A wonderful insight to the lives of the Du Ponts revealed in an easy to read format

Kudo to Maggie Lidz

I just got my copy and am already seduced by the rich collection of photographs of my favorite Dupont family. Maggie Lidz obviously knows her Dupont family history and is amazing me with details that I had never read before anywhere else. I can't wait to read the rest. This book has definately made me want to go back to visit the Winterthur chateau with a whole new perspective. The whole family and place really comes to life with this book.

Life at Winterthur is a compound of anecdote, symphony and nightmare. Its mechanics resemble those of a dream that has freed the author from the necessities of common logic and has enabled her to compress all periods of history, all phases of individual and economic development, into a circular design, of which every part is beginning, middle and end.

Englebert's classic biography is not a fictionalized version of the little saint's life, but a good, historically accurate portrait. This is one of the outstanding Francis biographies of the past century, placing the little saint's life in historical and socio-political context as few of his biographers have done. The writing may sometimes seem a little dry, but the content is full of life.
I served as provincial formation director for the Anglican Third Order Franciscans in the American Province and this is a book I put on the reading list for all novices. Now I'm formation director for my SFO fraternity (Catholic secular Franciscans) and I use it in our initial formation classes and also highly recommend it all.
Besides, who could resist a name like Omer Englebert?
Pax et bonum!

Father Engelbert has blessed us with a thoroughly delightful account of the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Accounts of the saints often take one of two extremes. The first is to give credence to all legends as if they are straight historical fact and not meant to convey a certain truth about the saint and his/her love of God. The second is to totally discount all data that cannot be scientifically proven to demonstrate some facet of the saint's life. Such accounts usually end up having little to do with the saint's faith and a lot to do with what was not important to that saint (i.e., politics).

Father Engelbert takes the middle road, and the result is truly fantastic. Saint Francis comes alive, and he takes life in this account because his love of God is so beautifully set forth. Francis, of all men on earth, lived the Gospel, and I'm so thankful that the rest of us have him as an example to follow.

This biography is very readable. I was most impressed with the fact that Father Engelbert kept editorializing to a minimum and let the record speak for itself in most instances. As noted above, fact and legend are interwoven wonderfully to present a historical account of a great saint's walk with God and the growth of the word's largest religious order, the Friars Minor.

I read this book as part of my formation for the Secular Franciscan Order, but I recommend it to anyone who wants to see how love of God should be expressed in the world. Purchase this book and be edified by the life of Brother Francis.

I am a Secular Franciscan and a member of the formation team for our fraternity. St. Francis of Assisi by Omer Englebert is the book we use in our formation program . If someone were to tell me that they would only read one biography of Francis in their lifetime I would recommend this book as the one to read. This biography gives an accurate picture of the social, religious and political conditions Francis and the early friars faced. This is definitely a book that will have the Christian reader taking a spiritual inventory. The first 30 or so pages are a little slow paced in my opinion but after that it is excellent.

Essential to understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an understaning if the times in which He lived. There are a lot of unanswered questions as you read any of the Gospel authors. What ever happened to Joseph? Frank Sheed doesn't know for sure but he speculates and reasons. There is a lot of this in this book but he's always careful to warn you when he's doing so. Reading this book you get a feeling for the times and customs of this period of time. Part theology. Part history. Part archeological. This book brings a fullness of experience to Gospel reading. A warning though, its not a quick read. And at times the theological discussion can get a little deep, but Sheed is careful not to let these sections drag on. Take your time and read this book.

Any person who wants to grow in devotion to Christ should read this book. Sheed relates a picture of Christ in his social, political, and religious environment without all the stuffiness that you might find in a history book. Also, Sheed writes extremely well, and you won't get bogged down in detail by reading this book.

In reading this book, you will get to know and understand Jesus better. I've read it twice, and I'm planning on picking it up again real soon because I need Sheed to remind of Christ's love just once more.

