This account of what happened in the "Old West" two Centuries ago presents and excellent insight into the history of our Country. Without fixing blame, the author gives names, dates and places regarding the Wickenburg Massacre. He also provides informative maps and word-of-mouth information to support the disregard for, not only American Indians, but for any idle pioneers traveling from East to West who were not part of the established Mormon(LDS)settlement in Utah. I was amazed at the attempts on behalf of the Mormon leadership to cover-up what actually transpired and pass it off as an unfortunate mistake, when it was clear that [they] routinely displayed a total disregard and distrust for the well-being of anyone not within [their] folds. As history later disclosed the true story of the Wickenburg Massacre, the hierarchy of the Mormon Clan endeavored to make retribution by erecting to the memory of those "slaughtered" a simple monument. Today, this veneration of enduring historic significance gives notice that something tragic did, in fact, occur at that specific location and on a certain date. However, an indepth account would be difficult to find in any history book. And, although the LDS archives recognize such an incident did take place, it is unlikely [they] will ever take full responsbility for any inhumane actions taken by past LDS leaders. The only trace of such acknowledgement came when [they] bannished one member for actions he took pertaining to the massacre. The author obviously spent much time to personally research archives and fund this collection of printed and word-of-mouth accounts passed down from one generation to another. The maps he provides in this book present an outstanding overview of the geography as it appeared during that time frame. As earlier stated, one cannot find this calibre of factual data in school texts and, it is doubtful, primary and secondary educators would be permitted to teach history in this fashion. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this look into a small part of the history of our Country, and we have shared it with our children and grandchilren. "Two thumbs up!"

Horror Plum'd: An International Stephen King Bibliography and Guide (the title of which is derived from a passage in John Milton's Paradise Lost) is an amazing reference work best suited for those with a scholarly interest in the writings of the modern master of the macabre; it is also a work that the most fanatical of Stephen King fans will want to add to their collection. This book is not for casual fans because it is almost exclusively a bibliographic resource. After a short introductory essay, Collings gets right to work detailing the massive inventory of Stephen King items released all over the world in the years between 1960 and 2000. The bibliography is broken up into five sections, the first and largest of which is a rundown of all the books. Section A references novels, short story collections, nonfiction works, and multimedia adaptations of King's works (audiotapes, audio CDs, computer games, films, stage plays, teleplays and miniseries, and movies). It almost boggles the mind to see page after page detailing the publication history of Stephen King novels in countries throughout the world. Collings provides very short summaries and offers brief comments about the major works as he proceeds in a chronological fashion, and a limited number of images from different versions of King's books are included in these pages. Section B is devoted to short fiction including published excerpts from longer works and screenplays published in anthologies, and Collings provides short comments on many of the more interesting items found here. Section C is devoted to King's short nonfiction writings. I find this section to be particularly useful because it includes references to all the books by other authors and editors which feature introductions and forewords penned by Stephen King. Section D references the locations of King's limited poems, and Section E sweeps up what is left: audio and visual adaptations of original King materials not appearing in book form. This is followed by a title index of King's works.

Horror Plum'd is the culmination of over fifteen years of hard work on the part of Collings. Between 1985 and 1996, he published three less comprehensive Stephen King bibliographies (The Many Facets of Stephen King, The Annotated Guide to Stephen King: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography of the Works of America's Premier Horror Writer, and The Work of Stephen King: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide), but Horror Plum'd is the final, comprehensive edition of his work on this subject. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind about this book is the fact that it includes only a select few references to articles and reviews of King's work. This 547 page text is by and large devoted only to the work of Stephen King himself and not the cottage industry of King pundits. Collings is working on a companion book to Horror Plum'd that will be exclusively devoted to scholarship, criticism, and reviews. One can hardly imagine just how large such a volume will turn out to be.

England's Queen Mary--grandmother of the current Queen Elizabeth II--commissioned the construction of her extraordinary dollhouse (or "dolls' house" as it is referred to here) in 1921, during her own reign. It resides at Windsor Castle, as it has since being constructed there. Designed by Edward Lutyens (famous for his graceful furniture), the house is a reproduction of Windsor Castle right down to the last nail--almost literally.

