Biographical essays of well-known as well as fairly obscure musicians and industry types. Escott has made a career out of telling outrageous, sometimes salacious, tales -- he gets to the rawer, visceral side of the story pretty quickly, which is relatively easy when you're talking to folks who worked in the scraggly, scruffy early years of country, rock and blues. He's an engaging, consersational writer, and this latest collection is a delight. Includes essays on artists such as Dale Hawkins, Don Everly, Johnny Horton, Tim Hardin and a particularly cruel skewering of Pat Boone. In one of the most fascinating sections, Escott profiles the founders of record labels such as Decca, King, Starday and Hi -- a fascinating and very illuminating appoach to presenting the history of popular music. Beautifully laid out, well written and highly recommended.

This groundbreaking work offers the reader insight to the world of Stax in the sixties and seventies. It allows the reader to understand the forces behind the ascension and eventual decline of one of the greatest recording labels in the history of modern music. In the course of absorbing this wonderful book, the humble reader is able to gain an understanding of the societal, cultural, and racial catalysts for the music produced. In the latter part of the book, the reader sees the painful decline of Stax from their pinnacle to their nadir in the course of only a few short years.

Extremely highly recommended -- the best musical history book I have read.

Also recommended: The Complete Stax/Volt Singles, Volumes I, II, and III (box sets with excellent liner notes by Rob Bowman)

Also -- It Came from Memphis' for a good background on the lesser known, but nonetheless important musicians who originated in Memphis.

This Book was all that.Staxx is as Important as Motown.It's a Incredible Story.especially when A Black Label Blows up Down South in the 60's.you only ever here about Sun Records &Sam Phillips and his discovery of Elvis Presley.so this is Very Important on a Social Front.The Many Great Artists on Staxx.this Book is strong from start to Finish.

Written as a response to sladerous accusations of lying and insincerity, Cardinal Newman composed one of the best autobiographies in the English language. To properly defend himself, he develops the history of his religous opinions from his earliest memories, through Oxford movement and finally to his conversion to the Catholic Church. Along the way he gives the reader some of the best prose that has been employed to descrbe religious experience. The book concludes with a point-by-point refutation to the arguments of Rev. Kingsley, that incidentally contains some of the best arguments against Sola Scriptura and other guiding principles behind Protestantism.

After publication, Newman's Apologia helped raise the esteem of Catholics in the eyes of the English people and helped make him a Cardinal. I whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a moving spiritual autobiography.

There are few autobiographies as moving and eloquent as Newman's "Apologia." This is his "defense" of his life's choice to leave the Church of England and "go home to Rome." It's a moving testament to an individual's struggle with spiritual issues and theological dogmas and how they inform our lives. I know of no other spiritual autobiography of such importance other than Augustine's "Confessions."

Yet, for all these superb reasons to read this spiritual autobiography, perhaps there is one "secular" reason to read Newman: His command of the English language. Newman has an excellent command of rhetoric, logic, and exposition that makes him a stellar example of Victorian belle letters.

I'd recommend the Norton Critical Edition over the Penguin edition, obviously, not for the "translation," but for the criticism that helps put the issues involved in context for the 20th century reader.

since the "Confessions" of St. Augustine of Hippo 1600 years earlier.

In this book, John Henry Newman, in order to defend himself from (rather unfair) charges of insincerity, outlines the history of his spiritual development, from his beginnings as a liberal thinker, to his conversion to the Evangelical wing of the Church of England, to his ordination as an Anglican priest, to his gradual move toward Catholic thought, practice and worship in the Church of England, to his leadership in the so-called "Oxford Movement" and its call to holiness and Catholicity in the Church of England, and finally to his ultimate submission to Rome.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with Cardinal Newman theologically; whether one can accept his particular conclusions is not important to the enjoyment of this book. It is an honest account of a spiritual journey, written by an articulate man, which should prove inspirational to all persons of faith, and to all on a spiritual pilgrimage.

Great book. Well-written, humorous, well-plotted. I look forward to more books in what could be a well-done series. I'm a big fan of John Morgan Wilson's Justice series and while this is not as dark as those can be, it is well worth the read.

Blue Moon is one of those rare pieces I read in one sitting. The authors craft a story with good pace (the celluloid runs through your mind during the car chase to the Golden Gate Bridge) Having been interested in the Duchin story for years, the authors play with Peter Duchin's personal history and use it to wonderful effect. Just as Philip Damon prefers of his music, the book "swings".

Society bandleader Peter Duchin and Edgar Award winning author John Morgan Wilson team up and give us a smoothly written little mystery in "Blue Moon."

