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Australia from Space
| Our Price |
$ 19.46
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| Retail Value |
$ 24.95 |
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$ 5.49 (22%) |
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| Item Number |
649144 |
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Item Description...
This exotic book explores the unique beauty of Australia from space, with photographs taken by astronauts aboard the space shuttle and international space station. Six-time space shuttle astronaut and payload commander of the first Hubble space telescope repair mission, Story Musgrave, selected each of the photographs. Story Musgrave is renowned for his space photography and his knowledge of geography. For this beautiful glimpse of the remote continent, he has written pertinent and poetic captions to complement each of the images. The book is filled with spectacular colors, geographic and regional detail, offshore islands, and panoramic views of Australia from space. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 64
Dimensions: Length: 0.25" Width: 11.5" Height: 8.25"
Weight: 0.62 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Jan 15, 2004
ISBN 0975187309
EAN 9780975187302
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Availability 3 units.
Availability accurate as of May 27, 2012 07:58.
Usually ships within one to two business days from La Vergne, TN.
Orders shipping to an address other than a confirmed Credit Card / Paypal Billing address may incur and additional processing delay.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | A treasure! Jun 21, 2009 |
A huge thank you to Chase Von and Betty Dravis for putting this wonderful collection together. I'm enjoying my copy and feel it's an honor to be included! My heart also goes out to Betty who suffered the great loss of her daughter Mary Lee Francis and Denyce 'Neecee' Dravis. Betty called me a few days before my surgery to leave a prayer in my message box. I played it several times before going into the hospital. Chase Von also sent me a 'pep message' and good thoughts. These two very talented journalists also have huge hearts, and it shows in their writing. Among my favorite articles in 'Dream Reachers' is Betty's memory of her interview with the lovely Jane Russell who didn't want Betty to be 'scooped' by the other larger newspapers and gave her a special interview. Both are very 'classy' ladies. I also loved the photo of Betty with Clint Eastwood and Chase's playful interview with the stunning actress Darcy Donavan.
Chrissy K. McVay
Author of 'Souls of the North Wind' | | | | A softer look at dream reachers Jun 17, 2009 |
This book, with both authors and subjects of different generations, works well as a whole. The focus? The acknowledgment by Betty Dravis outlines this nicely: "Through hard work, determination, and faith in themselves, [these artists] have done the impossible, achieving beyond their wildest dreams. They are the ultimate 'Dream Reachers'. . ." Chase Von notes in his Foreword that, after having found a publisher willing to see his interview with celebrities/artists emerge as a book, he asked Dravis to add her earlier interviews with people like Clint Eastwood, Jane Russell, and Ann Sothern (among others).
The end result is odd, with reflections on artists from many years ago juxtaposed with current artists. Yet, the wedding of these interviews and reflections works nicely.
If you expect hard-edged journalism and tough questions posed by the interviewers/authors, this would not be the book for you. But the gentler approach provides some revealing views of those being interviewed.
To give a flavor: Dravis' interactions with those three already mentioned plus Ted Kennedy, Joseph Alioto, and Tanya Tucker takes us back in time. Chase Von's subjects are, for the most part, much more contemporary, and include Alina Smith, Katania Kavey, Debra Garrett, Jennifer Wilkinson, and MT Robison.
Touching, too, is Von's interview with Ms. Dravis.
I feel like I am suffering a generation gap reading this book! I am familiar with everyone discussed by Betty Dravis. I don't know very many of those interviewed by Chase Von (I obviously have not kept up with the popular culture). In the end, though, this is a book that works much better than one might have thought, given its structure. A gentle and civil work, providing entree to the thoughts of classic and contemporary artists, who have strived to achieve their dreams.
| | | | Blessed by the Company of Dream Reachers Jun 11, 2009 |
I've been lucky enough and survived long enough to share pages, via such outlets as anthologies and magazines, with some fairly extraordinary company, including luminous folks like Amiri Baraka, Pearl Cleage, Sean "Puffy" Combs, the singer Maxwell, Eugene Redmond, Kalamu ya Salaam, Susan L. Taylor , John Edgar Wideman, Tiger Woods, and quite a few others I greatly admire and respect. But if someone had given me 100 chances to guess that an interview profile of me was destined to occupy pages in the same book as profiles of Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood and political powerhouse Ted Kennedy, I'm pretty sure I would have missed that particular target every single time. If they had then given me clues in the form of actual names, I likely would have smiled at the sweetness of their naiveté and gently hugged them for beings so kind to an ever-striving author like me.
In the end, however, the error would have been mine because Dream Reachers, the surprising new book by Betty Dravis and Chase Von, does indeed serve as literary host to this author and certified legends like Eastwood and Kennedy. What makes Dravis and Von's book work so well is the wide spectrum of personalities and eras presented in their very entertaining book, with Dravis drawing on early-career encounters to showcase a number of bonafide stars and political heavyweights-- while also employing along with Von more recent interviews with "legends in the making." Among the latter are actress/singer Kiara Hunter, entertainment reporter Crystal Myrick, nujazz singer Nhojj, country music star Tanya Tucker, and several dozen more dream chasers who managed to transform hope and determination into measures of achievement and fulfillment. Hopefully, the greater part of my measure is still ahead of me and not behind.
The different voices, diverse perspectives, and varied nature of individuals' journeys presented in Dream Reachers make the book as fun as it is inspiring. Here, in closing, is an excerpt from my chat with Chase Von:
Chase: How did your time spent in the military [U.S. Air Force] enhance your writing?
Aberjhani: Thank you for that question! My time in the military marked my beginnings as a professional writer. I was very fortunate in that I was able to serve as a military journalist/editor with the base public affairs office. And the thing about being a journalist with a weekly deadline in the military is that you learn how to write whether inspired by a particular muse or not. You know there's a job to be done and an entire base population counting on you to get it done because they need the information you're providing--so you do it, period.
