Morris Architects - The Library

The Pleasures of the Imagination : English Culture in the Eighteenth Century

John Brewer

In 1660, England was a cultural wasteland. Historian John Brewer charts the growth of the literary and artistic milieus later amplified in cofeehouses, libraries, pleasure gardens, and theaters. Brewer offers a radical reconsideration of the roots of modernity in a crucial century poised between the old ways and the new world to come of color plates. 240 b&w illustrations.

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook

by Joshua Piven (Preface), David Borgenicht (Preface)

Maybe you've never been parachuting and had your "chute" fail to open, maybe you've never needed to win a sword fight. If you had been though, having read the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook would have left you well prepared to deal with these, as well as other unusual but life-threatening situations.

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Underworld

Don Delillo

Midway through Don DeLillo's new, expansive, and most ambitious novel, Underworld, a character makes this observation about the film Unterwelt (Underworld): "All Eisenstein wants you to see, in the end, are the contradictions of being. You look at the faces on the screen and you see the mutilated yearning, the inner divisions of people and systems, and how forces will clash and fasten, compelling the swerve from evenness that marks a thing lastingly."

Toward the End of Time : A Novel

John Updike

The Wall Street Journal, William H. Pritchard:
The branching imagination in this novel--call it Mr. Updike's art--is occupied with roads not taken, and some of them go back a long way, to the author of the Mark gospel, or to a pair of Egyptian tomb-robbers, or to a monk in the Dark Ages about to be extinguished by Norsemen. These transformations, or forkings, are daring; they also make tough going for a first-time reader. Yet when Ben, near the end of the novel, thinks that "the short view alone is bearable," we agree with him, partly because of the long views Mr. Updike takes in his narrative. .

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Mason & Dixon

Thomas Pynchon

The award-winning author of Gravity's Rainbow follows mismatched British surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon as they make their way through frontier hardships, Native Americans, warfare, conspiracies, and other perils of eighteenth-century, pre-Revolutionary America. 200,000 first printing.

Let Us now Praise Famous Men

James Agee and Walker Evans

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Modern Welding

Andrew Daniel Althouse (Editor), Carl H. Turnquist, William a Bowditch

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The Joy of Pi

David Blattner

Lost Man's River

Peter Matthiessen

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Healing with Whole Foods

Paul Pitchford

An extensive investigation of Traditional Chinese Food Medicine through the eye's of Modern Nutrition. Includes Recipes and Menu selections for certain treatments.

The New Making of a Cook : The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking

Madeleine Kamman

Kamman has written her book for the budding professional or the serious amateur who wants to achieve pre-professional expertise. She covers nonglamorous fundamentals like pots and pans, the chemistry of basic ingredients and the fine points of the cooking techniques that chefs must master.... If you can tough it out, you emerge with a new store of knowledge and a firm command of the basics.... Kamman's tome stands a monolith, issuing a challenge to every cook with ambition, determination and the biceps to lift it off the shelf. (NYT)

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What the Living Do : Poems

Marie Howe

Each of these poems chronicles the luminescence and the darkness of every day life. This collection also embodies a spiritual core, one that speaks to the complexity of the end of this century. Grace and forgiveness are earned through the unrelenting honesty of these lines. It is the sacred in these poems which will make it the collection and Howe the poet of our time. The discipline of Howe's writing, of her thinking, require a delibrateness of craft. Long lines and short bring the conversation of the everyday to a precision often missed in contemporary American poetry. This collection will speak to so many people: writers, those who rarely read to those who would never read poetry, to the finest craftsmen, and anyone who seeks the sacred in life. (Reader Review)

Signs

Photography: Walker Evans,
text: Andrei Codrescu

An Anthology of Evan's exquisite collection of Sign Photographs captured throughout his long career. Includes an accompanying Essay by Andrei Codrescu, known for his commentary on NPR.

