In Americans Behind The Barbed Wire, author Frank Diggs shares his unique view of World War II that he gained from the inside of Oflag 64, a German POW camp located in Schubin Poland. Diggs and his fellow "kriegies" (German guard slang for prisoners), demonstrates the resoluteness and sense of purpose shared by his fellow POWs. As kriegies they worked and plotted for more food, searched for more heat and warm clothes, worked to improve themselves and their condition, established a camp newspaper to help improve the flow of information and relieve the mind-numbing boredom. Above all, they never stopped striving for their freedom. Americans Behind The Barbed Wire catches a glimpse of history that never made the headlines, but was just as real a war-time condition as aerial bombing, submarine warfare, or amphibious lands. Americans Behind The Barbed Wire also includes a diary of the author's escape from the Germans and (along with many of his fellow prisoners) their involvement in the Russian/American repatriation crises at the end of the war, as well as their eventual return to the United States. Americans Behind The Barbed Wire is a superbly informative, engaging, invaluable contribution to the growing library of World War II personal histories.

Most Americans know Frank Moorhouse, if at all, from a little-seen movie from the 1980s: "The Coca Cola Kid" with Eric Roberts. This is the collection of stories upon which Moorhouse based the screenplay. "The Coca Cola Kid" is a somewhat hapless corporate rep from Coca-Cola in Australia. But the best stories don't actually feature this character: a story about a fanatical home craftsman (and home cheese maker and home winer maker) who can't sustain a relationship and a story consisting of letters to the 1960s model Twiggy (that become progressively more insane and pornographic) are two of the finest short stories you'll ever read. The Twiggy story will make you laugh outloud.

Much like his poems, Frank O'Hara's plays are hit-or-miss. Most of them were clearly written in a matter of minutes, and never intended for production. Many are simply inside jokes about his group of friends. But the good plays have no equal in the experimental theater of the 50's and 60's. "The General Returns From One Place to Another," one of the few in this collection that was actually produced, is a hilarious piece about a MacArthur-like figure who enacts dramatic returns to Pacific islands where no one has ever heard of him. Most of the other plays are more like surrealist poems in dialogue form. For aficionados of O'Hara, this is a necessary companion to his _Collected Poems_.

First, a word on Amos -- he may be counted among the "minor" prophets, but his significance is enormous. Amos was the first of the Hebrew prophets to put his message into writing (as far as we know). His message was revolutionary, introducing themes which are standard in the later prophets: e.g., Amos elevates social mores above ritual sacrifices (5:21-25) and transcends the narrow vision his countrymen had of the Lord as the God of Israel only (9:7). Amos's prophecies were fulfilled in a remarkable way. He was particularly remembered for predicting a major earthquake two years in advance (8:8, 1:1); he also seems to have anticipated the rise of the Assyrian empire before there was any clear evidence for it. In sum, Amos is well worth studying either in his own right or as an introduction to prophetic writings in general.

Which brings us to Paul's commentary on Amos. This book is an excellent aid to one's study of the prophet.

Like all the commentators chosen for the Hermenia series, Paul is learned: the book includes a massive bibliography, categorized into numerous areas of inquiry. Because it is a very recent work, Paul is able to take advantage of ongoing advances in scholarship. (Hermenia also publishes an older, standard commentary by Wolff, but decided it was appropriate to provide an update.) Despite Paul's erudition, the commentary is readily intelligible to readers who do not know Hebrew.

Paul is a very clear writer. He summarizes various points of view in the main text but, when he interacts with other scholars in detail, he places that information in footnotes (which are extensive). Thus the reader can follow the exegesis of the text without being unduly distracted by academic minutia, or turn to the footnotes for detailed argumentation where that is desired.

Paul is conservative in his conclusions. Notably, he defends Amos's authorship of various passages which other commentators regard as interpolations: see his excursus on the doxologies in Amos (4:13, 5:8-9, 9:5-6). He also defends the authenticity of the message of hope which concludes the book. (Other commentators believe it was added for comfort only after the people of Israel had been carried off into exile.) Preachers and teachers will particularly appreciate this aspect of Paul's commentary, since their sermons and lessons are based on the text as it is found in the Bible, not on theoretical reconstructions of it.

In sum, the commentary is highly recommended.

Frank N. Wilner has a new book, published August 1997 (also by Simmons-Boardman Books of Omaha): Railroad Mergers: History, Analysis, Insight. A history of railroad mergers -- and public policy toward them -- from 1830 through current Conrail merger application. Includes rare maps. Holman Jenkins of Wall Street Journal said: "Frank Wilner gives us a fascinating and timely account of what has aptly been called The Hundred Years War over America's railroads." Dave Young of Chicago Tribune wrote: "A wonderful reference work on the corporate histories of American railroads, complete with a genealogy of all extant rail corporations . . . "

We live in an age inured to change and intoxicated with novelty. Evidence of the past is carelessly tossed away all around us, and few make any effort to dredge it back up later.

