SECRETARIAT was first published in 1974 by Raymond Woolfe and immediately sold out. For years the book was out of print, except for a limited edition book published in around 1991. Thank goodness it is now back in print and is available to all fans of the great horse.

Woolfe seemed to have had unlimited access to Secretariat's connections. He traces the horse's life from the time he was foaled in 1970 until his death in 1989. Furthermore, the book is jam-packed with photographs by the author, the most famous being the "takeoff" shot of Secretariat about to make his first turn sweep of the field in the 1973 Preakness. The book truly gives the reader a feel of what this horse was like, especially those readers who were not lucky enough to have seen him in person.

SECRETARIAT is for all lovers of horse racing, and it is the perfect companion to Bill Nack's classic biography, SECRETARIAT: THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION.

I remember checking this book out of the library several times in the late 70's as I was a big fan of Secretariat, the greatest race horse in history. It gives a great summary of his life from birth, including the story of how his ownership was determined by the LOSS of a coin flip. It gives a great summary of all his races, especially the 1973 Triple Crown, where Secretariat battled his West Coast nemesis Sham and wiped him out with his 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. But what I like about the 1998 version of the book is that Mr. Woolfe updated it to discuss Secretariat's life after racing, including a review of his successful proginy. The pictures are great. If you combine this book with William Nack's book on Secretariat, you will have a very good understanding of the horse of a lifetime. A must for horse racing enthusiasts!

Mr. Woolfe's book is just what the horse-lover and racing fan needs to remember the astounding racing career of Secretariat. To think that his records still stand to this day --it gives the reader an idea of his true greatness. The only fact that wasn't mentioned in the final chapter was that Secretariat won three Eclipse Awards in 1973, and I'm sure that was just an inadvertent oversight. To those who saw Real Quiet race in the Kentucky Derby--Secretariat would have been many, many lengths ahead of him. It will be a long time before there is another like him.

Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow said, regarding this book, "There is nothing superfluous here; everything this book contains is essential. It is wonderfully pure and beautifully translated."

Since I read this book in the original Italian, I cannot attest to the beauty of the translation. However, I would agree with Bellow that the book is wonderfully pure and lacking in the superfluous.

The Periodic Table, Primo Levi's fantasy regarding chemical elements and written in his elegant, spare style, is filled with images that animate the chemist's world. To a trained chemist, as Levi was, the molecular world is very real, and the its underlying events do not go unnoticed. This is the world that exists beneath the one we usually see; the world that gives matter its colors, tastes, smells, shapes and capacities. Levi's desire for a more complete understanding of the chemical world parallels his desire for a more complete understanding of the spiritual world of mankind.

In this book, Levi tells us, in part, of his years as a teenager and of his experiences with another young man named Enrico. Both boys wanted to become chemists, but for very different reasons. Enrico thought that chemistry would be the key to a more secure life. Levi, however, looked at chemistry as a way to understand and make sense of the universe. He says, "Chemistry represented an indefinite cloud of future potentialities which enveloped my life to come in black evolutes torn by fiery flashes." He goes on to describe his burning desire to find the truths hidden in chemistry by telling us that he would have grabbed Proteus, himself, by the throat and forced him to speak, so great was his hunger.

Levi's burning desire for a deeper understanding of the universe and all it contains is not new. The ancients, such as Aristotle, and later, Newton, also searched for the key to the mysteries of life. But Levi's desire was perhaps more pure, more essential. He writes, "Conquering matter is to understand it, and understanding matter is necessary to understanding the universe and ourselves."

Although chiefly a Holocaust memoir, the book is not without its lighter moments. In school, Levi had decided that chemistry alone could no longer fulfill his needs and he resolved to pursue physics. As an assistant, he was called upon to prepare pure dry benzene for an experiment by distilling the solvent over sodium. However, using potassium instead of sodium, Levi caused a laboratory fire.

The quest for knowledge of the universe is ongoing. Levi, however, sadly found himself spurred on by the prejudices that only man can inflict on man.

