Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir
by Tony Hillerman
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (02 October, 2001)
list price: $26.00
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Reviews (17)

Tony Hillerman, Seldom Disappointed (2001)
Tony Hillerman is a great author, and a man has the right to write his autobiography any way he chooses. That having been said, there are some disappointments in store for potential readers, most of whom will be perusing the book for insights into Hillerman's creative mindset. Hillerman does an excellent job of describing his childhood in Oklahoma, his World War II experiences, and his subsequent life as a college student and journalist. It is only about two thirds of the way through the book (at p. 251), however, that he seriously begins addressing the fiction which has made him famous. Furthermore, as Hillerman himself notes (see p. 321), only six books are discussed in any depth in the text: The Blessing Way (at pp. 266-73), The Fly on the Wall (at pp. 274-82), Dance Hall of the Dead (at pp. 283-88), The People of Darkness (at pp.294-98), Hunting Badger (at pp. 300-10), and Finding Moon (at pp. 311-17). All the others are discussed in more depth in an addition (at pp. 321-31), which to me was the most interesting part of the book. Why they were not treated in more depth at appropriate places in the text is never explained.

The volume also has no index, so that it is not possible to trace themes without riffling through the book. Additionally, the bibliography of Hillerman's works lists two compilations, The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries and The Jim Chee Mysteries, but inexplicably leaves out a third, Leaphorn & Chee.

One is left with the impression of a hastily-produced book, with a thoughtfully crafted and detailed account of Hillerman's early years supplemented by a more impressionistic, some might say spotty, conclusion. Hopefully Hillerman's health will give him a chance to return to the genre and produce and produce a more satisfying, definitive account of his life and work.

Samuel Pyeatt Menefee

Disappointed?Not at all!
I've enjoyed reading many of Tony Hillerman's mysteries which are more about understanding bits of pieces of Native American culture in the high mountain country of New Mexico and the interactions of individuals, a nice contrast to the fast-paced, urban-setting mysteries rife with sex, violence, and foul-mouthed bad guys of many mystery authors.His memoir will delight his many fans because the picture it paints is one of an unassuming person who grew up in the poverty of the Great Depression, did more than his share as an infantry grunt in WWII, and relates his post-war life with his beloved wife, Marie, with warmth and modesty.

The book is plain and simply written and Hillerman's self-effacing demeanor sets it apart from the memoirs of other authors and artists who see the world only through the prism of their own egos.Hillerman does not reflect deeply on What It All Means, but merely relates in matter-of-fact fashion a journey through life.

His infantry tour describing the conditions in the bitter winter of 1944-45 concludes that Army Intelligence was seldom correct, the West Pointers directing the war were often but dimly aware of what was really needed, e.g., winter garb for what turned out to be the snowiest winter in Western Europe in 40 years, and that confusion and ignorance were constant companions.His "grunt" experiences are comparable to those described in more detail, and with much more reflection, by Raymond Gantler in his fine book,"Roll Me Over" written soon after WWII, of similar situations and experiences.

Hillerman's post-war experiences of university life, journalism, and, finally, his quest to be a novelist make up the final third of the memoir.Particularly interesting for budding novelists, and particularly those who have read his novels, are how incidents, individuals, and other miscellaneous happenings provide grist for what happens to Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee in their adventures.

In sum, Hillerman's account of his life is an honest, often moving account of an unassuming man who has realized his ambitions and cares to share a bit of this with others.A hard-to-put down book.

The Life and Times of a Good 'ol Boy
I was interested in this book because Hillerman is an accomplished writer, and I thought I would learn some about the craft.I learned much more about life and history and enjoyed all of it.Hillerman comes across as the salt of the earth, a young boy from rural Oklahoma who was truly without guile.He describes growing up in a small town and then being drafted and shipped off to war.

I especially enjoyed his telling of his time as an infantryman during WWII.I have read WWII accounts by officers like Patton but never by a grunt. It was a new and enlightening perspective that I appreciated.

It is always interesting to see/read how successful people become a success in their chosen fields, and Hillerman's account is interesting. In it he shares much history of the southwest.

He does not share about writing his novels until he is well into his memoir.This is the story of his life and not just about writing.He eventually does share how he made the leap from journalist and college professor to novelist.

This is a lighthearted tale of the life of a truly American writer.It requires patience and rewards it with an honest, entertaining story. ... Read more

Isbn: 0060194456
Sales Rank: 370402
Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. American novelists    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. General    9. Hillerman, Tony    10. Literary    11. Mystery & Detective Fiction    12. Novelists, American   

Mein Kampf
by Adolf Hitler, Ralph Manheim
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 September, 1998)
list price: $22.00 -- our price: $14.96
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

The angry ranting of an obscure, small-party politician, the first volume of Mein Kampf was virtually ignored when it was originally published in 1925. Likewise the second volume, which appeared in 1926. The book details Hitler's childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the desire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. It also includes Hitler's racist agenda and his glorification of the "Aryan" race. The few outside the Nazi party who read it dismissed it as nonsense, not believing that anyone could--or would--carry out its radical, terrorist programs. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book. By the time Hitler became chancellor of the Third Reich in 1933, the book stood atop the German bestseller lists. Had the book been taken seriously when it was first published, perhaps the 20th century would have been very different.

Beyond the anger, hatred, bigotry, and self-aggrandizing, Mein Kampf is saddled with tortured prose, meandering narrative, and tangled metaphors (one person was described as "a thorn in the eyes of venal officials"). That said, it is an incredibly important book. It is foolish to think that the Holocaust could not happen again, especially if World War II and its horrors are forgotten. As an Amazon.com reader has pointed out, "If you want to learn about why the Holocaust happened, you can't avoid reading the words of the man who was most responsible for it happening."Mein Kampf, therefore, must be read as a reminder that evil can all too easily grow. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Excellent book
Not at all what I expected. I expected a monster spouting hate and ignorance. Instead, I found a very well written autobiography. Hitlers writing style has a lot of flavor to it, and the stories are very intriguing, particularly the ones about his youth and the time he lived in Vienna. What is interesting to me is that he tells his story the way he saw it whether it benefits him or not. He freely admits his faults, as well as his strengths. For example, his sadness at being rejected from art school when, in his mind, he thought he was a very good painter. Or, when he admits his lack of understanding of how labor unions work when confronted by co-workers on a construction site. It is a very interesting book. It is a good study of one particular persons version of sociology.

Adolf Hitler's Manifesto on National Socialism
I am sick of constantly hearing people trash this book. Not surprisingly, those same people have usually not taken the time to read this tome. If they did they would realize that it is for the most part lucid and pragmatic. Hitler makes many good points, but he often lets his resounding passion take hold of him. He was obviously a true believer in what he espoused. One must read this book if one wants to understand Hitler; the good and the bad.

Socialist trios: Hitler, Stalin & Mao. Hitler, Marx & Mao.
The disgusting book "Mein Kampf" by Adolph Hitler ranks down with "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and the little "Red book" by Mao (also available).Many people try to single out Hitler as unique, but it is unfortunate that he was matched or surpassed in monstrosity as a member of the socialist trio of atrocities (Hitler, Mao, Stalin) that led to the socialist Wholecaust (of which the Holocaust was a part): 62 million killed by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 35 million by the Peoples' Republic of China, 21 million by the National Socialist German Workers' Party.They were the worst slaughter in history.

It is also important to remember that the National Socialist German Workers' Party and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics started as allies in 1939 to invade Poland in a pact to divide up Europe.

The book led to the National Socialist German Workers' Party.Hitler used the word "socialist"constantly throughout the book as he promoted the dogma.The word "fascist" is used about three times and only as references to Italy. Many people forget that "Nazi" means "National Socialist German Workers' Party," and one reason people forget is because the word "Nazi" is overused by media mouthpieces who never say the actual name of the horrid party. Most people no longer remember the meaning.A good mnemonic device is that the sick socialist swastika resembles two overlapping "S" letters for "socialism."

