Best Selling Books by Charles Johnson

Known for his blending of philosophy, spirituality, humor, and a rollicking good story, Charles Johnson is one of the most important novelists writing today. From his magical first novel, Faith and the Good Thing, to his decidedly philosophical Oxherding Tale; from his swashbuckling indictment of the slave trade in the National Book Award-winning Middle Passage, to his more recent imaginative treatment of Martin Luther King Jr. in Dreamer, Johnson has continually surprised, instructed, and entertained his many avid readers. As this collection of interviews suggests, the novelist is as multifaceted and complex as his novels. Trained in cartooning and philosophy, martial arts and meditation, and producing teleplays, photobiographies, and literary criticism in addition to fiction, Charles Johnson represents a model of what he calls “life as art.” Alluding to the "Three Gates" of Buddhist "Right Speech," the title of this volume aptly captures the generous spirit that characterizes Charles Johnson’s work. An indispensable resource for all of Johnson’s many readers, Passing the Three Gates represents both the transformation of the artist over time and the continuity and endurance of his aesthetic and spiritual vision. A V Ethel Willis White Book

This work reaches across the colour line to examine how race, gender, class and individual subjectivity shaped the lives of black and white women in the 19th- and 20th-century American South.

"A work from the Johnson Construction Co."

A facsimile edition of a classic source for the history of piracy, as used by Robert Louis Stevenson in the writing of Treasure Island. Captain Charles Johnson''s General History of Pirates was one of the best-selling books of 1724, when it was first published. It provides a sweeping account of what has come to be called the Golden Age of Piracy. It went through four editions in two years, and without doubt owed a substantial part of its success to a dramatic writing style that vividly captures the realities of pirates'' savage existence. The book contains documentary evidence of events during the lives of its subjects. In the 270 years since its original publication, Johnson''s work has come to be regarded as the classic study of one of the most popular subjects in maritime history.

Reproduction of the original: A Genreal History of the Pirates by Captain Charles Johnson

A General History of the Pirates has long been a classic of seafaring literature and was inspiration to both Robert Louis Stevenson and J.M. Barrie. Nothing is known about Captain Charles Johnson, and it is thought that the name may be assumed - there are even some who believe he may have been Daniel Defoe. All that can be stated with any certainty is that in 1724 a small octavo volume appeared that became so popular it grew through 4 editions over 2 years and is still famed today. Historians from both sides of the Atlantic have attested to the accuracy of the work''s content. This is a reprint of the 1927 reissued 4th edition - enhanced by the Arthur L. Hayward''s editorial touches.

Whether you believe that man evolved from the apes (Darwinism) or that man was created in God''s own image (religion), man has questioned the whats and whys of his surroundings. Why does the sun rise and set? Why does it rain? Why do dinosaurs eat us? As time went by, man learned those answers, but there were always many more questions to be answered. From the time, we left the trees and caves to present man we have learned much about what goes on in our planet, the planets closest to us, and our solar system. Even as we continue to learn about the deepest parts of our own oceans and the deepest parts of space around us, there are still mysteries occurring around us every day that we don''t know the answers to or even understand. This book brings to light some of those mysteries, explaining the history around them; discussing the opinions, beliefs, and options; and allowing you, the reader, to decide for yourself whether the story is fact or fiction.

Published in a private, limited edition in his lifetime, this dialogue offers Twain''s skeptical assessment of religious belief, free will, and the nature of humanity.

While there are many books that teach the "how-to" of photography, Science for the Curious Photographer is a book for those who also want to understand how photography works. Beginning with an introduction to the history and science of photography, Charles S. Johnson, Jr. addresses questions about the principles of photography, such as why a camera needs a lens, how lenses work, and why modern lenses are so complicated. Addressing the complex aspects of digital photography, the book discusses color management, resolution, "noise" in images, and the limits of human perception. The creation and appreciation of art in photography is discussed from the standpoint of modern cognitive science. A crucial read for those seeking the scientific context to photographic practice, this second edition has been comprehensively updated, including discussion of DSLRs, mirror-less cameras, and a new chapter on the limits of human vision and perception.

