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As I Walked Out One Evening
by Donald WetzelIn the memoir As I Walked Out One Evening Donald Wetzel explores what it is like to enter into the realm of old age. He approaches the changes within his life with the same sense of humor and of awe with which he approaches everything. He is looking for clues. Running through his family is a propensity towards Alzheimer's disease, and Wetzel wonders when, and if, Alzheimer's will claim him.
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning: A Memoir (The Autobiographical Trilogy #2)
by Laurie LeeThe second volume in Laurie Lee's acclaimed autobiographical trilogy, an unforgettable glimpse of Spain on the eve of its civil war On a bright Sunday morning in June 1934, Laurie Lee left the village home so lovingly portrayed in his bestselling memoir, Cider with Rosie. His plan was to walk the hundred miles from Slad to London, with a detour of an extra hundred miles to see the sea for the first time. He was nineteen years old and brought with him only what he could carry on his back: a tent, a change of clothes, his violin, a tin of biscuits, and some cheese. He spent the first night in a ditch, wide awake and soaking wet.From those unlikely beginnings, Laurie Lee fashioned not just the adventure of a lifetime, but one of the finest travel narratives of the twentieth century. As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, written more than thirty years after the events it describes, is an elegant and irresistibly charming portrait of life on the road--first in England, where the familiar landscapes and people somehow made Lee feel far from home, and then in Spain, whose utter foreignness afforded a new kind of comfort.In that brief period of peace, a young man was free to go wherever he wanted to in Europe. Lee picked Spain because he knew enough Spanish to ask for a glass of water. What he did not know, and what would become clear only after a year spent tramping across the beautiful and rugged countryside--from the Galician port city of Vigo, over the Sierra de Guadarrama and into Madrid, and along the Costa del Sol--was that the Spanish Republic would soon need idealistic young men like Lee as badly as he needed it.
As I Was Saying . . .: The World According to Clarkson Volume 6 (The World According to Clarkson)
by Jeremy ClarksonAs I Was Saying... is the seventh book in Jeremy Clarkson's best-selling The World According to Clarkson series.***Crikey, the world according to Clarkson's been a funny old place of late . . .For a while, Jeremy could be found in his normal position as the tallest man on British television but, more recently, he appears to have been usurped by a pretend elephant.But on paper the real Jeremy remains at the helm. That's as it should be. For nearly thirty years he has been fearlessly leading the charge as one the best comic writers in the country. And in 2015, he shows no sign of slowing down. So, whether it's pondering If Jesus might have been better off being born in New Zealand Why reflexive pronoun abuse is the worst thing in the world How Pam Ayres's head trumps Gordon Gecko's underpants Or what a television presenter with time on his hands gets up toJeremy is still trying to make sense of all the big stuff.Circumstances change. Nothing's forever. But As I Was Saying provides glorious proof that Jeremy remains as funny, puzzled, excitable, outspoken, insightful and thought-provoking as ever. As if you ever doubted it . . .***Praise for Clarkson: 'Brilliant... laugh-out-loud' Daily Telegraph 'Outrageously funny... will have you in stitches' Time Out 'Very funny . . . I cracked up laughing on the tube' Evening Standard
As If: Idealization and Ideals
by Kwame Anthony AppiahIdealization is a basic feature of human thought. We proceed “as if” our representations were true, while knowing they are not. Kwame Anthony Appiah defends the centrality of the imagination in science, morality, and everyday life and shows that our best chance for accessing reality is to open our minds to a plurality of idealized depictions.
