Beyond Agriculture: New Policies for Rural America

Book Description

Rural America has always played a vital role in our country's economic strength. But today, as we continue to enjoy our longest economic expansion ever, we must acknowledge that not all of rural America has been able to take part in this unprecedented run of prosperity. It is becoming increasingly clear that many Main Streets across rural America must reset their sights. To prosper in the future, they must acquire new skills, new strengths, and new connections with an emerging digital economy.

Beyond Agriculture: New Policies for Rural America explores the challenges facing the rural economy and highlights the economic development issues that are becoming so crucial to the future of rural America.

Book Description

From the Pulitzer Prize- winning author of Glengarry Glen Ross, here is a collection of thirty-two one-act plays and short dramatic pieces that David Mamet himself considers to be some of the best writing he has ever done.

Customer Reviews:

A great collection of short stories!.......1998-06-29

Mamet, in the introduction, calls these "three and ten minute plays some of the best work I've ever done, but what are they good for?" Many of these plays, especially "Four A.M.", "Cross Patch" and all of the short plays in the "Vermont Sketches" series are between two and five pages and are brief but powerful stories from the man who wrote "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "American Buffalo". One of these, "The Spanish Prisoner", was recently developed into a box office hit starring Steve Martin and Campbell Scott (directed by Mamet himself). Most of them were openers for his plays, and one or two were published in the New York Times. Overall, a very good series of short plays, stories and monologues.

Book Description

This reprint of an actual early 19th-century diary provides today's readers with an engaging rarity: a 15-year-old's brief, concise notebook and Sloane's 72 drawings and explanatory narrative. "An extraordinary glimpse into everyday Early American rural life . . . will delight readers of all ages." — History in Review.

Customer Reviews:

So... what happened to Noah Blake and Sarah Trowbridge?.......2007-04-20

I echo what everyone else has written here - an excellent book. Noah's diary is very terse, but Sloane fleshes it out with fascinating details of what living on a farm must have been like for Noah.

Sad thing, though... as I was reading this I wondered if Noah and Sarah Trowbridge, whom he frequently writes about (it's clear he was attacted to this girl) ever married. Alas! I can find no mention at all of Noah Blake or his parents on any online genealogical database. Other than via Sloane's book, Noah Blake seems to be unremembered... but that's sufficient, I guess. (I can find a Sarah Trowbridge born in 1791, but it might or might not be the right one. Not enough genealogical details in Sloane's book.)

Not really a diary.......2007-03-22

Like the previous reviewer, this book was not what I was expecting. Thinking that most teenage boys hundreds of years ago are just like teenage boys today, I was very surprised to find a published diary of a kid who was willing to write down his thoughts on life. With many entries consisting entirely of one or two words like "Plowed today." and "Do." (ditto), this book does little to offer the reader insight into the thoughts of this boy. The diary portion of the book is disappointing, and is used as a jumping off point for the author to explain in words and pictures about the technology of the early 19th century. The explanations are fascinating, the technology amazing. Anyone who has ever thought about how the pyramids could have been built by thousands of slaves should take a gander at how a covered bridge (that could hold the weight of oxen and a cart and it's load and driver) was constructed by a few neighborhood farmers. The illustrations are the backbone of this book and they are excellent. I wish the author would strike a deal with the publishers of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series to draw and explain the machinery described in those books. I would recommend this book as a gift for anyone, kid or adult, who is interested in architecture or engineering, or who loves history.

Not what I expected.......2007-03-11

I read the other reviews before I bought. I guess this wasn't for me. I love diaries but this wasn't really a diary.

One of the best.......2007-03-09

Somehow the sum of the story, descriptions of tools and techniques, and simple drawings adds up to one of the most compelling, accessible, and effective depictions of life in 19th century America I've every read. I came across this wonderful book while doing research for my undergraduate thesis over thirty years ago, I used it very effectively to teach high school history, and just last year I had a great time reading it with my 11 year old son. In all those years I have never seen it fail to engage and energize the reader, often compelling them out of their seats to try one the contraptions for themselves (the ink recipe works well). How cool is that!

