The Walls of Jericho offers a riveting, close-up and personal review of the political struggles of the Civil Rights movement, seen through the eyes of three is its major protagonists. Author Robert Mann carries us to know and understand southerner, racist Richard Russell, southerner human rights supporter Lyndon Johnson, and northerner firebrand liberal Hubert Humphrey. We agree with them, or disagree with them, Mann allows us to understand where they are coming from. In the end, they are good men trying to do good things, as they see them to be good. I was emotionally struck in reading about the personal, political, and social interplay.

This is a clear discussion of the process whereby civil rights legislation passed the Senate in the late 1950's and the 1960's, despite the filibusters threatened and actual of the Southern Democratic senators. It could easily have been a book about political re-alignment as well, but it would probably need to be twice as long. Many of the trends that dictated the course of American politics in the 1960's are seen in microcosm in this book - Would the South bolt the Democratic Party? Would the Democrats capture the African-American vote from the party of Lincoln? Could a Southern Democrat win the Whitehouse? Would the Dixiecrats throw the presidency to the GOP? It is an extremely clear narrative, that occasionally looks at the bigger picture of American politics, and records the force of personality in parliamentary politics. It clearly records the seismic changes that the wily and calculating LBJ, as an otherwise unelectable Southern Democrat, wrought to the Democratic Party after President Kennedy's death, in the search for a personal victory in the 1964 presidential election.

Having grown up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Hubert Humphrey is remembered and revered, and then living in Atlanta, Georgia for 14 years, the land of Martin Luther King and Richard Russell (and the region of LBJ), I was very intrigued by the subject of this book. I also found it refreshingly evenhanded, yet an intimate and personal view into one of the most important periods of American history, written about a subject that not only is in the forefront of out collective attention, but has been so since before our nation was founded. Not only that, it was a good read, with as much excitement and plot twists as the latest from Grisham.

If you are at all interested in Civil Rights, or you just like reading about politics, this is a very good place to start.

Hubert Lampo is probably one of the best Belgian (and not Dutch as the New Zealand reviewer mistakenly states) writers, almost all of whose books - some of which were written in the fourties - are still in reprint in Flemish, his language of origin. This magic-realistic story, set against the backdrop of my much beloved magical Antwerp, is a pearl in the crown of Lampo. Nothing is exactly as it seems - and basically this is a New Age novel avant la lettre, were synchronicity, or serendipity, strikes relentlessly. He is a writer who manifestly has been deeply touched by the Seven Muses, whom I even suspect of hiding direct personal mystical experience under his modesty, painting his books beyond-reality with a deep care of humanity, a warm romantic soul with a disarming belief in true love and homerian linguistic virtuosity...This book has been translated in English, Romenian, Swedish, Afrikaans, Polish, Chech and Spanish, and has also been turned into a feature film. I love this author and his entire oeuvre, of which I hope more will be translated into English in the future.
Otherwise you'll simply have to learn Flemish. Good luck!

This Dutch novel by Hubert Lampo was written in the early sixties as a manifestasion of the "magic realism" school. "De komst van Joachim Stiller" is probably the best and most famous of Lampo's novels (e.g. "Terugkeer naar Atlantis"). Within the novel every day occurrences are loaded with magical/supernatural meaning and thus transcend the boundaries of normal significance. Human existenced is thus imbued with new and extra-ordinary frameworks that open up new horizons on human endeavour. A must for any person who aspires to a fuller understanding of the road we travell on.

confusing, but yet so logical. There's no way of explaninig the book, you just have to 'know' . It's too easy to measure the worls only comparing to ourselves(humanbeings). There's more than that world. Am not religious or an extreme hippie, but am quite interested in the relativety bteween the now and, let's call it now as well...?...!...?...!...

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me new insight into how different things were not that long ago. I never thought about horse drawn carriages being a regular part of "recent" history. This book did what history classes never have done, tell me how things really were in the recent past. It helped me realise the rapid changes that the USA has gone through. Also, it made me realise how close we are to the era of the great depression.

About a life that spans a time from horse drawn buggies through the start of the nuclear submarine era. An easy read and very enjoyable. Especially enjoyed the info on the rescue of President Bush and the declassified submarine patrol logs.

If you are curious to know what sort of person would volunteer to serve on a submarine during WWII when 1 out of 7 died during this service, this book describes the outstanding courage of this patriotic young man who grew up during the Great Depression and who served on the U.S.S. Finback. Learn about the rescue of young pilot George Bush after his plane crashed into the ocean. Our country owes much to dedicated men like these! More of our veterans should record their experiences for our history books.

