History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Shoddy treatment of such valuable things!
Great insight into an author who didn't write enough!
Disintegrating letters.
The Best Source For Austen-ites Ever!
A Must Have for the English Regency reference shelf

Jane Austen's Letters
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192832972

Amazon.com

Jane Austen famously labeled her literary ambit a "little bit (two inches wide) of ivory." Luckily, her personal travels and those of her family were slightly more extensive, otherwise we should be without her letters. Not only should every Janeite possess them, but also every connoisseur of correspondence. Austen's wit is ubiquitous--even though some protest it edges into waspishness. E. M. Forster, for example, described the letters between Austen and her beloved sister, Cassandra, as "the whinnying of harpies."

On September 18, 1796, she tells Cassandra, "What dreadful Hot weather we have!--It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance.--If Miss Pearson should return with me, pray be careful not to expect too much Beauty..." The dashes and capitalization alone make one long for the days before stylistic rules had so cemented. As for the sentiments! Austen paces her monologues to perfection, making the comic and ironic most out of the smallest incidents. Still, her frustration does occasionally emerge. "I am forced to be abusive," she implodes to Cassandra, "for want of a subject, having nothing really to say." Jane Austen has more than enough to say for lovers of literature and the cultural pinprick.

Book Description

Jane Austen's letters afford a unique insight into the daily life of the novelist: intimate and gossipy, observant and informative, they bring alive her family and friends, her surroundings and contemporary events with a freshness unparalleled in modern biographies. Above all we recognize the unmistakable voice of the author of Pride and Prejudice, witty and amusing as she describes the social life of town and country, thoughtful and constructive when writing about the business of literary composition. R. W. Chapman's ground-breaking edition of the collected Letters first appeared in 1932, and a second edition followed twenty years later. For this third edition Deidre Le Faye has added new material that has come to light since 1952, and re- ordered the letters into their correct chronological sequence. She has provided discreet and full annotation to each letter, including its provenance, and information on the watermarks, postmarks, and other physical details of the manuscripts, together with new biographical, topographical, and general indexes.

Customer Reviews:

Shoddy treatment of such valuable things!.......2007-09-10

I dare not argue with the importance of Jane Austen's letters, nor with the pleasure to be obtained by reading them. This edition, however, is the poorest-bound book I have ever seen! I just received it in the mail, and the copyright page has already fallen out. The margins are equally dismal, and I am afraid one reading will finish the whole thing off. Buy this edition if you must, but find a better copy if you can.

Great insight into an author who didn't write enough!.......2007-08-30

I think all Austen fans lament her early death - only six completed novels just isn't enough!

These letters do help fill that gap. Austen was smart, honest, funny; you can hear her voice so clearly in these letters. It is a shame that her sister destroyed most of her letters before she died (since she thought they were too indecent or personal or just downright mean!), but I allow Austen SOME privacy! These letters are just wonderful.

The only slight drawback is that, as a lay person, the layout was a little cumbersome. I'm not a Regency expert, so I needed to keep flipping back to the explanatory notes to understand the language. That flipping became annoying at times. I would prefer to have the notes at the bottom of the page so I could scan them without leaving the body of the letter. Just a personal preference thing, though.

Disintegrating letters........2007-05-19

I had already read Jane Austen's letters but wanted to have my own copy. They give a fascintating insight into her life, although somewhat limited by the fact that her sister Cassandra burnt all of Jane's leters to her after Jane's death. Unfortunately the copy I have recently bought is poorly bound and the pages started coming loose the first time I opened it. I just couldn't be bothered returning the book from New Zealand.

The Best Source For Austen-ites Ever!.......2006-03-15

This is the best edition of Austen's letters ever published. It includes recently discovered letters from Jane Austen or about Jane Austen. It also provides details regarding the postmarks on the letters and an index (with description!) of the many people, servants and friends in Austen's life. While this book doesn't provide much cultural context or criticism, serious students of Jane Austen will learn more about Austen's authorial project and her daily life. While we can never know Austen as a person, we can get a sense of her life, her family, and the pressures she faced on an intimate level. It is interesting to find the paralells between Austen's letters and her novels. Astute readers will find that Austen was witty and sarcastic outside of her novels as well. I used this book as a resource in a college class in which we only read Austen's novels, and found her Letters to open up the texts in suprising ways. An excellent tool that should be part of your Austen collection!

