Product Description
In his National Book Award–winning novel Augustus, John Williams uncovered the secrets of ancient Rome. With Butcher’s Crossing, his fiercely intelligent, beautifully written western, Williams dismantles the myths of modern America.

It is the 1870s, and Will Andrews, fired up by Emerson to seek “an original relation to nature,” drops out of Harvard and heads west. He washes up in Butcher’s Crossing, a small Kansas town on the outskirts of nowhere. Butcher’s Crossing is full of restless men looking for ways to make money and ways to waste it. Before long Andrews strikes up a friendship with one of them, a man who regales Andrews with tales of immense herds of buffalo, ready for the taking, hidden away in a beautiful valley deep in the Colorado Rockies. He convinces Andrews to join in an expedition to track the animals down. The journey out is grueling, but at the end is a place of paradisal richness. Once there, however, the three men abandon themselves to an orgy of slaughter, so caught up in killing buffalo that they lose all sense of time. Winter soon overtakes them: they are snowed in. Next spring, half-insane with cabin fever, cold, and hunger, they stagger back to Butcher’s Crossing to find a world as irremediably changed as they have been. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The Real Buffalo Bill
Fans of John Williams' academic novel, STONER, can rest assured that his western opus, BUTCHER'S CROSSING, will not disappoint, even if they are not fans of the genre.To me, the book is as much a book about nature and about the fall of man as it is about the west.It just happens to be set in Colorado in the 1870s.

Williams' protagonist is a shortened version of his own name, Will.In his early 20s, Will Andrews, the son of a preacher, is newly-arrived from Boston and out for adventure.He meets a buffalo hide dealer named McDonald and signs on with a hunter named Miller, his associate, Charley, and a skinner, Schneider.These four ride westward in search of a valley that only Miller claims to know of -- one filled with the last, great wild buffalo herd that will make them all rich men.In Miller we have an Ahab of the mountains, a man bigger than life who fills the pages and overshadows all around him.He's quite a creation.

Rich with description, Williams' evocation of the land and its moods is nothing short of spellbinding.His eye for detail depicting a hunter's life and skills also impresses.The reader can't help but vicariously experience the highs and the lows that only nature can deal out in most brutal terms.By the end, the hunt takes on more abstract and moral dimensions as the killing reaches epic proportions and the blood stains every member of the party, both literally and figuratively.Upon their return to Butcher's Crossing, they find a surprise.First, the condition of the town and the reason for it.And for young Will there are other surprises -- only these are to be found by searching within instead of looking out.

Well-written, realistic, and historically-accurate, this novel taps a deep and moving theme that will leave the reader thinking long afterward.You can't ask much more of a book than that.

GO WEST YOUNG MAN!
"Mr. McDonald," Andrews said quietly, "I appreciate what you're trying to do for me. But I want to try to explain something to you. I came out here -- " He paused and let his gaze go past McDonald, away from the town, beyond the ridge of earth that he imagined was the river bank, to the flat yellowish green land that faded into the horizon westward. He tried to shape in his mind what he had to say to McDonald. It was a feeling; it was an urge that he had to speak. But whatever he spoke he knew would be but another name for the wildness that he sought. It was a freedom and goodness, a hope and a vigor that he perceived to underlie all the familiar things of his life, which were not free or good or hopeful or vigorous. What he sought was the source and preserver of his world, a world which seemed to turn ever in fear away from its source, rather than search it out, as the prairie grass around him sent down its fibered roots into the rich dark dampness, the Wildness, and thereby renewed itself, year after year."

In Miller, Andrews sees this chance to seek the "source and preserver of his world"...the good, truth and beauty found only in nature...his calling for this 'Emersonian Transcendentalism'. Miller is over-confident in his plan for this kill and the riches it will surely reap.
Miller's hubris is reminiscent of a Greek Tragedy... in that the greed motivating the plot is also the greed which consumes the men...and ultimately and a bit ironically leads to the plot's dissolution.
This novel affected me and moved me by the way it inched forward into a monomania of disregard for the very truth and beauty in nature that it purported to seek.
The killing moved into a numbing process where Will's transformation was disturbing...like the automaton of which he speaks.