As If: An Autobiography
by Herbert Blau"From his childhood in the ''Jewish heart'' of Brooklyn to his memorable production of Endgame in the 1960s, Herbert Blau''s autobiography provides not only more of Blau''s penetrating insights into dramatists like Beckett and into the complex cross-currents of the American experimental theatre of this turbulent period. It is also a rich, deeply felt and powerfully expressed chronicle of cultural change that goes far beyond specific theatrical productions to offer a valuable personal view of the years that did so much to shape the contemporary world, expressed by one of the theatre community''s most original and articulate thinkers. " ---Marvin Carlson, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York "Herb Blau''s memoir---of his life, but also of an era---captures what has always been important about his work. ''Blooded thought,'' he taught us to call it---the embodied process of ''finding yourself divided, in the embrace of what''s remembered. '' His vivid account of childhood in a particular kind of American neighbourhood is complemented by reflection on his years in San Francisco when the theatre and the Cold War unfolded as mutual antagonists in his personal drama. Acute, insightful, and sometimes painful, it is also an intellectual page-turner. " ---Janelle Reinelt, University of Warwick "I readAs Iffrom cover to cover, engaged and powerfully moved by a familiar brilliance . . . Blau holds an utterly unique place in twentieth-century American theater, in American culture, and in theater theory and practice. " ---Elin Diamond, Rutgers University "Few theater practitioners have had comparable influence in American theater; few have endured such intoxicating highs and dispiriting lows; none, arguably, has reflected so deeply and sharply about so wide a spectrum of first-hand practical experience. " ---Linda Gregerson, University of Michigan "Masterful . . . a brilliant and touching book written with honesty and humility . . . In addition, it serves as an admirable introduction to Blau''s theories, providing a context for his complex and sometimes difficult ideas. " ---John Lutterbie, Stony Brook University As If: An Autobiographytraces the complex life and career of director, scholar, and theorist Herbert Blau, one of the most innovative voices in the American theater. From his earliest years on the streets of Brooklyn, with gang wars there, to the often embattled, now-legendary Actor''s Workshop of San Francisco, the powerfully told story of Blau''s first four decades is also a social history, moving from the Great Depression to the cold war, with fallout from "the balance of terror" on what he once described in an incendiary manifesto asThe Impossible Theater. Blau has always forged his own path, from his activist resistance to the McCarthy witch hunts to his emergence as a revolutionary director whose work included the controversial years at The Workshop, which introduced American audiences to major playwrights of the European avant-garde, including Brecht, Beckett, Genet, and Pinter. There is also an account here of that notorious production ofWaiting for Godotat the maximum-security prison at San Quentin, which became the insignia of the Theater of the Absurd. Blau went on from The Workshop to become codirector of the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center, and then founding provost of California Institute of the Arts, where he developed and became artistic director of the experimental group KRAKEN. Currently Byron W. and Alice L. Lockwood Professor of the Humanities at the University of Washington, Blau has been visionary in the passage from theater to theory, and his many influential and award-winning books includeThe Dubious Spectacle: Extremities of Theater, 1976-2000; Sails of the Herring Fleet: Essays on Beckett; Nothing in Itself: Complexions of Fashion; To All Appearances: Ideology and Performance; The Audience; The Eye of Prey: Subversions of the Postmodern; and Take Up the Bodies: Theater at the Vanishing Point. This richly evocative book includes never-before-published photogra...
As If!
by Jen ChaneyAcclaimed pop culture journalist Jen Chaney shares an oral history of the cult classic film Clueless in the ultimate written resource about one of the most influential, revered, and enduring movies of the 1990s--in celebration of its twentieth anniversary.Will we ever get tired of watching Cher navigate Beverly Hills high school and discover true love in the movie Clueless? As if! Written by Amy Heckerling and starring Alicia Silverstone, Clueless is an enduring comedy classic that remains one of the most streamed movies on Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes even twenty years after its release. Inspired by Jane Austen's Emma, Clueless is an everlasting pop culture staple. In the first book of its kind, Jen Chaney has compiled an oral history of the making of this iconic film using recollections and insights collected from key cast and crew members involved in the making of this endlessly quotable, ahead-of-its-time production. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Emma influenced Heckerling to write the script, how the stars were cast into each of their roles, what was involved in creating the costumes, sets, and soundtrack, and much more. This wonderful twentieth anniversary commemoration includes never-before-seen photos, original call sheets, casting notes, and production diary extracts. With supplemental critical insights by the author and other notable movie experts about why Clueless continues to impact pop culture, As If! will leave fans new and old totally buggin' as they understand why this beloved film is timeless.