The information in this book is accurate, interesting and very readable. The ilustrations are superb.
An invaluable resource for anyone studying diamonds but also written in such a way that it is of general interest.
This book has proved very popular here in Sydney - I have already ordered 11 copies for myself and my gemmologist friends.

I believe that this is the most comprehensive general textbook on diamonds out there. It covers EVERYTHING: natural history, the diamond industry, diamond-cutting, gemology, jewelry, mythology and symbolism, chemistry and physics, natural formation and man-made synthesis... The original research is very impressive (it was commissioned by the French Natural History Museum to when they did their blockbuster exhibition on diamonds a couple of years ago). Among other things, it convincingly rebuts the theory that diamond-cutting was invented in India and presents a considerable amount of information on famous diamonds from archive sources. The illustrations are also impressive, including archive photos from De Beers that were developed and printed for the first time in over a century.

An excellent book on the life of Hubert H. Humphrey, by the subject himself. I have read others pieces on Humphrey, but this work comes through in his own voice, as if he is sitting there talking to you. As biographies go, I think Carl Solberg's book on the late Vice President is the most thorough on the subject, but Humphrey's account is the most readable. The subject is also well done by Dan Cohen.

This is a great read. Here, Humphrey sums up his life, his beliefs and his goals for the coming years. Those who want to know what our nation should be like ought to read this book.

Humphrey dreamed of an opportunity society in which the public and private good made sure that all of our citizens had access to such basic human needs as health care, a human and living wage, education, day care, family leave, a job and a safe neighobrhood and environment. He dreamed of a society in which we would all be equal, regardless of who we are or what our skin color is. Has his dream come true? Of course not. The 'new right' in America has declared war on all that is good about our government and its humanitarian goals. They have declared war on the workers and unions which Humphrey so adored. They have declared war on basic labor regulations. They ought to read Humphrey's autobiography and grow a heart!

Hubert Humphrey in his last speech before Congerss said something which has touched me and is my political motto:"The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped." We need to make sure that America does not fail the 'moral test of government.'

For those who see Humphrey as a has-been civil rights leader and as LBJ's Vice President, I urge you to read this book and see how radically pro-labor and pro-civil rights he was. It's a good read!

Herein lies three absorbing accounts of the first wagon trains to California (1841), Oregon (1842) and Washington (1853). The sixty nine men, women and children of the 1841 Bidwell-Bartleson party were the first to attempt any such overland migration to the west. Bidwell describes many features such as the disputable election of Bartleson as captain; securing Fitzpatrick as guide; praiseworthy comments on traveling companion Father DeSmet; provisions and daily routines; making roads for the wagons; buffalo stampedes; "cyclones"; half the party dividing at Soda Springs to continue traveling north with Fitzpatrick and the missionaries; getting lost a few times in Utah and Nevada due to vague geographical directions; making pack-saddles from the wood of their abandoned wagons; Bartleson and others deserting; etc. The Hubert Bancroft account of the 1842 Elija White party of one hundred twelve descibes daily routines also, along with rules and regulations for the journey; the controversial slaughtering of twenty two of the emigrants' dogs as ordered by White, thereby resulting in Loren Hastings elected as captain and the division of the party; the somewhat dubious tactics at Fort Laramie to obtain the emigrants' oxen and wagons in exchange for worn-out, haggard horses, and supplies at exhorbitant prices; securing Fitzpatrick as guide; etc. The 1853 James Longmire account to Washington has the emigrants traversing the treacherous Cascade Mountains, using ropes and rawhide from freshly butchered cattle to lower their wagons down steep canyon walls. Although only 104 pages, this little book gives armchair "overlanders" an intriguing glimpse into the many hardships, sacrifices and speculations these early day pioneers had to overcome.

This 104 page volume, illustrated with black and white engravings and paintings by Frederic Remington and others, brings together the accounts of the first three wagon trains from "the States" to the West.

John Bidwell's account of the "First Emigrant Train to California: Kansas River to Marsh's Rancho, May 19 to November 5, 1841," is the longest of the three, providing a great deal of insight into the daily life, hardships and encounters of this pioneer journey to the Sacramento area.