Frank Sheed's brilliance shines through in "To Know Christ Jesus". Mr. Sheed not only tells the story of Christ's life beautifully by weaving the four gospels together seamlessly, but does so in a profoundly sound theological way. Let me share with you a typical passage from the book, yet one which shows the tremendous insight that Mr. Sheed brings to his writing:

"Let us look steadily at him. He was a carpenter in a town which, even in insignificant Galilee, was despised as insignificant. He was not playing at being a carpenter, as Marie Antoinette and her ladies played at being shepherdesses at Versailles. He was a carpenter; the household depended on what he made; if trade was bad his mother had to go without. The locals hired him to make and mend in wood. He would name the price and it would be a just price. They would haggle as is the way of the East, beating him down, asking doubtless if he thought they were made of money. In a better mood (having got the price down, perhaps) they might offer him a drink." "And he was omnipotent God, the second person the blessed Trinity, by whom all things were made, including the wood of his carpentry, and the drink, and the customer who was arguing with him about the price: including his own human body and human soul -- that human soul which had to sustain the wonder of his divine self and not be blinded by it."

One should be able to see from this small passage, not only the joy with which Mr. Sheed writes about Christ, but also the love and the reverence he feels for Him. It may be subtle in the passage I quoted, but Mr. Sheed also deftly injects a little humor to round this book out and make it a truly brilliant work.

Francis Schaeffer was a Prebyterian pastor who moved to Swiss Alps in 1948 and started the L'Abri Fellowship. God gave him vision and insight into the centrality of the gospel in living that has helped countless others to better understand the truth now. Schaeffer died in 1984, but the depth of wisdom that he was given continues to live through his writings.

True Spirituality is a book that God has used in a way to greatly change the paradigm of my thinking. Dr. Schaffer's thoughts and teachings on grace and the facets therein aide in clarifying how the Christian life might be lived more effectively and freely. By no means do I desire to set forth that Schaeffer was an advocate of antinomianism, he was not, but he was provided a great understanding of the sweet blessedness of salvatory grace.

Schaeffer leads us back to the understanding that God does change the entire man when He makes us into new creations. The healing that we experience goes far beyond superficial and abstract concepts and shows itself to be something greater than we ever hoped or dreamed. The reality of man being complete by the sovereign grace of God is epitomized in realizing that grace is effectual in the spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of who we are. Salvatory grace is not left for a mere longing for something that has yet to be seen while we wait behind the fortressed walls of a church on a Sunday morning. Francis Schaeffer is a man who, like Christ, confronted the culture that he was in by verbalizing and living profound truths of a godly nature. Francis Schaeffer was a man, but he was a man who has been used by God to reach countless others to help the understanding of the depravity of our sinful selves being saved purely by grace for the sake of the glory of God. Without a doubt, this book has had one of the most lasting and profound affects on my life.

The Lord has used this book to revive me two separate times. Schaeffer examines the Bible lived in post-modern society. He obviously put a lot of thinking and analysis into this book at his own time of "re-thinking" or personal crisis. This book was written at a time when he had to reconsider his whole position from square one. If we are honest about the intellectual struggles of living in this modern world we are likely to encounter difficulties and apparent contradictions. What bothered Schaeffer also bothers me--that what I see in the Bible I do not see in the lives of modern Christians.

What was especially useful to me recently was his discussion of the tenth commandment and thankfulness. Romans 1 tells us that the lack of thankfulness and acknowledging God as our creator is the root of all perversion. Schaeffer explains how Paul was seized by his own sinfulness when encountering "Thou shall not covet." If we are honest with ourselves we can see that this envy and covetousness is at the root of all sin. We are selfish and not content--not thankful. Yet when Paul confronts his sinfulness in this regard his reaction is correct. "Who will deliver me? Thanks be to God through the Lord Jesus Christ!" (Romans 7)

This is a thinking person's book. The more education you have had to endure the more you will benefit. I get more out of Schaeffer now than I did as a young man. This is a sensitive person's book. If you care and hurt about the way things ought to be, if you struggle with living a life pleasing to God, this book will comfort and encourage you.

This book is about faith and forgiveness and daily new starts. It is not about being justified by following a set of arbitrary rules, but going beyond those rules to live by faith. Schaeffer has helped me to meditate on the depths of my forgiveness and the complete renewal that is possible by faith at any moment.

The thread of Schaeffer's philosophy runs through the book as well. God is there in time-space history. We do not create God or our reality in any sense. He created us. We did not evolve. For the unbeliever reading this book, there will be a good deal of unwinding of presuppositions to understand. Modern religious people often use the same language, but mean something entirely different from a literal interpretation of the Bible and a Christ whose cross you might have got a splinter from if you were there to witness.

