Book Description

"Places give me the energy for ideas.... I get my energy from being out on the road."—Richard Long

This new volume about and by the British sculptor and land art pioneer Richard Long is centered mainly on his work from the last dozen years, though it also contains some earlier pieces. Long's ability to turn any given space, indoors or out, into a work of art is unrivaled, and this new journey takes the reader around the world: to the Sahara Desert and down the Rio Grande; from coast to coast in France and Spain; to Bolivia and Peru; and to the peaks of Honshu in Japan.

Some of the sculptor's oeuvre is created during his walks through the world's landscapes, while other works bring the materials of nature—stones, boulders, branches, twigs, and mud—into a more domestic or sheltered environment: museums, galleries, houses, gardens. These sculptures feed the senses, whereas the artist's walks feed the imagination.

Majestic museum sculptures made from tons of rock are juxtaposed with dramatic mud paintings and with photographs recording ephemeral changes to the natural landscape. Many of the photographs were taken by the artist himself, and he has also included his own notes and writings.

If walking has become Long's trademark, the path is perhaps the central image or archetype in his work. To walk a line is the easiest thing a human being can do to put a mark on a place. The idea of the path or way has meaning in all cultures—from the most material to the most spiritual. It is both real and symbolic, whether it be the Christian's pilgrimage, the Taoist's Great Way, or the Zen Buddhist's Heavenly Way. 248 illustrations, 150 in color. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Classic King
Long ago, before Stephen King was hit by the money bus - and later a real van - he could actually write. This collection of novellas helps celebrate that time; a time before slavish devotion to formula had him cranking out the same story over and over. A time before King's new-found relgious zealotry had him extolling the virtues of steadfast belief in a higher power at the core of his every over-long, soapy new novel. This four-story collection is a distillation of the writer King used to be.

I have retained my copy of this set since I was a kid. Luckily it is a hardback, so it has withstood the test of time relatively well. Every now and then I pull it out to re-read one of the stories and I am reminded of just how good this guy was. There is real talent between these covers.

Unfortunately the collection starts off with what I feel to be the weakest story of the bunch. Perhaps I'm just not a fan of self-indulgent adolescent revenge fantasies. "Rage" is just that. It is markedly similar to "Apt Pupil" and a short story, found in one of the ten thousand compilations King has cranked out, about a college kid going amok with a sniper rifle. A lot of the other reviewers have decried the so-called censorship that has removed this story from publication. Frankly I applaud King for realizing how harmful the story is. It is a pointless revenge fantasy in which a student kills a teacher and threatens his fellow schoolchildren with a gun. Romanticizing this behavior is only harmful, as is evidenced by those who post how "prophetic" this is. As if the kids who shot up Columbine or the other copycat incidents were wounded, tortured souls who wanted to discuss philosophy. They were petty thugs. This story asks us to empathize with such petty thugs. While there is a good bit of King's patented adolescent angst writing (he must have had a crappy childhood), the story itself is just creepy.

In my mind, this first story seriously cheapens the collection. I read it once, when I first got the book, and haven't read it since. Perhaps the publisher could re-release the collection without "Rage". Unfortunately to fill it out they might include "Thinner", which is awful for different reasons.

The other three novellas in this collection are nothing short of sublime. "The Long Walk" is an amazing tale about a futuristic game in which 100 volunteers walk until only one man is left. Anyone who flags beneath the required speed is shot. Anyone who tries to desert is shot. They never stop, walking and walking until all but one can walk no more. Overall this sounds like a boring concept, but King works his psychological wonders with the characters and has you turning page after page, empathizing with them and actually caring about them.

"Roadwork" is an odd story. It, too, is a revenge tale but is much less reprehensible in that the person attempting to get revenge does so without taking hostages, without shooting innocent people, and without putting himself up on a soapbox. The hero sees his world falling apart and lacks the desire to reconstruct it. So he just goes along for the ride. In the introduction King says that he wrote this story to deal with his own grief when a loved one died. The truth of that statement shines through. This is a very powerful piece.