A Must Have for the English Regency reference shelf.......2002-09-25

Primary sources are always the best in understanding the mindset of a period. Here we have a thick collection of Jane Austen's letters, which have been very well annotated by the editor. The contrast between the Memoirs of Harriette Wilson (who lived in the same period, published by the famous courtesan in 1825) are hilarious. Witty but staidly Anglican Jane at one point savagely attacks the very high aristocrats romping their scandalous way through Harriette's world, that "race of Pagets". Jane Austen's letters let us have a glimpses of what daily life in the English gentry and aristocratic class was like in Regency England; seeemingly trivial details such as the buying of Wedgwood china with the personal crest, buying the breakfast set separate to the other china sets (longing to see what a Regency breakfast set looked like! The breakfast set is mentioned in Sense and Sensibility) are actually very difficult to find out about, it is not something historians generally write about. The notes by the editor are fascinating and could lead to further research, for example how did one lord prove his title after being a Dublin potboy? And the gentleman who divorced his wife after the proper lady decided to become a professional actress...usually it was the other way around, the actress became a proper lady! The biographical details added by the editor on various gentry/aristocratic families mentioned in Jane Austen's letters are very tantalising.

The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Literature and Leadership in Eighteenth-Century Native America

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The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Literature and Leadership in Eighteenth-Century Native America
Samson Occom
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195170830

Book Description

This volume brings together for the first time the known writings of the pioneering Native American religious and political leader, intellectual, and author, Samson Occom (Mohegan; 1723-1792). The largest surviving archive of American Indian writing before Charles Eastman (Santee Sioux; 1858-1939), Occom's writings offer unparalleled views into a Native American intellectual and cultural universe in the era of colonialization and the early United States. His letters, sermons, journals, prose, petitions, and hymns--many of them never before published--document the emergence of pantribal political consciousness among the Native peoples of New England as well as Native efforts to adapt Christianity as a tool of decolonialization. Presenting previously unpublished and newly recovered writings, this collection more than doubles available Native American writing from before 1800.

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Brazen Bax Enthusiast
Bax new edition adds much new info

Bax: A Composer and his Times
Lewis Foreman
Manufacturer: Boydell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1843832097

Book Description

Lewis Foreman's classic biography of the composer Arnold Bax (1883-1953) was first published in 1983. Documenting the life and times of a remarkable figure whose life touched a wide circle in England and Ireland, it was notable for having many of Bax's friends and contemporaries as sources, most of whom have since died. It also informed the remarkable revival of Bax's music and reputation which has taken place over the last twenty years. Now completely revised in the light of much new material including the huge archive of the pianist Harriet Cohen, Bax's mistress, which has only just become available for research, it is a notable portrait of a unique musical milieu. Bax's extensive musical output is now comprehensively recorded and widely known and here all the music is discussed from first hand acquaintance with all the revivals and recordings. This is the essential handbook to Bax and his period. LEWIS FOREMAN is a freelance author and advisor to record companies.

Customer Reviews:

Brazen Bax Enthusiast.......2007-08-23

Lewis Foreman's updated Bax biography is by far the most informed and cogently-presented written source for fans of this composer and I snapped it up as soon as possible after its recent publication. A published composer myself, I had the thrill of spending a few days at Bax's winter haunt of Morar, in the western Highlands of Scotland, staying at the same hotel and maybe even in the same room as the composer may have occupied on one or more of his sojourns; so reading of his winter working-holidays there was especially meaningful to me. I would have preferred a greater number of photographs to be included in the publication, but the composer's well-known camera-shyness may be an indication here.
Don't miss it...

Bax new edition adds much new info.......2007-04-03

Lewis Foreman's update to his excellent biography of Sir Arnold Bax is most welcome. Bax is certainly not a household name, but he wrote seven symphonies, a number of tone poems, and many works for the piano and other instruments. He was a master of complex orchestrations, and his works can be enjoyed on several levels. He was also complex, while at the same time simple, as a man. The new additions to the book help us to understand many of his contradictions, and his relationships.
Bax was born into a well-to-do English family, and never had to seek employment during his lifetime. That let him travel extensively during his youth and early adulthood, and lead to a deep and abiding love of things Celtic. That endures today in a great deal of his music, and the emotion is both close to the surface and also deep in much of his music that plumbs that source.
His tone poems make a fine introduction to his symphonies, and provide hours of enjoyment themselves. He was more than just a tunesmith, and his popularity during the 20's and 30's lead to an unexplainable decline until the 80's. The release of a large volume of his music on CD has resulted in a new audience, and renewed popularity for this almost forgotten composer.
Lewis Foreman has been one of the foremost proponents of his music, and has written the program notes for many of the recordings. His earlier biography was well written, and added much to this readers enjoyment of the music.
The new update has gleaned a lot of new material and many insights from the use of the material in the possesion of Harriet Cohen, his long-time mistress. She removed much of his personal papers immediately after his death, and also retained the large correspondence that she had with Bax over a period of many years. This volume may well be the last word, or nearly so, and is certainly worthy of a place in any musical library.
It also includes a very up-to-date discography and a catalog of Bax's works, compiled by Graham Parlett. A useful bibliography is provided, together with notes and an index. The book will be enjoyable and useful to many readers, and I also urge owners of the original volume to add this one to their collection.

