Brown paints engaging and detailed pictures of St. John and Kim Philby. The chapters on St. John are particularly interesting. To judge by Brown's book, the elder Philby led a more colorful, though less notorious life than his son Kim.

Brown ultimately fails to support his charge of treason against St. John Philby. The charge, implicit in the book's title, is never really followed through in the text. St. John, as described by Brown, was an active critic of British policy in Arabia, a gadfly, and ultimately an embittered nuisance. This is not the same as being a traitor, however.

The chapters on Kim contain no new blockbusters, though Brown draws his character deftly. Ultimately more interesting than Kim Philby the man, though, is Kim Philby the phenomenon.

Kim Philby continues to exert a fascination which extends far beyond his actual historical impact. His betrayal, and that of Burgess, MacLean, et al, seem to stand as emblematic of the decay of the English upper classes in the Post WWI period. While Brown does an admirable job painting his portrait of the man, he doesn't dwell on the question of why we still care about this brilliant, vain, aristocratic traitor.

The research was top rate; the writing was superb; the factual underpinnings for everything were uncontravertible, and the subject was fascinating. That said, there exists a political bent here that attempts to skew the reader to have a sense of sympathy for Philby. Skip it, Philby was a treacherous lowlife. Clearly Philby had a communist belief system, that's not in question. The real issue of course is, should your ideological belief system justify treasonous acts? In other words, Philby was placed in a position of trust by the British Government. Does the fact that he had the heart of a communist justify the actions he took on behalf of the Soviets? No. In fact, as demonstrated later in his life, which really isn't explored as much as it should have been, Philby clearly become disenchanted with the communist manifesto.

The bottom line, however, is that this is a great read, well done

I think I can say without exaggeration, this is possibly the most important book of the 20th Century to date, which I have just had the good fortune to read within the last 6 months or so of that century. It illuminates and supplies all the linkages between the titanic struggles for the Middle East among the Great Powers of the Nineteenth Century, and the present hellish landscape that is their legacy. Then it goes on to meticulously study the character of Kim Philby, possibly the most important man of the century and certainly the one who embodies most all the contradictions and ambiguity of it. In the end nobody could penetrate this man's psyche, not the British and Americans whom he betrayed, nor the Russians whom he supposedly served. He remained a mystery wrapped inside an enigma to the end. The book causes one to ponder, how many of the great events of this century, turned on this one man? I can see why Graham Greene was so fond of him, because he is the character Graham Greene was trying to perfect in all his novels...

The book uses computer graphics and pictures that really make you feel like your in a Situation planning room with some the Great Generals. The Author also uses breathtaking artwork of a battle in progress that absorbs you into the bloodiest conflict of our century. From Midway to Moscow, this is definitly the kind of book every war buff should look at.

Good information on important battles, with maps and extra pictures which tell about them. But the main thing about this book which lured me in were the amazing illustrations; especially the four page fold out D-Day illustration. A must have for any world war II buff.

(It's nice having a name that fits the meter, as it enables you to write poems about yourself)

Any fans of light poetry e.g. limericks will love this book. The writers epitomize the uber-academic approach taken by so many literary elitists, which appeals to my own betimes elitist character. For those of you unfamiliar with the form, the rules go like this:

1. Eight lines of verse in two stanzas. 2. Lines 1-3 and 5-7 are double dactyls. 3. Lines 4 and 8 are single dactyls with an added beat, and rhyme. 4. Line 1 is nonsensical 5. Line 2 is a proper noun 6. Either line 6 or line 7 must be a single-word double dactyl (e.g. "anthropoligical") 7. (my favorite rule) No single word double dactyl may be used in another poem. Ever. By anyone.

Sound tough to pen? I've tried it many a time, and I think I've come up with two poems that reflect any merit. The challenge of the form is partly what makes a clever and well executed result so much fun.