Set in the San Francisco of 1963, they blend history with fiction in an action packed noirish plot.

Celebrities and pop icons of the day from Joe DiMaggio to Andy Warhol---Jackie Kennedy to Jack Kerouac---Truman Capote to Willie Mays pop up along with a major part for Herb Caen.

It has the feel of Archy McNally meeting up with The Thin Man---snappy dialogue, complex plot, lotsa characters with agendas, many cocktails, dead bodies and an alto sax playing San Francisco Inspector who sits in with the protagonist's (Philip Damon) band.

It is an excellent amateur sleuth whodunit peopled with intriguing characters. The atmosphere of sixties San Francisco is truly captured.

There are many laughs along the way. "Blue Moon" is big fun.

I've always been fascinated by Colorado and its ghosts towns. This book contains detailed guides to many of the more interesting ghosts towns around Colorado. It also tells a little bit about the history of the towns, which is certainly a bonus. My one complaint is that it was not quite as thorough as it could have been. There were some areas of Colorado with fascinating histories that were left out. But, all in all, this is a good book for anyone interested Colorado and its amazing history. If you like this book, I would also recommend a new gem of a book I found entitled Colorado: Yesterday & Today.

[Paired review with Arizona Ghost Towns & Mining Camps, by Philip Varney] Ghost town books are traditionally rather scruffy affairs, with dim photos, little organization and an amateurish look. Philip Varney has raised the bar with these two books. Both feature clean design, good directions to the sites, excellent photographs and well-written text. Varley writes "I wanted a practical, informative guide that would give me the details I needed next to me on the sea of my truck." Both books are squarely on his mark.

The Colorado book is nicer: all the present-day photographs are in color, and the extra 24 pages allow more photos and a bit more depth to the text. But the Arizona book is no slouch: it has the advantage of Arizona Highways' long experience in producing good, easy-to-use guidebooks (plus it's cheaper). I've been to most of the sites in both books; in almost every case I've learned something new from his books. The photos are excellent, the maps and directions are easy to follow, and Varney's writing style is personable and informative.

Either book will make a fine companion for your next Colorado or Arizona vacation, even if you don't ordinarily pay much attention to ghost towns. Those with an interest in Western history *need* both books. And they're both excellent for armchair travellers. We're already talking about a Colorado trip next summer --Kathleen's never seen the *real* South Park.

Varney really has no competition for either state. These are the two best ghost-town guidebooks I'v seen. He'salso written ghost-town guides for New Mexico (1987?) and Southern California (1990); both are in print, but I haven't read them. ----------- Pete Tillman visited his first Colorado ghost towns some 40 years ago, and has since been to hundreds more throughout the West, both for work and for fun. Vulture (AZ) is his current favorite "true" ghost. But, hmm, Bodie (CA) is bigger and better-kept.... And Jerome (AZ) has the best views... And I've *still* never been to Crystal (CO). So much to see, so little time....

This is an excellant resource for finding the Ghost Towns in Colorado. It gave detailed directions to locate them. The colored photographs were very interesting to look at and sparked our interest to track certain towns down. It was nice to have some history available from the book to know what went on in town and when its "hay day" was in our history. It is a very attractive book and could also be used as a coffee table book.

Afolabi Epega did a great job in his explanation of the 256 Odus. The "western" observation and the introduction written by Philip Neimark could have been left out and the book would have been better off. It is a shame that Oluwo Afolabi Epega is even remotely affiliated with Philip Neimark in this book.

With all due respects to my elder Babalawo, but I believe that we all as human beings and followers of the Orisha, need sacred texts as all major religions do. The Christians have the Bible, the Muslims the Quran, and the Hindu's the Bhagavad Gita. This book may not be the answer to any of those sacred texts I have mentioned, but it is quite certainly a good start. Not only for divination, but also for spiritual inspiration as well as daily affirmations.

My highest respects to Afolabi Epega, for translating these ancient texts known as the Sacred Living 256 Odus
of our Lord the great prophet / Irunmole / Orisha, Orunmila. This book belongs in the shelf of every Orisha worshipper. This book is great only because of Afolabi Epega, the rest of the introduction should have been left out, and is not needed.

One who reads this book must understand that the whole view and teachings of each Odu would fill many, many volumes of books, this is just but a great start.

Here is the best explanation of the 256 Odus I have seen. The "western" translations help bring this always fluid system into a mainstream view. I would recommend this for any aspiring Babalowa.