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The Moral Animal : Why We Are the Way We Are : The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology

Robert Wright

An accessible introduction to the science of evolutionary psychology and how it explains many aspects of human nature. Unlike many books on the topic,which focus on abstractions like kin selection, this book focuses on Darwinian explanations of why we are the way we are--emotionally and morally. Wright deals particularly well with explaining the reasons for the stereotypical dynamics of the three big "S's:" sex, siblings, and society.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea : Evolution and the Meanings of Life

Daniel C. Dennett

One of the best descriptions of the nature and implications of Darwinian evolution ever written, it is firmly based in biological information and appropriately extrapolated to possible applications to engineering and cultural evolution. Dennett's analyses of the objections to evolutionary theory are unsurpassed. Extremely lucid, wonderfully written, and scientifically and philosophically impeccable. Highest Recommendation! (Amazon.com)

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Recipes from Paradise : Life and Food on the Italian Riviera

Fred Plotkin

Italy's healthiest, most flavorful regional cuisine comes alive in this richly illustrated cookbook from one of the world's leading authorities on Italian food. From pesto to foccacia, the region's best-known specialties, to more unusual dishes, Fred Plotkin shows how to recreate more than 200 authentic Ligurian dishes and enjoy a true taste of paradise. 30 photos.

Enchanted Liguria : A Celebration of the Culture, Lifestyle and Food of the Italian Riviera

David Downie, Alison Harris (Photographer)

For over a century, travelers have flocked to the Italian Riviera region known as Liguria. Here is the first illustrated book to celebrate Liguria's culture, crafts, and foods. Gorgeous photography and engaging text combine with practical information on visiting the popular area.. Also includes 30 distinctive recipes from local chefs. 75 color illus.

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American Brasserie : 180 Simple, Robust Recipes Inspired by the Rustic Foods of France, Italy and America

Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin

Inspired by the rustic foods of France, Italy, and America, these 150 simple, robust recipes encompass a wide selection of dishes, from soups to pastas to roasts to desserts. Two inserts of gorgeous color photographs capture the energetic atmosphere of the American brasserie, and each recipe is accompanied by a beer or wine recommendation. ive recipes from local chefs. 75 color illus.

The NPR Interviews 1995

Robert Siegel, ed.

This edition collects probing, enlightening, and provocative conversations by Jimmy Carter, William Styron, Newt Gingrich, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Robbins, and many others.

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The NPR Interviews 1996

Robert Siegel, ed

The Dalai Lama talks about Tibet and China, Nancy Sinatra talks about her father, Joni Mitchell talks about art and music, writer William Maxwell talks about short stories, and Pauline Kael talks about film. There are also illuminating interviews with a National Geographic photographer, a man who translates the gospels, and ordinary Americans commenting on major news events.

The Art of Napping

William A. Anthony

It's time for nappers to lie down and be counted! Scientific studies show that naps affect mood and performance positively--concluding empirically what nappers have known intuitively for a long time: napping is good for your health. "There is in fact, a magic bullet for life. It's called the daily nap. Read all about it right here in this very funny book and change your life. Sorry got to run. It's time for my nap." --Jim Lehrer of the NewsHour.

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No Colder Place

S. J. Rozan

Two private investigators--Bill Smith and Lydia Chin--investigate a construction site plagued by thieves and a murder, in a case that leads them into the darkest depths of the underworld.

Mandarin Plaid

S. J. Rozan

Elegant, porcelain-skinned Genna Jing is sure her latest designs are worth a fortune. That's why she is willing to pay the fifty grand being demanded by the person who stole her design book. But when Lydia--backed by her partner Bill Smith--makes the drop, everything goes wrong. Soon a simple case of high-fashion extortion leads Lydia and Bill from Chinatown to Park Avenue, and from murder to more money--a million dollars in exchange for a missing man's life.

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Concourse

S. J. Rozan

A murder at a nursing home in the Bronx's once stately, now decayed, Grand Concourse sends Bill Smith and his Asian-American partner, Lydia Chin on a hunt for a brutal killer.

