The Crash of the Titans represents good, solid sports reporting. It's fun reading. It recalls the first 3 seasons (1960-62) of the New York Titans franchise of the American Football League, now known as the Jets. It reminded me of the more wide open style of football the old AFL played and those late Sunday afternoon games on ABC with Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman. The buttoned up, corporate NFL was never as much fun. The central character is Harry Wismer, famous broadcaster of the 40s and 50s and the original owner of the Titans. Harry was a George Steinbrenner of an earlier day, with all the bombast but sans the dough and without a Yankee Stadium. The old AFL had some extremely wealthy owners; Harry was not one of them. The Titans played in Manhattan's ghostly Polo Grounds just waiting for Nirvana to rescue them. "Nirvana" was the construction of Shea Stadium, which opened too late to save Wismer. The baseball Mets survived 2 seasons in the Polo Grounds, 3 for the Titans were too many. This is sad because the Titans were NOT losers but respectably mediocre with a high scoring offense, albeit no defense. The author's research is impressive, almost impeccable. He interviewed over 50 former players, coaches and other reporters. He had the obvious cooperation of multiple sources. He ably balances the on field action with the off the field. There are some notable omissions. For one, there is an absence of any individual statistics, standings or rosters. There is also a dearth of photos. Since Ryczek had so many contacts, their inclusion should have been easy. The one back cover photo left out LB Larry Grantham of Old Miss (Ole?), a future hero of Super Bowl 3! Four of the SB lll Jets once were Titans ( FL Don Maynard, RB Bill Mathis, K Curly Johnson and Larry). Jets fans, here are your roots! Read Crash of the Titans and discover them! Super Bowl lll began here. We should not look back in life but after reading CT, I regret now I never went to a Titans game. With all those empty seats in the Polo Grounds, I certainly could have gotten in. We Jets fans can easily add a 5th star to the above rating.

For some reason, there has never been a major oral history of the American Football League. It is shocking when you realize that this is the only upstart league to merge as an equal partner to an established league with all of its franchises accepted. The AFL won as many Superbowls as the NFL did. And the busts of quite a few players are permanently on display in Canton, Ohio.

One of the weirder franchises of the AFL was the NY Titans. Most fans know the New York Jets, but the Jets was originally known as the Titans. They played their games in the decrepit Polo Grounds. The team was owned by an eccentric man named Harry Wismer who operated the team on a shoestring.

Despite all that, they were a pretty decent team and that is what this book is about, a chronicle of the Titans. While it is not the most entertaining book in the world, it is very well researched and it deserves to be read by every serious football fan.

Now we need an oral history of the entire AFL, as good as Terry Pluto's "Loose Balls", his hysterical oral history of the American Basketball Association.

Fenton's work is the basis for your sojourn into the False Face Society. His classification of masks based on prominent features such as the nose, mouth, presence of forehead ridges is the foundation for anyone wishing to understand these magnificant cultural pieces. It is not bedside reading; rather, it requires a quick perusal to familiarize yourself with masks. As you study, hold, or look at another mask you will dive deeper and deeper into Fenton's tome.

This is an exhaustive, classic ethnological study. The author is a Ph.D. from Yale, who at the time of publication (1987) served as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at SUNY/Albany. The book is a 522 page tome that covers all aspects of false face masks, from carving through use. In addition to providing 24 color and more than 200 B&W photos of wooden and cornhusk masks, the author classifies the types of masks he has observed, describes the personages who the masks represent, and documents rituals in which he has seen the masks used. Ritual songs and positions of maskers during ceremonies are cataloged in the book.

As you might expect, accessories of maskers including rattles (turtle and bark) are not only shown in photographs, but are described with details that include rattle construction. A scholarly treatment of a subject with mystical and religious meaning to some.

The one other customer review connected with this book is incorrect - this is not a step by step drawing book - it is a history of fashion drawing in Vogue Magazine.

I am a graduating fashion design student in The Art Institute . I have searched for a complete drawing book throughout my education. And, I found this book very handy and useful, and decided to have it in my little library. This book starts with complete course of education on basic drawing of a figure, and gives you step by step instruction of how to end up a beautiful figure of your own, even though you are not sure about your drawing skills. Once you get your basic figure done, it shows you how to put the other items together, draw the details. It gives more than enough information and pictures about coloring and rendering which is the most important section to make your design come through. The section I liked most in this book was about drawing the hands and face which has given me trouble during my education. After reviewing the book and applying the techniques , I relaized how easy it is to do it my own, instead of swiping someone else's sketch.And also, the rendering techniques and information about it was very useful to finish up my sketches. I highly recommend this book to any person in any level of drawing skills, who is interested in drawing Fashion figures.I have had a big advantage of it , why shouldn't you?

As a first year law student, and with finals quickly approaching, I was desperate for a book that would help me make sense of it all. I found this book to be pretty helpful. It made me take a step back from what I was studying to get a good look at the overall picture, which is really important. Finals are still about two weeks away, but I'm feeling more confident now. Don't get me wrong... this book is in now way a substitute for test preparation, but it does help you understand why somethings are the way they are.

This book has helped lawyers from other countries to understand in a better and general way the American legal system. It has an overview of areas such as criminal law, torts, contracts, commercial law, immigration, labor, among others. I recommend this book as an introduction to the legal system for non lawyers or for foreign lawyers.

I'm writing a novel set in 1930s New York and for research purposes, this book is a great starting point. But as for simply sitting down and reading it all the way through, well, it's a bit dull. For a better sense of the sweep and drama of New York's history, try tracking down New York Panorama, also put out by the WPA around the same time.

Anyone interested in New York City will find this book absolutely fascinating. Imagine being transported to the City's golden age -the years during which America was emerging from the Depression---and before being thrust into World War Two. The City is chronicled neighborhood by neighborhood and includes interesting historical background information. With this book you will see New York through the eyes of the past; One of my all time favorites.

Though this book can seem excessivley log with it's incredible detail, the author shows much potential with his research. For those highly interested in this man's life should definately add this to their bookshelves.

William Graebner does an excellent job in detailing the lifestyles of teenagers growing up in post World War II Buffalo and their interactions with what he calls the "dominant culture" (adults).

Graebner's points are simple. The first is that there was no single "youth culture" made up of these teens but rather a culture made up of a number of "subcultures." The second point, and most dominant, is that adults tried to exercise controls over the emerging youth through methods of social engineering.

Graebner looks at various aspects of teen life - music, clothing, membership in clubs and organizations - and illustrates how each of these was a common thread to all teenagers but that each subculture (race, class, gender, etc.) experienced them differently. He further shows the methods by which adults attempted to control these factors for fear of juvenile delinquency and their own fear of racial integration. Graebner clearly shows that these controls actually caused more bad than good and were actually a precursor to the Civil Rights issues of the 1960's.

Finally, Graebner's book is rich with photos enhancing the reader's experience by allowing him or her to actually see the people and places of this era. It truly adds to the overall experience of the book and makes it all the more real.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in youth culture or even interested about the history or sociology of the time itself.

Mr. Staples addresses the issues arising from surveillance of society. He warns that an Orwellian Big Brother isn't really the problem- that a series of Little Brothers pose the greatest threat to personal liberties. Not many think before giving personal information to banks, the government or a varity of corporations (store credit cards, even Amazon.com asks for personal information). Consider the number of surveillence cameras that monitor your moves at street intersections in some locals, at banks, department store, drive thru lanes, government buildings etc.

A sociologist at the University of Kansas, Staples addresses the way new surveillence technology affects society. He notes that as surveillance increases the public increasingly accepts being watched. He examines the development of surveillance techniques from each one's beginning to where we are today. He includes police/prison tactics, body analysis (DNA, drug test etc.), consumer society and the media among others.

This book is a great primer for the budding paranoid type, or those who never really thought about how much info on you is floating out there. More developed paranoids get a book they may quote without sounding like a crazy eyed conspericy theorist. This book is not the be all end all on the subject by any means. But I find myself quoting the book more often than I thought I would- I guess that says something.

just see how the crimal justice system doesnt work unless you've got a ton of money and can buy your way out this guy had to pay a price...death.

I beleive that this book is an average book. Many people really would enjoy this book if they like hearing about other peoples problems.