How different could 3 actors be? Lionel Atwill,a highly respected stage actor that made a specialty out of playing off-beat mad doctor roles and whom his friends called 'Pinky'. Colin Clive, another star of the stage who detested his horror movie roles and drank himself to death. George Zucco, an actor that worked on stage with Colin Clive, made a living acting in everything from Grade 'A' feature films to poverty row Grade 'Z' pictures. I knew something of the lives of Atwill and Clive, but the bio of Zucco was especially interesting. While Atwill was the host of 'adult' parties in his home, and Clive spiralled into an early alcohol-induced death, Zucco comes across as a gentleman. This book was most interesting, and not only taught me the differences in the three men, but also the one thing they had in common. All three were fine actors with backgrounds on the stage who(especially for Atwill and Zucco) always strived to give a good performance, no matter what the picture they were involved with.

I just finished reading Gregory William Mank's "Hollywood's Maddest Doctors," and I must hand it to Mr. Mank. He has done a fine job.

The three subjects of the volume-Lionel Atwill, Colin Clive, and George Zucco-were extraordinary stage-trained actors who became legendary players in the great Universal Studios' horror classics of the 1930's and early 1940's. Even more interesting is the fact that each man was far more interesting in real life than he was in the roles he played on stage and screen. Each in his own way was a tortured soul.

Atwill, the great matinee idol of the British and American stages of the 1920's, was a powerful character actor whose lead roles in such classics as "Dr. X" and "The Mystery of the Wax Museum" elevated him to the same pedestal as Karloff and Lugosi in the horror genre. However, in real life he was a self-destructive free spirit whose sexual escapades led to his downfall. Bitter in his last years, he died an outcast in an industry that was appalled at his unabashed sexual proclivities.

Colin Clive, whose masterful portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein ranks as one of the best pieces of acting in any genre, was a tormented soul who lacked self-confidence and took refuge in the bottle. He would die tragically at the age of 37 from kidney and liver failure, his talent only partially tapped.

Finally, there is the gentlemanly George Zucco who could play virtually any role with equal skill and grace, but who nevertheless was stereotyped in "mad doctor" roles to his everlasting chagrin. Zucco would die unfulfilled, wondering to the last how his career might have been different if only he had gotten more diverse dramatic and comedy roles.

Mank does a super job in bringing out the irony in each man's career-we remember them best for the mad, often tragic characters they portrayed on film. Yet it was in real life that these men played out their most genuinely tragic roles.

I highly recommend Mr. Mank's book to all true fans of these three unsing heroes of early horror films. Each was very talented and very troubled. To his credit, Mank does an excellent job in illuminating both the professional and personal components of their lives. A fine job.

I feel that this book comes clean about Tinsel Town and some of the key players both past and present. If you would like to see what goes on beyond the lights and fans this is the book for you. I would highly recommend it.

This book read more like a booklet. It was brief and informative. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys 'before and after' history told thru text and fotos! Now I'm obsessed with the topic and trying to read and research all there is.

Lay This Body Down is a great book and one which flows quickly and easily. I found myself having trouble putting the book down. Williams is the embodiment of the plantation farmer during the early 20s. Manning is used as a wonderful vehicle for the reader to see what it was like through a "slave's" eyes. I was able to place myself right next to Manning's side throughout the book and could feel the horror/terror that he felt. This is a must read for anyone who has any interest in the history of the south and the way blacks were treated well after slavery was abolished.

Lay This Body Down provides an engrossing look at a terrible act from twentieth century Georgia history that chills the reader to the bone. It is the fact that these events actually occurred that makes the story so powerful. Freeman's portrayal totally involves the reader so that he feels as if he were there. Bravo! I can't wait for Freeman's next book, whatever the topic.

Simply unbelievable! This book is based on court transcribed events and if it had not been for that simple fact, the atrocities found within the pages of Lay This Body Down would be incomprehensible. This fact based accounting of the 1921 murders of 11 plantation slaves in Newton and Jasper Counties, Georgia is horrific but sadly true. Yes you read correctly, the year is 1921, not during the officially recognized time of slavery. Slavery was legally over but a new system was rearing its head in the south - peonage. Peonage was a practice given prominence by southern plantation owners to employ workers (read enslave) for cheap or at no cost. If a Negro owed a debt and was unable to pay the debt he would be thrown in prison. With little to no hope of paying his fine -sometimes in amounts as low as a few dollars- he would sit in prison until... Wealthy landowners would visit the prisons and pay these menial fines and the person would be released to this landowner to repay the debt. It could and often did take a lifetime for this person to pay of the debt so they would be Peon's or Slaves to this person. Such is the case of the people found on the John S. Williams Plantation. Mr. Williams and his wife and 12 children occupied land in Newton County, Covington, Georgia. His older boys had plots of adjacent land and too employed peons. The Federal Bureau of Investigation from the Atlanta office had been called in to look at cases of Peonage - which was illegal, and their investigation lead to the Williams Plantation. Mr. Williams not being immediately present on the day the FBI came to call, found these revenuers interviewing his hired hand and overseer, a Negro named Clyde Manning. Understandably nervous and frightened Mr. Manning answered questions posed to him truthfully but they conflicted with Mr. Williams accounting. Now it was Mr. Williams' turn to become nervous and his remedy was to murder those Negroes who posed a threat to his families way of life. A cunning man, Mr. Williams had Mr. Manning conduct the murders. In an unprecedented decision, Mr. Williams was found guilty of murder based on the testimony of a black man and from 1921 to 1966 this did not happen again in a Georgia Court Room. Mr. Manning was also found guilty but both men were spared the death penalty.

