New Releases by Eric Ross

Following up on his first book, Enduring Southern Homes, designer Eric Ross brings together a collection of new projects with fresh looks and perspectives on the perennial and ageless nature of Southern interiors. Enter the world of romantic, refined, and approachable living with a blend of cherished antiques, new furniture, and lush fabrics. Eric Ross Interiors has been upholding centuries-old design concepts while injecting fresh colors and fabrics into the mix for more than 25 years. His southern interiors exude European eclecticism that communicates both ease and refinement—the essence of a Southern room. Eric’s Southern approach to traditional decorating also spills over into his entertaining prose and lifestyle. In this new book, he showcases more of his most beautiful projects and gives tips on how to create the perennial Southern home regardless of where you live. Eric’s humorous and always insightful take on creating a polished, timeless room is an entertaining read.

This book is the first to trace the genealogy of an indigenous grid-pattern settlement design practice in Africa, and more specifically in Senegal. It does so by analyzing how the precolonial grid-plan design tradition of this country has become entangled with French colonial urban grid-planning, and with present-day, hybrid, planning cultures. By thus, it transcends the classic precolonial-colonial-postcolonial metahistorical divides. This properly illustrated book consists of five chapters, including an introductory chapter (historiography, theory and context) and a concluding chapter. The chapters’ text has both a chronological and thematic rationale, aimed at enhancing Islamic Studies by situating sub-Saharan Africa’s urbanism within mainstream research on the Muslim World; and at contributing directly to the wider project of de-Eurocentrizing urban planning history by developing a more inclusive, truly global, urban history.

Inspiration for updating timeless interiors from a 20-year veteran of Southern decorating. People who embrace traditional interior style are people who love heritage and story. As a professional decorator, Eric Ross has been upholding centuries-old design concepts while injecting fresh colors and fabrics into the mix for more than twenty years. A native of Kentucky, he now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. His Southern approach to traditional decorating includes a little bit of French country, a lot of Southern hospitality, and spills over into his lifestyle and entertaining prose. In Enduring Southern Homes, Eric Ross showcases some of his most beautiful projects and gives tips on how to create your very own enduring home, regardless of where you live.

There''s so much to do now that Uncle Mike and Steve are getting married. Follow Andy on this enjoyable journey as he talks about his uncle''s wedding, how it affects him, and the things he gets to do in preparation for the ceremony. You''ll laugh and smile as you read this adorable story about marriage and family. REVIEWS: "As one of the few children''s books that address LGBT issues, it serves as a conduit by which to bolster understanding in our community. The book plays a vital role in creating a brighter future for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their parents." CA State Senator Mark Leno "It is a parent''s responsibility to teach their children tolerance of all people, and I have yet to find a better tool to begin that lesson than My Uncle''s Wedding." Alan Chin - Writer, Examiner.com "It''s never too early to teach our nation''s children about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. And ''My Uncle''s Wedding'' does just that, showing children that marriage is about love and family. Eric Ross perfectly demonstrates that LGBT families share the same values as any other family, and his book will undoubtedly educate and inform generations to come about the freedom to marry. Bravo!" Kate Kendell, Esq. - Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights "This children''s book is the perfect gift for any child who loves a good story and especially children with gay people in their family. The author approaches the subject of same-sex marriage with a child''s sensitivity and sensibility, and the beautiful illustrations are sure to be enjoyed by kids and parents alike." Molly McKay - National Media Director, Marriage Equality USA "My Uncle''s Wedding" celebrates love from a young nephew''s point of view of his favorite uncle''s beautiful wedding. Eric Ross has written a wonderful, heartwarming and important book in today''s climate -- a beautiful educational tool for children -- showing that all love is equal and good." Del Shores - Writer/Director, Sordid Lives "Everyone agrees that children should learn in an "age-appropriate" manner, but it''s also important that they learn tolerance and respect for everyone. With My Uncle''s Wedding, parents and teachers alike will have a great book to teach young children that a gay marriage is just like any marriage - it''s about two people who love each other." Paul Hogarth - Writer, BeyondChron

