Used price: $3.75
To help him during his investigation, Lysa supplies Travis with her own personal secretary Dana Holtzer, a highly organised, very professional and of course , strikingly beautiful woman. She also has some personal secrets that makes her cold and aloof, particularly when it comes to men. Travis, being the diligent investigator that he is, goes about unlocking the secrets to Dana's heart while he's unlocking the identity of the blackmailer.
This is a lively mystery which turns out to be more of a mystery than it appears at first glance. The solving of one part leads us onto the next, leading Travis and Dana across the country and forcing them closer and closer together. It's an entertaining entry in the Travis McGee series.
List price: $27.95 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $6.75
Collectible price: $5.95
Buy one from zShops for: $19.43
Not being from the region that the Trail of the Lonesome Pine is written about, I was definitely reading it from a "furriner" point of view. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is really two stories in one. Part of this novel is a love story, centering on a young girl, June Tolliver & her love interest John Hale, the "furriner." The other side of this novel focuses on what life is like for the "mountain people" and the effects of the coal mining boom, and the influx of foreigners into their way of life. Both stories are very interesting and blend well together. At times though, I felt the writing was hard to get through and difficult to follow. The last 1/4 of the book really picked up, and by the time the story concluded, I was glad that I read this and look forward to reading more by John Fox, Jr.
List price: $12.99 (that's 20% off!)
Used price: $3.80
Buy one from zShops for: $12.99
There is an absence of references to Irving's more controversial views which also can only be welcome. However in light of recent events the section of the book which deals with Rommel's demise surely cannot be accepted on face value. Essentially Irving's argument is that an unwitting Rommel was betrayed by General Hans Speidel, his chief of staff, and therefore took the fall for Speidel's involvement in the July plot to kill Hitler. Speidel went on post war to become a senior commander in NATO, Rommel of course was forced to commit suicide. In any case, leaving aside the more debatable allegations, I do not view the attempted murder of Irving's precious Fuhrer as a "crime" and therefore found it hard to share in the author's indignation at Speidel's alleged conduct which premeates the book. That aside, this work as I referred to above is not without merit.
Rommel was loved by his troops (but not his officers) and the German public, but ego-mania and micro-management were two of his most glaring flaws. Irving shows these flaws and how the affected Rommel's fighting force and his command climate though the observations of the DAK and Pz Armee Afrika staff officers and troop unit commanders, as well as Rommels own recorded actions from both military and personal accounts. Rommel's love of attention is shown clearly thoughout the book, but again, Irving uses it to show that Rommel was human and had downfalls like everyone else on the planet.
Particular attention is paid to Rommel's early military career, and most importantly to his WW1 exploits, and his rivalry with fellow Field Marshal, Ferdinand Schoerner, both of whom were infantry platoon leaders during Germany's campaign in Italy, and both of whom were awarded the Pour le Merite for two consecutive battles. This rivalry directly influenced his actions after WW1, and during WW2, and cannot be overlooked when looking at Rommel as a military leader.
This book needs to be read by all who desire to gain an insight on this charasmatic leader. I've read most of the books printed on Rommel (Desmond Young; "Rommel: In his Own Words"; Liddell Hart "The Rommel Papers"; Hans von Luck's book "Panzer Commander"; von Mellenthin's "Panzer Battles"; "Knight's Cross"; Ruge's "W/ Rommel in Normandy"; etc...) and have found this one to be the most informative and in-depth of them all. It also has provided me with enormous insight as to why the first battle of Tobruk failed and the real reasons behind the DAK's lack of supplies, which wasn't the Italian High Command failing to follow through, but Tripoli's inability to cope with large amounts of inbound shipping.
If you have a very narrow minded view of Rommel and the DAK, then DON'T READ THIS BOOK. It WILL disappoint you since it doesn't conform to the "Rommel is a God of War" theme that most authors have put forth, and attacks him mildly, from time to time, for his percieved inability to cope with situations that didn't follow his plans.
As a military officer myself, I've found wonderful tidbits of knowledge that transcend all levels of leadership. It's really made me think about the military and my career, as well has history on many differnet levels. If you can deal with someone else's view on a subject, even when it's different from your own, then by all means READ THIS BOOK! IT'S EXCELLENT!!!