This Book Should Be In Classrooms.......2006-04-09

What a unique and interesting concept: take a diary of a 15 year old boy and write a virtual living history book around it! That takes quite a bit of writing talent, knowledge of the time period, and, for the detailed sketches, an artistic talent. And, thankfully for all of us, Mr. Sloane had it all, as he is the one with all of the above said talent to put such a piece together.
Interspersing the original 1805 writings of Noah Blake and Mr. Sloane's own "liberties" was a stroke of genius that brings to life the lives of early Americana - farming, milling, building, forging, as well as interaction of parent and child, friendships, and courtley love.
This is the sort of style that would get school-age kids, from the upper El through high school, interested in our historical past. What did the folks of 200 years ago do during rainy days? It's here. How about the affects on their lives do to seasonal changes? Yep, that info is here, as well.
Mr. Sloane has a passion for history and it shows in his writing and detailed sketches. He tends to bring up the minute details of daily life that is rarely - if ever - brought up in the "scholarly" history books that cost five times as much. Mr. Sloane's work is always interesting and never stodgy. I have numerous books by this author and have yet to be disappointed.
If you have any interest in American social history, then Diary of an Early American Boy (and all of Eric Sloane's books) come highly recommended.

Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805

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Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805

Manufacturer: Ballantine Books, inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 034523796X

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Early American Material Culture
This Book Is GREAT!!!
I'd give it six stars if I could!
Excellent! I loved the intriguing drawings.
A found diary, beautifully embellished by Sloane.

Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805
Eric Sloane
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345294513
Release Date: 1980-08-12

Book Description

Part the diary of Noah Blake, who was 15 in 1805, and part a re-creation of the life that a boy in his circumstances would have lived, this book is a loving tribute to a vanished way of life. Profusely illustrated, it will give its readers a sense of participation in the past that is all too rare in conventional histories.

Customer Reviews:

Early American Material Culture.......2005-09-03

While rumaging through an old house, Eric Sloane came across the diary of 15 year old Noah Blake. Written in 1805, the diary has short entries about Noah's life on a farm. Sloane uses these brief notations as a starting point to recreate a compelling story about farm life on the American frontier. Eric Soane's talent as an illustrator takes this book to the next level. It is one thing to read about early American life and it is another level of pleasure to see beautiful illustrations that explain the material culture in which Noah Blake lived.

The audience for this book is very large. Written at a high school freshman level, this book will be of interest to anyone interested in learning how common people lived during the Federalist Period. This book will also appeal to all those who are interested in the material culture of 19th Century America. Sloane provides beautiful illustrations of how things like a water mill worked or how a simple wooden bridge was built.

Personally, my interest in American vernacular architecture. I loved this book because Eric Sloane has done a masterful job of explaining early American building techniques. I knew that one had to be very knowledgable to survive 200 years ago and this book only reinforces my admiration for our ancestors. For those who like these types of books, check out the illustrated works of Edwin Tunis, another talented artist with an interest in material culture.

This Book Is GREAT!!!.......2000-09-14

I love this book! It is so real and life like! The drawings and all the actual entrys from his diary. I sent this book to a friend who lives in africa and HE LOVED IT!

I'd give it six stars if I could!.......2000-06-29

I read this book as a young adult. It was like turning back the clock one hundred and fifty years, but unlike a lot of history books, it has no political, social or moral agenda. Indeed, it paints a luminous picture of rural life, while giving more useful information in the text of the diary and in the annotated pen-and-ink illustrations than most "country living" manuals. Check out Eric Sloane's barn books as well - more masterful work!

Excellent! I loved the intriguing drawings........1999-03-12

This is an excellent book for kids and adults. The book is fully illustrated with drawings that detail how things were built and how they worked. They capture kid's attention better than "Where's Waldo?", but unlike that meaningless book, there's a lot to be learned from this little gem! Lance Greenlee

A found diary, beautifully embellished by Sloane........1999-01-21

I read this book while visiting my mother in her Connecticut country home. It was the perfect place to read it as I suddenly made sense of the street names like Old Mill Road and Stoneboat Road. Eric Sloane paints an intoxicating portrait of a boy's coming of age and falling in love with the girl next door (even if next door was over the meadow and through the woods) in the earliest years of the 19th century. Life was a focus on survival, when your days were spent working your land for all the fruits that it bears to sustain you and your family. Close bonds form with neighbors and community is not only important, but a way of life. Aside from being a true (if admittedly embellished) story, it is an intense study of life at that time. How we made and used our tools; the many properties and uses of wood; how the farmer's almanac was an indispensible item in every household. You learn great little triva facts in every chapter, such as... Did you know every house was allowed only ten panes of window glass... if they had more, they would have to pay a stiff tax on each pane.

