Jewelry Books

If Benjy's section is the most daringly experimental, Jason's is the most harrowing. "Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say," he begins, lacing into Caddy's illegitimate daughter, and then proceeds to hurl mud at blacks, Jews, his sacred Compson ancestors, his glamorous, promiscuous sister, his doomed brother Quentin, his ailing mother, and the long-suffering black servant Dilsey who holds the family together by sheer force of character.

Notoriously "difficult," The Sound and the Fury is actually one of Faulkner's more accessible works once you get past the abrupt, unannounced time shifts--and certainly the most powerful emotionally. Everything is here: the complex equilibrium of pre-civil rights race relations; the conflict between Yankee capitalism and Southern agrarian values; a meditation on time, consciousness, and Western philosophy. And all of it is rendered in prose so gorgeous it can take your breath away. Here, for instance, Quentin recalls an autumnal encounter back home with the old black possum hunter Uncle Louis:

And we'd sit in the dry leaves that whispered a little with the slow respiration of our waiting and with the slow breathing of the earth and the windless October, the rank smell of the lantern fouling the brittle air, listening to the dogs and to the echo of Louis' voice dying away. He never raised it, yet on a still night we have heard it from our front porch. When he called the dogs in he sounded just like the horn he carried slung on his shoulder and never used, but clearer, mellower, as though his voice were a part of darkness and silence, coiling out of it, coiling into it again. WhoOoooo. WhoOoooo. WhoOooooooooooooooo.

The book's directory format and beautiful, full-color photos ensure that the crystals are easily identifiable. Descriptions, which accompany each of the crystals, provide all the information on their appearance, worldwide distribution, attributes, actions and healing properties. All the major and less known stones currently available are contained inside, including those only recently discovered. A comprehensive index cross-referencing crystals to applications, aliments and conditions make this book a vital reference for all crystal users.

-An in-depth section on design and construction techniques that makes it a snap to get started -More than 20 step-by-step bead and wire jewelry projects, including gorgeous earrings, necklaces, brooches, and bracelets

You've probably coveted jewelry you've seen in artsy boutiques and fashion magazines or envied friends who have the perfect bling to accent everything. With this book, you'll learn to craft designs that are chic but inexpensive. With hundreds of detailed photos, this book covers tools and supplies, bead stringing and weaving, wire wrapping, and more. Terrific projects will get you started and inspire you to create your own jewelry and beadwork designs.

Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review

• Each skill or technique is defined and described

• Detailed color photos demonstrate each step

• Step-by-step instructions accompany each photo

• Helpful tips provide additional guidance