I bought and read this book with enthusiasm because of my 35 years living and travelling in Africa, where sunbirds predominate. The illustrations are excellent and the text is as well. This is probably the most colorful of all the family books being issued by Yale, Princeton, and Oxford. Following Sibley and Monroe's DNA analysis, they have finally but the two African sugarbirds in the Sunbird family, with only generic status. They have previously been put as far away as Honeyeaters and Starlings. It would be lovely if the range maps could be put on the pages facing the illustrations, to help differentiate birds of similar appearance, but I guess this was not possible. The maps themselves are very good. Altogether, one of the best family books and a must for collectors.

Who Owns America? is a collection of informative, challenging, iconoclastic and articulate essays on the nature of industrialism, corporate capitalism, the bureaucratic state, private property, the "good" society, and neo-Jeffersonian visions of a decentralized America. From David Cushman Coyle's "The Fallacy of Mass Production", to Frank Lawrence Owsley's "The Foundations of Democracy", to James Muir Waller's "America and Foreign Trade", to Robert Penn Warren's Literature as a Symptom", to Hilaire Belloc's "The Modern Man", these and many more observant and insightful commentaries deserve as wide a readership as possible and are highly recommended to students of American politics, economics, and history.

A great view of the leather family, mentoring, and passing on the baton. While the BDSM aspect is a great bonus, the family bond is even more heartwarming.

A beautifully illustrated book with plenty of information on the history of soaps, this book may be as interesting to sociologists as it is to soap fans. Most noteworthy, is the way it differentiates the soaps from one another in terms of issues that each tackles and why. It is interesting to trace how soaps such as "Painted Dreams" began on radio and what appealed (and didn't) to various audiences throughout the decades. Eg: Isn't it hard to believe that "Guiding Light" (On Cable In Sydney) was orginally a 15 minute radio serial about four ministers? Many soaps mentioned in the book will probably be unknown to younger Sydney audiences such as "Search For Tommorrow" and "As The World Turns" which haven't been on the air for years (decades?) but there is good coverage on todays lineup as well. If you like this book you may want to check out A book by Jean Rouverol called"Writing For The Soaps" (1984) and "Soapbox" (1990) Hopefully a television special of a similar nature to this book could be done because the archive material itself would be priceless viewing.

I found this book very interesting, it breaks down the symbols in laymen's term. Making it easy for a person to understand the depth of the symbols described. It is a good read for anyone interested in Freemasonry. I found it very hard to put this book down even for a second. I am looking forward to reading more books by Allen E. Roberts, I like his writing style and I am sure you will too.

Sincerly,

Bro. Salters Davis IV
Tyree Lodge # 147
MWPHGL of PA

I read this book just after I became a Master Mason (years ago). I read the book again last year and for its size there sure is a lot of great information. There are answers to a lot of questions that new Masons have and there are a lot of excellent explinations of Masonic symbols. I find that I use this as a reference when asked questions by non-Masons about the different symbols. A perfect example is when I am asked why the square and compasses are important in Freemasonry the answer and explination are in the book.

Our lodge is now presenting these books to newly raised Masons as a gift.

I would recomment that all new Mason read it.

I read this book before I joined and its wonderful;in fact, I recommend it to everyone. The Craft and Its Symbols is definitely something you need in your collection. So make sure you get it, its great for the new members and to help those interested understand the purpose of what the order teaches you as a member.

This kind of book is an excellent idea! HOWEVER, there isn't much substance to this book. I have been interested in studying people who have been very successful since 1983. Pick out a sucess book or a biography about a successful person who has lived in the past 150 years and I probably have read it. I LOVE to read about successful people and how they did it, what personality traits each had in common, etc. But this book just wets my beak! I need and want to know more, but Littman just cuts it off. He should say less and let the people he interviews say more. Once again, great idea, Mike, but we need more to really get our teeth into it!!! Try it again, Mike, but give us more meat!

