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!!!!!

This is a great collection of science fiction stories: Asimov's Science Fiction is the best science fiction magazine, and Analog is unequaled for those who like the hard variety of this genre. If you want to experience contemporary science fiction, you should defenitely buy this collection.

This is the definitive account of the longest trial in American legal history wherein four persons: Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, were sentenced to death for the murders of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski, Stephen Parent, Leno La Bianca and Rosemary La Bianca. The crimes, collectively known as the Tate/La Bianca murders took place in Los Angeles in August 1969. Vincent Bugliosi's work is both focussed and orderly and he scores highly in bringing a convoluted and at times incompetent enquiry to the reader in a totally believable account. Stretching to 664 pages, some might consider the work too long winded but the story certainly licks along at a good pace. The lion's share of the time is given over to a day by day, blow by blow account detailing the court proceedings. These accounts are so good that in places you can believe yourself to be in the public gallery and can feel the tension and horror as this macabre tale unfolds.
The crimes, which rocked America in the late 60's and early 70's, are truly horrific. Bugliosi does not shy away from revealing the cold, callous and detached nature of each defendant; none of whom show the slightest remorse for their barbaric actions. Neither too are we sheltered from the abundant stabbings, shootings, hangings, and mutilations. There are ample official statements, legal examinations, cross-examinations and personal conversations to satisfy even the most curious. The reader's inclusion 'in the court' so to speak, might for some readers prove too much, but by a combination of thoroughness, attention to detail and style the author takes us into the bizarre world of Charles Manson.
He is a 'wannabe' but unsuccessful musician, drug user and, for more than half of his life, a frequenter of numerous penitentiaries. He is the self-styled guru of 'The Family' where most of the members are young, impressionable runaways. Lost, lonely and anti-establishment they, by numerous avenues end up at Manson's door. Most are female, most claim to be in love with Manson, most claim he possesses special power or is the embodiment of Christ or Satan (terms Manson uses of himself). The late 60's mix of sex, free love and drugs are used to full effect and, more often than not, the girls are used to attract new recruits. In turn, through a dangerous cocktail of charisma, fear and violence, added to delusionary interpretations brought on by 'hidden' meaning in a number of the Beatles songs, Manson creates a dependency upon himself and his words. In short - he controls their thoughts, actions and lives. He, Manson, plays the pipe, they dance in time until they kill to order, but as Bugliosi shows they too are willing participants in this 'game'.
Crucial to the prosecution's case is the motive for the murders - Helter Skelter. Bugliosi shows that through his interpretation of the Beatles lyrics, his predisposition to violence, his anti-establishment and racism, Manson attempts to kick-start a race war in America. BR>If the book has a down side it would be that the real comparisons between Charles Manson and Adolf Hitler are pretty tenuous; Bugliosi's frequent portrayal of himself in the, 'I'm always right' camp when comparing himself to his opponents in defence counsel, gets a bit irritating and the use of aliases with some of the main players in the 'Family' can get confusing at times. That said, for any true crime buffs out there who like their reading material to be a real mix of the gruesome and the legal, this book is a must.
This review covers the 1974 paperback edition.

I recently saw members of the Manson "family" interviewed on television, and I have no doubt that the remorse displayed by Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel is real, and that they now see the reality of what Manson was and still is, but I also have no doubt that they owe society a great debt, and must stay in prison for the rest of their lives.

But Manson? Manson is a different story. I don't get scared easily, but because he remains so paranoid and because of his virulent psychopathology, he is a truly frightening individual, and "Helter Skelter" is the best assessment of his life, psyche, and crimes ever written.

"Helter Skelter" is a blow by blow account of the gruesome Tate/LaBianca murders written by the man who, as the prosecuting district attorney, had the disturbing job of being forced to immerse himself in this grisly case for over two years in order to convict the killers. As a result, no one knew, and indeed still knows, the intimate details of this story better than Vincent Bugliosi, and that is why there was no one better qualified to write this book. It is a compelling story which is almost too horrific to be true, but the blood, gore, and savagely mutilated corpses testify to the harrowing sadness of the reality that these crimes really did occur. Indeed, no horror movie could be as frightening, as gory,or as disturbing as the Manson murders, and this book paints a compelling and graphic portrait as to why the perpetrators of these crimes should never be paroled from prison.

