Any Emily Dickinson historian or student will want this book. It contains the lost puzzle pieces, released by Sue's family, to the mysterious Emily Dickinson. Sue wanted this story told at the right time. The sheer talent in these writings is amazing. Here was a girl who spent her days as a recluse doing laundry and dishes and writing letters and carrying them around in her pockets. The pen and paper, written word, was what connected the lone Emily to her outside world, her loves, her friends, and now to the rest of us. A must have for any writer who studies her.

This collection has historic significance in Dickinson studies not only because it highlights the interesting and complex relationship between Emily Dickinson and Susan Dickinson, her sister-in-law, but also because of the way the letter-poems appear here in print. Hart and Smith took pains to present as best they could in print the original line breaks and other features of Dickinson's manuscripts, and this causes the poems to run down the page in long narrow columns, in many cases. Like Johnson's restoration of the dashes did in 1955, this edition of letter-poems to one correspondent changes the way we "see" a Dickinson poem physically on the page. The form presented here is as equally fascinating as the content of the letter-poems themselves. Superb!

The best thing about this book is that it gives us Dickinson's poems to her best friend, Sue, in the form they actually appear on the page. For most people, seeing the manuscripts of her poems is something that will never happen so Smith and Hart do their best to give us an idea of what Sue would have seen when she opened the envelopes. The review from the reader in the desert southwest has not read this book as it was meant to be read--as another way of reading and seeing. Hart and Smith do not suggest that theirs is the only way to read the letters/poems, they suggest that there's another way to read them that has not been the tradtional way of reading. My graduate students loved this book, as do I, because it offers a fresh perspective. Few Dickinson books in the last 10 years have been truly original and different. Anyone with a true interest in Dickinson, not the passing interest some reviews here suggest, will read this book in conjunction with other Dickinson studies and will achieve her/his own perspective of the poet. Smith and Hart give us some wonderful ideas to ponder, whether or not we agree with them is not the point. The point is that we exercise our intellect and think.

I am a storyteller in Fort Worth Texas and found this book absolutely facinating. Wonderfully and simply written in the voice of Jim Huntington. I used the story recently at a Library that was focusing on Alaska of Jim's brush with the wolves and the kids loved it. I noticed in the other reviews that a relative of Mr. Huntington had left a review of the book, Martha S. Barker. I would love to talk to Mr.s Barker about Jim. If she would contact me at storymantales@hotmail.com I would be honored. It's an adventure from beginning to end and a wondrful personal story, Worth the time.

Jim is my uncle and unfortunately he passed away a several years ago; I didn't know him as well as I would have liked but heard much about him from my mother. Sidney, Jimmy's brother; wrote "Shadows on the Koyukuk" an Alaskan Native's Life along the River by Sidney Huntington as told to Jim Rearden (you'll note he also did Jimmy's book as well); Alaska Northwest Books. another 5 star book and not just because they are relatives; you'll find this when you read them yourself.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. It is one that you will want to read over and over and you will never feel as though you have read it before. Full of real life adventure in the native bush. Wonderfully written.

Here's a winning fiction--a great story with many nuances.

I found this author did an excellent job at presenting the story in a way that demands your attention while molding the medical aspects of the story in a manner that is palatable to the non-clinical reader. It draws you in with a tempting mix of realism and romance. The characters were rich and interesting; their relationships were beautifully developed.

I was impressed with the author's style in presentation of Huntington's Disease as well as the cultural stigma that surrounds it--a nice blend of the clinical and the emotional. The realistic descriptions of the medical world surrounding the story make this a novel I'll enjoy recommending.

As a retired general surgeon, I felt the author was authentic in the culture of surgical training and it's pitfalls. Very entertaining and suspenseful. Also cleverly done. I liked his recognition of the loss of quiet time and devotions with the stresses and demands of the training program.

This is the first book by Kraus that I have read, and I plan to buy more. I was completely caught up in the story and quite surprised by the ending. A joy to read.

