John Reed Books

John Reed (A STILL SMALL VOICE) makes fantastic, thought-provoking use of the English language in a way that few are able to. His irony and humor bring absurdity to everyday observations of pop culture (and the ultimate irony? It is published by MTV books!), to the point that one laughs out loud (LOL!), when similarities to one's self are noted. At first judgement-by-cover, it appears to be a fun, light read put out by MTV, but Reed's use of language, irony, and insight make it anything but.


And the ending?? Oy, ve! The image created will forever remain in my mind. What animal are YOU?

Is there an ethical paradigm in cataclysmic geologic disaster?John Reed's newscaster protagonist Thing(das Ding?) spins out the querie as she broadcasts television coverage of the Whole in a story that comes at you like a frizbee.Language dances in every direction spewing hilarious puns and deliberate misnomers to boost an uncanny satirical plot.

This book can be read as a simple story, or you can delve into many layers of parody and meaning. It's a searing indictment of pop culture... published by MTV books.

Other people have written some nice reviews of it, so I'll be brief. I'm getting it as a gift for my teenage niece in Los Angeles. I think she'll understand it quite well.

There's a great review of this book online -- there's a good one at PopMatters -- so I'm limiting my comments to the book's use of language. Reed makes use of double entendre and malapropism to great effect here, and he slowly ramps up the level of absurdity to a point where meaninglessness might actually turn into meaning. It kind of melts your brain, this book, but that isn't a bad thing.

Thing was selected for certain symmetrical assets that caught the bulging lusty eyes of MTV executives at a beach party. Surprisingly she hits it off with the viewing public and becomes a correspondent though she has the intelligence of a burned out light bulb. She is promoted as blond bimbo candy based on her garb unable to contain her twin peaks. However, seemingly even faster than Thing becomes a superstar, she becomes yesterday's fad.

As Thing plays chutes and ladders with fame, a Midwestern boy Bobby Peterson digs a hole that expands until his and his family and their house fall through the chasm. Thing begins to research the phenomena which she feels will bring her salvation. However, clues take on a strange journey through a land of mysticism highlighted in remote sign posts like Vegas and Roswell.

This is a strange tale that satirizes media coverage (to include a parody of John Reed) as being filled with sound and fury but signifying nothing more than an MTV video. Readers will feel for Thing, who is treated with disdain for having a boob size bigger than her IQ and enjoy the irony of the weird, but fun story line. Obviously most readers will not give Mr. Reed's tale a SNOWBALL'S CHANCE, but fans who enjoy a trip into a modern day looking glass led by a Black Rabbit and a Thing, though lacking in the wits and puns of Alice's holey escapade, will want to escape into the WHOLE tale.

Harriet Klausner

this book lives up to its underground billing as we are drawn into the Mexican Revolution in a way that makes us seem to be riding with Pancho Villa and living with the villagers along the way. It reminds one of a Hemingway report except with added detail. The only complaint is that it is not longer for it leaves you the urge to read more Reed.

This book has been notorious since its publication in 1914. The author was a vagabond leftist reporter for the American radical press, and did not go to Mexico City riding in relative comfort on the press train accompanying the Division del Norte of General Francisco "Pancho" Villa during his successful Constitutionalist southward campaign against the Federalista forces of the usurper General Victoriano Huerta; he who had murdered president Madero and his vice president, and seized power in Mexico City in conjunction the forces of Zapata.
Instead, Reed, in accord with his common man leanings, while on campaign, lived among the "grunts", Mexican campesinos who made up the bulk of Villa's forces.
There are incisive pen portraits of the Constitutionalist leaders, descriptions of the wretched living conditions of the people, observations on the siege of Torréon, N.L.. and nearby Gomez Palacio, neighboring key strategic cities on the railroad south from Juarez to Mexico City.
This is not history or reporting but a collection of impressionistic and justifiably biased essays. Still very valuable for the feel of the times and has been translated into many languages. The author later went to Russia and wrote "Ten Days That Shook the World." (c.f.) about the October Revolution.

This book was written over 80 years ago, so as military journalism it is quite dated. However, the author's portraits of people and places are so vivid that the characters and events seem to come alive. The author displays a novelist's talent for description. It is a very sympathetic portrait of Pancho Villa. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but it is certainly interesting reading.

