The cane evolved. It was no longer just a support. It became a sign of authority, dignity, wealth, and power. And then the cane became an accessory. So we see around us that change is inevitable. We adapt to the change and then we invent and go beyond. First the Beatles, then Elvis, then Jay Z and next? We invent, create, improvise, and go beyond. This book walks through the colorful history of canes from the Bible to Bebop, and Beyond. How about coming along?
A chronicle of the development of canes and the staggering variety of materials employed in their construction illustrated with over 1200 color photos. The dazzling array of hidden gadgetry and weaponry is revealed, along with useful information for collectors. Illustrated auctioneer's catalogs with prices help determine canes' values in the marketplace.
High above the noise and traffic of metropolitan Phoenix, Native American rock art offers mute testimony that another civilization once thrived in the Arizona desert. In the city's South Mountains, prehispanic peoples pecked thousands of images into the mountains' boulders and outcroppings—images that today's hikers can encounter with every bend in the trail. Todd Bostwick, an archaeologist who has studied the Hohokam for more than twenty years, and Peter Krocek, a professional photographer with a passion for archaeology, have combed the South Mountains to locate nearly all of the ancient petroglyphs found in the canyons and ridges. Their years of learning the landscape and investigating the ancient designs have resulted in a book that explores this wealth of prehistoric rock art within its natural and cultural contexts, revealing what these carvings might mean, how they got there, and when they were made. Landscape of the Spirits is the first book to cover these ancient images and is one of the most comprehensive treatments of a rock art location ever published. It conveys the range of different rock art elements and compositions found in the South Mountains—animals, humans, and geometric shapes, as well as celestial and calendrical markings at key sites—through accurate descriptions, drawings, and photographs. Interpretations of the petroglyphs are based on Native American ethnographic accounts and consider the most recent theories concerning shamanism and archaeoastronomy. Written in a simple and accessible style, Landscape of the Spirits is an indispensable volume for anyone exploring the South Mountains, and for rock art enthusiasts everywhere who wish to broaden their understanding of the prehistoric world. It is both an authoritative overview of these ancient wonders and an unprecedented benchmark in southwestern rock art research at a single geographic location.
From the author and designer of "ROY G. BIV," a delightful, fully illustrated new volume on patterns, from polka dots to plaid: their histories, cultural resonances, and hidden meanings.
JAP is a story about a young man who somehow, through a series of accidents intentions, mistakes and drive became a Naval Aviator, no mean feat by any accounts. Having survived the grim reaper several times during his eight years of flying on active duty with the Navy he has come to believe, sort of, that he is a good aviator and can take care of just about anything that arises in the realm of flying. He has disgustedly left active duty flying with the Navy as the result of witnessing inept officers who should never have made the grade continue to fly and serve without any leadership skills or command authority amounting to anything effective. Most of them were, in the young man's opinion, timid beings who were only concerned with keeping their status quo resulting in their refusal to make decisions let alone lead in any forward power projections. His decision to leave the Navy and throw his lot in with the airline pilot's career was based on his perception that an airline captain just had to be made of stronger stuff. That idea was also doomed to an early failure when he actually started to fly with the pilots who make up the airborne operation of the airline. He found the same weaknesses on the part of the airline pilots that he had witnessed in the Navy pilots he had flown with. Still struggling to find perfection the young man (named Kruger in the book) tries flying with the Naval Reserve pilots only to find, once more, that those pilots were even worse than the two groups that he had flown with earlier. Kruger's worst nightmare finally comes to pass when he finds himself making some bad mistakes and decisions just like all of the other pilots he has ever encountered. He has become a JAP or "just another pilot" like all of the others. In spite of all of the disappointments he encounters he still has fun and fulfillment flying and is convinced that he could really do no job other than flying. Flying has always been described as hours and hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. Kruger's experiences follow that pattern except the boring hours are interesting also. Kruger had always considered that the most exhilarating and exciting time you could ever experience was when you were right on the dangerous edge of things; when you had less than a fifty percent chance of surviving the situation you were in and when you finally came out on top, alive and well albeit that your heart was trying to go into tachycardia and your breathing could only be described as panting. There is no rush better than this. There are no punches pulled in the book. The author tells it like it really was without cutting corners or glossing over the facts. It is what it was. People are people and no one is perfect. We all "have warts" no matter how good we look and usually the ones who boast the most and are the models of perfection are the ones who have the most faults. As the Bible says, "Judge not least ye be judged". Kruger finds that to be very true and, as a result he mulls each flight in his mind in an effort to try to perfect what he has just done. There are no heroes in the book but there are a lot of truths if you can find them.
I spent one winter researching the holiday history, folklore, legend, and more of each and every state,' says Carole marsh. A great coffee-table book or classroom read, this book-in an edition for each U.S. state-shares a wealth of fascinating historical material and trivia about everything from holiday traditions to how we got the Christmas tree, superstitions, and more. From the Yule logs of Maine to snow on the Alamo, you'll love your own state book, but wish you could read them all. Don't forget to send your favorite teacher or grandchild a copy for their state!
