I am a student at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH, where Norman Krumholz is a full-time professor. In 1994, I had the pleasure of taking an urban studies class that he taught. I enjoyed the class so much that I went on to take other urban studies classes, and eventually changed my major from journalism to urban planning. Dr. Krumholz is a brilliant man, and a gifted orator. His class had such a profound impact on me. I ended up on a completely different career path because of his teachings. It's rare to find someone so dedicated to social equality. I highly recommend anything he's written.

Krumholz describes a planning experience that is so instructive that it will alter the way we look at professional planning forever. His experiences are documentations of persistence, triumph, defeat, and victory.

Torsos is a great novel. Set in Cleveland, in the 'thirties, it fictionalizes the notorious Torso Slayer killings through the figure of Hank "Lucky" Lambert, a cop who knows more than he should of the gay underworld of the city. John Peyton Cooke's meticulous research shows, but the novel isn't at all sluggish - it moves at a breakneck pace to tour tramp dwellings, drug stores, chicken farms and bath houses in search of the elusive Torso Slayer. In the midst of mayhem there's a love story, as Lucky meets and romances the hustler Danny Cottone.

I am not a big reader of crime fiction, but this book reminded me, in good ways, of James Ellroy's fiction. Its panoramic portrait of the city, and its weaving of fact and fiction was complicated, visual, and paranoid, rather like Ellroy's vision of LA. John Peyton Cooke's anal-retentive Eliot Ness is a memorable character, but most memorable to me is his deft, rather audaciously complicated plotting, his sentimental, yet sometimes brutal depiction of male homoeroticism, and his incredibly evocative, though rather spare prose. A wonderful read.

Noone should miss the novel, especially those interested in Elliot Ness' search of a mass murderer.

We meet Hank and many other characters. Outstanding flavor of America's 20's

As a basic fisher.......person? (What's PC these days, anyway?) Anyhoo - as a beginning angler, I found this book to be great - it really describes most of northern Ohio, and will keep me busy for some time. Barbo tells you where the fish are and how to get there - with enough information to keep you from getting lost if you've never been there before. Barbo also has a enjoyable writing style - easy to read, and humorous, and he sounds like a great person to go fishing with (So - John, if you read this - drop me an e-mail, and maybe we can hook up together....sorry - no pun intended :)

If you fish in the Cleveland area, buy this book!

This is a great book, I reccomend it to anyone who likes true stories of death, accidents, and murder. I like this book because it contains all true stories and they are all in my hometown Cleveland Ohio. Full of great facts and pictures as well as great stories.

Professor Murray has created a masterful volume cogently and concisely providing the principles of contract law. Murray on Contracts is a must read for any law student, practitioner, or business person seriously interested in a complete study of contract law. This volume contains abundant citations to case law and legal commentary that is valuable to any practitioner analyzing the state of a principle of contract law in his or her jurisdiction. In addition, Murray's lucid and facile style allows the layman and lawyer alike to learn the principles of contract law with pleasure and insight. This is a great contrast to the overly pedantic style of many academic commentators in various courses of study. In short, Murray on Contracts does what few other volumes of its kind can do: make a volume of complex and arcane legal principles read like an engrossing novel.

This book and the two that follow are some of the best written, most captivating material I've had the pleasure to read in far too long. The stories will bring tears to your eyes and stay with you long after you've finished the book. I do hope Mr. Bellamy has more tales to tell.

I just moved to the Cleveland area and read the book as a way to get to know the city. Very fun reading but not very detailed.

"Maniac in the Bushes" is brought to life with the inclusion of street addresses and references to existing landmarks. As native Clevelanders, my Dad and I have enjoyed discussing the cases on which the author focused, many of which my Dad remembers. If you live in Cleveland, you gotta read this!

What a new perspective this gives on my adopted city! I live near where the Collinwood School inferno happened (and pass its replacement nearly every day) and live in a neighbourhood where many of the older residents remember being told to 'watch out, or the Phantom of Kingsbury Run will chop you up' when they were kids. Fascinating subject, and I can't get enough!!! (Got me drinking Eliot Ness Lager, too, but I digress). Fast-paced and well-written, even if you've never been to Cleveland, you should check out this darker side of American history, North-Coast Style.

Although this book specifically catalogues the armor collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art -- issued to commemorate the Museum's splendid renovation of its legendary Armor Court -- this is a fine, intelligent, and comprehensive overview for anyone interested in how arms and armor were made, used, and venerated from the Middle Ages through the Baroque period.

The only reservation I have about this book is the author's curious reluctance to fully acknowledge the real purpose of these items. Yes, arms and armor can be beautiful -- and the examples provided here surely are -- but it cannot be forgotten that they are at their core instruments of war, meant to kill, maim, or at the very least, intimidate. This book implies that arms and armor are merely fashion statements, much as we venerate the clothing designs of Versace, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Geoffrey Beene, etc. today. It's pretty to think so, but an overly romanticized viewpoint.

This reservation, however, is not enough to prevent me from highly recommending this book.

I have been a Cleveland history buff for years and have taken plenty of "Then and Now" pictures on my own. I have been waiting for a book like this to come out for a long time. I have other then-and-now books for other cities and I'm glad one had finally come out for cleveland.
The old photos used are not the same tired photos you find in other Cleveland history books or in the papers. While some of the angles in a couple of the pictures are not quite right, this book provides an excellent perspective on how busy some of Clevelands neighborhoods used to be as well as what was lost through development, urban flight, and "progress". I think this book unintentionally helps demonstrate how disposable American society is and makes one grateful for the preservationists who try and preserve what is left. Newer isn't necessarily better.
The only fault I could really find with this book is that it could have been twice as thick in order to cover the West Side and other neighborhoods better. If your a Cleveland / history buff, this book is a must for your library.

I can`t believe someone lose time to write a book like that. This book is boring from the first to the last page.And from all possible sides of the book,the story,the pics,etc...When you think about the Cleveland Browns the first thing who come to you is the fans and the Dawg pound ,the author miss that part too.He can`t make you feel what it is to be a Browns fan.The way he write the story of the team and the player can`t keep your attention on the book.You have to read two or three time the same paragraph cause your eyes close by themselve.I gave two stars for the effort the author put in this book.But if you really want to buy this book take the paperback version cause the hardcover are double price.Keep the rest of money to buy another book about the Browns maybe you`re gonna be more lucky with the other one.

Whether you're in the Dawg Pound or watching from home, John Keim has penned a great book that takes you back to the glory days of the Browns. I couldn't put it down. Great game stories and profiles of players. If the team is as good as the book, they're headed for the Super Bowl.