This light-hearted venture into the world of Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar extraordinaire and bookstore owner contains much of the sharp, witty dialogue of the previous books in the series only sharper and wittier. The discussion between Bernie and Carolyn over the sexual preference of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone is priceless. This is a sometimes-confusing mystery involving a series of events that sees Bernie burgle an apartment, return the booty and then re-enter the place to plant evidence after finding a corpse in the bathroom. Bernie sets out to work out who committed the murder, plus who committed a burglary that he's been mistakenly charged with. This is a most entertaining mystery that continues to keep you thinking, while providing plenty of smiles along the way.

Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores how an ordinary, but intelligent, "honest" person might go about pursuing a life of crime as a fastidious and talented burglar who isn't proud of what he does, doesn't like to hang out with criminals, and really gets a big thrill out of breaking and entering . . . and removing valuables. As you can see, there's a sitcom set-up to provide lots of humor. But the humor works well in part because Mr. Block is able to put the reader in the Bernie's shoes while he breaks, enters and steals . . . and evades the long arm of the law. To balance the "honest" burglar is an array of "dishonest" and equally easy-money loving cops. As a result, you're in a funny moral never-never land while your stomach tightens and your arm muscles twitch as tension builds. To make matters even more topsy-turvy, Bernie at some point in every story turns into an investigator who must figure out "who-dun-it" for some crime that he personally didn't do. It's almost like one of those "mystery at home" games where the victim comes back as the police investigator, playing two roles. Very nice!

So much for explaining the concept of the series. The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams is the sixth book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading Burglars Can't Be Choosers and follow it up with The Burglar in the Closet, The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza, The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling, and The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian. Each story in the series adds information and characters in a way that will reduce your pleasure of the others if read out of order. Although, I originally read them out of order and liked them well enough. I'm rereading them now in order, and like it much better this way. The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart comes next in the series.

As this book opens, Bernie has been going straight . . . for almost a year. Barnegat Books, a used hard cover book store he owns and operates, has been providing his living rather than burglary. Then, he receives a double shock. His new landlord is Bordon Stoppelgard, and with his 30 year lease at an end, Mr. Stoppelgard announces that the new lease will be for $10,500 a month rather than $875. How can Bernie afford that? He can't. Then, Stoppelgard comes into Barnegat Books to buy a first edition of Sue Grafton's "B" Is for Burglar for $80 plus tax. Bernie tries to refuse him the sale, but Stoppelgard insists, slapping a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. Then he laughs at Bernie for selling a five-hundred-dollar book for so little.

But Bernie's sorely tempted to burgle again . . . both for the money and the thrills he gets from burglary. That temptation is particularly great just now because Bernie knows that the wealthy Martin Gilmartins will be out for the evening. Bernie does his best to avoid temptation . . . and succeeds. His only slip is to call Mr. Gilmartin from Carolyn Kaiser's apartment to ask him how he liked the show . . . a call that can be traced by the police when Mr. Gilmartin discovers a burglary has been committed and valuable baseball cards are missing. Bernie's alibi isn't very good because he decides to go out after leaving Carolyn. Someone might think he was visiting a fence to sell the baseball cards. What to do?

Most people will find The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams to be the very best book in the series. The plot is deliciously complicated and unusual. There are mysteries galore to solve, and it's not clear until near the end who did what to whom. The satirical references to mystery novels and novelists are priceless (these include wickedly twisted misstatements of Sue Grafton titles and stories, and a hilarious sequence about cats solving mysteries referring to the Lillian Jackson Braun books). The book also introduces Raffles, Bernie?s new mouse-exterminating-assistant cat who is always on the paper chase, and Carolyn's offbeat theories about women and cats. The baseball card trivia about the Chalmers Mustard Ted Williams set will delight any collector or fan. The comic sequences had me laughing out loud as Bernie finds unexpected surprises as he employs his burglary talents. Bernie also discovers a new source of income which most readers would not have anticipated. Some of the new characters will also amuse or delight you, even though they are only in this book. In essence, there's enough good material in this book for four excellent novels. And it's all nicely pulled together.

