Book Description
John Tanner's fascinating autobiography tells the story of a man torn between white society and the Native Americans with whom he identified.
Customer Reviews:
A Far Cry From Last Of The Mohicans.......2005-12-13
The Falcon is a story of Native American life in the late 18th and early 19th century, as experienced by a white man, John Tanner. Tanner was captured by the Shawnee at an early age and eventually adopted into the Ojibwa Nation of Western Ontario, Eastern Manitoba and Northern Michigan. After years of life with the Ojibway, he attempted unsuccessfully to return to his white relatives in Kentucky. Forget Natty Bumppo of Last of the Mohicans, John Dunbar of Dances With Wolves, Jack Crabb of Little Big Man, or A Man Called Horse; This is the real thing. This is a bleak grim tale of survival totally devoid of any romanticism or objectivity.
The life of Tanner and his adoptive people, the Ojibway, was one long struggle to survive in an inhospitable wilderness where death from starvation, disease, mishap or murder was constantly at hand. I have read countless stories of native life, but never one which presented the overwhelming harshness of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle as vividly as this book.
The narrative is uncompromisingly grim, yet compelling beyond any work of fiction. The Native people are not the Noble Savage or the Fiendish Redskin of stereotype. They are shown as brave and resourceful, or lazy and given to drink, by turns. In short, they are shown as real human people.
From a modern perspective, the survival capabilities of these people are nothing short of incredible. I am in awe of the sheer will to live that compelled them to carry on throughout lives so devoid of anything we of today would call comfort.
John Tanner was not famous in the history of the frontier. Neither was he a fictional hero like the characters I previously mentioned, but the story of his excruciatingly difficult life as a man of two worlds, yet fully at home in neither, is one of the most amazing stories of the early days of North America that I have ever read.
One small complaint: The introduction was written by Louise Erdrich, and she refers to the book as a much-read, cherished family touchstone, but, in citing an incident in the text, she is completely mistaken. I am referring to the incident where Tanner returns to his lodge and finds it destroyed by fire. The actual event in the book is nothing like what Erdrich describes. She claims that Tanner cast one of his children out to die in the cold as punishment for burning the lodge. However, the child was actually his adoptive sibling, and she did not die as Erdrich said, but is mentioned several more times in the narrative, up until her marriage. A small point, but she should have re-read the book before writing the introduction. I'm sure Tanner himself wouldn't have liked what Erdrich wrote one bit.
The Best and Most Complete Indian Captivity Narrative.......2003-04-16
"The Falcon" is the autobiography of Shaw-Shaw-Wa Be-Na-Se or John Tanner, a White Indian captured by the Shawnee along the Ohio River in 1789 and later sold to an Ojibwa family in northern Michigan. He went on to live a long and fascinating life among the Indians of the Old Northwest working as a trapper for the Hudson Bay Company and serving as the interpreter at the trading post at Sault St. Marie. He spent some time searching out his white family in Kentucky before returning to Michigan to be with his Indian children, forever spurning the white way of life. He went on to write this narrative in 1830 shortly before becoming a murder suspect and disappearing into the north woods forever.
Tanner's narrative is truly amazing for it's matter-of-fact style and the wealth of information it contains on every facet of Indian life in the late 18th and early 19th century including hunting, family life, Indian-white relations, foodways, views on war and murder, even attitudes toward sexual orientation. Tanner tells a story from the point of view of a man who has lived a hard life but is determined to live it as well as he is able. He makes no romantic notions about the Indians nor does he have sentimental longings for his white family. Unlike other famous captivity narratives like those of Mary Rowlandson, James Smith, or Oliver Spencer, this story is of the unredeemed captive who willingly chooses to embrace the neo-lithic lifestyle and the hardships that such a life entails, but makes no regrets of his life choices.
The historical and ethnographical information contained here alone makes it worthwhile reading, but the pure human content the author puts into this work makes it truly great.