In this account of his adventures in the advance to Mexico City with Pancho Villa's armies, John Reed gives an excellent account of what it was like to have been there. Luckily enough for him, historians, and adventure lovers alike, he was on the winning side and survived to tell his tale. His tale is his aspect of the venture among the soldiers who fought the battles, rode the trains, suffred the hardships of civil war, and tasted the glow of victories won on the way to the capitol city. It's gritty, putrid, rough and tumble and the food isn't great but at the end you get a heck of a kick from surviving it all.

Seemed to be a well researched and well written book, and a fascinating topic. On the cusp of a sea change in medicine worldwide, these Doctors on the frontier like Walter Reed, Carlos Finlay (of Cuba), and William Gorgas helped to nearly eradicate a once deadly illness through creative reasoning and disciplined scientific method. While not a complete page-turner, and not quite able to transport the reader to the time and place-I still found it to be a well organized, informative, and ultimately interesting book. It's not long and easily worth the time. I got interested in this subject after reading a David McCullough book about the Panama Canal, a project that most likely would not have been attempted by the U.S. had not the centuries old myster of the cause of Yellow Fever been at last solved.

Highly recommended. From the start just like a good mystery, this book grips and holds your attention as it unfolds the discovery of what causes yellow fever. The rolls of the individuals in academia and medicine are insightful. Vivid descriptions portray the full affect of both the human and economic devastation caused by this disease. Had is not been for the few couragous individuals who chose to pursue their beliefs and instincts against the mainstream beliefs of the day, there is no telling when the cause may have been discovered. Their stories are amazing as well. The book is factual and well documented. The challenges faced by the individuals, cities, and countries during the time of the book are not unlike those faced today in searching for the cause and cure of illnesses such as West Nile or the flu.

Up until about 100 years ago every summer in the South was met with dread as the Yellow Jack would invade cities and the epidemics would last until the first frost.

This book provides a history of those dark days and the triumphs and tragedies of the group of Scientists and Doctors such as Walter Reed who studied and fought the disease that killed more americans than Spanish bullets during the Spanish American War.

Yellow Fever spread to the New World from Africa carried over by mosquito larvae in the water casks of European Slave ships ferrying Africans to the Dread Sugar plantations of the Carribean. Trading ships from the Carribean would frequently land in american ports carrying the mosquitoes and people infected with yellow fever frequently causing epidemics along the atlantic coasts plagueing such modern urban areas as Philadelphia and Baltimore.

This history of yellow fever shows why there is so much concern today with imported diseases such as West Nile and Avian Flu.

The book is also a good history in the advance of science and medicine since the 18th century as peominent American physicians of the 1780's still bled their patients to balance their humours and blamed the epidemic on stinky garbage vapours while in the 1890's the doctors were seeking out an insectivoid vector for the disease.

Yellow fever first appeared in the Carribean over 350 years ago.
This was a devasting illness that claimed the lives of roughly 20% of it's victims. The disease went virtually unchecked for well over 200 years and wreaked havoc in Cuba, Hispaniola and throughout South America. The cause was unknown. It would kill millions. As international trade grew in the latter part of the 18th century, epidemics of yellow fever would spread north to many cities in the United States as well. Outbreaks would occur as far north as Boston and New York. In 1793, a historic outbreak in the city of Philadelphia would claim more than 5000 lives, roughly 10% of the city's population. By the mid to late nineteenth century it was becoming abundantly clear that uncovering the cause of and ultimately finding a cure for this scourge was becoming a top priority for the U.S. government. In "Yellow Jack" authors John R. Pierce and Jim Writer tell the remarkable story of those committed doctors and scientists who would put so much on the line in a heroic attempt to unravel this complex and often frustrating medical mystery.
Carlos Juan Finlay, a researcher working in Cuba in the 1880's and 1890's, is generally credited as the first to identify a particular species of mosquito as being responsible for the transmission of yellow fever. His theory was quite controversial and it would be a quarter century before his suspicions would be confirmed. The conventional wisdom at that time was that the disease was highly contagious and could be transmitted by what was then known as "fomites". Pierce and Writer explain that fomites are "all contaminated objects or materials from yellow fever patients (clothing, bedding, furniture and so on)". Most medical experts also attributed the spread of the disease to unsanitary conditions. Many would point to the filthy conditions that existed in the island nation of Cuba as the likely source of the disease.
As unlikely as it might seem, the sinking of the battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor in 1898 would act as a kind of catalyst in solving the riddle of yellow fever. President William Mckinley issued a call for 125,000 volunteers and war was declared on Spain. Among those who would serve with distinction in Cuba was future President Theodore Roosevelt. Seeking to avoid a devastating loss of life among U.S. troops being sent to the Carribean, U.S. Surgeon General George Miller Sternberg would appoint what would become known as the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Board, a four man panel led by Major Walter Reed. The group was essentially charged with investigating infectious diseases on the island of Cuba. There was an awful lot at stake and the urgency of their mission cannot be underestimated. Enlisting in the battle against yellow fever was not for the faint of heart.
The second half of "Yellow Jack" is more or less devoted to the work of the U.S Army Yellow Fever Board. Pierce and Writer have done an outstanding job in recounting the events that would ultimately lead to the eradication of this most dreaded disease. I think you will find that "Yellow Jack" is a very well written book that will hold your attention from cover to cover. Highly recommended.