"The stench of the buffalo, the feel of the warm meat on his hands, and the sight of clotted blood came to have less and less impact upon his senses. Shortly he came to the task of skinning almost like an automaton, hardly aware of what he did as he sucked the hide from an inert beast and pegged it to the ground. He was able to ride through a mass of skinned buffalo covered black with feeding insects, and hardly be aware of the stench that rose in the heat from the rotting flesh."
I'm still digesting the layers and the rich evocative writing...it is 'as if' the lushness of the valley slowly dissipates in the frenzied slaughter of these gentle beasts.... along with minds and senses of the crazed men.

Early Revisionist Western?
How the West was won?...you decide!

But if you grew up on Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, John Wayne, and the Hollywood Westerns, this book will open a fresh, wider, truer, and much bloodier valley!

The Old West Comes Alive
It's hard to believe we had, at one time, such a place as the the old west for our young people to cut their teeth in!A young man from Boston who's spent 3 years at Harvard rides a stage coach across country to a deserted 10 horse town in Kansas.He's literally set down in the middle of nothing.I loved Williams' description of the `town'.The buildings had been hastily put up and the people were barely socialized.The only industry was killing animals to sell to a middle man for the Eastern market.Against this backdrop our Emerson besotted Bostonian joins up with a few hardened frontier men who are looking for a bank roll so they can chase their dream of killing buffalo. Our hero, Will Andrews, can't resist the adventure this Don Quixote and his Sancho Panza tempt him with.They set out and encounter way more than windmills.They head towards the mountains of Colorado.

I'd never heard of John Williams until I came across a review of his "Stoner" which led me to "Butcher's Crossing".He's an incredible writer and though the entire book is not to be missed the last third was achingly beautiful.The landscape is intrinsic to the story.It could even be considered one of the main characters.Here's one of the many passages that I couldn't help reading over and over.It describes the coming of spring in the Colorado mountains, "The mountainside was a riot of varied shade and hue.The dark green of the pine boughs was lightened to a greenish yellow at the tips, where new growth was starting; scarlet and white buds were beginning to open on the wild-berry bushes; and the pale green of new growth on the slender aspens shimmered above the silver-white bark of their trunks.All about the ground the pale new grass reflected the light of the sun into the shadowed recesses beneath the great pines, and the dark trunks glowed in that light, faintly, as if the light came from the hidden centers of the trees themselves.He thought that if he listened he could hear the sound of growth."Writing just doesn't get much better than this in my opinion.

visceral man v nature read
if you loved cormac mccarthy's blood meridian and oakley hall's warlock, add this one to your 3-book pantheon of essential, classic literary westerns. an incredibly fast, vividly descriptive 3rd-person read, as if you're right there with the four buffalo hunters and their trials and tribulations.

An "adult western" not to be missed
I "discovered" this book when I ordered a new copy of Williams' other novel, STONER. I'd never heard of Butcher's Crossing, but man, this is one helluva good read about the last of the buffalo hunters, but also an example of literary fiction at its finest. You hardly expect a Harvard man to be hunting the buff, but that's what you get here, as well as what he thinks about it all. There are probably many comparisons that could be made here. One other book I thought of while reading this one is THE MOTHERS by Vardis Fisher, an excellent novel about the Donner Party. The truth is though, John Williams is a one-of-a-kind author who, were there any justice in this world, should have been as well known as Updike, Roth and Bellow. This book is well worth your time. - Tim Bazzett, author of the Reed City Boy trilogy and Love, War & Polio ... Read more

Product Description

It must be a part of human nature to love drama. We never would have sold as many records -- and we never would have been this popular -- if our member changes did not happen. Up until that point, we were squeaky-clean nice girls who couldn't get on the cover of any magazines. --Beyoncé Knowles

They're beautiful, they're talented, they're bootylicious . . .

From first kisses and broken hearts to pillow fights and legal battles to losing friends and finding strength in God, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams share it all. Their example of survival has made Destiny's Child one of the most beloved, bestselling female groups ever.

Here for the first time, the three share the struggles that have made them stronger, from Beyoncé's battles with weight loss and shyness, Kelly's coming to terms with growing up without a dad, and Michelle's triumph over grade-school bullies. They've grown up under the media microscope, and have had to deal with lineup changes and media rumors. Now they set the record straight.

The demands and drama, the schedules and scrutiny -- from the tour bus to the dressing rooms to backstage at awards shows, Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle talk about what it takes to be successful. Whether it's changing outfits in the rain, changing their hair color, or changing a name, they've done it.

