Brown's book is great!! In the summer of 1974 the author was an assistant in a small summer theatre group in Columbus, Ohio. Somehow, they got Marlene Dietrich to perform for a "special pre-season gala."
Dietrich was 74 and still wowing audiences with her sultry voice and charismatic seductiveness. Brown's book describes his personal experiences with the legendary performer over a three day period.
Amazingly, Dietrich toys flirtatiously with the lackey assistant throughout the entire engagement, while heaping verbal abuse on all other theatre personnel. Dietrich compliments only "Michael" as she affectionately refers to him, as she invites him to her dressing room for wine and cheese fetes. To the troupe's astonishment, she lures him onstage nightly after each performance to present her with roses, at which time she embraces him, kisses him coyly on the cheek, and invites him to share her bows and applause. It has a surprise ending, which I won't give away.
Brown wisely waited nearly thirty years to write this backstage tell-all. From the vantage of elapsed time, accompanied by thorough research, his account possesses objectity and insight. It's a quick fun read for all Marlene Dietrich fans or for anyone who would vicariously enjoy a proverbial "fifteen minutes of fame" in the spotlight with a legend.

A heavy drinker and trouble-maker while at West Point, Jefferson Davis went on to be a war hero, a U.S. Senator, a Secretary of War and finally first and only President of the Confederate States of America. Thin skinned, proud and convinced his position was the only correct one, he was unsuited to be in a political administrative position.

Davis' unsuitability did not prevent the founding CSA Congress from electing him to the Presidency. That was the only high point of his term in office. He fought with his generals (thinking he was better qualified than they), failed to get along with his Vice President and earned the hatred of many Southern papers. Then the war was lost. The South did not earn independence.

This was when the Davis weaknesses became his strengths. Convinced he was still right in his firm belief in Southern independence, he kept the fight and government alive long after most men would have given up. His retreat from Richmond was met by cheering and appreciative crowds of people who only months before would have jeered him. In defeat he was fearless, still dedicated and still passonate about the fight.

With out going into the long and troubled life of Mr. Davis, Ballard looks at the final days of the Confederacy in minute detail. He does not attempt to cover-up the Davis failures or chararter flaws. Instead, he shows how the stuborn leader turned those flaws to his advantage as he endured the retreat, capture and imprisonment. While in popular opinion today, General Lee is viewed as the Confederate war leader, President Davis becomes the leader of the aftermath. He never gave up on the Lost Cause, becoming the South's spiritual leader for nearly 20 years after the war's end.

Ballard's style takes us through those days smoothly, showing the transformation of Mr. Davis from revieled President to peace time leader of a nation that would exist only in the hearts of its inhabitants.

Unlike current historical works, Ballard does not write as if he is being paid by the word. Each word has a purpose. Details are not told and then retold several times. He tells the story, pure and simple, and tells it well. This is a most book for any student of the Civil War, the South, Jefferson Davis, or the Reconstruction period.

This books lists almost 250 parks, forests and other natural areas throughout the state of NJ and describes the recreational activities and facilities at each. Activities include fishing, boating, hunting, picnicing, camping, swimming and more. Also included are phone numbers for administrative offices and town recreational departments. The book is nicely organized by county regions and although no maps are included, directions for each area from a major highway are outlined.

Very Nice. Lot's of simple, easy to make crafts for kids of all ages. I checked it out from the library and liked it so much, I bought it for my kids.

This book collects much of Flomen's work in one gorgeous volume. Flomen's use of black and white photos are amazing. His vision is both unique and breathtaking, as is his scope. This is a valuable collection.

Trams, metros and automobiles! Streetwise Amsterdam is the map you need. Wandering through Amsterdam's semi-circular canals from Anne Frank House to the Van Gogh Museum, you'll find your way without difficulty with Streetwise Amsterdam. All major museums and points of interest are shown.

Daring enough to try public transportation? This map shows tram and metro routes for the city center together with the street - no more trying to match public transport grids to street maps!

Very small, laminated to be waterproof (which any Amsterdam veteran knows is invaluable!), and no fumbling with huge paper maps that won't refold correctly! If you will be traveling outside of the city center you will need a larger map as this does not cover the entire metropolitan Amsterdam area.

As an American living in Amsterdam for three years, I still use this map to find the quaint cafe's and other treasures hiding in small side streets and alleyways.

Admittedly, that's all these maps are supposed to be for, but still, given the importance of Cambridge to the greater Boston area, a bit more effort might have been made to squeeze in more of it - at least up to Harvard Square. That's a fairly minor quibble, though, and this map shows the usual Streetwise quality in all other respects. The colors of the MBTA subway lines on the map aren't quite right, but they're close enough for government work, and the street index is its usual indispensible self. If you're coming to Boston, snag one of these - they're much hardier than paper maps, and very clear.

This is a great general reference map of Vegas...but is a little out of date as it only shows 215 as it is now finished.

This small folding laminated map can be much more convenient that a standard paper folding road map. I've used both, and found that the Rand McNally road map uses such a small scale that it's annoyingly difficult to read. By contrast, the Streetwise Las Vegas map is much easier, as its scale is larger and the text is printed in an easy-to-read font.

A word of warning: This map does not cover all of the city of Las Vegas. It definitely hits all of the main areas a tourist would be apt to go, from the airport to the downtown Fremont area, and from the strip to UNLV, and everything in between. But the suburbs of the city are not covered, so you'll need another map if you're planning on venturing out of the glitzy part of Vegas.

That is the advice I give to anyone who is not a native of or very familiar with the Crescent City. I went there twice in 2002 and plan to go back for Mardi Gras 2003, and this map is the most useful thing I had with me. New Orleans streets are very confusing---many of them are one way, and sometimes they change names on you. The Streetwise New Orleans map was very accurate, in my experience. It was especially useful in that it shows you which streets are one way and in what direction, so if you find yourself accidentally stuck on a one-way street going in the opposite direction from where you want to go, you can get yourself right again. This map also shows you streetcar routes, if you prefer not to drive; and of course like any good city map it shows you points of interest, like the old cemeteries, as well.
Another good thing about this map is its size: it is small enough to fit in my purse and keep with me, and it is easy to fold. It is also laminated, of course.

Michael Brown is one of the most well-known names in slam poetry (a spoken word genre which has gained much noteriety in the late 20th, and early 21st century). As such, you expect better from him than the poems in this book. Some of his early crowd pleasers ("The Ice Worm," "Growl," "At the Dentist," and "Teaching") are in here, but they don't have much depth on the page.

If you want some quality Michael Brown poems, you're better off spending your money on his extremely well-thought out newer-release, "Susquehanna."

Michael Brown offers up consistently bright poetry, whether in person or in written form. This book is yet another example. See also poems of his wife, Patricia Smith--also consistenly good.