The book is also a challenge to live by faith continuously. You cannot live on yesterday's faith. You must daily bear the cross.
This is true spirituality.

What is the meaning and essence of true Biblical Christian spirituality? It was in wrestling with such basic questions that Theologian/Philosopher Dr. Francis Schaeffer developed the Biblical material that became focus of his lectures at L'Abri. Dr. Schaeffer describes "True Spirituality" as the written form of those L'Abri studies.

In "True Spirituality" Schaeffer expounds the meaning of Christ's finished work for Christian living in this life, and the freedom that truth brings to the believer in terms of substaintial personal healing and in substantial restoration of relationships with other people. Faith is not just a "once for all" experiance, but an on-going, moment by moment trusting in Christ and His Word. It is in Christ, and Him alone that we have a security and acceptence that is sure and firm. It is in that security and acceptence we can grow in love to Him, and give of ourselves in service to God and to others.

This book is not for someone looking for a quick "how to" formula, but for the patient and persistent reader, willing to expend the time and work, there is profit to be gained. I could only read one chapter at a setting, and then re-read that chapter several times before going on to the next.

It is one of those classic books that needs to be read every few years or so. In an uncertain world at an uncertain time, we as Christians do well to meditiate often on the ultimate security and acceptence we have in the Gospel of Chirst, instead of looking to the idols of this world; that is those things we consciencsly or un-consciencsly keep wanting to put in in our lives in that place only He can fill.

Francis' third book, written back in the mid-Sixties, though still a great read (curious reference to The Beatles is the only jarring reminder of its time), and a wonderful example of how quickly Francis picked up his new craft. If he was as fluent, smooth, and skillful jockey as he is writer he must, indeed, have been great. This book first introduces Sid Halley, one of Francis' two recurring heroes, the jockey-turned-detective with a damaged left hand. Halley has been drifting through life since his career-ending injury; a further injury (caused by a bullet) and the not so subtle intervention of his father-in-law bring a change to his attitude, a radically different outlook, and a desire to work effectively and properly at his new job. He is badly frightened, and physically damaged ~ two things Francis excells at writing, his fear, especially, is thoroughly convincing ~ but succeeds in both defeating the baddies and renewing his life.

I give ***** to the verson read by Ian McShane (avoid the other readers). I enjoyed McShane's read voice. Some actor/readers, try to act took much when they read - I mean males doing higher voices for females are such a pain. McShane give the right tone, a narrator and is it an enjoyed voice that carries you vividly into the world of ex-jockey Sid Halley. Injured in a riding accident, he now is a Enquiry agent/security expert that is looking into the strange accidents happening and Seabury Race Course.

Dick Francis' writing, quite naturally, is excellent, though it is McShane excellent narration that has me listening to this tape again and again. I have given it several times and gifts and recommended it to friends. All have thanked me for the enjoy listen.

What are your odds not to read the book Odds Against? And what are your odds to stop reading the thrilling pages when you are half way of the book? Finally, what are your odds to finish to book without putting it down? The answer is obvious, none. From a jockey to a private detective along with twisting events with twisting ending, there is no way of telling what will happen next. For those fans that enjoy mystery books, this is one of the books that you can't pass on. In this book, you will find how clever that Sid Halley (a former jockey champion) to end Kraye's (a businessman) plan of taking over Seabury Racecourse. Just make sure that you tell me one thing: What are the odds of Halley spoiling the plot of Kraye and his henchamen?