Irving clearly admires Rommel, calling him one of history's great commanders. That said, Irving doesn't hesitate to point out Rommel's flaws and mistakes, including galling stubborness and unwillingness to heed subordinates' advise at Torbruk in 1941. Irving even presents the argument that Rommel himself, through lack of the same hard resolve and boldness he had prveviously displayed, shares blame for the failure of his critical offensive against the British at Alam el Halfa in August 1942, thus setting the stage for epic defeat at El Alamein a couple of months later.
Rommel clearly comes across as a genuinely decent sort incapable of the types of atrocities carried out by the Nazis on a grand scale elsewhere. All the more touching is his devotion to his wife and son, whom he obviously cherished, so much so that he unhesitatingly accepts suicide to protect them from Hitler's wrath. (Thus on another level, this book is also a touching love story.) This is all the more tragic considering that Rommel, as Irving demonstrates, was not even part of the assassination plot against Hitler, although he possessed enough courage to openly question his leader's conduct of the war.
Finally, some readers may ignore this book because of Irving's indefensible position on the Holocaust. That is certainly understandable, but I think Irving was clearly in his element with this bio. It's a must read for World War II buffs or for anyone who enjoys well-written bios of historic figures on the world stage.
Used price: $16.77
Collectible price: $20.00
As a non-Roman Catholic historian and theologian, I have seen far too many Protestant "apologists" (read, anti-Catholics) use Foxe's Book of Martyrs as a condemnation of 2000 years of Catholicism, or as a support for the Protestant Reformation, or any number of off-track purposes. This is not fair to either history, or Catholicism.
The Reformation in England was a bloody time. No reputable historian would doubt it. Foxe presents a tiny snapshot (more or less a decade) in which the Catholics (under the aptly named "Bloody" Mary I) executed a number of leading Protestant theologians and clergymen. This much is history. Incorporated with the history are the personal polemics of Foxe, which have little or nothing to do with the history of the times.
It's interesting to note that the Catholics could just as easily present their own book of martyrs, taken from pretty much the same time period, in order to justify denouncing Protestants! Henry VIII was just as unpleasant to Catholics as his daughter was to Protestants! And Elizabeth I executed as many Catholics as Mary I did Protestants.
None of this is intended to justify violence in the Name of God -- such is reprehensible no matter who participates in it. But both Catholics and Protestants have dirty hands, and finger pointing serves no purpose.
Consider this book in its context, but don't try to draw modern polemic conclusions from it.
Anyone who would involved themselves in the trial and death of their fellow human being for 'religious' reasons, is certainly NOT a true Christian. 1John3:15 makes perfectly clear that 'no murderer' has eternal life abiding in him!
For the true Christians the weapons of warfare are NOT carnal, but spiritual for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. (2Cor10:5) Opposing the forces of evil in such manner brings persecution and often death, but such is the price of holding forth the words of life as you will see from the faithful first century Martyrs who gave their lives for the truth.
One discrepancy I discovered is the author's information about John Calvin and the Geneva Council who ordered the execution of the Spanish Physician Michael Servetus in 1553. He holds Calvin innocent of the death of Servetus, claiming that he made numerous attempts to have his life spared (if he would recant) and finally succumbed to the overwhelming desire of the Council to burn Servetus. This is a distortion of the facts. Calvin was zealous for the death of Servetus and others who opposed his view of theology and penned in his own hand years after the horrible execution his 'approval' of such acts against all 'heretics!' Congratulating himself for 'having purged the Church of so pernicious a monster!' (quoted from a letter written by Calvin in 1562, out of 'History of the Christian Church' VolIII pp690, 691)
Although many today remain deceived as to the true nature of John Calvin this information is contained in many books and reference material. Why Fox mis-represented it I know not, but the fact remains. Calvin was among the blood letting heretics of the Middle Ages and his so-called theology is a product of the devil. Beware of men who continue to esteem his works as a great contribution to Christianity.
Otherwise this book remains a fascinating read about the trials and tribulations of true Christians who sealed their testimony in their own blood. May we NEVER Deny Him when thrown into the furnace of affliction.
List price: $14.00 (that's 20% off!)