Thanks to Mike Litman et al,we have the best book on wealth (and dream!) building since "Richest Man in Babylon" and "Think & Grow Rich". "Conversations with Millionaires" reveals the philosophy and ACTIONS behind some of the most successful people alive. Short of inviting JIM ROHN, SHARON LECHTER, ROBERT ALLEN, MARK VICTOR HANSEN, etc, to your home,you couldn't get more intimate and in depth. Like "Richest Man....." the principles are very valuable,but only if you USE THEM!
If you want to change your life for the better, I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Alas only five stars are available on Amazon!!!! More Power to you Mike & Co. Keep 'em coming!

Mike and Jason, Thank you for such a moving book. For anyone on the fence about buying this, there is no way in my mind to justify NOT getting this book - it's FANTASTIC. The next Rich Dad, Poor Dad, I devoured it in one day, it's an amazing tool to share with others, a tremendous compilation on your parts. Fabulous questions asked, tremendous answers from the guests. I could best liken this book as an extraction of all the important juice from the minds of some outstanding people; in this day of information overload, I like the idea of saving time by not having to read a ton of books and instead get the essence of it all from this one book. I can always read more on the millionaires within once I get their main points from this book . All I can say is, Mike and Jason, have more conversations, QUICK!

I curiously browsed this page a few months ago wondering what this book was all about and who Iceberg Slim really was. Then a friend mentioned he had the book and offered it to me to borrow. When I picked it up I couldn't put it down.

Iceberg Slim's description of the gritty street life pre- and post-World War II brought me to an almost unimaginable world. A world that's a far cry from the MTV-style, pseudo-pimp posturing portrayed in today's mainstream media. It was a world of hard drugs and hard living where Darwin's survival of the fittest (and baddest) reigned. Slim tells it like it is; there's absolutely no political correctness. Then again, his environment was not one which could support any false pretenses like suburban PC life does these days.

Some may say, 'but isn't he promoting this type of behavior?' Quite on the contrary: it's every man for himself in Slim's world; he has his highs and lows, both literally and figuratively. The mere fact that he survived to tell the tale, (unlike many others in "the game" who went early to their graves), and went from abusing and exploiting women to wedded life and fatherhood is testament enough to NOT follow his lead. Those who aspire to be where he is now know that the road he chose is not one dotted with success stories: the fleeting glamour and glory of the pimp lifestyle leads not to greater things, but often to nothing. Slim, although an exception, makes this abundantly clear without stooping to the level of an apologist.

I've got two completely different opinions about _Pimp_ and Robert Beck himself. One is glowing, the other terrible. Maybe that's what makes Beck and his books so interesting. First, the glowing opinion. Beck's style is like nothing I've ever read before. He claims to have a 175 I.Q. I don't doubt it. No one less brilliant could conjure up the metaphors and images he casually slings as if they were off the top of his head. The book is written in a loose, story-telling style, as if it was never revised, typos and all. Beck makes you feel as if you were standing on a street corner listening to a "fast track pimp" weave his life's yarn. Many times, I would read a sentence several times simply to admire the unique vision Beck gave to an action as simple as getting in or out of a car (a "hog") or thinking about his mother. The terminology is another, brilliantly colorful language (complete with glossary in the back!).Although the story dotes on his early years and then cruises through a couple of decades in a matter of pages, Beck's tale was never slow or anything less than gleaming. That is the glowing opinion. Now the terrible one. I'll try not to seem sanctimonious. To me, Robert Beck is (was) an alarmingly vicious hypocrite and psychopathic criminal. The book begins and ends with his tepid claims that he has seen the error of his ways and regrets his former life. These meager claims are ridiculous when you read the pride, nostalgia, and admiration with which Beck recounts his former life. In one passage in particular, his role model and mentor teaches him an unbelievable method to keep his whores in line. Whip them bloody with a wire coathanger. Beck eagerly tests the method. You can sense the satisfaction with which he regards the successful results. Beck tells us about breaking women's jaws and pummelling them senseless in the same manner he might use to recount old football victories. This is not a repentant ex-pimp. This is a retired pimp who is smart enough to realize that if he pays lipservice to reform and enlightenment, he will sell his books to a much larger audience. He certainly did make a nice pile of "scratch" off the stories he wrote glorifying his former lifestyle ("Long White Con" is the other Beck book I've read-- much more mediocre in style and plot). In the end, I recommend _Pimp_ as a refreshingly unique voice in modern literature. I certainly don't admire Beck's life, nor endorse the lifestyle (as so many other reviewers alarmingly seem to!).

