Frank J. Finamore has pieced together a rather enjoyable read. His selection of authors could only be outdone with the inclusion of a few others(such as Robert Louis Stevenson("Markeim" would have worked well here)and Lovecraft), but what might have worked even better for this collection would be a progression of stories through the ages. Most of these tales are from authors who lived in the 1800's, which in itself is a pleasure to read tales written in a time less centered on foul language and gory depictions. However, Mr. Finamore, in his introduction, advises that as we near(ed) the millenium, society's fascination with the devil may have an impact on us individually. To back this up, he provides us with tales of devilish deals sealed within the jaws of rats, the devil in the guise of a minstrel and a gambler, and bargains gone awry. Some of the stories I had never read before(such as the re-telling of the legend of Kathleen O'Shea), but most were old favorites, such as the infamous "The Devil and Daniel Webster", in which a patriot abuses old Scratch so badly you almost feel sorry for him. The best thing about this collection is that it brings together some old favorites, and adds a few to the list. Most compilations, however, progress(see any of the Greenberg/Weinberg collections), while this one starts classicly great and stays that way. The only disapointment is in the introduction, where you think that maybe Mr. Finamore was trying to assemble a classroom ready tome and not a study on the literary fascination with the devil. Then again, any collection that includes Caballero's "The Devil's Mother-In-Law", in which we see a demon fearing something more than every married man on earth has feared for centuries, has to be good.

James Cook's "Fifty Years on the Old Frontier" is an autobiographical narrative of his life experiences in the American West. Cook's endeavors during the latter part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century encompassed a whole host of occupations: cattle drover, tour guide, hunter, rancher, and military scout. Cook eventually married into money and retired to a ranch near Agate, Nebraska where he consorted with Red Cloud and other old Sioux warriors. He also collaborated with several university professors on fossil digs located around his ranch, eventually becoming an amateur scientist in his own right. Cook's accounts of his adventures in the Old West provide a compelling insight about the realities and myths of America's movement across the North American continent. James Cook died in 1942.

The beginning chapters of the book outline the author's work as a cattle popper and drover along the old cattle trails through Texas and Kansas. The dangers that threatened the well being of these tough as nails trail hands constitutes the bulk of Cook's narrative. What quickly becomes apparent is that these guys were not the dapper dandies we see in films and fiction; they worked hard everyday to get those longhorns up to Kansas and to the railroad. Cook recounts the disagreements amongst drovers, an experience with hail and a tornado, stampedes, the threat of wild animals, and the dangers posed by Indians. A separate chapter discusses the fate of the wild mustangs, yet another sad chapter in the annals of the conquest of the West. Once the businessmen moved in and discovered a market for horses, they rounded up the mustangs by the thousands through crude trapping techniques and by depriving Indians of their stocks. Horses injured in the process were ruthlessly shot by the trappers. The picture that emerges from the author's narrative about trail life is one of greedy exploitation leading to environmental damage.

Relations with Indians are a central theme of the book. The movie image of tremendous battles between natives and American military forces does not find expression in this story. Instead, Cook portrays Indians as just another obstacle to the settlement of the West. Cattle drivers had to pay attention to Indian raiders who sought to steal horses and cattle, but it was more important to worry about weather and stampedes. In the last section of the book, Indians play a bigger role in the story. The author outlines in detail his relationship with the Sioux after they had been confined to the reservation. Another chapter deals with the Geronimo uprising in New Mexico, an incident Cook experienced first hand during his tenure as a ranch manager in the area. He takes the opportunity of the uprising to tell the truth about the Indians and the military forces during the campaign. According to the author, Geronimo and his Apache warriors did not fight the military head on, but relied on hit and run tactics with strategic retreats to Mexico to stay one step ahead of the law. The military relied heavily on scouts, often mixed blood Indians, in order to track down the rogue Indians. Geronimo eventually surrendered when an army officer talked him into giving himself up.

Cook's interest in the West is not a broad picture of western history, but rather groupings of anecdotes about his individual experiences in the area. The reader often has to read between the lines of these engaging stories in order to ascertain the reality of the situation on the frontier. For example, Cook discusses in depth the time the Sioux on the reservation asked him to be their government appointed agent. The author provides several letters of endorsement written on his behalf by politicians and bankers in Nebraska and Wyoming. The letters praise Cook as a man of the West on excellent terms with the local Indian population. A cynic can see the larger dynamic tensions between East and West in these letters. The locals want one of their own in the job because up to this point the position was always held by someone from back east. Moreover, a western agent could deliver lucrative supply contracts to western businesses and perform favors for western politicians. Why else would bankers take the time to write a recommendation letter to the government? It certainly had little to do with goodwill towards the Sioux Indians, especially since this wheedling went on at roughly the same time as the Ghost Dance fiasco.

I am astonished that no one else has reviewed this book. This is a great text for the Old West history buff or those interested in Indian/White relations during the late 19th century. James Cook's "Fifty Years on the Old Frontier" is an entertaining, yet at some times sad, account of the realities of our frontier days.

