bishop examines Mosher's "graphics piracy" and identifies many of the artists, mostly British, whose designs Mosher used, often without attribution. Finally Bishop establishes Mosher's influence in disseminating, in America, works of many known and unknown British writers. The appendices at the back of the book are, alone, worth the price of the book.

Bishop's massive volume breaks new ground in bibliography. Not only is it learned and comprehensive as a whole, individual entries amount to miniature data essays on the Mosher books. Bishop takes bibliography as far as it can go in non-electronic form.

The Black Regulars is an excellent book. Drs. Dobak and Phillips have told this story well, with truly exhaustive research that never suffers from what I call "academic" writing. It is lively and interesting from beginning to end. Along the way, they debunk an old myth that the black regulars were given the poorest equipment, garrisons, quarters, etc. They point out that in the post Civil War army, all soldiers suffered from the above difficulties. The lot of the black man was difficult, but the army did offer more equality. My only quibble is that the book ends with 1898. Perhaps we can look forward to black regulars from the Spanish American War to the present. I heartily recommend The Black Regulars.

This complex, richly documented treatment of the activities, lives, and relationships of black soldiers in the West during the generation after the Civil War is the single best book on the subject. It is one of only three books on the frontier army singled out for recommendation on my website. ...

Brother Thomas Bezanson ,originally from Nova Scotia, is one of the great potters working in cermaics today. His work is notable in its use of color, resembling texture and color used in both China and Japan. He works in porcelin,and now lives and works in Erie, Pa.,not a noted hotbed of the arts. He was formely assocaited with the celebrated Monks of Weston Priory in Vermont. His work is easily accesible, and is on display in the Boston museum,among other places. This book, with its luxurious photos show the depth of the color that Brother Thomas achieves,the deep blends that have become his signature .Tea bowls, plates,vases all are lovingly illustated in beautiful full 4 color photographs.In this volume,he shows his deep indebtedness to the japanese and chinese artist who have preceeded him.Also his story is told along with his progress as an artist, and one can see, as a man. This is a beautiful book,lavishly illustarted which tells Br Thomas history along with the history of the pieces. Excellent, worth the cost and effort.

I found this book very enjoyable and uplifting. The writings of Brother Thomas and the photographs of his art work are exceptional. This is a book I recommend to any artist or anyone who enjoys man at his creative best.