Slim's books could not have been written by anyone else. the genius of them derives from two things, slim's own lengthy and painfull experiance of the ills and games of the ghetto in his era and the poetry and downtrodden virtue of his sole. this is the story of his life and its a story worth telling, many have lived longer and not gone through half as much, the story weaves from an abuzed childhood through life as mean young adolescant and into his early days as an ambitious young pimp keen to hit the "fast track" in Chicago. from here on in it's a tale of abuse, drugs, degradation and manipulation as well as in it's own strange way love. However the story is only half the book and it's through the poetic telling of that story that we really get to meet the engrossing character,enigma and genius of iceberg slim. Slim remoulds street slang and lingo into a rich and textured prose which stands comparison with the very greatest writers, it's a pleasure to read (if a little hard to understand at first), it's also very cool and any young man who reads this book will find slim's slang slipping into his speech in no time. This story is engrossing from start to finish, Slim makes it out of the game in the end and became a writer - be thankfull.

I am a grad student who read this book in preparation of a paper on the movement. I did not know my precise focus, but after reading this book I thought my focus should be the disunity of the leadership of AIM. This book presents a leadership that could not seem to come together on a precise mission. The key figures seem well-intentioned but their lack of agreement on direction seemed to tear things apart.

This book has a lot of great information about the leadership and it is a excellent reference for learning about the seizure at Alcatraz, the Native American Embassy and the second seige at Wounded Knee. I think my problem with the book was that I had heard of these events for years and had romanticized them and to read the problems AIM faced internally left me surprised and let down.

Well written book by Native Americans who write an objective history of the 60's style Indian movement that merged into Dennis Banks' American Indian Movement. The first section about the Alcatraz take over is very informative about the Bureau of Indian Affairs plan to move Indians off the reservation to assimilate them in Cities. Unfortunately, many of the Indians that relocated off the reservation ended up in their own Ghettos in poverty. However, these urban Indians such as the Mohawk Russell Oakes get personally involved in the take over of Alcatraz. The authors define well how the plans to take over landmarks comes about, the value of publicity and they bluntly
describe the failures in organization. The failures botch attempts to take Ellis Island and leave the Trail of Tears caravan virtually without shelter which inadvertently results in the take over of the BIA building. Unfortunately, the movement seems to falter with acts of vandalism, burning of a building in Custer, South Dakota and the destructiuon of buldings at the seige of Wounded knee and the unfortunate circumstance of kidnapping. The damage to property, reports of alchol abuse such as the get together in Warrenton, VA. undermines the movement in my mind. Thse acts seemed to diminish the goals of the Indian Movement although the authors make a point that even Martin Luther King could not control all the elements of his movement. Although the actions of AIM do obtian publicity and sympathy for their movement, the authors ironically note that their followers never materialize in large numbers. The book peaks with the reoccupation of Wounded Knee that succeeds as a great reminder of the mistreatment Indians in the past and invoking tribal rivalry between the current council President and AIM. In the finale, the authors note the failure of AIM to maintain itself after many of its leaders such as the charismatic Russell Means are put on trial or in some cases put in jail. The authors quote admirers and critics of the movement which is punctuated with the lack of concrete ideas that could translate to realistic acheivable goals and a lack of organization. Overall a very fascinating book that I wish spent more time on the transition of its main leaders to "Reborn Capatalists" (Banks)
and movie Stars (Means - Pochohontas and "the Last of the Mohicans). In addition, I wish the book provided more detail on the desires of reservation Indians, their problems and ideas for positive change. Very unfortunate that Clyde Warrior, one of the main leaders of the 60's rebirthing of an idealistic Indian movement, dies in the late 60's at the youthful age at 29. If he could have maintained his health and vision, his impact on AIM might have led to greater organization and acomplishments.