-From the day I read of the bloody murders at Sharon Tate's residence, I wanted to understand what happened and WHY?.
--Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor of Charles Manson and 3 of the girls that were his followers, in one of the most controversial trials in the U.S. shows why he must be such a good prosecutor. He guides us through the crime scenes, describes the police investigation, and finally his own investigation when Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkle, Susan Atkins, and Leslie Van Houten were arrested, and preparing for trial.
Not only do we learn WHAT happened, but Bugliosi makes his famous search to uncover the complex motives that allowed this to happen: Charles Manson's mission to cause "Helter Skelter"
Bugliosi clearly lived and breathed this case day after day, and he recounts it so vividly, the reader is part of the invesigation.
-He also gives us valuable information on the trial process. How he struggles to get crucial evidence and testimony admitted, and show the jury beyond any doubt what happened.
He certainly convinced me beyond a reasonable doubt.
-The story is certainly still relevant. The murderers are still in jail, repeatedly requesting parole, we need to reread this book to know they should never be freed.

A decent read, but not something I would spend a lot of time trying to get a hold of.

Brings a different "light" to the Manson Family, though I suspect that it's not exactly 100% true.

If you're building a true crime library, add this to your Manson collection. If you're just looking for the Manson story stick with Helter Skelter.

I enjoyed this book much better than Helter Skelter because this book explained how the murders actually happened. Who died first etc. I felt Helter Skelter was left wanting in this area. I also liked the information about the family. I highly encourage others to read this book.

I'VE ALWAYS LIKED THIS BETTER THAN THE MORE POPULAR MANSON TOME,''HELTER SKELTER'' BECAUSE,FOR ONE THING,UNLIKE THAT BOOK,THE STORY HERE UNFOLDS CHRONOLOGICALLY.TRUTH IS INDEED STRANGER THAN FICTION,AND THIS BOOK PROVES IT.ED SANDERS ADEQUATELY CONVEYS THE HORROR OF THE MURDERS[OO-EE-OO],INVENTS A NEW WORD[''ACIDASSIN'',WHEN DESCRIBING SUSAN ATKINS KILLING SHARON TATE],PROVIDES POSSIBLE INFLUENCES ON MANSONS PHILOSOPHY,AND COVERS THE GARY HINMAN MURDER BY BOBBY BEAUSOLEIL BETTER THAN BUGLIOSI DID.READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THIS BOOK ENDS WITH THE TRIAL PHASE.........THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST TRUE CRIME BOOKS,AND THE ONLY REASON FOR IT BEING OUT OF PRINT WAS ITS BEING ECLIPSED BY THE OTHER BOOK MENTIONED ABOVE........DEFINITELY DESERVES A REPRINT.

After reading the book I am left with the view that here's another guy trying to cash in on the Manson name...I'm surprised that he stopped short on blaming the sinking of the Titanic on Charles Manson! A near drowing and a broken nose and the fingers start to point at Manson? The last section of the book is the regurgitated court transcripts of the parole hearings...at least we can read what Charles Manson had to say straight from the horses mouth!The rest of he book is too bizarre...

A well done project.I really liked the author,and liked the way his kind nature contrasted with that of evil man-sin.A must for those curious about this subject,it will be a good addition to your collection.plus the side story about a guy named pincushion is bizzare ,yet hilarious

I read Helter Skelter decades ago and watched the gripping television mini-series and was fascinated by both. Since then, no other Manson book has compared until this one. Taming The Beast takes off right where Helter Skelter ended without missing a beat and shows us what Manson has been doing since. Despite being in prison, his family remains alive after all these years and both he and they are just as frightening as ever. Great book!