David Cripps' photography beautifully captures the interiors of this amazing dollhouse, from the grand to the plebian. Here is the linen closet, each batch of towels tied with different-colored ribbon to denote whether they were intended for the nursery, the staff, or the kitchen. Here is a lacquer cabinet with gilded stand, dovetailed working drawers, and gold-leafed decoration. Here is a bed, complete with pillows, bolsters, sheets, blankets, and even a tiny walnut-handled bedwarmer. The toilet, complete with toilet paper discreetly placed in a bowl alongside, really works. The toothbrushes are made of ivory and have bristles made from the hair of a goat's inner ear. In the cellar, bottles of Chateau Margaux are properly corked and waxed and labeled. The pantry shows real bows of Fry's Chocolates sharing space with McVitie & Price biscuits, barley sugar candies in hefty glass candy jars, and Frank Cooper's Seville Marmalade in squat jars tied with brown paper and string.

The garage houses a miniature bicycle with brakes "in perfect working order," not to mention a Rudge motorcycle and sidecar, a seven-seater Rolls Royce limousine-landaulet, a Vauxhall, a "Sunbeam open tourer," and two Daimlers. Gorgeous royal crests are hand-painted on each. The house even has its own petrol pumps and fire appliances, as was normal for large houses in that era.

The house's garden is splendid despite the absence of a single living thing. The lawn, made of cut green velvet, boasts several tiny mowers (both motor-powered and not), and the nearby garden has its own lovely benches, hoes, spades and the like. There is even a robin's nest, complete with eggs, and a tiny, tiny snail.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing in the house is the book collection. Famous authors were asked to contribute their own works. Arthur Conan Doyle obliged by submitted "How Watson Learned the Trick," an original 500-word short story done in his own handwriting. The bookplates for each of the books were designed by beloved Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator Ernest Shepard. Rudyard Kipling submitted not only two poems, but illustrated them himself as well. Other well-known authors who gave their own works to the Queen's house included G. K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad, Robert Graves, Aldous Huxley, Hilaire Belloc, Rose Macauley, W. Somerset Maugham, and Vita Sackville-West. Topping off the fine works of this distinguished crowd are the leather-bound autograph books--one each for famous folks from stage and screen, famous folks from the military, and famous politicans.

There is even a room for storing the scepter, crowns and other regalia--all featuring flawless gemstones!

The details are endlessly fascinating and the house and its furnishings so well-constructed that without a tennis ball or coin or some other everyday real object, you easily forget that everything your eye falls upon here is miniature. For those who cannot get to Windsor Castle themselves to view the house in person, this book offers a very fine tour.

This is a POWERFUL book. A good, quick read from some of our premier modern-day American historians. This collection of essays gives us an inside look at most of the presidencies of the second half of the 20th century. A must read for any history buff.

• Edmund Morris - Last fall, Morris published the controversial biography Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan. His book The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

• Ben Bradlee - Author of That Special Grace, a tribute to John F. Kennedy, Bradlee is a vice president at the Washington Post. He previously was the executive editor at the Post who oversaw reporting of the Watergate scandal.

• David Maraniss - A reporter at the Washington Post since 1977, Maraniss earned a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his coverage of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. He subsequently wrote the Clinton biography, First in his Class. His latest book is When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi.

The "Power and the Presidency" series was created on behalf of the Montgomery Endowment by alumnus Robert A. Wilson of Dallas, a communications consultant who put together a similar series, "Character Above All" (dealing with the impact of character on presidential leadership) in 1994 at the University of Texas at Austin.

These well written essays provide vivid glimpses of varying Presidential personalities, with thoughtful discussion of individual strengths and weaknesses. To me, especially in an election year where character is a major issue, it was an enthralling read, with highlights of qualities such as "Reagan's voice, which was a large part of Reagan's power..." or the speaking style of TR, with plosive P sounds, which "would pop with Gatling-gun force. The effect of his oratory was to bury every word in the psyche of his listeners." or the political genius exhibited by FDR who talked "at a level at which very few people could follow him and understand what he was really saying" that FDR also recognized in a young congressmen, LBJ, as "he saw Johnson understood _everything_ he was talking about." I enjoyed reading these examples of behavior and the illuminating contrasts such as: "It is hard to imagine two more different men than Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy..." or "despite the major differences in their temperaments--indeed, I would argue, because of these differences--Eleanor and Franklin forged their historic partnership..." I would recommend to readers the book "Presidential Temperament" by Choiniere and Keirsey, another well researched volume which gives an explanation of "how each President's temperament inevitably expressed itself in his behavior, both in office and in his personal life."

A very interesting read. This book focuses on the tragic end of Swilling's life and the events that resulted in his being jailed for a crime that he did not commit. The author carefully examines the evidence and goes to great length to exonerate Swilling, who may have been given a bad rap by other historians in the past. In this book we not only see Swilling as a significant individual in Arizona history, we also see him as all too human, with the frailties and personal problems that eventually lead to his downfall. A good book for anyone interested learning more about the history of Arizona and its pioneers.