Featuring more than 200 recipes, A Celebration Of Herbs: Recipes From The Huntington Herb Garden is the culinary collaboration of Huntington Library volunteers, staff, and scholars under the skillful editorship of herb expert Shirley Kerins and Peggy Park Bernal. Featuring a full range of dishes from appetizers, salads, side dishes, soups and breads, to entrees, preserves, desserts, and beverages, A Celebration Of Herbs is enhanced with excerpts and illustrations drawn from the Huntington Library's collection of rare herbals and botanical books from the 15th to the 18th century. A Celebration Of Herbs is an elegant, unique, and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Cookbook Collections.

So much more than a cook's tool, this treasury is a welcome delight --- a well conceived, beautifully illustrated resoruce that's part cookbook, part history book. We thought we knew all there was to know about herbs: rosemary, dill, sage and sometimes tarragon. What we learned will serve us well, especially in those things we serve up in the kitchen. Released by the folks at the Huntington Library and Art Gallery in California, the book includes information on growing herbs, mail sources on where to buy fresh and dried herbs, and, of course, recipes --- brpken down by type, such as appetizers, main courses, jams and jellies, breads, beverages --- that will send you zooming to the nearest [store]. The stunning color illustrations are from Elizabeth Blackwell's 1737 book, "A Curious Herbal," a gem that's housed in the Huntington's rare book department. A celebration, indeed!

The last thing I needed was another cookbook (I have a whole bookshelf full!), but this one was just too beautiful to resist. And in its own way, this book is different from any other herb cookbook I've seen before. Just as you'd expect, there are extensive notes about how to grow herbs and use them in cooking. But rather than showing photos of herbs, this beautiful coffee-table-type book has reprints of colorful botanical illustrations from the 18th century. The recipes are of course very tempting, from yummy herbed cream cheese dips to more elaborate dishes like salmon in basil cream or rack of lamb rubbed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. I was skeptical about the apple rosemary tarte tatin recipe, but it turned out to be wonderful. Highly recommended as a cookbook, especially if you enjoy reading about herbs.

A well dog-eared copy of the first edition has been in my tool kit / computer kit for the last couple of years. I have found it a valuable resource. It has helped me on-site more than once. The second edition is more comprehensive and organized. Kudos to John in publishing a great resource fit for the student and experienced professional.

George Tucker- Show Control Engineer- Scharff Wesiberg NYC

John Huntington's book is the THE reference tool in our lighting shop for show control. It has everything you need for the different control languages, in clear and concise formats.It is a must on every theatre technician's bookshelf

John Huntington's new book, Control Systems for Live Entertainment, is one of the most useful and informative books available for anyone interested in theatre technology. The book covers such technologies as MIDI, DMX512, MediaLink, MIDI Show Control, and others.

Huntington beach has changed and former residents and visitors can easly miss once popular landmarks. This book combines a pictorial history along with a collection of then and now photos. A nice book to have.

Having lived in and near Huntington Beach for the last 5 years, I found this book fascinating. Historically, you get a great perspective of what the city once was...and how it developed throughout the late 1900's. But what I found MOST interesting...was the before and after transformation. Walking the same streets the author had. Lining up the same shots at the same historical locations. Standing in the exact same spot that the pictures had been taken almost a century before. And seeing how this sleepy surfside town blossomed into the famous city we now know. I definitely recommend this book for anyone that lives in Huntington Beach. It's great reading...and great for exploring the sidewalks of HB.

Excellent pictorial history of "Surf City." We've lived here for years and never knew all that had gone on here. Incredible selection of rare historic photos, which we've always been on the lookout for. Well worth the price of admission.

Real people who behave in very human ways but sometimes fall under quite understandable misapprensions make for a wonderful book. Full of regency charm. Heartwarming love story.