The "handsome and gregarious" Mr. Watson hasn't lost his ability to pull the wool over a lot of people's eyes. Whether his drug is Charles Manson or God, this loser is still as self-serving as he was 35 years ago -- only now he has the nerve to suggest he's morally superior to the families of the victims, just because he's learned how to forgive himself. Susan Atkins manipulates people the same way. Thank God the parole board has more common sense than readers who believe this...

It was an outrage to learn the man responsible for brutally murdering an eight and a half month pregnant woman has been permitted to father four children of his own while he was behind bars! So much for our criminal justice system!

Watson gives us a chilling account of the murders, but his ability to discuss them in matter of fact gory detail, as if one were talking about the weather, is terrifying. How a man who committed such horrible crimes can live with himself is beyond me. He claims he is now a born again christian and God has forgiven him for his crimes, so if God can forgive him, he must forgive himself. He claims to have sympathy for the families of the victims, yet he continues to torment them by asking to be paroled every chance he gets. One wonders if he offered the victim's families any of the proceeds from this book. I doubt it.

I sincerely hope he is the changed man he now claims to be. However, his claim would be much more believeable if he honored the victims and their families by not asking for parole and accept the fact that a man who is capable of committing such heartless acts (christian or not) should never be allowed into a free society again. It would be nothing short of obscene for this man to be allowed to be free to enjoy spending time with his wife and children when it was his murderous hand that robbed so many others of their loved ones.

Tex Watson's book is wonderful because it tells the reader about his thinking at the time of the crimes. I wish he had told more about the other people he lived with in the family. His religious conversion is kind of indicative of his desire for something to worship. One wonders if God hadn't been presented to him,who or what would he have turned to to worship.. I in no way presume to know if he is really changed (I don't care)but it gives me a creepy feeling the way he and Susan Atkins seem to need something or someone to control their lives. What I'm trying to say is that Tex's need for Manson doesn't seem that different from his need for God. That is creepy.

After reading the un-abridged I found the ABRIDGED version a sham and a waste of good paper. Let get political correct and cut out the parts that show the cruilty of the Fedreal troops and just show The Mean Nasty Bad Southerns People supposely were. Cut out the the letters that showed the love and respect that was shown to the slaves and cut out the parts of the Northern Troops raiding and pillaging people homes or setting the houseing on fire with both whites and blacks in them just because the blacks did not want to leave there masters. Cut out the letters of Mother and Childrens crying because they have no food due to the Federal Troops taking it right off their tables or out of ther mouths. Cut out the letters showing druken Federal Troops raping and murdering Southern Women. NOW YOU HAVE THE ABRIDGED VERSION TO SHOW what just a few people want to be shown. Just leave the book a lone and let the letters tell the truith of what happen those terrible days during the war.

I read the ABRIDGED and wish I could get my money back!!!!

Book is composed of actual letters from family members in Georgia during the Prewar, during actual war and after the Civil War.
You get an actual account on how life was day to day, with very enjoyable and easy to read wording. Much more accruate history in this book, than is currently being taught in our schools.

This book shows better than any other the disruptive effect of the Civil War on the lives of real Southern people. In 1,300 letters between many family members, this magnificant book chronicles the Jones family of Liberty County, Georgia from 1854 until the late 1860s. We see the family's lives from day to day as war clouds gather, the son becomes Mayor of Savannah, the army is raised, Sherman's army arrives and pillages the plantation every day for a month, the family becomes destitute refugees from the chaos of war, the slaves become free workers, etc. We see into the minds and hearts of this good family, experience their births and deaths, joys and sorrows and fears, at the time of the nation's greatest political crisis.

In this novel, it is revealed that a young Columbo was one of the detectives who put Charles Manson behind bars. Now, he's back investigating the murder of a cheating wife and her lover. Her husband and his model lover were the murderers, who have cleverly framed one of his employees, a Manson girl once pregnant by Charles, with overwheliming evidence. As Columbo later comments, if they hadn't made so much evidence against her and left some work to do, they might have gotten away with it. Charles Manson himself appears in one chilling scene behind bars. Recomended to fans of Columbo, but a slight warning: Harrington added a few modern elements: sex (the pair are murdered in bed), language (seriously, it's a bit excessive!), and gore (described in detail the Manson murders and Khoury murders).