Here is another interesting fact: the word "swastika" does not appear in the book once in the German version.Hitler only used the term "Hakenkreuze" (hooked cross)."Swastika" was a bad translation of "Hakenkreuze."

The book might contain Hitler's only written comments about the "swastika." It is a brief section and can be interpreted as Hitler stating that the Hakenkreuze was also used as alphabetic symbolism of overlapping "sieg" runes representing "S" letters for "socialism" or the "socialist victory" of his National Socialist German Workers' Party, a news-breaking discovery by the historian Rex Curry.

The book contains no mention of the infamous straight-arm salute of the National Socialists. The salute was not in use by Hitler when the book was written and the salute developed from the military salute and from the original pledge of allegiance in the USA, and not from ancient Rome, as exposed by the historian Rex Curry.

The pledge and its straight-arm salute was written by a socialist (Francis Bellamy) in the USA (as shown in web image searches for "original socialist salute").Francis Bellamy and his cousin and cohort Edward Bellamy were national socialists who idolized the military and wanted to nationalize the entire US economy, including all schools.It was a philosophy that led to the socialist Wholecaust (of which the Holocaust was a part) where millions were murdered. Bellamy put flags in every school to promote a government takeover of education for nationalization and socialism.That is why the Bellamys are known as America's Nazis.

Some educated socialists (socialists who know the origin of the pledge) laugh at so-called conservatives who support robotic pledging in government schools, because socialists presume that "conservatives" in the USA have been duped into supporting socialism and is ignorant of the pledge's socialist origin.Conservatives don't arise each morning to gather with neighbors and robotically chant, as they only "love" the pledge when government's schools lead children in robotic chanting every morning for twelve years of their lives upon the ring of a bell, like Pavlov's lapdogs of the state.

It is an ominous parallel that is covered-up in government schools in the U.S. Neither the schools nor the media will ever show a historic photograph of the original pledge of allegiance.

Here is another ominous parallel: At the height of Nazi power in Germany in 1935, the USA's government stepped onto the same path with the social security scam and its Nazi numbering.

Some proposed social security reforms would invest social security taxes in private businesses and provide an avenue for the government to nationalize all private businesses in addition to schools.It is a scheme that would impress the Bellamys. It is an avenue for Bush to nationalize the entire U.S. economy.Conservatives support the Nazi-like scam because they don't have the ethics nor intellectual honesty to do the right thing: end government involvement in education, and end the social security scam, its taxes and its Nazi numbering.

Overall, the book was eye-popping. ... Read more

Isbn: 0395925037
Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Dictators    4. Europe - Germany    5. Fascism    6. Germany    7. Germany - History - Third Reich (1933-1945)    8. Historical - General    9. History    10. History & Theory - General    11. History: World    12. National socialism    13. Nationalsozialistische deutsch    14. Political    15. Politics and government    16. Biography & Autobiography / Historical   

Mein Kampf
by Adolf Hitler, Ralph Manheim, Konrad Heiden
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (15 September, 1998)
list price: $40.00 -- our price: $26.40
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The angry ranting of an obscure, small-party politician, the first volume of Mein Kampf was virtually ignored when it was originally published in 1925. Likewise the second volume, which appeared in 1926. The book details Hitler's childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the desire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. It also includes Hitler's racist agenda and his glorification of the "Aryan" race. The few outside the Nazi party who read it dismissed it as nonsense, not believing that anyone could--or would--carry out its radical, terrorist programs. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book. By the time Hitler became chancellor of the Third Reich in 1933, the book stood atop the German bestseller lists. Had the book been taken seriously when it was first published, perhaps the 20th century would have been very different.

Beyond the anger, hatred, bigotry, and self-aggrandizing, Mein Kampf is saddled with tortured prose, meandering narrative, and tangled metaphors (one person was described as "a thorn in the eyes of venal officials"). That said, it is an incredibly important book. It is foolish to think that the Holocaust could not happen again, especially if World War II and its horrors are forgotten. As an Amazon.com reader has pointed out, "If you want to learn about why the Holocaust happened, you can't avoid reading the words of the man who was most responsible for it happening."Mein Kampf, therefore, must be read as a reminder that evil can all too easily grow. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Excellent book
Not at all what I expected. I expected a monster spouting hate and ignorance. Instead, I found a very well written autobiography. Hitlers writing style has a lot of flavor to it, and the stories are very intriguing, particularly the ones about his youth and the time he lived in Vienna. What is interesting to me is that he tells his story the way he saw it whether it benefits him or not. He freely admits his faults, as well as his strengths. For example, his sadness at being rejected from art school when, in his mind, he thought he was a very good painter. Or, when he admits his lack of understanding of how labor unions work when confronted by co-workers on a construction site. It is a very interesting book. It is a good study of one particular persons version of sociology.

Adolf Hitler's Manifesto on National Socialism
I am sick of constantly hearing people trash this book. Not surprisingly, those same people have usually not taken the time to read this tome. If they did they would realize that it is for the most part lucid and pragmatic. Hitler makes many good points, but he often lets his resounding passion take hold of him. He was obviously a true believer in what he espoused. One must read this book if one wants to understand Hitler; the good and the bad.

Socialist trios: Hitler, Stalin & Mao. Hitler, Marx & Mao.
The disgusting book "Mein Kampf" by Adolph Hitler ranks down with "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and the little "Red book" by Mao (also available).Many people try to single out Hitler as unique, but it is unfortunate that he was matched or surpassed in monstrosity as a member of the socialist trio of atrocities (Hitler, Mao, Stalin) that led to the socialist Wholecaust (of which the Holocaust was a part): 62 million killed by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 35 million by the Peoples' Republic of China, 21 million by the National Socialist German Workers' Party.They were the worst slaughter in history.

It is also important to remember that the National Socialist German Workers' Party and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics started as allies in 1939 to invade Poland in a pact to divide up Europe.

The book led to the National Socialist German Workers' Party.Hitler used the word "socialist"constantly throughout the book as he promoted the dogma.The word "fascist" is used about three times and only as references to Italy. Many people forget that "Nazi" means "National Socialist German Workers' Party," and one reason people forget is because the word "Nazi" is overused by media mouthpieces who never say the actual name of the horrid party. Most people no longer remember the meaning.A good mnemonic device is that the sick socialist swastika resembles two overlapping "S" letters for "socialism."

Here is another interesting fact: the word "swastika" does not appear in the book once in the German version.Hitler only used the term "Hakenkreuze" (hooked cross)."Swastika" was a bad translation of "Hakenkreuze."

The book might contain Hitler's only written comments about the "swastika." It is a brief section and can be interpreted as Hitler stating that the Hakenkreuze was also used as alphabetic symbolism of overlapping "sieg" runes representing "S" letters for "socialism" or the "socialist victory" of his National Socialist German Workers' Party, a news-breaking discovery by the historian Rex Curry.

The book contains no mention of the infamous straight-arm salute of the National Socialists. The salute was not in use by Hitler when the book was written and the salute developed from the military salute and from the original pledge of allegiance in the USA, and not from ancient Rome, as exposed by the historian Rex Curry.

The pledge and its straight-arm salute was written by a socialist (Francis Bellamy) in the USA (as shown in web image searches for "original socialist salute").Francis Bellamy and his cousin and cohort Edward Bellamy were national socialists who idolized the military and wanted to nationalize the entire US economy, including all schools.It was a philosophy that led to the socialist Wholecaust (of which the Holocaust was a part) where millions were murdered. Bellamy put flags in every school to promote a government takeover of education for nationalization and socialism.That is why the Bellamys are known as America's Nazis.

