Books with author Jamie Morris

From the moment she saw him, she knew the bear had come for her. How many times had she dreamt of the bear . Now, here he was, as if spelled from her dreams.“I will come with you, Bear,” she said.It is the beginning of an extraordinary journey for the girl. First to the bear’s secret palace in faraway mountains, where she is treated so courteously, but where she experiences the bear’s unfathomable sadness, and a deep mystery As the bear’s secret unravels, another journey unfolds a long and desperate journey, that takes the girl to the homes of the four Winds and beyond, to the castle east of the sun, west of the moon.This beautiful, mysterious story of love, loyalty and above all, freedom, is inspired by fairy tale, and is magically told and illustrated by Jackie Morris.

An extraordinary―and strikingly illustrated―reflection on the meaning of war from one of our greatest living writers. The battleship Yamato, of the Imperial Japanese Navy, was the most powerful warship of World War II and represented the climax, as it were, of the Japanese warrior traditions of the samurai―the ideals of honor, discipline, and self-sacrifice that had immemorially ennobled the Japanese national consciousness. Stoically poised for battle in the spring of 1945―when even Japan’s last desperate technique of arms, the kamikaze, was running short―Yamato arose as the last magnificent arrow in the imperial quiver of Emperor Hirohito. Here, Jan Morris not only tells the dramatic story of the magnificent ship itself―from secret wartime launch to futile sacrifice at Okinawa―but, more fundamentally, interprets the ship as an allegorical figure of war itself, in its splendor and its squalor, its heroism and its waste. Drawing on rich naval history and rhapsodic metaphors from international music and art, Battleship Yamato is a work of grand ironic elegy.

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice SelectionRiffing on cats and Brexit, the Royals and the annoyances of aging, the nonagenarian Jan Morris delights with her wickedly hilarious first-ever diary collection.Celebrated as the “greatest descriptive writer of her time” (Rebecca West), Jan Morris has been dazzling readers since she burst on the scene with her on-the-spot reportage of the first ascent of Everest in 1953. Now, the beloved ninety-two-year-old, author of classics such as Venice and Trieste, embarks on an entirely new literary enterprise―a collection of daily diaries, penned over the course of a single year. Ranging widely from the idyllic confines of her North Wales home, Morris offers diverse sallies on her preferred form of exercises (walking briskly), her frustration at not recognizing a certain melody humming in her head (Beethoven’s Pathétique, incidentally), her nostalgia for small-town America, as well as intimate glimpses into her home life.With insightful quips on world issues, including Britain’s “special relationship” with the United States and the #MeToo movement, In My Mind’s Eye will charm old and new Jan Morris fans alike. Frontispiece

The 74 poems in this exquisite collection trace our journey through life from birth to old age. Along the way, the works of some of the finest poets in the English language celebrate all kinds of human experience: the wide-eyed wonder and adventure of childhood, the magnificence of the natural world and the animal kingdom, the mystery of love and the tragedy of war. Each page is superbly illustrated by Jackie Morris, making it a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

In distant northern lands, the ice bear has given birth to two tiny cubs. As she sleeps, Raven the trickster steals one cub away, dropping him as a human child in the path of a hunter and his wife. The childless hunter and his wife rejoice at this wonderful gift and hold their newfound child close. As the years pass, the ice bear never forgets her second cub and pines for what she has lost. This magical tale set in Jackie Morris’s stunning icy landscapes tells a tale of tolerance and understanding, and reminds us of our duty to take care of this world’s wild creatures. Jackie’s glorious illustrations and lyrical text are now matched by the lavish production values of this book.

A beautiful and lyrical Nativity story, told in Mary’s words, and focusing on the thoughts, hopes and fears of a young mother-to-be, about to give birth in a strange land. As the familiar story of the birth of Jesus unfolds, so the mother’s love for her child grows and blossoms. The angels rejoice, the shepherds pay homage, the three kings bestow their gifts. But for Mary there is the overwhelming peace, love and joy of motherhood.This reissue of a favorite Christmas picture book, previously entitled Little One We Knew You’d Come, is published with a beautiful new text by Jackie Morris.

Jackie Morris originally created these 12 designs for Ealing, Harrow and Hounslow and Croydon libraries, with the aim of encouraging more people to join libraries and encourage reading. The brief was left open, and over the course of one year Jackie carefully crafted this collection of images. Now available to enjoy and share in this postcard pack, an ideal gift item for all lovers of the art of Jackie Morris.

Where the water churns with salmon, thick and rich with leaping fishes, there the brown bear stands and catches the wild king of the river. With stunning watercolor paintings, this lyrical picture book describes eight bears from all over the world, all shown in their wild habitats: Black Bear, Polar Bear, Sloth Bear, Spectacled Bear, Sun Bear, Panda, Moon Bear, and Brown Bear. But which is the best bear of all? Your own teddy bear, of course!

From the beginning of time, high above the hidden valley, Snow Leopard has sung the stars to life, the sun to rise and the moon to wax and wane. She has woven words of protection to keep the hidden valley safe from the world and as she sings, a child lies dreaming the song down in the valley beneath. But time is passing, and Snow Leopard needs to find a singer who will follow her. But while she is searching, soldiers come looking for gold and slaves . . . Jackie Morris's poetic text weaves the spirit of nature into a universal myth for our time, drawing threads of transformation into a children's story glistening with wonder. Set against the stunning landscapes of the Himalayas, her superlative illustrations of the nearly-extinct Snow Leopard offer a message of hope at a time when many of the world's wildest places are being worn away by human beings.

As the Snow Leopard’s earthly life begins to wane, she searches for a pure and incorruptible soul to pass her knowledge and power to in order that the hidden valley can remain safe. For the Mergich Realm, the sacred and secret place guarded by spirits in animal form, is under threat from those from outside who would seek to exploit its riches. A tale of magic and myth set amongst the Himalayan mountains, Jackie’s glorious illustrations and lyrical text are now returned to print in a new, larger, high-production format.