My baby loves looking at all the pictures in this book. She puts her fingers on different things for me to name them. Soon I think I'll be doing the pointing and she'll be doing the naming! These pages are plenty busy enough for even older preschoolers to have fun looking at.

In 1938 the 2,000 page diary of William Johnson of Natchez, Mississippi was discovered along with numerous other personal and legal documents. The widow of Johnson's grandson made possible the publication of the diary in 1951 which led to publication of The Barber of Natchez in 1954.

This book is relevant to the history of the U.S. because of its detailed, up-close portrait of one city--Natchez, Mississippi--in the antebellum period. Further enhancing the books value is that the barber, William Johnson, was a free Negro. And while Johnson had enough education to create an extensive, if not acute, sixteen-year chronicle, he could not foresee the impending cataclysm of Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow. Johnson's diary, therefore, is important because of its unvarnished, unintellectualized objectivity.

Johnson was scrupulously honest, but his integrity, while known by many, could not change the color of his skin. Neither would industry or imagination, both of which he possessed. He ultimately would dwell in a sort of nether-world between white society and slavery. And his disdain for the local white trash of Natchez reaffirmed his status as a man with no true place in the world. From birth he was banished.

In antebellum Mississippi true freedom was contingent upon skin color, although a modicum of freedom would be acccorded to a mulatto who aspired to live as a white man. It was this limited acceptance that Johnson pursued relentlessly throughout his short life. And his murder in 1851 was committed with naked impunity, as if Johnson had never been free at all.

Organized thematically by chapters covering every facet of Johnson's existence, The Barber of Natchez paints a vivid picture of everyday life in the Old South. While supplemented occaisonally with other primary sources, the book relies first and foremost on the diary of William Johnson, which is recreated with its imperfect grammar, spelling errors, and archiac slang. A daguerreotype of the diariest is reproduced and there are no maps or diagrams of any kind.

This book was one of the best basketball books in about 2 years. Man was it good. Thanks Amazon!

This is very good for the beginner, but if you illuminate or calligraphy on a regular basis, this book may be a bit boring.
Does teach a lot of the basics.

The book referenced here has been newly revised and retitled: Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures. It is being used as a textbook at the college level. The author has strong opinions and sage advise.

This book is a must for all people thinking of taking up a career in any childcare field. It delves into almost every job you can think of, and informs the reader honestly about what the job entails. It gives useful case studies of real childcare workers such as a Nursery Nurse or a Youth worker and you get to hear what they think of the job. It also gives useful advice on what qualifications you will need to do the job. Worth every penny!

If you are a cat lover then this is a book to own. Each quote was written by those who understand these amazing animals. I found more quotes and phrases that describe the two cats I own purr-fectly. There are quotes from Einstein, Jim Davis, Abe Lincoln, T. S. Elliot, Erma Bombeck, and Mark Twain just to name a few. Only a cat lover could understand exactly what the author meant by his or her quote. There are also little tid-bits of cat lore, information about the animal, nursery rhymes, and superstitions mixed among the quotes themselves. I found this book a "Must Have" for any one who owns a cat or has owned a cat and feels that he or she truly understands this amazing creature. I laughed and smiled as I read each page. I got more than my money's worth when I purchased this book. I'll recommend it to anybody who owns one of these mysterious beasts.

First of all, I don't know of a better book to use to try and identify that Knowles, Salem or Taylor, Smith & Taylor plate or bowl you've picked up at an estate or garage sale (and if you know of a better book, please email me as I'm always looking for one). Each manufacturer's designs are shown IN FULL COLOR (a definite plus) and you can even find examples of the same design on a different plate shape. Having said that, it isn't as complete as I'd hoped, although it IS the most complete book I've come across. There are some pieces I have which I still haven't been able to ID and many of the designs simply have numbers, rather than names, to ID them. Even with these flaws, this is a detailed, nicely done book. As most collectors of vintage dinnerware know, some information is simply hard to come by and it takes a great deal of research (and some luck) to get the information one would like. This book is a great aid along the way.

I think this is a really good book. It's a really good book for people who like mysteries. I liked it so much that now I want to go to boarding school myself! I think anyone should read this-even if they don't like mysteries.

This is a cool and bright way to carry around your brag-shots. It's convenient enough to carry around, yet sophisticated enough to show anyone what you're so excited about. The cover itself makes you want to look inside to see what the fun is all about.