This is the first book by Primo Levi that I've read. The man was a brilliant author.

"The Periodic Table" cleverly takes the elements that are part of our everyday lives and uses each to illustrate a story, most of which are his view point of 1940s Italy, before or after he was sent to Auschwitz. (Very little of this book has to do with the actual death camp, though its impressions are evident.) Levi, a chemist, tells autobiographical tales of his desire to make people see in the logical way that chemists see the world.

The way that Levi weaves words might be more expected from a poet than from a scientist. Above all, however, Levi was an observer of both elements and of human nature. I'm only sorry that I discovered him after he died; I might have written to tell him how much I enjoyed his book. My mother, a scientist, is emotionally unable to read any more books about the Holocaust; but as this book doesn't talk about the horrors of the camps but about the era, why, I think I'll lend it to her.

(amazon.com wishlist purchase)

I first read The Periodic Table in a college course on 20th century Italian literature. Since then I have reread it perhaps a half dozen times. Parts of it -- the chapter about Sandro, for instance, and the last chapter -- I have reread many more times than that.

It is such a great book -- such a clear-eyed, deeply felt, wide-ranging look at the human cost of Fascism and the Holocaust -- that anything I could possibly say about it would be idiotically trite. All I can really say, in honesty, is that I think it is one of the greatest books ever written. In any language. In any century. On any topic.

Having never read it in translation, I have trouble imagining how a translator could capture the poetry and the rich literary resonances of Levi's deceptively simple writing style. It is the kind of writing where you read sentences over again, sometimes aloud, just for their rythm and sound. However, friends who have read it in English say the translation is excellent. Even if it weren't, it's a book no thinking person should go without reading. It has a beauty and a gripping quality that goes far, far beyond style.

Just read it. Unlike most books you hear this about, it REALLY WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

It's next to impossible to learn to hit a golf ball by reading a book. Fortunately for all of us, this book doesn't attempt to teach you how to swing or putt or anything. Ray Floyd takes a simple, reasonable approach to teach you to score better. It's not fancy, nor would most of us want it to be. It's a straight-forward, easily understood lesson that you can use during your next round. If you want to score better with the game you've got, buy this book. You'll have a distinct advantage over your playing partners.

I am a high, high handicaper. Doubtless if I read less and practiced more I would be better, but I have a day job. Ray Floyd's book is a pleasure. He gives simple clear suggestions. So simple that while I was out golfing I actually remembered his advice and improved my score. Other books give you technical advice in abundance, but he gives you a sense of joy and great advice on mental toughness. Many books tell you where to put your hands and where to plant your feet. This book fills in the gap that many books overlook. How to maximize the abilities you have for the day and how to enjoy the game when things go off line. It's a little book, but so is Hogan's "Five Lessons." They belong next one another on anyone's bookshelf. If for no other reason for the sake of balance, which as we know in golf is very important.

This is not a book for the beginner but if you have reasonable shotmaking skills this book can help you take the next important step. Until reading this book I had never broken 90 even though I was always shooting in the low 90's. After reading and digesting its contents I not only broke 90 but shot an 84. You see this book doesn't tell you how to swing a golf club, it points you toward strategies for scoring the best with what you've got.

Floyd explains crucial things like focusing only on the shot at hand, making sure you get your tee shot in play, never getting mad or steamed (it only clouds your thinking for the next shot), how the short putt is the most important shot in golf.

If you read this book and think hard on what he is saying this book will lower your score and make golf even more enjoyable.

This is one of the most moving books I've ever read on the subject of nuclear warfare, and the story is told in comic book format. Simply but beautifully illustrated, the story is touching, funny, and horrifying at the same time. It humanizes a very inhuman concept.

This book makes a strong political statement that everyone needs to hear. This is what will happen if we continue to believe everything the government tells us and we stop thinking for ourselves. Who wants to survive the nuclear holocaust if we are doomed to die slowly on a poisoned planet earth? If you love this book like I do, you may want to find a copy of the video/movie to rent. It is just as compelling to watch as it is to read. Any Pink Floyd fan will want to hear the music by Roger Waters which never made it to an album.