How will Bernie save the store? Who took the baseball cards? How will Bernie solve the other puzzles in the book? You are making a big mistake if you don't read this book!

The theme of this book is whether honesty or dishonesty pays better . . . and why. Where do you see dishonest people doing better than honest ones now? Will that continue? Why or why not?

Donald Mitchell
Co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

Given the Splendid Splinter's recent death, I couldn't resist this title, and in the process, I discovered that Lawrence Block is one of the more clever authors of this day. Our hero is a used book seller and a part time burglar, who tends to use his skills for good rather than evil. One minor complaint is we are often led down a path, only to be filled in later by Bernie the burglar of a fact he had been withholding the reader for a few chapters. But all in all, this light hearted book is fun, and easily readable. I plan to try out more of Mr Block's works.

A young man must break away from his mother and her life before he can discover a life of his own.

I skipped over Lawrence for years. I had heard the tawdry tales of his work and felt a bodice ripper is a bodice ripper no matter what century you put it in. But I was wrong! He is a marvel. As soon as I finished Sons and Lover's I went out and got The Rainbow. S & L, reads very quickly, much like Maughm's On Human Bondage. They are both of the same period and are both loosly based on the perspective authors lives. Tantilizing, they allow us a glimpse into the emerging industrial era. The middle classes and lower middle classes are emerging into the plutocracy but slowly. All around them are the dredges of a past system. The coming of age of Lawrence as he throws off his childhood and his need to throw off his mother is engrossing, since you know it is based on real life and not a campy Sally Jessy Rapahel show. He struggles as we all struggle to make the right choices. What Lawrence does is let us in on the stuff that most novels don't let the reader know. The truth the character gives to the reader is unheard of today. Read this book and follow him from childhood of a mama's boy in a coal town in Norther England that love's, and love's, and looses only to truly love .

Shirer's historical narrative suffers somewhat when he turns the spotlight on himself. The first two books in the series, where his focus is growing up in early 20th century America and his years as a foriegn correspondent, are outstanding. In this voulme, his focus is on his blacklisting, struggling as an author, and his vindication in writing the definitive history of Nazi Germany. Instead of the candor he displayed in the earlier works, at a few points he leaves me feeling he is holding back. His description of his firing by CBS leaves me wanting more, some feeling of why there was such pressure to remove him. Instead, he just gives us his criticism of how he was wronged. I felt this same reluctance to be totally honest with the reader when he described his visit to the Soviet Union in 1982. He seems to have a stong admiration for Russia, but he just won't lay his cards on the table.

In summary, William Shirer seems a man I would disagree with on most subjects, but one whom I could admire and respect. He is mostly candid and honest about his liberalism, but I wish he would have not left some blanks in the record.

I rate this a 9 because it isn't quite The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, or The Collapse of the Third Republic. For any other author, this final volume of memoirs would be a 10. Academic historians hate the man, because he has outdone them at every turn and has made modern history readable. This final volume of memoirs is fascinating, because it recounts Shirer's view of his departure from CBS -- a view far different than that expressed by Ann Sperber in her biography of Edward R. Murrow. It is fascinating because it sets the reader down, and explains what it was like to be a world class author and intellectual unable to ply his craft due to the inclusion of his name in the notorious "Red Channels". In the final analysis, it is fascinating because it is William L. Shirer writing about William L. Shirer surviving ouster from CBS, McCarthyism, and going on to write two of the most important works of contemporary history the western world has ever been privilaged to read. This work cannot be commended too highly to the intellectually aware. Conservatives and other knotheads ought best to look elsewhere, for these are fools that Shirer does not suffer gladly, indeed at all.

When I saw the page I recognized the cover of the book, but I could not believe what people were actually writing about it.

First I want to say that I am an undergraduate biotechnology student. I have a very strong background in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, tissue culture techniques, and immunology; but I have not had any classes dealing with anatomy or physiology since Bio 101 way back when. I have read and am quite comfortable with Alberts Molecular Biology of the Cell and Stryers Biochemistry, and even a handful of primary journal articles, so I do know how to read a textbook.

