ET Books

Thanks to the erudite editors and writers of the old American Heritage magazine series, we have this magnificent edition of compilation; old photos, drawings, paintings, sketches which span the historical adventures of Western America including the native Americans. The text, encompassing 1763 to 1914 events and times is fascinating which is to be expected by scholars writing for the old American Heritage. This belongs in every library; the editorial power of this magazine has been extinguished, gone, never to be replaced it seems. Having this book edition recaptures the fine work they produced years ago.

American Impressionists and Realists were farther apart in time than they were in what they painted. In fact, with both groups their art grew out of training in Paris; liking for modern French painting; and building an American art that would support American nationalism by faith in the future, the present, and the good old days. They both went outdoors, to the growing system of parks and places for holiday outings, as in Impressionist William Merritt Chase's brightly colored "Prospect Park, Brooklyn," with its Gustave Caillebotte-type compressed backgrounds, exaggeratedly converging spaces, and splayed foregrounds; and in the rugged "Central Park in winter," where Realist William Glackens painted sharply contrasting light and dark side by side and wavily-formed lively children into vigorously brushworked snowy chill. Both groups chose personally meaningful, over nationally significant, places to paint, as in Impressionist Childe Hassam's "Late afternoon, New York: winter" brilliantly light-touched and delicately paint-stitched in one overall tone and Realist Robert Henri's energetically darker-toned "Street scene with snow." Or historical landscapes, such as "Gloucester harbor" through Impressionist Willard Metcalf's dazzlingly wide-banded high-key color for bright summer sun-lighted skies and under Realist John Sloan's late afternoon powerful glow, low sun-cast strong shadows, and storm clouds over Fauvist-type intensely colored and heavily pigmented industrial cranes and wharves. In fact, they both tended to be city painters, as in Childe Hassam's "Rainy day, Boston," with its "Church of St-Philippe-du-Roule" plunging perspective, empty central foreground, masterly controlled narrow tonal palette, and two streets panoramically joined; and in "Bleeker and Carmine Streets" by Impressionist George Luks, as the intersection for overcrowded immigrant slums, ramshackled cold-water flats, and boardinghouses in heavy impastos and somber palette. Both were also aware of how nature was part of doing business in the city, as in the hothouse flower sales of Childe Hassam's lightly brushed "At the florist" and John Sloan's gritty, realistically colored, and vigorously brushed "Easter eve." Both groups were concerned, too, over how industrialization was changing American life, but with Impressionist J Alden Weir's Willimantic Linen Company's "Factory village" naturally fitting as a picturesque river valley industry in the middle of lushly fresh fields while George Luks hunched his driver over the reins to a horse-drawn "Butcher cart" on a slushily dark Manhattan street. Both cared about how people fit into the changing American life so they likewise went in for portraits, as in William Merritt Chase's "James McNeill Whistler," with the sitter's style of broadly applied paint, low-key palette, and thin washes; and in Robert Henri's "George Luks," with the sitter's coarsely provocative painting style of crudely bold slashing strokes and richly dark colors. Both groups had similar concerns about how people were interacting with each other, as in the children playing at Childe Hassam's privileged "Lake for miniature yachts" under the gaze of near-by adults and at John Sloan's "Backyards, Greenwich Village" around the beckoning responsibilities of hanging laundry. Or as in adult time out, with the music of the James Whistler-type sobre paletted "At the piano" by Impressionist Theodore Robinson and of the Honore Daumier- and Francisco Goya-type exaggeratedly expressive "Spielers" shown frenetically dancing by George Luks. Or with a French-styled drawing viewers into the woman in black's box as a figure leaves the upper left corner box in Impressionist Mary Cassatt's "At the opera" and up along with craning spectators at the acrobat inching along the tightrope in "Hammerstein's roof garden" by William Glackens. Or with a surprising sympathy for the performer passed down from Jean-Antoine Watteau's "Gilles" to William Merritt Chase's hunchbacked jester pouring a bracing drink and John Sloan's harshly lit clown making up. So authors H Barbara Weinberg et al's book, with its gorgeously illustrated and nicely organized text, trailblazes looking at the similarities in the art by the 26 artists participating in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's traveling exhibition on AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM AND REALISM.

This is a very interesting view of the American Presidency by an outsider. The author is a professor in England. He sees the presidency from an outside view as the head of the world's only remaining super power and has a good view of the problems that the US is facing from the outside world and internally.

His view is interesting to see, but in some places I wonder if he really understood what he was seeing. The anger and almost hatred that one faction or the other holds for the current President is amazing. Yet, there's still a general following of his authority. The contempt that most people feel for Congress, except for our own representatives is another point difficult to understand.

His conclusion after a pretty good recap of history is that the US will muddle through, on that I think he's right. There will be screaming and yelling, one disaster after another, but in the end it seems that things work out.

The American Scene

American Book Company

1940

768 pages.

History Textbook

The Realm of Reading Series is a series of six books, six collections of literature. They constitute a basic reading program, unified and balanced, for six consecutive school years.

Contains short stories, poems, folklore, Negro Spirituals, Indian Songs, plays, etc.

Edited by Walter Barnes, Mabel A. Bessey, Gladys G. Gambill, Ward H. Green, Tom Burns Haber, Ethel Louise Knox, Claire Soule Seay, & Marquis E. Shattuck

Lots of stories by lots of famous authors.


Part 1: America the Diverse
American Panorama, cities and towns, New England, the South, traveling Westward.

Part 2: The Peoples Who Make America
Early arrivals, the later strains.

Part 3: Our Roots in the Past
Folklore of the South and East
Traditions of the West and the Vanishing Frontier



Part 4: American Portraits
From Life
From Poetry and Fiction
Love Poems



Part 5: The Business of Living
At Work
Tthe Pursuits of Leisure



Part 6: American Ideals
Four Presidents Speak
Poems of the Spirit
The American Home
Our Experiment in Democracy
Passages from Novels

General index, contents by type-groups index, and a chronological grouping of authors as well as biographical sketches.

This is probably a high school level book.

I was excited to see that the price of this text was so much lower than the university bookstore. The book arrived not only early, but in great condition!

This is a well-written and cogent defense of the Catholic view of sexuality. It is coherent and well reasoned. It argues the traditional Catholic positions with which everyone is familiar: against pre-marital sex, against homosexuality, against birth control. But it argues these positions in a sex-positive manner that will be unfamiliar to many who have not thought deeply about the theology of sex. In essence, the authors argue that sex is such a powerful thing that it becomes quite dangerous when used outside of marriage and outside of the possibility of procreation. Yet within those bounds it is a wonderful and positive force that can bring a married couple together.

Nozick's incisive arguments for individual freedom derive from moral conviction rather than economic theory. Life affirming to the core, they are framed in a delightful style leavened with wit. The spark animating his analyses consistently inspires whilst the skill and precision of his definitions, distinctions and diction impress throughout.

To Nozick, the individual is sacred, self-owning and inviolable. Individuals are ends in themselves, not the means for other individuals to attain ends. This conviction is the source of the right to life, liberty and property. Part One investigates justifications for the existence of the state as an agent of monopoly power.

He defends the minimal or "night watchman" state by identifying the procedural matters involved in the use of force. Force may be applied in reaction to crime, in order to protect rights and for settling disputes. The state is thus restricted to (a) defending society from foreign coercion (b) deterring & punishing force & fraud and (c) ensuring the honoring of contracts.

Nozick then proceeds to criticize forms of government of which the power exceeds the minimal as harmful entities undermining the sovereignty of the individual.

Here he defines the entitlement theory of justice which comprises justice in (a) acquisition (& in (a1) rectification should it be violated), (b) holding and (c) transfer. Briefly this means property is justified if it derives from procedures like voluntary transfer or acquisition that is just. This is a non-patterned principle and justice is a process rather than a condition. "From each as they choose, to each as they are chosen," he explains.

