Fraser Smith's account of Schaefer and the period of Baltimore history during which he 'reigned', sparkles with vitality and rings with truth. A must-read for anyone interested in Baltimore or Schaefer!

Having lived nearly my entire life under Schaefer's management, first as Mayor, then as Governor, I wanted to read about his personal qualities that made him such a success. This books explains that, as well as the many undercover forces as well. The only element missing is a discussion of why many of his successes were not enough to save the city from its current decline.

If you are interested in the politics of American cities this marvelous biography of the four-term mayor of Baltimore should be on the top of your reading list. C. Fraser Smith, a veteran reporter for the Baltimore Sun, has used the life of William Donald Schaefer -- a lackluster ward politician who surprised almost everyone by becoming one of America's most successful big city mayors -- as a vehicle for examining the inner workings of Baltimore during the last half century. In doing so he opens up a window through which to view and better understand every American city. With a sharp eye for detail and a knack for compelling narrative, Smith guides us through the morass of city politics, introducing us up-close-and-personal to an array of interesting characters who, at one time or another, performed on center stage with Schaefer. They include members of the mayor's staff, party godfathers, business leaders, neighborhood activists, obscure but powerful civil servants, black political leaders, and owners of sports teams, to cite a few. In his ability to employ ordinary citizens to tell a city's story, one is reminded immediately of J. Anthony Lukas' Common Ground, the Pulitzer-prize winning dissection of Boston. The reader senses that Smith, as a reporter on city and state beats, knew personally and had earned the trust of most of the key players he interviewed. They felt comfortable revealing to him the most intimate stories and opinions.

Yet despite all its attention to the political context, the book stays true throughout to its basic purpose of creating a rich, reliable biography of a remarkable public servant. It will be as valuable to scholars of urban America as it will be enjoyable to persons wanting simply to immerse themselves in big city lore.

Compared to so many other dull-reading license manuals that one has for introducing newcomers to Amateur Radio,'Ride the Airwaves with Alfa & Zulu' is a one of kind book for becoming a ham- and it's an excellent learning tool for students of all ages. Every question in the FCC Technician License Pool is covered, and all the information is worded and portrayed in ways that make learning a lot of fun and very easy to comprehend. The best feature of this book are the hundreds of illustrations that explain what's going on. Without question, anyone who is interested in becoming a ham ought to read K6YB's excellent book-for the book is one of kind when it comes to showing one 'what ham radio is all about' - and helping them to earn their first ticket. Amateur Radio Instructor- N6MV, Dr. James R. La Frieda

Hi, again, John Abbott has again produced a "SUPER" book that will assist those non-technical types, kids, and (older) kids (chuckle) open the door to Amateur Radio. I have used each of his A&Z texts since they first came out. Each time, my students and adults use it new Hams result. Amateur Radio is a great activity for ALL! Others who publish manuals should take a lesson from John and realize everyone does not have to be a tech'y to enjoy the fruitful activities of Amateur Radio. School starts in late August, 2000 for me. Alpha &Zulu will be on my desk and at the radio table. It will shown to my grade-6 class. It will become dog earred, written in, and studied by several of those eager minds. There will be more smiles at test time. There will be more Hams as a result. This book opens the door for future Hams. The more the better!

Conrad Ekstrom WB1GXM/KB1CCA(GEARS) ADVISOR GOSHEN-LEMPSTER EDUCATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY EST 1989

This is an excellent book to either teach or learn enough about amateur radio to get your license. It breaks complex concepts down into ideas presented in a cartoon format. I used it as a teacher with great success. There is an updated version called "Ride the Airwaves with Alpha and Zulu" (as opposed to this older version "Riding the Airwaves with Alpha and Zulu")that is both current and readily available from amazon.com This version does not have the latest changes for F.C.C. tests.

Sepia Dreams is definitely a MUST HAVE for one that has a great appreciation for art/photography. The affirmations are inspiring. The book is a great gift to give to loved ones.

Beautiful. Intelligent. Inspirational. Sepia Dreams is a work of art and aspiration! With so many stories of the people we love the most, you can't put it down. A great gift, and a must-have addition to your home library!
--LLOYD BOSTON, author of MEN OF COLOR

From the moment I first opened this book, I haven't been able to stop talking about it to my co-workers, friends, and family. Never before have I been so proud to own a book . At a time when we could all use something upbeat and positive, this book is inspirational, motivational, and uplifting. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

Called OUT: The Voices and Gifts of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Presbyterians, edited by Jane Adams Spahr (Chi Rho Pr; ISBN: 1888493003), can also be bought on Amazon.com. Called Out With, excellent as it is, is the companion to this first book.