Why only four stars? The authors seem to believe that rule number 7 makes the form finite (which is perhaps why the book is out of print), that the limited number of double dactyl words in the English language will be consumed and ultimately doom the form to oblivion. There's no rule that demands that ACTUAL words endorsed by the likes of Noah Webster be used, which rather threatens the ephemeral nature of the form. Some of my best work includes words of my own smithing like 'posttransubstantiate' and 'jiggliectomy' (the removal of breast implants).

If you ever find a copy, buy it....

Oh, by the way; I already used the above words in my own work. So ha.

No doubt pressed to "publish or perish," Hecht and Hollander not only invented their own poetic form, but then, in one slim volume introduced it, perfected it, and then exhausted it; all with the utmost respect for academic propriety. I first encountered it more years ago than I care to remember on the two-dollar shelf. It is a gem which should stand with the classics: The Elements of Style, King Lear, The Little Engine That Could.

The rules for the art form invented by these two neglected geniuses (well, English professors) are simple, but hellishly difficult to honor. Each verse starts with a nonsense double-dactyl (a double-dactyl sounds like something you might run across in Jurassic Park, and is just about as difficult to tame). The second line of the first verse must be a double-dactylic proper name, and the antepenultimate line must be a single double-dactylic word. With so few good double-dactylic words to go around, it's easy to see how the form was so quickly exhausted. (It's been at least sixteen years since I last read the book, but if memory serves, one additional rule is that each double-dactyl can be used but once, and then it must be retired from use in the form forever.)

Without the "cannon" in hand, it's impossible to fully report all the rules. Perhaps the best way to understand and to illustrate the form is simply to quote the masters:

Jiggery-Pokery
Anthony Hollander
Two bards in one
Worked their brains in a storm

Thinking up words for the
Antepenultimate
line of this
doubly difficult form.

Sixteen years on and THAT sticks with me still! If you should run across a copy of this inspired classic gathering dust on a back library shelf somewhere, first, do the right thing: offer to buy it. If that doesn't work, borrow it; but DON'T EVER RETURN IT!

If you are desperately seeking information about John of Gaunt, then this is one of the few sources for it. The book does have a lot of information, but it is incredibly boring to read. Not really surprising, since most of the info seems to have been gotten from account books and inventories. The majority of the book reads along the lines of "On December 6th, 1373, he was at Pontefract castle with his wife. He wore a red shirt with silver buttons. Two months later he was back at the Savoy, apparently without his wife. He wore green hose and a black tunic." (It should be noted that I just made up that passage, but by my truth, that is how it sounds.) If you have a deep interest in John of Gaunt, then I recommend this book for you.

John, Duke of Lancaster, was the son of Edward III, father of Edward IV, uncle of Richard II, and himself the pretender to the throne of Castile. He was also the richest and most powerful subject in England for most of his life -- and probably the most deeply and widely hated. He was certainly the principal target of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. A key player in the Hundred Years War, he was also on close terms with John Wycliffe and Geoffrey Chaucer. John's controversial career is thus at the very heart of English society and European politics during one of the nation's most turbulent periods, and this semi-scholarly and authoritative examination of the duke's mental processes, institutional goals, and dynastic ambitions is very useful to the understanding of England on the brink of a three-generation civil war.

Ashby et al have made a timely and very useful contribution to the literature of metal foams. The book will provide an essential resource to designers, developers and researchers in this exciting emerging field. The coverage is very thorough with material on manufacturing methods, design, economics and current applications. The section on web resources is very topical.

I have been using this book for my research for the past year. Over all the this design guide by Ashby is excellent. It is well written for those who do not have any background in design using metal and polymer foams. The chapters are short and concise. If, after reading this book, you want to dig deeper in the world of foam, then read Cellular Solids by Lorna Gibson.

David Dodd has assembled a wide variety of stories to inspire and encourage addicted people to get clean. I was impressed that Twelve Step groups were NOT the focus of every tale, and that the one constant was that each individual made a PERSONAL CHOICE to forego their addiction and live sober. For all the help some people get from 12-Step groups, there are many who don't "relate" to the religiousity. But this book shows that recovery is still possible and worthwhile. The fact that most of these tales are told by celebrities and artists we KNOW only increases their value. Plus, it's nice to know that my gut feeling about Steven Tyler is "on the money" - he truly IS a mensch!!