Hubert Howe Bancroft and others, write about the "Elijah White Party," which left the Independence, Missouri, area on May 14, 1842 for the Oregon country, where Elijah White was to commence his duties as the first U.S. Government agent in the region. Bancroft's account, with insertions from other diaries, gives us a glimpse not only of the journey, which is fascinating, but of the political squabbles among the leaders. Among other things, we learn about White's infamous order to kill all the dogs in the party. The group reaches the Whitman Mission, near Walla Walla, and most continue on to Fort Vancouver.

The shortest account, but the one that interested me the most, is "Through Naches Pass," by James Longmire. It tells of the 1853 Longmire party, giving a brief account of their travels to Fort Walla Walla, but providing more detail on their struggles to be the first wagon train to arrive in the Puget Sound area, crossing the Cascade Mountains just north of Mount Rainier. This was the first party to arrive in the West with most of their wagons. Here we see a tired, ragged party on the western slopes of the Cascades celebrating by clubbing and eating their fill of humpback salmon, although Mrs. Longmire preferred to buy a pheasant from a nearby Indian hunter.

I'd recommend these first-hand accounts of the overland journey to the West to anyone interested in the westward movement, as well as to teachers and students studying this period of history.

Without bogging the reader down with endless scientific minutae, this book treats the entire family of cowries in a manner useful to scientists and serious amatures alike. I have several books on cowries and this by far is best. The feature I especially like is the large quantity of high quality photographs of each species giving the reader not just many examples of each species but showing all the subspecies and varieties and explaining the differences. The explanations of the biology, life cycles, habitat and habits etc. is easily understood by nonscientists yet very useful to scientists. My copy came without a dust jacket so I asume that it was published that way...While this book may be purchased directly from the publisher the savings is only slight and is eaten up by the shipping costs from Germany. I recieved mine from Amazon in less than 2 weeks by UPS ground.

Expensive, but worth it. I have seen numerous other cowrie books (Burgess, Allen, Wallis, etc.) and believe nothing comes close. Lots of specimens showing lots of species variation. Highly recommended.

This book is a must have in any household! It not only traces the history of French cooking but its complete with fantastic recipes but and illustrated with the paintings of the French masters! An art book and a cook book all in one!

A book I will be passing onto my children one day when I have them!

Merveilleux!

I borrowed this book from a dear friend, and find that from Apicus to the present, it is, together with Sunset Country French Cooking, my favorite in my library. Only this book does not belong to me, and apparently I may have to kill my friend to get it. That is all right, any jury after seeing the book, would say it was justifible homocide.

It could be an exaggeration when I call the Kobbes Opera Guide a Bible for opera lovers. But it's a very resourceful book on operatic composers, performers and the rich history of opera from its early days in Baroque Italy. Everything you want to know is here...the opera comique style, Baroque masters such as Gluck and Handel, the Rossini operas, bel canto beauties such as the Donizetti operas, German operas and French operas. It is a very monumental source of information on singers as well, sopranos from the very talked about Maria Callas (1923-1977), Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, and recent singers as Renee Fleming and Sumi Jo, tenors Placido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Luciano Pavoratti, Jon Vickers, and their careers. A must have for any true opera buff. Immerse yourself into the stories of operas and its fascinating background in music.

The new format of this magnificent reference book is the most outstanding feature of this revised, updated work. The prior Kobbe's clumsily, but not wholly improperly , catlogued composers like a taxonomical excercise. The genus being the chronological era and the species is the nationality of the composer. Thus German composers in the nineteenth century with singular emphasis on Wagner are grouped; then Italian opera for that century, and so on through Europe. Then we come to the twentieth century and all over again with this format but encompassing the world by nation. The revised volume has nothing more outstanding than an alphabetical arrangement for the subjects, but how outstanding and important this seemingly simple change is cannot be overestimated. This is a required reference book for opera afficianados whatever level of knowledge of the subject one possesses.

Excellent book. It takes you back to a different era, when tattoo shops were only on the rough side of town, and the tattooers were salty old dogs who took no guff from anyone. Full of humor in the recollections of many well respected old-timers. Very interesting to see the slight differences in recollection, by the subjects' memories of things that happened. Excellent prints of traditional flash and old photos.

So few texts have been written based on quality research into old-school/traditional style tattoos, but this one stands out as a shining example. Wonderfully laid out, providing both a historic, relationship, and spatial vision of what the tattoo culture was from just before WW 2 until the late 60's.

Excellent, and I highly recommend for anyone's collection.