The author summarizes this work as follows: the objective of this work is to "inform the general reader what Indian tribes occupied the territory of his State and to add enough data to indicate the place they occupied among the tribal groups of the continent and the part they played in the early period of our history and the history of the States immediately to the north and south of us. It attempts to be rather a gazetteer of present knowledge than a guide to the attainment of more knowledge."

Indeed, this is a "gazetteer" type reference. Each State in the U.S. is covered as well as regions of Canada, Mexico, Central America and the West Indies including: Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.

An outline is fleshed out for categories about the tribes associated with each geographic region. This information was extracted from historical records recorded by colonists, explorers and exploiters, and scholars; therefore, the scope of study begins in the 1500's for some regions and as late as 1700's for others. The outline includes: TRIBES associated with that region; [linguistic] CONNECTIONS to other tribes; LOCATION of places inhabited (described by modern-day towns, rivers and landmarks); SUBDIVISIONS (tribes that divided from these main-heading tribes that were described in greater detail); VILLAGES (names and approximate locations); HISTORY (includes mention of historical accounts recorded by colonists, historians, and scholars but this is very sketchy information, providing little more that a sentence to tell about conflicts or interactions with other tribes or settlers, treaties signed and broken, relocation to reservations, decimation factors such as disease, loss of land, wars, etc.); POPULATION (based on census records as well as records left by explorers, and so on. It links decimated populations to wars and disease when possible); CONNECTION IN WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN NOTED (might include wars; size and/or power; individuals whose name is well-known; cultural recognition-- carvings, ceremonies, tools, etc.; names of counties, towns, rivers, and other landmarks with which this tribe is associated).

For what it is, this is an excellent resource; however, this is not an in-depth history of tribes. (How COULD it be? It's already 726 pages long!) It is an in-depth overview of tribes inhabiting these regions over the course of a few hundred years. My only disappointment is that Swanton failed to mention some rather landmark events (Sioux uprising in 1863, for example). The author does note that another text, Cultural and Natural Areas of Native North America," written by Professor Kroeber, "aims to... review the environmental relations of the native cultures of North America"... and to "examine the historic relations of the culture areas, or geographical units of cultures." Kroeber's text is written for the college student, not the layman.

This is the definitive one-volume guide to the Indian tribes of North America, and it covers all groupings such as nations, confederations, tribes, subtribes, clans, and bands. It is a vast and impressive digest of all Indian groups and their historical locations throughout the continent. Formatted as a dictionary, or gazetteer, and organized by state, it includes all known tribal groupings within the state and the many villages where they were located.

Using the year 1650 to determine the general location of most of the tribes, Swanton has drawn four over-sized fold-out maps, each depicting a different quadrant of North America and the location of the various tribes therein, including not only the tribes of the United States, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and Central America, but the Caribbean islands as well. According to the author, the gazetteer and the maps are "intended to inform the general reader what Indian tribes occupied the territory of his State and to add enough data to indicate the place they occupied among the tribal groups of the continent and the part they played in the early period of our history. . . ."

Accordingly, the bulk of the text includes such facts as the origin of the tribal name and a brief list of the more important synonyms; the linguistic connections of the tribe; its location; a brief sketch of its history; its population at different periods; and the extent to which its name has been perpetuated geographically. As far as possible each tribe, or group, is treated as an independent entity, but the work as a whole forms an absolutely comprehensive picture of the Indian tribes of North America, and leaves no question unanswered about any tribal grouping, big or small.

Along with the bibliography and index, and the imprimatur of its original publisher, the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology, Swanton's book is an authoritative digest of the Indian tribes of North America, and it is the one book that you'll need as a desk reference in your Native American research.

It has become fashionable for politicians to ridicule government spending and waste. Certainly there are occasions when employees have squandered funds on research, but in the early days of our republic such was not the case.