This book is not quite as good as "The Hoover Files" but it is definetely worth getting. For all of the Columbo fans, this is a worthwhile book to purchase. It first takes you all the way back to the Tate-LaBianca murders and then jumps to the present when an astoundingly simlilar murder occurs, or at least made to look that way. The Murderer in the story has a perfect framing operation. Since one of his workers was one of the original Manson girls(who was not tried in that case), everyone will undoubtably suspect her; that is, everybody but one certain leiutenint.

This book was extremely mesmerizing. It was THE most twisted and terrifying book I've ever read, fiction or non-fiction. As long as your not squeamish, you will love it.

While this is a fairly well written book anyone that has ever been connected to Manson, Manson's followers, or the Manson case has said there was no way that Charles Manson had ANYTHING to do with this book.

First of all, Manson, while speaking makes NO sense whatsoever.

Secondly, If anyone has ever seen Manson's written word, not only does it not make any sense, but it's not legible.

Third, The "frame" that the wording is in, does not sound like anything I have ever seen, read, or heard from Manson.

Fourth, Manson himself has denied having anything to do with this book since it was being written, through publication, through all the years since.

Some of the information in this book is factual, based upon trial transcripts, and conversations that are documented elsewhere. However the words that are attributed to Manson, in my opinion were the author's own words. Not a bad read, but not something I would recommend to someone looking for the 'truth'.

This book was by far the best book that I have ever read in my life. After having read Helter Skelter and other books about Manson I was amazed at how different Manson's view point was. It is so exciting to be able to get into the mind of Charles Manson and actually see his side of the story. Charles Manson is a very interesting person and this book really helps you to understand him.

"Now I ask you, is my charisma, my power, my love, or my madness drawing those people to me? Or is it an attraction caused by writers so obsessed with proving themselves to the public, they created a monster and fed a myth to establish their own names?" (225).This is probably the closest to the truth that you will come. This is Manson rambling for hours upon hours inside prison walls. The author, Nuel Emmons lets Manson loose, and barely puts in his own comments, and refuses to take sides. This is Manson's story, and although you have to ask yourself what's true, and what's bull, by the end you wil have a much better understanding and - not so much- a pity for him, but a clearer picture. Manson makes some sense in this book, and I'll be the first to point out that Manson himself ADMITS that he WAS nvolved in those senseless murders, but doesn't take full blame. Does he regret or feel sorry about it? You'll have to be the judge. But, you can also read between the lines here too. He felt a responsibility for those unwanted kids, because that's where he came from. True, he might have used that to his advantage, but again, you be the judge. I highly reccomend this book. I hate to say this, but we may have mistaken this man a bit. And that's not to say that I agree with those senseless murders!!!!But you will see the bitterness that was growing in Manson's heart through his travels through homosexual love flings, rape, being a bastard child, and living life on the run. Read this book, please, don't rely only on Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter." This is the real deal.

There's a thick air of unease about this book: about the people who put it together, the people who might want to read it, and then, of course, there's Charlie.
The editor claims the objectivity of the historian: "In this volume you will find for the first time the authentic voice of the media's favourite villain.., a portrait of Manson - the man and the ism - rescued from the caricatures drawn by the ever-churning Establishment information mill".
So: in the first part of the book what you get is: Philosophy ("pagan" says the editor); Testimony (as given by Charlie in court); Music; Art; Selected Writings (stories & assorted rants) and Poetry (like the lyrics but more so); all of which is by Charlie himself.
Alas, perhaps it is no surprise to find out that Manson's "authentic voice" is greatly predictable. There are a few themes only, and he lays them on with a trowel. The Establishment (or "straight society" as it used to be called) comes in for some sharp words:

