According to company lore, Gibson, the guitar manufacturer, had ceased guitar production during World War II with only "seasoned craftsmen" too old for battle doing repairs and completing the few instruments already in progress at their Kalamazoo, Michigan factory. However, beginning in 1942, Gibson started producing wartime guitars each marked with a small, golden "banner" displaying the slogan: "only a Gibson is good enough." Over 9000 of these "Banner" guitars were produced between 1942 and 1945 and they are considered to be some of the finest acoustic guitars ever produced but who was making them? In this work of musical and social history, Thomas explores the origins of the Gibson "Banner" guitars and the remarkable women, many of whom had no prior training in instrument construction, who built them.

Ever stopped to read the list of ingredients in the products you use every day? In Low Tox Life, activist and educator Alexx Stuart gently clears a path through the maze of mass-market ingredient cocktails, focusing on four key areas: Body, Home, Food and Mind. Sharing the latest science and advice from experts in each area, Alexx tackles everything from endocrine-disruptors in beauty products to the challenge of going low plastic in a high-plastic world, and how to clean without a hit of harmful toxins. You don't need to be a fulltime homesteader with a cupboard full of organic linens to go low tox. Start small, switching or ditching one nasty at a time, and enjoy the process as a positive one for you and the planet.

Love under trying circumstances One night out of the blue, Ratchet Clark's ill-natured mother tells her that Ratchet will be leaving their Pensacola apartment momentarily to take the train up north. There she will spend the summer with her aged relatives Penpen and Tilly, inseparable twins who couldn't look more different from each other. Staying at their secluded house, Ratchet is treated to a passel of strange family history and local lore, along with heaps of generosity and care that she has never experienced before. Also, Penpen has recently espoused a new philosophy – whatever shows up on your doorstep you have to let in. Through thick wilderness, down forgotten, bear-ridden roads, come a variety of characters, drawn to Penpen and Tilly's open door. It is with vast reservations that the cautious Tilly allows these unwelcome guests in. But it turns out that unwelcome guests may bring the greatest gifts. By turns dark and humorous, Polly Horvath offers adolescent readers enough quirky characters and outrageous situations to leave them reeling! The Canning Season is the winner of the 2003 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

This book features oral histories, mainly of members of the ranching families who have lived in the Mexican State of Sonora and the corresponding territory in the US that stretches from Tijuana on the California border to Agua Prieta on the Arizona border. The elders in those families recall the tales that their grandparents told, providing a century of perspectives on the revolution in economics, culture, and drug trade that the area has witnessed. The book uses the voices of those who have lived through the vicissitudes of border life to paint this cultural upheaval in gripping, personal terms.

The Art Of Lutherie offers a glimpse into the mind and craft of luthier Tom Bills, whom many consider to be one of the most talented luthiers today. In this beautifully written and enjoyable read, Tom elegantly and clearly shares his best- kept secrets and methods of custom guitar making - those which make his guitars favorites among top collectors and players. Tom's unique approach to The Art Of Lutherie will empower and inspire you to create more than just a guitar, but a truly unique work of art. The information that is generously shared within this insightful and timeless work is both practical and applicable. It contains the same hard-won wisdom that only comes from years of experience and experimentation that Tom uses in creating his inspiring instruments. Over the years, he has producedinstruments considered to be some of the bestsounding guitars ever made. Learning the steps of how to build a guitar is important, but understanding whymaster luthiers take those steps and make those decisions can empower you to make your own educated choices. This will allow you to create unique guitars, and the world needs your art, your guitars - your important contribution. The Art Of Lutherie, a truly unique and inspiring guide, can prepare you to reach new heights when designing and creating unique guitars. It is not often I heap such lavish praise on people; however, Tom is in this case more than deserving: I know of no other luthier whose work I respect more. Tom knows his craft inside and out; he pours his soul into every guitar he makes; heuses cutting-edge science to guide his work, and it shows...as head of Artist Relations and Product Development at Mel Bay, it gives me great pleasure topublish Tom's work, which will no doubt take the art of lutherie to a new level. I hope you'll spend some time soaking in this book - it will certainly augmentyour musicality - Collin Bay. Includes access to online video

Providing the "What," "How," and "Why," master guitarist and teacher Shawn Persinger shows you how to get the most out of the best guitar books. You'll find insightful commentaries and more than 100 individually tailored guitar lessons - in all styles - that will provide beginner, intermediate, and advanced players with a lifetime of knowledge, insight, and inspiration.Unlike any other guitar method, The 50 Greatest Guitar Books is part guitar instruction, part music appreciation, and part literary criticism. Persinger delivers as much practical musical content as he does analysis and educated insight.Includes contribution from legendary educators and players: Rik Emmett, Henry Kaiser, Steve Kaufman, Wolf Marshall, Tim Sparks, and many more.More than 100 stylized guitar lessons: Chord Voicings, Arpeggios, Two-Handed Tapping, Fingerpicking, Slide Guitar, Walking Bass Lines, Improvisation, and much more.Featuring all styles: Blues, Classical, Funk, Metal, Rock, Jazz, World, Ragtime, Flamenco, Bluegrass, Gypsy Jazz, Pop, Latin, Fingerpicking, Country, Fusion, and more.