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"The angel and apostle of the coming revelation must be a woman... lofty, pure... beautiful and wise."
I really, really wanted to like this book
A sad and poignant tale of ultimate enlightenment
(4.5) How far does the apple fall from the tree?
a memorable debut novel, beautifully written

Angel and Apostle
Deborah Noyes
Manufacturer: Unbridled Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932961291
Release Date: 2006-09-10

Book Description

At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, we know that Pearl, the elf-child daughter of Hester Prynne, is somewhere in Europe, comfortable, well set, a mother herself now. But it could not have been easy for her to arrive at such a place, when she begins life as the bastard child of a woman publicly humiliated, again and again, in an unrelentingly judgmental Puritan world.

With a brilliant and authentic sense of that time and place, Deborah Noyes envisions the path Pearl takes to make herself whole and to carve her place in the New World. Beautifully written with boundless compassion, Angel and Apostle is a heart-rending and imaginative debut in which Noyes masterfully makes Hawthorne's character her own.

Customer Reviews:

"The angel and apostle of the coming revelation must be a woman... lofty, pure... beautiful and wise.".......2006-11-14

With the story of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter serving as her inspiration, Deborah Noyes recreates the life of Pearl, the "elf-child" of Hester Prynne and a father Hester has refused to identify. Meticulously reproducing the cadence and speech of the period (and of Hawthorne's novel), Noyes imbues her debut novel with energy and literary weight, continuing Pearl's story while remaining faithful to the original. Her inclusion of period detail and recreation of the religious beliefs and practices of the period give additional credence to her story, and the character of Pearl is free-spirited enough to strike a chord with modern readers.

Focusing on Pearl, not Hester Prynne, who plays only a marginal role here, Noyes reminds the reader in the first third of the novel of some of the key events from The Scarlet Letter. Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale is not mentioned by name here, though he is referred to as "Arthur" once early in the novel, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's missing husband in The Scarlet Letter, becomes Dr. Daniel Devlin here, still Evil and trying to ingratiate himself with Pearl.

Noyes does more than simply update the Hawthorne story, however. Pearl, a free spirited child in a very repressed society, develops a strong relationship with Simon Milton, a blind boy a few years older, who delights in her company and in her desire to give him a more normal life as she explores the world with him. Pearl's irresponsibility on one occasion, however, eventually causes a rift, both with Simon and with his older brother Nehemiah, who has entrusted Simon to Pearl. The lives of Hester and Pearl change significantly when they accept passage on one of the Miltons' ships to England, where they remain till Pearl reaches adulthood and marries.

Investigating what constitutes a good life and dealing with the subjects of life and death, and salvation and sin, the novel explores universal themes within the colonial setting, but its focus on the passion of love and its aftermath give it a modern context. When Pearl begins to relive her mother's life within her own, the themes begun in Hawthorne's novel come full circle. Noyes's pacing and her exploration of behavior as a series of good acts vs. acts inspired by the Devil are consistent with Hawthorne. Lovers of literary novels will admire Noyes's careful reconstruction of a period and its beliefs, her care in reproducing the language and style of the period, and her development of the character of Pearl, a free spirit who grows up in a repressive theocracy. n Mary Whipple

I really, really wanted to like this book.......2006-01-31

I had just finished reading "The Scarlet Letter" for the third time when I saw the review for this book, a follow-up telling the fate of Pearl. I immediately bought it(though it was hard to find..no local bookstore carried it, so I had to buy it on-line). Anyway, enthusiastically as I approached it, I found it very slow going. The author seems to take a lot of liberties with the original story (though, in her defense, she also seems to try to explain away these inconsistancies at the end of her book). I really struggled to make it through the whole thing. I did, and it was not without its rewards, but the parts were definitely better than the whole. Still, I will definitely read the author's next book. She's very insightful and serious and an excellent stylist.