Don't be mistaken, they're not a prefab group of young girls -- they're smart, independent women with a lot of soul. When these ladies had only minutes of studio time to work with Wyclef Jean to remix one of their songs, they didn't stress, they just started singing faster -- and the result was a unique sound that put them on the map. Everyone has caught on to the Destiny's Child groove -- Whitney Houston, Bono, and Michael Jackson have all given them props, and the King of Pop himself serenaded them with a rendition of “Bootylicious.”

Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle take you behind the scenes of a video rehearsal at which Aaliyah rewound their practice music, to the set of Austin Powers 3, where a starstruck Beyoncé felt anything but foxy before auditioning for the part of Foxxy Cleopatra, and backstage at the Grammys, where a last-minute costume change fiasco nearly kept Michelle from going onstage.

With total honesty, these soul survivors not only dish the details of their past, but share their hopes, plans, and dreams for the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

DC3
I READ THIS BOOK AND I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW GOOD IT WAS. IT TALKED ABOUT THE MEMBERS OF DESTINY'S CHILD AND THEIR LIVES AT HOME AS WELL AS ON THE ROAD. IT TALKED ABOUT THE MEMBER CHANGES AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. IT TALKED ABOUT THEIR STRUGGLES WITH GETTING A RECORD DEAL AS WELL AS THE STRUGGLES WITH THE MEDIA. I REALLY LIKE THIS BOOK BECAUSE ITTALKED ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT THE MAGAZINES DONT.IT MADE ME FEEL AS IF I KNEW THEM. IF ASKED IF I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO A FRIEND I WOULD BECAUSE IT'S AND EXCELENT BOOK.

the best book!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a great book. I definetly recommend it. It tells what happened with the group members, first kisses, boyfriends. I never ever wanted to read a book,{BECAUSE I AM NOT A GOOD READER} but when i got the book i couldnt put it down. I read it in one day and i am a slow reader. They didnt say anything bad about farrah, letoya, or latavia. I WOULD always recommend you to get the book, and it is worth every penny. You wont be disappointed. Also it tells about their childhood, with pics which is cool.

P.S: You can have a opinion but dont hate, appreciate. Also u will probably hurt their feeling so dont say anything stupid.

very good book
the book is very good i want to read over and over again and i like how they put pictures in the middle of the book and they talk about their child hood but they talk to much about the break up but not the future and what they have accomplished as a group with out the other members but i would recomend this book

It's Pretty Good
I enjoy Destiny's Child, and I thought it would be interesting ot read about them. It was a good book mostly, and you learn a lot about these three members, like their childhood, early life, school years, how they joined Destiny's Child, and more. What was strange to me was the title of this book. I really am not sure that these three rich woman who are famous all around the world are really "soul survivors". What did they survive? Sure, they lost three group members but that's about it. Another thing that bothered me was that the book was mostly Beyonce this, Beyonce that. She did most of the writing, or should I say talking because they just told their story to James Patrick Herman, who actually wrote it. Also, it seems like the book is mainly about her. So what, she writes their songs and is their (Destiny's Child) lead singer. It dosn't mean she should always get all of the attention! Overall, the book is great, but I think big Destiny's Child fans would like it the most.

Destiny's child are talented
The book gave a look into the lives of the group destiny's child and the women. I just don't feel it. I think the only way to be really honest is to have the ex-members tell there side a well. If it's not that way then you're really getting a one sided story. And I need to hear everybody's piece. I think they are talented and everything, but really you are just throwing away money if you get this. Money that could be in your pockets. Please do not keep slipping further into idol worship. This are just people. Some of ya'll need to really calm down. Some girl was going off. Like she was a friend of those girls. Just like she, said she don't know them personally either. So how can she try to make it like they are just survivors, no. They really honestly didn't lose anything. Everybody is picked, shy sometimes, and grows up without a father. Just because they are stars do not make there story more heart touching. I need to hear from everybody to know the truth. That's just me. So For all of ya'll obsessed crazy fans. Please, calm down. It ain't that serious, really. Remember they are just people, psychos. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description

Product Description
German Festivals and Traditions provides primary school teachers with a wealth of background information, together with clearly laid out teaching activities showing how German festivals and traditions can be taught in the classroom. The month-by-month format, together with charts linking the book to the intercultural strand of the Framework for Modern Foreign Languages, makes it easy for teachers to select the best activities for their class. Activities range from art and craft activities and simple recipes for cooking to games, songs and ideas for developing speaking and listening skills. ... Read more