This is a wonderful book from the straight-allied point of view to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered ordination rights in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Yet it is meant to be a companion piece to an earlier book published by Chi Rho Press entitled Called OUT: The Voices and Gifts of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Presbyterians, edited by Rev. Dr.Jane Adams Spahr. Shouldn't Amazon carry this book as well?

" Needless to say, it has happened again with John McGlone's excellent Civil War series. ONE OF THE MOST DARING OF MEN by Gerald J.Smith tells the life of Confederate General William Tatum Wofford. ... It is an outstanding work... if you like the Civil War period in this nation's history, you just can't get them any better."Damon Veech,TIMES-PICAYUNE,July,1997

" This biography offers a provocative study of one of Georgia's truly great sons, an appraisal which is long overdue."

Col. Brophy has collected all the records from L. C. Smith and it's predecessor Hunter Arms from Marlin just prior to distruction. This is a must for any collectors or historians of the L. C. Smith company and the specific shotguns they built.

A truly amazing reference for any Hebrew student. This book lists _every single_ verb in the entire Hebrew Bible and breaks it down according to its aspects. I can't even imagine all the work that went into preparing this book -- but it certainly saved me a significant amount of time in my studies!

A good read! Originally written in 1892, this book by William B. Smith is his recollection of time spent as a young Union Army Private in the 16th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He tells of his trips up and down the Missisippi on paddlewheel boats, then as a foot soldier marching through the Southern countryside. Along the way he gives us a taste of what it was like as a soldier in the Civil War.
Whats remarkable about this book is that the author retains his sense of humor throughout--not just the tales of his youthful soldiering, but also as he tells of the terrible hardships he and his comrades faced as prisoners in those horrible Southern Prisons.
The cover picture is the author "on wheels" as a result of injuries sustained at Andersonville and Blackshear prisons.

That this book was rediscovered, researched, updated and edited by a high school student the same age as Smith when he was discharged from Andersonville is extraordinary in itself.

A must read for all Civil War buffs and those even remotely interested in history. The 600+ pages in this book (both volume I and II are included together) articulately spell out the military career of one of the United States' greatest generals. Grant's Memoirs are well-written, thoughtful, insightful, and offer more than a glimpse into the mind of U.S. Grant.

Volume I opens with a heartfelt preface where Grant explains how his diminishing health pushed him to complete this work and "asking no favor but hoping (his remarks) will meet the approval of the reader." They most definitely do. Following the preface, the reader is given a (very) short review of his early childhood, life at West Point, and early Army life. The next one hundred pages are dedicated to the Mexican War followed by his resignation from the military and civilian life in Illinois. The remainder of Volume I and all of Volume II extensively deal with the War Between the States.

I found Volume I (written before Grant realized he was critically ill) to be rich in detail of the various military campaigns (perhaps too detailed) and his ascension through the military ranks, but it is somewhat lacking in personal observations and insights. It even drags at times--but stick with it. The patient reader will not be dissapointed. Volume II hurls the reader into the conflict, reads rapidly, and is rife with Grant's personal observations and insights.

This second volume picks up where the first left off--following Vicksburg to the campaigns in Tennessee to the Battle of the Wilderness to Sherman's March to the Sea to the Battle of Franklin right up to Appomattox and all the events of April and May 1865. These campaigns are told from the commanding general's perspective with great overview and detail. However, what really makes Volume II (and this volume is much more fast paced than the first) special are all the personal observations and insightful (rarely negative and always humble) comments about those Grant served with and against. Grant is thoughtful and displays much about himself as this great book draws to a close. An eloquently written, detailed, first-person account of the Civil War that offers much to those who read it.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Being a Civil War buff, I just received a copy of the old 2-volume edition of this book as a birthday present. It turned out to be one of the better presents I have received. Grant begins by stating that he will NOT present all the details of each campaign and battle. He keeps this promise. Rather, the book is a general overview of his background, youth, and military career from Mexico through the Civil War. I expected some self-aggrandizement, but was (pleasantly)surprised by Grant's frankness and obvious sincerity. He tells things as he experienced them, with no flourishes. When he was wrong, he says so. When credit belongs to someone else, he also says so. It is a straight-forward story by an obviously straight-forward man. Knowing that he was soon to die, Grant wrote a remarkably honest piece - especially compared to the works of some of his contemporaries. When I finished reading the book, I don't believe that I knew that much more about the war itself. Rather, my strongest impression was of Grant's character; that I had, in a sense, met the man. It is a book NOT be to missed.