A sad and poignant tale of ultimate enlightenment.......2006-01-11

"It was days before Mother finally answered my questions: 'Did I love you then? I loved no one, Pearl. No soul on earth.'"

Hester Prynne, scorned woman of THE SCARLET LETTER, speaks these words to her daughter at the beginning of ANGEL AND APOSTLE. She dutifully wears her "A," branding her an adulteress, forever atoning for a sin she did not commit. She wears it with something almost akin to a haughty pride. She is not one to make excuses, for she wants her child to understand the ways of the world. It is an unjust age Pearl is born to.

But how does a mother love this child, this unwanted child, who reminds her constantly of a shame that she will bear to her grave? A wild young thing, willful and sassy, a hard child to love in the best of times. It takes a while, but she does. She finally does.

Pearl narrates the story as she grows awkwardly through her adolescence. Fortunately, she has a fine and peculiar friend named Simon, a blind lad whose world Pearl falls into. They form a tender bond, fragile and strong at the same time. Their friendship, if that is all it truly is, sees them through many years --- and is the cause of many tears.

ANGEL AND APOSTLE is a journey through a harsh time when men kept a host of mistresses with society's tacit sanction, yet a woman would be in the stocks for one night's dalliance with a lover. A fallen woman, Pearl's mother carries her past heavily, while Pearl struggles reluctantly to womanhood. The daughter bounces between contempt and love for her mother, until at last she appreciates the injustices her mother endured, as she becomes a wife herself.

Written as Deborah Noyes envisions Nathaniel Hawthorne writing it, this small saga reads larger than its 304 pages. While a dark tale, sad and poignant, it is a tale of ultimate enlightenment.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

(4.5) How far does the apple fall from the tree?.......2005-09-12

Noyes' novel, a post-The Scarlet Letter treatment of Hester Prynne's years raising her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, mirrors the arcane verbiage of the era, which begins, in this case, in 1649 New England. At that time, Pearl is a child of about seven years, half fairy sprite and half human, taking her cues from the righteous adults around her, who are given to stoning the less fortunate members of a society ruled by excessively rigid standards. Poor Hester is a shadow of her former self, living with Pearl in an isolated cottage, doing needlework for her betters and rushing to and fro to comfort the sick. Rather than teach her daughter the same independence that allowed her to rebel against a repressive society, Hester instructs the girl in the ways of the sinner, ever cautioning against spirit, imagination and individualism. It is hard to believe that this woman, now faded as a country mouse, ever had the passion to confront her own desires.

Early on, Pearl fastens her attentions on Simon Milton, a blind boy whose dying mother is attended by Hester. Simon's older brother, Nehemiah, allows Pearl to take Simon on outings, but when she fails to properly care for him, Pearl is banished in disgrace. She is, after all, only a child. Later, Prynne and her daughter are taken to England by the Milton's, where Hester walks freely without her badge of sin, the tattered red "A" that adorns her clothing in New England. Their lot is not much improved, as Hester places herself in bondage for the next seven years to a Milton family member. Even in England, mother and daughter are pursued by the enigmatic Doctor Devlin, a man Hester avoids but Pearl is drawn to, as he lurks menacingly through Pearl's youth in New England.

As a child, Pearl is far too precocious for her years, her language too sophisticated, hindering my appreciation of the novel at the beginning. But as Pearl matures, her thoughts turn to less maudlin persuasions, the opposite sex now of particular interest. At last perception meets reality and the character matches her rich vocabulary. Now that her fate is more her own, although still dictated by the prevailing religious intolerance, Pearl makes her own willful mistakes. However, as confused as an adult as she was as a child, Pearl is forever tangled in her mother's past, haunted by her father's identity, bound to the ghostly remnants of life in New England, a victim of the self-righteous, Bible-quoting individuals originally penned by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

It is always risky to write a sequel to a classic, a tale that stands because of the author's clarity and profound observations of cultural hypocrisy. Noyes does a more than adequate job of capturing the sounds and images of time and place, but in writing Angel and Apostle, Hester Prynne is robbed of her spirit and iconic status, left in the dust by a daughter who is the product of a confusing moral stasis that denies humanity in its rush to glorify the word of God. Perhaps that is Prynne's inevitable fate. Pearl must seek her own voice, find release from the morass she has created in her life and understand the meaning of forgiveness, for herself and others; more importantly, she must take on the burdens of motherhood to know the true heart of her own mother. What is even more frightening is Noyes prescience in crafting a modern morality tale, couched in Puritan New England, that fits just as well in the confusing moral stew of modern society. For this reason alone, centuries later, Angel and Apostle is chilling. Luan Gaines/2005.

a memorable debut novel, beautifully written.......2005-09-05

At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's timeless novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's daughter Pearl has been born, raised, and lives in Europe. Angel and Apostle begins when Pearl is a child in Massachusetts and follows her life through adulthood. Ms. Noyes weaves an enthralling account of what Pearl's life might have been in the mid-to-late 17th century. The character
and plot development are first rate as Noyes captures the true essence of Pearl's personality, life, and times.