Thus it is fascinating -- and curiously reassuring -- when anyone stumbles on some long-lost relic or other, and manages to extract from it a few precious clues regarding what man may once have been or where he may have come from. T.V. has bored most of us stiff with endlessly repeated news about King Tut and his celebrated tomb. Obviously some must still be convinced that the barely preserved corpse and outrageously overstuffed grave of an ancient youngster -- however marginal historically -- can still yield valuable information of some kind.

Considered for a brief time at least somewhat newsworthy was the recent announcement that a cache of birch-bark manuscripts containing ancient Buddhist texts was discovered (though no one seems to know exactly where, when or how). The news media is no longer much interested in the find, but scholars certainly continue to be -- and for reasons at least as compelling as those which attract us to Tut and his excess of playthings.

These manuscripts are believed to be the oldest Buddhist documents in existence, and perhaps the earliest Indian Documents as well. I am in no position to appreciate the significance of this for the study of Indian history or literature. However there can be little doubt that the find is extremely important to an understanding of what Buddhism may once have been -- and how it became what we now think it is.

Don't hold your breath waiting to find out about these manuscripts from a T.V. special, as you did perhaps with the Shroud of Turin or the Dead Sea Scrolls. The manuscripts are too dilapidated to show up well in color, and it is easier to make out the freckles on King Tut's mummified visage than the archaic writing on some of these two-thousand-year-old documents.

But the scholarly promise of the Gandharan Texts is potentially immense, and in its way every bit as profound as the richest tomb ever excavated. Therefore Richard Salomon's elegant book, Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara, is well worth consideration.

Saloman, a scholar of immensely lofty standards, still manages to produce a book whose narrative is readable and informative, and whose pictures are interesting (if, to a layperson, somewhat redundant). Naturally it is the ancient texts themselves which fascinate, and this book is intended only to introduce their probable history and document the process of their translation. Therefore only tantalizing excerpts from them are included in it. Susequent volumes willl present their contents more fully.

Many readers will approach this book searching only for the sights, smells and textures of so-called original Buddhism, hoping that this early source might have survived unpolluted by the later political, cultural or doctrinal prejudices characterizing modern Buddhism. Inevitably, others will be looking for evidence to resolve long-standing questions regarding doctrinal superiority or primacy of one school or denomination over another.

Though the texts are quite beautiful and possess ample literary and spiritual merit independent of any denominational puzzles on which they may shed light, the doctrinaire reader is not likely to be disappointed. I find Solomon to have a slight anti-Theravadan bias. However he still concedes,

Although it would be premature at this point to draw detailed conclusions about the doctrinal positions of the tradition represented by the [birch-bark] fragments, it is worth mentioning that the preliminary studies carried out to date reveal no clear traces of Mahayana ideas or tendencies...Of course, closer analyses of individual texts...might bring to light material that would require modification of this statement, but on the whole it appears that the manuscripts come from a time and place in which Mahayana ideas had not come into play at all, or at least were not being reflected in scholastic texts...[F]urther analysis and possible future discoveries could well change the picture, but as matters stand at this point, the[se]...scrolls do not offer any support for the hypothesis of a relatively early origin for Mahayana Buddhism.

For many of us, observations of this sort alone are more than worth the price of Solomon's book. However be assured that it also contains an abundance of valuable and intriguing information about early Buddhism and Indian history and society in general. The texts which it reports and details are also likely to furnish us the most objective insight we will ever get into the nature and sociology of the place and time in which Buddhism was conceived and first flourished.

Ancient Celtic Festivals deserves ongoing mention as a fine resource for kids ages 8-12 years, which explains how modern celebrations are rooted in ancient Celtic history and festivals. Links between the ancient rituals and how they are celebrated today require good reading skills but reward with many insights.

This book is filled with factual information, but because Sir Frank Stenton also lends his sagacious opinions the book is both enjoyable and easy to understand. This book is several hundred pages long with tiny print, and so packed with information, that you'll know everything possible about Anglo-Saxon history. Stenton always prefers the probable to the outrageous and does not seem to go with the popular opinions about kings, queens, or events. You must read this, but only if you're really, really interested in the subject. Otherwise, it'll go right over your head.

This is the best book I have found as a detailed reference for animal anatomy, with a complete description for every muscle on the horse's body. If you are prepared to do a lot of reading and in depth study, I highly recommend this book.

If, like me, you are a California- or San Francisco-phile, then doubtless you already know of this book. It is THE classic account of the Gold Rush era, mostly because it isn't tarnished by revisionism--it was published in 1855! It has served as the first informational source for both researchers and novelists alike. But this review is intended for those who might not be familiar with the history of California, or may have read only the novels, journalism, or light non-fiction treatments. Don't be put off by the publication date or the book's level of detail--it is a very enjoyable read! The authors were not scholars or historians, but rather a doctor, a lawyer, and a journalist. It is jam-packed with anecdotes and factoids that will make you appreciate even more the accounts of Mark Twain, Joaquin Miller, Ambrose Bierce, Bret Harte, Henry George, etc. It is truly the root of the fruit.