As If By Design: How Creative Behaviors Really Evolve
by Edward A. WassermanThe eureka moment is a myth. It is an altogether naïve and fanciful account of human progress. Innovations emerge from a much less mysterious combination of historical, circumstantial, and accidental influences. This book explores the origin and evolution of several important behavioral innovations including the high five, the Heimlich maneuver, the butterfly stroke, the moonwalk, and the Iowa caucus. Such creations' striking suitability to the situation and the moment appear ingeniously designed with foresight. However, more often than not, they actually arise 'as if by design.' Based on investigations into the histories of a wide range of innovations, Edward A. Wasserman reveals the nature of behavioral creativity. What surfaces is a fascinating web of causation involving three main factors: context, consequence, and coincidence. Focusing on the process rather than the product of innovation elevates behavior to the very center of the creative human endeavor.
As If God Existed: Religion and Liberty in the History of Italy
by Maurizio ViroliReligion and liberty are often thought to be mutual enemies: if religion has a natural ally, it is authoritarianism--not republicanism or democracy. But in this book, Maurizio Viroli, a leading historian of republican political thought, challenges this conventional wisdom. He argues that political emancipation and the defense of political liberty have always required the self-sacrifice of people with religious sentiments and a religious devotion to liberty. This is particularly the case when liberty is threatened by authoritarianism: the staunchest defenders of liberty are those who feel a deeply religious commitment to it. Viroli makes his case by reconstructing, for the first time, the history of the Italian "religion of liberty," covering its entire span but focusing on three key examples of political emancipation: the free republics of the late Middle Ages, the Risorgimento of the nineteenth century, and the antifascist Resistenza of the twentieth century. In each example, Viroli shows, a religious spirit that regarded moral and political liberty as the highest goods of human life was fundamental to establishing and preserving liberty. He also shows that when this religious sentiment has been corrupted or suffocated, Italians have lost their liberty. This book makes a powerful and provocative contribution to today's debates about the compatibility of religion and republicanism.
The As If Principle
by Richard WisemanVictorian philosopher William James had a theory about emotion and behavior: It isn't that our feelings guide our actions (feel happy and you will laugh). On the contrary, it is our actions that guide our emotions (laugh and you will feel happy). This led James to a remarkable conclusion: "If you want a quality, act as if you already have it." Roused by James's astonishing discovery, renowned psychologist and bestselling author Richard Wiseman confirms James's principle and shows how the self-help genre has for too long put the cart before the horse in trying to help us take control of our lives. Bringing to the table a dazzling array of firsthand experiments, surprising histories, and psychological case studies, Wiseman illustrates in brilliant detail how we can apply this principle in our daily lives: --Smile to become measurably happier --Wash your hands to drive away guilt --Clench your fist to increase your willpower --Eat with your non-dominant hand to lose weight --Nod while speaking to become more persuasive --Act like a newlywed to rekindle your marriage Lively, engaging, and truly mind-changing, The As If Principle is that rare gem that offers real, workable solutions for your day-to-day goals while helping you to instantly take control of your emotions. Whether it's quitting a bad habit, persevering through a difficult task, or achieving your dream self, The As If Principle can help. Don't just think about changing your life. Do it.
As If She Were Free: A Collective Biography of Women and Emancipation in the Americas
by Erica L. Ball Tatiana Seijas Terri L. SnyderAs If She Were Free brings together the biographies of twenty-four women of African descent to reveal how enslaved and recently freed women sought, imagined, and found freedom from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries in the Americas. Our biographical approach allows readers to view large social processes – migration, trade, enslavement, emancipation – through the perspective of individual women moving across the boundaries of slavery and freedom. For some women, freedom meant liberation and legal protection from slavery, while others focused on gaining economic, personal, political, and social rights. Rather than simply defining emancipation as a legal status that was conferred by those in authority and framing women as passive recipients of freedom, these life stories demonstrate that women were agents of emancipation, claiming free status in the courts, fighting for liberty, and defining and experiencing freedom in a surprising and inspiring range of ways.