I was attracted to the many well-known names listed on the cover, but once I began reading the book, I was overwhelmed with its passion and solutions. David Dodd has done a remarkable job which is reflected in this collection of interviews. My favorite part, however, is the introduction to the book, where the author tells his personal story on how he became sober with the help of Steven Tyler. His vivid description of the events were astonishing to me, they were absolutely incredible. This is a wonderful book!

Conspiracy is what got me hooked on the Kennedy Assassination but the real bottom line book on the case is Case Closed as it refutes the main ideas of all the conspiracy theories.

One of the best volumes of inquiry into the conspiracy behind John Fitzgerald Kennedy's murder.

Although the author,Anthony Summers,sticks mainly to the official story-(that Lee Harvey Oswald fired 3 shots from the 'Book Depository' building)-he DOES explore the many disturbing yet fascinating avenues of revelation that surfaced with the Congress-appointed 'House Select Committee on Assassinations' investigations of the mid to late 70's.

The real significance to JFK's death was covered up~(knowingly or not)~in 1964 when the 'Warren Commission' staff examined the evidence before them. They covered up everything really; The grassy knoll rifleman--(50 odd witnesses in Dealy Plaza,that day,mentioned commotion behind the white picket fence on the knoll...some even saw smoke...the 'Warren-Report' basically disregards this lead altogether)--the late 50's/early 60's CIA/Mafia alliance which was conceived in-order to kill Fidel Castro--(which may of 'backfired' on the Cuba sympathising Mr.Kennedy)--,the mob ties to Ruby,the intelligence ties to Oswald,the intelligence ties to Ruby,the mob ties to Oswald..; all of which establishes a conspiracy.... (for me,anyway)

Summers compiled this one nicely. Probably his best book. Worth the investment.

Anthony Summers' comprehensive work on the assassination of JFK is among the top books on the subject, ranking alongside Gaeton Fonzi's "The Last Investigation." The author's voluminous research brings together the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle in a lucid and rare way. In a nutshell, the anti-Castro Cuban organizations [CRC, Alpha-66, etc.]and their right-wing American supporters [Gerry Patrick Hemming and Interpen, for example], the Mafia [Trafficante, Marcello, Giancana, Roselli], and elements within the CIA [David Atlee Phillips, E.Howard Hunt, Theodore Shackley, David Sanchez Morales, William Harvey, etc.] and their numerous contract agents [David Ferrie, Guy Banister, Lee Harvey Oswald(?)]were collaborating in an effort to assassinate Fidel Castro and reverse the socialist revolution in Cuba. The Mob wanted their gambling casinos back, while the anti-Castro Cubans and the CIA wanted multi-national corporate capitalism back. In a classic case of "blowback", the forces working to destroy Fidel and the Cuban Revolution failed in their efforts and subsequently conspired to destroy the man [JFK] they believed responsible for their failure. Elements within the CIA, CIA contract agents, Mob and anti-Castro Cubans had the motive, means and opportunity to effectuate the "blowback" assassination of JFK. For the meticulously researched details which support this thesis, read Anthony Summers' work: "Conspiracy". It's one of the most well-reasoned and articulate works on the subject of the JFK assassination.

I came across Fanny Kemble during a chance visit to a Georgia plantation on the Altamaha River, near Butler Island, where Fanny wrote her journal. An acclaimed Shakespearean actress born into a theatrical family, she had been touring America with her father when she met Pierce Butler, a wealthy member of Philadelphia society with possessions in the South. He courted her with such persistence that she finally agreed to give up her career and marry him. (Needless to say, Philadelphia society did not smile upon the union.) After the birth of two daughters, she persuaded Pierce to take her and the children to Butler Island, where she learned firsthand about the source of the family's wealth: hundreds of slaves worked in the rice paddies on Butler Island and in the cotton fields on St. Simon's Island, where the prized long-fiber Sea Island cotton was grown.