"You eat meat with your teeth and you kill things that are better than you are, and in the same respect you say how bad and even killers your children are. You make your children what they are. I am just a reflection of every one of you."
He repeats over and again that society's standards have no relevance to him:
"I don't think in goods or bads, just ISs. What it is - not what I was, want or hope - Wherever life is, it is, and bad and good got nothing to do with it."
Right and wrong do not exist, and according to this egoless man, neither does time: "The truth is now, the truth is right here; the truth is this minute, and this minute we exist. Yesterday - you cannot prove yesterday happened today. It would take you all day and then it would be tomorrow" - which is a useful
way of dismissing courtroom "facts" and denyingresponsibility
for past action.
He is fond of insisting that his ideas have been formed by the very system he now rejects : "My father is the jailhouse. My father is your system" : which means that whatever society thinks he's guilty of is what society taught him to do. They make him do these things, then they nail him to the wall for it. It's a tough break, and all the way down the line, Charlie sees himself as The Scapegoat:
"You look for something to project it on and you pick a little old scroungy nobody who eats out of a garbage can, that nobody wants, that was kicked out of the penitentiary, that has been dragged through every hellhole you can think of, and you drag him up and you put him in a courtroom."
It's very notable that in all these maunderings the subject of the Tate/La Bianca murders is never directly addressed. He plays around the edges, but he never comes clean, truth-teller that he is. Me, I thought that Charlie thought that offing pigs was a far-out thing to do, but if so he diplomatically keeps it to himself. But he's not loath to unburden himself of some fairly controversial opinions, however. For example, on the sub-ject of feminism:
"You have lost sight of God. You sing your songs to a woman. You put woman in front of man. Woman is not God. Woman is but a reflection of her man"
On modern multicultural society:
"Anybody in my family is a white human being, because my family is of the white family. There is the black family, a yellow fam-ily, the red family, a cow family and a mule family."
And so, it follows that we find Charlie fascinated by the Nazis:
"I don't believe the Nazis will come back in SS hats and boots; they will probably be people living in peace and harmony"
Part two of "The Manson File" concentrates on writings about Charlie, from two main sources: James N. Mason, leader of The Universal Order, a splinter from the American Nazi Party,
for one, and for the other, Red and Blue, which are the mystical names of Sandra Good and Squeaky Fromme, two of Manson's original Family, and the two remaining hardliners, the others having "drifted apart or taken on the guise of repentant Christians" as the editor says. Ail of these characters are just as out to lunch as Charlie. The Nazis drivel about Charlie being "the MOST American, personally gifted, selfless, fearless" &c &c. The women emphasise Manson's ecological concerns, which are expressed by the formula ATWA : Air, Trees, Water, Animals. Throughout this book we have various cartoons and illustrations which seek to portray Manson as a Christ figure, unequivocally, unarguably. And finally this is where the ambivalence of this book topples over from objectivity to endorsement. Charlie is being described in the terms used by the Shangri-Las in their
1965 hit "Give Him a Great Big Kiss"-
Mary: Yeah? Well I hear he's bad.
Betty: Hmm, he's good-bad, but he's not evil.
But Mary was right.

This book is worth it mainly if you are a collector of Manson things. It is pretty much written as a pro Manson book, one to 'set the record straight', which it never really does though. The best part of this book is there are a ton of pictures and bits of interviews in it that you don't see in many other books. There is Manson's complete courtroom 'testimony' as well as transcripts to several of his parole hearings and various open letters he has written to various people. Many of the lyrics to his songs are printed here as well as some stories he has written and art work. There is a chapter with various quotes from him on his 'philosophy".
There are a few factual mistakes, as this book claims that John Lennon wrote the song "Helter Skelter", when it is well documented in any Beatles book that Paul McCartney wrote the song.
This book is a good compainion to the movie "Charles Manson Superstar", which in that movie Manson himself is reading this very book.

It is worth it to get simply for a veiw at the other take on the manson clan.

If your're interested in some sensationalist hack job in the "true" crime genre, go read Bugliosi's book, or Sanders'. If you want some entertaining and enlightening creations straight from the horse's mouth (the horse being Manson himself), this little gem is the place to look. It contains plenty of excellent material available nowhere else.