The Falcon, by John Tanner.......2002-06-21
The Falcon, by John Tanner, is simply one of the most incredible
books I have ever read, and must be considered a classic.
It was utterly enthralling. I found myself wondering how he
ever wrote the book, since it is very well written, but he had
little knowledge of English until later life. Found out on the
web that back in Sault Ste Marie, he narrated his life to a doctor, who wrote it all down, and later published it.
Freud and Rousseau should have read this book.......2001-05-31
This is an unsentimental account of a hunting-gathering life. Even with guns and metal knives, the Falcon faced starvation so frequently that it seemed practically routine. One of the saddest sentences is a simple, somewhat relieved declarative about a fever sweeping the area: "Only one of my children died."
The writing is intense, and builds slowly. Tanner is anything but dramatic, but the events of his life command respect. This is a book that no author could have created artficially: its power is natural.
Nonetheless, I would have liked to learn something about where, when, and by whom the book was written. I suspect my Penguin paperback may be missing something. Page 228 refers me to a note at the end of the volume, but it is not there.
Generally, I do not care for Introductions. However, the Introduction by Louise Erdrich is worth reading carefully, before and after reading the narrative.
This book is listed as out of print........1999-06-05
This appears to be a reprint of the original text published by Ross & Haines in 1956. There were only two thousand copies originally printed.
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Gymnosperms of Nepal =: Les gymnospermes du Nepal (Cahiers nepalais : Documents)
Tirtha Bahadur Shrestha
Manufacturer: Editions du Centre national de la recherche scientifique
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Walking in the Cevennes (Cicerone International Walking)
Janette Norton
Manufacturer: Cicerone Press
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Walks in the Cevennes (Footpaths of Europe)
French Ramblers Association
Manufacturer: McCarta Publishing
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- Sorrows
- Tunes for bears to dance to
- Tunes For Bears To Dance To
- Tunes for Bears to Dance to
- It sucked!!
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Tunes for Bears to Dance To
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
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8 Plus 1
ASIN: 0440219035
Release Date: 1994-04-01 |
Book Description
A masterful portrayal of hatred, prejudice and manipulation that challenges readers to examine how they would behave in the face of evil. Henry meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor, who is carving a replica of the village where he lived and which was destroyed in the war. Henry's friendship with Mr. Levine is put to the test when his prejudiced boss, Mr. Hairston, asks Henry to destroy Mr. Levine's village.
Customer Reviews:
Sorrows.......2007-03-12
Henry is a very sad boy. His older brother recently died, and his parents are living in the depths of sorrow. In order to escape their memories, they have moved themselves and Henry to a new town, where he doesn't have any friends and where they live next door to a mental hospital. When Henry's knee is broken and in a cast, he watches an old man leave the hospital every day and come back every evening. When Henry's knee is better, he follows the man.
Mr. Levine, the man Henry follows, is a Holocaust survivor. Every day he goes to the community art center, where he is working on carving an exact wooden replica of the village the Nazis destroyed, where he used to live.
Henry tells his employer about this man. But Henry's employer is evil. He makes Henry promises--he tells him all of the nice things he will do for Henry. But he will only do these things if Henry does something awful for him. If Henry doesn't do it, this man promises to ruin his life.
I liked the characters of Mr. Levine and the man who runs the art center. They are both very kind and very strong. I liked how Henry resolves his problem and gains a sort of power. I was frustrated by the fact that the evil characters always seemed to be much stronger and more powerful than the good characters, though.
Tunes for bears to dance to.......2005-07-08
Very good book. The author elevated our interest well with the story as well as the emotions it carries. My son and I both enjoyed it.
Tunes For Bears To Dance To.......2005-03-02
The book was very interesting. The characters helped a lot to, each of them helped make the book even more interesting. Mr. Levine with his little wooden village, Henry and his curiosity (it's a gift and a curse), and Mr.Hairston, well it wouldn't be that interesting of a book if everybody was nice. Mr.Hairston did help to spice things up a little bit with his little scheme and his always moody attitude. Other than the ending which I thought was rather sudden, the book was in all pretty good.