Now with that out of the way, let me say that this book is completely incomprehensible. It is so full of anatomy and Latin derived words (which it does a poor job at explaining BTW) that I can only assume that it was meant for medical students, and to have physiology an a prerequisite for it, but it doesn't even have an introduction describing the recommended background or whom it is supposed to be for. In fact, most of the book is devoted to the physiology of sensation and movement, not neurobiology. Now if you have the background for it and thats what you are looking for then it is a very thorough text that goes into a lot of depth.

If you are looking to understand the biochemistry or molecular aspects of neurobiology, find another book!

As an undergraduate Psychobiology student, this text served me well in my Neuroscience course. In all honesty I never went. I just read this book. I got excellent marks in the class. As a serious slacker and bibliophile, I recommend this textbook for any like-minded student.

As an undergraduate Neuroscience major I found this textbook to be highly informative and well-written. It was used to a Freshman-level course, and was easy to understand, yet thorough and interesting. The graphics are well done, and the format is better than most textbooks I'm used to. Anyone, even with minimal science experience could dive right in and learn a great deal. It may not be advanced enough, however, for grad or medical students. As a reference it does okay, but there are more-advanced texts which would probably do better. All-in-all it is an excellent book. In-fact, I liked it so much that I didn't sell it back at the end of the semester and keep it on my bookshelf for future reference (and future classes!)

William Shirer, perhaps most famous for his comprehensive history, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, or his live radio broadcasts from Berlin during the early days of World War II, has also written a thin little book titled, The Rise and Fall of Adlof Hitler. Although the work is geared towards a younger audience, the quality of writing, and information contained are quality fare for an older audience as well.

Shirer, begins his work with a young disgruntled Hitler, arguing with his father over his chosen profession, that of an artist. Shirer then chronicles Hitler's days as a vagabond, moving from one odd job to another across Austria and Germany. In these early years, we see Hitler not as a maniacal demagogue, but as an eccentric wanderer, searching for nothing in particular. However, World War I brought the demagogue forth.

After serving for four years in the Germany military, Hitler, disgruntled with the Treaty of Versailles and the weakness of the German nation decides to enter into political life. It is in a small beer hall that Hitler creates the new found Nazi party and enlists the help of such infamous men as Goering, Himmler, and Hess. Do to Hitler's exceptional charisma, the Nazi party begins to grow.

Following the now infamous "Beer Hall Putsch," Hitler is imprisoned and begins work on his seminal book, Mein Kampf. Following his release, the book sells millions of copies and Hitler is thrust upon the national stage. From here, Shirer illustrates Hitler's rise of Chancellor, and ultimately dictator of Germany. He discusses the serious of invasions and coups conducted under Hitler throughout Europe and subsequent intervention of the Allied Powers.

Finally, Shirer chronicles the decline of Hitler, and his subsequent decent in to madness. His paranoia, greed, and ultimate refusal of accept anything other than total victory led to not only the demise of Adlof Hitler, but also to the German nation.

Shirer did an excellent job chronicling the life of Adlof Hitler in a short and concise book. This would severe as an excellent text for a high school history course, or for any reader who wants to learn more about Hitler, but has very little time

This book tells so much about Adolf Hitler. How he lived his life and what it was like. William L. Shirer writes this in a first person perspective. He actually witnessed these things happening and lives to tell about them.

I read this little book when I was in fourth or fifth grade, was knocked out, and have been hooked on history ever since. Shirer condenses his massive "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" for younger readers. It's a gripping introduction to a subject you could spend your whole reading life exploring. It has the "fascination of abomination"; a first, cautionary introduction for kids to the scary things that happen in the adult world. If you want your children to grow up to be interested in politics, history, law, etc., this is a good book to give them.

William Shirer's book, Berlin Diary, is an excellent insight into the rise of Naziism before the Second World War. He accurately predicts much of what was going to happen from the fall of western Europe; the Allies kowtowing to Hitler prior to the war; the machinations of the Nazi machine. The Allies should have used William Shirer as the next Nostradamus - he was that good. Nevertheless, I just read the 1940 1st edition of Berlin Diary and he certainly gives the reader a "you are there" feeling. I've read lots of WW2 German history and I was quite surprised to read how accurate his predictions were. Well worth reading.