The final story, "The Running Man", simply shows the raw talent King embodied. Apparently the entire story was written in a span of 72 hours. Another futuristic game show tale, this one is abouta society which is heavily splintered into have and have-not; the have-nots appearing on game shows to try to earn money to survive. The lead character, trying to earn money to take his daughter to the hospital, applies for a game show spot and is given a slot on the titular show, which sets a man loose to run while professional hunters - and all of society - track him down. The rules state that if he eludes capture for 30 days he wins, but there are reasons to doubt that. An effective update of "The Most Dangerous Game", this story grabs you and holds you. If all you know of "The Running Man" is the godawful Schwarzenegger film, you definitely need to read this one (the book version will definitely never be filmed, at least not with that ending).

So three novels of four are must-reads. I highly recommend picking this one up, even if you have to buy it used.

The most frightning stories King has written
These four early stories all share the same theme of a terrifing not to distant future that strikes as close to reality as a book can. The first story, Rage is a dark psychologial portrit of teenage boy who loses grip of his sanity yet at same time feels alive for the first time in his life. The most frightning thing about the story is that it has happened in real life, more than once. The second story, The Long Walk really got to me. Its a chilling tale of a disasociated American watching and waiting for a group of runners to get their "ticket" one by one. Helped inspire the contraversial Japanese satire film Battle Royale (amazing film, see it!!) The third book Road Work is the story of a man whos life and mental state detiriorate around him along with his home, job, and marrige. Until he reaches the point of no return and lashes out at society. The final story, The Running Man is the tale of a decayed and apathetic America, where the poor are expendable, and people get their thrill by watching desparate people run for their lives on the Running Man. Some of these stories are cautionary tales. Some are stories that mirror reality in a frightiningly real manner.While others are a pesimistic Freudian analisyis of the human race. All in all this is a must read book. So buy it already!!

I'm looking for the book
I have heard every thing about this book. I have been looking for it for the longest time. If any body knows how or when to get it please e-mail me.
krisstarlee28@earthlink.net
Thank you,

Persephone Star

An Excellent Anthology
Wow.I am amazed by these stories that Stephen King wrote so early in his carreer.They are all impressive and well written.They all have lasting impact.The first two are excellent psychological thrillers, complete with plenty of interesting philosophy.The third is a slow moving, character analysis of a schizophrenic.The final story is a fast moving action story.All of the stories are excellent.

Rage(5/5)- This is the reason that you won't be finding this anthology in stores.This story is about a school shooting incident.In it, a boy named Charlie Decker takes over his class after shooting his math teacher.I know it sounds ludacrously violent, but it isn't.There aren't many deaths, but alot of excitement and plenty of philosophy.It is told from the first-person (unusual for King) point of view of a killer.You get to watch his sanity slowly slip away.Very intriguing.

The Long Walk(5/5)- A tie with Rage for my favorite Bachman Book.This one involves a grim future in the style of my favorite book, 1984.In this grim, 1984-esque, future, there is a marathon held every year with 100 boys starting off on the U.S.-Canada border and they simply walk.If they go below 4mph for 30 seconds they recieve a warning.If they walk for one hour without a fresh warning they lose an old warning.If they acumulate three warnings, then stop again, they recieve a ticket a.k.a. a bullet in the head.This is the story of one walker - Ray Garraty - who enters the contest.He and others, including Pete McVries, Hank Olson, Art Baker, Barkovitch, and Stebbins.A bit predictable, but haunting and disturbing.

Roadwork(4/5)-This one is interesting.It isn't the best in the collection, but it is still an excellent story.It is a character analysis of a schizophrenic man pushed over the verge.The stoy involves a man named Bart whose house and business are threatened by a new construction project.He speaks to his dead son Charlie in his head.It should be known that in these conversations, Bart is George and Charlie is Fred (they called each other by their middle names).

The Running Man(4/5)-A fast paced story about a game show in the future where a man tries to avoid assassins.It is similar to The Long Walk just as Roadwork is similar to Rage.I like it, I just wish it had more of the philosophy that the others had.This one would be the best for young or immature readers while Roadwork would be really good for serious readers.

