Bøger af Will James

The old ones, ghosts now, had grand and glorious machines. They inhabited glittering cities of light. They loved to fly (seemingly so dangerous to us). They could fly across oceans. Their sailing vessels filled the skies. They mapped the stars and sent men into space, but they went mad and destroyed themselves. Faint traces of the old world can still be seen in our world, in ruins and refuse not yet been reclaimed by nature. We do not know what lies beyond our shores. Our seafaring vessels are not capable of traversing the globe. Over many generations our people have engaged in battles but nothing like the great wars of the past. We live a peaceful existence. We feel blessed. We share a common language with the old world, with our ancestors; even so, many of their words seem foreign to us and are difficult to decipher. The old ones were capable of great magic. They were able to record and transmit images of themselves across great distances. This art has now been lost. We do have transcripts of these talking pictures along with faded photographs, ragged books and other deteriorating volumes archived in makeshift libraries. Sadly, the largest of these libraries recently burned. This is why we have decided to compile and distill from the existing archives a few stories that describe those final days. We are thinking of future generations, that there will be a record not just of sacred texts (stories of sky gods and virgin births), of poets and philosophers and of visionaries and prophets but we wish to produce (using the archives and literary techniques discovered in the books of the old ones) a glimpse into this ancient civilization before death and the whirlwind overtook them.

Peachland in Winter "On my first day of the ninth grade, I arrived at the bus stop early. Johnny O soon joined me at the bus stop. We did not know each other well but over the next few years we would become close friends. Johnny was a year younger than me and had recently formed a band with my old pal Syd on bass. Johnny was the front man, the guitarist and singer. He was small, good looking-he had that whole David Cassidy, Mick Jagger thing going for him. With my long wavy, blonde hair, I looked pretty good myself (earlier that summer I had gotten chubby, but I dieted on Fresca and yogurt and with the help of a major growth spurt; I was once again a contender for the girls' hearts). I was dressed in my new clothes, a lavender shirt, corduroy bell bottoms and boots. (Soon there would be no division between school clothes and play clothes; I would wear blue jeans and whatever shirts my mother had laundered that week.)The ninth grade would be wild. While I wouldn't become a total stoner (that would come later), I would dabble with drugs whenever I had the chance. I would find the girl of my dreams and then lose her. I would then be asked to join Johnny and Syd's band (the best junior high band in the Twin Cities) and then be asked to leave. The thing about good fortune, about good luck, is that there always the chance of a reversal of that good fortune, of that glittering prize being stolen or lost. But a loss can bear its own kind of fruit, its own kind of wisdom, bittersweet and dark. This dark night can change us, transform us, if we let it. After all, it brought us the cantos of Dante after the death of Beatrice, and a whole universe of poetry and song."

Deborah's 39th contract seems so easy, but the fortunes of an assassin can change on a dime.Bleeding her last on the hard wooden floor, Deborah is about to discover that death is just the beginning of her journey. What lies ahead will test her resolve, her beliefs and her very concept of reality.These ethereal beings that seem so interested in her fate? Their tale might be outlandish. It might be incredible. It might be ridiculous. But if it's true? Then her 40th contract could prove to be a kill like no other. She'll need to confront more than just the forces that stand in her way. She'll need to confront more than just this dying reality. She'll need to confront her own past. She'll need to confront her own demons. And she'll need a team.

"In 1993 (shortly before her cancer diagnosis became public) I spoke to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a dream. I explained to her that I was the same age as her daughter Caroline and that the trauma of my father's alcoholism and her husband's death had become fused in my psyche. Based on that dream, I wrote a short story called "The Blue Poet" covering the period between the Kennedy inaugural and the assassination and funeral of JFK. In that story, I created my protagonist, Jesse Sandstrom. In 2003 (while living in Paris, France), I continued the story as a screenplay, taking Jesse Sandstrom (a troubled musician and artist) into the nineteen seventies and through adolescence. I have now taken that story, his life, all the way up to 2020."

Smoky the Cowhorse is a novel by Will James that was the winner of the 1927 Newbery Medal.The story details the life of a horse in the western United States from his birth to his eventual decline. It takes place after the 1910, during which the West dies away and automobiles are introduced. Smoky is born in the wild but is captured and trained by a cowboy named Clint. Clint is taken by Smoky's intelligence and spirit, and he uses him as his personal steed. Under his guidance, Smoky soon becomes known as the best cow horse around. However, Smoky is among a number of horses stolen by a horse thief. When Smoky refuses to allow the thief to ride him, being loyal only to Clint, he is beaten repeatedly in punishment. Developing an intense hatred for humans from this treatment, Smoky eventually attacks and kills the thief.When Smoky is eventually captured by local authorities, his now violent and aggressive demeanor prompts his use as a bucking bronco at a rodeo. Under the moniker of "The Cougar", he becomes the most famous rodeo attraction in the South West, and people come from miles away to attempt to ride him. Years of performing at the rodeo eventually take their toll on his body and spirit, and he is left a shell of his former self.As he is no longer of any use as a rodeo horse, he is renamed "Cloudy" and used as a riding horse, then later sold to an abusive man who starves him. During this time, Clint finally reunites with Smoky. While in town on business, Clint spots and recognizes the horse. After having Smoky's current owner arrested for his acts of cruelty, Clint reclaims him and takes him home with him. Although Clint initially despairs at the condition Smoky is in, his careful treatment of the horse begins to show results. In the end, Smoky has completely recovered his former health and personality.The novel has been adapted to the screen three times as Smoky, in 1933, 1946, and 1966. Will James himself appears in the 1933 film as a narrator.Will James expressed surprise at winning the Newbery Medal for Smoky the Cowhorse, since the book was published for adults. An illustrated edition of Smoky the Cowhorse was issued in 1928.James loosely based the book on his first horse, Smoky, who was born in the Huff's cabin, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan, where James learned wrangling and lived for three years before moving to the United States.In the 1982 film Tex, lead character Tex McCormick refers to Smoky the Cowhorse as his favorite book.Thomas Schelling said the most influential book he ever read was Smoky the Cowhorse. "He'd say it was the first time he understood empathy for other human beings". (wikipedia.org)

Smoky the Cowhorse is a novel by Will James that was the winner of the 1927 Newbery Medal.The story details the life of a horse in the western United States from his birth to his eventual decline. It takes place after the 1910, during which the West dies away and automobiles are introduced. Smoky is born in the wild but is captured and trained by a cowboy named Clint. Clint is taken by Smoky's intelligence and spirit, and he uses him as his personal steed. Under his guidance, Smoky soon becomes known as the best cow horse around. However, Smoky is among a number of horses stolen by a horse thief. When Smoky refuses to allow the thief to ride him, being loyal only to Clint, he is beaten repeatedly in punishment. Developing an intense hatred for humans from this treatment, Smoky eventually attacks and kills the thief.When Smoky is eventually captured by local authorities, his now violent and aggressive demeanor prompts his use as a bucking bronco at a rodeo. Under the moniker of "The Cougar", he becomes the most famous rodeo attraction in the South West, and people come from miles away to attempt to ride him. Years of performing at the rodeo eventually take their toll on his body and spirit, and he is left a shell of his former self.As he is no longer of any use as a rodeo horse, he is renamed "Cloudy" and used as a riding horse, then later sold to an abusive man who starves him. During this time, Clint finally reunites with Smoky. While in town on business, Clint spots and recognizes the horse. After having Smoky's current owner arrested for his acts of cruelty, Clint reclaims him and takes him home with him. Although Clint initially despairs at the condition Smoky is in, his careful treatment of the horse begins to show results. In the end, Smoky has completely recovered his former health and personality.The novel has been adapted to the screen three times as Smoky, in 1933, 1946, and 1966. Will James himself appears in the 1933 film as a narrator.Will James expressed surprise at winning the Newbery Medal for Smoky the Cowhorse, since the book was published for adults. An illustrated edition of Smoky the Cowhorse was issued in 1928.James loosely based the book on his first horse, Smoky, who was born in the Huff's cabin, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan, where James learned wrangling and lived for three years before moving to the United States.In the 1982 film Tex, lead character Tex McCormick refers to Smoky the Cowhorse as his favorite book.Thomas Schelling said the most influential book he ever read was Smoky the Cowhorse. "He'd say it was the first time he understood empathy for other human beings". (wikipedia.org)

Smoky the Cowhorse is a novel by Will James that won the 1927 Newbery Medal. The story details a horse's life in the western United States from his birth to his eventual decline. It takes place after 1910, during which the West dies away, and automobiles are introduced. Smoky is born in the wild but is captured and trained by a cowboy named Clint. Smoky's intelligence and spirit take Clint, and he uses him as his personal steed. Under his guidance, Smoky soon becomes known as the best cow horse around. However, Smoky is among several horses stolen by a horse thief. When Smoky refuses to allow the thief to ride him, being loyal only to Clint, he is beaten repeatedly in punishment. Developing an intense hatred for humans from this treatment, Smoky eventually attacks and kills the thief. When Local authorities eventually capture smoky, his now violent and aggressive demeanor prompts his use as a bucking bronco at a rodeo. Under the moniker of "The Cougar," he becomes the most famous rodeo attraction in the South West, and people come from miles away to attempt to ride him. But, unfortunately, years of performing at the rodeo eventually take their toll on his body and spirit, and he has left a shell of his former self. As he is no longer of any use as a rodeo horse, he is renamed "Cloudy" and used as a riding horse, then later sold to an abusive man who starves him. During this time, Clint finally reunites with Smoky. While in town on business, Clint spots and recognizes the horse. After having Smoky's current owner arrested for his acts of cruelty, Clint reclaims him and takes him home with him. Although Clint initially despairs at the condition Smoky is in, his careful treatment of the horse begins to show results. In the end, Smoky has completely recovered his former health and personality.

2022 Reprint of the 1926 Edition. Trade Edition without the illustrations. Smoky knows only one way of life: freedom. Living on the open range, he is free to go where he wants and to do what he wants. And he knows what he has to do to survive. He can beat any enemy, whether it be a rattlesnake or a hungry wolf. He is as much a part of the Wild West as it is of him, and Smoky can't imagine anything else. But then he comes across a new enemy, one that walks on two legs and makes funny sounds. Smoky can't beat this enemy the way he has all the others. But does he really want to? Or could giving up some of his freedom mean getting something in return that's even more valuable? "There have been many horse stories. But not one of them can compare with this book." -- New York Times Book Review"One of the finest horse stories ever told." -- Herald Tribune

The American Cowboy spans three generations of cowboys in the American West, from the young trail boss of the very first cattle drive from Texas north to the railroads, to his grandson, born after the open range had been fenced in. Discover the danger and thrill of life on the frontier as the history of the cowboy unfolds through the expansion of the cattle business, the growth of the railroads, and the coming of the farmer. Will James brings to life the spirit of the American cowboy that will never die.

ANNOTATION: Fourteen short stories capture the quirky and peculiar behavior of horses, both good and ornery. You'll meet buckers, tricksters, and trusted partners: Bearcat is "not just a plain crazy hardheaded bucker...but a wise, coolheaded cross between a whirlwind and a ton of brick," Joker is "full of old nick and plenty of snorts," and Little Eagle is the "seeing eye" for a blind cowboy. First published in 1940, Horses I've Known contains some of Will James' most acclaimed short stories.

First published in 1926, Smoky, the Cowhorse is for anyone who loves horses the way Will James did. As James writes in the preface, "Smoky is just a horse, but all horse, and that I think is enough said."

This is a story of a man and a horse. both have "sand"-the gumption it takes to tackle the challenges of life head on. The setting is the Great Plains. The characters are cowboys and horses. The heart of this story is the hero's long duel with the horse, and how "the little grain of sand within him" starts to grow.

First published in 1925, the seven stories collected here revolve around the adventures of a lanky cowboy named Bill whose drifting takes him throughout the West as he lives the hard life of a working cowboy.

Will James (1892-1942), artist and writer of the American West, was born Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault. It was during his creative years everyone grew to know him as Will James. During the next several years, he drifted, worked at several jobs, was briefly jailed for cattle rustling, served in the army, and began selling his sketches and in 1922 sold his first writing, Bucking Horse Riders. The sale of several books followed. In 1926 his most famous book, Smoky the Cowhorse, was published, which won the Newbery Medal in 1927. His fictionalized autobiography, Lone Cowboy, was written in 1930. He also wrote Home Ranch (1935) and he wrote his last book, The American Cowboy, in 1942. In all, he wrote and illustrated 23 books.

Will James (1892-1942), artist and writer of the American West, was born Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault. It was during his creative years everyone grew to know him as Will James. During the next several years, he drifted, worked at several jobs, was briefly jailed for cattle rustling, served in the army, and began selling his sketches and in 1922 sold his first writing, Bucking Horse Riders. The sale of several books followed. In 1926 his most famous book, Smoky the Cowhorse, was published, which won the Newbery Medal in 1927. His fictionalized autobiography, Lone Cowboy, was written in 1930. He also wrote Home Ranch (1935) and he wrote his last book, The American Cowboy, in 1942. In all, he wrote and illustrated 23 books.

A story told against the passage of time, The Other American explores the relationship and lack thereof between two people connected since the age of eight through different phases of life and all its twists and turns. Alan and Emma are two expatriate American children in Perth, Australia. Through the highs and lows of their lives, they have each other, until they don't. They both try to find each other, but that may not be as easy as it seems.

"This book is the story of a church that has begun to experience the transformative change that will happen when you consciously choose to enter a partnership type of relationship with Jesus, and allow Him to use you beyond your wildest dreams."So says Will James, senior pastor of the Paradise Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church in National City, California. In this book he outlines how members of the Paradise Valley Church are feeding, clothing, and educating Jesus in the form of some of His needy children who are refugees from many parts of the world.Besides providing food, shelter, clothing, English language classes, and a work training program for people who have fled religious and political persecution, helping many to obtain a college education and good jobs that take these people off of government assistance, church members have learned total dependence upon a God who provides for all of their needs at just the right time.