There was a previous reader review of "Berlin Diary" on this site. It gave it a 3 on a scale of 10. I could not disagree more strongly. This is probably the most fasinating book I've ever read. I was sad when it ended. The previous reviewer criticized William Shirer as hardly being objective in the manner required of a journalist. Keep in mind you are reading a diary. A personal account of the beginning of our century's most horrific period. It was written by a man who was the right person in the right place at the right time. Berlin, Munich, Paris and Compiegne. It is the observations of someone witnessing peace slipping away because of driving tyranny (German) and bungling diplomacy (The Allies - where was the U.S.?) If I were teaching a class on WWII, "Berlin Diary" would be the text. Not only does it give us insights into a wide array of subplots to the war but it is the most readable bit of history ever written. I stand by that statement. Read the book.

If you haven't yet read Herr Schirer's all time classic "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", or if you just completed it, this is the greatest companion book. Heck - even if you don't intend to read "The Rise and Fall" - read it anyway. It gives such great insight into the mind of one of the greatest correspondents of the modern era and the great historians of the Third Reich. It also helps you to see the war from the side of the German people - after all, they did have to deal with Hitler - and his legacy the longest. As you will see, this is Shirer's personal diary, in which he speaks lovingly about his wife and newborn and worries about their safety in Switzerland. He deals with his trips to the front and contacts in the foreign ministry. Extremely well written - and a great reference during the long haul of "The Rise and Fall" (Personally, I'm still pushing through "The Rise and Fall" after a year and a half - and yet it's one of the greatest books I've read) Come on! Buy it! You'll thank me! It's an investment you won't regret.

This is one of those books that once you take the time to get familiar with, it will pull you along at a slow and sometimes painful pace. The honest and direct sensuality of the people, Kate's confusion between the love of life and the distaste for the common man, the marraige of religions, and the stuggle to become true men and women do offer the reader a wonderfly detailed story. I recommend this to anyone who feels they need a mental vacation for the social triviality of the modern day world. It is a book to help regain perspective.

I must agree with the other reviewers that this book has some wonderful writing. There are passages of description that simply dazzle. The scene in which heroine Kate first sees the gathering of the Men of Quetzalcoatl, where the beats of the drums seem to draw the soul from the earth, is absolutely mesmerizing.

Yet for every memorable scene there are pages and pages of wild romanticizing about native values, obscenely outdated musings about race, and odd sentiments about marriage and women. Unlike "Women in Love," this book doesn't present love in a very good light. Kate is seen as a woman torn between her need to be herself and her need to be subsumed by a man. And the answer is unclear at the end. I found her to be a sympathetic character despite her annoying quirks (if she hates Mexico so much, why doesn't she just leave?) and I felt the ending didn't show her growing or changing. I also felt that the other main characters (Ramon and Cipriano) became almost brutal by the book's end, and this development was not resolved in any satisfactory way.

I have to admit being profoundly disappointed by the ending, and by the bizarre theorizing about the soul of the "dark races." But, I had to keep remembering that this book was a product of the early twentieth century. And the writing is what still makes it masterful.

In the area of the poetic use and the beauty of the English language, this book is well-written and certainly worthy of one's time taken in reading it. The language and the imagery invoked is breath-taking. In the area of subject matter, it is rather unique. An Irish woman journeys to Mexico just after the Mexican Revolution and becomes involved with two men who have taken it upon themselves to return Mexico to the religion of Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli. She joins them to become the First Woman of Malintzi and wife of the First Man of Huitzilopochtli. However, in the area of social language, the book is a product of its time. The Mexican people -- and all "dark" people -- are the objects of particularly malignant language, which I found objectionable. As an historian, I can place the book in its proper perspective, however, and recommend it as a good read.

After all the rave reviews, I couldn't wait to start this book. What a disappointment it was. I found the characters shallow and totally unlikeable, the plot impossible to follow, and in general....just a boring book. I read to the end but now I don't know why I bothered.