Fanny had been in contact with New England abolitionists and was well aware of the slave problem; but she was unprepared for the appalling conditions she found in the slave quarters, in the fields, and especially in the infirmary. She prevailed on her husband to mitigate the harsh rules imposed by the overseer, procured blankets for the infirmary and sewing material for the women; taught them to make clothes and take care of their babies; and even tried to teach some of them to read - which was, of course, frowned upon. She found that some of the slaves were skilled craftsmen and suggested that they should be paid for their work like any artisan.

An accomplished horsewoman and energetic walker, she also learned to row a boat so she could explore, unchaperoned, the coastal waterways. Her unconventional, spirited life style drew reprimands from her husband, but earned her the respect and admiration of the slaves.

The journal she kept on Butler Island gives a lively account of her daily routine. For those who imagine the lives of southern plantation owners along the lines of Hollywood movies, this book provides a healthy dose of reality. With an outsider's keen and critical eye, she chronicled her own involvement in a dark chapter of American history. She did not publish the journal until 1863, when she was divorced from Pierce and had returned to England. It came out just before the battle of Gettysburg and may have influenced public opinion in England which had been drifting toward favoring the South.
Today, the Butler plantation no longer exists; but neighboring "Hofwyl" gives a visitor a fairly good impression of what plantation life may have been like before and after the Civil War.

I purchased this book from Amazon in September but just managed to finish it this weekend. Why the delay? The book is a hard and melancholic read. In page after page Fanny Kemble narrates the abomination and sheer evil of slavery. We are introduced to folks who pious in their ways and beliefs show absolutely no compassion or outrage towards sanctioned barbarism. There is the case of one little girl who cannot conceive or imagine the notion that she can be a free woman. Then there is the sanctimonious Mr. Butler who is supposed to be a "good massa" to the chattel that is his property. I cannot begin to chronicle the innumerable injustices done to fellow humans.

But then in the midst of this filth there is a bright shinning light. That light is Fanny. This brave and intellignet lady fought against big odds to somewhat improve the plight of the slaves on her husband's plantation. Often not taken seriously, or worse treated condescendingly, Fanny nevertheless kept at it.

The first five chapters are a delight to read. They narrate her journey to the plantation along with her experiences at stops along the way. But from then on be prepared for a long sad book. This is an important book that deserves your attention. The next time I visit one of those beautiful antebellum mansions with the aroma of magnolia's in the air I will remember the cost of human lives wasted. I will remember Fanny.

Fanny Kemble Butler was a remarkable woman. In a time, circumstance, and place which precluded her following her life's dream, she settled down into marriage with Pierce Butler, who had adamantly and ardently pursued her hand. She left a very successful career as an actress and gave up, for a time and at her husband's request, her ambition and even her beliefs. She strove to make this marriage work and to "save her husband's soul," when she discovered, after the marriage, the actual source of her husband's family's income, the rice plantations that lay in Georgia. They had two children together before she finally persuaded him to allow her to visit his Georgia rice plantations, where hundreds of negro slaves labored to support the family's wealthy lifestyle in New England. Fanny's heartfelt pleas to free the negroes not only fell on her husband's deaf ears, but he eventually forbade her to even tell him of their plight, and even went so far as to forbid her to continue the practice of helping out in their infirmary. Still, the slaves of her husband's two plantations temporarily benefitted from her visit, which must have been like a ray of light in a very dark existence. The stories speak for themselves, and Fanny makes it her duty to record every one in the slaves' own voices. This book affected me deeply, especially when I read of Fanny's eventual unhappy divorce from her husband, whom she still loved, and her enforced separation from her children. Scholarly reading for every student of the nineteenth century, in the subjects of enslavement, the plight of married women, and general attitudes toward women and slavery by men in power and the common people.