Most Popular Books by John Busby

Hot on the heels of great publicity, this shocking and compelling memoir is ripe for paperback

Ever wondered where novelists get the inspiration for their characters? Why the hero or villain of your favourite book seems oddly familiar? Who inspired Mordecai Richler to create Bernard Gursky; Margaret Atwood to create Zenia in The Robber Bride? In which novel does Northrop Frye appear (as a character named Morton Hyland)? The answers can be found in Character Parts, Brian Busby’s irreverent yet authoritative guide to who’s really who in Canadian literature. The most original and entertaining reference book to be published in years, Character Parts is the behind-the-scenes look at CanLit we have all been waiting for. Brian Busby settles the suspicions that arise when a fictional character reminds you of a real-life one, listing the sources for characters from the whole of Canadian literature. His canvas stretches from the settlers who inspired 1852’s Roughing It in the Bush to Glenn Gould’s appearance as Nathaniel Orlando Gow in Tim Wynne-Jones’ The Maestro, and beyond. But Character Parts is also chock-full of fascinating, less famous people who have been immortalized in Canadian books: seductive Alberta politicians, British army generals, anarchists, models, aristocrats -- and, of course, parents, siblings and ex-spouses. Authoritative, but presented with a light touch, Character Parts is as at home in a university library as on a bathroom shelf. It’s that rare find: an exemplary reference book that is also an absolutely entertaining read in its own right.

The first biography of Canada's most enigmatic literary figure, a self-described "great practitioner of deceit."

This is a fully revised and updated new version of a popular RSPB handbook to the art and joy of drawing birds.John Busby beautifully conveys his own remarkable ability to capturethe grace and motion of living birds, illustrating his ideas andsuggestions with many examples of his own work. He also uses illustrations from over 45 other talented bird artists todemonstrate a variety of principles and techniques. The text covers awealth of topics, including choice of media, sketching from life,composition and different ways of interpreting the subject matter. Thisis a beautiful and inspiring book which will appeal to aspiring artistsand anyone who has ever been entranced by the beauty of birds.

How much do you really know about football in England? Go ahead and test your knowledge in this ultimate quiz book... The English game is universally renowned for having some of the best leagues in the world, with some of the most popular teams & greatest players. This quiz book will not only test your knowledge of various topics within the professional game, it has been written to include the trivia & facts within the answer section to help educate the reader along the way. An ideal way to test your own knowledge or that of friends & family at your next gathering. Topics included in this quiz book are .... The Premier league Cup competitions The national team The football league Famous supporters Stadiums Nicknames Laws of the game The book is ideal for all abilities with the range of questions provided being able to challenge all. There are straightforward, common knowledge questions, through to the very difficult. If you are interested in the beautiful game and would love to learn more about it, then what you waiting for !!

"'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.' The famous opening words of Pride and Prejudice carry the reader straight to the heart of the Bennet household, the home of no fewer than five marriageable daughters. Austen's best-loved romance unfolds around the two eldest, Jane and Elizabeth, and two eligible bachelors, Mr Bingly and his friend Mr Darcy. When the lively Elizabeth first meets the aloof, conceited Darcy she dislikes him immediately, but this is only the prelude to a classic attraction of opposites."--Page [4] of cover.

To date, the illustrations have appeared in over seventy books, yet strangely this is the first major volume in which Busby has made a selection of his own work. It spans his entire career from the 1950's, and includes all his favoured media, particularly oil, pencil and watercolour. For good measure, we have a substantial body of text in which the artist explores his own preoccupations and influences.

The Texas Rangers, long fabled for their uncompromising law enforcement methods, faced and endured their most serious challenge during the period 1910-1919. Assigned chiefly as peace-keepers and crime-fighters along the extensive and chaotic Rio Grande border they encountered, in the short span of nine years, the triple ills of Mexican revolutionary excess, persistent banditry, and world war furor. And, as they had done so many times before in their storied past, they responded to the new turbulence and increased danger by being as tough as they needed to be to preserve order and to prevent violence. They, thus, stood firm and did their part in taming the terrible tumult. When the perilous times ended, however, the Rangers were held accountable for their harsh ways and rough work. Civic-minded reformers called attention to their mistakes and abuses. The state legislature investigated charges of their misconduct and enacted a measure for their reorganization. But the Rangers, somewhat less forceful and more humane, survived and continued on in their evolutionary process from frontier Indian fighters to sophisticated criminologists. Three primary sources proved invaluable to this study. The Adjutant General Papers in the State Archives at Austin supplied the bulk of daily, weekly, and monthly communications between the Ranger captains and headquarters as well as departmental and interdepartmental memoranda. Contemporary newspapers furnished helpful insights into local and regional concerns and events. And the Canales Report provided both a negative and a positive appraisal of Ranger service worth.