Superstar author William Bernhardt here assembles a cast of fellow mystery stars to provide an entertaining legal tale that shows the positives and negatives of collaborative novels.

First, the positives--Collaborative novels are hot! Few things are as intriguing as multiple popular authors under one cover. The reader is able to sample the works of authors s/he may not have read before along with old favorites.

All of the authors included in this book are top-flight stars. Bernhardt starts this novel with a bang, laying out the murder mystery and primary characters in light fashion. Each subsequent author then adds to the plot and adds a new twist of his/her own. In the final chapter, Bernhardt then wraps up all the loose ends of this convulted tale, solves the whodunit, and ensures a happy ending. The plot moves along well and the book can be easily read in a day or two.

The negatives?--Many of the same things that will make some people love this book. Because each author has unique style and views of where the plot should go, the tale can flow very unevenly. Characters likable in previous chapters become villainous in later chapters. Details presented in earlier chapters become inconsequential later in the story. This will disappoint readers more accustomed to a favorite author. Perhaps a previously agreed-upon plot outline may have minimized some of this confusion.

Overall, however, collaborative novels are written as novelty -- fundraising for the Nature Conservancy in this case. While this novel isn't superior in its quality, it is a whole lot of fun and it has definitely introduced me to some mystery writers that I may not have sought out otherwise. This book is well worth the time.

While ostensibly a "legal thriller" about the death of a tycoon, in reality this book reads more like a zany combo of chase movie/murder mystery, with a lethal cross-dressing assassin targeting one character after another. The authors then throw in adulterous rich people, a secret organization avenging corporate misdeeds, a giant pet rabbit with a hi-tech secret, and a defense-attorney heroine with a secret benefactor. A group of famous mystery writers each wrote a chapter of this book, whose profits benefit the Nature Conservancy (hence the title), with each chapter throwing in a new plot twist and ending in a cliff-hanger, until the hilarious end. Might make a lively TV movie, and definitely makes for a fast, fun read.

On a positive note, Authors Kristol and Kaplan do an admirable job of addressing the Iraq problem in the larger context of retracing the evolution of American foreign policy since the end of World War II. The authors discuss, albeit cursorily, the tension that existed throughout ten presidential administrations between the appropriate projection of American military power and the appropriate definition of an American "interest." The Realpolitik School, represented by the Carter, Nixon and first Bush Administrations' foreign policy conceptions, advocated that American power should only be used only when American interests are directly compromised; the Internationalist School, represented by the Kennedy, Truman and Reagan Administrations' foreign policies, defined "American interests" more broadly which resulted in American military intervention in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, and Panama to name a few.

The 'Iraq Problem' since Saddam Hussein's ascent to power, as the book explains, has been treated differently by each administration depending upon its respective World view. Interestingly, the book delicately side-steps the Reagan Administration's complicity in Iraq's development of WMD during its 1980-88 war with Iran, although the authors do recognize the Reagan Administration attitude toward Iraq/Hussein as an enabling element in the 'Iraq Problem' that began with the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The authors do a nice job of chronicalling Saddam's crimes beginning in 1979. The authors remind us of Saddam's brutality, his genocide of the Kurds, and the panoply of reasons why Saddam is a horrible human being. The authors also remind us of the role played by several American administrations to enable Saddam, including that certain elements of the Bush I administration had advocated constructive engagement up the eve of the first Gulf War.

This work's biggest failing is in its attempt to convince us that the present Bush Administration's policy towards Iraq culminating in the war that is currently winding to its conclusion as I write this was anything other than sheer opportunism produced by 9/11. The authors would have us believe that the Bush administration's post-9/11 foreign policy - a hybrid of classic Wilsonian internationalism with a moral focus, to paraphrase the authors - is the process of learned evolution rather than simply that certain neoconservative elements of the administration - Wolfowitz, Cheney and Rumsfeld - seized upon an impotent opposition to advance their foreign policy agenda.

While the authors recognize that the present administration's pre-9/11 foreign policy - to the extent one existed - was based upon the realpolitik view of American foreign policy (rather than neo-isolationism if anyone recalls Bush's criticisms of the Clinton foreign policy during the presidential debates), the authors' argument about its post-9/11 evolution is less-than convincing.