Tunes for Bears to Dance to.......2004-11-23
This compelling novel written by Robert Cormier is about a young boy, named Henry who moves to a new town after the death of his brother. Henry works at a grocery store. His boss, Mr. Hairston, hears about Henry's new friend, Mr. Levine. When Mr. Hairston found out that Mr. Levine was a jew he ordered Henry to ruin Mr. Levine's model village that he had worked so hard on. If Henry does not do what he is told his life would be ruined. Henry is faced with a very important decision. To find out whether he makes the right decision you will need to read the book.
It sucked!!.......2003-11-22
This book had nothing to do with bears, or tunes, or bears that dance to tunes......they should call this book, troubled young boy with an Mallot who ruins and poor old man's wooden house.
That is VIOLENT right there ya'll!! It teaches people that it is ok to crush small wooden houses with mallots. that is such a chipmunk mentality....not something we want in our young children!! this book it an article of Paganism and shall be severly punished by the law.
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Tunes for Bears to Dance To
Manufacturer: Recorded Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 155690956X |
Product Description
Henry Cassavant is living in a strange house in a strange town. His parents, devastated over his brother's recent death, have decided that the best thing to do is start over. But as Henry discovers beginnings can be every bit as sinister as endings.
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Tunes for Bears to Dance to
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Victor Gollancz Ltd
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ASIN: 0575054786 |
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Tunes for Bears to Dance to (Pitt Poetry Series)
Ronald Wallace
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Calcium Oxalate in Biological Systems
Saeed R. Khan
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ASIN: 0849376734 |
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Written by leaders in their fields, Calcium Oxalate in Biological Systems comprehensively discusses current information about the importance of this compound in animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. Both in vivo and in vitro methods of crystallization as well as crystallization systems are discussed. Researchers who pioneered the field contribute their invaluable knowledge for the first time about oxalate bacteria and their importance. This is an essential reference for both plant and animal scientists concerned with human and animal kidney disease.
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HPLC of Small Molecules: A Practical Approach (Practical Approach Series)
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ASIN: 0947946780 |
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The Galápagos Marine Reserve, a World Heritage site, is home to many species of never-before-seen marine life. This definitive guide, rich with stunning color photography, is written for readers and divers with a passion for visiting a world-acclaimed diving destination. This destination is also renowned for having the best fish life, healthiest marine environment, best big animal dives, and best advanced diving categories. 288 color photos, 27 maps.
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Fish and Dolphin Swimming (Russian Academic Monographs, 2)
E. V. Romanenko
Manufacturer: Pensoft Pub
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ASIN: 9546421502 |
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This is a monographic, fully original treatment devoted to fish and dolphin swimming mechanics, with an up-to-date review of the modern concepts of and approaches to bio-hydrodynamics. The opinion is supported and advanced that at least the dolphins show certain mechanisms to control the boundary layer and to decrease the hydrodynamic friction resistance (Gray's Paradox). Chapters include theoretical models of swimming; law of body deformation; distribution of the dynamic pressure on the body of fish & dolphin; basics of statistic bio-hydrodynamics; experimental kinematics & hydrodynamic studies; results of the experimental researches; and evaluation. The treatise is destined for students and specialists in biology, hydrodynamics and hydromechanics.
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Experiments with swimming fish and dolphins (ASME paper)
Moe William Rosen
Manufacturer: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0007DWDXW |
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Piece of Americana.......2000-04-01
While vastly inferior to Jane Austen, who followed a few years later, Rowson does stand out as one of the better early-American writers. In a style foreshadowing Harriet Beecher Stowe, Rowson shows how life punishes vice. The second book, Lucy Temple, is less pedantic and more entertaining. This book is best for enthusiasts of early American Literature.