Kate Huntington does it again with a wonderful, witty story. Her characters are delightful and, in my opinion, the books are too short. I want them to go on and on. Please, keep up the good work, Kate, and keep those stories coming! Ms. Huntington reminds me of Georgette Heyer with her clever plots and sympathetic characters. If you like a good Regency, you'll like this and any of Kate's other novels.

Lady Diana Milton is still mourning for her late husband, but her friend Caroline Benningham is urging Diana to attend a gathering at the house of a known womanizer. Diana agrees to go but only to see the wonderful art work rumored to be at this man's house. The gathering turns out to be rather risque, and Diana's reputation would be ruined if the true nature of evening were revealed to polite society. Fortunately there is little chance of that happening until her late husband's cousin walks in, Nicholas Rivers rescues her the dubious situation. Nicholas had gone to the gathering to persuade his cousin Bernard to abandon his patron and return to England with him. Imagine his surprise at finding Rupert's widow there as well. He decides to keep a close eye on her for the sake of Rupert's son and to please his aunt as well. Kate Huntington has written a story that is heart warming as well as entertaining. Who needed to watch the sky for fireworks? Read this winner instead, it sizzles!

Huntington's achievement cannot be underestimated. These poems radiate energy from the pure heart of literature---from that place wherein everything we deal with, from the most destructive to the most banal, becomes transfired by solar heat of art. Of the highest order; solace yes, but more---the lasting, time-conquering, pain-conquering love of life. Great poems which you read and weep---in heartbreaking sadness and heartloving joy. (caveat---if you look at the cover do not be daunted---buy the book in spite of it).

I read poems to get a buzz--a surge, a belly-shudder. Mostly I'm disappointed, but I'll read a thousand ok poems to get to One that Works. The Radiant is full of buzz-poems. Huntington's voice is as pure as Mary Oliver's, and urgent, also, like James Wright's. But more importantly, the poems in The Radiant entertain: they are pleasurable--they zing.

In The Radiant, Huntington writes about her battles with Multiple Sclerosis, her broken marriage, and sea-swirled Provincetown. In her poem, "The Rapture," she writes about the moment she was first seized by MS: "I remember standing in the kitchen, stirring bones for soup, / and in that moment, I became another person." There--that is her voice throughout The Radiant: pure, intimate, compelling: she begins with the every-day and ends with the extraordinary. Later, in the same poem, she writes about her first MS attack, describing it as "a bolt driven down my skull into my spine." Such unflinching honesty characterizes all the poems in The Radiant.

Huntington's four Curse poems will be the most talked about poems in the book. Two of the curses are directed toward her friend (now her ex-friend) who slept with her husband; two are directed toward her adulterous husband (now her ex-husband). In "Curse One: The Wraith," Huntington calls her former friend "a small shape of death crouched among leaves." In "Curse Two: The Naming," Huntington curses this woman again, savagely, but also with some (dark) humor:

I want to throw stones at her mother's corpse,
send her children to name-change foster homes.
May the coat she is wearing burst into flames
and boil the flesh blistering off her bones.
May she be refused in both heaven and hell
and wander the earth forever without rest--
a hungry ghost clinging to the rocks and trees.

The curses transform a contemporary human affairs into a Biblical, even mythological, event. But forget all that: read the excerpt outloud--feel the energy, the surge! You'll not find such words in the Hallmark aisles or on your Grandmother's fridge. The Curse poems are wickedly delightful poems. They are brutal. They are masterful. They will endure.

The Curse poems are the Big Hits of The Radiant, and the poems about MS are compelling, also, but the poems about Other Topics--nature, history and mythology--are no less skillful and imaginative. Consider the beginning to "Hades":

God made the dog
perpetually hungry,
yearning after a handout,
a dug up bone, a taste
of meat or bread,
but without sense
to ever stop eating. . . .

