Most Popular Books by Will James

Charles Baudelaire was the first of our postmodern poets. So we begin with him, where a small dose of his work will soon transport us into a country of dark dreams, of melancholy and wondrous visions. We will end with Sappho and the ancient Greeks (with my own poetry falling between these two countries, these two worlds). The translations are mine. -Will James

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.

This is a narrative of cowboy life in a less-sensational portrayal, which is unusual for this period. Written by a Texas cowhand who turned preacher, Will S. James wrote about the cowboy as he really was, describing cowboy life in considerable detail.This edition of the book contains 24 original illustrations, rejuvenated.W. S. James, born 1856, has been described by J. Frank Dobie as a "genuine cowboy who became a genuine preacher and wrote a book of validity. This is the best of several books of reminiscences by cowboy preachers, some of whom are lacking in the real thing as certain cowboy artists." W. S. James should not be confused with William Roderick ("Will") James, who illustrated and wrote many books.

A graphic novel based on the true story of the astronaut testing program that enlisted thirteen women who believed they would be considered serious candidates to be among the first Americans in space. The women struggled to contribute to the space program in the face of political opposition, personal vendettas, and the prevailing sexism of the period. Includes a short interview (1 page) with Susan Kilrain, a former NASA pilot.

The candles burn all night, the fumes from the flamesdarken her face, her eyes and skin.The living see her in flashes of light but it is rare.The dead are often surprised by her power,her gravitational pull.More will come, more will rise from their beds,riding on ocean waves,riding on clouds blown from the other sideof the known world.Many are startled by her love.She was once just a rumor, a fairy taletold to children in nursery school.The candles burn all night, the fumes from the flamesdarken her face, her eyes and skin.More will come, more will rise from their beds.THE CANTICLE OF THE SUN.Praise be to Thee, my Lord, with all Thy creatures,Especially to my worshipful brother sun,The which lights up the day, and through him dost Thou brightness give;And beautiful is he and radiant with splendor great;Of Thee, most High, signification gives.Praised be my Lord, for sister moon and for the stars,In heaven Thou hast formed them clear and precious and fair. p. 153Praised be my Lord for brother windAnd for the air and clouds and fair and every kind of weather,By the which Thou givest to Thy creatures nourishment.Praised be my Lord for sister water,The which is greatly helpful and humble and precious and pure.Praised be my Lord for brother fire,By the which Thou lightest up the dark.And fair is he and gay and mighty and strong.Praised be my Lord for our sister, mother earth,The which sustains and keeps usAnd brings forth diverse fruits with grass and flowers bright.Praised be my Lord for those who for Thy love forgiveAnd weakness bear and tribulation.Blessed those who shall in peace endure,For by Thee, most High, shall they be crowned.Praised be my Lord for our sister, the bodily death,From the which no living man can flee.Woe to them who die in mortal sin;Blessed those who shall find themselves in Thy most holy will,For the second death shall do them no ill.Praise ye and bless ye my Lord, and give Him thanks,And be subject unto Him with great humility.The Woman in Dark Clothes(for Edith Stein)She adored Husserl, the depths of his thought.But philosophy was not enough for her.She became a student of love.We breathe in the ashes of those burnedin the ovens of Auschwitz.Flowers bloom out of the dust.She walks with us in the darkness. She is familiar with it.She knows the way out.They were not aliens from another planet.They put their human faces on just like usbefore they dropped Zyklon B in a holein the roof and waited for the bodies to fall.That they shared in our common humanitysomehow made monsters of us all.But why should we feel responsiblefor their crimes,when we barely recognize our own?But the stain remains just the same.It will take all of human history to recoverfrom that loss.We breathe in the ashes of those burnedin the ovens of Auschwitz.Flowers bloom out of the dust.She walks with us in the darkness.She is familiar with it.She knows the way out.

Ten-year-old Kip and his older sister Scootie learn almost everything a cowboy needs to know from one of the best and kindest of cowboys-old Uncle Bill.

Killers will rise. Angels will fall.When death is just the beginning, how far will an assassin go to hunt her quarry?The grim congregation is assembled. The target lies ahead.If our broken reality is to stand a chance, Deborah and her ragtag crew must travel a long and perilous road.Traversing the plains of a hostile heaven, her Band of Heroes must endure all that fate can lay in their way.Ahead, the legion Office of God.Behind, the furious, Hell-torn past.Among them, doubt, fear and the conflicting loyalties of the lost.In a world where nothing is constant, where the whims of the unworthy sow seeds and the masquerade of sin and faith sways like the breeze, how much betrayal can one woman bear?How far can blind loyalty be pushed?

Will James first took up the guitar at the age of 11 in his hometown of Minneapolis. He moved to Texas at 17. He now lives in Arkansas.