China Trade

S. J. Rozan

Hired to find some precious stolen porcelain, Lydia follows a trail of clues from highbrow art dealers into a world of Chinese gangs. Suddenly, this case has become as complex as her community itself--and as deadly as a killer on the loose. This novel features the mystery world's first Chinese-American female detective.

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Shanken's Cigar Handbook : A Connoisseur's Guide to Smoking Pleasure

Marvin R. Shanken

A leading connoisseur of premium cigars shares his knowledge and enthusium in this handy volume.

50 Careers With Horses! : From Accountant to Wrangler

Bonnie Kreitler

Loaded with detailed information about career contacts, schools, and scholarships, plus vital salary data you won't find anywhere else. Learn what experience, education, and contacts you need to land the position you want. Find out about both hands-on horse jobs and horsey tie-ins with careers like accountant, lawyer, and sales representative. Oodles of advice from people who've been there. Get this book and get going!

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The Man Who Listens to Horses

Monty Roberts, Lawrence Scanlan (Introduction)

A real-life ""horse whisperer"" discusses his unconventional and gentle equine training methods, his unique ability to communicate with horses, and the applications of his communication skills in the corporate world.

Forward Motion : Horses, Humans, and the Competitive Enterprise

H. M. Menino

A disarmingly limpid telling of days spent training horses for the highest levels of competition, from newcomer Menino. What is it about riding and training horses that sustains the people so engaged? For that matter, what sustains the horses?

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Huxley : From Devil's Disciple to Evolution's High Priest

Adrian Desmond

America at the end of this century awaits its own Huxley. When he does come along, Adrian Desmond's splendid biography will provide a blueprint for how to wage a successful campaign on behalf of science and its grand ideals.

Beyond All Reason : The Radical Assault on Truth in American Law

Daniel A. Farber, Suzanna Sherry

There is a school of legal scholarship that blends some of the most radical theories extant in legal circles today, christened "radical multiculturalism" by Daniel A. Farber and Suzanna Sherry, law professors at the University of Minnesota; in their book, Beyond All Reason, they give us plenty of reasons to worry about it. According to Farber and Sherry, both long-standing liberals, radical multiculturalism gives liberalism a bad name. It is a system of thought that admits no objective reality, no truth, no hope of a just or equal society. Its proponents--everyone from critical race theorist Richard Delgado to feminist Catharine MacKinnon--posit that such values are merely tools of the dominant society (white males) used to keep everyone else subservient. In such a world, then, it doesn't matter whether or not O.J. Simpson killed his ex-wife; the objective truth in that case is less important than the fact that a black man was put on trial in a white-dominated society, making him at least as much a victim as Nicole Simpson. Farber and Sherry write with restraint and patience, but there's no doubt that they're seriously alarmed by what they see as the disproportionate power that radical multiculturalists wield in the legal world. Though their numbers are small, proponents of this kind of legal thinking are vocal and aggressive; their influence is being reflected more and more by the choices of law school professors and deans, the slant of curriculums, and eventually in the thinking of the students they teach. To Farber and Sherry, such a turn of events is cause for deep concern, for what hope can there be for real justice--real peace--in a legal system that rejects the existence of truth--or worse, denies that it matters.

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How the Mind Works

Steven Pinker

Why do fools fall in love? Why does a man's annual salary, on average, increase $600 with each inch of his height? When a crack dealer guns down a rival, how is he just like Alexander Hamilton, whose face is on the ten-dollar bill? How do optical illusions function as windows on the human soul? Cheerful, cheeky, occasionally outrageous MIT psychologist Steven Pinker answers all of the above and more in his marvelously fun, awesomely informative survey of modern brain science. Pinker argues that Darwin plus canny computer programs are the key to understanding ourselves--but he also throws in apt references to Star Trek, Star Wars, The Far Side, history, literature, W. C. Fields, Mozart, Marilyn Monroe, surrealism, experimental psychology, and Moulay Ismail the Bloodthirsty and his 888 children. If How the Mind Works were a rock show, tickets would be scalped for $100. This book deserves its honor of reaching number one on bestseller lists.

Felix in the Underworld

John Mortimer

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