Book Description
The sentimental novels of the early national period were considered a danger to society and were criticized for the corrupting influence they had on the minds of their mostly young and female audience. They told tales of vice and intrigue that purported to be "based on fact" and also advocated the need for better female education that would prepare young women against sweet-talking seducers. Extremely popular in America after the Revolution and throughout the nineteenth century, Charlotte Temple and The Coquette were two of the most successful novels of the period. Reprinted here in their entirety, with Introductions by the literary scholar Cathy N. Davidson, they offer the modern student a glimpse at the earliest American popular fiction. Charlotte Temple, the most popular novel in America until Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, went through over 200 editions. It tells of a beautiful English girl who at the age of 15 is courted by and runs away with a British lieutenant named Montraville. Susanna Rowson, the daughter of a British naval officer, was one of the most accomplished women of the early national period. Actress, song-writer, novelist, poet, dramatist, and essayist, she was also the founder of one of the most progressive academies for young women of her day. She remained best-known, however, for Charlotte Temple, a novel that promised to be "of service to [the]...young and unprotected woman in her first entrance into life." In her Introduction, Cathy Davidson discusses the enormous popularity of the book and the life of Susanna Rowson, which was even more sensational than those of the characters depicted in the novel.
Download Description
Sparklesoup brings you Susanna Haswell Rowson's classic. This version is printable so you can mark up your copy and link to interesting facts and sites.
Customer Reviews:
Warning: this book will most likely make you cry! Great weekend book!.......2006-11-05
I just read this for an American Lit course and I just LOVED it! This would make a great gift for a teenage girl as the main character, Charlotte is a young girl who has to deal with issues that they many girls still face today. This is a short book and would be a great to read over the weekend or when traveling.
Warning: this book will most likely make you cry!
A great read.......2004-05-20
The other reviews have already covered the synopsis, so I'll just give my opinion. I'm an avid reader of non-fiction, rarely venture into the fray of fiction novels. But this is one
that I was certainly glad to have read. The story was impassioned and emotional - the character of Charlotte Temple was quickly developed, giving me a real sense of empathy to her plight. With every downfall, I felt her pain and remorse.
The asides from Rowson to the reader were charming. While the values she extols are not the same as a modern Western reader's, one must appreciate the context in which it was written, and appreciate it further for its uniquenesss.
In sum, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy, passionate tale of tragedy. Great book.
An intriguing landmark from American literary history.......2002-07-01
"Charlotte Temple" is a sentimental, moralistic 18th century novel by Susanna Rowson, an English-born author who lived much of her life in the United States. According to Cathy N. Davidson (who wrote the introduction to the Oxford edition), "Charlotte" was "America's first best-selling novel in the early years of the Republic." According to the book's bibliographic notes, it was first published in 1791, with the first American edition appearing in 1794.
The book tells the story of an innocent young English schoolgirl who becomes involved in romantic intrigue. She eventually winds up in the vicinity of New York City; thus, the novel has an interesting theme of a foreigner coming to America. The book's plot reminds me of a contemporary soap opera, but with a much more judgmental and religious tone. The characters are, on the whole, cardboard stereotypes. The book is full of female hysterics, male villainy, cruelty, dangerous passion, and heartbreak.
Rowson fills her book with asides to the reader, and, ironically, I found this ongoing conversation to be more interesting than the melodramatic plot. Many of the asides are preachy, such as this example: "Oh my dear girls [...] listen not to the voice of love, unless sanctioned by parental approbriation" (chapter VI). But as the book goes on, Rowson begins to anticipate objections from possible readers, and some of her asides are witty and quite entertaining.