The book opens with our young protagonist lying in bed, staring out through four brand new panes of glass that his parents got him for his birthday, watching the snow fall. He is as happy as can be for having these simple panes of glass. Nintendo pales in comparison.

Read it! It's short and well-paced. The boy's slowly evolving love story with the neighbor's summer guest is an involving, if underplayed, spine.

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Diary of an Early American Boy Noah Blake-1805
Eric Sloane
Manufacturer: FUNK & WAGNALLS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLNCQY

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Diary of an Early American Boy, Noah Blake 1805
Eric; Blake, Noah Sloane
Manufacturer: Wilfred Funk, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JJDT3M

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Diary of an early American boy, Noah Blake, 1805
Noah Blake
Manufacturer: W. Funk
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006AY1V8

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Diary of an Early American Boy. Noah Blake 1805.
Eric Sloane
Manufacturer: Wilfred Funk
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NULRSQ

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Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805

Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H2VDK2

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Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805
Eric Sloane
Manufacturer: Wilfred Funk
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O3I0O6

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DIARY OF AN EARLY AMERICAN BOY NOAH BLAKE 1805

Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H2BXJS

Book Description

Nitric oxide, recently named"Molecule of the Year"by the journal Science, impinges on a wide range of fields in biological research, particularly in the areas of biomedicine and cell and organismal biology, as well as in fundamental chemistry. This volume and its companion Volume 268 highlight methods used to research the physiology and toxicity of nitric oxide in cellular and organismal systems. It will be a valuable resource for the experienced researcher as well as for those newly entering the field.

Key Features
* Effects of nitric oxide in cells and tissues
* Biochemical reactivity
* Tissue-specific effects
* Endothelial nitric oxide synthase expressions in heterologous systems
* Cellular signaling
* Pathological and clinical aspects of NO
* Fingerprints of pathological action
* Interaction with membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids
* Peroxynitrite
* Tissue and cellular cytotoxicity
* Clinical aspects

Nitric Oxide Part B: Physiological and Pathological Processes (Methods in Enzymology)

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Nitric Oxide Part B: Physiological and Pathological Processes (Methods in Enzymology)
Academic Press
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OH7LGK

Book Description

A comprehensive textbook covering not only the ordinary theory of the deformation of solids, but also some topics not usually found in textbooks on the subject, such as thermal conduction and viscosity in solids.

Customer Reviews:

Fortunately... not Timoshenko.......2002-10-31

Timoshenko's book is a collection of exercises. Landau's book is a collection of ideas.

Sure... not Timoshenko........2000-06-28

Timoshenko is a Russian genious scientist/engineer who has credits in theory of elasticity and vibration analysis. Landau is a great physics educator in general but not an expert of elasticity. If you compare any elasticity book with Timoshenko's you will sure be very disappointed. Anyway I think this book is still fairly well written.

Not Timoshenko.......2000-03-31

I was looking for something similar to Timoshenko's "Theory of Elasticity." This was not it. I am a working mechanical engineer. This book is aimed at the physicist/student. It is 200 pages long and crammed full of tensors. They also hit on waves and liquid crystals. I may or may not keep this book.

Bad print for an otherwise good textbook........1999-10-21

The book is a classic in the field; it's well written and clear, with interesting problems. However, the Publisher chose very tiny fonts, sometimes lacking in toner. Overall they did a terrible print, hard to read!

A CONCISE AND ELEGANT BOOK ON ELASTICITY.......1998-07-24

This is the Volume 7 of the famous Course of Theoretical Physics by L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz. All serious students of theoretical physics must possess the ten volumes of this excellent Course, which cover in detail and rigour practically all the branches of theoretical physics. The Volume 7 treats the subject of the mechanics of deformable bodies. Unlike the major part of other similar books, the Volume 7 is concise and very elegant, and is at the same time detailed in the exposition of the basic elasticity theory. Moreover, it contains certain topics not usually found in other similar books, such as the theory of thermal conduction and viscosity of solids, and a detailed exposition of the fundamentals of the mechanics of liquid crystals. A highly recommended book!

Book Description

Includes the major works by one of the greatest names in literature. Namely, Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol and A Tale of Two Cities. This Library of Literary Classics edition is bound in padded leather with luxurious gold-stamping on the front and spine, satin ribbon marker and gilded edges. Other titles in this Library of Literary Classics series include: Charlotte & Emily Bronte: The Complete Novels; Edgar Allan Poe: Selected Works; Mark Twain: Selected Works; Jane Austen: The Complete Novels: Lewis Carroll: The Complete, Fully Illustrated Works; and William Shakespeare: The Complete Works.

Customer Reviews:

Great value for the price.......2007-08-02

Let's face it, there are better editions of Dickens out there. You get what you pay for. This is not a top of the line leather edition. For the price, though, you can't beat it. It is what it is, a reasonably priced leather edition of four of his novels. At five dollars apiece, the price can not be beat.

Pretentious.......2007-06-07

Buying books because they look good on your shelf is pretentious and phony - and this book capitalizes on that. I got this as a gift and was amazed when I read it at the number of typos in it. There is simply no way this collection was proofed by an editor - that or the editing company is one of the worst in the world.

Buy these fantastic books, but not this edition, unless you just want people to think you read Dickens.

If nothing else, it looks good on your bookshelf........2007-03-13

You would do better off buying these books individually from a different publisher.
It sounds impressive, leather bound, gilded edges, but it is very cheaply done. On the plus side, it does have a ribbon book mark so you don't have to buy your own.
But this book was poorly edited, filled with needless typos, and with all four of these books available from numerous other publishers, I would suggest to just buy it from them.

Loved it,.......2006-02-12

I'm a big fan of long drawn out novles. I've always been a fan of Dickens. This book has on eof my favorite stories by his pen: Great Expectations. His style is very personal I found it a lot like Tolkien. His ability to tell a good tale is clear as the reader becomes part of the story. Very nice volume and worth the time and money in my opinion.

Lousy Binding.......2005-12-20

I've read all but "A Christmas Carol" in this edition. I've found several typos. Moreover, the binding is becoming unglued. I estimate by the time I finish "A Christmas Carol" the binding will be totally exposed. I value permanent books (otherwise I would buy paperbacks). I suggest anyone who enjoys Dickens buy a better edition.

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Use of Motifs in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities
Four great novels on the same book
It was a great book!
literary geinus
A story strangely in keeping with then and now

Charles Dickens: Four Novels
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0517093391
Release Date: 1993-10-02

Book Description

Superb collection of Dickens' best, includes five of his major novels. The Pickwick Papers, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Tale of Two Cities. 1114 pages.

Customer Reviews:

Use of Motifs in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.......2002-02-26

Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is outstanding in that it portrays very real themes and, with the use of motifs, develops those themes thoroughly. Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that help the themes unfold. In the novel, there is an ever-present possibility of resurrection or transformation, both on a personal and societal level. Sydney Carton's death serves as a sacrifice for the lives of others, and he is reborn in the hearts of those he has died to save. Connected to the theme of the possibility of resurrection is the necessity of sacrifice. Sacrifice is a way to achieve and ensure pure happiness. Dickens also shows that along with a revolution comes the tendency towards violence, evil, and oppression. By using the motifs of doubles, shadows, and imprisonment, Dickens forms and materializes his major themes and makes his views known on the French Revolution.

The novels opening words, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." immediately establishes the centrality of doubles in the novel. These beginning words represent the two cities mentioned in the title, and the action in the novel divides itself between these two cities. The two main women characters in the novel are depicted as opposed doubles. Lucie Manette is gentle while Madame Defarge is hateful and detestable. Dickens doubling technique is used to create oppositions but also to reveal hidden parallels. For example, Carton is shown as a foil to Charles Darnay. Darnay is everything that Carton has failed to become. However, by the end of the novel, Carton transforms himself into a hero whose goodness surpasses that of Darnay's virtuous status. Thus, Dickens uses opposition to make judgments and thematic assertions.