Product Description
Gute Idee is an invaluable, time-saving resource that will help you to cover many of the objectives of the Framework for Modern Foreign Languages. Designed with the non-specialist teacher in mind, Gute Idee provides key vocabulary, word and picture matching cards, activity sheets and puzzle pages for 20 popular topics.Use the suggestions given or develop your own games with these flexible sheets. German has never been this easy - just choose your game, copy the sheets and play!Sentence building sheets for each topic provide top tips for extending the vocabulary. Use them and soon your pupils will soon be happily conversing in German with confidence.The topics included in this book are: Die Zahlen, The numbers; Die Wochentage, The days; Die Monate, The months; Meine Familie, My family; Die Farben, The colours; Hast du Haustiere?, Do you have a pet?; Im Klassenzimmer, In the classroom; In der Schule, School subjects; Guten Appetit, Food; Wie ist das Wetter?, What's the weather like?; Der Körper, The body; Meine Hobbys, My hobbies; Die Kleidung, Clothes; In der Stadt, In the town; Mein Haus, In my house; Frohe Weihnachten, Happy Christmas; Valentinstag, Valentine's Day; Fasching, Shrove Tuesday; Frohe Ostern, Happy Easter; Halloween, Halloween. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS ISSUE,HAS RYAN GOSLING AND MICHELLE WILLIAMS ON THE COVER..WE ARE LISTING THIS ITEM TO PROMOTE 2 OF OUR FAVORITE MODELS:KARLIE KLOSS,AND LARA STONE... BOTH,HAVE MULTIPLE LAYOUTS ON 2 SEPARATE EDITORIALS... ALL OF THE STARS LISTED ABOVE,WILL ALSO APPEAR IN THIS GREAT ISSUE... ... Read more

Product Description
Eleven years with the same man and no commitment. Two kids to raise, working by day, going to school by night. It was hard, it took a lot of sacrifices, but eventually Michaela knew it would pay off. That was until a phone call changed everything. Travis wasn't being faithful. Fed up wasn't the word for what Michaela felt. Michaela's life needed a serious change. And Travis' dead body was just the welcome mat she needed to a new life. He would be the last person to stand in the way of her Needed Changes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good roles models, all
With all the misbehavior of athletes these days, here are six who are truly inspirational for kids. The book is well-written and easy to follow, giving the basics of each person's life sprinkled with a few interesting facts. Reluctant readers will gobble it up. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Good story, but author should've used a good editor.
I enjoyed this story.I enjoyed learning about this profession and what's involved.However, the author's use of the English language is poor and she rambles a bit (for example, "...and he wasn't smelling too clever either."Her tales of the mortuary were interesting, but I didn't want to know about her pub crawls and drinking binges. More enjoyable would've been better detail about the procedures and the politics involved in working in the NHS system in Britain('bound to be plenty!). She ought to have used a darn good editor and the book probably would've made her mint.

Down among the dead men
This book is a can't put down. Very good discriptions of the daily grind of a mortuary tech with lots of humor. Actually read this book in two afternoons.very disappointed when I had to put it down. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Michelle Williams, 2009 Chicago Sky Season, 2010 Chicago Sky Season, Kristi Toliver, 2006 Chicago Sky Season, Ray Clay, Michael Alter, Uic Pavilion, Margaret Stender. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 61. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Tenitra Michelle Williams (born July 23, 1980), commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is better known for being one-third of the successful R ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe, Stephanie Umoh, Frank Cornish, Mike Williams, Michelle Merhar. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 18. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe (December 17, 1915 January 24, 2009) was the second Roman Catholic bishop of San Angelo, Texas and the fifth bishop of Dallas, Texas. Tschoepe (pronounced ) was born on December 17, 1915 in Pilot Point, Texas and was ordained a priest on May 30, 1943. On March 9, 1966 he was ordained Bishop of San Angelo, and on October 29, 1969, he was installed as Bishop of Dallas. During Tschoepes administration, 21 counties in East Texas were split off into the new Diocese of Tyler, reducing the Dallas Diocese to 9 counties and a little over 7,000 square miles. Tschoepe retired on July 14, 1990 and was succeeded by Charles Victor Grahmann. During the early part of his retirement he lived and served at St. Joseph's parish in Waxahachie, Texas. In his later years he lived at the St. Joseph Retirement Center in south Dallas, where he died on January 24, 2009 at age 93. ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=6060006 ... Read more