Although agreeing with Hayek on all points, Nozick's style & reasoning differ markedly, his analytical method being far removed from the approach of the author of The Road to Serfdom.

Neither conservative nor anarchist, Nozick was a classical liberal or libertarian. He rejects the distinction between economic rights and civil liberties, and between the market and the civil spheres, referring to "capitalist acts between consenting adults." And in confronting the far-out fringe represented by Murray Rothbard, he explains convincingly why Anarcho-capitalism is unstable and incompatible with reality.

Back on the statist front, Nozick elegantly dismantles the case for egalitarianism in his engagement with John Rawls, trenchantly exposing the fallacies & injustice of redistribution, regulation of commerce and welfarism.

His objection to "positive rights" like equality of opportunity is based on their requirement of a substructure of materials & actions that may belong to others. On this subject Chantal Delsol's criticism of the European welfare state came to mind. Observing how welfare keeps citizens suspended in perpetual adolescence that leads to the conflation of rights and desires, she defines this process of inhibited growth resulting in selfish demands as the "sacralization" of rights.

Inversion takes place: What began as freedoms are transformed into entitlements whilst the process reduces those who are responsible & productive into the slaves of the petulant takers, illustrating Nozick's characterization of collectivist exploitation as a process in which people's ignorance of economics are taken advantage of.

Having demonstrated the irrationality and injustice of attempts to enforce equality, Nozick lovingly reinstates individual freedom as the primary principle. His cutting analyses is enhanced by entertaining and thought-provoking observations on alienation, equal opportunities, exploitation, love, the psychology of envy, emotions and moods.

Finally, he explores the meaning of utopia.

A free society serves as framework for utopia, offering a meta-utopia that permits voluntary movement between dimensions where everybody benefits from the presence of everybody else. The gist of it is voluntary association for mutual benefit.

The innumerable attempts to "refute" Nozick bear witness to the abiding light so eloquently revealed in this masterpiece of political philosophy. A further measure of its success is the demonstrable impact of Anarchy, State & Utopia on various other disciplines.

Nozick's refreshing insights, analytical excellence and elucidatory skills created an intoxicating text. But it is the joy in the ever expanding mentation, the radiating love of life that resonates with this reader.

This new genealogy features lines from a number of New England families, including: Adams, Allyn, Andrews, Austin, Bachelder, Bishop, Blake, Blanchard, Boylston, Bright, Bronson, Bulkeley, Butler, Call, Cooke, Clarke, Crawford, Damon, Eames, Edenden, Fowle, Gaylord, Goldstone, Goodman, Hett, Hopkins, Hovey, Hurry, Kellogg, Larkin, Kettell, Leadbetter, Merrill, Minot, Mix, Mott, Newell, Pantry, Partridge, Rand, Penniman, Ruscoe, Sanders, Sedgwick, Seymour, Smith, Sprague, Steele, Stone, Talcott, Terry, Tolman, Treat, Trott, Turner, Tuttle, Wadsworth, Wakeman, Watson, Webster, Westwood, Wheeler, and Wiley.

This book has enchanting ideas to set you busily decorating your home for Christmas, it includes gifts to make for kindered spirits. Each item is beautifully pictured and has easy to follow instructions. The projects relate wonderfuly to Anne and her friends at Green Gables inspiring you to make and bake the treasures. The Christmas treasury is definately somehting to cherish forever.

I have been reading, disecting, and deconstructing Artaud for well over ten years and find this volume to be indispensible. Well worth the price. The immedicacy and visceral quality of Artaud's words are captured on paper, and where as tapes of his anguished voice might crackle and fade in time, this first hand document of his perceptual experience is truly timeless. This is not only a firmly woven tapestry for those in the know, but also a good starting point for those wondering what all the fuss is about.