Spicer and Ginsberg influenced one another, as is clearly shown in this book. Ginsberg stole a lot of his ideas from Spicer, but he was still the greater poet because he touched upon the conversation of his times, while Spicer went whacko and had no real impact on his culture. Academics have taken up Spicer, but this has again had no echo at all in the popular culture.

It's particularly interesting to study the automatic side of Spicer's poetics from surrealism forward -- the relinquishing of choice for a ouija board automaticism that resulted in odd nonsense that probably did not come from the dead, but resulted in an arcane verse that did indeed catalyze some of the lazier aspects of SF poetry but which was a dead end.

Magisterial biography that brings to life a tormented alcoholic who was not even trying to be nice, or even well-dressed, enough, to enter into the public forum.

His best work is the discussions he offered in The House that Jack Built -- astounding to see what he could do when he DID enter into the public conversation. Too often in his poetry he seems to be mumbling to himself. Poets need to reconnect to the real world -- because the world is real -- it has an ecology and texture, and the poets who got this will survive. Others form dead ends into their lost selves.

Gnosticism is a dead end.

Poets in the 1950s and 1960s have been well served by some of their biographers, and in this thrilling critical treatment of Jack Spicer and the poets of the San Francisco Renaissance, Ellingham and Killian join the ranks of Peter Davison (The Fading Smile: Boston Poets from Lowell to Plath) and Bill Berkson and Joe LeSeur (Homage to Frank O'Hara) in magically capturing the soul of an important school in the poetic ferment of those years. The San Francisco circle around Spicer was intense, prolific and inspired, but they didn't get the publicity that the New York poets received or that the Beats had showered on them. Lack of media attention didn't stop them. They were dedicated to a pure vision of poetry as an almost religious vocation. On his hospital death bed in 1965 (he died at 40 from acute alcohlism), Spicer told friend Warren Tallman, "I was trapped inside my own vocabulary." His genius/mania to use that vocabulary in service of the Muse produced great work and reminded others of the seriousness of their purpose. Spicer, in all his contradictions and drives, leaps from these pages. The book as a whole bristles with the very energy it celebrates, both poetic and sexual (intrigue was in their blood), and is essential reading for all of us interested in the circles that nurture poetry in every creative center. As if that is not enough, the quotations from a vast number of interviews of the surviving participants make this a delicious oral history as well as a compendium of hair-raising gossip of the wild times in North Beach before tourists took it over fom artists.

I have read Poet Be Like God, and I wish neither to rate it (but there's no option available that allows one to opt out of the rating game) nor review it, but to make a correction to the idiotic Kirkus review: Jack Spicer was NOT a "Beat" poet. There were a group of Beat poets in San Francisco in the late 1950s, early 1960s (e.g.,Bob Kaufman), but Spicer wasn't one of them. His intentions in poetry were different from theirs; naturally, so was his aesthetic. Spicer was part of a triumverate of poets that included Robert Duncan and Robin Blaser who met at the end of World War II in Berkeley, Ca., and were sometimes known as the Berkeley Renaissance group, or more simply, and more accurately, as part of the San Francisco poetry scene (which was part of the New American Poetry movement). That the Kirkus reviewer could make such an elementary and stupid mistake should be taken as a clear indicator of the idiocy of the rest of the Kirkus piece of schlock.

If ever there is a "must have" cookbook, this one wins hands-down! I am usually pleased with a cookbook if there are 5 recipes that are savers---I have made over 50 from SF a la Carte and not been disappointed. Every page has scrumptious recipes whether a main course, hors d'oeuvre, or dessert. I own cookbooks from around the world, but this is my favorite and I am thrilled to see it once more in publication! Now I can treat my best friends to this treasure and they will no longer have to ask me for recipes.

I've had this cookbook and SF Encore ever since they were first published and have made many recipes from both cookbooks. Not one has failed to meet expectations. One caveat, however. This cookbook is meant for people who know their way around a kitchen, not for beginniners. Since I've been cooking for a very long time, this was no problem. These two cookbooks are well worn and often-used. I recommend both very highly.

I began cooking from this cookbook in college and am still using it 8 years later! Every recipe I ever attempted was a success not only in the preperation on my part, but the taste! From appetizers to desserts, this book has helped me stage scrumptuous feasts. I've been recommending this book to my friends for the past 8 years and all of them rave about it too! I figured it was about time to let the rest of the world in on this culinary masterpiece.