If you want to read another story about post-nuclear war, try On the Beach by Nevil Shute.

Raymond Briggs here presents us with a disarmingly gentle, warm, humorous graphic novel, about a regular blue collar couple trying to understand, and to prepare for, the ultimate catastrophe.

This touching little book came out in the early 80s, when there was a sharp spike in international public awareness of the dangers of nuclear warfare. Due largely to Ronald Reagan's hawkish presidency, people were much more fearful of this looming prospect -- and, of course, rightly so. Reading this reminds me of 1981, when I was in eighth grade, and tensions over Poland were so severe that I recall becoming a regular fixture at our local library, reading and reading, trying helplessly to understand all the forces which, it seemed, were conspiring to destroy us all.

The really touching thing, about the couple portrayed in this book, is that they are normal people. Almost completely uninformed about the world, their mental picture of the world is shaped by a haze of half-remembered patriotic propaganda that is decades out of date, and was heavily distorted to begin with. Their efforts to prepare for a nuclear attack are so pathetic that you would laugh, if you weren't already busy crying.

Those weapons are still out there. This book is important. Everyone should read it. If you half-suspect that you yourself might be slightly un-informed about nuclear war issues, I would like to recommend that you seek out "The New Nuclear Danger," by Dr. Helen Caldicott. It just came out in 2002, and includes a fantastic bibliography which could help you understand nuclear winter, medical effects of fallout, and current weapon stockpiles. There is also a great collection of relevant websites, which we should all be a lot more familiar with.... if you'd like to communicate you concern to your kids with another illustrated book, aimed at a younger audience, I would like to recommend "Hiroshima No Pika," by Toshi Maruki.

You may also like to seek out "Threads," a tremendous docudrama on nuclear war done in consultation with Carl Sagan, in 1984. "Threads" is out of print, except in the UK, but you can find it on the largest online auction houses if you put the terms "threads" and "nuclear" in the search field.

So, if you know anyone who actually went out and bought duct tape in February, 2003, I would like to recommend that you sit down with them, and spend an hour leafing through this horrifying book. Two miserable thumbs way, way, way up.

As a former student of both McNally and Florescu in history and in folklore I may be a bit biased. But suffice it to say that whether you want to know about the Dracula of contemporary media, mythical vampires (as well as a few pseudo-authentic blood-thirsters in history) in general or the historical and all too human Vlad, these are the guys you ask. This book is a terrific starting point for anyone who really wants to dig into the subject, and also a very well rounded study for those who want a (detailed) glance at the history and the myths. Enter freely and of your own will. :)

I really love this book,I keep it by my bed at night.This book has more information on Vlad & vampires than most I have read. More than half the vampire books I have just barely graze Vlad (Dracula)& his history.This book contains a real detailed look into Vlad's life & Stoker's monster.

This is an excellent book by Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu on their search to discover the real Vlad Dracula, the 15th century Romanian ruler who was the dark and bloody basis for Bram Stoker's classic character. It chronicles the life of Dracula from his beginnings as a young prisoner of the Turkish Sultan, to his exploits against the Turkish invasion of Eastern Europe, and finally his death in battle in 1476. It investigates the myth that grew up around Dracula due to his legendary cruelty and murderous bloodlust, including his penchant for impalement. The book also analyzes the growing body of vampire lore and literature, including their modern film and TV incarnations. It provides a thorough history of vampirism from ancient to modern times and tries to explain our ever-growing obsession with vampires and their ilk. The authors' travels took them across Eastern Europe in their quest to find the haunts of the real-life Vlad, including the ruins of Castle Dracula and his reputed grave at Snagov. It delves into the complex history of a man who would largely be remembered as the most famous vampire of all time, as well as our equally curious fascination with the Undead.