Some educated socialists (socialists who know the origin of the pledge) laugh at so-called conservatives who support robotic pledging in government schools, because socialists presume that "conservatives" in the USA have been duped into supporting socialism and is ignorant of the pledge's socialist origin.Conservatives don't arise each morning to gather with neighbors and robotically chant, as they only "love" the pledge when government's schools lead children in robotic chanting every morning for twelve years of their lives upon the ring of a bell, like Pavlov's lapdogs of the state.

It is an ominous parallel that is covered-up in government schools in the U.S. Neither the schools nor the media will ever show a historic photograph of the original pledge of allegiance.

Here is another ominous parallel: At the height of Nazi power in Germany in 1935, the USA's government stepped onto the same path with the social security scam and its Nazi numbering.

Some proposed social security reforms would invest social security taxes in private businesses and provide an avenue for the government to nationalize all private businesses in addition to schools.It is a scheme that would impress the Bellamys. It is an avenue for Bush to nationalize the entire U.S. economy.Conservatives support the Nazi-like scam because they don't have the ethics nor intellectual honesty to do the right thing: end government involvement in education, and end the social security scam, its taxes and its Nazi numbering.

Overall, the book was eye-popping. ... Read more

Isbn: 0395951054
Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Dictators    4. Europe - Germany    5. Germany    6. History & Theory - General    7. History - General History    8. National socialism    9. Nationalsozialistische Deutsch    10. Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei    11. Politics and government    12. History / Germany   

Arms of Krupp
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (June, 1983)

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Reviews (5)

How the manufacturing family influenced the shape of Germany
This is an excellent book about a family struggle with economy and power. It looks lengthy however it is over just as you are getting started. A side benefit is the technical information added helps you imagine what is like to design and sell the arms. In some cases they were almost given away for a causes. This story parallels other books on history and makes the world seem that it is made up of people not just historical facts. Speaking of historical facts...

Dynasty of the Tools of War
The "Arms of Krupp" is a comprehensive story of the dynasty of a manufacturer and supplier of weaponry from the basic hand wielded to the most sophisticated tools of warfare. This book is a well-researched in-depth and highly detailed account of Krupp. This is a highly recommended reading especially on World Wars I and II. You won't put it down.

The Arms of Krupp
On the must read list.A real eye-opener on how arms, and History, are manufactured. ... Read more

Isbn: 9992541245
Sales Rank: 1627204
Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography   

The Arms of Krupp, 1587-1968
by William Raymond Manchester
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 June, 1968)
list price: $35.00
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Reviews (12)

Wonderful History Of Germany's Foremost Arms Maker
"The Arms Of Krupp" is the incredible biography of a powerful and incredibly rich and powerful family that was central in the advent and progress of European history for the more than four hundred years they presided as an almost imperial force within the boundaries of what is present-ay Germany. Certainly no other non-royal dynasty engenders such controversy and hotly expressed differences in opinion than does the multiple generations of this critically based family so critical to the development and technological capabilities of the German war machine. Of course, no one could do a better job at providing a definitive historical biography of the Krupp family than William Manchester. This is truly a magnificent book, a spellbinding story splendidly told by a master of English prose, rendered in a flawless, comprehensive, and objective treatment of this fascinating, often outrageous, and sometime imperious string of Krupp family member who ignited the wars raging in Europe in terms of their ability to provide the motherland with such complex, ingenious, and technically superior weapons of war.

This is, in fact, considered a masterwork of history, an eminently readable and elegantly stylish work by Manchester, a master of the trade. Manchester, a retired history professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, is widely regarded as one of this country's preeminent biographers and historian. The Krupp dynasty was extinguished in 1967, when the last surviving family member passed away. With his death the legacy of a four hundred year span of contribution to the European armaments industry came to an end, and so brought to a conclusion a tradition spanning wars and quite profoundly influencing outcomes of European history for centuries. The Krupp Arms conglomerate was technologically innovative, devising new weapons such as a superior cannon to an anti-air vehicle weapon designed to counter the reconnaissance capabilities of aerial observation balloons to exotic and much more capable submarines, which they then built for over four decades.

In so doing, they became fabulously rich, and rose to become extremely influential and exceedingly conservative voices within the realm of German political circles. No German leader could hope to marshal the resources or the weapons of war necessary to mount a military campaign without first gaining the trust, confidence and support of the Krupp family, which then cleverly and cynically manipulated this influence to vastly enrich themselves. During World War One, their cannons helped to flatten the French city of Verdun, and at one point succeeded in lobbing projectiles into Paris from as distant a location as some eighty miles away, an unheard-of innovation at the time. Aiding the Third Reich in its secret rearmament effort after the end of the First Word War, they provided a much advanced tank design that eventuated in the Panzer tank, used subsequently so successfully in Hitler's blitzkrieg through France in the summer of 1940.

They were quite influential within the German society as well, having armed the forces of Kaiser Wilhelm for battle before World War One, and then surreptitiously backed Hitler financially in the so-called terror-campaign" of 1933. Incredibly, the Krupps participated in the war crimes of the Third Reich, even controlling and operating more than 130 concentration camps during the war. Afterwards, they help to rebuild Europe in the eventual development of the European Common Market. This is a truly fascinating book written with all of the usual style and substance one come s to expect of William Manchester, and it is certainly a book I can highly recommend to anyone with an interest in European history. Enjoy!

Fantastic
Seeing what this book was about, I thought it had no chance of holding my interest.However, once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.Manchester really makes this history read like a first class novel.

Cannon Kings
As business histories go, "Arms of Krupp," an 800 page indictment of the Krupp steelworks dynasty (and the regimes that supported it), is a bizarre saga.After a brisk prologue that takes us from 1587 through to the beginning of the nineteenth century, we first meet Alfried Krupp, "Cannon King" and warmonger, a man who believed fresh horse manure was good for the lungs and whose radical cannon designs laid the basis for Prussia's victories in the Austrian and French wars.Next we meet Gustav Krupp, suspected pederast, whose likely suicide only barely saved him from tabloid disgrace.Then to Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, an "adoptive" Krupp, chosen by the Kaiser to marry the surviving female heir, Bertha (who gave her name to the "Big Bertha" 410 mm cannon of World War One).

Finally -- and this is the book's real focus -- we turn to Alfried Krupp, the last Krupp to run the Essen steelworks.Manchester gives over about 1/3 of the book to detailing Alfried's involvement in the Nazi slavery racket and his subsequent conviction for war crimes.As Manchester shows, the Krupp crimes were at least as serious, if not worse, than those of I.G. Farben, and it is nothing short of extraordinary that Alfried von Krupp was pardoned by the American military governor.Krupp went on to refloat the Krupp works, only to see it collapse under a mountain of debt in 1968.

This is a book that takes us from the giddy heights of nineteenth century robber baron-ism to the full unmitigated horrors of the Nazi war complex, and manages to mix humour (for much of the early Krupp saga is frankly hilarious) with deep compassion and sensitivity to the victims of the war.A tour de force. ... Read more

Isbn: 0316544906
Sales Rank: 326716
Subjects:  1. 1907-1967    2. General    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Krupp Works, Essen    6. Krupp family    7. Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach,    8. Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, Alfried,    9. Krupp'sche Gusstahlfabrik, Ess    10. Munitions   

Leni Riefenstahl: Five Lives
by Angelika Taschen
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 November, 2000)
list price: $39.99
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Editorial Review

Leni Riefenstahl: Five Lives traces the fascinating and controversial life and work of the famous German photographer-filmmaker. Riefenstahl started her creative career as an aspiring dancer in the 1920s in Germany and then became a movie actress. She starred in a number of films, taking challenging roles that were sometimes dangerous and physically rigorous, such as the ice-bound and skiing roles in Storm over Mont Blanc, The White Flame, and SOS Iceberg. These outdoor films foretold the spirit of adventure that later guided Riefenstahl's photography career.