This book, combined with the two-part HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN INDIANS (Bulletin 30 issued by The Bureau of American Ethnology) are great compilations that could only have been funded by the federal government. In dollars and cents no private concern could expect a fair return on their investment that would have been necessary to get the results that was accomplished.

You will have to search long to find the books. Amazon might be of much help. I, however, found my copies at Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.

Contrary to many depictions by Hollywood, many American pioneers fought to defend the rights of Native Americans. Much of America wept for many of the dispossessed peoples - there were fewer of the vigilante types than you would suppose.

I am using these books to compile a web site in Acrobat but expect this project to take a couple years. While you wait, beg, borrow or steal all three books if you want to get a solid, unbiased understanding of the lifestyles of a forgotten people - Bill Anderson.

This is the fourth case for John the Eunuch during the reign of Justinian I, following One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, and Three for a Letter. Except for a brief prologue, this one takes place long before the events of the first three books, when John was fairly new as a slave in Constantinople and very bitter about it. He was owned by the emperor (who was still Justinian's uncle Justin at the time) and worked for the Master of the Plate; he was on loan to the senator Opimius to teach his daughter Persian. Then a close friend of Opimius, Hypatius, is murdered in the Great Church (on the site where Justinian would later build the famous Hagia Sophia, but this was its predecessor that burned during the Nike riots), and Justinian commandeers John and Felix, an excubitor (palace guard) originally from Germany, to work with the head of the city guard to find the murderer. It's all very complex and political, but John ultimately solves the case and also uncovers a conspiracy against Justinian, for which he's manumitted. This series isn't as good as most of the other classical-era mysteries I've read (Lindsey Davis, David Wishart, John Maddox Roberts, Steven Saylor - about on a par with Saylor, but not as good as the others), but it's worth buying and keeping.

Reed and Mayer present a well-researched and fascinating peek at 6th century Constantinople. If you think soccer hooligans are dangerous, imagine them with swords and knives. Supporters of the "Blues" who support one team of chariot racers, terrorize the city and assasinate a well known philanthropist. Rumor start to fly that Justinian, already named succesor to Emporer Justin, is stirring up unrest to hurry the aging Caesar from the throne. John the eunuch and an imperial bodyguard are assigned to investigate by Justinian. Nothing is quite what it seems. Do the police authorities supress or cause the riots? Is Justinian ill or is he being poisoned? Is the father of the woman John tutors a patriot or a traitor? Is Justin demented or is he just pretending to be? Raging against his status of a slave and tormented by the memory of his forced , John is forced to unravel the lies and survive assination attempts. A compelling book.

The aging emperor, Justin, is increasingly infirm and his nephew and heir, Justinian, is sick. As a result, the city of Constantinople is convulsed by doubt and riots. The Blues (one of the racing factions that battled in the streets of the greatest city in the world) rule the streets, suppressed only by the police authorities who have become increasingly violent. When a rich man is murdered, the senators are quick to point the finger at Justinian. Justinian may be sick (he believes he's being poisoned), but he isn't stupid. He asks a slave, John the Eunuch, to help investigate.

What John finds seems to point the finger more directly at Justinian. Because there is a conspiracy at work, and the victim seems to have been involved with the conspirators. Yet John, accompanied by the royal bodyguard, Felix, suspects that they are missing something. That suspicion becomes more deeply seated when John and Felix are nearly killed by professional assassins. Somehow, John has to get to the bottom of the mystery, ensure that the results don't reflect badly on his patron, and prevent riots from destroying the city. It's a lot to ask a slave.

Authors Mary Reed and Eric Mayer write convincingly of Constantinople in one of its most famous and dangerous periods. Christianity is the legal religion, but pagan and Mithraism remain strong (if illegal) forces. Christianity itself is violently divided by clashing beliefs about the nature of Jesus's divinity--a clash that the Emperor must often play a role in healing. In a few years, Justinian will undertake his epic and doomed quest to restore the Roman Empire--but only if he can survive.

Set fifteen years before the earlier novels in this series, FOUR FOR A BOY is both enjoyable and fascinating. Anyone interested in this critical timeframe, or interested in a good historical mystery, will want to read this book.

Leadership expert, John Adair, has come up with a delightful and enlightening little book on effective leadership. He succintly explains the key elements of successful leaders. Citing various sources and using a unique presentation style, he highlights the fundamental aspects of leadership which are so critical in today's highly dynamic operating environment.