Chronicles the lives of Africans as slaves in America through the eve of the Civil War.

"Organized into six accessible, easy-to-navigate sections, The Way of the Writer is both a literary reflection on the creative impulse and a utilitarian guide to the writing process. Johnson shares his lessons and exercises from the classroom, starting with word choice, sentence structure, and narrative voice, and delving into the mechanics of scene, dialogue, plot and storytelling before exploring the larger questions at stake for the serious writer. What separates literature from industrial fiction? What lies at the heart of the creative impulse? How does one navigate the literary world? And how are philosophy and fiction concomitant?"--Publisher information.

Shadow of the Plantation focuses on descendants of slaves in one rural Southern community in the early part of this century. In the process, Johnson reviews the troubled history of race relations in the United /States. When reread half a century after it was first written, Shadow of the Plantation is clearly revealed as a remarkably perceptive and fresh comment on race relations and the triumph of individuals over circumstances.Charles Johnson''s book is significant for its use of multiple methodologies. The research took place in an ecological setting that was a dynamic element of the life of the community. The book is a multifaceted, interpretive survey of the 612 black families that composed the rural community of Macon County, Alabama, in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Johnson describes and analyzes their families, economic situation, education, religious activities, recreational life, and health practices.Shadow of the Plantation manages to be both historically accurate and foresighted at the same time. It is as much a book about today as it is a discussion of yesterday. This volume is an important study that will be of value to sociologists, anthropologists, and black studies specialists.

"This book provides a sweeping account of what has come to be called the Golden age of piracy. It went through four editions in two years, and without doubt owed a substantial part of its success to a dramatic writing style that vividly captures the realities of pirates'' savage existence. The book contains documentary evidence of events during the lives of its subjects. In the 270 years since its original publication, Johnson''s work has come to be regarded as the classic study of one of the most popular subjects in maritime history."--Publisher description.

Short stories inspired by the history of slavery in America, by the National Book Award–winning author of Middle Passage. Nothing has had as profound an effect on American life as slavery. For blacks and whites alike, the experience has left us with a conflicted and contradictory history. Now, famed novelist Charles Johnson, whose Middle Passage won the National Book Award, presents a dozen tales of the effects and experience of slavery, each based on historical fact, and each about those Africans who arrived on our shores in shackles. From Martha Washington’s management of her slaves, bequeathed to her at the death of the first president, to a boy chained in the bowels of a ship plying the infamous passage from Africa to the South laden with human cargo, from a lynching in Indiana to a hunter of escaped slaves searching the Boston market for his quarry, from an early Quaker meeting exploring resettlement in Africa to the day after Emancipation—the voices, terrors, and savagery of slavery come vividly and unforgettably to life. “[These] highly detailed short historical fictions bring to life this most shameful period in our nation’s history.” —The New York Times Book Review

National Book Award winner and MacArthur Genius Fellow Charles Johnson reflects on the joys of being a grandparent in this warm, inspiring collection of wisdom and life lessons—the ideal gift for any new parent or grandparent An award-winning novelist, philosopher, essayist, screenwriter, professor and cartoonist, Charles Johnson has held numerous impressive titles over the course of his incomparable career. Now, for the first time, with his trademark wisdom and philosophical generosity, he turns his attention to his most important role yet: grandparent. In Grand, Johnson shares stories from his life with his six-year-old grandson, Emery, weaving in advice and life lessons that stand the test of time. “Looking at the problems I see in the world around me,” Johnson writes, “I realize that there are so many things I want to say to him about the goodness and beauty that life offers. What are the perennial truths that I can impart to Emery that might make his journey through life easier or more rewarding?” Johnson shares these truths and more, offering profound meditations on family, race, freedom and creativity. Joyful, lucid and deeply comforting, Grand is Johnson at his most accessible and profound, an indispensable compendium for new grandparents and growing grandchildren alike, from one of America’s most revered thinkers.