The Lake Erie Campaign was one of the few bright lights during the War of 1812. This succinct, readable book details the challenges and hardships faced by the combatants in what was then a largely unsettled part of North America. I bought mine at the National Historic Site headquarters at Put-In-Bay, South Bass Island, Ohio...and at the time, they had plenty of copies.

This excellent book is the definitive history of this hard-fought, valiant effort by two small fleets fighting each other to the death quite literally in the middle of nowhere, 1813.

Two quickly built naval squadrons, getting men and material for sailor and ships from wherever they could, fought each other to literal annihilation for the loser, and great strategic gains for the victor. Two talented naval officers, Briton Robert H. barclay, and American Oliver Hazard Perry, built their small fleets, manned them with whatever came along (in Perry's case 'a motley set, blacks, soldiers, and boys', including a Marine officer who was given his choice of a court-martial or serving on the northwest frontier-he was later killed in action in the battle, quite gallantly taking his death wound leading his men), and set sail to settle the fate of Lake Erie and its surrounding territory.

The authors tell their tale with wit, verve, and aplomb, from the different characters to the ships and the men that manned them. This volume definitely has the smell of gunpowder about it and is meticulously researched and very well-written. It is highly recommeded both as a valued addition to the literature of the period and a book than can stand on its own.

Skaggs and Altoff have done a terrific job with this almost forgotten piece of North American history. The authors deal not only with the battle itself, but also describe the events that lead to it, and the repercussions of it. The research is meticulous and put forth in a very readable way. This should be required reading for any history buff.

The Coming of the Book is essential reading for anyone interested in book history, the development of modern literary languages, or the growth of capitalism in early modern Europe. It's an excellent example of the social history that the Annales school of sociologists and historians worked to produce: coherent narrative drawn not from specific important events but from the interpretation of massive amounts of data on the 'everyday' professional lives of early type founders, journeyman printers, shippers and booksellers. Most importantly, Febvre and Martin analyze the affect that the unique pressures of print as a capitalist enterprise (the capital investment in type, the costs of paper and of labor, problems in transport and marketing) had on the development of standardized print-languages, the development of 'mass' culture, and the spread and evolving functions of literacy.

Lucien Febvre and Jean-Henri Martin have integrated careful archival research with a lively recounting of history which transcends individual rulers in this account of early printing. The book is particularly interesting since we also live in a time when the economics and sociology of information dissemination is changing quickly.

The reaction of the early copyright system in place at medieval universities to new realities, of the technical innovation necessary to make good type founts, and of early print censorship were particularly interesting. I also enjoyed the discussion of the documentary evidence about Gutenburg and his unhappy relations with his financial backers.

From Planeta Journal - This wonderful book provides a much-needed overview of travel that enriches the soul. The diversity of "alternative" travel is as broad as the interests that propel travelers to leave the comforts of home. Chapters cover independent travel, special interest vacations, senior travel, family travel, disability travel, adult study, student overseas programs and living abroad. This volume synthesizes the most practical information for making the most of traveling abroad. This is an excellent resource.

Unlike just a few years ago, today there are many books about Netherlandish and Flemish art of all periods. "From Rogier van Der Weyden to Gerard David" is a beautiful book filled with excellent color and b/w illustrations of the works being discussed. The authors are experts who give adequate details about the artist and his immediate circle, as well as the wider European influence on him and even the artist's effect upon the art world at that time and afterward. While the style is sedate and professional, it's never stodgy or overly academic, the authors being quite good at balancing the two. There are few gaps or unincluded details or individuals, so I can heartily recommend this for anyone who already loves Flemish art or those who want to learn more and to see clear, sharp reproductions of these incredible artists' work.

Gerard David comes late in the list of Northern Renaissance masters. Van Eyck, Van der Weyden, and Memling are more famous and probably more original, but there are a lot of us who dearly love David's small, jewel-like paintings, especially the two versions of the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, one in New York and the other in Washington.

Until recently it has been hard to find books with good reproductions of these two pictures, and the many other less-well-known but similarly charming pictures by David which are scattered throughout the museums of Europe. The works on paper, especially, have been nearly impossible for the average museum-goer to see, since they are almost always tucked away, accessible to only the lucky few.

It is a pleasure, then, that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has decided to publish a book to document the work of this painter who has seemed until now much too elusive. And the Met has gone about the job with its usual skill and thoroughness. There are many paintings here that have probably never been reproduced before in a widely-available publication. They include some wonderful drawings and pencil studies, that give the lie to the idea that painters of David's era were tight or finicky -- some of the drawings of girls rival Watteau's for their lightness and casual perfection.

There are also dozens of x-ray-type photographs to analyze the underdrawings beneath the paintings, and even a chapter on the "dendrochronology" of the panels, in which the experts count the tree rings on the edge of the painted panel to analyze a picture's date and origin.

In fact, there is quite a bit in this book that will be of interest ONLY to those experts who go in for such thoroughness. People who love David's work and want to get every bit that they can should get this book. Others, who would be happy with well-reproduced highlights and feel they can skip the x-ray analysis, would be better off getting the Metropolitan Museum's recent book "From Van Eyck to Bruegel", which has a very good chapter on David, and much else besides.

This book is a clear and concise presentation of the etiologies and treatments of musculoskeletal pain using Chinese Medicine. It has aided me tremendously in my practice.