That U.S. Grant is telling one of history's great tragic and glorious stories as the key actor would make this book a fine piece in its own right. He has a gift for story telling that renders his Personal Memoirs compelling and engrossing. One of the best books I have read. It is remarkable from several levels. First, it is undeniably great history. The story of our Civil War is moving enough to leave a tremendous impression upon the reader in Grant's hands. Second, this book is a great study in management. Grant succeeded where scores failed at similar command levels throughout the Civil War. He did due to his: knowledge and focus on his mission; his ability to conceive plans that served his mission; his ability to have alternatives that stayed the course; his ability to learn from mistakes and experience; his calm in the face of stress and chaos; his decisiveness and his willingness to take reasonable risks.

This book surprised me by being an excellent management study. The lessons which are easy to take away from the book are aplicable to anyone who is faced with mission definition and achievement. It should be must reading in MBA programs.

Grant's lack of ego is surprising when compared to other Civil War figures and high achievers who have reflected on their lives and actions. By not only focusing on things that went right for Grant, the book has a tremendous credibility borne of real life trial and error, frustration, lessons learned and later employed.

A great book.

What a truly great reader this book turned out to be. Easy to pick up, difficult to put down, and filled with inspiration. While a small percentage of war techniques do not transfer to the business world; Axelrod pulls concise information and quidance from a library of the General's quotes. Wars are won by making the enemy die for his country. Always move forward. When in doubt, attack. The soldier is the army. Gather accurate information and make decisions quickly. And take the high ground.

My only complaint is with the author's desire to open the book with political-correctness and apologies for Patton's frank language.

This book will spark you up and fill you with pride, boldness, and audacity! I have found my Covey books and Minute Mangers have collected dust where "Patton on Leadership" is starting to look like a well worn Bible.

Having worked in a number of corporate environments, this book struck a nerve. There are so many self-help-styled "How to be a great manager" titles out there that when you finally read something with some substance to it, based strictly on the tried-and-true principles of this country's greatest advocate of leadership skills, that you can't help but be reminded that it is the basics that are worth all.

It may seem trite to some that this book merely takes quotes and extracts from Patton's life and writings and develops them to highlight various aspects of leadership, yet the study of leadership is deceptively simple in this regard; leadership is taking people where they must go, focusing on what is truly important and worthwhile. And the great leader is always one of the troops, not some invulnerable sage from On High. It should be noted that prior to reading this book, the reader is strongly advised to read Carlo D'Este's superb biography, "Patton: A Genius for War" in order to appreciate who Patton was as a man before he was, well, George C. Scott. Suffering from severe dyslexia, he struggled to get through West Point and VMI. His tortured efforts to memorize the works of great historical military leaders apparently left an indelible mark on his thinking, yet what remained throughout his life was the underlying principle that it is leadership that wins wars and not abstractions like courage or heroism.

Military units are like spaghetti, he said, which must be pulled rather than pushed. And this man lead from the front. So when you read in these pages that a leader must endure what his/her minions endure in order to earn (earn!) their respect, he knows what he is talking about.

I once worked at a computer software company that specialized in healthcare programs, and our V.P. of Sales gave a long-winded speech about how we must all "tighten our belts and stay focused on lean expenditures!" The very next day the S.O.B. drove into work in a brand new BMW 700 series car (company car, of course). Just what kind of leadership is that?! Leadership by example, or by arrogant authoritarianism?

Want to hold the reins and lead with certainty and conviction? Here's the manual!

Frederick the Great may have said it, but George "Blood 'n Guts" Patton lived it. What a remarkable man, and what a remarkable presentation about that man, his life and his leadership skills. One should read this book just for the hell-of-it if not for any other reason. What a great first read for anyone wishing to know more about the General.

First of all, this book reads well and fast, and it's hard to put down. Mr. Axelrod tells a great story, conveys the essence of Patton's Generalship and Management styles, and along the way adds some very good history. Axelrod clears up the legends and myth surrounding the famous slapping incident, and details the campaigns into Bastogne and to Berlin in short, clear and entertaining fashion. It was truly enjoyable to read this book.

To keep the record straight, the format of the book allows for a 3 - 4 hour total read time due to the fact that many of the pages have only 18 - 25 lines of print on them, where as others are in standard layout. The stories will excite, entertain, and cause "out-loud" laughter. The language is harsh sometimes, but perfectly appropriate to the original situation.

I say get the SOB book and read it "...every God damn night", and smile.