This tale finds Sherlock Holmes ensconced in the Dead Rabbit's Society a brasher version of the British gentleman's club. 'Dead Rabbit,' in turn of the century New York patois, means 'best opponent.' I admit it is an odd name for what is supposed to be a fashionable establishment. Although, given the description of the food, the name may be apt for a different reason. Lest I forget, Holmes is only occasionally Holmes in this story. He is on that infinitely long hegira that lasted from Reichenbach Falls to his eventual reappearance in England, and has chosen Simon Hawkes as his nom de detection.

The story opens dramatically with a woman's suicidal plunge into the Hudson and then switches abruptly to the public rooms of the Dead Rabbit's Society. There we find Holmes/Hawkes discussing the recent death with George Hammond, a Rabbit of long standing. Their conversation is interrupted by a brief confrontation between Franklin and Charles Dunmore that enables our detective to once again reveal his scintillating analytical abilities, which barely stop short of estimating the brothers' respective bank balances. Hammond is appropriately awestruck. Little does Holmes realize that, in short order, Franklin Dunmore is about to become a client.

A week later, attempts on Franklin's life suddenly begin. He turns to Hammond for help, fearing that these efforts are from his brother's hand. Hammond, in turn, recommends that Franklin seek help from Holmes. Despite being busy saving the Police Commissioner from blackmail, Holmes has a flash of inspiration and generously offers to help. While Holmes discovers much, he is unprepared for the swiftness of events. Death comes early in this case and proceeds with nightmarish violence. Holmes finds himself at his wit's end.

Phillip Carraher is a promising writer, but I found the story a bit unsatisfactory. As indicated earlier, Holmes, disguised as Hawkes, and without Watson, never seems to settle completely into his role. He behaves atypically, both in the nature of his disguise and in an unusual tendency to reveal more than he should. If he is attempting concealment from the remains of Moriarty's gang, why he would then intentionally make a point of aiding the police. After all, his modus operandi is well known on both continents. If the gang was really intent on getting even with Holmes he would be singularly easy to come across.

Less tolerable, the plot devices chosen to move the action along are too tranparent, and diffuse most of the mystery. The plot is thin, and it is too easy for the reader to get ahead of Holmes. The ending so is unlike Holmes that Carraher actually has Watson remark on it to Holmes on its retelling. Characterization, however, is quite good, and the writer does a good if slightly over-dramatic imitation of Watson as narrator after the fact.

If you like fairly traditional Holmesian fare (a la Val Andrews), I think that you will find the Dead Rabbits Society a journeymanlike tale, short but satisfactory. If your tastes run to more ambitious additions to the canon I would suggest first looking to Larry Millett and Laurie R. King.

I liked this book very much. I don't normally write comments on the web, but reading Marc Ruby's review I just felt I had to remark on a couple of things he said.

1. He says (asks) why would Holmes help the police and solve crimes when in hiding (from Moriarty's gang? That, to me, is like asking why doesn't Holmes stop breathing while hiding? Holmes must be Holmes. It is second nature to him. I think any fan of the "canon" would agree. This thus strikes me as a frivolous criticism.

2. Marc says the ending (unique to say the least)is "unlike Holmes". Here I think he is totally off the mark. Any reader of the Doyle stories knows that Holmes is not afraid to act "outside" the law when he deems it necessary. Far from being "unlike Holmes" I thought the ending was something Holmes would very likely do. Although the morality of it is worth a discussion or two. It certainly makes Doctor Watson's eyebrows go up when Holmes tells him of it. Although in the end he (Watson) agrees it was the right thing to do.

3. He says it's a bit easy to "get ahead" of Carraher. I'm not certain what this means. Does it means it is possible to figure out (guess) who the killer is prior to the end? Perhaps. But this too is not a true criticism. I certainly did not "get ahead" of Carraher in terms of the twists and turns of the plot and the killing of at least two of the people came initially as a surprise. Anyway, Holmes stories are not really about "hiding" who the "bad person" is (Anyone read "The Speckled Band" and not know right off?) but rather about the logic and display of observation that Doyle (and now Carraher) offers the reader. Holmes mysteries are not about the cliche of having the killer be "the one you suspect the least". Rather they are about the manner in which Holmes solves crimes, the way he "sees" things that others (the police) don't see, and strings together inferences from the smallest detail. That is what (I think)defines a true Holmes story and this is what Carraher's book truly offers. I notice that Marc Ruby does say in his review that the book allows "our detective to once again reveal his scintillating analytical abilities, which barely stop short of estimating the brothers' respective bank balances." I agree with Marc on this point. In fact, that really is the joy of the book (besides the excellent writing) for Carraher does allow Holmes to "reveal his scintillating" abilities, not just once but throughout the book. Holmes is the detective "magician" with the "eyes in back of his head" and that is the Holmes that many other "Holmes" writers ultimately fail to give us but which Carraher offers us in abundance. This book is a must-read for any Holmes fan.