As business histories go, "Arms of Krupp," an 800 page indictment of the Krupp steelworks dynasty (and the regimes that supported it), is a bizarre saga. After a brisk prologue that takes us from 1587 through to the beginning of the nineteenth century, we first meet Alfried Krupp, "Cannon King" and warmonger, a man who believed fresh horse manure was good for the lungs and whose radical cannon designs laid the basis for Prussia's victories in the Austrian and French wars. Next we meet Gustav Krupp, suspected pederast, whose likely suicide only barely saved him from tabloid disgrace. Then to Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, an "adoptive" Krupp, chosen by the Kaiser to marry the surviving female heir, Bertha (who gave her name to the "Big Bertha" 410 mm cannon of World War One).

Finally -- and this is the book's real focus -- we turn to Alfried Krupp, the last Krupp to run the Essen steelworks. Manchester gives over about 1/3 of the book to detailing Alfried's involvement in the Nazi slavery racket and his subsequent conviction for war crimes. As Manchester shows, the Krupp crimes were at least as serious, if not worse, than those of I.G. Farben, and it is nothing short of extraordinary that Alfried von Krupp was pardoned by the American military governor. Krupp went on to refloat the Krupp works, only to see it collapse under a mountain of debt in 1968.

This is a book that takes us from the giddy heights of nineteenth century robber baron-ism to the full unmitigated horrors of the Nazi war complex, and manages to mix humour (for much of the early Krupp saga is frankly hilarious) with deep compassion and sensitivity to the victims of the war. A tour de force.

This book is a wonderful piece of historical analysis into one of the most fascinating industrial dynasties ever to exist - the Krupp family. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in German history. Das Buch is sehr gut.

Now in the twilight of his years Manchester has revealed he lacks the mental focus necessary to complete his trilogy on the life of Winston Churchill (while heroically fending off his publisher's suggestion that he graft on a co-author to complete it). In its zeal to conjure some way to make more money off the Manchester name, is it perhaps time for this publisher to ponder why one of the greatest biographers and historians in memory can only be read by combing the bins of used bookstalls or grasping the dog-eared library tome?

The Arms of Krupp (out of print), and many others of the canon are seminal works with a devoted readership. Perhaps the right marketing opportunity simply has yet to strike. Making a movie (and a bad one at that) about Pearl Harbor popped even the questionable Gordon Prange back into prominence. Clearly, in these days when book publishers are conveniently tied into the entertainment world as a matter of corporate domain, the lonely vigil of the Manchester devotee must await the serendipity of Hollywood. Until then, Mr. Manchester I laud you with the words of one still in print:

"To me fair friend you can never be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,
Such seems your beauty still."

This is a fascinating look at a poorly-understood phenomenon. the author tries to give an abstract model of the accounts of many people who have come close to death or who have been "clinically" dead for some time. He mentions the characteristics that any NDE's tend to be a subset of: Out-of-body experiences, going through the tunnel, meeting beings of life, seeing dead relatives, the loud ringing sound, and so on. Very little speculation is done here (and I think that is for the better), but rather the existential aspects are emphasised. Rather than impressing me with the possibility of life after death, the book seemed to mark upon me the untapped potantials of the human mind, which are just beginning to be learned about. the book will do little to convince any serious-minded reader of the actuality of life after death, which is a good thing, I think . . . when dealing with such matters, I do not think one should rely on a book, but on direct experience. So I do not believe that the reality of "only life" can ever be scientifically proven. Nevertheless, a study of such matters may provide a valuable psychological asset in the study of human beings. For a more detailed and scientific look, please refer to Ian Richardson's and Kenneth Ring's research.