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : David Lynch, Gary Cooper, Tom Wilson, Myrna Loy, Steve Reeves, Howard Freeman, Phil Jackson, Michelle Williams, Bill Lindsay, Troy Evans, Erle C. Kenton, Stacy Edwards, Patrick Duffy, George Montgomery, Irene Lentz, Jason Lamy-Chappuis, Pete Lovely, Brad Bird, Jean Parker, Jeff Ament, Brian Schweitzer, Dirk Benedict, Loren W. Acton, Bob Enevoldsen, Jeff Kober, Kam Mickolio, Dana Carvey, James Welch, Stanley Anderson, Ricky Mccormick, Adam Morrison, Maurice Hilleman, Max Baucus, Constance Towers, Anthony Washington, Torey Hayden, David Duncan, Marvin Camel, Sidney S. Culbert, Chet Huntley, John Dahl, Brent Weeks, Jeannette Rankin, Brannon Braga, Jack Horner, Nicolette Larson, Sierra Fellers. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : David Lynch est un cinéaste, photographe, musicien et peintre américain né le 20 janvier 1946 à Missoula, dans le Montana, aux États-Unis. Lynch a reçu trois nominations aux Academy Awards comme Meilleur réalisateur pour Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986) et Mulholland Drive (2001). Il a également reçu des prix au Festival de Cannes et à la Mostra de Venise. Tout au long de sa carrière, Lynch a employé de nouvelles approches dans sa façon de construire un film. Son style est devenu facilement reconnaissable pour de nombreux spectateurs et critiques. Les films de Lynch sont connus pour leur côté irréel, cauchemardesque et pour ses images comme sorties d'un rêve. Il est aussi connu pour apporter un grand soin à la bande-son de ses films. Lynch porte un regard sombre et halluciné sur la réalité humaine inquiétante qui se dissimule derrière la lisse mise en scène sociale au sein des petites bourgades américaines (en particulier dans Blue Velvet et Twin Peaks) ou de Los Angeles (...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Ginger Lynn, John B. Anderson, Cheap Trick, Michelle Williams, Cap Anson, Stewart Brand, Paris Bennett, Grover Krantz, Dwight Johns, Ernie Kent, Laurence S. Kuter, James Henry Breasted, James Write, James Cartwright, Donald A. Manzullo, Chad Knaus, Aidan Quinn, Robert Nardelli, Thomas Fleming, Janet Lynn, Bill Compton, Marin Mazzie, Jodi Benson, Rick Nielsen, Leonard B. Keller, Steve Cherundolo, Ed Viesturs, John Ortberg, Debra Bowen, Helen Armstrong, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Edward F. W. Ellis, Brad Wood, John Taylor Lewis, Iceberg Slim, Edward Edson Lee, Joe Mantello, John Blake, Bela S. Huntington, Shane Matthews, Piper Gilles, Nicole Briscoe, Mark Ingram, Sr., Lynn Morley Martin, Todd Gilles, Pehr August Peterson, Jerry Wayne Wickam, Griffith Buck, Thomas G. Doran, Alexe Gilles, Jeff Mitchell, Sarah Kelly, George Nichols, James Lindgren, Gordon Tullock, Ben Abruzzo, Scott Styles, Mary Jo Peppler, Steven C. Hebert, Bun E. Carlos, Alston Scott Householder, Fred E. Smith, Jace Sayler, Carlos Polk, Janice E. Voss, Allan Zullo, Rodney Myers, Natasha Leggero, City of Rockford Pipe Band, Bunny Gibbons, George Edgar Vincent, Ron Husmann, Mike Gandy, Shawn Ryan, Kenneth Gould, Dallas West, Stephanie Bellars, Ira Matthews, Chad Gallagher, List of Mayors of Rockford, Illinois, Larry Morrissey, Mark Dean, Douglas P. Scott, Brian Evans, Tony Blevins, Bill Kopp, John Sall, Hal Carlson, Charles Box, Leo Stasica, Leland Ossian Howard, Skip Thoren, Hunkey Hines, Richard Ragsdale, Dennis Vaske, Laurie Walquist, Andra Martin, Elmer Behnke. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 396. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1974. The band consists of members Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar, bac...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=179315 ... Read more