As in the Heart, So in the Earth: Reversing the Desertification of the Soul and the Soil
by Pierre Rabhi Yehudi MenuhinThe world’s leading expert on reversing soil desertification shows how ecology can flourish only when spiritual elements are present• Uses a parable from the African oral tradition to provide a living testimony of what has been lost with the rise of modern technology• Provides a vital account of the strong relationship between soil and soul and how this relationship can be restoredAs in the Heart, So in the Earth is a strong indictment of a civilization that, while seeking domination over the earth, mutilates, tortures, and desacralizes it. For Pierre Rabhi ecology is inseparable from spirituality. He shows how the growing desertification of North Africa is a reflection of the “desert” that is claiming the hearts and souls of the inhabitants of the Western world--how dead soil is mirrored in our deadened souls--and how reconciliation with Mother Earth must be accompanied by relearning our ancestors’ reverence for the soil.Using a traditional African parable grounded in the very wisdom of the earth, Pierre Rabhi seeks to initiate the reader into a time when the people that dwelled on this planet did so harmoniously and could converse easily with the land. Village elder Tyemoro recounts the gradual destruction of his village’s culture and all that has sustained it as the miracles promised by modern technology brought more harm than good. This same drama is recurring throughout the world, where indigenous value systems that have endured for millennia are torn apart by contact with modern civilization. Yet Rahbi offers hope--if those in the modern world will stop to hear the words of their ancestors who worked the land, for our destiny is linked irrevocably to that of the earth.
As Iron Sharpens Iron: Building Character in a Mentoring Relationship
by William D. Hendricks Howard G. HendricksThink about the people who influenced your life most. Why did they do it? What did they do? How did they go about it? Answer these questions and you will be hooked on mentoring for the rest of your life. In As Iron Sharpens Iron, respected authors Howard and Bill Hendricks show that the most dramatic spiritual and personal growth often happens through the influence of a mentor. Rooted in biblical principles, this book is both a profound and practical guide to mentoring relationships for men. You'll learn how to: - Identify the kind of mentor you need - Maximize your mentoring relationship - Model your relationship after biblical examples - Grow through the shared wisdom of another believer - Influence others as you replicate the mentoring processWhether you are looking for a mentor or wish to mentor someone else, this book provides specific steps to begin the relationship and make the most of it.
As It Happened: A Memoir
by William S. PaleyWilliam S. Paley was a founder and chairman of CBS, one of the major television networks in the United States. Under his leadership, CBS introduced the first successful worldwide new broadcast. He fought against radio censorship, particularly in terms of news reporting about World War II. In the 1950s, he promoted Edward R. Murrow to be one of the newscasters for CBS News, starting a news dynasty. He led CBS into television, with CBS leading prime time broadcasting ratings from 1955 through 1976. He was also the owner of the N.Y. Yankees baseball team from 1964 to 1976.
The As It Happens Files
by Mary Lou FinlayIn the tradition of Peter Gzowski's The Morningside Papers comes a book that celebrates the great stories and personalities behind As It Happens.For eight years, Mary Lou Finlay had the pleasure of being the co-host of one of CBC Radio's most enduring institutions. On any given day she and Barbara Budd interviewed people on subjects varying from the Air India investigation to a man who invented a suit that would withstand an attack from a grizzly bear to a cheese-rolling contest in Cheshire. The As It Happens Files gives us the great stories - the hilarious eccentrics, the audience favourites, the poignant moments - that make up, for many Canadians some of the fondest, most vivid memories of the last decade.
