This is a story of a poor but attractive and accomplished art historian who romps through the bedrooms and boardrooms of the art and entertainment establishments of Manhattan, with romantic side trips to Europe, Mexico and Brazil. The protagonist finds himself suddenly in the lap of luxury by the simple expedient of marrying a wealthy heiress. His world unravels when he cannot resist the allure of an alpha female who habitually brings men to ruin including the protagonist. The plot is minimal. The great fun of this book is found in the author's keen observation and description of the morals and mores of the book's predatory characters: social climbers, the landed gentry, and the people who serve them, from gay museum directors to streetwise apartment doormen. The scenes depicting them seducing, using, entertaining and abusing each other are delicious and funny. The exotic characters are rendered in sharp relief and with the instantly recognizable wit of a New Yorker cartoon. The novel's chief flaw is the unlikely sentimental ending, but it is entirely forgivable given the book's romantic bent, particularly toward the protagonist with whom the author seems to identify strongly. Great entertainment offering hours of forgetfulness.

The 240 pages in this very readable book cover the highlights in the career of Detective First Grade McKenna and his thirty years in the NYPD. He shares his thoughts while discussing many of his interesting cases. The book reads like a TV series waiting to happen. The 14 chapters tell of the events behind the newspaper stories.

Chapter 1 tells of the Central Park Jogger attacked in April 1989. Page 9 tells that if a suspect denies being at the scene of the crime, he has something to hide. Perhaps there's another reason for not getting involved? Detective McKenna got a confession that resulted in a conviction. But in 2003 the DNA evidence caused their release from jail, and exoneration. "There was no physical evidence" (p.13). Is there a lesson to be learned? Should anyone be convicted on a disputed confession when there is no other evidence? But it happens.

When crimes occur, Detectives show up after to gather the statements of eyewitnesses, and begin their investigation. Sometimes they get information from people who were not there. After spending hours and days the facts emerge to point to the suspects. They are tracked down, arrested, then convicted. Detective McKenna emphasizes that "police work is all teamwork" (p.77). Many of the crimes just happen by opportunity; there are few masterminds in street crime. One exception is on page 40. After you read this book you can turn to the classic Hammett and Chandler short stories with a new viewpoint.

This text on the material necessary to pass the New York State Real Estate Salespersons Exam does that and much more,
It is an up to date practicum on recent developments
in the real estate field in both downstate and upstate
markets.
Additionally, It is structured in two parts, saving those
who eventually sit for the Brokers exam the need to
aquire a second exam review text.

.
Finally,the book has a particularly detailed format
concerned with ever changing legal forms necessary
for salespersons to be conversant with attorneys who
are an intricant part of the realty world.

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Being a native of Niagara Falls, I have read more than a few books which claim to represent the history of the city. Of all these books, this is the best. It covers the history of Niagara Falls thematically and chronologically; breaking down the history of the city into important periods industrially and technologically. Included in it are sections dealing with the impact of the railroads, as well as the impact of hydro power. In my opinion, it was an excellent book, and well worth the price

Great snappy reading, the authors must have had fun doing the research. Recommended for anyone who loves chocolate, New York, or both. Hope they do an updated version for 2000 and do a book on another New York food subject.

The book is packed full of detailed information on progressive movements in the art worlds of New York City from the 1890s to the 1970s -- literature, painting, photography, ballet, drama, architecture, jazz and classical music (but not broadcasting)-- with over 60 excellent black-and-white illustrations. Admittedly the authors' grasp of New York geography sometimes falters: 29 West 35th Street is placed "near Penn Station"; Sloan's painting 'Sixth Avenue and Thirtieth Street' supposedly has Times Square "distantly" in sight; a walk up Broadway from the Battery leads to "City Park". But that should not detract from the extensive and solid material on the city's advances in the visual arts.

First off, it's somewhat intimidating to review a book authored by such a master of the English language. While I am of the opinion that I am a somewhat talented writer, there are days when I covet the ability and skills demonstrated weekly by Safire in his language columns.

This leads me to the usual problem with books such as this one, which are compendiums of columns that have already appeared in the paper months or even years ago. In this case, most of these columns were written during the height of the impeachment case against President Clinton. In our current society where news is reported instantly via the internet, the news events mentioned in this book seem like they happened so long ago.

Still, due to the subject matter of focusing on language and its use, the information (or content as Safire points out) is still interesting, humours and educational. He also updates the columns with gotcha letters sent to him from fans around the world who love to catch him on his errors.

Also, for those of you who might bristle regarding his political views or history as a Nixon employee can put the bias aside and enjoy the book. I'm downgrading it from five to four stars because of the recency issue, but recommend it and also recommend his weekly column.

The book contains many incisive quotations from gay Harlemites who consider themselves black first and gay second, and whose social and sexual networks are black. The research was done in the late 1980s for a Columbia anthropology Ph.D. The author, a white New Zealander, died in 1992, and it has taken a long time for the book to reach print. Hawkeswood was so intent on challenging the focus on black male irresponsibility (and pathology), that he claims no one else studied middle-class blacks (ignoring SLIM'S TABLE, BLACK BOURGEOIS, etc.). On the way to providing an antithesis of the studies of junkies and slackers, he comes across as a Candide (or Pangloss), downplaying homophobia and "fagbashing" in Harlem and making his informants come across as almost saintly in their devotion to their churches, natal families, and social networks. Hawkeswood gathered some interesting material, and the social science literature IS slanted toward black ne're-do-wells

Edward Koch has done a remarkable job illlustrating to the reader the true story behind politics in which he includes controversies such as the death penalty and gay rights among others. "Politics" depicts his rise and struggle in the game of politics stating that it is extremely important to understand our government and know our politics if we would like to better our surroundings; participation is key. This book was quite enjoyable to read because Edward Koch has a great sense of humor. "Politics" is not at all boring to read, you would think so because of the title, but really, trust me, it is not.