Chase Von: Your list of awards is astounding! Your name is listed in a byline besides the great W.E.B. Du Bois himself! You have also won the Best Poet and Spoken Word Artist in the 2006 Connect Savannah Readers' Poll. The Poet of The Month January 2007 at THE WRITING FORUM. You're the recipient of the Irene Tromble McAlister Literary Prize! The "Critic's Pick" for "Best Savannah Author" in the CREATIVE LOAFING Entertainment Magazine's "Best of Savannah Year 2000" poll. And you have also been selected for inclusion in CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS (published by Gale), which since 1962 has been the most authoritative reference on World Authors! Did I miss any, and do these things just happen with you putting yourself out there? Or do you have to enter into contests and win to be recognized?
Aberjhani: I don't enter literary contests because I tend not to win them [laughs]. The awards that have come my way--including the CHOICE Academic Title and Best History Book awards--have all been bestowed by people and organizations who decided that my work provided something valuable for the reading public and for that reason deserved greater recognition. But I have to tell you that I received my greatest award when I gave a presentation for the Poetry Society of Georgia. It's the oldest literary organization in the state and many of its members at that time were senior poets who used to joke about needing `new blood' to stay alive, so they were happy when I was an active younger member. Anyway, after my presentation, I got a standing ovation which by itself was deeply moving. But then this one poet (the great Patricia Robinson King) who at the time I think was almost 80, sitting in the front row, looked at me and said, "I don't usually stand because these old legs of mine make it difficult, but I'm going to stand for you." I shook my head and said, "Oh please don't," because she used a walker and I knew it was painful for her. She couldn't clap her hands because she was holding onto her walker but that great poet insisted on standing and nodding to acknowledge her approval of my work. I cried over that for a year.
Aberjhani
author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)
and The American Poet Who Went Home Again
| | | | When your heart is in your dream... Jun 7, 2009 |
Early in her career as a journalist, author Betty Dravis met and interviewed some fascinating people. With her great ability to get to the heart of things she delivers her stories as an anchor to this book of inspiring interviews. From the young Tanya Tucker just on the brink of her brilliant career, to icons like Clint Eastwood and Jane Russell, we see the human side of the celebrities.
And because some things never change, Chase Von's collected interviews from Student Operated Press go on to reinforce the message that our dreams are within our reach if we commit ourselves to them. From writers to musicians to actors, the greatest success stories start with ordinary beginnings like yours and mine.
Some of the Dream Reachers mention religion as a driving force in their quest to succeed. Author, photographer and breast cancer survivor Debra Griffin shares the importance of her family and religion; the multi-talented actress and singer Kiara Hunter, we learn, relies on prayer and meditation to find the inner peace she needs to succeed. And author Betty Dravis takes her strength and inspiration from God, family and friends -- especially God Who is the source of the other blessings.
Chase Von frequently asks his interviewees about people who influenced their careers, and the answers are fascinating. Singer Dozie grew up in Nigeria, singing in church, but when respected musicians he refers to as "old-soul folks" became interested in his work, it was the spark that ignited his dreams. Musician MT Robison was eight years old when he saw Elvis Presley perform, and from that day on he never doubted that he would sing and play the guitar.
The biggest recurring theme in the book is the benefit of an accepting and encouraging family. Horror writer Nick Valentino, acknowledging that his dark streak sets him apart from the rest of his family, draws strength from their open-mindedness toward his work. Poet Dawn Huffaker grew up with a physical handicap but her family raised her as a full participant in life. Actress and model Debra Garrett put her children first always, even when it meant a ten-year break in her career. Singer Darcy Donavan honors her strong mother who worked two jobs to support the household, and the grandmother who helped raise her; as an example of the trials involved in raising tomboy Darcy, she once shocked her grandmother by bringing worms to church in her coin purse.
The dreams of these motivated artists and performers go far beyond their own success. They are driven to give back, to inspire others, and to make the world a better place. Comedienne and actress Jen Wilkinson, for example, is blown away by the opportunity to host charity fundraisers, while author and screenwriter Chrissy McVay is passionate about our need to slow down, put people ahead of wealth, and raise our children with our full attention on them rather than on the 401K.
First and foremost these celebrities are real people with real dreams, and nothing was handed to them. In what is possibly the funniest story in the book, singer and actress Jenny McShane describes growing up with her loving family on a pig farm in "Little House on the Prairie country." As a teenager she biked to town and asked the city council to sponsor her in the Miss Teen Minnesota pageant. Sponsor her they did, but Jenny had no pageant skills. During the interview section of the competition she was asked what was the hardest thing she ever had to do on the farm. I won't tell you her hilarious answer -- that would be a spoiler -- but it was so utterly unsuitable that one judge nearly fainted and her family raised the money to send her to modeling school. Now that's determination!
Dream Reachers is full of these intensely personal stories, and you'll come away knowing that for each one of us, a dream is waiting to be grasped.
Linda Bulger, 2009 | | | | Superb Reading and Very Inspiring!!! Jun 3, 2009 |
This book is a real gem. Betty Dravis and Chase Von do an outstanding job of collecting the best interviews and photos complied into one outstanding read.
I found so many of the interviews to be so interesting and touching. I have learned a great deal from reading this book and it is a must have for any industry professional or aspiring artist.
A few of my favorite articles had to be that of Darcy Donavan, Clint Eastwood, Jane Russell, Tanya Tucker, MT Robison, and Kitania Kavey. It is so inspiring to hear these stories and this book is a real testament to what one can accomplish when they put their hearts and minds to it!!
I assure you that you will not be disappointed.
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