Francis Ray's, "Until Christmas" is a touching novella about a young woman who not only touched the heart of the high school principal, Ethan Rawlings, but Samantha also won the hearts of Ethan's twins, Alan and Alex. Samantha, aka "Sam," was hired as a combination housekeeper, babysitter temporarily, but only until Christmas. At least, that is what Ethan told the twins and Sam, as well as himself. However, it was much too late for all of them to abide by this decision. Each was starved for the other's affections and each had become too attached to give up. The twins, not only saw Sam as their housekeeper/babysitter, but they saw her as a friend. She could play ball and was not afraid of their dog. The twins' affection went deeper still. Although they were in contact with their grandmother, they were still minus a mother figure. Sam with her winning ways, not only because she was a good cook and let them help her in the kitchen, but because it was who she was, had become special to them and they wanted her with them full time. Not only had Sam become special to them and the twins had become special to Sam, but Sam had also affected the twins' dad. Ethan's feelings for Sam were more than that of an employer, more than that of a friend. Somehow, in that short time, Sam had imbedded herself into Ethan's heart. Was he willing to allow a new love interest into his life or was he still shadowed by the deceit and experience of his ex-wife and the deceased mother of his twins. Ethan thought he had a solution to the problem when he reluctantly agreed to keep Sam, "but only until Christmas." However, love does not have a set time to go away. Therefore, until Christmas, turned out to a lifetime of love for Sam, Ethan, Alan and Alex. "Until Christmas" was the best. Way to go, Ms. Ray.

"Kwanzaa Angel" was a sweet remembrance into the past with a chance to correct the future. Erin had been hurt in the past by Raimi, who had reentered her life. Would Erin give in to her feelings that never dissolved for Raimi and become involved in a new relationship or would she revert back into the past? "Kwanzaa Angel" was about the Kwanzaa celebration, but with a twist of love for Erin and Raimi. Good story.

"'Round Midnight" was about the New Year's celebration. I loved the story of Dr. Summer Lane, the psychologist who now has a job at the radio station as a counselor on the air. Her show airs around midnight. It is at the radio station where Summer meets Tre Holland, one of the bosses. Everyone thinks Summer is a snow or ice maiden because Summer stays to herself and does not socialize with the others. However, Tre is attracted to Summer and sets out to melt the snow. Summer also has feelings for Tre and wants the ice to melt from around her heart. However, after getting together, somewhere while the ice is melting another freeze comes along and the ice around Summer's heart becomes another block of ice. Summer and Tre suffer heartship and are temporarily separated. Tre sets out to recapture Summer's love and to permanently melt the ice. He knows a new year will be approaching and is determined to be in Summer's life when the new year begins. So, he sets out around midnight to make it happen. Will Tre succeed in his endeavor? Read "'Round Midnight" and see what the New Year has in store for Summer and Tre. Great story with just the right amount of heat.

Again my girl Ray out did herself with another great read! "Winter Nights" kept me up all night! I encourage everyone to go out and get a copy. They even have it in paperback now!

Winter Nights was a beautifully written book by three extremely talented authors. I really enjoyed reading the book. Ms Ray, Ms Hailstock, and Ms Hill are some of my favorite authors. They have brilliant writting styles that not just I enjoy! The novellas by the above authors are a must read. Much love to all three authors!

Reading this book has inspired me tremendously. I've
never believed an Eastern writer could cover so many
fields that actually are the interests of the western
people.
I believe the writer has done a great deal of reading
and research prior to and/or during his writing of
the book which he mentioned he had taken 4 years to
complete.
As for comments on what are all about in the X-Codes,
I have found most of them are already adddressed by
prior reviewers.

My only comment is that it's worth your money to read
this book.

The book covers a broad and dramatic contents of great interest to modern seekers of the truth. The cover is also very beautifully designed. But why is there a tear dropping down from an eye that looks out from the Cosmos? The fact that we are born imperfect into this world is already good enough reason to really cry in secret. Why are some people suffering while others are enjoying? Is God really fair to all humans? If not, what programs could HE use to ensure all are treated equally and fairly when each soul gains entrance to this world? Read this book and you will discover the answers too.

"Scientists have shown that forces emanating from extraterrestrial bodies, particularly the Sun and Moon, affect species on the Earth ranging from potatoes to man" says author, spiritualist and visionary Francis Hoy. In his brilliant new book, The X-Codes, the reader is treated to an exploration of who we are, and why!

Mr. Hoy intelligently discusses cosmic harmony...the influence of extraterrestrial bodies via four fundamental forces; gravitational, electromagnetic, weak nuclear and strong nuclear. We learn that these encode our genes, and therefore affect human nature and behaviors.

This reviewer believes that the insight and loving kindness found in The X-Codes are the result of Mr. Hoy's growth and ability to discern his true and higher Self...the mission we all have. Indeed, how to achieve it is the stated purpose of this provocative work.