Whether you are a(n) Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddist, Muslim, Deist, Atheist, Agnostic (etc..), or if you have ever lost a loved one, this is a must read! The author Moody is unbiased and straightforward in his style, and it is an eminently readable book. This book contains a compliation of factual after death experiences of a number of totally unrelated case studies, and the similarities are absolutely striking in many cases. This book deals with topics (as experienced in the case studies) such as: the phenomenon of death, the experience of dying, after death experiences, a being of "light" (Wow!), the various explanations that have been postulated, and the most prominent questions regarding Dr. Moody's research (and much more!). This book is absolutely FASCINATING! This is not just some new age bunch of theoretical garbage, but a published version of an extensive study that seems to have been very scientific and professional. Whether you are into Plato, Aurelius, Jesus, Nietchze, Hume, Aquinas, Dembski, or just Homer Simpson and King of the Hill, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK, and then encourage others to do so as well! ... You will not regret reading this book!... In addition, the version that I have contains both "Life after Life" and "Reflections on Life After Life," which is basically a more recent and updated version of the same subject (but with new info and research, including the documentation of the experiences of those who, after temporarily "dying" clinically, learned about: what happens to those who commit suicide, a "city of light", "judgment", "bewildered spirits"; as well as reactions from the ministry). I strongly exhort you to read both books; the follow-up book is not at all superfluous. It is just as interesting as the first book, and they need to be read together for the complete effect. You don't have to be some detached philosophical thinker or a theologian to appreciate this awe-inspiring study; you only have to be a person who is curious about what happens when (and after) you die! Read, enjoy, and LEARN from it! ...

This book is a wonderful gift for our recently bereaved friends, or those who have not yet accepted the loss of a loved one. It is compatible with most religious outlooks and doctrines. This very original work is a joy to read, and is a great solace and comfort to anyone who has ever had to deal with death of friend or family. Insights are given as to the true nature of death as a sequel to life, and the reality of a glorious afterlife. Largely due to improvements in medical technologies, many people are now brought back from near-death, often with reports of their experiences upon entering and glimpsing another world just over the threshhold between life and death...Their first hand reports are thrilling. The manner in which Dr. Moody presents these experiences, shared with him over the years by his patients, is sensitive and meaningful, never morbid or frightening. Upon completion, the reader may well exclaim, "Death, where is thy sting?". This is a "must read"!

As a therapist, I found this book to offer useful information and practical support to men and their partners on how to maintain a healthy & satisfying sex life. It is filled with up to date information from the medical side. But it also treats the emotional issues as well. Women will find new ways to understand why & how men experience sexual response. Read it to great benefit. It's an excellent resource.

As a young single male, I found this book to be very informative and educational. This book focuses not only on the treatment, but also on the prevention of sexual problems. Drs. Milsten and Slowinski have truly written a guide to maintaining sexual health. I found that the emphasis placed on the maintenance of a healthy relationship with one's partner as a means to enjoying life-long sexual potency as being particularly helpful. This book is a must read for men of all ages!

I found Milsten and Slowinski's THE SEXUAL MALE very complete, scientifically grounded, and yet wonderfully readable. As a psychologist and sexual therapist, I myself have professionally worked with men and couples with sexual problems for more than 20 yeaars, and find this book to be currently the most useful in addressing erection concerns. I especially value that it is realistic, honest, and positive -- avoiding the "hype" that often accompanies books on sexuality. Excellent book!

this book is a life-saver literally! a very simple and direct approach to why we get sick and why we can't lose weight and keep it off. sometimes the most simple solutions are the ones that work. this book provides the answers we've been looking for, how to regain lost health and lose weight the first section on the history of man's diet is great and shows clearly where the problems are in our modern diet.

Not just another weight-loss diet guide, NeanderThin presents a rational case for how humankind's digestive genetics have not caught up with the radical changes in diet since the start of the Neolithic era (10-20 thousand years ago). A clear, well-stated argument is made for elimination of modern foods that need to be cooked or processed to be edible, or which couldn't be obtained by a hunter-gatherer on the savanna, 'naked with only a sharp stick.' Well done, and totally workable recommendations without demanding too much in the way of dietary sacrifice or lifestyle change. It works!

After having suffered with migraines since the age of 14, they have finally ceased. I read the book at the suggestion of a fried and decided after everything else I had gone through to get rid of these headaches this diet couldn't be any worse. It was like a miracle. The book presents a number of interesting theories as to why it works the way it does, but to me it was the results that mattered. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever been concerned about the chemicals we put into our body because they have been labeled as food.