The crux of controversy that overshadows Riefenstahl's career is her handpicked appointment by Adolf Hitler to direct the infamous Nazi party rally film Triumph of the Will. Although, according to her memoirs, Riefenstahl tried to withdraw from the film, she created a work that depicted Hitler's plane descending from the clouds as if it carried a god, and she has been accused "of having significantly increased, by means of this film, the emotional bond of the Germans to Hitler." Riefenstahl then went on to direct the German film Olympia covering the 1936 Olympics. With WWII came great change and Riefenstahl's eventual imprisonment by the French. In her later years, she continued her photography career by documenting her trips to Africa and getting her scuba license in her 70s. Her close-up underwater pictures of sea life float like a dream in vivid color. For as damning as her association with the Nazis is, Riefenstahl is a complex and talented artist. This book is full of remarkable images of her acting and directorial career as well as her still photography, and it includes a detailed biography of her life and career--complete with family and personal pictures. --J.P. Cohen ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A Superb Photographic Tribute to a Remarkable Woman
How different would Leni Riefenstahl's life have been had she not filmed Triumph of the Will? One can only speculate what films she would have directed and starred in after World War II were it not for Hitler insisting she do the film.

Riefenstahl has been referred to as a Renaissance woman, and she most certainly was. She was a creative being and expressed her creativity in dance, acting, directing, photography and ocean diving. These five areas, spanning her entire long life, are the subject of this sumptuous coffee table book.

Editor Taschen Angelica is to be commended on compiling this life-work on Riefenstahl while Leni was still alive to assist in the selection and arrangement of the photographs. The segment on the mountain films is worth the price of the book alone, but the color images of the Nuba are also amazing.

Riefenstahl's revenge against those who denied her her cinematic craft after World War II was being able to live to 101, and seeing her life-long accomplishments compliled into this book. Rumor has it Jody Foster is at work on a film project about Riefenstahl. One hopes Foster will get it right and cover her entire life, not just the years that caused so much controversy.

Hollywood couldn't invent it
A biography in pictures of arguably the most influential female film-maker in the history of the medium...though all too many people in the industry are afraid to admit to it.Made the greatest propaganda film in history (unfortunate choice of subject matter) and the most important and influential sports documentary of all time (Olympia).Dancer, actress, director, producer, still photographer, underwater cinematographer...an astounding list of accomplishments driven by a desire to perceive and record the world around her has compelled Leni Riefenstahl since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Oversized, handsomely produced volume (typical Taschen quality) is packed with rare photographs and fascinating commentary.Note: sparkle in eyes of 19-year old dancer and 99-year old legend is exactly the same.

Hollywood couldn't invent it
A biography in pictures of arguably the most influential female film-maker in the history of the medium...though all too many people in the industry are afraid to admit to it.Made the greatest propaganda film in history (unfortunate choice of subject matter) and the most important and influential sports documentary of all time (Olympia).Dancer, actress, director, producer, still photographer, underwater cinematographer...an astounding list of accomplishments driven by a desire to perceive and record the world around her has compelled Leni Riefenstahl since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Oversized, handsomely produced volume (typical Taschen quality) is packed with rare photographs and fascinating commentary.Note: sparkle in eyes of 19-year old dancer and 99-year old legend is exactly the same. ... Read more

Isbn: 3822862169
Subjects:  1. Artists, Architects, Photographers    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Movie Directors    5. Germany    6. Motion picture producers and directors    7. Photo Essays    8. Pictorial works    9. Riefenstahl, Leni    10. Women   

Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
by Edward Steers Jr.
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 October, 2001)
list price: $29.95 -- our price: $19.77
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (40)

Excellent
Having spent many years reading every book I could find on the Lincoln assassination, I was a little skeptical at first, too many nutty conspiracy theories and Stanton bashers are out there already. But I'm pleased to say that the author of this excellent book has certainly done his homework. The main attraction here is the documented proof of Dr. Samuel Mudd's involvement with Booth. It was more than just a casual acquaintance and it was NOT a coincidence that Booth sought Mudd's help after the former broke his leg after leaping from the presidential box at Ford's theater.Steers doesn't worship anyone, unlike other Lincoln authors have done in the past, rather he presents the players and the facts, warts and all. If you are SERIOUS about the topic, put this tome at the top of your list.

The definitive book on the Lincoln Assassination
This is an incredibly well written book. Mr. Steers weaves a logical, thorougly understandable trail of events that lead to Lincoln's assassination, and the hunt for J. Wilkes Booth afterwards. His writing also shows how the attitudes towards Lincoln changed with his murder. Lincoln was not well loved in the North, and many there were wary of his suspension of civil liberties and his desire to franchise African-American soldiers. No wonder Booth thought he would be a hero. Mr. Steers also makes a strong case against Dr. Mudd, whom many nowadays want to paint as an innocent person caught up in post-assassination hysteria.

I have had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Steers talk, and he is a fascinating speaker as well as an excellent writer.

This book, along with "Twenty Days", belong in every Lincoln collection.

Well done
I recommend you buy, read and pass along this excelent book. This is the third book of Steers, I have read. Samuel Mudd and Mary Surratt was indeed involved in the crime.

Seppo Sillanpää, police from Finland ... Read more

Isbn: 0813122171
Sales Rank: 208543
Subjects:  1. 1809-1865    2. 1838-1865    3. Assassination    4. Booth, John Wilkes,    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Lincoln, Abraham,    9. Presidents & Heads of State    10. U.S. History - Civil War And Reconstruction (1860-1877)    11. U.S. History - Constitutional Period To Civil War (1789-1860)    12. United States - 19th Century    13. United States - Civil War    14. Booth, John Wilkes    15. Lincoln, Abraham   

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary
by Simon Winchester
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (August, 1999)
list price: $13.95 -- our price: $11.16
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Editorial Review

When the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary put out a call during the late 19th century pleading for "men of letters" to provide help with their mammoth undertaking, hundreds of responses came forth. Some helpers, like Dr. W.C. Minor, provided literally thousands of entries to the editors. But Minor, an American expatriate in England and a Civil War veteran, was actually a certified lunatic who turned in his dictionary entries from the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Simon Winchester has produced a mesmerizing coda to the deeply troubled Minor's life, a life that in one sense began with the senseless murder of an innocent British brewery worker that the deluded Minor believed was an assassin sent by one of his numerous "enemies."

Winchester also paints a rich portrait of the OED's leading light, Professor James Murray, who spent more than 40 years of his life on a project he would not see completed in his lifetime. Winchester traces the origins of the drive to create a "Big Dictionary" down through Murray and far back into the past; the result is a fascinating compact history of the English language (albeit admittedly more interesting to linguistics enthusiasts than historians or true crime buffs). That Murray and Minor, whose lives took such wildly disparate turns yet were united in their fierce love of language, were able to view one another as peers and foster a warm friendship is just one of the delicately turned subplots of this compelling book. --Tjames Madison ... Read more

Reviews (366)

Great story
This was a fascinating story. An American doctor, his mind lost, possibly from horrors he saw during service in the Civil War, moves to London to escape his demons. Since the demons are all in his mind, they remain with him and one morning it comes to a head when he shoots a man he believes was in his room. The man was merely walking to work at the wrong place and wrong time. Dcotor W.C. Minor is found to be insane and sent to Broadmoor Asylum for Criminal Lunatics. The only thing that keeps the brilliant doctor going is his books which he continues to collect. Through chance he finds a flyer in one of the books asking for volunteers to help compile the first Oxford English Dictionary, an undertaking that will span 70 years. Over the next 20 years Minor is instrumental in helping to edit one of the greatest undertakings in English literature. Because his correspondence was done through the mail, it's 8 years before the main editor, James Murray, finds out his most impressive helper is working from an asylum. After meeting him, they strike up a friendship.

