Pattern of a Man & Other Stories by JAMES STILL - Bookswagon
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Home > Fiction and Literature > Fiction: general and literary > Pattern of a Man and Other Stories
Pattern of a Man and Other Stories

Pattern of a Man and Other Stories


     0     
5
4
3
2
1



International Edition


X
About the Book

Published in 2001 by Gnomon Press

This reissue of a 1976 collection, featuring a new afterword by Wendell Berry, showcases James Still’s enduring mastery of the short story form. Set in the Appalachian region, these twelve stories reflect the rhythms, dialects, and deep-rooted traditions of mountain life, rendered with quiet power and poetic precision.

Still’s characters-rural craftsmen, widows, children, and wanderers-navigate the complexities of isolation, kinship, and survival. Stories like “The Nest,” “The Scrape,” and “Maybird Upshaw” reveal a landscape both stark and tender, where the natural world and human spirit intertwine. With language shaped by the unique dialect of eastern Kentucky, Still’s prose honors the dignity of his subjects without sentimentality or condescension.

This collection affirms Still’s place among the great chroniclers of American regional life, offering readers a poignant and authentic portrait of a vanishing world.



About the Author :

James Still (1906–2001) was born on Double Creek in Alabama, one of ten children. For most of his life he lived in a log house at the forks of Troublesome and Wolfpen Creeks in Knott County, Kentucky. The unique native dialect of the Kentucky mountains informs the language of all his stories. He is the author of River of Earth and received two Guggenheim Fellowships and many awards.

Wendell Berry is a celebrated poet, novelist, essayist, and farmer. Known for its profound connection to nature, rural life, and community, Berry's work explores themes of sustainability, stewardship, and simplicity. A staunch environmentalist, he has received numerous awards for his literary and ethical contributions.



Review :
"I consider James Still one of our best writers. He has the intellect and learning to understand the why and the wherefore of the hill people along with the art writing not just about people but writing people, action, and background. - Harriette Simpson Arnow In the eleven stories included in Pattern of a Man as in all of his work, James Still condenses life and language into a carefully etched, ripely suggested work of art. . . . Long after most of the best-seller list have been discarded, there will be discerning and reflective readers rediscovering facets of the human experience through works such as Pattern of a Man." - Wilma Dykeman

"I think that up there in Knott County, well off the beaten path, [James Still] became a nearly perfect writer. His stories consist of one flawless sentence after another. The words are rightly chosen; the rhythm is right; the sentence is rightly poised within the paragraph and within the story as a whole. . . . The stories have both economy and amplitude; they make of economy the very instrument of amplitude. Not many writers have been able to concentrate so much power into a few pages. When you look up from "The Nest" or "The Scrape," you find the room filled with afterimages, and you must sit awhile before you can think of something else. Because, perhaps, of its artistic integrity this body of work never exploits or condescends to its subject, a region that has been condescended to and exploited almost by convention." - Wendell Berry


Best Sellers


Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780917788758
  • Publisher: Gnomon Press
  • Publisher Imprint: Gnomon Press
  • Height: 210 mm
  • No of Pages: 144
  • Spine Width: 10 mm
  • Width: 133 mm
  • ISBN-10: 0917788753
  • Publisher Date: 28 Feb 2026
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: N
  • Weight: 263 gr


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
Pattern of a Man and Other Stories
Gnomon Press -
Pattern of a Man and Other Stories
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

Pattern of a Man and Other Stories

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept


    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!