As It Is, Volume 1
by Erik Pema Kunsang Rinpoche Urgyen Tulku, Rinpoche Urgyen TulkuThe teachings presented in As It Is, Volume I are primarily selected from talks given by the Dzogchen master, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, in 1994 and 1995, during the last two years of his life. The unambiguous Buddhist perception of reality is transmitted in profound, simple language by one of the foremost masters in the Tibetan tradition. Dzogchen is to take the final result, the state of enlightenment itself, as path. This is the style of simply picking the ripened fruit or the fully bloomed flowers. Tulku Urgyen's way of communicating this wisdom was to awaken the individual to their potential and reveal the methods to acknowledge and stabilize that prospective. His distinctive teaching style was widely known for its unique directness in introducing students to the nature of mind in a way that allowed immediate experience. This book offers the direct oral instructions of a master who inspired admiration, delight in practice, and deep trust and confidence in the Buddhist way.From the Trade Paperback edition.
As It Is, Volume 2
by Erik Pema Kunsang Marcia Binder Schmidt Rinpoche Urgyen Tulku, Rinpoche Urgyen TulkuThe teachings presented in As It Is, Volume II are primarily selected from talks given by the Dzogchen master, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, in 1994 and 1995, during the last two years of his life. The unambiguous Buddhist perception of reality is transmitted in profound, simple language by one of the foremost masters in the Tibetan tradition. Dzogchen is to take the final result, the state of enlightenment itself, as path. This is the style of simply picking the ripened fruit or the fully bloomed flowers. Tulku Urgyen's way of communicating this wisdom was to awaken the individual to their potential and reveal the methods to acknowledge and stabilize that prospective. His distinctive teaching style was widely known for its unique directness in introducing students to the nature of mind in a way that allowed immediate experience. This book offers the direct oral instructions of a master who inspired admiration, delight in practice, and deep trust and confidence in the Buddhist way.From the Trade Paperback edition.
As It Is, Volume I
by Tulku Urgyen RinpocheProfound teachings on the path of Dzogchen by a realised master
As It Is, Volume II
by Tulku Urgyen RinpocheThe collection of teachings presented in As It Is, Volume II, is selected fromtalks given by the Tibetan meditation master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche between1994 and 1995. The emphasis in Volume I was on the development stagepractice; Volume II focuses primarily on the completion stage.Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche was someone with extraordinary experience andrealization, a fact known throughout the world. It is evident to everyonethat he was unlike anyone else when it came to pointing out the nature ofmind, and making sure that people both recognized it and had some actualexperience.-Khenchen Thrangu RinpocheTulku Urgyen Rinpoche was an incredible master, one who was both learnedand accomplished. The great masters of this time-the 16th Karmapa,Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche-all venerated him as oneof their root gurus and a jewel in their crown ornament. He was someone whoachieved the final realization of the Great Perfection.-Orgyen Tobgyal RinpocheThe difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that sentient beingsare busy fabricating. Our self-existing wakefulness has fallen under the powerof being altered. As long as we continue to do so, we will wander in samsara.Rather than doing that, we need to recognize the nature of mind. I amexplaining this here to give you the idea of how things are. The next step isfor you to experience. Intellectual understanding is not enough. You need toactually taste and realize this self-existing wakefulness. Train till it becomesuninterrupted
As It Is Written: The Genesis Account Literal or Literary?
by Kenneth Gentry Jr.The framework hypothesis or literary framework view has grown in acceptance as more readers of Scripture place “science” as the authority over the interpretation of God’s Word. By re-interpreting Genesis, this view encourages Christians to disregard the plainly shared timeline of creation and instead consider it as merely figurative or poetic rather than historical and accurate. Kenneth Gentry carefully defines the framework hypothesis, while tracing its historical origins and purpose. This provides a helpful introduction both for those who know the framework hypothesis as well as any hearing the term for the first time.<P><P> This important study:<P> - Presents strong exegetical arguments for the six-day creation approach to Genesis<P> - Illustrates the traditional interpretation of Genesis, a survey of exegetical arguments, and responses to alleged problems<P> - Demonstrates the flaws in the framework argument.<P> This book presents in a simple but clear presentation the basic argument for a six-day literal interpretation of Genesis 1. It also explains and rebuts the framework hypothesis, which is a leading view in evangelical academic circles. This book is aimed at intelligent laymen, though with the academic reader in mind, with definitions of technical terms where they are necessary and Greek and Hebrew words transliterated.
