This anthology covers the American anarcho-individualists gathered around Benjamin Tucker in the latter part of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The essays do a pretty good job covering different aspects of these figures, their acts and disagreements and so forth. Those with a particular interest in these individuals will want this book, but it lacks wider relevance. Anarchists of other stripes may also find it of interest.

I recently asked a friend, a Shakespeare professor, what she thought about the argument advanced in this book, which I had read perhaps a year previously. I was surprised to hear her say she wasn't acquainted with it. Hamilton seems to demonstrate soundly that the text known to us as the "Second Maiden's Tragedy" could originally have been titled "Cardenio" (a known "lost" Shakespeare play) since its plot appears to be drawn from a character of that name in "Don Quixote" and the current title appears to have been a working title applied by the royal censor. More dramatically, Hamilton (a nationally prominent forensic handwriting authority) argues that the handwriting in the survivng original manuscript of this play and that of Shakespeare's will are by the same man. Given Hamilton's stature in that field alone, I'd have expected the book to have drawn more attention. I don't know if the arguments in the book have been subjected to sound refutation by someone more expert than me, but to this journeyman Shakespeare buff he makes a solid enough case to bear hearing out

Charles Houston was the father of Brown v. Board of Ed--but tragically died in 1950, just as this historic litigation was getting underway.

It is hard to imagine any other lawyer--not to mention a Black lawyer in the 1940's who could have had a greater impact on the law as we know it. A truly remarkable human being. He not only gave birth to the NAACP's school desegregation campaign, but he also broke ground in employment discrimination, union rights, and many other developing fields of law; not to mention founding the modern day Howard Law School, which has served as the incubator for virtually all fo the civil rights litigation in the 20th Century, running a private practice, writing a regular newpaper column, and holding public office (the D.C. school board).

Ms. McRae thankfully spends only a brief time on his family history, and then gets right to the story of Houston's legal career. However, one story from Houston's formative years is instructive: When Houston served in the (segregated) Army (in WWI), he was appointed to decide the fate of a Black soldier. His investigation showed that the alleged infraction had been blown out of proportion. However, he was ordered by his superiors to find the soldier guilty, and sentence him to hard time in the brig. As a result of this experience, Houston vowed to learn the law, so that he could devote his life to ensuring that Blacks could never again be subjected to this type of injustice. He succeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

The moral? I suppose the racist superior officer lived to regret the day that he set Charles Houston on the path of justice--a [ath which ultimately lead to the destruction of legally enforced racial segregation in America--talk about a short sighted victory for racism!

Anyone who is interested in reading the story of a true (but underappreciated) American hero would do well to read this book!

PEN, INK, & EVIDENCE is a good companion volume to Nickell's DETECTING FORGERY: FORENSIC INVESTIGATION OF DOCUMENTS. Like that work, it is apparently targeted towards the beginner (me) and NOT the practicing professional. For example, when an analysis technique is mentioned (and not all techniques are covered) Nickell tends not to go into elaborate detail on the actual practices. The chapter notes serve as a bibliography and are valuable leaping off points for more indepth research and understanding.

This book is divided into five major sections: (I) Writing Instruments, (II) Ink, (III) Paper, (IV) Writing, and (V) Examining Documents. There are three appendices covering (1) Eighteenth Century Scripts, (2) Chronology of Writing and Writing Materials, and (3) Laboratory Identification of Pens, Inks, & Papers.

Nickell has access to a huge array of relevant materials which are profusely included in black and white photographs throughout the book. The photographs are of fair quality and I assume that higher quality photos would result in higher price (duh).

Overall, I found it interesting, useful, and satisfyingly broad in subject coverage. Nickell's writing style is accessible and clear. The ubiquitous use of anecdotes is essential and entertaining. E.g., "Of course, one approach to duplicating security watermarks -- like those placed in prescription blanks for alchohol during Prohibition ... -- was simply to dupe a legitimate paper company intor producing paper bearing watermarks." -pg 85. I want to know more about alcohol prescriptions during Prohibition!

Prescribed Burning for Brushland Management : The South Texas Example is a great reference tool for anyone interested in the mechanics, costs and benefits to prescribed burning on rangelands. Although this book is best suited for Texas, as this is where much of the study was conducted, it is a great reference tool to have on your shelf. The book goes into detail about the evolution of fire on rangelands, how it produced the landscape that our forefathers first set foot onto, and how to manage it for ecological and economical means. The first few chapters explains how fires actaully work, to give the manager a broader knowledge of what's actually going on. Guidelines on when to and when not to burn, such as seasonality, relative humdity, temperature, and topography are all taken into consideration. I have taken a Range Vegetation Manipulation class at Texas A&M University under the instruction of co-author W.T. Hamilton, where this very book was part of the required text and know first hand that he has many, many years of prescribed burning experience under his belt. He has worked with such organizations such as the King Ranch, The Texas Agricultural Extension Service, and Texas A&M University, to name a few, and is pretty much the "guru" of prescribed burning.

Carmichael has been discredited. To the extent that "Black Power" induced Afro-Americans to step up the pace and scope of black advancement in our society, it was a positive and welcome influence. To the extent that BP was the precursor to current-day notions of mindless multiculturalism and "institutional racism" it did us all, black and white, a grave insult. For an example of what oppression REALLY looks like, see Cuba.

After reading this book I began to think of many different things about myself. At first the book seemed kind of dull but give it a chapter or so and you won't want to put it down. This book gives references of the once again if you've read any other of my reviews by the people for the people. This book deals with big politics and community politics. It offers approaches as a person to realize the problems of the inner city but not so much but how blacks are being taken advantage of. This book is an insight into how businesses in the black community should under contracts be forced to spend at least ten to twenty percent of their earnings in the black community on schlorships, helping businesses,helping the homeless,etc. It gives case studies of different black comunities and how they confronted the powers that be. This book is a must read for all blacks, going into the next political change for us to understand where this system of government between Gore and Bush will leave minorities for the next term. This will also give non-minorities a chance to see what are the struggles that us as so called minorities go through that some quite can't understand. Everyone reading this review stay peaceful in your endeavers and life and stay focused, Assalaamu Alaykium

I first read this book in 1993, after reading this book again it gives a not only a revealing truth of the american black experience, but a foundation for these beliefs and clear logical thought which makes this book a MUST READ and not just angry rhetoric printed on paper.