Ultimately, "Charlotte" is not a great piece of literature as a novel, but as a sort of metafictional exercise, it's quite intriguing. It's especially interesting when read in comparison with such self-referent 20th century novels as Ernest Hemingway's "The Torrents of Spring" or Kurt Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions." Also, the book's presentation of 18th century femininity and sexuality is an interesting precursor to 19th century books like Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." "Charlotte" may try the patience of contemporary readers on certain levels, but I believe it to be a literary milestone that is still oddly relevant.
Naivety leads to ruin.......2001-03-07
"Charlotte Temple" is about a young British girl who runs away from her family and country because of a lieutenant named Montraville and her promiscuous French teacher, Miss La Rue. When Charlotte is fifteen, La Rue convinces her to run away to America with Montraville, La Rue and La Rue's temporary companion, Belcour. Once in America, La Rue marries a wealthy colonel and moves to the city. Montraville purchases a house for Charlotte outside the city and she becomes pregnant. She is left alone day and night with only her worries to give her company. Soon, Montraville abandons Charlotte for another woman and leaves for the Revolutionary War. He plans to send her rent money but his evil friend, Belcour, deceives him, keeps the money and leaves Charlotte to ruin. Charlotte is desperately poor and far along in her pregnancy and wishes to return home to her loving parents. She sends them a letter but must wait a long time for their reply. When Charlotte is eventually evicted for failing to pay rent, she goes out in a terrible storm to the city in search of La Rue, only to find that La Rue has disowned her. She is alone but La Rue's servant takes her in as she is going into labor. Although the novel was written in the late 1700s, the theme is applicable today. Charlotte suffers an illigitimate teenage pregnancy, her boyfriend abandons her, she is unable to contact her parents and feels they no longer care about her, and she falls into poverty and ultimate destruction. Rowson's novel is a must read for all young women, because it functions as a guide of what not to do with one's life.
Fall, Fall, Charlotte.......2000-10-14
Susanna Rowson's "Charlotte Temple" is not the first novel and certainly not the last to deal with the topic of the morally fallen woman. Poor, pitiful Charlotte finds herself in the midst of an immoral and unforgiving world where one transgression sends her on the road to permanent ruin. Rowson encases her heroine Charlotte Temple within a world of virtue and vengeance. Charlotte has no possible means of escaping her inevitable fate because the author/narrator makes it clear from the onset that she has written this story as a lesson to young woman. She has no real interest in Charlotte as a dimensional character. Charlotte simply serves as a symbol of lost virtue and symbols do not have real emotions or feelings. "Charlotte Temple" was written in 1794 and became one of the first best sellers of the newly formed America. A morally abhorrent woman who pays for her sins almost always guaranteed a best seller in the eighteenth century and now "Charlotte Temple" has been rediscovered and published in a Scholarly Press edition. Was this reclamation of Charlotte really necessary? In the past twenty years, feminist scholars have rediscovered authors and texts that have gone out of print or been totally ignored by the literati. Authors such as Anne Plumptre, Frances Burney, Aphra Behn, Sarah Fielding and Charlotte Lennox have been dusted off and given new literary lives. Feminist scholar Cathy Davidson has taken Charlotte Temple in hand and aims to join Rowson to the above list of rediscoveries. Unfortunately, Rowson does not warrant such treatment. Rowson has a flat, humorless approach to the fallen woman story. Unlike Burney's "Evelina" or "Camilla," Rowson does not imbue her narrative with needed levity. Her pedantic iron-fisted preaching smothers the modern reader in a moral morass that confounds rather than illuminates. In many of the fallen women stories, authors would use the genre as a subversive technique to criticize the patriarchal structures. Rowson does engage in such subversion within the novel. She seeks to preach to the young women who may fall victim to the unscrupulous man -- in England and America, it was not considered altogether lady-like to read a novel, so Rowson would be preaching to young women who had already transgressed. Rowson does not criticize men within the novel. She does not censure Montraville for taking Charlotte as his mistress, impregnating her and abandoning her for a wealthier woman. When he believes that Charlotte has becomes his best friend's mistress, he does not believe that she would soil her reputation even though she has ruined her life by engaging in an illicit affair with