This book does not mark the return of Sherlock Holmes but rather the return of Arthur Conan Doyle. Phillip Carraher writes a novel that could easily be mistaken for a manuscript from the original author. He paints a vivid and plausible scene of 1890's New York that is historically and geographically accurate. The scene of the crime is tactfully shifted from London to New York where we witness a series of appalling and baffling murders and the strange events that lead up to them. But can the criminals hide the evidence from the powers of deductive reasoning of the "worlds only consulting detective?" I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the next installment in the adventures of Simon Hawkes (aka Sherlock Holmes).

THis is an "OK" book. Even though I know most of the stories in the book....I believe it did a good job in trying to introduce parts of Ethiopia many folks wouldn't know.:)

John Graham obviously has a profound amount of affection and respect for Ethiopia. It's history, culture and joie de vivre. I'm not sure many Anglo-North Americans have thought about Ethipoia as a vacation destination, but Graham's description of dance bars in the big city, 2000 year old churches, and bustling villages and markets Make it seem far more real than the stereotypes we are used to.

Not that Graham makes it seem like the easiest place to travel, but he quickly gets way, way beyond the big-bellied child and desperate, doe-eyed mother of World Vision imagery to a nation of dignity and depth. The author understands the issues and includes things like when to trust a 'guide' and when not to. As the area's Program Director of Save the Children, he obviously knows what he's talking about, but he also makes it very clear that this mature nation has a wealth of experience to shareand expresses a deep committment to the real people of Ethiopia.

Graham's good, edging on sarcastic, humour makes this book an easy read. (The chapter about hitting a pedestrian walks the line between humour and horror with amzing balance). Whether you're planing a trip or not, this book should be picked up by anyone interested in history, religion, Africa, or working overseas. I wasn't even planning a trip, but I'm eager to find an opportunity as soon as I can.

Bought the book in anticipation of being out in that area soon, and after reading the great historical info and seeing the beautiful photos, I can't wait to get out there and see some of the places for myself!

I only wish the maps had been a little more detailed, and that the author could have provided coordinates of the sites from a GPS, to make it easier to get to the locations.

I am a native Californian, although I have lived in Boston for many years. One of the most intriguing parts of California for me has been visiting abandoned and restored pioneer towns in the Golden State. About 70 miles from my first home in San Bernardino, is located an old mining town, Calico, in the middle of the Mojave desert. That town has set my expectations for visiting pioneer towns.

For my 49th birthday, my father and wife arranged for me to have a 49er vacation that included attending a San Francisco 49er football game and then heading off into the gold country to revisit the sites where the great gold rush first began.

From knowing a lot about California history, I knew of many towns and sites that I wanted to see. But along the way, I was intrigued by signs and notes about many sites that I had never heard about before. I wished that I had had along a source as fine as Ghost Towns of Northern California.

Although his book will seem like a coffee table book to some, I found it to be an essential exploration guide. More than 50 towns and sites are described and pictured. Mr. Varney does a fine job of giving you the local history (which often includes how much gold was mined locally and how it was mined) while the photographs give you a sense of what there is to see. You also get maps that can easily be used to find each of these locations. Most are concentrated in the gold areas (such as near the Oregon border, near route 49, and in the high Sierras), but others have different backgrounds and locations such as Alcatraz and China Camp in the San Francisco Bay area.

The author defines a "ghost town" as being a town that has had a large slide in its permanent population, even if it is still populated. So few of these "ghost towns" are uninhabited like Calico was when I was a youngster.

I double checked the accuracy of the information by comparing my experiences on my 49er vacation to what the book says, and the information and views tallied perfectly. Nice job!

The photographs are more realistic than artistic. That is not to say that they are not beautiful in many cases, but they give you a realistic view of what you will see rather than a "sunset at Sedona" feeling.

You probably won't want to visit all of these ghost towns, but the book will help you decide when and where you will want to visit. I strongly urge you to decide to visit the sites that interest you and to use this valuable guide to help you plan and follow through on your plans.

I thought the book is an exceptional value. I would have gladly paid more than twice the asking price for this great resource!

After you finish enjoying the photographs and text, spend some time rereading Mark Twain's stories about the gold camps. It will help you get in the mood for planning a wonderful trip!