It was interesting to note that the authors refer to Sitting Bull as a Oglala Sioux when in fact he was a Hunkpapa Sioux (page 190).

I knew nothing about any of the events depicted in this book. They had been referenced in some other readings I had completed so I was seeking out more information. I felt this book was a great synopsis of the events of the Indian rights movement of the 60's and 70's. I was disappointed in the lack of information on Leonard Peltier and his situation. I wanted the book to continue for a few more years! I think it is sad that the general public has forgotten, so quickly, what occurred during this time. I was born in 1965 and I think once this movement was waning from the media, it was quickly forgotten by the majority of Americans, which is sad. I would recommend this book to anyone searching to understand the plight of the Native Americans today and the history of their search for freedom and the right to exist as they choose.

My family was involved with the alcohol plant in New Mexico that the authors of the book claimed never existed. I know it actually did exist, I was there. If the authors had done a minimum amount of research, they would have known it too. So this makes me wonder what else they got wrong. I tend to think there was a lot that really didn't fit together, so I'll keep searching for the truth. I hope everyone else does too.

I bought this book for my wife, who is a Romantic Suspense writer. I did a keyword search looking for books on forgeries. This is the best book I have found if you want to learn about an example of this particular type of crime.

This is better that Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie married and had a child. Pure power to the mind. All crimes must be paid for as this book revealsed. I hate being lied to since this book reveals the truth of all truth.

If you have a huge Disney book library, this should be in it, but it will leave you wanting more. There are tons of great photos in heare, but it is not a coffee table book by any means. Nice stories from their meories of how it was back in the day... They worked on nearly everything that had ride vehicles. Disney designed and built alot of stuff right at the studiomachine shop, but these guys built a lot of ride vehicles and tracks as well. Pirates of the Caribbean boat vehicle, flying saucers, small world boats, mine train cars, Autopia cars. They built stuff for other parks you rarely hear about anymore, like Freedomland.

(Be forewarned that these guys do not give enough credit to the great Bob Gurr, a Disney Imagineer at WED who did tons of engineering, design, and drafting for most of the great ride vehicles that Arrow built for Disney. They do have some nice stuff about him on page 81, but just not enough. They tend to omit other people as well.)

No index to look things up as a reference. The writing style kind of ambles around with no clear direction. BUT having said all this, it is still an interesting book if you are consumed with the subject of amusment ride construction, especially Disney's. I would not give my copy away, I just wish it were a little better.

This book was a very good one. It focuses on a small company called Arrow. They designed rides for amusement parks. Walt hired them to build some wonderful rides for Disneyland though. This is all about the cars you ride in at the park, and how they move, on what type of track ETC. All the special effects were done by the Disney Company. It's very interesting that a park like Disneyland had this company push the limits with ride design. But unfortunately, as all you Disney Park enthusiasts know, that with Eisner's penny-pinching methods, and the new California Adventure next to Disneyland, most all the rides are 100% off the shelf carnival style rides. A good book! Especially if you want a look in the old days when the Disney Company actually spent money and cared!

The book chronicles the professional lives of the masterminds behind Arrow Development. They worked closely with Walt Disney while Disneyland was being built, and designed many of the ride-systems. The book tells many tales of those days. From semi-technical discussions of the operations of the Matterhorn, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more (all made easily understandable) to backstage tales of Disneyland and Walt Disney, this book is fantastic. Other topics in the theme/amusement park industry are covered as well, and are just as fascinating. This book truly does deliver a credible behind the scenes look at Disneyland and the industry. Well done!