This books flows beautifully through this story, giving you background on James Murray and Dr. Minor. You come to see Murray for the kind of person he is, who sees Minor as more than a man who has lost his mind. With Dr. Minor you realize how fragile the human psyche is. Over 100 years later, we can now treat illnesses like his, but still don't know what causes them. He spent 38 years suffering the worst paranoid delusions, but was also a major figure in a great literary achievement. I for one am glad someone brought this story to light.

peaks early
This book is well written and pulls the reader in. Unfortunatley after about the first few pages of the story, it begins to spiral inward explaining nuances of the story that are no longer that interesting (and are already clearly understandable in the larger summary). I recommend reading the first few chapters and then quitting.

Intriguing Read!
I read this book for one of my classes in grad school.It is an amazing book.It was difficult for me to get through the areas of discussing the OED, but overall a great book.

The author takes you into the life of Dr. Minor who is a genius, but is also clinically insane.It appears he had some sort of paranoid schizophrenia although I do not believe they ever come out and say exactly what it was he had (as they just declared everyone insane at that time).Dr. Minor was a great contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, but had many inner demons he fought for the majority of his life.

You learn a little about the inner workings of the mental hospitals at the time as well.I encourage those of you who are into history as well as mystery to read this book.A good read also for those who are interested or are currently in school for psychology. ... Read more

Isbn: 006099486X
Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. General    3. Historical - British    4. Historical - U.S.    5. History    6. History: World    7. Specific Groups - Special Needs    8. Reading Group Guide   

Fritz Lang (Da Capo Paperback)
by Lotte H. Eisner
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 August, 1986)
list price: $18.50 -- our price: $12.58
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (1)

In-depth Fritz with pictures
You already now something of Fritz Lang or you would not be reading this.Lotte Eisner goes further in depth in which Fritz is and what he has accomplished through the years.
There is a small Fritz Lang: Autobiography
Then the book is chronologically divided between the German years 1919-1933 and the American period of 1936-1956.Then it goes to the German years of 1959-60.

Because I have a large collection of German silent films this book is a must in helping understand those messages that are not intrinsic to the viewer. ... Read more

Isbn: 0306802716
Sales Rank: 552594
Subjects:  1. 1890-1976    2. Cinema/Film: Book    3. Criticism and interpretation    4. Film & Video - Direction & Production    5. Lang, Fritz,    6. Performing Arts    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Lang, Fritz   

Fritz Lang
by Lotte H Eisner
Average Customer Review:
Unknown Binding (1977)
list price: $25.00
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Reviews (1)

In-depth Fritz with pictures
You already now something of Fritz Lang or you would not be reading this.Lotte Eisner goes further in depth in which Fritz is and what he has accomplished through the years.
There is a small Fritz Lang: Autobiography
Then the book is chronologically divided between the German years 1919-1933 and the American period of 1936-1956.Then it goes to the German years of 1959-60.

Because I have a large collection of German silent films this book is a must in helping understand those messages that are not intrinsic to the viewer. ... Read more

Isbn: 019519912X
Subjects:  1. Criticism and interpretation    2. Lang, Fritz   

Brecht: A biography
by Ronald Hayman
Average Customer Review:
Unknown Binding (1983)

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Reviews (1)

Concentrates on Brecht
While other biographies spend time with external events, This book concentrates on Brech and his works.It shows his time in Weimar Germany and through the East Germany.Both his marriages are described.

There is an eight-page chronology to put the works in prospective.

Part One - Barvarian Beginnings

Part Two - Berlin

Part Three - Scandinavian Exile

Part Four - Brecht in Hollywood

Part Five - Towards the Schiffbauerdamm ... Read more

Isbn: 0297781987
Sales Rank: 2443762
Subjects:  1. Brecht, Bertolt   

Brecht: A Biography
by Ronald Hayman
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 November, 1983)
list price: $29.95
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Reviews (1)

Concentrates on Brecht
While other biographies spend time with external events, This book concentrates on Brech and his works.It shows his time in Weimar Germany and through the East Germany.Both his marriages are described.

There is an eight-page chronology to put the works in prospective.

Part One - Barvarian Beginnings

Part Two - Berlin

Part Three - Scandinavian Exile

Part Four - Brecht in Hollywood

Part Five - Towards the Schiffbauerdamm ... Read more

Isbn: 0195204344
Sales Rank: 2192818
Subjects:  1. 1898-1956    2. 20th century    3. Authors, German    4. Biography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Brecht, Bertolt    7. Brecht, Bertolt,    8. German Drama   

Under the Tuscan Sun
by Frances Mayes
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 September, 1997)
list price: $15.00 -- our price: $10.20
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

In this memoir of her buying, renovating, and living in an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Frances Mayes reveals the sensual pleasure she found living in rural Italy, and the generous spirit she brought with her. She revels in the sunlight and the color, the long view of her valley, the warm homey architecture, the languor of the slow paced days, the vigor of working her garden, and the intimacy of her dealings with the locals. Cooking, gardening, tiling and painting are never chores, but skills to be learned, arts to be practiced, and above all to be enjoyed. At the same time Mayes brings a literary and intellectual mind to bear on the experience, adding depth to this account of her enticing rural idyll. ... Read more

Reviews (379)

A Classic Memoir an d a Luxurious Read
Transport yourself to Tuscany and the renovation of an antique farmhouse in this luxurious memoir.The writing is lyrical, the descriptions lush and the depictions of Italian vistas, people and cuisine a delight.The inclusion of regional recipes themed to the seasons is a happy bonus.The accolades for this book are well-deserved.Especially recommended for a lift in late fall and winter, when you're dreaming of warmth.

Don't change the subject.
When I bought this book I was hoping to read about several topics related to Tuscany, a famous region from Antiquity through the Middle-ages to the present day but there are only a few mentions as far as history is concerned.

Nevertheless the book is interesting because it tells about the troublesome renovation of a house bought by F.Mayer an her husband. This gives the opportunity to describe the locals and their habits, not only the workers on their house but also the people in the nearby town. Tastily culinary recipies are given on several occasions.

But at the end of the book dissapointment begins. She starts telling about her hometown in the US and about someone who keeps a kangaroo in his backyard and other pointless facts. Maybe F.Mayer had an agreement with her publisher to deliver a certain amount of pages - I don't know - but I wonder why so many writers can't stick to their subject at the end of their book and become longwinded.

Poetic tribute to Tuscany
Mayes writes a lovely if not poetic tribute to Tuscany in this, her first published memoir of living in the region.In contrast to Peter Mayle and his work "A Year in Provence," there is less writing on the idiosyncracies of living in the area and more emphasis on pure description of the locale.As an added bonus, she includes some of her favorite seasonal recipes.For those who have seen the movie, there is quite a bit of difference from the book, although, overall, the spirit of the book seems to be preserved. ... Read more

Isbn: 0767900383
Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography    2. Cookery, Italian    3. Customs & Traditions    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Europe - Italy    7. Italian cooking    8. Mayes, Frances    9. Social Science    10. Social life and customs    11. Travel - General    12. Tuscany (Italy)    13. Travel / Essays & Travelogues    14. Reading Group Guide   

Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy
by Frances Mayes
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 October, 1996)
list price: $22.95 -- our price: $15.61
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

In this memoir of her buying, renovating, and living in an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Frances Mayes reveals the sensual pleasure she found living in rural Italy, and the generous spirit she brought with her. She revels in the sunlight and the color, the long view of her valley, the warm homey architecture, the languor of the slow paced days, the vigor of working her garden, and the intimacy of her dealings with the locals. Cooking, gardening, tiling and painting are never chores, but skills to be learned, arts to be practiced, and above all to be enjoyed. At the same time Mayes brings a literary and intellectual mind to bear on the experience, adding depth to this account of her enticing rural idyll. ... Read more

Reviews (379)

A Classic Memoir an d a Luxurious Read
Transport yourself to Tuscany and the renovation of an antique farmhouse in this luxurious memoir.The writing is lyrical, the descriptions lush and the depictions of Italian vistas, people and cuisine a delight.The inclusion of regional recipes themed to the seasons is a happy bonus.The accolades for this book are well-deserved.Especially recommended for a lift in late fall and winter, when you're dreaming of warmth.

