List price: $14.95 (that's 30% off!)
Embry captures the essence of Rupp's drive, ambition and punctuates it with a sense of history as well as a touch of humor in giving us a glimpse into the character that was Adolph Rupp.
Reasonably priced, this book is is an affordable gift for any fan of basketball, especially Kentucky basketball.
The reader is rewarded by Embry's attention to detail, and this highly collectible edition is certain to be a much appreciated addition to any sports fans' libraby
Murie's observations are dispassionate and objective, seemingly free of any bias for or against the great bear (although, at the conclusion, his admiration for the beast and his passionate desire that mankind refrain from "managing" wildlife do emerge). His observations include such topics as bears' range and movement, mating, mother-cub interaction, food habits, and relationship with various types of potential prey such as caribou, moose, Dall sheep, squirrels, marmots and mice.
As mentioned, Murie's observations deal only with the grizzlies of interior Alaska around McKinley National Park. He occasionally refers to but does not report on the brown bears of the Alaskan southern coastal areas, although he does accept them as a variety of grizzly (some feel that they are different species or sub-species).
Before buying this book, the reader should understand that it is not a "story book" about bears. There is no connected "story line" throughout the book, nor is it a collection of harrowing tales about grizzly attacks on hapless humans. Readers looking for entertainment or excitement should seek elsewhere. However, the book is quite illuminating as to the normal habits of normal grizzlies in their normal environment, and readers who wish to understand the actions (and, dare I say, the thought processes) of these animals will find the book a realistic, down-to-earth resource. It does not propose any encompassing scientific theories or postulate new hypotheses about grizzlies; it merely reports on how they act, where they roam, and how they live. In the end, this fairly long series of observations is quite effective in painting a very realistic and useful picture of both the grizzlies and, to a lesser extent, of the animals upon which they prey or with which they coexist.
There are a few somewhat grainy, black and white photographs reproduced in the book, indicative of the photographic technology available to Murie. Somehow, though, their quality adds to the overall impression of the book as the product of a keen observer of wildlife half a century and more ago. In brief, I found the book interesting and informative, if not exactly a "page-turner," and it should be useful to those who would become naturalists, who are curious about grizzlies, or who, like me, will always feel somewhat entranced by Alaska, the Last Frontier, and its still-wild creatures.
Adolph Murie was one of our greatest naturalists. His books on wolves, mammals, and grizzlies all share the same great style of writing; that mix of wonder and research that illuminates the true nature of wildlife and man's place among them.
In "Degenerate Moderns", Jones reveals how much of modern society was brought about by persons whose personal lives (and beliefs) could best be described as deviant. In "Dionysos Rising", he addresses certain trends in music which somewhat less success. In this volume, he takes on Walter Gropius and the Balhaus School of Design. The style is quite different from the previous two books and reads almost like a novel. In the book we learn how Gropius' own beliefs about sex, family, and religion (and his, shall we say, deviancies in these areas of life) influenced his architectural work.
A devastating critique of the International school of architecture in general, and Walter Gropius' work in particular.
E. Michael Jones is the author of other works
that "search and destroy" (in a manner of speaking)
the corrupt social and political views of many purveyors
of modern art forms, showing how they not only
result in (further!) lowered standards of moral
conduct, but also reflect the apostasy and debauchery
that are so often a staple in the lives of the men
who produce it. Here he takes on Walter Gropius
and his Bauhaus architectural movement of the
early 20th century. I love the way Jones has
structured it, to read swiftly, almost like a novel,
by how he continues to shift back and forth
between the time of Gropius' activity, and then
the modern day exigencies surrounding the hapless
victims (from Chicago to Poland) who have to actually
DWELL in these monstrosities
that were once considered so fashionable and chic.
Jones has cut right to the heart of the issue, by
revealing clearly how the static and cold style
of the buildings these avant garde architects promoted,
reflects perfectly the debased sexual morass
that Gropius and many of his colleagues
(Mies van der Rohe) found themselves
swallowed up in. I went to an arts academy when I was
younger, and had to read about the Bauhaus
and Gropius' work. I knew it was horrible
at the time, but couldn't articulate my views.
Now I can, thanks to Mr. Jones' book.
It should be read by everyone with the guts to
look modernism in its blackened eye and see it for
the moral bankruptcy it represents.
These now-famous works of art apparently belonged to François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld, in the late 1600s. They were taken from his chateau and later used by peasants to protect their food from frosts. Fortunately, they were recovered in 1850 and later (1922) purchased by John D. Rockefeller who gave them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I was fortunate enough to see them last October. My fiancé and I made the trek from Times Square, via subway, to Fort Tryon Park, where The Cloisters are peacefully nestled. We crawled from the sub-terrain and entered the lush, fragrant park. It's a bit of a walk up to the museum, but the garden atmosphere astonished us. We couldn't believe we were in NY! The Cloisters were quiet and uncrowded in the morning. There's a center court complete with bubbling fountains and plants from the Medieval era that is open to the sky. We crossed this courtyard and entered into the small room where the tapestries occupy their personal space. I will never forget the experience. They took my breath away.
Every sport, every subject in fact has some sort of trivia book and each is design to stump you. This book does that but at the same time it entertains, just like the Professional Wrestling entertains.
This book is written for a specific genre of people, as are most books we read. While Professional Wrestling maybe considered fake, there is no doubt as to the reality of the people include in this book.
I have been a fan of Professional Wrestling for over 25 years, and yes it is fake, it's still very entertaining. The price tag won't put your wallet in a full nelson and this book makes a great gift.
This represents 25 pages of fundamentally simple content spread across 200 pages, and in a thoroughly pretentious manner to boot. Avoid.
I recommend this book for anyone who is learning to write use cases, or for experienced people who want a refesher course.
This book is a dense, detailed, information-packed history of the 332nd during and immediately after the war. It's a valuable source on a vital topic, and I'm glad it's out there.
That doesn't, however, make it a great book.
The style, for close to 400 pages, is choppy and unpolished with only a vague suggestion of a strong narrative line. Context is spotty at best, and technical terms sometimes go unexplained. The typography is idiosyncratic, and the inexplicable rendering of nicknames in italics and ranks, abbreviated, in ALL CAPS is distracting in a book where names come thick and fast. The type face itself is ugly, and the reproduction of many of the pictures is substandard. The index consists almost solely of personal names, which makes it intensely frustrating to use if you're not already intimately familiar with the story. To look up an incident in which two members of the 332nd sank a German destroyer, you have to know what their names were . . . no entry for "destroyer," or "strafing," or "naval vessels."
If there were other books out there that provide the sheer volume of facts about the subject that this one does, I'd give it about a star-and-a-half. There aren't, but there ought to be. The 332nd was noted for its professionalism; it deserves a more professionally-done history. Until that book gets written, though, this one (flaws and all) is essential.
Francis takes the reader back to the time when blacks in the army were living under Order 9981 from President Truman. Francis's gives you the triumphs and failures and brings it to life through each page. This read was truly remarkable.
This is the second book I have read on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first being a biography of Charles F. McGee, and for the second time I was moved by how this group of Officers and enlisted personnel worked through segregation to ensure the civil rights of those to follow.
Army life today, and the African American who serve with honor, can thank the men of this book for what they have. This nation owes a debt of thanks that can never be expressed enough. I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to read this wonderful book.