A blend of indigenous life in the rural countryside and metropolitan culture in urban centers, Senegal has been a small, yet prominent country on Africa''s western coast. In this comprehensive study of contemporary Senegalese life, readers will learn how daily lifestyles are celebrated through both religious and secular customs. Students can investigate how Senegal''s oral storytelling, Islamic roots, and French colonialism have shaped literature and media in today''s society. From the street to the studio, the topic of art in Senegalese life is also covered. Ross also delves into architectural styles and modern housing in urban environments, while also covering typical cuisine and traditional fashion. Readers will learn about the typical Senegalese family as a social and economic unit, and will see how music, dance, and sports play an integral role in their lives. Ideal for high school students and general readers, this volume in the Culture and Customs of Africa series is a perfect addition to any library''s reference collection.

A book about contemporary urban design, a metaphysical worldview and a cultural process that transcends the pre-colonial/colonial/post-colonial divides.Sufi City: Urban Design and Archetypes in Touba is a geographical study of the modern Muslim holy city of Touba in Senegal, capital of the Mouride Sufi order. Touba was founded in 1887 by a Sufi shaykh in a moment of mysticillumination. Since the death of the founder in 1927, the Mouride order has designed and built the entire city. Touba is named for Tûbâ, the "Tree of Paradise" of Islamic tradition. This archetypal tree articulates Islamic conceptions of righteous life on earth, divine judgment, and access to the Hereafter; the city of Touba actualizes this spiritual construct. Important aspects of its configuration, such as the vertical and horizontal alignment of its monumental central shrine complex, its radiating avenues and encircling ring roads, and the actual trees that mark its landscape relate directly to the archetypal tree of Sufi theosophy. The relationship between the spiritualarchetype and its earthly actualization as a city is explained by recourse to Sufi methodology. The book employs a semiotic analysis of urban form, cartography, hermeneutics, field investigation and analysis of satellite imagery in order to relate contemporary urban design issues to overarching metaphysical concepts. Sufi City also explores the history of urban networks in Senegal since the emergence of autonomous Muslim towns in the seventeenth century. Finally, the layout of Senegal''s modern Sufi cities is related to the monumental palaver trees that marked that country''s historic settlements. Eric S. Ross is a cultural and urban geographer who holds a degree inIslamic Studies. Since 1998 he has been Assistant Professor of Geography at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. Apart from research on Sufi orders and Muslim towns in Senegal, he has studied cultural tourism and urban planning in Morocco.

As in his popular earlier book Beyond the River and the Bay, the bulk of the story is told by a character of Ross'' invention, Ian Alexander Bell Robertson. Robertson, an Edinburgh gentleman born at the end of the Scottish enlightenment, acquired a deep sympathy for the displaced crofters and agricultural labourers of the Scottish Highlands. He lived in Quebec City between 1840 to 1842 to prepare a study of the Canadas intended either as a guide for the immigrant or, as Ross feels more likely, a record of the colonies at the moment they united and embarked on a promising future together. While Ross himself sets the work in historical context and explains the use of a fictitious author, it is Robertson, a keen observer, who describes in detail numerous aspects of Canadian life in 1841: transportation, communications, social institutions and customs, life on the new farms, and the relationship between the French and English residents of the colonies -- a relationship which in many ways resembles that of today. Throughout the book, Ross has interspersed snippets of information and illustration to supplement Robertson''s writings. Scrupulously researched and easily accessible, Full of Hope and Promise will interest anyone wishing to know more about everyday life in Upper and Lower Canada at the time of the 1841 Union.

Based on an imaginary long-lost manuscript by Ian Alexander Bell Robertson invented by the author in order to integrate remarks by contemporary observers into the text. Gives a picture of the Northwest as it was immediately prior to the first white settlement and is based on sources that would have been available to the writer at that time.