This is such a wonderful tribute to the thirty-three actors, directors, and writers who make up the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Most of it is all full-page pictures of every ensemble member. The pictures are all black and white and done in a sort of avant-garde style that reflects the spirit that the theatre company has conveyed for the past 25 years. The ones of John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, and Moira Harris are particularly good. In addition to the pictures, the book also contains a history of the company, telling how it was formed by Jeff Perry, Gary Sinise, and Terry Kinney in 1974 in Highland Park, IL, and leading up to the company receiving the National Medal of Arts in 1998. There are also insightful and thoroughly entertaining short essays written by outsiders who have worked with the company over the years, including Sam Shepard and Terry Johnson. In the back of the book, there is a complete list of all the shows that Steppenwolf has presented, plus the credits of all the individual members. This is a magnificent book and I highly recommend it.

This book is a must-buy for theater-lovers and photography fans alike. Skrebneski's portraits of the 33-ensemble members (which include John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Laurie Metcalf, Joan Allen, and John Mahoney) are absolutely beautiful. The essays in this coffee-table book reflect the essence of this "rock n'roll" theater. I recommend this book as a holiday gift to every theater-lover on your list!

Lotterhand's book is one of a handful of "essentials" for anyone wishing to unlock the meaning behind the Keys of the Major Arcana. The question-and-answer format gives one the feeling of sitting in on Jason's Thursday-night classes -- and such answers! While he made no claims to "definitiveness," I was impressed with Lotterhand's insights to some remarkably difficult queries; those answers are mind-opening, and yet non-threatening and absolutely not spooky-kooky. This down-to-earth style is deceptively easy on a reader. Jason is adept at taking difficult concepts and presenting them simply, often summarizing with a brilliant and memorable turn of words. I especially appreciate the humor and warmth of the text. A fine first book for Tarot beginners, which will continue to yield bounteous treasure for even the most advanced student.

Arisa Victor had the presence of mind to record Jason C. Lotterhand's weekly lectures on the wisdom of the Major Arcana and publish them as The "Thursday Night Tarot." In this book Lotterhand uses the Cabala, eastern mystic traditions, down-to-earth practical observation, common sense and humor to illuminate the tarot and to set his students on their journey of discovery.A delightful read. I'm sorry I wasn't one of his students. This book is one that will be treasured by any serious student of the Tarot. Each time I pick it up, I discover yet another pearl of wisdom. What I want to know is if the Builders of the Adytum, the mystery school of the Sacred Tarot and Holy Qabalah founded by Dr. Paul Foster Case is still in existence? Anybody know?

so thrilling it is unbelieveabl

I first read this book back in 1973. It was originally published the year I was born. That said---I'm getting down to the heart of the matter. Tom Swift goes to Central America. His purpose is to solve the mystery of the Maya. He has the help of his friends, Bud Barclay and Chow Winkler, and various supporting characters. The problem is that at every turn he's thwarted by enemies. They sabotage his equipment for looking at a rock that has sacred writing on it. The machine that's deliberately sabotaged is called a retroscope. One of Tom Swift's many inventions. They meet a pro wrestler named Big Frenchy. Big Frenchy helps them escape from their enemies once. The second time, however, they're almost killed by a hand grenade thrown by one of the archaeologists. They happen to be foreign spies. Each Tom Swift book is a set up for the next. That's how the series has remained so popular since the 1930s.

Until now, the most read accounts of events in Haiti from the election of Francois Duvalier in 1957 until the tragic events of April 1963 were Diederich's and Burt's, "Papa Doc: Haiti and Its Dictator", and the Heinls' comprehensive 785 page history of Haiti, "Written in Blood". The former barely covered the military advisory missions, while the latter could afford just a few pages to this era.

No matter, because Colonel Charles T. Williamson's "The U.S. Naval Mission To Haiti 1959-1963" is now without doubt the definitive record of that episode in U.S and Haitian history.

