Morgan, Diane 1947- (Diane Estelle Morgan)

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Morgan, Diane 1947- (Diane Estelle Morgan)

PERSONAL:

Born May 31, 1947, in Summit, NJ; daughter of Louis William and Elba Keenan Chibucos. Education: University of Maine, B.A., 1970; University of Maryland, M.A., 1973. Hobbies and other interests: Canine rescue, writing, reading, theater.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Williamsport, MD. Office—Wilson College, 1015 Philadelphia Ave., Chambersburg, PA 17201. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Wilson College, Chambersburg, PA, adjunct professor of religion and philosophy.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Gold Curtain Award, Old Opera House, 2003; Maxwell Award for dog writing; Charmed Garden was named one of the best gardening books of the year by the London Sunday Telegraph.

WRITINGS:

Understanding Your Horse's Lameness, revised edition, Half Halt Press (Middletown, MD), 1992.

The Basset Hound Owner's Survival Guide, Howell Book House (New York, NY), 1998.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Siberian Huskies, Alpha Books (New York, NY), 1999.

The Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy and Religion, Renaissance Books (Los Angeles, CA), 2001.

Siberian Huskies for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 2001.

The Beagle: An Owner's Survival Guide, Doral Publishing (Sun City, AZ), 2002.

The Poodle: An Owner's Survival Guide, Doral Publishing (Sun City, AZ), 2002.

Feeding Your Dog for Life: The Real Facts about Proper Nutrition, Doral Publishing (Sun City, AZ), 2002.

The Simple Guide to Choosing a Dog, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2003.

Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao: Unlocking the Hidden Power of the Tarot Using the Ancient Secrets of the Tao Te Ching, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2003.

The Buddhist Experience in America, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 2004.

Feeding Your Horse for Life, Half Halt Press (Boonsboro, MD), 2004.

Train the Wolf in Your Dog: Genetic Clues to Solving Behavior Problems, Doral Publishing (Phoenix, AZ), 2004.

The Dachshund: An Owner's Survival Guide, Doral Publishing (Phoenix, AZ), 2004.

The Charmed Garden: Sacred and Enchanting Plants for the Magically Inclined Herbalist, Findhorn Press (Forres, Scotland) 2004.

The Beagle, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2005.

The Bulldog, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2005.

Bird Care, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2005.

The German Shepherd Dog, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2005.

Good Dogkeeping: Today's Guide to Caring for Your Best Friend, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2005.

The Labrador Retriever, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2005.

The Dog Dictionary: Canine Lingo from A to Z, BowTie Press (Irvine, CA), 2005.

The Maltese, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2006.

Sneeze-Free Dog Breeds, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2006.

Quick & Easy the Well-Behaved Family Dog: Step-by-Step Techniques for Parenting a Happy Dog, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2007.

From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail: Emeralds in Myth, Magic, and History, Praeger Publishers (Westport, CT), 2007.

The Weimaraner, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2007.

Fire and Blood: Rubies in Myth, Magic, and History, Praeger (Westport, CT), 2007.

Parson & Jack Russell Terriers, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2007.

The Living Well Guide for Senior Dogs: Everything You Need to Know for a Happy & Healthy Companion, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2007.

The Sneeze-Free Cat Owner: Allergy Management and Breed Selection for the Allergic Cat Lover, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2007.

Gemlore: Ancient Secrets and Modern Myths from the Stone Age to the Rock Age, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 2008.

Good Catkeeping, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2008.

The Whole Horse Wellness Guide: Natural and Conventional Care for a Healthy Horse, TFH Publications (Neptune City, NJ), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Diane Morgan has taught courses in philosophy, religion, and literature at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where she is an adjunct professor of religion and philosophy. Born in Summit, New Jersey, and educated at the University of Maine at Orono, and the University of Maryland, Morgan lives with her family in Williamsport, Maryland. A playwright and poet, she prefers writing nonfiction, and her many books range from the care of pets, including cats, dogs, and horses, to Buddhism and the study of magic. Morgan's honors include the Maxwell Award, for her dog writing.

Major topics in Morgan's The Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy and Religion include Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism, with half a dozen chapters devoted to each. To a lesser extent, Morgan covers Jainism, Shinto, and Tantra, and Daniel J. Levinson wrote in Kliatt that she "handles sex here with a beguiling modesty and forthrightness."

The Buddhist Experience in America is a study of Buddhism, the world's fourth-largest religion. Here, she comments on the life and doctrines of Buddha and the history of Buddhism in the United States. Written as a textbook, this volume contains research questions and projects and is intended for both a general audience and students of Buddhism. Library Journal contributor James F. DeRoche commented that Morgan includes her "views of all the various Buddhist sects and [is] respectful of other religious traditions."

The Charmed Garden: Sacred and Enchanting Plants for the Magically Inclined Herbalist, published in Scotland, was named one of the best gardening books of the year by the London Sunday Telegraph. Morgan explains the four elements of the magical garden, sun, earth, air, and water, as well as magic ceremonies that can be enjoyed within the garden. She provides a list of magical plants that can be incorporated into various gardens, large and small, and notes the existence of healing properties in plants, as well as toxins in others, sometimes both in the same plant. What she conveys is that all gardens are actually magical and places where we can closely connect with nature.

In Bird Care, Morgan instructs bird owners and potential bird owners about the care of many types of birds, including parakeets, parrots, and canaries. She guides readers as to how to select their new pet, and once home, how to feed, care for, and train it. Color photographs complement the text, and Morgan includes a list of resources and an index. An Internet Bookwatch reviewer described Bird Care as "particularly ‘user friendly’, comprehensive, inexpensive."

Morgan has written a number of books about dog care, and with The Sneeze-Free Cat Owner: Allergy Management and Breed Selection for the Allergic Cat Lover, she provides a guide for people who love cats but who suffer from allergies. She shows them that they can have a cat in their household by removing cat dander by frequent vacuuming and washing of bed linens. Although there is no nonallergenic cat, Morgan recommends seven breeds that she describes as hypoallergenic. These include the Sphynx and Devon Rex. She notes the characteristics of these breeds and how to find breeders. Library Journal reviewer Florence Scarinci reported that the volume is "understandable [and] copiously and beautifully illustrated."

From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail: Emeralds in Myth, Magic, and History is a study of the green gemstone. Morgan writes about how they are formed and their place in world history. She also discusses how emeralds are traded, the superior emeralds that have been discovered, and fake emeralds and related stones.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Choice, October, 2007, M.E. McCallum, review of From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail: Emeralds in Myth, Magic, and History, p. 312.

Internet Bookwatch, December, 2007, review of Bird Care.

Kliatt, March, 2002, Daniel J. Levinson, review of The Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy and Religion, p. 32.

Library Journal, February 15, 2005, James F. DeRoche, review of The Buddhist Experience in America, p. 160; April 1, 2007, Florence Scarinci, review of The Sneeze-Free Cat Owner: Allergy Management and Breed Selection for the Allergic Cat Lover, p. 109.

Reference & Research Book News, February, 2005, review of The Buddhist Experience in America, p. 17; August, 2007, review of From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail.