When an author's canon includes such masterpieces as "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "The Right Stuff," it is easy to overlook his lesser-known, albeit no less brilliant, earlier work. "Mauve Gloves and Madmen, Clutter and Vine" includes a handful of Wolfe's classic essays from the mid-1970s, including the title piece (which close Wolfe readers will notice he reprised in a "Bonfire" passage),"The Me Decade," and the hilarious "Street Fighters." Any Wolfe fan looking for something to nibble on while they await the long-overdue "A Man In Full" will thoroughly enjoy this book.

I'm sorry to see that this book out of print. It's both an excellent collection of articles, and a "how-to" for budding writers on how to write in the style of the "new journalism". I'd love to see this book back in print, or even better, a revised edition, with more up-to-date articles (anyone for a collection of New Journalist articles on the 80s and 90s?) and perhaps a new assortment of writers.

Popular Culture In A New Age by Marshall W. Fishwick (Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of the American Studies and Popular Culture Programs, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia) is an amazing and informative look at the profound impact American pop culture and American technology has on ordinary people's lives, both within and without America's borders. From celebrity obsessions, to black popular culture, to carnivals, different facets of America's trendiest activities and beliefs are carefully scrutinized in this straightforward, no-nonsense, extremely fascinating account. Of special note are the chapters "Popular Culture: The Beggar at the Gate of Our Public Schools"; "From Humbuggery to Hype"; and "Faith Takes a New Face". Enhanced with Notes, a bibliography for further reading, an index, Popular Culture In A New Age is highly recommended for Contemporary American Popular Culture Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

This is a fantastic sampling of Wolfe's work. Some parts I have re-read countless times. Wolfe is among the best writers we have. (And this book is nonfiction...which is why I'm glad his next book will be nonfiction).

Collaboratively edited by David Wolfe and Tom Rodgers, Puzzlers' Tribute: A Feast For The Mind is an amazing compilation of classic brain teasers collected from all walks of science, mathematics, and verbal riddles to test the reader's thinking skills to their highest degree. Each puzzle is not only proffered, but comes with a detailed explanation as to the true nature of the problem, as well as a step-by-step solution. Highly recommended for mathematicians, magicians, and puzzle enthusiasts, Puzzlers' Tribute is amazing, varied, challenging, and fun leisure reading guaranteed to give its readers an itch for pencil and paper to work the problems out for themselves!

This book includes a pattern for a santa racoon with detailed steps as well as patterns for 6 other creatures. These patterns are cute, fun to carve, and of moderate difficulty level. The photography is extremely accurate in the instrucitonal seciton; the angels given make the designs easy to follow.

After elevating the development of skateboarding from criminal activity to its proper place in modern culture with Dogtown and Z-Boys Stecyk, a long-time contributor to The Surfer's Journal, presents the artifacts of surfing culture in an equally intelligent manner. This book is developed from the recent exhibition at the Laguna Arts Museum. A must have for anyone interested in surfing. Steyck has come a long way from epoxying bronzed roadkill to major California roadways. He's an artist too.

I purchased this book about 8 years ago, and am just now getting around to actually doing the "primary" Santa depicted in it.
This is a great book for beginner to intermediate carvers. It's chock full of photos, and has the finished product depicted from several different angles......all at a great price, too! Buy this book!

Words Of Ages: Witnessing U.S. History Through Literature is a remarkable 320 page trade paperback book that takes a unique, ground-breaking approach to showcase American history by using letters, journal entries, short stories, and poetry to illustrate the American experience through pen of some of America's greatest authors and historical figures. Included are more than 125 excerpts from such luminaries as Booker T. Washington, Edith Wharton, Mark Twain, Tom Wolf, Thomas Paine, Chief Tecumseh, Frederick Douglass, Robert Frost, and a host of other to provide an accessible context for understanding the events, places, and people that shaped American history, culture and politics. Words Of Ages is divided chronological into units ranging from "Voices of a Revolution" and "Civil War and Reconstruction", to "Social Critics and Reformers" and "The Vietnam Years". This dynamic, interdisciplinary blending of literature, history, and art provide a most unusual, effective, and academically sound approach that will be read with enthusiasm by anyone with an interest in American history.

First off, let me say that this book really held my interest and I enjoyed it (I gave it four stars, didn't I?).

Perhaps, though, I should not have read "A Man in Full" first. There are so many similarities between the two books that I found myself thinking that Wolfe re-wrote "Bonfire" to make "Man," yet based it in Atlanta instead of New York.

Let's see...both books had racial tensions, both concerned lawyers that only looked out for their own interests, both had a strong main character that eventually fell in the end, both involved a lot (and I do mean a lot) of spouse-cheating, both had political figures that were determined to get re-elected at any cost, both had characters that were oh-so-concerned with thrusting out their mighty muscles to impress the women...etc. etc. etc.

A previous reviewer stated that she didn't understand why people did not like the protagonist, Sherman McCoy. Let's see...hmmm...he cheats on his wife, repeatedly...he's a jerk to his fellow co-workers...he has no thought to what the consequences of his actions could do to his young daughter...in short, he generally thinks with the, er, "contents" of his pants. Granted, Wolfe writes in such a way that you do feel sorry for Sherman at the end, but I think it's important to remember that if he hadn't been cheating on his wife with Maria, then he never would have hit anyone with his car and the whole situation would have been avoided (although granted that would have made for a much less interesting book).

All in all, though, even if "Man" and "Bonfire" are similar, one cannot overlook the original genious of "Bonfire." Wolfe's descriptives of different types of people (the "Pimp Roll," for God's sake, to describe how someone walked) and the vicious observations he makes on society and its shortcomings (and believe me, no one is exempt, not even authors) aid in the creation of an intricately woven piece of literature.

I had wanted to read A Man in Full, but it wasn't in paperback yet, so I bought The Bonfire of the Vanities out of curiosity. I do not regret it one whit. It is perhaps the first book in years that I literally couldn't put down, and the first book since The Great Gatsby that I didn't want to end because I didn't want to leave Sherman McCoy out there on his own. Wolfe was brave to embrace all of New York society and politics in this novel- and he carries it with almost shocking confidence. The racial tensions he sets up would be death to an author more faint of heart. But not Mr. Wolfe, whose story benefits from his risks. A criticism of the book is that the hero isn't likable enough, but I found that to be on of his greatest achievements. Who didn't see the flaws in Jay Gatsby? A hero is, by definition, a flawed man. Sherman McCoy is that and more. I highly reccomend this book.

'Bonfire of the Vanities' is a quintessential novel of the contemporary era not only for its literary craft, but also for its insight into the modern-day social system. Wolf accurately depicts this system on all fronts. The social interaction between economic classes, the growing problems (maybe even failure) of politics and justice as vehicles of freedom and democracy, and the powerful control of consumerism over us all are themes of the book underlying a story masterfully written from a number of the characters' perspectives. You start to feel the strengths and weaknesses of each character, realizing how human nature and illusions of grandeur make us all into people we never thought we'd become.

Being a big Easton Ellis fan, I thought the descriptive writing in this book was far from excessive and only illustrated some of its themes of materialism. It's also probably one of the fastest (substantive) 700 pages I've ever read. Don't count on the film for anything but a good laugh.

Regardless, you will be more enlightened after readiing this book.