New Releases by James Howard Kunstler

James Howard Kunstler (born October 19, 1948) is an American author, social critic, public speaker, artist, and blogger. James created these oil paintings of the landscape around Washington and Saratoga counties of New York. All were painted sur le motif. ufeffufeffJames Howard Kunstler is best known for his books The Geography of Nowhere (1994), a history of American Suburbia and urban development, The Long Emergency (2005), and Too Much Magic (2012). In The Long Emergency, he imagines peak oil and oil depletion resulting at the end of industrialized society, forcing Americans to live in smaller-scale, localized, agrarian (or semi-agrarian) communities. He branches into a speculative fiction depiction of this future world in his book World Made by Hand.

"The Innocents" is a screenplay about the downfall of a Too-Big-To-Fail bankster set in Manhattan and an estate in rural Connecticut. The action centers on three teenagers and the malevolent family drama that parallels the financial wickedness on the Wall Street banking scene. A fast-moving, high velocity story with a big heart.

"'In the fall of 1967, a schlemiel named Don Bessemer from Short Pump, Virginia, got me pregnant. Well, okay, I got myself pregnant with his assistance. I fell for this superficial clod one rainy October afternoon when we were the only two patrons in a hole-in-the-wall called Cafae Ludovico off Astor Place...' So begins the journey into adulthood of 19-year-old Erica "Pooh" (as in Winnie) Bollinger from Oyster Bay, Long Island. She's a sophomore at NYU and nothing is working out there. She's knocked up. She hates the city. The Vietnam War is making America crazy, not to mention the sit-com looniness of everyday existence on the home-front. Pooh desperately wants out. She hears about a magical place up in Vermont where you can leave all this crap behind, a commune called Sunrise Village founded by the mysterious, charismatic figure known in the hippie underground only as "Songbird." Maybe she ought to go up there and check the situation out..."--Back cover.

The World Made by Hand postapocalyptic saga concludes with this "suspenseful tale spiked with suffering and violence, rough justice and love" ( Booklist). The small town of Union Grove has adapted, struggled, and thrived in the new age of civilization. But early spring is full of hardships: Fresh food is scarce and the winter stores are almost gone. Despite the time of privation, young explorer Daniel Earle resurrects the town newspaper, and the town trustees ask him to help revive the Hudson River trade route. But even as the townsfolk strive forward, a group of visitors remind them that nothing is easy in the new world. They proclaim themselves as representatives of the Berkshire People''s Republic, spouting high-minded, near-fanatical rhetoric of social justice and absolute equality—all while demanding tribute from the citizens under slyly veiled threats. Now, the townspeople of Union Grove will have to decide just how far they are willing to go to keep the freedom and peace for which they have fought so hard . . . With this glimpse into a future that could become reality all too soon, James Howard Kunstler delivers "a slyly folksy, caustically hilarious, unabashedly proselytizing, and affecting finale in a keenly provocative saga." ( Booklist).

Humanity hangs on after the fall of civilization in this "wily, funny, rip-roaring, and profoundly provocative page-turner" ( Booklist, starred review). After the collapse of the old world—the pandemics, the environmental disasters, the end of oil, the ensuing chaos—people are pursuing a simpler and sometimes happier existence. In Union Grove, New York, the townspeople are preparing for Christmas . . . the perfect time for a long-lost member of the community to return. Robert Earle''s son, Daniel, has come home after two years exploring what is left of the United States. He brings news of three new nations arisen from what was once America—and the dangers and possibilities they may hold. Meanwhile, a horrific murder threatens to turn the community of Union Grove against itself—and what is supposed to be a time of peace and togetherness is overtaken by suspicion and fear. In this vividly depicted look at a world that may be on our own horizon, "Kunstler skewers everything from kitsch to greed, prejudice, bloodshed, and brainwashing" in a gripping story of hope, hate, and humanity''s last chance at survival ( Booklist).

The dystopian epic of World Made by Hand continues in a novel hailed as "Larry McMurty''s Lonesome Dove, set in the dystopian world of The Road" ( New York Journal of Books). A new age has begun on Earth. Oil is no longer a resource. Some parts of America are nuclear wastelands. Civilization has devolved into a constant struggle for food, water, and shelter. In the tiny hamlet of Union Grove, New York, the US government is little more than a rumor. Wars are being fought over dwindling resources and illness has a constant presence. Bandits roam the countryside, preying on the weak and a sinister cult threatens the town''s fragile stability. It is up to every citizen of Union Grove to decide what they are willing to fight for, kill for, and die for . . . This is a tale of humanity at its shining best and brutal worst woven together in a "suspenseful, darkly amusing story with touches of the fantastic in the mode of Washington Irving" ( Booklist). "Kunstler''s postapocalyptic world is neither a merciless nightmare nor a starry-eyed return to some pastoral faux utopia; it''s a hard existence dotted with adventure, revenge, mysticism, and those same human emotions that existed before the power went out." — Publishers Weekly