SELLING 'EM BY THE SACK can be perceived and read for any one or more of several reasons. As an informal textbook on business management, or maybe marketing. As a social commentary on the rise of fast food, or possibly what defines America to the rest of the world. Or, as just a history of the hamburger from a culinary standpoint.

The author, David Hogan, effectively makes the case that White Castle and its founders, Billy Ingram and Walt Anderson (especially the former), were the originators of the fast food "carryout" concept, and that they established the humble hamburger as the distinctive ethnic cuisine of the USA. The evolutionary history of White Castle from the early part of the 20th century to the present is described, from its founding in Wichita in 1921, through the Depression and two wars (W.W.II and Korea), to the era of the big chains (like McDonald's and Burger King), which, miraculously, have not brought about its demise. Along the way, Billy Ingram and his successors have successfully coped with an endless series of challenges, the first of which was to make the hamburger perceived as a sanitary and healthy food at all. Then came standardization of the product, national expansion, gaining credibility with and acceptance from the middle class, coping with war rationing, the hiring of women, surviving the rise of the superchains, adapting to suburbanization of the cities, defending against rising urban crime, facing increasing government regulations, and answering the health-conscious critics' attacks on the fast food lifestyle.

Today, White Castle survives as a barely medium-sized chain in the north-central and northeast regions of the United States. It has kept alive the guiding principles of its founders, has acquired a fanatical following, and remains profitable at a time when even larger chains, like Burger Chef and White Tower, have since disappeared from the American landscape.

SELLING 'EM BY THE SACK is not a "thriller", offers no high drama, is written with no humor whatsoever, and is actually a little dry. Had it been about a brand of toothpaste or bread, I wouldn't have bothered. But, it's about hamburgers. (Oddly enough, cheeseburgers are never mentioned in any context.) So, I read it, was entertained, and learned a lot.

I've never eaten a White Castle. Where I live, in Southern California, the brand is represented only by its frozen burgers that one can buy in the supermarkets. I've seen them in packages of a dozen. They seem ridiculously small when compared with McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Jack-In-the-Box, Carl's, or In-'n'-Out. I think I'll buy a "sack".

Before there was the fast food hamburger shops of today, there was White Castle. And before White Castle, the lowely hamburger was not a respected food. Selling 'Em By the Sack describes the history of the hamburger in American culture and why White Castle started in Wichita, KS. Not only a history lesson about White Castle but a social history of American eating habits in the 20th century. So forget about those other hamburger joints and read where it all got started.

This is a great book. It very nicely documents the rise of the hamburger and White Castle in 1920's America. Hogan follows White Castle through the early times, when a man could work there and make enough to support a family, through the depression, the rough war years, and more recent competition with the fast food giants. I'm not sure why he waited until the last two pages to tell readers what makes White Castle special and has enabled it to persist for so long....but this is a minor complaint. Excellent!

...

Following a disastrous docking at a space station, luxery liner Captain Henry Crystal is stripped of his command and relieved of duty. He retires in disgrace because the black box from his tug has never been recovered. He has no way to prove his innocence . . .

Many years later, his granddaughter, Captain Celeste Crystal, arrives at the space station to take up her new duties of guiding larger ships into docking bays, which wasn't available when her grandfather was still working. Determined to regain his honor for him before he dies, Celeste hopes to find the missing black box, which has been adrift in space for ages. She also hopes to win accolades for herself and her crew by winning a contest for space tugs, who compete against each other in shooting down asteroids and space debris that endanger the space stations.

While practicing for the contest, she manages to keep an eye out for the missing black box, but just as she spots it, she's forced to break off the chase and return to base to warn the authorities of an invading fleet.

Will she ever be able to exonerate her grandfather? While rich in dialogue and nicely peopled with interesting characters, this story is a little bit short on the action that would keep it moving ahead at the pace most readers would expect.

Crystal Treasure by Atk Butterfly
CD-ROM: 80 pages
Publisher: Silver Lake Publishing; (December 23, 2000)
ISBN: 1931095086

©2002 Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer
Crystal Treasure is indeed a treasure in itself. If you enjoy a good female lead and will let her take you aboard a spaceship meeting up with a lot of twists and turns... and ALIENS then you will not be disappointed.
The story is much deeper than all that and is laced with much darker sides of the Captain, Her Grandfather had been a Captain involved in a questionable disaster aboard his tug. He couldn't prove his innocence due to the missing box. Now it is up to his Granddaughter Celeste Crystal to redeem her Grandfather's honor by finding the black box while she is on other duties.
Captian Crystal is on her first command of Claudine and likened to Star Ship Enterprise the ship Claudine is the oldest ship yet is the one called in for action. Captain Celeste Crystal has other "treasure" motives but wages war upon the enemy using her very capable crew.
Science Fiction writer, Atk Butterfly has proven to be lead in his vision of a good space opera and this story CRYSTAL TREASURE is one of his many filled with lively characters, abounding in believable dialogue, and just enough action not to overtake the plot.
I highly recommend this book "Crystal Treasure" for any sci-fi buff or one that likes a great female lead.
~Brutal rating system:
Five out of five Grape Tootsie Pops!

The New Illustrated Guide to weapons of the Elite Forces is packed with data about the weapons in service around the world. Good color illustrations and photographs.

Buy this book if you have deep pockets and will indeed open your own bank. But again, if you have that kind of money, chances are that you are already familiar with the nuts-n-bolts of the banking industry, in which case the book will not be of much use. In my opinion this book would be most useful for the banking industry analysts...