I am a sucker for a book about a group. What reminded me of this was Joanna Smith Rakoff's A Fortunate Age, her homage to Mary McCarthy's endlessly re-readable...
Continue »
Everyone's a little vampire crazy these days. One of the first stories to codify the vampire legend was "The Vampyre," which came out in 1819. Polidori, who studied medicine, traveled to Geneva with Byron and this story arose out of the storytelling that also produced Shelley's "Frankenstein." It was long thought to be written by Byron. Polidori killed himself at 25. It's a long way from "Twilight," but it is essential for fans of the genre.
Continue to fight the onslaught of bottled water with this stylish, practical & portable water bottle. Powell's and Nalgene: 2 great companies, 1 great water bottle!
Long hard to find on video, Italian director Michaelangelo Antonioni's 1970 take on the American counter-culture is beatiful to look at, but often ridiculous and politically naive. A loose story about two young people, one a would-be revolutionary, who meet, have sex in the desert and part, Antonioni forsakes the impressive calm of his best film for a slighlty nutty attempt to appeal to the emerging youth/hippie audience. It is badly dated and badly acted, but does feature some great music (Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, John Fahey). As a political statement and a critique of America, it's message isn't much more complex than making love with a hippie chick is groovy and getting gunned down by the man is a bum trip. Could by a double feature with "Easy Rider." Far out.
Based on old WPA guides, this clever anthology offers essays on all 50 states, by a variety of writers, journalists, artists and musicians. As expected, the quality varies. The best entries are those that combine the personal with some history of the state and a feel for the people and culture. The worst are ones where boring writers dwell on their boring childhoods. Two of the entries are comics and you wish they would have been more creative in their author choices, which are heavily weighted towards the NPR/This American Life/New Yorker/McSweeney's gang. Should've been accompanied by a CD. Still, worth reading for the best entries.
One of the most shameful episodes in American history was the displacement/murder of the Indians as the country expanded Westward in the 19th century. It's still rarely taught in schools and widely ignored in our culture, but it can't be ignored. Dee Brown's sympathetic, gripping, and ultimately heartbreaking book tells the story from the Indians' perspective, using first hand accounts to create a vivid portrait of a an entire population robbed of their land, honor, and sometimes lives. It's one of the saddest books you will ever read, but it is absolutely essential. Every American should read it and think about it.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Don't Miss
Customer Comments
lukas has commented on (98) products.
The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre by John Polidori
lukas, October 26, 2009
Everyone's a little vampire crazy these days. One of the first stories to codify the vampire legend was "The Vampyre," which came out in 1819. Polidori, who studied medicine, traveled to Geneva with Byron and this story arose out of the storytelling that also produced Shelley's "Frankenstein." It was long thought to be written by Byron. Polidori killed himself at 25. It's a long way from "Twilight," but it is essential for fans of the genre.Powell's Nalgene Bottle: Philosophy by Powell's Merchandise
lukas, October 23, 2009
Continue to fight the onslaught of bottled water with this stylish, practical & portable water bottle. Powell's and Nalgene: 2 great companies, 1 great water bottle!Zabriskie Point (Full Screen)
lukas, October 23, 2009
Long hard to find on video, Italian director Michaelangelo Antonioni's 1970 take on the American counter-culture is beatiful to look at, but often ridiculous and politically naive. A loose story about two young people, one a would-be revolutionary, who meet, have sex in the desert and part, Antonioni forsakes the impressive calm of his best film for a slighlty nutty attempt to appeal to the emerging youth/hippie audience. It is badly dated and badly acted, but does feature some great music (Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, John Fahey). As a political statement and a critique of America, it's message isn't much more complex than making love with a hippie chick is groovy and getting gunned down by the man is a bum trip. Could by a double feature with "Easy Rider." Far out.State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey
lukas, October 23, 2009
Based on old WPA guides, this clever anthology offers essays on all 50 states, by a variety of writers, journalists, artists and musicians. As expected, the quality varies. The best entries are those that combine the personal with some history of the state and a feel for the people and culture. The worst are ones where boring writers dwell on their boring childhoods. Two of the entries are comics and you wish they would have been more creative in their author choices, which are heavily weighted towards the NPR/This American Life/New Yorker/McSweeney's gang. Should've been accompanied by a CD. Still, worth reading for the best entries.Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown
lukas, September 15, 2009
One of the most shameful episodes in American history was the displacement/murder of the Indians as the country expanded Westward in the 19th century. It's still rarely taught in schools and widely ignored in our culture, but it can't be ignored. Dee Brown's sympathetic, gripping, and ultimately heartbreaking book tells the story from the Indians' perspective, using first hand accounts to create a vivid portrait of a an entire population robbed of their land, honor, and sometimes lives. It's one of the saddest books you will ever read, but it is absolutely essential. Every American should read it and think about it.1-5 of 98next