Don't change the subject.
When I bought this book I was hoping to read about several topics related to Tuscany, a famous region from Antiquity through the Middle-ages to the present day but there are only a few mentions as far as history is concerned.

Nevertheless the book is interesting because it tells about the troublesome renovation of a house bought by F.Mayer an her husband. This gives the opportunity to describe the locals and their habits, not only the workers on their house but also the people in the nearby town. Tastily culinary recipies are given on several occasions.

But at the end of the book dissapointment begins. She starts telling about her hometown in the US and about someone who keeps a kangaroo in his backyard and other pointless facts. Maybe F.Mayer had an agreement with her publisher to deliver a certain amount of pages - I don't know - but I wonder why so many writers can't stick to their subject at the end of their book and become longwinded.

Poetic tribute to Tuscany
Mayes writes a lovely if not poetic tribute to Tuscany in this, her first published memoir of living in the region.In contrast to Peter Mayle and his work "A Year in Provence," there is less writing on the idiosyncracies of living in the area and more emphasis on pure description of the locale.As an added bonus, she includes some of her favorite seasonal recipes.For those who have seen the movie, there is quite a bit of difference from the book, although, overall, the spirit of the book seems to be preserved. ... Read more

Isbn: 0811808424
Subjects:  1. 20th Century Description And Travel    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Cookery, Italian    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Italian cooking    7. Manners And Customs    8. Mayes, Frances    9. Regional & Ethnic - Italian    10. Social life and customs    11. Travel - General    12. Tuscany (Italy)   

Hitchhiking Vietnam : A Woman's Solo Journey in an Elusive Land
by Karin Muller
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 March, 1998)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $16.47
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

For seven months Karin Muller traversed Vietnam--sometimes by motorbike, often by foot--covering 6,400 miles from the Mekong Delta to the Chinese border. Along the way she survives 52 motorbike breakdowns, 14 arrests, and one awful bout with scurvy. She plants rice with farmers, saves a few leopard cubs from the black market, learns to drive a passenger train, and gets to know a lot of people on her Ho Chi Minh Trail trek. Told honestly and humorously, the culture, pace, land, scents, problems, and beauties of Vietnam are evoked as Muller and Vietnam interact. Snippets of letters home (like "I traded some of my antihistamines for Tampax yesterday. What a relief" and "Am I really blood type A? It's important") highlight the details, while the strong narrative holds them together. Her pictures are excellent, the story riveting, and the writing a pleasure--good reading for a flight to Asia or a day at the beach. --Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Left a Sour Taste in My Mouth
I am not sure what it was, but after finishing this book I have a bad taste in my mouth. I applaud the intentions of the author and the subject matter is irresistibly interesting.However, it was hard for me to get into at first because the book kind of rambles and it takes a while to get into her style. The style ended up suiting the journey very well as it was a slow and haphazard journey through the various aspects of Vietnam.

Karin suffered many difficulties on her travels and I got very frustrated for her. She made it seem so difficult to travel around Vietnam (and she speaks Vietnamese!) that I am not sure that I want to go anymore. She experienced horrible guides that only wanted to squeeze as much money out of her as possible and a motorcycle that I was frustrated with and would have ditched long before she ever did! After reading some of the other reviews, I can now see why others would say that she is arrogant and haughty. It is almost as if she tries so hard to say that she isnt, that she comes across as being so...

It was hard to get a feeling for her relationship with other people. She was an excellent observer and I really enjoyed her colorful metaphors and descriptions, but was frustrated because I was unable to grasp her feelings for Jay and her Mom. She has a strange journey with Jay and I couldn't quite figure out how they interacted together. Also, she talks about her Mom incessantly, but never really discusses her Dad.

I was also very frustrated with her attempt to rescue some endangered species. She decided to support the illegal black market trade in endangered species because she felt that she could save a few animals. I was very disappointed with the reception that she received from the nature reserve, but am not really sure how she could have resolved the situation any better.

Karin has an interesting writing style, although it may seem forced at times, and I was impressed that she did not romanticize her trip. She provides an honest portrayal of her backpacking experience and I definitely want to check out her documentary and the website to gain a more accurate portrayal of her journey and who she is.

Modern Vietnam through Western eyes.
I first got turned onto Karin Muller's trip by her PBS website, http://www.pbs.org/hitchhikingvietnam/ Her story was engrossing and I think that I read every page on the site. I picked up the book a few days later and saw her film footage on PBS shortly after that. One needs to look at all three to get the complete picture. The book is good and stands out by itself, but the film and website add so much flavor and texture to the story. Karin Muller spent seven months in Vietnam as a simple vagabonding tourist. She experienced broken down motorcycles, breathtaking farmland, sketchy border crossings, scurvy, fields of rubies, saving leopard cubs at an animal market, arrests and planting rice with rural farmers. So does dwell a bit on the negative aspects of the "New Vietnam" and the book leaves a lot of the story out. Again, read the book, watch the movie and visit the website (in that order) for the entire experience.

Colorful!
not sure how I got this book, but it is one of my favorites. I enjoyed Karin's style of writing and her sense of humor a lot. Not sure how reflective her experience is of the current life in Vietnam but to me it sounded real and specific. I found her details of everyday vietnamese life rather enjoyable and down to earth. Her attitude towards the country is objective and even when she is poking fun at unusal issues or happenings true to Vietnam it is done with a warm and interested attitude.

Great book. I'm looking forward to reading her future books. ... Read more

Isbn: 0762702575
Subjects:  1. 20th Century Description And Travel    2. Asia - Southeast    3. Asia - Southwest    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Hitchhiking    7. Muller, Karin    8. Social life and customs    9. Travel    10. Travel - General    11. Vietnam    12. Journeys    13. Travel / Asia / Southeast   

Hitchhiking Vietnam
by Karin Muller
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 March, 1998)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $14.95
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

For seven months Karin Muller traversed Vietnam--sometimes by motorbike, often by foot--covering 6,400 miles from the Mekong Delta to the Chinese border. Along the way she survives 52 motorbike breakdowns, 14 arrests, and one awful bout with scurvy. She plants rice with farmers, saves a few leopard cubs from the black market, learns to drive a passenger train, and gets to know a lot of people on her Ho Chi Minh Trail trek. Told honestly and humorously, the culture, pace, land, scents, problems, and beauties of Vietnam are evoked as Muller and Vietnam interact. Snippets of letters home (like "I traded some of my antihistamines for Tampax yesterday. What a relief" and "Am I really blood type A? It's important") highlight the details, while the strong narrative holds them together. Her pictures are excellent, the story riveting, and the writing a pleasure--good reading for a flight to Asia or a day at the beach. --Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Left a Sour Taste in My Mouth
I am not sure what it was, but after finishing this book I have a bad taste in my mouth. I applaud the intentions of the author and the subject matter is irresistibly interesting.However, it was hard for me to get into at first because the book kind of rambles and it takes a while to get into her style. The style ended up suiting the journey very well as it was a slow and haphazard journey through the various aspects of Vietnam.

