Great Books

"Look, Ryan," he said. "I'm in trouble and I don't have time to tell you about it. Just take me and my motorcycle with you, and don't ask questions.""To school?" Ryan was surprised.Ralph's pesky cousins are wrecking his motorcycle, and his janitor friend, Matt, is in trouble because there seem to be mice in the hotel. All in all things are not going well at the Mountain View Inn. So Ralph persuades his young pal Ryan to take him to school. Ralph is an instant hit with Ryan's classmates. But he doesn't like being forced to run through a maze or the threat of an exterminator coming to the school. Worst of all, Ryan gets into a fight with a classmate, and Ralph's precious motorcycle is broken. Is Ralph S. Mouse smart enough to steer this sad situation to a happy ending?

"The rousing notes of the bugle and the laughter and shouting increased the feeling of rebellion within Ralph. As the last strains of the bugle call hovered in the clear mountain air, Ralph made up his mind. He knew now what he was going to do. He was going to run away.Fed up with his timid mother and uncle and his squirmy little cousins, Ralph hops onto his toy motorcycle and zooms down the road to summer camp. It turns out camp is not all peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fun. A strict watchdog, a mouse-hungry cat, and a troubled boy named Garf lead Ralph on some fur-raising escapades. Perhaps home isn't such a bad place to be, if only Ralph can find a way to get there again.

Bugatti and Bentley, Alfa and Aston, Mercedes and McLaren--these are not merely cars, they are some of the most exquisite automobiles ever assembled, selected by Ralph Lauren, one of the most foremost designers of our time. This breathtaking volume, which accompanies a major exhibition at the MFA, Boston, features 29 of these wonders--from such unparalleled masterpieces as the 1930 Mercedes Benz "Count Trossi," the 1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia, and the 1938 Bugatti Atlantic Coupe to marvels from Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, and eve a Ford "Woody"--each of these vehicles is bautifully and lovingly photographed and presented with authoritative elegance. Complimenting the images are sketches of these and other cars--rarely seen drawings that give insight into the conceptual and development stages of the automobiles. Speed, Style, and Beauty is the first book on cars to center its discussion squarely on the car's role as an art object. The 29 chapters, by two of the best known and most respected authors writing about cars today, gives the indispensible background information, but also approaches the cars the way an art historian would approach fine scultpture--treating them as consummate works of decorative art for the modern age. With over 160 color images by world renowned photographer Michael Furman, plus an introductory interview with Ralph Lauren who discusses the links between the cars and his overall design philosophy, this is an elegant yet informative book that will delight both the rampant car enthusiast and aficionados of great design in any form. It brings the glamour of the 30s, the opulent ease of the 50s, and the charged excitement of the 80s, as reflected in the sleekly curved chrome and steel of these timeless dream machines--the perfect marriage of speed, style, and beauty. Text by Winston S. Goodfellow and Beverly Rae Kimes. Foreword and Interview by Darcy Kuronen. Introduction by Ralph Lauren. Photographs by Michael Furman. Hardcover, 9.5 x 12 in./240 pgs / 196 color and 37 b&w.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ralph Johnson Bunche (1904-71) was one of the twentieth century’s foremost diplomats and intellectuals. In the wake of centennial celebrations of his birth, leading scholars and diplomats assess Bunche’s historical importance and enduring impact on higher education, public policy, and international politics. Their essays reveal not only the breadth of Bunche’s influence, such as his United Nations work to broker peace during times of civil war in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, but also the depth of his intellectual perspectives on race, civil rights, higher education, and international law. Probing his publications, speeches, and public policy initiatives, the volume offers telling insights into the critical roles of universities, public intellectuals, and diplomats in working together to find solutions to domestic and international problems through public and scholarly engagement. In this way, the volume highlights the very connections that Bunche exhibited as an academic, intellectual, and diplomat.   Contributors include Lorenzo DuBois Baber, John Hope Franklin, Jonathan Scott Holloway, Charles P. Henry, Ben Keppel, Beverly Lindsay, Princeton Lyman, Edwin Smith, and Hanes Walton Jr.

This wonderful Strider Box Set, by Beverly Cleary, contains four books: Strider, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph, and Ellen Tebbits. StriderIn the sequel to the Newbery winner Dear Mr. Henshaw, Leigh Botts is down in the dumps. His parents have divorced and his dog has run away, and it doesn't look as if things could get any worse. But Leigh's life takes a turn for the better when he adopts a stray dog named Strider. The Mouse and the MotorcycleRalph only wanted to ride the mouse-sized motorcycle someone had left on the table in the hotel room where Ralph lived. Instead, both Ralph and the motorcycle take a terrible fall into the wastepaper basket, where they are trapped until Keith, the owner of the motorcycle, rescues them. Keith teaches Ralph to ride the motorcycle, and the two of them soon find out that adventures can be both fun and dangerous! Runaway RalphRalph has made up his mind -- he is going to run away. Envisioning fun, freedom, and delicious crumbs from peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, he hops on his red bike and zooms away to the summer camp down the road. Once he arrives, he runs headlong into a strict watchdog, a mouse-hungry cat, and even more fur-raising escapades. Suddenly home doesn't seem like a bad place to be. Ellen TebbitsEllen Tebbits believes she would die of embarrassment if any of the girls at school were to learn her secret. Then she meets Austine Allen, a new girl in class who is hiding the very same secret. They become best friends immediately, until Ellen slaps Austine in the middle of a crowded school lunchroom!

This wonderful Mouse Box Set, by Beverly Cleary, contains four books: The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Ralph S Mouse, Runaway Ralph, and Strider.The Mouse and the MotorcycleRalph only wanted to ride the mouse-sized motorcycle someone had left on the table in the hotel room where Ralph lived. Instead, both Ralph and the motorcycle take a terrible fall into the wastepaper basket, where they are trapped until Keith, the owner of the motorcycle, rescues them. Keith teaches Ralph to ride the motorcycle, and the two of them soon find out that adventures can be both fun and dangerous!Ralph S. MouseWhen Ralph's home at the Mountain View Inn is over-run by rowdy mice who want to use his red motorcycle, he packs up his prized machine and moves to a new home -- inside Irwin J. Sneed Elementary School! Runaway RalphRalph has made up his mind -- he is going to run away. Envisioning fun, freedom, and delicious crumbs from peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, he hops on his red bike and zooms away to the summer camp down the road. Once he arrives, he runs headlong into a strict watchdog, a mouse-hungry cat, and even more fur-raising escapades. Suddenly home doesn't seem like a bad place to be. StriderIn the sequel to the Newbery winner Dear Mr. Henshaw, Leigh Botts is down in the dumps. His parents have divorced and his dog has run away, and it doesn't look as if things could get any worse. But Leigh's life takes a turn for the better when he adopts a stray dog named Strider.