Now all I need is Antares Victory...

It won't be long now!

The essence of Crested Butte is beautifully captured in this book - of times gone by, fiercely loyal friendships, a unique blend of ethnic diversity, socioeconomic hardship we cannot begin to understand, and a tenacity to make it through the hard times. "Don't Be Give Up" was a mantra of my grandmother's that I believe lives on in our family blood today. Thanks Shirley, for capturing the memories on paper and for giving us a very unique view of how World War II affected the lives of a fiercely proud people in a small coal-mining town in Colorado.

Antonia Mufich Black

The best part of the book, however, is the warmth, humanity and decency that radiates from every page. This is a book that could easily have lapsed into sentimentality, but never did. Hickman has obviously told this story with love and affection for her family, but it is not affected. They are not the paper dolls with which she played as a child; they are real human beings. Their love of country and family shines out in each differently, but yet is a common theme to all.

As all youngsters do, we attached meanings to words that made sense to us. The author does this in a humorous and meaningful
way. This book brought back many childhood memories to me.

Her ability to tie this in with World War II and the people in small western town makes this a book you don't want to put down.
The elements of suspense, sadness, humor, and the thoughts of gownups are real to us all.

When my brain became engaged following the shock, I then decided I needed information. The questions, who can help me understand what this dreaded disease was about? What can be done about it? The questions went on and on along with the panic. Thank God my younger sister took hold of the reins and set my family on the path of action. She researched and put us in touch with the medical people who had excellent reputations. This put us in position to do something about the physical nature of the problem. However we, as a family were in need to be in touch with other women who had breast cancer for comparison, inspiration and outlook. Emotionally we needed nourishment.

The book, "Don't Count Me Out" is strong in character and speaks of "real" life experiences. It made me cry, it made me laugh. I would like to "toast" to all the woman who need this kind of strength and encouragement: May they be blessed with the opportunity to read this story.

The book, "Don't Count Me Out" is strong in character and speaks of "real" life experiences. It made me cry, it made me laugh. I would like to "toast" to all the woman who need this kind of strength and encouragement: May they be blessed with the opportunity to read this story.

The CD is written in HTML, the "language" of the Internet, and requires web browser software to view it. It came up fine on IE 4.0 running on my 133 MHz PC running Win95, and later on a 450 MHz laptop on IE 5.0 under WIN98.

The book is written in chapter links which can be selected at any time, which I found convenient to use. It was mildly annoying to read so much text (many hours) on a PC screen, but the plethora of pictures helped break up the text, and the sound files were great fun. I scaled the text size up a bit for easier reading.

The history of the aircraft is absolutely first-rate; the book runs logically along its lengthy timeline, from manufacture to its final move to safety. I was fascenated with the many unique photos of the interior, engines being run up, and the various pieces being frantically moved out to avoid being scrapped. It was wonderful to discover the final fate of this big old bomber.

I recommend this CD to any aviation buff who would dream of discovering, restoring and flying an old abandoned military airplane - you will enjoy this story, and learn a whole lot about the practical problems that come along with such a great project.

First designed to attack Nazi Germany from North American bases, the B-36 became America's "Big Stick" at the height of the Cold War. The capabilities of the B-36 provided much of the deterrence that prevented the Soviet Union from attacking America or our NATO allies. B-36J #52-2827 was the last B-36 built, of over 300 produced. In 1958 she made her last flight and was put on display at Amon Carter Field.

When I discovered her in 1977 or so, she was in pretty sad shape. But a bunch of old guys (so they seemed to me) were putting her back together, and they didn't mind me hanging around and helping out. At the time, I was just a teenager crazy about airplanes. I had no idea of the grand scope of the project at the time, much less the incredible efforts of the "old guys" working on the plane.

Now I do. "Saving the Last Peacemaker" not only brought back a lot of fond memories, but gave me a deep appreciation for the amazing accomplishments of the dedicated men who rescued and restored #2827.

Today, the Last Peacemaker has been lovingly restored in painstaking detail and is currently awaiting a new home for permanent public display. Compare the photos of the stripped, vandalized cockpit in the late '70s to the photos of the interior after restoration, and you'll understand the labor of love involved.

Sure, lots of old airplanes have been preserved and restored, and the stories blur together after a while. But "Saving the Last Peacemaker" is no dry technical memoir. It's a cliff-hanger adventure story, complete with government agents, desperate races against the clock, last-minute reprieves, and plot twists.

It's illustrated with dozens of photographs. Model-builders will revel in the close-up photographs of the structure and the interior, revealing details seldom seen before.

If you're an airplane nut - of any age - this is a must-have item.

a fantastic read. bajema is a master in this verbal mosaic.

It's comforting in a way that these novels, which were considered (and still considered by some) as trash, disposable items of consumption, are collected along with the novels of Melville, James and Hawthorne...."elevated" to high brow lit.

Perhaps the original authors of these masterworks would disagree on the modern critical re-assessment, but to readers like myself, it's just confirmation of something we've known ever since we first discovered them.