This is clear-eyed poetry--straight-forward and wise. In "The Strange Insect," Huntington focuses her gaze on just what the title suggests--an odd, unidentified bug. She calls it "the wickedest jeweled queen" and describes it "drumming small / horny feet in a cadence, beginning to speak. . . ." She takes a Little Thing, and by examining it in the light of her imagination, discovers its mystery, its Vastness.

Eventually, however, it's the voice of the poet which makes her poems compelling or forgettable, and Huntington's voice is pure and passionate; it is her voice which makes The Radiant so good. Here is an excerpt from "Vale," one of the poems in her "On the Atlantic" series:

The world is where we die.
Let's climb the mountain
and make a fire there
out of wood that grows
with its roots in the black cold water.
Let's climb the rocks,
go up alone. In the valley they sleep
with their heads on stones. Mice
gnaw the fisherman's nets for salt
and the fish swim through.

The people sleep
with their heads on stones,
and angels come down on ladders,
bearing messages. They carry
the page help open to our names:
let's not be there when they come.

Huntington doesn't have to resort to fancy tricks or literary allusion or political commentary to make her poems work; her voice is enough. These are simple words: "fire," "roots,"
"mice," "salt," "ladders"--these are things of this world made radiant.

As Bruce Weigl says in "The Impossible": "Say it clearly and you make it beautiful, no matter what." That's what this collection does, transforming painful experience into art, into truly necessary beauty. If you've ever been betrayed--by a loved one, by your body, your dreams, or anything else, you'll find solace in the achievements of this book.

Plant growth habit and culture notes are all too rare in succulent and cacti volumes. This expertly assembled book captures the succulent plants at their optimum phase and accurately records botanical names and growth requirements. I also utilize to accurately identify plants that I use to create living succulent wreaths. The section of 'Bringing the Desert Indoors' is a welcome invitation to indoor gardeners every where to enjoy these sculptural beauties year around.

One of few books dealing with gardening in the dry southwestern climates. Most of the book is devoted to "Plant Selector" which describes the plants, hardiness, cultivation needs, etc. Other sections deal with "Garden Design", "Techniques" (cultivation etc.), and, " Special Conditions." If you have one book on succulent gardening, this should be it.

I was given this book by my father, who met Sidney and said he was a heck of a guy. That alone is a glowing review. I have been born and raised in Alaska and even though I lead a more urban life, I could relate to and picture most of the accounts in this book. I think the more time you spend in the wilderness, the more you would appreciate this book. Hopefully, those of you who have not been in the wilds of Alaska will still get a lot out of this book. This book is without question one of the best books I have ever read (And I'm comparing it to classic literary works as well). I am not an emotional reader, but I had tears in my eyes more than once while reading it. One should pay special attention to the section on wolves - it is the real story - the one the animal rights activists don't want you to know.
Sidney bridges the native and white cultures so well - I think both cultures would be better off if we lived to his ideals.

The experiance this man has growing up in the Koyyakuk is almost to unbelievable, but true. From losing your mom at age 7 and taking care of 2 younger siblings for days until they were discosvered, to killing a Grizzly bear by hand, this was the norm before civilization hit the region. A truly remarkable book. YOu will want to re-read again and again.

Sidney Huntington grew up along the Koyukuk River in Alaska's harsh interior over 80 years ago. After his legendary mother suddenly dies, 3 year old Huntington protects & cares for his younger siblings during two weeks of isolation before rescue comes. As a teenager he plies wilderness traplines with his father, nearly freezing to death several times.

Shadows on the Koyukuk is a plain & simple memoir with unpretentious recounting of arduous survival interwoven with memories of cheerful, wholehearted contentment of where Sidney found himself in a fabled & beautiful land.

With names like Weaselheart & Schilikum, Monkey John & Cosmos Mountain, Sidney tells of his life on the edge & what happened when civilization arrived & bureaucracy took over. These are the memories of when Anchorage was a city of about 2,000 souls, after the great the Alaska Railroad system was built & the railroad crews had left. You will also find out what "tundra daisies" are. A pleasing memoir of a full life!