Karin suffered many difficulties on her travels and I got very frustrated for her. She made it seem so difficult to travel around Vietnam (and she speaks Vietnamese!) that I am not sure that I want to go anymore. She experienced horrible guides that only wanted to squeeze as much money out of her as possible and a motorcycle that I was frustrated with and would have ditched long before she ever did! After reading some of the other reviews, I can now see why others would say that she is arrogant and haughty. It is almost as if she tries so hard to say that she isnt, that she comes across as being so...

It was hard to get a feeling for her relationship with other people. She was an excellent observer and I really enjoyed her colorful metaphors and descriptions, but was frustrated because I was unable to grasp her feelings for Jay and her Mom. She has a strange journey with Jay and I couldn't quite figure out how they interacted together. Also, she talks about her Mom incessantly, but never really discusses her Dad.

I was also very frustrated with her attempt to rescue some endangered species. She decided to support the illegal black market trade in endangered species because she felt that she could save a few animals. I was very disappointed with the reception that she received from the nature reserve, but am not really sure how she could have resolved the situation any better.

Karin has an interesting writing style, although it may seem forced at times, and I was impressed that she did not romanticize her trip. She provides an honest portrayal of her backpacking experience and I definitely want to check out her documentary and the website to gain a more accurate portrayal of her journey and who she is.

Modern Vietnam through Western eyes.
I first got turned onto Karin Muller's trip by her PBS website, http://www.pbs.org/hitchhikingvietnam/ Her story was engrossing and I think that I read every page on the site. I picked up the book a few days later and saw her film footage on PBS shortly after that. One needs to look at all three to get the complete picture. The book is good and stands out by itself, but the film and website add so much flavor and texture to the story. Karin Muller spent seven months in Vietnam as a simple vagabonding tourist. She experienced broken down motorcycles, breathtaking farmland, sketchy border crossings, scurvy, fields of rubies, saving leopard cubs at an animal market, arrests and planting rice with rural farmers. So does dwell a bit on the negative aspects of the "New Vietnam" and the book leaves a lot of the story out. Again, read the book, watch the movie and visit the website (in that order) for the entire experience.

Colorful!
not sure how I got this book, but it is one of my favorites. I enjoyed Karin's style of writing and her sense of humor a lot. Not sure how reflective her experience is of the current life in Vietnam but to me it sounded real and specific. I found her details of everyday vietnamese life rather enjoyable and down to earth. Her attitude towards the country is objective and even when she is poking fun at unusal issues or happenings true to Vietnam it is done with a warm and interested attitude.

Great book. I'm looking forward to reading her future books. ... Read more

Isbn: 0762702435
Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Asia - Southwest    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Hitchhiking    7. Social life and customs    8. Travel    9. Travel - General    10. Vietnam   

Spandau: The Secret Diaries
by Albert Speer
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 November, 2000)
list price: $27.52 -- our price: $21.95
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (20)

Wonder Boy of the 3rd Reich
First hand accounts of the workings of the German High Command and the interactions between the parties, including Adolph Hitler, are rare and becoming rarer.Many of those involve left memoirs, but those are becoming difficult to find, as most are now out of print.Speer's Spandau writings are among the endangered species.

Anyone who wishes to understand the minds of the men who made the Reich work and particularly the mind of Adolph Hitler can do so by the evidence of their deeds at one level.However, the records of their thoughts, conversations, behavior and rationalizations while they did so is certainly a facet of understanding.The writings of Von Manstein, Doenitz, Rommel, Guderian, and the diaries of Joseph Goebbels are each worth the reading in this sense.As is Albert Speer.

Speer was imprisoned longer than any of the other members of Hitler's inner circle.He had many years of solitude to contemplate his deeds and reflect on how and why he came to be imprisoned in Spandau.Maybe these musings qualify as revisionist history.Maybe they're merely self-serving rationalizations.But his anecdotes will definitely add to your understanding of the 3rd Reich.You don't have to believe everything he says, but it's worth reading it and making the choice for yourself.

Speer thought of himself as a 'nice guy'.You can't make an informed decision as to whether it was true without reading what he had to say.In the end most of us believe we are 'nice people' and are justified in whatever horrendous deeds we pursue.

Fascinating account
What a good story.I couldn't put the book down.I recommend that you read a book on the Nuremberg trials (Persico's is a good one) before plunging into Speer's diary.Speer wrote his diary while paying his 20 years sentence at Spandau prison for his responsibility as one of the leaders of the Thirch Reich.

Spellbinding Recollections From Hitler's Architect!
No figure emerged from the Second World War with greater controversy and attention than did Nazi architect and Hitler confidant Albert Speer. Sentenced to twenty years in the military prison in Spandau for war crimes, Speer was the only one of the principals tried at Nuremberg to admit his culpability in the horror that was the Third Reich. Many questioned his sincerity, for although he said all the right things, it was extremely self-serving to do so at the moment of final judgment, for his capitulation surely saved his life. Yet Speer served his twenty years and then was released to live out his life amidst even greater controversy, for Speer had compiled an amazing 25,000 page secret diary during his long confinement.

This treasure trove of personal anecdotes, reminiscences, and observations was eventually serialized into two distinctive books. When the first was published in 1969 in Germany, the diary, entitled "Recollections", caused a literal firestorm of controversy based on a range of observations and positions taken by Speer. Yet the book, released a year later in a translated version for the English-speaking world as "Inside The Third Reich" was a runaway best seller based primarily on the detailed and absolutely spellbinding descriptions Speer offered regarding the principals of the Nazi regime. Shortly thereafter, Speer released the present volume, entitled "Spandau; The Secret Diaries". His observations, tidbits, and anecdotes about Hitler himself were endlessly fascinating and occasioned a lot of dinner conversation all over the world. Likewise, his portrayal of the day to day life within the so-called Nazi elite gave reader s a graphic and telling account of what these people were like, and how it was possible that they could do so much of what they did.

It also establishes a consistent pattern of personal denial of any real responsibility for what had happened on Speer's part. He claimed to have been only tangentially involved in what happened to the Jews, and that he never understood that the policy of deportation and relocation to 'work camps' was part of a conspiracy to systematically murder all of Europe's Jews. Yet careful readers find that his role as Chief Administrator Of Armament Production, which employed slave labor by both Jews and other subjugated prisoners of war certainly had a systematic policy of working these slave laborers to death.

In later works he claimed to be less involved in the politics of the Third Reich than in the day to oversight of functional management of its policies.This is a fascinating book, and one cannot help but to come to admire this man and his struggles to maintain his balance and his sanity during the two decades he was held at Spandau. It provides a penetrating look both at his own mental processes as well as sharing his ruminations about various details and aspects of life within the whirlwind of excitement, agony, and horror that the years of Nazi reign in Germany represent. This is a book I can highly recommend. Enjoy! ... Read more

Isbn: 1842120514
Sales Rank: 479075
Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - General    5. Military    6. Military - World War II    7. Biography: general    8. European history: Second World War    9. Germany    10. Other prose: from c 1900 -    11. Political imprisonment   

Spandau: The Secret Diaries
by Albert, Speer
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 February, 1976)
list price: $19.95
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (20)

Wonder Boy of the 3rd Reich
First hand accounts of the workings of the German High Command and the interactions between the parties, including Adolph Hitler, are rare and becoming rarer.Many of those involve left memoirs, but those are becoming difficult to find, as most are now out of print.Speer's Spandau writings are among the endangered species.

Anyone who wishes to understand the minds of the men who made the Reich work and particularly the mind of Adolph Hitler can do so by the evidence of their deeds at one level.However, the records of their thoughts, conversations, behavior and rationalizations while they did so is certainly a facet of understanding.The writings of Von Manstein, Doenitz, Rommel, Guderian, and the diaries of Joseph Goebbels are each worth the reading in this sense.As is Albert Speer.