These shocking and horrific crimes were well documented by the author, Gregory A. Freeman. He did a wonderful job of backing up this true tale with documented facts, figures and pictures. It's sad that this story had to be told but it illustrates that the south wasn't used to the idea, some 56 years after slavery- that all men are created equal. It is sad that Mr. Manning felt the need to comply with Mr. Williams wishes to kill his own people for fear of his own life and that of his family. Sadly not a lot of Georgians know about this case and I'm trying to determine if it is because this is just one of many cases and in the telling of family history this was commonplace. Read this book not to anger yourself but to get a greater understanding of the true side of history.

3 and 1/2 stars actually. "Shiva Descending" gets high marks as a book far ahead of its time as far as meteoric "space disasters" are concerned. Written long before the topic became vogue, Benford and Rotsler do a creditable job describing what life would be like if Earth was threatened by an impending disaster of global proportions.

Unfortunately, it takes the authors too long to get to the "good stuff" and that's the main downfall of this novel, IMHO. The selection of the astronauts assigned to save the world is interesting enough. And so are the frequent depictions of the smaller meteor strikes in advance of the main astral body known as "Shiva". Benford and Rotsler's view of worldwide paranoia, religious zeal, and sexual depravity in reaction to this pending catastrophic event is disturbing at best. But... probably not too far from the truth if a disaster of this proportion ever threatens the earth.

This story becomes more uneven as the authors try and describe how world governments would react during a situation like this. Would world leaders be shallow enough to take their own lives instead of attempting to save their countrymen? Would a US President turn to debauchery and apathy instead of trying to be a leader? (The analogy of a banjo-playing President and Nero, his violin, and a burning Rome definitely came to my mind as the asteroid got closer to Earth.)

The other main complaint that I have is that there are so many characters introduced in this novel, that the authors can't really do justice to character development. In particular, I would have really liked to have seen Brother Gabriel's character developed a little more.

As an earlier reviewer pointed out, the last third of the book is riveting. You'll be on the edge of your seat as the book takes a few twists and turns before arriving at it's (expected) ending. It should be noted that this book is often given credit for spawning movies like "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact". It should also be noted that like most books, the novel is superior to the film version(s).

Should you read this book? Yes. It is well-researched and imaginative. Is it one of the best of the Apocalyptic genre' books? No. I would recommend instead ... "Rift" by Walter Williams, "The New Madrid Run" by Michael Reisig, or "Earth Abides" by George Stewart.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters are well developed, the science is good and it is well written. A mountain size meteor is approaching Earth, and Earth has one shot, actually two, to try and do something about it. The story goes at length into how different countries and cultures deal with the situation and how US politics and world religions (both old and newly formed as a result of the impending doom) address the crisis. There is the usual love interest, as well as competition amongst the astronauts involved. The science is solid and interestingly presented through various characters. One cannot help but draw comparisions to Deep Impact and Armageddon, this story is far superior to either of those two. The book is only a little dated because it draws upon the US/Russia mistrust, space competition and nuclear weapons... but that does not detract from its enjoyment.

"Shiva Descending" is the genesis of movies, "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon" --- a huge, mountain-sized asteroid is going to enter the earth's orbit and destroy the planet. The big-daddy asteroid is accompanied by a "swarm" of smaller asteroids that are hitting the planet causing earthquakes, tidal waves and huge destruction. The main asteroid designated, Shiva, is discovered eleven months before its projected impact.

How does the earth's populace prepare for this devastating event? On balance, not well at all. NASA and the military are the only heroes, our government gets a grade C, organized religion rates a D, and the general population flunks. Pandemonium, lawlessness, strange sects and anarchy reign. As Shiva nears Earth's orbit, the level of civilization declines drastically. The only hope for humanity is if the massive asteroid can be deflected away from earth. Enter NASA and the astronauts carrying a bomb load that would make Anola Gay look like a peashooter.

