Although no doubt a useful guide to serious researchers interested in the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff collection at MIT, this work's value to the yachtsman starts with Appendix C - the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company Construction Record. This appendix is a facsimile reproduction of the actual construction records of the Company, both sail and power, in order of hull number, and including original owners and yacht names. An invaluable guide for those interested in classic yacht restoration and history.

The author mostly maintains a journalistic disinterestedness, and is not a creature of the passions aroused by both sides. Not until the final 5 pages does he introduce his personal views. He should have offered more personal insight since he is so conversant with the facts. For example, if Sacco is guilty, then his second crime is sending Vanzetti (whom the author believes innocent) to his death. The grounds for a re-trial, even given the time period, seem secure, and there is lots of room for reasonable doubt. The publication date is 1962 not 1971.

Harding often makes the list of the worst presidents in US history and this book explores the reasons behind this judgement. Never a statesman, deeply flawed and ultimately tragic, shows what happens when a person whose only qualifications for the job was that he was good natured back slapper abovc controversy is elected to the presidency. He was from an important state which helped as well, but these should never be considered as qualifcations for the highest office in the land.

Harding was scandal prone from his early days. There was a rather nasty rumor that, given the circumstances of the time significant. This was that his family was part African American. In some ways this was the transformation of the old Democratic civil war "bloody shirt" strategy that dated back to Reconstruction. The Republicans were accused even after they had abandoned Civil Rights (in 1876) of somehow attempting to promote African American interests at the expense of white Americans. This issue continued to pop up throughout Harding's career.

Then there are the women. Harding was married to a woman who appears to have been a bit of a shrew. He sought comfort elsewhere and from a variety of sources. His primary misstress was a political liabilty for more than obvious reasons. Carrie Phillips was pro-German and after the end of their affair was a thorn in Harding's flesh. Unfortunately, the letters between the two are surpressed in this book due to the legal efforts of Harding's nephew, George T. Harding. Given Harding's reputation, it is unclear what he was trying to protect by doing so. There is also Nan Britton, who was kind of the Monica Lewinsky of her day. Fortunately for Harding, this story of their affair and daughter did not come to public notice until after he died.

Sex scandals were only part of Harding's presidency. The people he selected for high office were the worst kind of cronies, who say public service as the means to make a raid on the treasury and public property. The worst of these was the Teapot Dome scandal in which national oil reserves were sold to private companies below what would be considered fair market price (in exchange for bribes). This was not Harding's finest hour, but luckily he was dead when most of these revelations became public. By then stories of bootlegged liquor in the White House, Little Houses on K Street and stock market tips (which proved to be bad ones) had destroyed Harding's reputation forever.

Harding's presidency was not quite the disaster it might have been, due to the lack of any great national crisis during his presidency. It is fortunate that this mediocre figure was not in power during a war or economic recession. His role could only have been negative as Russell frequently demonstrates.

Though the subject of Russell's book is not an important figute, it does serve as a cautionary tale of what can go wrong in the selection of presidents. In 1920, the Republicans would have been better served by nominating Leonard Wood (an associate of Theodore Roosevelt). Russell is a fan of Wood's who is far a more compelling figure. If anything this proves that the reputation of Harding is beyond all hope.

This book is interesting to students of racial classification because of the racist smear campaign conducted during Harding's presidential race in 1920. Racists claimed that Harding was part Negro. Russell provides fascinating detail on this campaign, an issue that the Harding family is still sensitive about. Harding won anyway.

I read this book over 30 years ago and was fascinated with it. It gave a detailed look at one of our most obscure presidents. I've been interested in him ever since. Perhaps the only flaw of the book was the forced omissions of the letters between Mr.Harding and his mistress in Marion, Ohio. This tragic presidency was brought to life with the fascinating writing of Mr. Russell.

I was searching for a book to explain things to me about the Romanian language. This one does. Yes, I needed the drill and vocabulary but I also needed some explanation of why the various phrases meant what they did. The authors have given these explanations in addition to the standard elements of language instruction. As someone who has studied language before I found this book to be a great way for me to associate the Romanian language with the other language elements I already know.

This is the best book of its kind and is well worth the price if you are serious about learning REAL Romanian. Although there are other texts for learning Romanian, this is the only one written for American language learners and is full of information about every facet of Romania and its culture. The author is a Romanian American and college professor who really knows how to communicate the grammar and linguistic 'tricks' of this somewhat complicated language. It is also fun and includes lots of photos and drawings as well as many exercises, a dictionary and verb conjugations. My only preference would be to have answers to the exercises in the student text.

I've wanted to begin learning Romanian for a while now, and all of the usual texts didn't seem to be working. Botomans's DISCOVER ROMANIAN, however, has a clear, straight-forward text that makes learning easy and quite fun, I must say. The book even includes great passages and pictures depicting Romanian history and culture.... This is an expensive book, but absolutely well worth it for anyone who truly wants to get results from learning a language on their own.