The X-Codes delves into not only genetic coding, but also reconwaves (the emanations from the solar system), astrology, reincarnation...and physical death. We learn of the very real possibility that, as the Sun, Moon and Planets matured and thus did their emanations), so did we. Wouldn't this account for the disappearance of, say, dinosaurs?

The X-Codes is a splendid marriage of science and spirituality. Francis Hoy has given us a thoughtful and remarkable presentation that ranges from creation to demise...and an insight of the greater divine mission that follows.

This reviewer recommends The X-Codes to everyone with an astrological bent who is interested in the evolution of humankind, and the interplay of celestial forces that still direct our destinies!

Richard Fuller / Senior Editor Metaphysical Reviews

The book traces the life of one of most intrepid explorers of fin-de-siecle 19th century, Sir Francis Edward Younghusband (FEY).

FEY was a man of many talents : explorer, writer, athlete, spy, thinker and philosopher. Born to English parents in 'Imperial' India, FEY spent his early years at Dharamshala where he came under the influence of his maternal uncle Robert Shaw. Shaw was a keen adventurer and trekker himself which left a deep impact on the young FEY.

FEY started his career as an official of the British Empire and because of his treks to China (Gobi desert) and within India (Rohtang Pass) he became recognised as an explorer. At the turn of the century, Tibet remained one of the last uncontrolled regions in the 'Great Game' between Russia and Britain (for increasing their respective influences in the Asian region). Curzon, afraid of Russia's growing influence over Tibet (later proven unfounded), decided to send an 'expedition' to Lhasa headed by Younghusband. (Curzon and Younghusband were very good friends). The expedition was actually a military adventure to assert British influence over Tibet. In this most celebrated event of FEYs life, he along with British troops trekked from Sikkim to Lhasa and signed the Treaty of Lhasa which was responsible for Tibet coming under British influence (till the Chinese took it over much later on).

In the post-1904 phase of his life FEY tried, unsuccessfully, to enter politics. However, this physically-resilient explorer turned into a philosopher after he had a near-fatal accident in Belgium. He also led the 'probably' unsuccessful attempts over Mt. Everest in the early-1920s ('probably' because till date the mystery over whether George Mallory did reach the summit in 1924 before perishing to his death remains unresolved).

The author also discusses in detail FEYs relationship with his wife Helen and daughter Eileen. PF also uncovers an affair FEY had in the twilight of his life with Lady Madeline Lees.

The book is also interspersed with details of how the author, Patrick French retraces Younghusband's steps. In true 'living in his shoes' style, the author traces the travels / exploits of FEY. PF travels to Dharamshala, China, Gobi Desert and Sikkim to get a feel of Younghusband's travels. The research done by French on events of more than hundred years ago is commendable and extremely detailed. He even details the number (67) and type of shirts FEY took with him on his 1904 expedition !

Patrick French has also recently written 'Liberty or Death' which is a lucid and well-researched account of the Indian Freedom struggle.

This book is an excellent achievement by a young British writer. Patrick French has meticulously researched all aspects of the life of this enigmatic 'empire builder'.

In the earlier stages of his life Francis Younghusband was desparately trying to gain fame and get his name into the annals of British imperialism. In a way time was running out, for the era of great explorations was coming to an end. Therefore the young officer set his eyes on the last frontier: Central Asia.

Very soon Younghusband was caught up in the hike-stake 'Great Game': the competition between Britain and Russia for control over the enormous expanses of inner Asia. Both states considered this region as vital for its strategic interests. The British feared that control of Turkestan and Tibet would bring the Russians too close to the mountain ranges separating India from the rest of Asia. The Russians in turn considered the steppes and deserts of Central Asia as a buffer zone between its Far Eastern territories and British-ruled South Asia.

Younghusband's travel experiences through the Himalayas, Karakorum, Hindu Kush and Pamir mountains would turn out to be essential for the formation of his later-day personality and activities. By temperament Younghusband fits into that strange category of the late Victorian soldier-adventurer with a spiritual bend. Just like General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon and T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia), he paired a love for action with unmistakable spiritual inclinations.

After his military and administrative career in the British India service had come to an end, Francis Younghusband started a new mission in life. He became involved in a myriad of organizations concerned with inter-religious dialogue and the pursuit of world peace. Although, along the lines, he maintained a vivid interest in all 'things Asian' and was deeply involved with the first Mount Everest Expeditions.