More than a nodding acquaintance with astronomy and physics would add to the enjoyment of this book. The technical passages are many and sometimes too long. The male characters are well delineated, surprisingly so for this type of book. The anti-hero, Carl Jagen, is particularly complex; he creates tension whenever he appears. The females, with the exception of the clear-eyed astronaut, are pliant, ...... ravenous, and servile. The story contains a few dead spots, but provides a rousing, spot-on finale when the astronauts do battle with Shiva in space. After barely retaining my interest in the opening passages, I was riveted by the last third of the story. Grade B-

In this play, considered by many critics to be the poorest of the seven extant plays of Sophocles (the speaches are too long and the development of the play is awkward), the wife of Heracles, Deianira, unknowingly sends a poisoned robe to her husband who has finally completed his labors. She is also concerned that she has allowed a rival for the affections of her husband to enter her household. Hercules has sent the captive Iole to Deianira. As Hercules lies dying, he orders his son Hyllus to marry Iole. Does Hercules truly love Iole? Even when dying, he is concerned for her future.

I would certainly agree that this is the "worst" of the seven plays of Sophocles that still exist, but "Women of Trachis" (a.k.a. "Trachinian Women", "Trachiniai" in the original Greek) still has value, especially in terms of how it present Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes. While he is running around doing his great labors, Heracles has neglected his family. Before his last departure he promised that if he was not back in fifteen months it probably meant he was dead. Well, those fifteen months are up and his wife Deianeira is starting to get worried. However, she soon learns that her husband has not only sacked Oechalia, but that he is in love with the Princess Iole, who has been sent home ahead of him as a captive; certainly there are echoes of the Agamemnon-Clytemnestra-Cassandra triangle following the Trojan War. Determined to save her marriage, Deianeira sends Heracles a garment treated with a special salve given to her long ago by the dying Centaur Nessus, who said it would prevent her husband's love from straying. However, she is but the victim of the Centaur's own plan for revenge, because the salve proves lethal. When she learns this from her son Hyllus, the remorseful Deianeira commits suicide.

In Greek mythology it was well established that Heracles "died" on a funeral pyre: as a demi-god he could not truly die, so the fire burned away his mortal side. But in the hands of Sophocles the tale takes a certain twist. Heracles demands that Hyllus marry Iole. Sophocles presents this not as an act of repentance, but rather as a last attempt to keep Iole, using his son as a surrogate. Ultimately the question Sophocles poses is whether Heracles deserves transfiguration. In this regard it is similar to his play "Ajax," although I do not think the verdict is as clear or as positive in this play, which was performed sometime after 458 B.C. While the psychology of the characters is certainly what we expect from Sophocles, there is a touch of the cynicism we usually associated with Euripides.

This is a stunningly beautiful translation of what is often thought to be Sophocles' weakest work. Captivating and lyrical, it paints beautifully the tragic tale of Hercules' death at the unwitting hands of his wife. The best, most poetic translation of a classic text I've ever read.

As a resident of New Hampshire and High School Guidance Counselor, I became interested in William Wirt because of his involvement in the Dartmouth College Case. (Wirt represented New Hampshire, Daniel Webster the College). After reading this biography, I discovered that there was much more to Wirt than the law. Orphaned at age 7, Wirt was self educated and became a practicing attorney at age 20 in Madison County, Virginia. There he became a friend of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, who encouraged the young man to excel in many fields. Wirt wrote "Letters of the British Spy" and an oft-quoted first biography of Patrick Henry. Wirt also wrote thousands of personal letters which were preserved. The author excerpts the most interesting portions of these letters to Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Dabney Carr, St. George Tucker and others in this well-witten book. Before his death, Wirt ran for president in 1832 (winning only Vermont), and attempted to form a sugar cane "colony" (Wirtland) in Florida, using German immigrants as an alternative to African-American slaves. I found Wirt a fascinating historical figure and this book a well-researched and easy-to-read biography.

The pros about this book:
1. I really enjoyed the sample problems in the book. It helped prepare me for the additional problems in the book.

2. For the most part, I understood everything. Reading it was not too difficult.

The cons about this book:
1. Some answers were incorrect. I had to speak with the instructor to get a couple of problems cleared.

2. The worst is that there is a solution manual available for only the Odd problems. I'd prefer a solution manual with both even and odd problems so that I can compare my work with and not hassle the professor's as much as i do to make sure i'm understanding the material.

This book brings back the many forgotten works of William Wurster. It balances the architect's story and illustrations well. I recommend this book to architecture enthusiasts who want to reach beyond mainstream architecture.

We have begun using the tools in this handbook to move us from subjective observations in our documentation regarding our clients to a more concrete and objective format. The explanations of the tools, how they should be used and reliability factors have been very useful in the justification for use and the education of proper administration and use.

The book gives a concise description of places to eat in any size city in the USA. Does not give a lot of detail but can be useful if your not always interested in five star restaurants.

This book makes cross country back road traveling even more fun. Sure there are a few problems, but most fair-sized towns have entires, and many small towns do. We have had wonderful fun and some interesting, to say the least, meals because of it. Well worth its price.

We've used this book four times, and have been pleasantly surprised each time (Carson City NV, Winnemucca NV, someplace or other in UT, and San Francisco).