him. He aims to enact revenge upon the friend for acting "dishonorable" against her. Yet if he had not acted dishonorably towards her, she would not have been reduced to a penniless, pregnant ex-mistress scrounging the streets for food and shelter. He never takes responsibility for his role in Charlotte's downfall. Rowson had the perfect opportunity for savage criticism of the patriarchy with Montraville but she fails to take it. Instead, Rowson places the blame for Charlotte's ruin on the women within the novel. When Charlotte leaves the safe bosom of her morally upstanding family, she enters into the deviant world of the female who fail to protect her from licentious men. Madame Du Pont errs in judgment by hiring the morally loose Miss La Rue. Madame Du Pont sets Charlotte's downfall in action. Rowson does not punish the ignorant Madame Du Pont by killing her, she ends up an hysterical mess after the Montraville/Charlotte "elopement." Miss La Rue, the woman who pushes Charlotte into the arms of Montraville, must be punished for being a promiscuous woman. She ends up poor and begs for her last scrap of food. She ends up dying painfully as Rowson takes the opportunity to lecture her readers on the improper behavior of loose women. Why would modern readers want to read this? I do not think any intelligent would reader would want to subject themselves to the depressing experience of reading this novel. At 125 pages, it seemed to progress at such an excruciating pace. No character has any shadings. There are no subplots to divert the attention from the static Charlotte. Rowson does nothing to keep our interest. Unfortunately Rowson has become a heroine to feminist scholars for her feat as the first American woman to have a best-selling novel. That accomplishment is noteworthy as literary trivia, but it does not make for engaging reading.
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- Underestimated in its own time
- Underestimated in its own time
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Charlotte Temple: A Tale of Truth
Susanna Kirk, Clara and Rudolf Rowson
Manufacturer: NCUP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0808400738 |
Customer Reviews:
Underestimated in its own time.......2004-02-07
This book wasn't given much attention by literary critics until more recently, when voices from outside the standard canon were finally reviewed. Charlotte Temple is more complex than at first meets the eye, and yet the reader breezes through the reading. It is a great book for a discussion group, as there are many aspects of this book that can be discussed just as deeply as Hemingway or Steinbeck. I recommend giving Susanna Rowson a try.
Underestimated in its own time.......2004-02-07
This book wasn't given much attention by literary critics until more recently, when voices from outside the standard canon were finally reviewed. Charlotte Temple is more complex than at first meets the idea, and yet the reader breezes through the reading. It is a great book for a discussion group, as there are many aspects of this book that can be discussed just as deeply as Hemingway or Steinbeck. I recommend giving Susanna Rowson a try.
Average customer rating:
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Charlotte and Lucy Temple
Rowson
Manufacturer: J.B. Lippincott & Co
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B000858090 |
Average customer rating:
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Charlotte Temple
Mrs. ROWSON
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MX9KSI |
Average customer rating:
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Charlotte Temple
Manufacturer: New College & University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 080840072X |
Average customer rating:
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Charlotte Temple
Mrs. ROWSON
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MX9KQ0 |
Average customer rating:
|
Charlotte Temple
Susanna Rowson
Manufacturer: College and University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GR8O78 |
Average customer rating:
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Charlotte Temple
Mrs Rowson
Manufacturer: Isaac & Walter Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JVPGWC |
Books:
- The Natural Limits to Biological Change
- The Power of Eagles: Nature's Way to Individual Accomplishment
- The Ragged Mountain Press Pocket Guide to Wilderness Medicine and First Aid
- The Ray Harm Nature Sketchbook
- The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: Central Appalachia: West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
- The teaching of bioethics: Report
- They Left Their Tracks
- Trans Canada Trail: The British Columbia Route
- Vision or Villainy: Origins of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles Water Controversy (Environmental History Series)
- Walking Towards Walden: A Pilgrimage in Search of Place
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