Life has been difficult for Pearl and her outcast mother. Townfolk shun the dignified adulterous woman who wears the letter "A" over her heart like a badge of courage. These same merciless Puritans call Pearl "the devil's spawn." Their only kindness and support comes from a frail, gentle hearted
minister. Pearl is a precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination and her father's restless spirit. She loves the forests and seashore, the wild animals, and spends her days exploring the area around her cottage. One day she ventures near the home of a wealthy shipping family, the Miltons, and
meets their youngest son, Simon. Simon is blind. His older brother, Nehemiah, loves Simon but has always considered him a burden. Reluctantly, he allows Pearl to introduce Simon to the natural world she loves. The relationship between Pearl and the Miltons grows over time, and in the process changes the lives of everyone around them.

With quietly savage prose, Deborah Noyes takes Pearl to adulthood, marriage, and motherhood. We experience her life in America and England, the blossoming of love, and the heartbreak borne of passion and loss. Readers smell the sea, the bite of chill air, and live the very heartbeats of each character.
This book is a literary classic and highly recommended.

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Ox-Cart Man
Entertaining in a peaceful way
Cycle of Nature
delivery went fast - book is so interesting!
THE ILLUSTRATIONS ALONE ARE WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BOOK!

Ox-Cart Man
Donald Hall
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140504419

Customer Reviews:

Ox-Cart Man.......2007-01-19

This is one of my family's all-time favorite children's books, with lovely, quiet pictures and a calm tone in the text. We love the feeling of the "circle of seasons" that it gives, as well as a glimpse back into a simpler era. The story also portrays the ethic of working hard and being rewarded for it. I read it to all five of our children as they were growing up. This Christmas I bought it for our 23 year-old daughter, who had asked for it. She doesn't have children yet; she just loves the book and wanted it for her own library. I was pleased to see Donald Hall's poem, "Ox-Cart Man"-- almost identical to the words in the children's book-- in Garrison Keillor's book called Good Poems, an anthology of poems he selected and arranged.

Entertaining in a peaceful way.......2007-01-07

Gave this account of a year in the life of a farm family to my 2-1/2 year old grandson. Worked, because the first time he asked his father to "read it again." Appealed to me, since it shows a natural cycle of growing/making things, selling them, and starting over. We may not operate quite this way, but it may still provide understanding of the world to a youngster. Appealing pictures, peaceful telling - perhaps the most "exciting" event is the farmer kissing his ox good-bye at market. Maybe a good bedtime story.

Cycle of Nature.......2006-11-24

This picture book superbly illustrated by Barbara Cooney is 37 pages, of which 22 are illustrations with or without text. The text is provided by Donald Hall and teaches the law of the harvest by showing how a New Englander filled a cart with surplus harvest and handmade items to sell at Portsmouth market, which was a ten-day journey. The reader learns that in March the maples were tapped for their syrup and that in April the sheep were sheared. Their fields and gardens yielded potatoes, turnips, and cabbages, while their orchard gave apples. All these things were put into the ox-cart and taken to market. At market, everything was sold including the cart and the ox.

Then the New Englander went shopping for manufactured goods, some imported from England, as well as for sweets. Carrying everything in a newly-purchased kettle tied to a pole slung over his shoulder, he trekked back to his farm. The family received their practical gifts and went right to work with their new tools by sewing, whittling, cooking, stitching, carving, sawing, splitting, weaving, embroidering, tapping, shearing, and knitting all of winter. When Spring arrived, they planted their fields. By caring for their tools and fields with diligence, the result will no doubt be another bountiful harvest.

delivery went fast - book is so interesting!.......2006-08-09

enjoy to read this naive book over and over again - want all my friends to read it to their children.
always happy with my orders at Amazon except I don't like their complicate packing since I have bad arthritis in my fingers it takes forever to open each time I purchase a book!

sylvaine farr

THE ILLUSTRATIONS ALONE ARE WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BOOK!.......2006-05-11

This work is an absolute delight. I cannot remember a children's book that visually held my interst as long as this one did and has (I must admit to having purchased a copy after reading in in or school library and have in on our coffee table). The story is simple, so simple that it almost has a hypnotic effect. The turning of the seasons, the continuance of life, a life in much simpler times. This, for some reason, is quite comforting to me. I have read and reread this one to all four of my grandsons and each have enjoyed it in their turn. This work gives you a double treat and to my way of seeing it, a double benefit for your child. Not only is the story well written, to the point, and almost poetic in it's rhythem, but they, the children, are exposed to some wonderful art work in a style or genre, they might not otherwise encounter. Highly recommend this one.