Colonel Williamson has masterfully researched, organized and presented a story of foreign policy that started with good intentions, gung ho American military advisors. and Haitian armed forces (FAdH) officers eager for military assistance, all of which soon turned into disastrous foreign policy, disenchanted American advisors, and young Haitian officers and soldiers and their families fighting for their very lives. The author makes clear that the times were challenging, exciting, sometimes dangerous for Americans in Haiti and, sadly, always dangerous, often tragic for the Haitians.

What started as a concise monograph that might serve as an "official history" of the U.S. Naval Mission To Haiti grew rapidly as the author sifted through national archives, daily reports, contingency plans, and old military records. All the while he searched for Haitian and American friends and acquaintances of four decades ago to rekindle memories of their experiences and perceptions of the period. The book is an interesting, easy-reading chronological narrative, punctuated with anecdotal material about events and people, both Haitian and American. Williamson lists every member that served in the naval mission, even noting what a few are doing now. He presents his own incisive analyses of the U.S. foreign policy for Haiti, (especially shortcomings), the successes and frustrations of the American advisors and many of their FAdH counterparts, and the motives and intentions of Papa Doc and others. The author's commentary continually emphasizes the never-ending plight of the Haitian people.

Admittedly, it is very easy to be biased toward a book that accurately, interestingly, and minutely recounts a part of history that one has lived through. The plain fact is that Colonel Williamson has given us a great read. Graham Greene would have liked it.

Now retired Marine Corps Colonel Williamson was a young officer when he first went to Haiti in 1958. One of the few still alive who took part in the ill-fated effort to professionalize the Haitian "Army", which was what Papa Doc Duvalier asked the U.S. to do, he is uniquely qualified to chronicle the events of a group of Marines trying to carry out their orders in a byzantine situation.

The US Naval Mission, begun with such high hopes, gradually came face to face with the reality that Duvalier's motives in asking the US to his country were anything but simple, and that a professional, well trained corps of officers and soldiers was the last thing he wanted.

As the US Mission labored to do what it had been sent to do, Duvalier, like Penelope at her loom, seemed determined to counteract every US action, cashiering the most promising officers, allowing graft, killing when he deemed necessary.

While encountering resistance from Duvalier, the Marines were also charged by Haitians opposed to Duvalier with being midwives to the birth of the feared Haitian secret police - the "Ton Ton Makouts". Drawing on many heretofore classified documents, Williamson chronicles in great detail the frustrations encountered by a highly motivated group of professionals who came to love Haiti even as their eyes were opened to the havoc wrought upon it by its Machiavellian Dictator.

This is a fantastic book! It covers alot of the early formative years, and is worth getting just for that.

I do think that it starts to lose its depth when it comes to the later years, their last two studio albums (which are highly under-rated in comparison to the first two experimental albums). But what this book covers concerning the formation and first two albums is an excellent piece of rock n roll history! Highly Recommended!

An intelligent and entertaining approach to one of the most influential (read: they didn't sell a lot of records in their heyday)rock bands ever. Great pix too. The Velvets epitomized a time when artists didn't feel narrowly compelled to practise any ONE discipline, but rather people were less afraid to combine ideas, cross genres and disciplines. The spirit of the time, to me, suggests Possibility. Yes, Warhol et al. could drift into pretention, but that's the price (and it's really not such a costly one) you pay for being daring. You may go too far sometimes, and by today's (stupid?) standards, perhaps some of the VU "happenings" might appear contrived. But I don't think so! Altogether, VU rules. Way ahead of their time, and before it too. And beside it.

Buy this book, but more importantly, buy into the Underground.

Remember that great movies from the 80's? Well, Victor/Victoria is back! With new songs added and Julie Andrews in the lead again the CD can't miss. However, the vocal score can impress by giving a great splash of the songs. A little bit of everything- but a lot of fun!

I think this book is wonderful, as far as vocal selections go. Every song brings back memories of the Broadway production and movie "Victor/Victoria", both with Dame Julie Andrews. My personal favorite, "Crazy World", can still bring a tear to my eye. It's worth buying-it'll bring much enjoyment. And many fond mem'ries.

