Eleven centuries ago, an industrious and conscientious historian, desiring to give a record of the establishment of his forefathers in this island, could find no fuller or better account than this: “About the year of Grace 445-446, the British inhabitants of England, deserted by the Roman masters who had enervated while they protected them, and exposed to the ravages of Picts and Scots from the extreme and barbarous portions of the island, called in the assistance of heathen Saxons from th...

“Kudzu” opens on a sultry July afternoon in 1987, as thirty-eight-year-old Lewis Ray Jacobs is driving from his home in Nashville to his native Stone Coal in Eastern Kentucky, to attend a funeral. He reflects on a similar hot summer day in 1962 when he and his best friend, Travis Wicker, sneak into the wake of a recently departed neighbor, and twelve-year-old Lewis Ray, on a dare, reaches into the coffin to take hold of the corpse’s hand. Things don’t go as planned. Thus begins our introdu...

In the heart of the Scottish Highlands, amidst the rugged beauty of the mountains and glens, two ancient faiths collide in a tale of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of tradition. Two Old Faiths follows the intertwined destinies of two young women, one a devout Catholic and the other a staunch Protestant. As their paths cross, they find themselves torn between their beliefs and the undeniable attraction that draws them together. But in a society where religious differences divide com...

John Hanson Mitchell has long written about his garden outside of Boston, and about the plants and animals with whom he shares this land. In 2022, the United Nations and others started reporting the true severity of the climate crisis as the Earth passed a point of no return. All across the globe it was the worst year on record for climate-related disasters. Mitchell, like so many, felt overwhelmed. He looked to the story of Voltaire's Candide, and settled on the famous aphorism f...

This is the ironic story of how Italian Renaissance and Baroque gardens encouraged the preservation of the American wilderness and ultimately fostered the creation of the world’s first national park system. Told via Mitchell’s sometimes disastrous and humorous travels—from the gardens of southern Italy up through Tuscany and the lake island gardens—the book is filled with history, folklore, myths, and legends of Western Europe, including a detailed history of the labyrinth, a common elemen...

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, "the best rock musical ever" (Rolling Stone) follows the journey of "internationally ignored song stylist" Hedwig Schmidt, victim of a botched sex-change operation, as dazzlingly recounted by Hedwig (née Hansel) herself in the form of a lounge act, backed by the rockband The Angry Inch, and transported to the Belasco Theatre "for one night only" and taking over the set for Hurt Locker: The Musical. This is the original text from the Bro...

Here is a book to enhance our appreciation of the small citizens of the world and to introduce us to the neighbors we never knew we had, from spotted salamanders to meadow voles, from snowy tree crickets to ambrosia beetles, all living within steps of your door.“If there is grass and a few scraggling trees, there will be wildlife,” suggests John Hanson Mitchell, an internationally recognized naturalist and advocate for tuning your senses to the wonders of your envi...

A Road to Christianity, Islam and Judaism contains brief overviews of the three major religions in the world today. They are the Islamic religion, the Judaic religion, and the Christian religion. These overviews, with supporting biblical and Quranic verses, are related in the form of roads with their twists, turns, ruts, and potholes. Many roads or overviews are unknown or learned based on the learners heritage (e.g., original sin). It would take a person a lifetime to research all the min...

BREATH of Scandal.Imperishable zephyr! Dispenser of delight to all:—save those it touches. Floating in playful sport around the globe, it does little harm to callous sinners. But it blights, with a special and vociferous joy, superior persons.

At David’s (3rd son) invitation, Ruth and I decided to make a trip to Florida and view the planetary launch to Jupiter of the Lucy Spacecraft at 5:34 AM on Saturday October 16th. In addition, we planned to visit Tommy (2nd son) and Laurel, his wife. Also, as long as we were down there, we scheduled to drive to Orlando and spend a few days at Disney World, since Ruth had never been to the Magic Kingdom in Florida. All the preparations were made well in advance. I booked a round trip ticket ...

This issue of Thoracic Surgery Clinics of North America, guest edited by Dr. John Mitchell, is devoted to Surgery for Pulmonary Mycobacterial Disease. Dr. Mitchell has assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Surgical treatment of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease; Minimally invasive approaches in the management of mycobacterial diseases; Medical management of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease; Epidemiology, the WHO, and the global fight against M....

(Dec. 2000) - "The Unseen Twin Peaks" concludes, covering episodes 1003-1007; sneak peak at upcoming TP and FWWM DVDs; interviews with Eli Roth and Mark Rance; long TP and X-Files news sections!Wrapped in Plastic Magazine was a bi-monthly magazine devoted to analysis and critique of the works of David Lynch and other artists associated with the television series, Twin Peaks. WIP regularly featured in-depth analyses of films (and other projects) by Lynch, interviews with Twin Peaks ...