John and Charles Wesley: Selected Prayers, Hymns, Journal Notes, Sermons, Letters and Treatises (Classics of Western Spirituality)

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John and Charles Wesley: Selected Prayers, Hymns, Journal Notes, Sermons, Letters and Treatises (Classics of Western Spirituality)
Frank Whaling , and Albert Outler
Manufacturer: Paulist Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0809123681

Book Description

John and Charles Wesley were the leaders of the Methodist revival that swept early eighteenth-century England and resulted in the founding of what was destined to become a major force in the history of Christianity. In this volume, the works of the two men who shared a spiritual as well as a natural brotherhood are considered. From John's early period are taken his Forms of Prayer, Scheme of Self-Examination, and translations of German hymns. His mature spirituality is revealed in selections from his Journal, Rules for Methodist Societies, the Plain Account of Genuine Christianity, the Covenant Service of 1780, selected letters, and the classic treatment of the fundamental theme of his life, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection.

Together with a selection of Charles's hymns, these works reveal a spirituality that synthesized into a unique "Wesleyan" blend elements from the Church Fathers, Catholic mystics, and Protestant Reformers. In so doing, explains Frank Whaling in his introduction to this book, the Wesleys have given us a vision of God that is a gift "so far mainly appropriated by the people called Methodists, but available in essence to all...."

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Letters from Carthage
Bill James
Manufacturer: Severn House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0727864602

Book Description

A fresh and original take on a mystery within a mystery - Fresh from the inner city, Vince and Kate are new to the suburbia of Tabbett Drive, delighted to have accessed this middle-class paradise. They've even found the neighbours remarkably friendly Jill and Dennis Seagrave seem particularly affable. However, Kate begins to detect all is not as it seems with the Seagraves. Can it be that beneath the fagade of this perfect suburban calm lie secrets as dangerous as any inner city? Is everything is anything as it seems?

Letters and Personal Writings (The Works of Jonathan Edwards Series, Volume 16)

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from Yale University Press

Letters and Personal Writings (The Works of Jonathan Edwards Series, Volume 16)
Jonathan Edwards
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300072953

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from Yale University Press.......2006-03-21

This volume gathers together for the first time all known extant letters of Jonathan Edwards, along with his major personal writings. For more than three decades George S. Claghorn has scoured America, Great Britain, and Scotland for letters and documents by and about Edwards. The result is an unparalleled compendium of 235 letters-including 116 never before published or never reprinted since Edwards' death-and four autobiographical texts-Edwards' meditation "On Sarah Pierpont," his future wife, and "Diary," "Resolutions," and "Personal Narrative." These letters and personal writings reveal the private man behind the treatises and sermons. They trace his relations with parents, siblings, college classmates, friends, and family, as well as with political, religious, and educational leaders of his day. New documents include Edwards' only known statement on slavery and letters on the Indian mission at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, that display Edwards' interest in native Americans and his efforts on their behalf. These writings show the human face of Edwards as he applied theological and philosophical insights to the events of his daily life. They provide an unprecedented resource for understanding the man, his times, and his personal connections.

Paston Letters and Papers of the Fifteenth Century: Part III (Early English Text Society Supplementary Series)

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Paston Letters and Papers of the Fifteenth Century: Part III (Early English Text Society Supplementary Series)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0197224237

Book Description

The Paston family papers provide an incomparable picture of life in fifteenth-century England, and richly illustrate the resources of the language at an important period. They have long been consulted by historians and other students of the fifteenth century for their information about social history and politics, both within East Anglia and also nationally. The authoritative edition of Parts 1 and 2 by Professor Norman Davis was published by the Clarendon Press in 1971 (Part 1) and 1976 (Part 2), and was reissued with corrections by EETS in 2004. Part 3, edited by Dr Richard Beadle and Professor Colin Richmond, completes the series planned by Professor Davis before his death. It contains the remaining texts with indexes to all three parts.

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