As It Turns Out: Thinking About Edie and Andy
by Alice Sedgwick WohlThe story of the model, actress, and American icon Edie Sedgwick is told by her sister with empathy, insight, and firsthand observations of her meteoric life.As It Turns Out is a family story. Alice Sedgwick Wohl is writing to her brother Bobby, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1965, just before their sister Edie Sedgwick met Andy Warhol. After unexpectedly coming across Edie’s image in a clip from Warhol’s extraordinary film Outer and Inner Space, Wohl was moved to put her inner dialogue with Bobby on the page in an attempt to reconstruct Edie’s life and figure out what made Edie and Andy such iconic figures in American culture. What was it about Andy that enabled him to anticipate so much of contemporary culture? Why did Edie draw attention wherever she went? Who exactly was she, who fascinated Warhol and captured the imagination of a generation? Wohl tells the story as only a sister could, from their childhood on a California ranch and the beginnings of Edie’s lifelong troubles in the world of their parents to her life and relationship with Warhol within the silver walls of the Factory, in the fashionable arenas of New York, and as projected in the various critically acclaimed films he made with her. As Wohl seeks to understand the conjunction of Edie and Andy, she writes with a keen critical eye and careful reflection about their enduring impact. As It Turns Out is a meditation addressed to her brother about their sister, about the girl behind the magnetic image, and about the culture she and Warhol introduced.
As It Turns Out: Thinking About Edie and Andy
by Alice Sedgwick WohlThe story of model, actress, and American icon Edie Sedgwick as told by her sister with empathy, insight and firsthand observations of her meteoric life.In As It Turns Out, Alice Sedgwick Wohl writes to her brother Bobby, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1965, just before their sister Edie Sedgwick met Andy Warhol. After unexpectedly coming across Edie's image in a clip from Warhol's extraordinary film Outer and Inner Space, Wohl was moved to put her inner dialogue with Bobby on the page in an attempt to reconstruct Edie's life and figure out what made Edie and Andy such iconic figures in American culture. What was it about Andy that enabled him to anticipate so much of contemporary culture? Why did Edie draw attention wherever she went? Who exactly was she, who fascinated Warhol and captured the imagination of a generation?Wohl tells the story as only a sister could, from their childhood on a California ranch and the beginnings of Edie's lifelong troubles in the world of their parents to her life and relationship with Warhol within the silver walls of the Factory, in the fashionable arenas of New York, and as projected in the various critically acclaimed films he made with her. As Wohl seeks to understand the conjunction of Edie and Andy, she writes with a keen critical eye and careful reflection about their enduring impact. As It Turns Out is a meditation addressed to her brother about their sister, about the girl behind the magnetic image, and about the culture she and Warhol introduced.
As It Turns Out: Thinking About Edie and Andy
by Alice Sedgwick WohlWe think we know Edie Sedgwick, Warhol muse, Factory superstar, icon of the 1960s, a comet who flamed out too soon.As It Turns Out is Edie's story told from a different point of view - that of her older sister, Alice. As Edie's fame was in the ascendant, Alice was living a completely different life in Manhattan, far away from the Factory and the Chelsea scene. Then, many years later, chancing on Edie's image in a clip from Andy's film Outer and Inner Space, Alice was moved to reconsider Edie's life and try to figure out what made Edie and Andy such iconic figures whose image and collaborative work have endured for decades. How did he anticipate so much of contemporary culture? Who exactly was Edie, that she fascinated Warhol and captured the imagination of a generation? Wohl tells Edie's story, from her privileged and isolated childhood on a California ranch to her escape first to Boston and then to Manhattan, where in 1965 she had her first fateful encounter with Warhol. As It Turns Out is a meditation on the girl behind the irresistible image, and on the culture that she and Warhol ignited. Throughout this thoughtful, truthful reappraisal of Edie's life, Alice Sedgwick Wohl tries to find a deeper answer to the question: What was the thing about Edie?