Wittgenstein's first published work. Should be as famous for Russell's misunderstanding of it, made obvious in his introduction, as for it's effect on the positivists and modern philosophical logic. Absolutely essential reading for studying Wittgenstein's later work. The Investigations can be read as a refutation of the Tractatus, and thereby, as a refutation of much of contemporary philosophy of language. While Wittgenstein doesn't help his readers with either references or explanatory preamble, the effort of reading this book will be well rewarded to anybody studying contemporary issues in philosophical logic, philosophy of language or philosophy of science. Whatismore, Wittgenstein's poetic style is a joy to read and many of his aphorisms will come back to you in other studies.

Those not familiar with the proprositional calculus may not like the symbolic logic involved, but it is worth understanding because it is quite simple and makes the rest of the text very easily understandable. Wittgenstein's most important terms like 'elementary proposition' come essentially from viewing natural languages as an imperfect version of the propositional calculus. This idea is quite wrong, in fact even Wittgenstein himself was struck by his own naivety in believing that all language did was put forward propositions capable of truth or falsity. His later view that to understand language you must look at it, seems blindingly obvious, but he was just reacting to the general view of the logical positivist who only saw meaning in propositions capable of truth or falsity, which does not in any way match up with how we actually use language in everyday life. The idea of "pictoral form", a mysterious connection between the object relations of the real world, and the grammatical structure of the sentence is a beautiful and impressive idea, but lacks any real grounding in fact.

Many would disagree, but I say ignore the numbered paragraphs and just read it through, Wittgenstein was just using a technique he learnt from engineering textbooks, and the structure doesn't help understanding. Many people will be frustrated by the lack of argument, and its almost biblical tone, but trust me, anyone familiar with Wittgenstein's life will know that he thought over these problems for a long time.

Philosophical Investigations is a more important work, but shares nearly all the concerns of the Tractacus. Read the section in the Investigations on broomsticks and logical atomism, it will show the bankruptcy and arbitraryness of atomism in linguistic practise.

Wittgenstein is the all-time father of logical philosophy, save Bertrand Russell. Read Russell, Whitehead and Frege if you want to get into complex mathematical formulas and neverending inquiries, but read Wittgenstein for better understanding. Wittgenstein showed his genius of analytical and logical philosophy in TLP. (As well as his genius of analyzing linguistic philosophy. C'est parfait!

Clare Francis's new novel, "Betrayal" is about Hugh Wellesley, a well-to-do English businessman who is very much on edge. One reason that Hugh's nerves are frayed is that he is in danger of losing the family business that he inherited from his father. Worse still, Hugh hears that Sylvie, his former lover, has been stabbed to death. Hugh knows that sooner or later the police will question him about the crime. He does not want the police to delve into his personal life, and he wants to avoid a public scandal at all costs.

Hugh's fragile wife, Ginny, is an asthmatic who does not handle stress well. Soon, she is caught up in Hugh's troubles and the police start to question both Hugh and Ginny about Sylvie's death. Did Hugh or Ginny kill Sylvie? Or is there another person who had reason to want Sylvie dead?

Francis effectively depicts Hugh's torment and guilt over the mess that he has made of his life. Not only has Hugh neglected Ginny in order to expand a business that may now fail, but he has embroiled his wife in a homicide investigation. Even if Hugh is not charged with Sylvie's murder, he may not be able to salvage his marriage or his business.

"Betrayal" works much better as a character study than it does as a mystery. Hugh is basically a decent individual who has made some very costly mistakes, and Ginny is a beautiful but insecure woman who wants nothing more than to win back her husband's affections. The author depicts Hugh, Ginny and a large cast of secondary characters deftly. The lively characters are a major strength of the book.

Unfortunately, the mystery element of the novel is not as strong. "Betrayal" is replete with red herrings, but an astute reader should be able to figure out the solution long before the end. Nonetheless, I recommend "Betrayal" as an engrossing character study of a desperate man trying to save himself and his family from ruin.

Betrayed by his business partner and harried by a hostile takeover of his family business, Hugh Wellesley has betrayed his fragile, high-strung wife with Sylvie, an old flame burning anew, now murdered and thrown into the river near his family's summer cottage in Devon. Insisting to the police that he hardly saw Sylvie that summer, he falls under increasing suspicion as the web of lies begins to unravel.

Between interrogations, frazzled conversations with his wife, brusque exchanges with his country doctor brother, sympathetic advice from the doctor's wife (and his former business partner's sister), and cut-throat buy-out negotiations for his family glass company, the reader learns that Hugh was obsessed by Sylvie, betrayed by her and without an alibi.

But Hugh's wife, Ginny, and his brother and sister-in-law cover up for him so thoroughly that Ginny is arrested instead. Unable to cope with his business reversals, Ginny has been tearful and touchy all summer, possibly unstable, even suicidal. Murder is not out of the question.

The betrayals mount as the psychological tension builds. Suspicion cripples intimacy and stifles communication, undermining a deeper core of strength and resiliency which adversity has uncovered in their marriage. Francis ("Deceit") ratchets up the suspense as the atmosphere grows more claustrophobic and the secrets crawl out of dark corners. Veteran mystery readers, however, will see the solution coming and may be a bit disappointed in Hugh.

The important events in the story are when the thieves come and scare Ali Baba. The most important event is when the thieves steal the gold. I liked when Ali Baba gets and weighs the gold. The author is trying to tell us that you shouldn't steal.

Wishbone is Ali Baba, and Kasim is Wishbone's brother in this story. Ali Baba sold sticks for money because he was poor. Kasim was rich and lived in a big house and Ali Baba lived in a little house.

There were forty thieves and Ali Baba was watching them. A thief opened the cave after spitting on his hands and saying "Open Sesame". Ali Baba went into the cave too. When the thieves left, they had gold and jewels that they had stolen. Ali Baba took back some of the gold and went home. Ali Baba's wife asked for a scale to weigh the gold and Kasim's wife was wondering what they were doing. So, she put candle wax on the bottom of the scale when she found out that they were weighing gold because some of the gold dust got stuck in the wax.

Later, Kasim came to Ali Baba's house and he asked why they had a scale. Ali Baba told him the story about the thieves and the cave. The thieves were thinking about who stole their gold and hid in barrels. In one of the barrels they put oil. They carried the barrels by horses.

At the end, Ali Baba found out what the thieves were doing and why they were doing it.

I enjoyed this story because it had gold in it. Also, the setting was exciting.

The author teaches you not to steal.

This book is surely worth reading. It is a cultural substent within the artistic subject of the late 1600. The famous painter is right now one of the most quoted ones around the world. It talks about his distorted life which can be interpetated in a mad manner from somebody who doesn't really understand that mabie all artists can be different from the mass of people that we all know today. It can help us understand how really life went like in those days. At last I can say this book is good but it doesn't fulfill my art identity. I have surely read better books.

John Russell wrote this "biography" while Francis Bacon was very much alive and tends to emphasize the influences on Bacon's work more from an environmental standpoint than an art historian view. But to jump into Bacon's raucous life "in medias res" is a gift that now can be savoured, like picking the grapes off the vines that in years to come will become a fine vintage wine. A diversion, and only in black and white reproductions, but a rather important comment in retrospect.

Like many biographies, Russell's work concentrates more on the man's times than on the man himself. While we learn a lot about what was going on around Bacon, what he himself experienced is left unexplored. Granted, Bacon made gathering biographical information very difficult, but I would have appreciated more insightful analysis of Bacon's life and its connections to his work. Overall it is a very good introduction to Bacon's career and total output, and includes a huge number of pictures that make the book extremely valuable as a reference. Unfortunately though, while there are many color reproductions, they are outnumbered by black and white ones that take away from truly experiencing the power of Bacon's work.

Well i really think that Francis Bacon is a great artist. I just stratid reading about his art work and he has so many goos drawings like Henrretta Moraes, and his selft portrait. They are veri nice drawings.So i really think his greatt.

This is a book for the yachting purist and technically minded. Few design offices have achieved the success of S&S. The book covers meter boats to fast cruising designs as well as out and out racers. This volume is a must for any sailor with a knowledge of the hsitory of yacht design. One dissappointment is the lack of colour photographs. It is difficult to appreciate the true beauty of "The Classic Yachts" when all are depicted with line drawings and black hulls.

Generally a good read with interesting insights into the personalities and motivations of Rod and Olin Stevens. Some heartfelt commentary is woven throught the pages by folk who knew the brothers well.

I would recommend the book to serious sailors but not for those seeking a coffee table book.

I¹m afraid this book is a bit of a disappointment. For me and, I suspect, many others, S&S is synonymous with the Stephens brothers, especially with Olin. Although, with characteristic modesty, he would probably be the first to disagree, his successors just did not live up to him. So, for me, the book should have covered designs only up to the late seventies. Besides, I would argue that to an unbiased observer (which the authors are not) the best 100 S&S boats are all from that period. It seems strange, for instance, that none of the boats from the winning Admiral¹s Cup teams of 1971 and 1973 is featured. What about Kialoa II and III? No disrepect intended, but most of the designs from the eighties ‹ while undoubtedly good and competent ‹ are just too uncharacteristic and bland. No sparkle. Certainly not worthy of S&S¹s former glories.If anyone could have taken up Olin Stephens¹ mantle at the helm of S&S and kept the firm true to its traditional innovation and genius, it is German Frers Jr. He is the master¹s true spiritual successor. Since he chose to set up on his own, S&S after the Stephens brothers¹ retirement became a different firm, and this book should have stopped there.Apart from those, let¹s say, philosophical, disagreements, I also find the text somewhat boring, sycophantic in parts, and I am disappointed that there aren¹t more lines drawings and more detailed specifications.Having said all that, the book is worth every penny of its price, and no-one interested in yacht design and the history of yachting will want to do without it.