'The Crafts of Malaysia' is a brilliantly written and illustrated book. The pictures are great and clear. I am very interested in the Malaysian arts, cultures and their handicrafts. It is very difficult to find a book which is so comprehensive and detail. The illustration on 'Earth' is very informative and technical and it suits me very much. I specially like the explanation on Pua kumbu (Textile) by Vernon Art Kedit. It is brilliantly written.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about Malaysian crafts and its history. This is a great book.

Bersani scrutinizes the tradition in Western literature of solidifying ego in order to create literary territory within the framework of the fictional text. He presents several examples of works that subvert this tendency and opens up a new psychological approach to the study of lit.

"Dan Stuart's Fistic Carnival" appears to be a slight history of a long-forgotten boxing match at first glance, but Leo N. Miletich has undercovered the real significance of this event. The heavyweight Championship fight that gambler and "sport" Dan Stuart tried to bring about set off reactions that reverberated from state capitols to the Capitol Hill. These events occurred in 1894, at the height of the Gilded Age and the beginning of a great progressive movement in America. Dan Stuart of Dallas, TX promised he would set up a series of boxing matches which would bring revenue to Dallas and the chance for some serious wagering. Stuart unwittingly stirred up a political and religious hornet's nest as his attempts to stage the match were thwarted in Dallas, El Paso, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. In fact state and national political leaders took unprecedented action and haste in drafting and passing legislation to prevent the "fistic carnival" from taking place. Then, as now, many people considered prize fighting immoral, and judged the crowds that such a spectacle attracted as the dregs of society. However, Stuart was just as determined as his opponents and he was going to keep his word at all costs. The story that follows mirrors today's events: some people still protest boxing and deride its followers; boxers still do their best fighting in the press with their mouths and demand hugh sums of money; and it's still foolish to try to draft moral legislation for a vocal minority. The actions taken by the governor of Texas left many contemporary observors shaking their heads and wondering if that's all the governor of the largest state at that time had to worry about. Unfortunately, the same things still occur today. Stuart, the self-professed sport and gambler, comes out of all this as a decent guy who promised a big fight, and who means to keep his promise without ending up in jail or dead. How he does it is the basis of some of the most fun reading I've had in years. In the long run, this story isn't really about boxing, but about how fruitless it is to try to legislate an issue that's morally unpopular with some, but treated favorably, at worst indifferently, by the majority. Miletich deserves special praise for his abiltiy to tell this story in a fresh manner, liberally using contemporary newspaper accounts and editorials. Highly recommended.

Good book Leo. Hard to put it down. Good reading as a single book but don't let it stop with "Deadly Choices". My imagination is already running away as I look forward to the sequel. Question: What does Leo know that we the readers don't?

why were not all of nestor burma's cases translated to english???????

Although relatively unknown these days, Der schwedische Reiter was in its time a very popular novel. As an author, Leo Perutz enjoyed a successful career, however, in the latter half of the 20th century, his books have become increasingly difficult to find.
In Der schwedische Reiter, Perutz employs the often used plot of switched identity - a common enough premise. However, it is Perutz' ability to fill out his story beyond this primary mechanism that makes it so memorable.
The book is easy to read and could have teetered over to pulp fiction, but it's dark edge and sometimes draining emotionalism make it one of German literature's most under-valued works.

Leo Nomis was one of the many non-Jewish volunteer pilots that flocked to Israel to fight off the combined might of five Arab nations in the air during the 1948 War for Israeli Independence. Many of those pilots were W.W.II aces and came from many different countries and parts of the world. These pilots and other non-Israeli volunteers are now known as Mahalniks and are highly honored in Israel. This is the courageous story of one such Mahalnik.

Brian Cull, a well-known military aviation author, coauthored "The Desert Hawks" using Leo Nomis' journal as well as many oral interviews and consultation with Mr. Nomis.

With most of the material being from Mr. Nomis' journal, the book reads like a diary from the times, a sort of snapshot in time of the craziness and desperation that went on in 1948 Israel. The majority of the text flows very well, but for the less patient, some of the details may be a bit much. I enjoyed the details and, even more so, because this book is a primary research source. Many of the other histories of the 1948 Israeli Air Force have many less details (and in some cases much less accuracy) than "The Desert Hawks." In particular this book highly benefits from Brian Cull's editing who has filled in many of the blanks that were unknown at the time Mr. Nomis wrote his journal (such as the identity of the Italian-built fighter planes that Egypt used in the war's later stages). Perhaps, one of my greatest delights came from the photo insert, which has all of the photos fully labeled (many of which have appeared in other histories of the Israel Air Force). I have seen some of the photos in many other books about the Israel Air Force, but never with the men named in the photos. The book is also adorned with several useful maps, quite a few charts researching the early IDF/AF aircraft, and some other interesting appendices.

The book's full title is: "The Desert Hawks - An American Volunteer Fighter Pilot's Story of Israel's War of Independence, 1948." The title of the book comes from the name that Arab ground forces had for the early Messerschmitt 109G (called the Avia S199 by the Czechs) fighters that Israel first operated. Out of fear and awe, they called these early fighters "The Desert Hawks."

I highly recommend this wonderful primary resource about the history of the 1948 Israel Air Force.

I also recommend several of Brian Cull's other titles including "Spitfires Over Israel" and "Wings Over Suez."

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

In Diamonds Famous & Fatal: The History, Mystery & Lore Of The World's Most Precious Gem, Leo Kendall shares his fascination for the ways in which diamonds have influenced the history of the world. All the major diamond finds of the centuries are chronicled, examined, and described. A wealth of anecdotal and historical stories of outstanding diamonds are dramatically recounted and range from the Koh-i-Noor (dating back to at least 1526 and which affected the course of the Mogul Empire and finally ending up a part of the British Crown Jewels) to Henry VIII's diamond collar, the collection of Louis XVI, the Romanov gems, and more. Here also are the stories of such luminaries in diamond history as Cecil Rhodes and such diamond mines as the DeBeers. If you have an interest in the history, legend and lore of diamonds, the give a careful reading to Leo Kendall's Diamonds Famous & Fatal!

Maybe this is not the book for the serious ballet student - they ought to know all this already - and shame if they do not. But for the ballet fan, the regular theater goer, who is curious - what is this fantastic leap called... and those weird turns. Here are the explanations and handsome drawings, a truly enjoyable volume.

Most often some of the most influential men in politics are ignored. This book on David L. Lawrence shows how important the man was to changing the way Pittsburgh and cities did businesses. Kudos to Mr. Weber on this biography of one of the finest mayors of the 20th century.