The authors do nothing to prove that Iraq actually had WMD or that it actively abetted Al Qaeda which were the principle justifications for the war in the first place. Rather, the authors simply accept these as "facts" and proceed to justify the war based upon these accepted facts.

With the military phase of the Iraq War drawing to a successful conclusion and the post-War administrative phase just beginning, we will witness the practical effect of the present Bush Administration's "noble" application of American military power. We forget that then-candidate Bush criticized the Clinton Administration for "national building" in former Yugoslavia and in Somalia. Now we face the task of effective administration of and 'national building' in post-Saddam Iraq. History will be the judge.

This is an absolute must read, regardless of your postion on the war. Kristol and Kaplan clearly layout the case against Sadaam. They then point out the foreign policy flaws of not just Bush 41 and Clinton but also of pre-9/11 Bush 43. You will more fully understand the philosophy that layed the framework of foreign policy for each president. You will also clearly grasph how President Bush's view of the world has changed since 9/11.

Finally, you will be presented with the arguments and facts that form the backbone of our current stance towards Iraq. Even if you do not come to the same conclusion as that of the authors, you will better understand why our country is embarking on a path to the liberation of Iraq.

My only complaint is that there are only 125 pages of riveting reading!

In "The War Over Iraq", Kristol & Kaplan present an excellent case for the use of pre-emptive force not only against Iraq but also against other nations that threaten American ideals and interests, both at home and overseas. They highlight the grievous actions of Hussein's regime and then proceed to detail the shortcomings of both George H.W. Bush's ("narrow realism") and Bill Clinton's ("wishful liberalism") foreign policy paradigms in dealing with Iraq.

The crux of the book is their compelling argument, using the (George W.) Bush Doctrine ("American internationalism"), that the United States should pre-emptively strike Iraq. They fully explain the tenets of the Bush Doctrine, which is a viable model for dealing with threats in the post-9/11 world.

Though the war with Iraq is already underway, do not be dissuaded from reading this work simply for that reason. The Iraqi situation is a real-world case study that helps explain the Bush Doctrine. This new paradigm is being tested right now and will be the method of engagement for US foreign policy for the forseeable future.

This book does a decent job and covers a lot of ground, from history to fielding fundamentals to famous players and records. However, it seemed rushed and somewhat shallow. A third edition of a book should *not* include blatant errors. Ty Cobb's Hall of Fame plaque may give him 4,191 hits, but the current verdict is well established at 4,189. A Cobb anecdote ("how would you bat against today's pitching?") is told wrongly. The Seattle Pilots are said now to be the Mariners, when in fact the Pilots are now the Milwaukee Brewers ... that sort of thing.

The author also has an obsession with categorizing players which he pursues in cart-before-the-horse fashion. Some players are "place hitters" and only about 5% of their hits are home runs. Some players are "power hitters" and homer in 20% of hits. Attributes are then assigned to these mystic beasts. "Power pitchers" and "control pitchers" are also introduced, and these animals MUST have certain attributes, too. Why divide batters into these armed camps instead of considering the continuums across the spectra of ability and achievement is beyond me, but he does. At length. Again. And again. Every point is made and underscored at least three times before proceeding - a condescension to the younger audience that the book does not need. The writing is clear and uncomplicated.

A decent editor who could have caught errors, questioned the writer on his occasional lapses into silliness and told him to stop repeating himself would have helped a great deal.

There are far better books out there on the subject, but for a younger fan or someone new to the game this provides a servicable introduction.

I would recommend it for anyone who likes baseball. I would also like to comment on the "misprint". There was a team called the Boston Braves. They moved first to Milwaukee and then to Atlanta.

This book tells the history of baseball. It highlights the past and present ball players. This book also explains the rules and how to play or be a better player. It helps those who don't understand the game to be able to understand as a viewer. This is a great book to own! Contains excellent black and white sport illustrations. An excellent book and I am recommending it for teachers, parents, and students from 3rd grade through the 12th grade levels.