As It Was: A Memoir
by Robert M. Pennoyer"Robert M. Pennoyer was born into a storied family - his maternal grandfather was the legendary J. P. Morgan. His irresistible memoir traces his sheltered childhood on the Gold Coast of Long Island; an adolescence overshadowed by the gathering clouds of World War II; and a young adulthood that survived one of the decisive engagements of the Pacific Theater - Iwo Jima. The author gives us as well a heartwarming account of a romance that blossomed into a lifelong matrimonial partnership and a close family life, tested nonetheless by crisis. And he chronicles a distinguished career, the early part of which was spent in the service of President Eisenhower and the latter part in private law practice and pro bono work. As It Was begins in an era of unprecedented wealth and privilege for some and great misery and poverty for others, - one that Mark Twain lampooned as the "Gilded Age," and ends, coming in effect full circle, in our own era of the One Per Cent, as the income chasm in America reopens. What divides these periods, and is so impressively portrayed here, is the rise of American Progressivism led by the two Roosevelts. Most importantly, this book is itself a demonstration of the values that boosted America on its path to greatness and for which no finer exemplar could be found than its author. It bespeaks a belief in democracy that is passionate and unshakable, and builds on a deep appreciation of the institutions that enable it. The spirit that flows through these pages may be modest, but it is also filled with an irrepressible optimism and a faith in simple values that are both uplifting and marvelously contagious. As It Was is a lesson in a life well lived, and a tonic for dark and troubled times."-- Scott Horton, author of Lords of Secrecy: The National Security Elite and America's Stealth Warfare (2015), contributing editor,Harper's Magazine.
As Kingfishers Catch Fire: Birds & Books
by Neil Gower Alex Preston'A magical book: an inimitable fusion of ornithology, literary anthology and autobiography.' Tom HollandWhen Alex Preston was 15, he stopped being a birdwatcher. Adolescence and the scorn of his peers made him put away his binoculars, leave behind the hides and the nature reserves and the quiet companionship of his fellow birders. His love of birds didn't disappear though. Rather, it went underground, and he began birdwatching in the books that he read, creating his own personal anthology of nature writing that brought the birds of his childhood back to brilliant life. Looking for moments 'when heart and bird are one', Preston weaves the very best writing about birds into a personal and eccentric narrative that is as much about the joy of reading and writing as it is about the thrill of wildlife. Moving from the 'high requiem' of Keats's nightingale to the crow-strewn sky at the end of Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, from Ted Hughes's brooding 'Hawk in the Rain' to the giddy anthropomorphism of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, this is a book that will make you look at birds, at the world, in a newer, richer light. Beautifully illustrated and illuminated by the celebrated graphic artist Neil Gower, As Kingfishers Catch Fire is a book to love and to hold, to return to again and again, to marvel at the way that authors across the centuries have captured the endless grace and variety of birds.'A joyful and a wondrous book' the Guardian
As Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed by the Words of God
by Eugene Peterson'Sixty years ago I found myself distracted.' So begins the introduction to As Kingfishers Catch Fire. What follows is the record of the collaboration of pastor and congregation in acts of worship and a life together. What Eugene Peterson, for thirty years pastor of a Maryland church, discovered is that the pastor's life is much more than just the preaching. It is also made up of attending to the details in all the circumstances and relationships specific to a people and a place - prayers at a hospital bed, conversations with the elderly, small talk on a street corner. This collection of spiritual writings presents Peterson's distinctive approach designed to communicate to his congregation, and the reader, 'the full counsel of God.' Seven sections containing seven teachings, each expertly crafted to stir the biblical imagination. In these teachings, Peterson walks the reader through Scripture to bring fresh insight to familiar names such as Moses, David, Isaiah, Solomon, Peter, Paul, and John of Patmos.