The first story is from James Cain, and it's a whiz-bang of a tale. I had heard of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" before, mainly in reference to the two film versions of the story. This is one dark read. Adultery and murder never seem to mix, and it sure doesn't here, either. Told in first person narration, a drifter gets himself mixed up with a washed up beauty queen who is tired of her Greek husband. The result is classic noir: a conspiracy to murder the poor schmuck and run off together. As usual, the murder brings about tragic consequences. This story has more twists and turns than you can imagine. The ending is especially atmospheric. This is certainly one of the best stories in the book. I always like to see a story where the blackmailer gets a good beating.

Horace McCoy's "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" is next in line. This is another great tale that was made into a film in the 1960's starring Hanoi Jane Fonda and Gig Young. The movie is soul shattering, with depictions of dehumanization in the neighborhood of "Schindler's List." The story is not quite as good, but it still packs a heck of a punch. The story is set in Depression-era America and depicts the horrors of a dance marathon. These marathons were apparently quite popular during the 1930's, until they were ultimately outlawed. Contestants were required to dance for hundreds of hours with only ten minute breaks every two hours. The couple that lasted the longest won a thousand or so dollars. The public would come and pay admission to watch this sorry spectacle. It's like poking sticks at animals in a cage. This story is loaded with dark depression and sexual innuendo. The conclusion is suitably depressing to merit a noir award.

"Thieves Like Us" was pretty substandard when compared to the other stories in this book. This one really didn't seem to have those noir elements that I like so much. Actually, it's more of a Bonnie and Clyde type story. A penitentiary break leads to a crime spree across Texas. Banks are robbed and cops are killed while the gang lives on the lam. A relationship between Bowie, the main character, and a girl named Keechie really doesn't add much interest to the story. There is some good dialogue and a bit of desolate atmosphere, but not enough to lift this to the level of noir. I don't know why this story is included here. Try and guess how the story ends (the clue is "Bonnie and Clyde"). I hope that Edward Anderson's other stories are better.

Kenneth Fearing's "The Big Clock" is excellent, and brings the level of the book back up to where it should be. Set in a magazine publishing house, this tale is sleek and smart. The story is told in first person narration, but Fearing shifts the narration to various characters in the story. These constantly changing viewpoints turn the story into a roller coaster ride of epic proportions. An editor at the company makes the mistake of sleeping with the boss's woman. When this lady turns up dead at the hands of same boss, all heck breaks loose. This story is riveting and has a great ending that is all suspense. A must read.

William Lindsay Gresham wrote "Nightmare Alley" after some discussions he had with some carnival workers. This story is the longest one in the book and is a decent addition to the volume. Full of unpleasant images of murder, swindle, cynicism and downright perversion, you won't be disappointed when this one comes to an end. A scheming magician decides to take his con to the big time by posing as a Spiritualist minister, and as usual, the end result is tragedy all around. This story is downright depressing, and if you don't feel sorry for Gyp, you have got a problem. I didn't really care too much for the (...) addition of the black Communist towards the end of the book. Gresham had a flirtation with the Redski movement, so this apparent insertion makes some sense in that context. It goes nowhere in the story, however. There are some other holes in the plot but overall this is an entertaining story.

The final tale comes from the sumptuous pen of Cornell Woolrich. "I Married a Dead Man" becomes instantly familiar within a few pages, mostly due to the numerous films that have copped the plot. The writing here is far superior to any of the other stories in the book. I'd say it's far superior to most writing in general. The metaphors are extraordinary. Look for the description of Bill lighting his cigarette in the doorway. Wow! The story centers on a case of mistaken identity with a strong dose of blackmail thrown in for good measure. Of course, there's also a murder. This story is outstanding.

Overall, if you are just starting to read noir, start with these two volumes. It is good to see some of the best noir has to offer, and you will find some of it in these pages. The book clocks in at 990 pages, but it reads really fast. There is also a nice summary concerning the careers of each author at the back of the book. Recommended.

"They Shoot Horses..." was my favorite of the bunch for it's depiction of deperate people doing desperate things to survive in the form of a Dance Marathon. But are they doing this out of deperation (even the winner of the prize money, after months of physical torment , will end up having made less than a dollar a day)? Or becuase there is nothing else to do? What is futile and what is meaningfull, the story seems to be asking.

"Nightmare Alley" brought the Tyrone Power movie back home, only the ending seems more poignant. The author organzies each chapter along the 22 minor arcana of the Tarot, a device used by later authors like Robert Anton Wilson and Umberto Eco.

"The big clock", filmed at least twice with variations on themes, uses a unique writing style of shifting narratives from the main characters' points of view and has an awfully modern motive for the murder (probably a little too modern for that period).

"The Postman.." and "I Married a Dead Man" story were also very dood. The Noir theme of "Crime Does Not Pay" runs through most of theses stories, but when you read them, you realize that it's not as simple as that. In the end, who really wins and loses and does it matter?

I don't think one can do better for reading the greats of American Literature than through the Library of America seri