I bought this book thinking it would be an interesting adventure tale. It is that but so much more. The writing is poetic and heart warming. An absolutely wonderful little book!!

If you enjoy reading about cycling and living this is a great book. I've read every touring and cycling book you can imagine, but this is the best! It really gives you a new perspective on how we ride today when you look at what these two boys had to endure at the turn of the century when roads did not exists as we know today. A truly well written adventure, great venacular dialogue, credible and yet an incredible story.

I first bought the book because of its Vashon Island connection, being a lifelong islander myself. But I quickly decided it's one of the best bicycle touring stories in my library -- the boys come alive in the writing, no dreary list of statistics and mileposts, just two boys becoming men on their ride north to Seattle. Puts a whole new perspective on that ride for anyone who has cycled the Pacific Coast route in modern times.

I applaud, I am awed, I kneel, (to the spirit of this book). The only crime is its limited circulation, and I have to wonder why. Wings kept me riveted from beginning to end. It was a wonderful book by which to start the new Mill. To Catherine I can only say thank you, and despite the limited cir., that somehow it will reach many people to help them understand their destiny, and the correct information of the helping spirits who are with us daily to guide and love us still.

I am in awe of Catherine Lanigan's talent as a writer. She really has a gift to keep one clued to the pages. This novel, like all the others will keep you awake all night as you tell yourself, just one more page. It's just amazing to me that she keeps pumping out great novels, one right after the other! I'm sure that man upstairs is guiding her pen, especially with this one. You won't be sorry if you indulge in this book, it's a real (spiritual) treat.

The unabridged audiotape narrated by Anna Fields is absolutely wonderful. This story is so complete and entertaining I didn't want it to end. I recommend it to all romantic-adventure enthusiasts - it has it all, and more.

This is a great Auto-Biography of Jerry Rice. The pictures are excellent, and the writing is also great.

I read the book and now i know more about how he plays the game of football.

This is a great book about one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the NFL. You really get to know Jerry and how he approaches the game that he loves. A must read for any die-hard Jerry Rice fans. I recently met Jerry in person and had him autograph his book for me. He's a great person and a tremendous athlete.

This book is an incredible follow-up in the ever-compelling tale of the bay area's own Jane Candiotti!! Our favorite sleuth IS BACK and can't seem to pull herself away from the mystery and mayhem that surrounds San Francisco. Clyde Phillips does it again with this compelling page-turner where we find Jane embroiled deeper in murder and intrigue as well as her own personal battles. A MUST READ!!!

It's unfortunately too rare to find a book you can't put down. You know the kind, where you find yourself picking it up at red lights just to get in half a paragraph. The kind where you stay up till 3:30 in the morning reading. That was Sacrifice for me. It sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. This is the first of the series I've read, but by page 25 I'd already ordered the prequels.

I've been a fan of Clyde Phillips's books since Fall From Grace; and I was looking forward to Sacrifice. He didn't let me down. This book, the third in the series, was filled with all the ingredients that make a great thriller: terrific characters, imaginative plot twists, and stark, realistic dialogue. What I loved most? Lieutenant Jane Candiotti is more than just a detective character who only knows how to ask the right questions. She's a real woman struggling to find the right balance between marriage and career. Phillips explores this dynamic with humor, compassion, and skill as Jane and her husband, Inspector Kenny Marks, solve the double murder of a prominent philanthropist and a homeless bum. The ending's a great surprise. Actually, it scared the hell out of me.

Since we are new to San Francisco, I find that this is a very good reference for me to pick a good public school in my neighborhood. This provide you with a summary of public school in your county and the rankings of each individual school by their test scores, school award winners.
I find it very useful in helping me to locate a good public school for my son but I hope it can also provide information of private school so as to make to list complete.

Uprooting a young family is a traumatic experience no matter how many times one has done it before. We are relocating to the West coast from Maryland. Locating the right house in the right neighborhood translates to finding the "right" schools for your children. It is difficult to find comprehensive information about schools when you live far away. I daresay it is difficult for local residents as well. This is a personal decision that one doesn't always want to share with outsiders, even co-workers. Advice from real estate people or school administrators is not always objective. It is difficult to know what questions to ask and what facts to compare. The book gave me an effective roadmap for this important decision. It helped me overcome one difficult hurdle.