All in all it is an excellent anthology filled with
(disturbing moments)
Great storytelling.I really liked King's characterization and philosophy.The stories are fairly short and can each be read in a single sitting (except maybe Roadwork).Read 'em.Ponder 'em.Love 'em.

Bachman (KINGman) is a genius.
I received this book in high school as a gift and it really struck a chord. I was surprised to read that it is no longer published because of incidents concerning Rage. King always seems to get it right, was he a geek in HS too? I have since ordered the book again, surely I lent it out to someone who didn't appreciate it as much as I did, and I plan on rereading the whole book again. ... Read more

Book Description

During ten years from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s British artist Richard Long executed several works throughout Spain. These works are collected in "Spanish Stones", and fill an important gap in documenting the artist's career. Long, one of the world's foremost practitioners of Land Art, worked on a variety of projects while in Spain: he took several walks of hundreds of miles each through the country, creating stone cairns and other structures along the way. He also created language pieces out of these walks, for example, he wrote down a different sound he heard each day during one walk, or he used arrows to represent the wind direction each day during another. Also included here are a series of 20 mud drawings he executed on the banks of the River Avon in 1995.
Essay by Gloria Moure.
21 color and 29 b&w.
8.5 x 11 in. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on September 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1254 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Impressions of despair: Richard Cork discovers a darker Monet in the painter's long lament for his wife.(art)
Author: Richard Cork
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2003
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 132Issue: 4653Page: 30(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Hawaii Business, published by Hawaii Business Publishing Co. on October 1, 1991. The length of the article is 4829 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Sprinting the distance. (long distance bargaining by US Sprint in an offer to buy Honolulu-based telecommunications company Long Distance/USA) (company profile)
Author: Lisa Ishikawa
Publication: Hawaii Business (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1991
Publisher: Hawaii Business Publishing Co.
Volume: v37Issue: n4Page: p23(5)

Article Type: company profile

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

"My art is about making Journeys, mostly to experience different landscapes by walking through them. On this walk, across the country I was born in, I also carried a different stone along in my pocket each day, a traveling sculpture called Walking Stones."--Richard Long. Richard Long belongs to a generation of artists who from the mid-sixties helped to redefine the boundaries of art practice. By making his work simply by walking in the landscape, he brought a great increase in scale and space, as well as rich conceptual potential, to a work of art. He also found the freedom to make sculptures along the way in the different land surfaces that cover the planet. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Onfilm, published by Profile Publishing Ltd. on September 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1370 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Taylor-made: at long last, an Onfilm interview with Oscar-winner Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop. Well, not so much an interview as a monologue--not only is Taylor an extremely talanted and pleasant man, he's also got a finely honed marketing spiel. (Art Department).(Interview)
Publication: Onfilm (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: Profile Publishing Ltd.
Volume: 19Issue: 9Page: 15(1)

Article Type: Interview

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on July 15, 2002. The length of the article is 1055 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Political hot potato: contributions from Bernie & Co.: shows, Pickering take issue with each other over WorldCom money.(politicians deal with WorldCom controversy)(Brief Article)
Author: Lynne W. Jeter
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 15, 2002
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 24Issue: 28Page: 13(1)

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Orleans Magazine, published by MC Media, LLC on August 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1041 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Richard Hellmers' talented performances of Presley's music have won Elvis-impersonation contests and bookings at fairs, festivals and other events in the New Orleans, LA, area. Hellmer has a large collection of memorabilia that he would like to turn into a Louisiana museum.

Citation Details
Title: King for a day: long live Elvis.(Elvis Presley impersonator Richard Hellmers)
Author: George Gurtner
Publication: New Orleans Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 1997
Publisher: MC Media, LLC
Volume: v31Issue: n11Page: p92(2)

Article Type: Biography

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on September 2, 2002. The length of the article is 964 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Hanging on at number one: Richard Cook celebrates the long life of the toothless grandma of pop television. (Pop).(Top of the Pops) (television program review)
Author: Richard Cook
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 2, 2002
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 131Issue: 4603Page: 28(1)

Article Type: Television Program Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more