Speer was imprisoned longer than any of the other members of Hitler's inner circle.He had many years of solitude to contemplate his deeds and reflect on how and why he came to be imprisoned in Spandau.Maybe these musings qualify as revisionist history.Maybe they're merely self-serving rationalizations.But his anecdotes will definitely add to your understanding of the 3rd Reich.You don't have to believe everything he says, but it's worth reading it and making the choice for yourself.

Speer thought of himself as a 'nice guy'.You can't make an informed decision as to whether it was true without reading what he had to say.In the end most of us believe we are 'nice people' and are justified in whatever horrendous deeds we pursue.

Fascinating account
What a good story.I couldn't put the book down.I recommend that you read a book on the Nuremberg trials (Persico's is a good one) before plunging into Speer's diary.Speer wrote his diary while paying his 20 years sentence at Spandau prison for his responsibility as one of the leaders of the Thirch Reich.

Spellbinding Recollections From Hitler's Architect!
No figure emerged from the Second World War with greater controversy and attention than did Nazi architect and Hitler confidant Albert Speer. Sentenced to twenty years in the military prison in Spandau for war crimes, Speer was the only one of the principals tried at Nuremberg to admit his culpability in the horror that was the Third Reich. Many questioned his sincerity, for although he said all the right things, it was extremely self-serving to do so at the moment of final judgment, for his capitulation surely saved his life. Yet Speer served his twenty years and then was released to live out his life amidst even greater controversy, for Speer had compiled an amazing 25,000 page secret diary during his long confinement.

This treasure trove of personal anecdotes, reminiscences, and observations was eventually serialized into two distinctive books. When the first was published in 1969 in Germany, the diary, entitled "Recollections", caused a literal firestorm of controversy based on a range of observations and positions taken by Speer. Yet the book, released a year later in a translated version for the English-speaking world as "Inside The Third Reich" was a runaway best seller based primarily on the detailed and absolutely spellbinding descriptions Speer offered regarding the principals of the Nazi regime. Shortly thereafter, Speer released the present volume, entitled "Spandau; The Secret Diaries". His observations, tidbits, and anecdotes about Hitler himself were endlessly fascinating and occasioned a lot of dinner conversation all over the world. Likewise, his portrayal of the day to day life within the so-called Nazi elite gave reader s a graphic and telling account of what these people were like, and how it was possible that they could do so much of what they did.

It also establishes a consistent pattern of personal denial of any real responsibility for what had happened on Speer's part. He claimed to have been only tangentially involved in what happened to the Jews, and that he never understood that the policy of deportation and relocation to 'work camps' was part of a conspiracy to systematically murder all of Europe's Jews. Yet careful readers find that his role as Chief Administrator Of Armament Production, which employed slave labor by both Jews and other subjugated prisoners of war certainly had a systematic policy of working these slave laborers to death.

In later works he claimed to be less involved in the politics of the Third Reich than in the day to oversight of functional management of its policies.This is a fascinating book, and one cannot help but to come to admire this man and his struggles to maintain his balance and his sanity during the two decades he was held at Spandau. It provides a penetrating look both at his own mental processes as well as sharing his ruminations about various details and aspects of life within the whirlwind of excitement, agony, and horror that the years of Nazi reign in Germany represent. This is a book I can highly recommend. Enjoy! ... Read more

Isbn: 0026995018
Sales Rank: 646681
Subjects:  1. 1905-    2. Diaries    3. Speer, Albert,   

On Writing
by Stephen King
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 July, 2002)
list price: $7.99 -- our price: $7.99
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Editorial Review

Short and snappy as it is, Stephen King's On Writing really contains two books: a fondly sardonic autobiography and a tough-love lesson for aspiring novelists. The memoir is terrific stuff, a vivid description of how a writer grew out of a misbehaving kid. You're right there with the young author as he's tormented by poison ivy, gas-passing babysitters, uptight schoolmarms, and a laundry job nastier than Jack London's. It's a ripping yarn that casts a sharp light on his fiction. This was a child who dug Yvette Vickers from Attack of the Giant Leeches, not Sandra Dee."I wanted monsters that ate whole cities, radioactive corpses that came out of the ocean and ate surfers, and girls in black bras who looked like trailer trash." But massive reading on all literary levels was a craving just as crucial, and soon King was the published author of "I Was a Teen-Age Graverobber." As a young adult raising a family in a trailer, King started a story inspired by his stint as a janitor cleaning a high-school girls locker room. He crumpled it up, but his writer wife retrieved it from the trash, and using her advice about the girl milieu and his own memories of two reviled teenage classmates who died young, he came up with Carrie. King gives us lots of revelations about his life and work. The kidnapper character in Misery, the mind-possessing monsters in The Tommyknockers, and the haunting of the blocked writer in The Shining symbolized his cocaine and booze addiction (overcome thanks to his wife's intervention, which he describes). "There's one novel, Cujo, that I barely remember writing."

King also evokes his college days and his recovery from the van crash that nearly killed him, but the focus is always on what it all means to the craft. He gives you a whole writer's "tool kit": a reading list, writing assignments, a corrected story, and nuts-and-bolts advice on dollars and cents, plot and character, the basic building block of the paragraph, and literary models. He shows what you can learn from H.P. Lovecraft's arcane vocabulary, Hemingway's leanness, Grisham's authenticity, Richard Dooling's artful obscenity, Jonathan Kellerman's sentence fragments. He explains why Hart's War is a great story marred by a tin ear for dialogue, and how Elmore Leonard's Be Cool could be the antidote.

King isn't just a writer, he's a true teacher. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (589)

Will the real Stephen King stand up?
This was money well spent. This book is more than the title implies. First it is a selected biography of Stephen King. I enjoyed the poison ivy episode. This is not a deviation but an explanation of why he writes the way he does and the background that he draws on. Secondly this is a "how to write like Stephen King" book it reflects his likes and dislikes. I agree with most of them. I suppose that that is why I like his novels.

However I can only guess that he must spend a lot of time around people that cuss. It is not like he is not aware of it. I feel that he is somewhat proud of the fact that he cusses a lot. Luckily he said it is not necessity to be excessive.

I share his dislike for flashbacks. And he also expresses several dislikes for other stilting crutches, including excessive description of Back-story.
An added bonus is his description of the van accident that a certain comedian commented about saying that Stephen lost his Tommyknockers. Stephen forgot to mention that he bought the van that hit him for destruction purposes. Talk about revenge.

Over all after reading this I was compelled to try my hand at writing.

One man's treasure is another man's junk
About the only thing in common between King and myself is our first name. Other than that, our views on writing (based on those expressed in this book) could be worlds apart.

It's not necessarily true that I disagree with the points he raised. Just that writing is such an individual undertaking that no hard-and-fast rule can ever hold true. And King imposes several such rules in his book.

An example is King's insistence on the use of adverbs in dialogue attribution "only in the rarest and most special of occasions". This may actually compromise a writer's individual style. The point here is that not everybody aspires to be a good dialogue writer. Imagine populating a 30-page dialogue with purely "he/she said".

While many of his advice are spot-on indeed, you can't help but wonder if it makes sense to follow them. After all, not everybody wants to write fiction. And certainly not everybody wants to write fiction the way King does.

For instance, King harbours a deep distrust for plot. Instead, he prefers to start with a situation and mould the character from there. This approach may not work for writers whose strength lies elsewhere.

True, the story should always be the boss. But if your characters were shallow, readers would have a hard time developing a sense of association. And if readers cannot associate with the character, think of how they would feel about the story itself.

Part of the problem with "On Writing" is that you need to be familiar with King's work in order to understand the points he's driving at. I wouldn't consider this approach as a shameless plug on the part of the author, but it does make it more difficult for non-fans to align themselves to his ideas.

All in all, "On Writing" is a good read if you want to gain insight into the thought processes of one of the most successful fiction writers of our times. But if you follow the tips to a T, you may