This book gives you a tremendous amount of valuable information about Bay Area schools. Anyone looking for a home in the San Francisco area should definitely buy it!

grown-up hippie, willa jansson, a truly unique practioner of law, launches an outer limits defense of a mycologist accused of vehicular manslaughter. defense experts provide a veritable symposium on unexplained phenomena. engagingly wacky tone and wide ranging speculation complete with a bibliography.

Very entertaining and the theme is a trail about some one bieng abducted by a UFO is contriversing and Willa is the main charector is at her cranky hair pulling best and the suprise ending is bad either....

Lia Matera's mysteries are usually fun, but I particularly enjoyed this one. My work is in the paranormal community (a magazine dealing with UFOs, psychic phenomena, ghosts, etc.), and Matera has quite accurately captured the atmosphere of ufology today -- the eccentric and level-headed participants, the internecine rivalries. I was amazed by her perceptiveness and really quite even-handed treatment of this subplot in her novel. Don't be misled by these comments, however; this is not a UFO book; it is first and foremost a mystery. Matera's protagonist, Willa Janssen, is caught up in the complexities of defending a client with an impossible alibi; she doesn't know whether to believe him or not; yet she must make a convincing case to the jury. Is is possible that her client WAS abducted by aliens? Is he delusional? or Was he driving the car that caused the deaths of another car's occupants?

The old pro (pronzini) did it again. I did not like Matt Cape
and for the most part I was glad that this was a short book. But the last chapter changed everything. Including how I rated this book. (before the final chapter I was going to rate this book a 3) I have been a fan of Bill Pronzini for over 20 years and this is far from one of his best. Read Blue Lonesome or Wastland for Strangers if you want to see him at the top of his game.

When I started Steps To The Graveyard Easy, I was unsympathetic to the protagonist Matt Cape. He was a man with a stable family, good job, and someone well thought of by most people. He purposely turns all of this upside down and abandons everything and everyone to ostensibly find true "freedom" by heading for the open road. But was this his real motive for giving up everything? Along the way, Pronzini paints a picture of Cape that seems to stretch one's thoughts about him and his actions to the point of being unbelieveable. But, that's the genius of Pronzini's writing and one soon finds great empathy and positive feelings for Matt as the meanings of his actions become known.

While not as long as King's The Stand or as broad in scope as Long's The Descent, this is a book that feels like it and if it were any longer would be superfluous.

This is a suspensful story with a good plot and with chartacters that are completely believable. This book has several moral dilemmas, along with a great murder/mystery, that are resolved quite nicely and the twist ending begs the question "What would you do?"

Outstanding book from the very start to the last word. I think it is Pronzini's best since A Wasteland Of Strangers.

this book is the only book that tells the true story about the haight in 1967, i should know i was their it is the first book writen about the haight and everyone in the book is a real person i strongly recamend that u buy this book u will not regreat it my name is white rabbitt and when i read this book it brings back warm memories as i relive my youth

this book is the truth, i should now i lived it my name is white rabbitt and it nails the haight on the head, this was the first book written about the haight and its told truthfully every person in the book was on haight street i came to haight street in 1966 so i know its true buy this book

As one of the lead characters in this story, I was quite taken with the veracity of my performance. Nick did an amazing amount of leg work over the course of the summer, based initially on people I introduced him to. He pursued many paths of interest and covered a substantial amount of territory. The narrative, as described elsewhere, had as much structure as the situation itself allowed, which was really very little. The Haight-Ashbury was about things happening. Things, in this milieu, were not particularly planned, beyond setting a temporal framework and attempting to provide events for the framework, or just letting the events take over and flow where they would. As a followup, Stuart Loomis and the White Rabbit have recently been in contact by email as a result of a documentary on the period broadcast on PBS. Kelly avoided Vietnam and spent many years as a roady for rock and roll bands. He disappeared from view in the early eighties. Nick himself has spent a number of years recently working on plays for the stage, after a long successful career at the Washington Post. The White Rabbit gave up on the idea of pursuing a medical career and is a senior executive in Information Technology.