About once every five years I come across a book by a small, relatively unknown publisher and author that lights up my lights and assures me that literature with a capital "L" is still alive in the U.S. This is one of those books. A wonderful story, characters that seem to have taken up a home in my own psyche, and information about music and the construction of musical instruments that I didn't even dream existed. It's a story that you can settle in to and feel immersed in a world very different from our own--not your run of the mill commercial fare offered by New York mainstream publishers. This book has meat--and delight. Hope we see a lot more from Victor Walter.
~~Hal Zina Bennett, Author

I read this book with great enjoyment. I found it lyrical, well-plotted, and suspenseful. I followed the story of the instrument and its owners eagerly. I recommend this book highly.

The author uses his concrete experience as a farmer in the San Fernando Valley to develop a fine point about the "low intensity" character of Classical Greek warfare. He argues that, the Greek city-states waging warfare through part-time citzen militias, the war strategy of all Greek polities centered on the idea of forcing a pitched battle in order not to keep citzens away too long for harvesting at home. The means used to force such a battle being to disturb the enemy's harvest, which, however, given the low technology tools avaliable and the resilience of the crop-species - specially olive trees - could never amount to permanent damage. Therefore the general low-intensity, boarding game character of much of Classical Greek military history. A fine argued, important book, specially for the firm grasp of the concrete realities at play.

Warfare and Agriculture is a scholarly, yet very readable, analysis of the effects of war on agriculture and rural life in classical Greece. Drawing heavily on contemporary sources, Hanson clearly illustrates the inextricable connection between war and agriculture in the Greek world. With the notable exception of Sparta, Greek infantrymen typically were farmers themselves who were often torn between their role as ravagers of agriculture in enemy territory, and the need to tend to their own crops.

Hanson's main premise is that many previous analyses of agricultural devastation in classical Greece have overstated the severity of its effects. He points out the ravaging was usually a means to incite battle with enemy infantry rather than an end in itself, and argues convincingly that the ravaging often associated with the seasonal cycle of warfare, while certainly contributing to hardship among the invaded population, was far from complete and had relatively short-term effects. Drawing on his first-hand experience as a farmer, Hanson illustrates some of the practical difficulties with destroying the olive trees, vines, and grains that formed the staples of Greek agriculture. In the course of his analysis, he brings to life the Greek countryside and its relationship to the urban center of the polis.

Although Warfare and Agriculture will be of interest to any reader interested in the classical world, it is probably of greatest interest to readers with some familiarity with Greek history. The extensive references to contemporary and modern sources, including many recent sources cited in the Updated Commentary to this revised edition, guide the interested reader to a wealth of additional information on the subject.

W.A.S.P. Works by Patricia Ladew is a stinging (pun intended)review of life in 20th Century US. The targets are good ones (Nixon, eating habits of the elite class, living in cities vs. country, children and their habits, and others)and the treatments are funny and reflective of a somewhat jaudniced view of the times. The essays remind me of the musings of a particularly intelligent participant in the follies associated with trying to make sense of the world around us. Highly recommended.

This collection of essays is nifty. Each and every piece
reflects author Ladew's clearly fine intelligence. Set your
reading odometer to 100 m.p.h. so you don't miss the trenchant
observations and perceptions that whiz by you on every page.
Skewering the pretentious and pouncing on the ridiculous, she
covers a lot of territory with her unblinking and ever-truthful
eye. Her pen is her scalpel, but, always, there is an underlying
humanity. A great read!

a VERY good book.gives a good insight into the family,the trial,and various people involved.i actually felt like i was at the trial.loads of interesting details.a must for true crime or family buffs.well worth searching for

Exceptional exposition of the Manson family murders with insightful excerpts of trial records. Along the way, the author divulges Manson's international conspiracy to foil the 1969 moon landing and infiltrate NASA with his clones. Mr. Bishop's book is the only one that relates the story of Susan Atkins attempting to impersonate Pat Nixon and sever diplomatic relations with West Germany. A must read for all conspiracy buffs!!!!!