 During the week, Mark teaches at Yavapai College helping students get their G.E.D.'s and prepare for college. Since he loves books and loves people, he's pleased as punch that he can work at the Peregrine Book Company on weekends. He has since discovered that even with all his years of reading, in college and out, he still has much to learn about whole genres of books. He has embraced the challenge with all due humility. Favorite words: antidisestablishmentarianism, discourse, hegemonic, sublime. |
A Sand County Almanac stands as a cornerstone of American ecological thinking. Leopold underwent a transformation from just another wolf-killing employee of the Forest Service to a powerful advocate for a new ethical relationship with the natural world. —Mark
This classic of environmental history literally changed my life, as I packed up my bags (and my books) and moved to Kansas to study with Donald Worster. He places responsibility for the Dust Bowl where it properly belongs: on the farmers, whose short-sighted, money-driven plowing left the Great Plains vulnerable to drought and wind. It's a lesson to all of humanity, wherever they happen to live. —Mark
Italian historian Ginsberg uses Inquisition records to reconstruct the marvelous worldview of the 16th-century miller Menocchio. Defying the stereotype that European commoners held to a homogenous religion, Menocchio's complex understanding of reality continues to astound modern readers. —Mark
Herbert's masterpiece has become a must-read for science fiction fans. The depth of its characters, setting, and philosophy excites the soulful reader. Amongst his many nuggets of wisdom, Herbert teaches us, “Fear is the mind-killer.” And yes, the book is much better than the movies. —Mark
Using the seemingly simple concepts of the sacred and the profane, Eliade gifts his readers with a profound understanding of space, time, nature, and life itself. His intellectual constructs have guided my worldview for more than two decades. —Mark
Dive into the world of Welsh mythology with brave Taran and his white pig, Hen Wen. This epic story (complete with a heroic princess and the evil Horned King) is the first of five books in the Chronicles of Prydain—a rousing, eternal tale for young and old alike. —Mark
In this newest collection of poems by America's newest poet-laureate, Herrara embraces the world of contemporary politics in poetic form. Fired by anger, but guided by love, this wise bard from Southern California blends empathy, eulogy, and existentialism with Buddhism and magical realism to give his readers a ride through his grounded, soaring cosmos. —Mark
