British author Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials confronts some of the most urgent dilemmas of our time. These fourteen diverse essays offer literary and historical analysis as well as approaches from such disciplines as theology, storytelling, and linguistics.

The process to select memorial highways was legislated in 1999. We are delighted that this long-standing tradition continues in Michigan Indeed, if you live in the metro Detroit area, it is not uncommon to wake to the sounds of your radio traffic reporter talking about the Jeffries Freeway or the Lodge Freeway. If you live in Grand Rapids, you may hear reference to the Gerald R. Ford Freeway or the Paul Henry Freeway. In Lansing, commuters travel on the Olds Freeway. It's a connection to the past, to our state's heroes and founders. Esteemed Michigan historian Le Roy Barnett has written about A Drive Down Memory Lane, the first book ever to comprehensively address the state's memorial highways. It captures a rich background of highway history that has made Michigan a leader in transportation. As the Michigan Department of Transportation celebrates its centennial anniversary in 2005, we have much to be proud of and many stories to share. Barnett's book is a great resource for highway buffs, and for people who want to learn more than the memorial highway sign has space to tell. - From the foreword by Gloria J. Jeff, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation