I am one of the generation of New Yorkers that have grown up with the ghost of the old Penn station - and its unfortunate replacement. We have been forever robbed of this stately thing, which was so much more than a building. Watching it's slow death in these haunting pictures makes me hope this is the last time we have used our imagination to destroy rather than build. (This is an especially painful irony in light of our recent tragedy.) Get this book, and look at it with your children. And may we never treat the human-made beauty around us with such contempt again.

I remember as a kid in the mid-70s taking the train to NYC and having to endure the commuter's nightmare known as "modern" Penn Station.

In the late 80s, I learned what once was on the site of the current MSG/Penn Station monstrosity and became appalled that people could let a beautiful work of art be dismantled and replaced with a horrible building. In the early 1990s, I learned about the 1950s and 1960s and how Americans were obsessed with all things modern and new, rejecting anything with a hint of age or ornament.

Moore & Moore take a pictorial look on how the McKim, Mead and White's neoclassical masterpiece was dismantled over a multi-year period in the mid-1960s. While they really don't go into detail on why the old Penn Station was demolished, the spooky, B & W photos tell more than how an architectural gem was demolished. On a deeper level, the photos tell the tale of how an entire city was becoming irrelevant to suburban America and was sinking into massive decline (the years of municipal bankrupcy and burning neighborhoods in the South Bronx are only a few years away).

It was a very sad book that gets more depressing with each turn of the page, as more and more of the beauty of the old Penn Station gets stripped away. I guess that was the power of the photographs working on me.

Pair this book up with Robert Caro's _The Power Broker_ to get a good picture of New York in the early Baby Boom era.

This is an extraordinary, heartbreaking, must have book for anyone who loves New York and/or McKim, Mead & White's work.

Photographer Peter Moore and his wife Barbara moved into the Penn Station neighborhood in the early sixties. They used the building every day, whether they were passing through to the subway or catching a bite in the cavernous coffee shop.

With the railroad's permission, they documented its slow dismantling over the four years from 1963-1967. This book is the first appearance of that work. The black and white pictures are arranged chronologically, showing the faded but still magnificent station from its last days of active use through to its ghostly presence as a metal shell. The photography is beautiful and lyrical and sad beyond words, like a mournful love song to a love lost. The picures of the rubble-filled waiting room, its shape still intact but its side walls gone, are especially hard to take.

One note: this is not an exhaustive review of the building and its various spaces. It is a chrono picture of the concourse and waiting room through through their destruction. For more pics of the station in use, try "The Late, Great, Pennsylvania Station."

Set in the midst of a conference for romance writers, this mystery features my favorite Peters character Jacqueline Kirby, a librarian from Coldwater College of undetermined age. Eager to escape the rain in Nebraska, Kirby sets off for NYC to attend the Historical Romance Writers of the World conference because she thinks she can write off the cost as business deduction on her tax return(!). Sandwiched in between the clues of the exciting mystery plot are magnificent tongue-in-cheek looks at bodice-rippers and the industry that produces them. The satirical tone and Kirby's dry wit will have you laughing your way through the novel. At then end, you too may be inspired to try your hands at writing a romance novel- after all, if Kirby can write and sell a novel while solving the murder, why can't you?

This was the first book that I have read about Jacqueline Kirby. I found her to be the most extraordinary character. She had style, taste, and enough satire to make even the impassive romance writers cringe. I have never read a romance novel, but the way Jacqueline described them (and so flamboyantly made fun of them) almost made them sound funny. Die for Love was a novel with everything I look for: good characters (especially heroines), good plot, great suspense, non-stop action, and lots of laughs. Jacqueline's attitude and Holmes-like deductions make this a must read for every Elizabeth Peters fan.

There aren't too many books that I find laugh out loud funny but this is one of them. Written with humor and even the occasional burst of compassion, Elizabeth Peters takes on the cut-throat world of romance novelists.
Those who enjoyed this book may also enjoy "Bimbos of the Death Sun" by Sharyn McCrumb, an equally funny mystery about a murder that takes place at a Sci-Fi convention.

Yes: Brook is a genius.
Yes: This work is of great value to any theatre artist.
BUT!!! This book is rather dense, and those who are unfamiliar with major movements and theories in the last century of theater may find themselves a bit lost when Brook begins to talk about Artaud and the "Holy Theater" or Brecht and "Rough Theater."

Brook's ideas, through his sometimes dense writing, are meant to inspire and invigorate. This is not a manual or even a reference to create good theatre, as a major argument of Brook's is that good theater is far to complex and ever-changing to be explained by any book/manual/dogma/etc.

Read this book and know that it will not help you to create good theatre- if anything, it will raise the bar for "good" theatre so much higher that one's task becomes infinitely more difficult. This is the agony and the ecstasy of reading Peter Brook.

Building upon the earlier work of Aristotle, Brecht, Artaud and others, Brook confronts the living organism of the theatre on four levels: Deadly, Holy, Rough and Immediate. In each level, Brook makes the case that the theatre is not only a necessary component to the human creature, but a being that despite its constant wounds and ills, manages to bounce up from the death bed and find a way to survive.

Interestingly when Brook was writing (1968) there were many cynical critics who complained that the theatre was dying in the wake of television and film. Brook confronts the issue that theatre attendance was reacing all time lows. Today, over thirty years later, it is daunting to consider that there are even more distractions (the internet, home video, etc.) and attendance is even lower still. Yet despite these imposing knives thrusting into the communal body that is the Theatre, the world's oldest art form manages to forge ahead, survive and, the rare cases, thrive all the while maintaining its cultural importance.

Brook believes the theatre is unique is that it requires a community of artists and audiences alike to exist. That very sense of humanity and awe is what allows it to flourish in many instances.

Brook's writing is admittedly erudite and sometimes pretentious. And perhaps when one takes the positions that he does, such lofty language and posings may indeed be impossible. I hate to say it, but Brook's book may be hard going for the theatre lay person- God knows I'm aware of how elitist that sounds, but I think it is true. Because of his thick verbage, it may take a couple of stabs for the reader to unlock Brook's fevered soapboxing. But the journey is well worth the price.

This is a book of theatre theory and therefore it may appear quite barren of practical solutions. However when read in conjunction with not only life experience in the theatre as well as the many great acting, directing and play wrighting texts, it does provide the theatre artist with the basis for forging a true political manifesto. To quote Brook himself, "To play needs much work. But when we experience the work as play, then it is not work any more. A play is a play."

Have you ever noticed that several of the worlds truly Great Books are very short? Reading this book, along with The Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmond Jones, Acting: the first 6 lessons by Boleshavsky and Aristotles Poetics are (to my less than humble opinion) all one really needs to have a degree in Theater/re.

I was thrilled to find Peters book on our local library shelf. As a reader from Winnetka, Illinois, I felt moved and touched by Peters ability to capture the true essence of living here on the NORTH SHORE in the heart of the Mid West! I enjoyed every short story and found it difficult to put the book down without thinking about how one young mind could have experienced or imagined so much emotion in his life time! Although many stories are emotional, he never leaves us feeling sad!

Peter what a wonder collection of stories, we are all proud of you! It has been my honor reading your incredible stories.

I first bought this book mostly because I was curious about Orner outside of the classes he teaches at my university. The short stories in this book are all touching, some haunting. Each makes you feel a little guilty for moving on to the next. "Sitting Theodore" was my personal favorite. I hope he writes more books and continues to teach into senility and decrepitude.

Aside from being a great author, he's a great instructor as well. Hell yes, Orner. Go on with your bad self!

Agreeing with all of the previous reviewers as to the high quality of this collection of stories, I'll just add that rarely have I read a contemporary work so beautifully worded that it is truly a literary gem. Peter Orner has written an amazing book, and it is a must read.

Okay. First I just want to say I'm not UNDER 13, I'm 13. I just ain't buying anything here. Anyway, the book:

Demolition Winter was great. It had all what the Show Space: Above and Beyond had. Danger, action, romance, humor...everything. The only thing that troubles me is that the characters seems differnt. Shane is all the sudden angry and let it go out on the squadron, Damphousse (the Engieneer) know less than Wang about planes and stuff...and McQueen is all smussy. This is not our Ty. But the book is nevertheless good. And Nathan has never been better.

Demolition Winter (Space : Above and Beyond) by Peter Telep takes the S:AaB universe another step forward by giving the characters more depth than a 45 minute episode ever could.

It is also faithful to Morgan and Wong (the Producer's) vision for S:AaB, which is a relief.

The characters show how young and inexperienced they are, as adults and yet they manage to survive and work together to complete their mission.

This S:AaB book is well worth the cover price and is a great read for anyone who loves S:AaB or just loves a good military story.

GOSH I LOVE SAAB AND THIS IS A GREAT ON

I loved this book. In England we have a term for the obsessive fan with an unhealthy fascination for trivia. Taking note of the favored coat of the trainspotter (chap at rail station writing down train serial numbers), we call 'em "anorak"s. This is book for "anorak"s. Guess that makes me one.

The text is really well written. Jorgensen is the world's premier expert on Presley's music, and an excellent archivist for his record label too. However, all the factual information contained here (dates, take numbers etc...) is easily found here on the internet. Thus very nearly making this book superfluous.

Not JUST a complete sessionography, but as detailed and thorough account of Elvis' life as exists in print form. There are longer tomes, but none as accurate and as wonderfully presented. The interposition of the biographical text with the session listings works well in letting the reader see the progression of Elvis through the years.
Mr. Jorgensen's inter-relationship with BMG (nee RCA Victor) makes certain that the accuracy is as good as it's going to get. And, the story itself unfolds in an "eager-to-read" fashion.
Whether you are an Elvis fan or just a rock-n-roll fan in general, this IS the Elvis book to own. All others pale by comparison.

At last a book NOT about Elvis the man, the myth, the legend...but about his MUSIC! Finally a decent describtion of his recording sessions. A must have for every Elvisfan and musiclover!

Ernst Jorgensen, together with Roger Semon, THE expert on Elvis' music, compilating all the Elvis CD's beeing released since the late 1980s/early '90s, has written THE book about Elvis' recordingsessions.

With it's hard cover, black and white picture of the '50s Elvis and over 150 pictures inside, this book really is a beauty to look at. Chronologically, ALL recordingsessions are described, from "My Happiness" in 1953 to "Moody Blue" in 1977. All songs officially recorded by Elvis can be found in this book and from each song is mentioned:

* when it was recorded;

* where it was recorded (which studio, place):

* who wrote the song;

* which musicians are playing;

* all matrixnumbers;

* the kind of soundcarrier, the song was first released at.

Further, the book contains a complete list of all legal Elvis LPs and CDs updated to 1997, including the chartposition the song(s) reached. Quite a lot pictures in this book have never before been published and all together, this is one of THE best books ever written about Elvis' musical legacy!

Pat Barker's magnificent trilogy is not only a profound contribution to our literature on the First World War - it is also one of the most distinguished works of contemporary fiction in any genre. Barker doesn't skirt around the central issues with a po-faced patriotic reverence, but rather tackles them head on: the agonizing contradictions of patriotism and protest; the politics of social and self-surveillance; the homoerotic undertones of trench camaraderie, especially among the war poets; the horrendous physical and psychological costs of war; and the sense of personal duty which drives us, nonetheless, to fight. These are big themes, but Barker's talent is to handle them in a way which makes her novels feel like an easy read. They are accessible, engaging, seemingly simplistic in their style - but in the end profoundly moving in a way which only the highest literature aspires to be. The trick is that she makes her characters so real for us - Prior and Rivers, the consistent protagonists, are completely human. She makes us experience a world-historical incident on a very human scale. Harrowing, intelligent, moving and funny, Barker has crafted a fictional epic that will stay with you forever. Walking through Sydney's Central railway station months after finishing these books, I came across the honour boards listing the hundreds of railway men and women who died in the Great War. Barker's books made the war real for me, made these lives - these deaths - real. If they do nothing more than that for you, they've succeeded.

This is #2 of the Pat Barker trilogy about World War I, and this second book is as important as anything you're going to read about war in this challenging season (fall '01). She looks at the inner workings of fear, prejudice and scapegoating -- in the case of WWI Britain, homosexuals and pacificists. Scapegoating is alive and well in America right now, as we look for someone to blame, or someone on whom to take out our tensions. All too often it looks like the "someone" is a fellow American with whom we disagree. Read this book, for a deeper understanding of the stresses and strains of war -- on soldiers, yes, but also on us all.

I really believe that the most difficult task of any writer would be to write a historical novel, particularly one set during war years, that is fresh and void of cliche. In this regard, Pat Barker is truly amazing. Both "Regneration" and "The Eye in the Door" offer fresh voice and lack sentimentality..."Regeneration" and "The Eye in the Door" are intense and searchingly deep. Barker has written about psychological problems in terms a layman can grasp. She has written passionately of a war often over-shadowed by successive wars and of the pain and fear more comfortably white-washed by patriotism.

These books will engender fresh compassion for those veterans who have bravely fought wars abroad, witnessing and suffering untold horrors and for those who bravely fought at home by questioning the sanity of what politics demanded and were branded cowards for their beliefs.

I own the hardback copy of this book...actually I have owned it for a few years now. It is one of those books that become a literary treasure in your bookcase. I was so hooked on this book when I first got it, I read it from cover to cover in one day...I just couldn't put it down!

Dr. McCormack in the US can be likened to James Herriott of England. His stories of animals that he treated and the start of his career in the 1960's makes the reader feel they are right along side him assisting in whatever procedure needs to be done to his animal patient.

I am a person of great compassion for animals and as a reader, I was truly appreciative that the love and compassion that Dr. McCormack has for his animal patients shines through to the reader's soul. I laughed with this book..I have cried with this book...I have pulled for the sick animal in this book...I have rooted Dr. McCormack through as he treated tough cases in this book.

There are books about animals and then there are the special books about animals because the respect, compassion from the writer is there and the animal patients become real as one reads along the journey in the book.

If you are a James Herriott fan or an animal lover who is a reader, I highly, and I stress highly, suggest getting this book and reading it!

My people are not from Choctaw County, but we're from "around there." This is not only a sympathetic and heartfelt account of a rural vet practice in the sixties; it's a very accurate look at the folks you were likely to meet then and there, both the good and the bad. I have met most of the folks he talks about, or at least their near relations. Dr. McCormack's extended meditation on the verbal mangling of his job description by his neighbors is alone worth the price of admission, although the account of his visit to the Governor's Mansion driving the "rounds vehicle" and a too-long-delayed boar cutting run it very close. Excellent book.

I really enjoyed this book. It had good detail, and you really felt like you were going on the rounds with Dr. McCormack. I have read it several times since I bought it, and it is hard to put down each time, even though I know the outcome!

I enjoyed reading how tough it was to convert some of the farmers to the methods of modern veterinary medicine, and it was interesting to read the different methods the farmers had preferred to treat the illnesses in their livestock and pets until their was more modern help available.

My copy is called "Moon the Loon." It's one of the funniest books I've ever read. Totally unique. It is just a collection of stories about Keith Moon that do justice to his genius. I have lent my copy to at least 12 people (most of whom have never heard of Keith Moon) and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. When I went to London I tried to contact Peter Butler to compliment him on his fine work - but there are too many Peter Butlers living in London!

It's too bad this book is out of print, because these are the adventures (many very funny but in the end very sad) of one the greatest (if not THE greatest) drummers of all time. And besides that, it's written by a guy who knew Moonie and witnessed his antics 1st hand. I wish the guy who's trying to make a screenplay the best of luck. The next step after consulting Butler is to get permission from the Who to use their songs. To close this review, I'd like to paraphrase the last sentence in the book, "Keith Moon ups and [very] well dies."

Nobody lived his life like Keith Moon. Those who knew him were astounded at his all consuming passion to get everything possible out of life. Dougal Butler has written, in a unique and incredibly humorous way, the best book I've yet read about the life and incredible times of Keith Moon. Don't miss this one. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

Comparable in impact to the Roy Eugene Davis "The Eternal Way" Peter O. Erbe has a writing style that, in spots I found hard to digest, or understand... fixed only by reading it fluidly in one sweep.

The depth of what is expelled is fathomless... The truth always is. Simplistically complex and rich, yet rich in complex simplicity.

I have been reading this book for... some 2 years now, and find a world of knowledge that echo's through the pages of my past, and whisper's to me the secrets of my future. I have no other choice but to put the book down and remember all the things I once forgot.

Revealed are the nuts and bolts - The brut honest words to knowing thy self. Don't be shy... I never bought this book... this book bought me, and like all books that find you, your's is the choice that my not consciously acknowledge your part in the greater re-union, but you will succumb and this work will jolt your memory and allow your soul to fly.

You will remember. You stand. You will accept your responsibility and you will be... All that you are and all that you can be... You can be nothing else. It is nice to be given the words that you have not yet managed to pronounce. Simple really.

No matter your perceived stage in life... this book is such a relief... I have only maybe 10 books out of my library that crush me, adore me and please me... this book, I almost do not want to finish.

What can you say? Read it and find new words to old feelings once buried in fear.

This book sat on my nightstand for six months. Once and a while I would pick it up and scan through the pages but the words were so small and the book was so compact that I put it down again. However, one day I was looking for some real in-depth thinking about the reality of this world, I picked up "God I AM" once more and began to read; this time I read to the end. Actually I was in a complete state of euphoria reading this book as it explained in detail so much of what I have been through and gave me so many visuals by which to understand. The information that resides within these pages can be hard to hear as it is not of the normal thinking patterns. But I can assure you that this framework of thought is powerful indeed. It lends itself well in assisting one who is in the state of discovery as the thinking is not intrinsic of the ego, it is inherent of the soul. I would call "God I Am" a walk-about of the soul! A greater journey than I ever expected. Truly I would like to know more of this thinking and where it comes from.

Thank you Peter O. Erbe for such precise, clear thinking. I do believe this book must have been very arduous to write as every sentence is jam-packed with new ways of thinking about and therefore viewing the reality that we perceive.

After I read the first few pages of the book, my heart felt as if it would explode. I laughed, then cried, then laughed again with the joy of recognition of the Truth. This is definately a book that will expell any doubts about why we are here and what we have to look forward to.