In many ways, this is the least effective Kent book. Gideon Kent dominates the other characters, and his determination to see that his family and the Kent name continue into the future is his dominant motivation. He dies in the book's final pages on the cusp of the twentieth century, his dreams fulfilled. Unfortunately, his unpleasantness as a character--building from the previous Kent book The Lawless--is a serious drawback. Why is it when the Kent men grow up (Philip, Louis), they become such unpleasantly conservative louts? The Americans reads to me like the work of a middle-aged man; only someone of middle-age could create without any sense of irony a character who does his best to dominate his family and stifle their plans and ideas to his own end, forgetting his own youth and energy in the process.

The fact that the book ends in 1900 also contributes to its comparative failure. Quite plainly, there is more story to tell, and Jakes' failure in his original plan to bring the Kent family up to 1976 is obvious. The three main surviving Kents--Eleanor, Will, and Carter--are each at crucial points in their lives when the story ends, and leaving them where they are with no sequel is not quite fair. Plainly, Jakes has things set up nicely for his characters to participate in the disaster of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 as well as the independence of India. Of the historical events and characters reproduced here, I found myself absolutely bored by Will's adventures in the Dakotas with Theodore Roosevelt. In contrast, the depiction of the Johnstown Flood of 1889 is probably the best of all the historical events recreated in the entire Kent series.

Book 8 in The Kent Family Chronicles neatly wraps up the family history in a most satisfying way.Carter Kent, son of Julia and Louis, shows some of the weakness of character of his father and becomes embroiled with shady, criminal types, forcing him to head for San Francisco where he becomes an off-sider to a powerful political boss. Will Kent follows his dream of becoming a doctor and after an initial inclination to concentrate on becoming rich and famous by marrying the promiscuous daughter of a society family, realises his true potential and joins a practice in the N.Y. slums. Eleanor Kent, married to Leo, a Jewish actor, experiences for herself the prejudice against Jews directed against her for daring to marry a Jew. They are caught in the terrible Johnstown flood and the pattern of their lives is altered forever.
I'm sorry that this wonderful series has ended but am grateful for the very real insight into American history.

My father gave me all 8 books for Christmas in 1980. In 2002 I finally got around to reading them! All in all I loved them, but I think some of the praise in these reviews is way over the top. One big complaint I have is that each chapter title gives away what is coming, like the snippets of coming scenes in a mini-series before the commercial. I found it rather insulting. But my biggest complaint is that John Jakes is so blatantly homophobic that it would be laughable if there weren't still people in the world who will take what he says at face value. Countless times in the series there are male characters that exhibit some form of creativity (Matt comes to mind with his painting), and instantly the parents are fearful that their child will grow up to be gay. I found these passages to be extremely offensive. But other than that, they are fun to read. Certainly not great literature, more like a soap opera.

Toland's oft-cited Deistical work reads as apologetic rather than truly controversial. The actual rhetorical attacks on Christianity are found not in what Toland says, but rather what he doesn't. Toland frequently sets up strong, reason-based objections to fundamentally held religious "truths" only to excuse them with deliberately weak responses. The burden of truth carefully remains with the defenders of revelation and is never realized in this debate Toland pretends to have with himself.
Other than the occasional questioning of clerical interpretations (Toland frequently expounds a commonly held truism and after defending it philosophically on it's own "merits" he often adds at the end, as if to paralyze the Church with indecision regarding his infidelity, "if it be true.") he pretends agreement with the Church in nearly every doctrinal detail.
In this pre-pantheist dissertation, Toland's words are nearly silent with respect to a true rebellion against the established dogma of the Church, but the unwritten screams to a deafening crescendo for an immediate ascension to unrevealed reason.
With cunning and an apparently insatiable appetite for controversy, Toland does a marvelous job of appearing to walk the literary fence dividing the heathens from the faithful. But an occasional glace between the lines will leave no doubt as to where he truly stood.

An excellent book! The most wonderful fact is that it was written in the time when people were killing for religion. I am not sure how sensational this book would be if it were written in the 20-th century when people stopped assigning such great significance to religion, but for his time and place (especially Ireland!) a man had to be really brave to write something as contraversial as this.

The book focuses on the famous Toland work "Christianity Not Mysterious". Toland tried, in his opinion, to clean the Christianity of all strange elements that destroy his original purpose. Toland thank that the correct way to realize his purpose was the strictly use of reason. But Toland, at the same time, reflects a strong rationalism, if we use a common expression in philosophy of religion, that cause an enormous opposition of the stablished Church in Ireland. The book also contains another texts that complement that work. The big merit of this publication is to put in only one book some critical views, that gives unity to it. I think is higly recommended for persons that want to study seriously the English deism.