In this "richly imagined" dystopian vision, mankind must find a way to survive as modern civilization slowly comes apart ( O, The Oprah Magazine). When Earth ran dry of oil, the age of the automobile came to an end; electricity flickered out. With deprivation came desperation—and desperation drove humanity backward to a state of existence few could have imagined. In the tiny hamlet of Union Grove, New York, every day is a struggle. For Mayor Robert Earle, it is a battle to keep the citizens united. As the bonds of civilization are torn apart by war, famine, and violence, there are some who aim to carve out a new society: one in which might makes right—a world of tyranny, subjugation, and death. A world Earle must fight against . . . In his shocking nonfiction work, The Long Emergency, social commentator James Howard Kunstler explored the reality of what would happen if the engines stopped running. In World Made by Hand, he offers a stark glimpse of that future in a work of speculative fiction that stands as "an impassioned and invigorating tale whose ultimate message is one of hope, not despair" ( San Francisco Chronicle). "Brilliant." —Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune "It frightens without being ridiculously nightmarish, it cautions without being too judgmental, and it offers glimmers of hope we don''t have to read between the lines to comprehend." — Baltimore City Paper

A "frightening and important" look at our unsustainable future ( Time Out Chicago). A controversial hit that has sparked debate among business leaders, environmentalists, and others, The Long Emergency is an eye-opening look at the unprecedented challenges we face in the years ahead, as oil runs out and the global systems built on it are forced to change radically. From the author of The Geography of Nowhere, it is a book that "should be read, digested, and acted upon by every conscientious U.S. politician and citizen" (Michael Shuman, author of Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age).

Recounts the story of the man who traveled west planting apple seeds to make the country a better place to live.

Relates the true story of Davy Crockett, one of the Old West''s outstanding hunters, frontiersmen, and legislators.

She was an angel in buckskin on a big spotted horse. With two six guns blazin'', Annie Oakley was the star of Buffalo Bill Cody''s famous Wild West Show for almost 20 years. Your entire family will enjoy this spirited tale of a talented frontier woman whose sharp-shooting exploits brought her international fame.

This title takes an in-depth look at the history, development and state of architectural and societal success of cities, including London, Rome, Berlin, Paris and Mexico City.

In his landmark book The Geography of Nowhere James Howard Kunstler visited the "tragic sprawlscape of cartoon architecture, junked cities, and ravaged countryside" America had become and declared that the deteriorating environment was not merely a symptom of a troubled culture, but one of the primary causes of our discontent. In Home from Nowhere Kunstler not only shows that the original American Dream -- the desire for peaceful, pleasant places in which to work and live -- still has a strong hold on our imaginations, but also offers innovative, eminently practical ways to make that dream a reality. Citing examples from around the country, he calls for the restoration of traditional architecture, the introduction of enduring design principles in urban planning, and the development of public spaces that acknowledge our need to interact comfortable with one another.

Argues that much of what surrounds Americans is depressing, ugly, and unhealthy; and traces America''s evolution from a land of village commons to a man-made landscape that ignores nature and human needs.

Seventeen year-old Andy Newmark is having the time of his life, but the 1967 Summer of Love also brings with it some important lessons about growing up

What happens when four guys confront the enormity of being thirty? If it’s Sandy Stern, he worries about the fact that he’s a down-and-out artist about to lose both his apartment and his girl. If it’s Joel Harlowe, a materialistic drug dealer, his charmed life in the fast lane is leading to a dead end. If it’s Edmund Black, he’s crushed by the weight of the past, seeking a precarious refuge in madness. And if it’s George Wells, he’s a waiter with a unfinished Ph.D., trying to cope with the impending death of his once powerful politician father. So when Joel Harlowe plans the biggest, most outrageous Halloween party ever to hit Excelsior Springs, New York, all hell breaks loose. A series of absurd and tragic events reveals each of these men’s most secret dreams, hopes and fears, and transforms his life in this once elegant upstate town. Four friend emerge from the illusions of youth to discover who ther really are in this unforgettable chronicle of life in a typical American town, 80s style James Howard Kunstler, author of five critically acclaimed novels, has created a masterfully drawn tragi-comic universe, poignant and devastating

Grover Graff, a reporter who specializes in investigating religious cults, discovers a link between the scattered pieces of the body of his best friend and the Children of Abraham, one of the cults he has been investigating

Ten years after his reported death, rock star Byron Jaynes is discovered in a New England country store by ex-"Rolling Stone" reporter Rick Sears, who persuades Jaynes to recount his harrowing story