"This well written, slim, Volume 6 in the Soil & Environment sweries presents a valuable introduction to the topic of in situ soil remediation...I would be glad to use this book fo the introductory course on remediation ofered to our professionals in the environmental field."
-by Peter F. Strom

As a member of a Pacific Northwest tribe and fishing family, I found this book to be resourceful, interesting, eye-opening, and yet hopeful. It summarized rather clearly many important points of the "fish wars," tribal treaties, government-to-government relations and tribal sovereignty, family and tribal traditions, timber and dam effects on river/fish sustainability, and much more. It is clear that the author put a tremendous amount of time and energy into the research and ideas behind this book. And it is not just a "history rewritten" book or an attempt by one cultural group to get their two cents in on the events of 30 to 150 years passed. It's about an Indian world view, and how saving the salmon and the rivers they run through is part of the Indian way.

Another aspect that I liked about this book was the lack of white bashing, and also the tremendous respect for the law of the land. This book provides many examples of the patience required to work through the American judicial system, and how the positive results of that patience can be cultural, environmental, and social... things that are impossible to measure in terms of dollars.

A hint of hope is intertwined through the chapters as various governments and cultures -- people with sometimes conflicting goals and values -- are able to successfully work together as "good neighbors."

Inspiring and even humorous at times, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest, the environment, Indian culture, and/or the law. It would be great if this book ends up in classrooms at the junior high level on up. It also includes many excellent, crisp photos.

The book is an excelent source for people who are working in a health care field ( managers, administrators) and tring to reengineer a modle for an agency or starting a new programe. It gives the basic needs to develope a successful stategic management programe. The book is been used in the graduate nursing programes to help student start to develope their own health programs.

Eugene Manlove Rhodes spent the better part of his life in turn of the century untamed New Mexico as a horseman and cowman, and in his late life wrote western novels and short stories about his unique and exciting escapades. Most of his novels deal with real characters from the real Wild West, and the stories offer those of us interested in it a splendidly honest account of the "good men and true...humorous and happy and care-free and polite...But when it came to putting something over on them or their friends...these men were hard, and stern, tireless, loyal and grim, courageous and resourceful." Gene Rhodes knew men whose lives changed the Wild West and New Mexico, men like Pat Garrett, Senator Albert Fall, and Oliver Lee. He understood the wild land and the people who settled there but never tamed it. In this biography, author Frank M. Clark offers readers the letters that passed between Rhodes and his long-time friend, editor and publisher Charles Fletcher Lummis. Both were unusually gifted men, articulate, generous-spirited, and loyal; both knew the West and understood it in all its paradoxes and complexities. Author Clark brings Rhodes and Lummis to life in an intriguing way that makes for great reading for lovers of the West. Clark has the gift most biographers hope for: the ability to paint a generous yet honest view of his subjects. This biography is a must for every fan of the real Wild West and the true Western genre.

This collection from phaidon, give as a good study of three projects with detailed plans and good pictures. This book recovers also a three masterpieces, fallingwater, villa mairea and eames houses. Three good projects, cheap price, just get it.

I have been a fan of Mr Howard for nearly 12 years now, which in my opinion, makes me a bit of a connoisseur, and frankly this book was a bit of a disappointment. Undoubtedly the contributing writers are well-respected and immensely able but their writing lacked the Howardian flavour I have come to love. Ghor's sudden personality shifts are hard to follow and the various ideas in the story lack sufficient depth. This book is not the way Mr Howard would have written it. Nevertheless, this should be read because the original idea belonged to the great REH.

Ghor is a nice blend of Conan and the Cthulhu Mythos together. Abandoned as a child because of a deformity, Ghor is adopted by a pack of wolves. Raised by them, he adopts the ways of the wolf, yet when he meets up with humanity joins them. Constantly struggling with his wolf upbringing and his human surroundings, Ghor becomes a mighty war hero wherever he goes.

This is an excellent adventure book that takes a Conan like hero and plots him against all sorts of evil (and good), including some Cthulhu creations as well.

Originally Ghor was an unfinished story by Conan creator Robert Howard. Upon finding this unfinished story, a magazine decided to finish it. What they did was have a different chapter every month written by a different top fantasy writer. It made the reading interesting.

While most of the chapters were great. Some were excellent. Unfortunately there were a couple chapters that I just wanted to get through to reach the next writers' chapter. Overall a really good read.

I WAS VERY SUPRISED ABOUT HOW WELL THIS STORY CAME OFF. THE VARIUOS WRITERS DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN WRITING AN EXCITING BOOK THAT FLOWED SMOOTHLY. IT DID NOT COME OFF AS A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR ROBERT E. HOWARD FANS, AND FANS OF FANTASY IN GENERAL.

Though the title uses Olmsted's name as a valuable advertisement, the book does little to describe Olmsted's design values. This book instead details the genesis of a community and the exodus of Olmsted's values. While the book is a fine history of one community's development, do not purchase this book because of Olmsted's involvement on the project.

This book is an outstanding work of scholarship in documenting how Olmsted's design principles were used to create a community. It is fascinating how the original design was maintained in spite of the fact that the original developer went bankrupt. This is the first book that I have found that doesn't dwell on Olmsted and Central Park but Olmsted and a neighborhood that still exists.

This book is a fresh take on Henry Stanley and well worth the read. However, the book ends right after his second exploration, quite literally. For a book that poured over Stanley's early years, many pages to his 7- and under years, the paragraph (literally) that sums up his knighthood, authoring of more books, marriage and subsequent adventures is pretty disconcerting. It is like the author died and someone else tacked on an ending and called it done.

Really enjoyed this one. The research was thorough, the writing was crisp, and the insights into the tormented Stanley intriguing. Of all the Stanley biographies out there, this is the most thorough, scholarly and objective.