Shadows dominate the novel and set the mood so that it is of gloom and despair. Even from the beginning, the first images of the story set off a mood of apprehension when the mail coach makes its journey in the dark and mist. This atmosphere contributes to the mystery surrounding Lorry's mission to Paris and Dr. Manettes imprisonment. Dickens demonstrates that in the depths of every human heart lies mysteries and secrets that will never see the light of day. Revolution is a time of foreboding and obscurity- thus the emergence of Dickens theme that with a revolution comes the tendency towards violence and oppression. Marquis Evrémonde belongs to a vicious aristocracy that exploits and mistreats the nations poor.He stands as a symbol of the ruthless aristocratic cruelty that the French Revolution seeks to overcome. Dickens deeply sympathizes with the plight of the peasantry yet he condemns their strategies in overcoming it. They perpetuate the very cruelty and oppression from which they hope to free themselves of. Dickens' most relevant view of the French Revolution comes at the end of the novel, he notes the downward slope from the oppressed to the oppressor. Though Dickens sees the French Revolution as a great symbol of transformation and resurrection, he emphasizes that its violent means were ultimately antithetical to its end.

Almost all of the central characters in the novel fight against some kind of imprisonment. For Darnay and Manette the struggle is literal, both serve significant sentences in French prisons. However, the memories of what some have overcome in the novel prove to be no less confining than the walls of prison. Manette recalls his experiences in the Bastille and can do nothing but return to his pathetic shoe-making occupation. Similarly, Carton struggles against his own personality, dissatisfied with his worthless life. Yet, through all of Carton's struggles, he ascends to the plane of heroism and becomes a Christ-like figure whose death saves the lives of others. Thus, his own life gains meaning. The supreme selflessness of this final act of going to the guillotine speaks for change. Change not only personally for Carton, but also for a better society.

In conclusion, A Tale of Two Cities portrays eminent and powerful themes brought about by the use of motifs. The most important theme is that of the possibility of resurrection or transformation. The novel suggests that Sydney Carton's death secures a new, peaceful life for Lucie, Darnay and even Carton himself. By delivering himself to the guillotine, Carton, like Christ, will be resurrected and reborn in the hearts of those he has died to save. Similarly, the novel implies that the death of the Old Regime in France prepares the way for the renewed Paris that Carton envisions from the guillotine. The novel expresses the belief that violence will ultimately give way to a new and better society. However, a new French republic can come about only wit heavy costs- personal loves and loyalties must be sacrificed for the good of the nation. Thus, the idea of sacrifice is necessary to obtain happiness and everlasting peace. Most importantly, Carton's transformation into a man of moral worth depends upon his sacrificing of his former self. In choosing to die for his friends, Carton not only enables their happiness but ensures his spiritual rebirth. He states, " I am the Resurrected and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (363). The novel ends with the statement that Carton would have said if he had been allowed to write the thoughts that inspired him, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." This basically ensures his spiritual resurrection and those for which he has sacrificed his life will never forget him.

Four great novels on the same book.......2001-08-10

This is a must have for every Dickens fan. Four of his most regarded works together on one fine book. Click and get it!

It was a great book!.......1999-10-20

It was a very interesting book! Many people think that it is boring but if you get into it, it is great!

literary geinus.......1999-08-28

Dickens is one of the best authors of all time his classics have been read, reread, studied, and scrutinized and they prevailed. He was considered a great human who lived life to the fullest and was well liked by all. He could percive others' lifestyles and think how they think, he truly is the literary geinus of his time, and ours.

A story strangely in keeping with then and now.......1999-03-19

This is a very good boo

Charles Dickens: Four Novels (Oliver Twist; A Tale of Two Cities; Great Expectations; A Christmas Carol

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Charles Dickens: Four Novels (Oliver Twist; A Tale of Two Cities; Great Expectations; A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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CD: Four Novels
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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FOUR ENGLISH NOVELS
J. B. (Ed.) Included Authors: Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and Joseph Conrad Priestley
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

FOUR NOVELS: GREAT EXPECTATIONS, HARD TIMES, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, A TALE OF TWO CITIES

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FOUR NOVELS: GREAT EXPECTATIONS, HARD TIMES, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, A TALE OF TWO CITIES
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Gramercy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Charles Dickens: (Four Novels , Oliver Twist A Tale of Two Citites Great Expectations A Christmas Carol)

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Charles Dickens: (Four Novels , Oliver Twist A Tale of Two Citites Great Expectations A Christmas Carol)

Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

Four of this author's classic novels...his writing, stories and style will endure throughout all ages because it is timeless.

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FOUR GREAT NOVELS
CHARLES DICKENS
Manufacturer: PARRAGON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Four Novels
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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