French has been extremely thorough in investigating this second career of Francis Younghusband, pursuing all kinds of vague leads and intent on turning over the last stone. Patiently sifting through years of correspondence and personal journals, he pieces together a very detailed picture of Younghusband's later life and relationships with the people around him.

French's five year involvement with the life of Francs Younghusband was nothing short of an obsession, with the writer being determined to get into the head of his subject. The result is one of the best and most entertaining biographies I have ever read.

Patrick French's biography of Francis Younghusband - 'the last great imperial adventurer' - is beautifully written, insightful and above all humane. I say humane because at first glance Younghusband could easily be ridiculed - in his youth for a reckless jingoism that cost lives and embarrassed the British government, and in his later years for a brand of religious mysticism that was, well, bordering on insane. It is a tribute to French's understanding of his subject that he digs beneath these criticisms to bring us a deeply satisfying portrait of a surprisingly complex man.

Frank Younghusband's most pressing claim on history was that he led the British expedition into Tibet in 1904 - even at the time seen as being based on a flimsy pretext of stopping Russia from gaining control of central Asia. Some 2000 Tibetans were killed as the British force made its way into Lhasa. Younghusband forced a treaty on the 13th Dalai Lama pledging loyalty to the British empire. The Government in London found this deeply embarrassing and almost immediately repudiated the treaty. Younghusband himself was convinced of the threat Russia presented to British interests in India and central Asia.

But while the expedition created popularity and profile in England, it finished any chances of a senior career with the civil service. Younghusband served in India in a number of middle-ranking posts and wrote books about Tibet and his earlier exploits as an explorer in central Asia. In 1906 he played a bit part in the Jamison raid in South Africa - in the pay of The Times. Most importantly Younghusband thought about spirituality. Literally following a mountain top revelation in Tibet, he increasingly devoted his life to promoting a form of all-embracing spirituality which led in its silliest form to speculations about aliens living on a planet called Altair. His later years were devoted to boosting this form of spirituality by establishing popular movements in England, lecturing widely including in the US, running the Royal Geographic Society and supporting Indian independence.

All of which one could easily ridicule. But French brings life to his subject and a subtlety of understanding which makes the book absolutely engrossing. One reason is that Younghusband was a prolific letter writer - the India Office Library contains 600 "bulging" boxes containing his papers. Through these we see into the private mental world of Francis - his arid and rather sad marriage to Helen, and the relationship in his very last years with Madeline Lees - truly the love of his life. These insights allow French to paint a much deeper and satisfying portrayal of a complex man - a person of his time and place but also a complete iconoclast, some one who pushed against the establishment for most of his life. Remarkably, this is Patrick French's first book, written in his mid-twenties. He is a natural, a gifted writer with a fine sense of judgement. No sentence rings out of tune in the whole book. In short Younghusband is worth every one of its five stars. If the publishers have any sense they will issue a reprint soon. If not, readers should do everything they can to somehow find a copy of this wonderful biography.

This isn't a book for couch potatoes. It contains no tales of derring-do ("Erik dropped out of the sky upon the unsuspecting Zero") and it could do you an injury if you dozed off.

Rather, it presents the best collection of facts, figures, drawings, photos, and anecdotes about U.S. World War II fighters that I have ever seen, and a whole lot more. For openers, Dean sketches American fighters of the 1920s and 1930s, along with the planes that might have fought in World War II but didn't make the grade, often because they were too goofy to be believed. He also talks about the elements that enable a fighter to fight, including a wonderfully lucid explanation of aircraft stability.

The main text is given over to the 11 planes that actually went to war, including the Brewster F2A Buffalo (509 delivered, mostly to desperate foreigners) and the humungous Northrop P-61 Black Widow (706 delivered, late in the war). Any kid with a yen for model airplanes or Combat Simulator can name the rest: the shark-faced Curtiss P-40, the rotund Grumman F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat, the burly Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, the incomparable North American P-51 Mustang. . . . From 1939 to 1945, U.S. manufacturers built 100,090 combat-worthy fighters. "Today," Dean notes, "no one could pay for that number even if they were desired."