Used price: $4.55
Collectible price: $9.25
Buy one from zShops for: $7.99
highly recommend. Dunne goes inside 20th Century Fox and tells all. Actually quite funny.
This book is a master piece and a thriller. It's a must read for custom agents, police, medical experts, lawyers and the whole human race especially Americans, Jews, Polish etc. This generationis bound to benfit from the information contained in this book. The author wrote the book from the view an experienced medical doctor.
Used price: $55.80
The authors of this book examine the laws of these three, then four, transforming countries and then evaluate their enforcement experiences. Their conclusion is mixed: the laws were probably necessary and have indeed safeguarded the public against monopoly abuses; on the other hand, they have sometimes been used to directly regulate enterprises by government authorities, and this has slowed rather than hastened the development of normal market relations and competition.
The book is quite readable -- not a small achievement for a book written by economists and lawyers -- and full of interesting and useful information. My main objection is an inadequate focus -- and a questionable point of view -- concerning the regulation of so-called "natural" monopolies. The authors treat this form of regulation, performed in the US by independent regulatory commissions, as a distraction from the real work of the competition authorities, and yet in these countries, with a complete absence of regulatory commissions, it is difficult to imagine who else was available to act as a regulator. Yes, things will be neater when and as regulatory commissions are created, but in the meantime someone must keep an eye on enterprises like the telephone and electric companies that may face little or no competition.
The other good book on this topic is Ben Slay's De-monopolization and Competition Policy in Post-Communist Economies (Westview Press, 1996). This is a collection of articles by numerous authors rather than a single treatise; thus its coverage, while excellent in places, is lacking in others. The two books fit together nicely as a very complete (combined) source of information and references on this interesting topic.
The views expressed in this review are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Justice
Used price: $1.89
Collectible price: $2.90
Buy one from zShops for: $2.02
Used price: $7.47
Buy one from zShops for: $9.95
The obligatory academics (the book is a valuable text book as well as a good read) are clear and easy to get through. The political stories are particularly informative and of great interest to people who want to know some of the 15,000 ways and by-ways that bills can travel to become law.
Experiencing Politics is instructive and should be required reading for zealots who'd rather make a point than make a difference. Of particular interest to all the victims of Narcissistic Advocates Personality Disorder (the Nader types, the zealots, the self righteous as only the Boston/Cambridge axis can breed) are McDonough's experiences and observations as an advocate for housing and as one who tried to ameliorate the impact of the loss of rent control.
Massachusetts political junkies and students of legislative process should love this book. McDonough doesn't describe his role as that of savior or saint, but as an interested student and practitioner of practical progressive politics who wants to be a player in his legislature.
One class of dialect occurs when a reader comes across certain words that have corrupt spellings. However, pronouncing the word as it is spelled enables the speech of the character to be understood. One of the characters, simply called Benny, says, "Everybody but me hash frens" (Grey, 183). This sentence displays two errors that do not make sense by themselves. However, pronouncing theses words aloud in the sentence makes perfect sense. All in all, the warped spellings of words allow the reader to comprehend the corrupt ways the characters talk.
Another type of dialect pertains to words that have different meanings than what a dictionary reads. Instead of the denotation of the word, these words carry a special connotation that is understood by certain types of people because it has gradually blended in with their vocabulary. When a player named Enoch gets into a quarrel with an umpire, the umpire charged him with a five-dollar fine. In response to this, Enoch proclaims frantically, "Make it ten, you mullet" (Grey, 202)! Mullet might not be a familiar word in the context that Enoch uses it. However, to the characters in the novel, this is a universal word that carries an unfavorable meaning. In summary, special words with unique connotations increase the interest of the reader in the novel.
Dialect brings a plethora of qualities to a novel such as The Shortstop. Dialect enables a novel to have an unarguable reality. In the real world, people do not speak in their perfect vernacular. Almost everyone speaks with some type of slang or slurred pronunciation. Furthermore, having many types of dialects persuades a reader to be more interested in a novel. If a novel had every single character talk in their proper language, the story would become tedious to read. The best way to sum up what dialect brings to a story can be found in the world-renowned novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain states, "In this book a number of dialects are used... for the reason that without it many readers would suppose that all these characters were trying to talk alike and not succeeding" (Twain, 2).