In the Schiffer tradition, photograph is piled upon drawing, table upon graph--74 for the Brewster Buffalo alone, which U.S. pilots flew in just one engagement, defending Midway on June 4, 1942. The drawings are generally taken from pilot's manuals and the like, giving a pleasantly retro look to the pages.

Among such wonders, I was disappointed to find countless errors of spelling and punctuation, notably "Kittihawk" for the British Kittyhawk version of the big-jawed P-40. Never mind! Just as nobody will ever build so many fighters again, nobody is likely to attempt another such labor of love, so we'll have to be content with this one.

There are a few books that the World War Two aviation enthusiast absolutely must have in their collection. America's One Hundred Thousand is certainly one of those books. Any compilation of WWII works would be the lesser for not including this monumental volume. Having offered up this rather strong statement, I can assure the reader that Dean's book measures up to this standard of approbation.

To this writer's knowledge, no other book produced comes close to America's 100k in depth nor in scope. Dean presents the major American fighter types with the goal of defining every aspect of the aircraft's history, design, construction and performance. In his quest, the author has been successful in the extreme.

Mr. Dean covers the following types: The Air Corps' P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51, P-61 and P-63. For the Navy and Marine Corps, Dean presents the F2A, F4F, F4U and the F6F.

From the title page on, America's 100k displays the finest period photography available. Much of these wonderful images come from Mr. Dean's extensive personal collection. In addition, Dean has enlisted Pete Bowers and his huge library of photos and negatives. If the book was no more than a photographic history, it would worth every penny. However, there is much more here than the outstanding photography.

There are hundreds of charts, stats and manufacturer's drawings. Each system and sub-system of the eleven featured fighters are described in great detail. As are the individual flying qualities, design and construction of each type. Yet, Dean does not stop here. His accompanying text is rich with details and a wealth of data. Virtually every one of the 606 pages is jammed with the kind of information that most aviation enthusiasts tend to drool over.

In terms of design and layout, the book is impeccable. America's 100k is structured in a manner that allows for easy reading and research. Paper quality is first rate and typical of Schiffer's recent top-notch efforts. The binding is excellent and the dust jacket is remarkably attractive as one can see above. Indeed, this may very well be the best investment you will ever make in an aviation book.

Corey C. Jordan, Editor The Planes and Pilots of WWII Internet Magazine

Thank you Mr.Dean for this magnificent book.There's b&w pictures and the drawings are great ! I recommend this book for those who loves WWII american fighters such modelers or historians.I regard this book as a treasure in my WWII collection.

In the boom economy of today, with a bust probably around the corner, Fitzgerald's stories of American dreams, aspirations to riches and ultimate human frailty have a renewed relevance and poignancy. This collection is worth getting if only for 'The Ice Palace' and 'Babylon Revisited'. Also great reading is 'The Rich Boy', 'The Freshest Boy', and 'Crazy Sunday'. Other stories in this collection are 'May Day', 'The Diamond Big as the Ritz', 'Winter Dreams', 'Absolution', and 'The Long Way Out'.

I bought this volume of stories simply to get a copy of Fitzgerald's "May Day" which I'd read in one of my college texts and then could not find for years. I have always felt that "May Day" would make a superb film--and the screenwriter could lift most of the dialogue right out of the story. It is that good and simple and dramatic. Actually every one of the stories in this collection is first rate. Here is Fitzgerald, only in his 20's, writing of American aspirations before, during and after World War I. And no one wrote about this subject better than he did. The characters are rich and complex, all of them dissatisfied with the bones that life has thrown them, all of them desiring what others have. The reader sees their foibles and loves them anyway. These are not perfect people. They are real people in a time of trouble--fighting, most of them, simply to stay afloat in a world changing faster than anyone would have thought possible. I cannot recommend these brilliant stories highly enough. There is also a brief life and appreciation of Fitzgerald in this lovely Scribner edition.

I've just started on this book and already the stories I've read so far I have to rate as among the best short stories I have ever read. "Winter Dreams" was just exquisitely gorgeous, "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" is a fantasy of astonishing invention, and "May Day" really opened my eyes to the unlimited terrain the short format offers. Fitzgerald is a genius--his ability to evoke imagery and illusion is absolutely breathtaking!