If you are seeking to be an outstanding leader where you do not have to rely on your position or authority to reach organisational goals, then I recommend you to read this book. You will, among other things, learn to set a shared vision and motivate followers to willingly and enthusiastically work towards the achievement of the shared goals.

Overal, an awesome and practical book on inspiring leadership.

This short volume collects some of the most time-honored principles of leadership and compiles them in a series of short, easy-to-read chapters. Author John Adair draws on some unlikely sources for his material, finding inspiration even in Cromwell, the fanatical Puritan revolutionary; in the experience of the German army during World War II and in other characters and events not usually cited in management tomes. Adair's classic on leadership, now reissued, is a very useful handbook that resembles inspirational reading more than an expository how-to. On the downside, the book needs tightening. In particular, the author's lists of "key points" tend to be vague, passive and general. Nonetheless, we believe that gem seekers will find useful nuggets of leadership counsel here and that business readers will enjoy the intriguing array of quotable stories and sources.

'Leadership is action: not position': In summary, this is the key to effective leadership.

This is one of those books where most statements would appear to be self-evident truths. So why, then, is it so difficult to develop effective leaders? And why do so many leaders rely on formal structures and authority?

This slender book is full of insights into leadership. It draws on a number of sources and provides food for thought both for experienced leaders (who may have become so caught up with the urgent that they've forgotten the important) as well as those embarking on the management journey.

The presentation style may not suit all readers, but whether you are seeking to find the keys of effective leadership or to reflect on their use, there is something in this book.

'If you wish to lead others you must first learn to lead yourself.'

Recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This is an excellent book on real estate taxation.
I read the 18th edition published in 2004. If you do buy this book, make sure that you get the latest edition as tax laws are constantly changing. You likely will need to check the author's website.

A few critiques:
* There were some minor typographical errors
* Examples that had been written in earlier editions should have been updated for the latest version. For example, Reed argues that you should expect a 20% annual return on your money as a real estate investor and justifys this in part by contrasting investing in real estae with investing in notes where he says that first mortgages yield a 10% annual return. In 2004, first mortgages would yield closer to a 5% annual return.
* There is not a uniform style to the chapters. They often feel like a collection of distinct articles that were loosely grouped together into a book. For example, one chapter is written in the form of questions and answers.
* Did not cover owning real estate in IRAs. There are currently apparently effective ways to own real estate from within a retirement plan. This book did not cover this topic at all.

On balance I am very happy with this book and it's sensible approach to real estate and taxation.

I can not imagine not having John T. Reeds books, especially this one, on my bookshelf. I constantly refer to this book whenever I am reviewing my investment strategies for my properties. I have found his philosophy extremely clear & concise. I appreciate his material so much because it stands out far above many other Real Estate books by "so-called" gurus who are basically pedalling snake oil to the general public. He gives purposeful & useful information. I own 5 of his books and have always found them to be a worthy investment.

This is a very good paperback book. It contains all details explaining the questions in the back of each chapter in the textbook Forensic Chemistry.

This book is exactly what I was looking for as far as a forensic chemistry book. It came in great condition and relatively quickly.

This is a perfect book, in great condition. Thanks for the speediness in sending the book.

Most material dealing with public finance or budgeting delivers more drudgery than useful information. Reed and Swain cut through buzz words and cliches--their writng provides detailed explanation without confusing the reader, offering a better understanding of how money moves in the public sector. I definitely recommend starting with this book before you go anywhere else.

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is now best available online (at a hefty subscription fee). A version was published in 1980 in more than two dozen volumes. It was a magnificent achievement, but almost immediately errors were found, disputes were had, and at least one article was guilty of a hidden insult that was discovered too late. Some of the biographical articles were so good that they were excerpted into a series of short books, this being one of them.

If you are interested in the life of Schubert, one of our greatest composers, and one of the very greatest song writers of all time, this book provides a nice introduction to his life and work. Especially valuable is the list of all his known works (and a list of the spurious compositions as well), and an index of his songs by name. This genius died at 31 having written more than 600 songs and at least 200 other works including large symphonies, quartets, and even a couple of for the stage.

The bibliography is especially useful because it discusses important articles on Schubert by genre, that is important articles and books on his symphonies, or quartets, or what have you. This book can only be an introduction, you will have to go further to really appreciate the greatness of this composer who died so ridiculously young.

It was written by Maurice J.E. Brown who died before it was completed and finished by his friend, the wonderful Eric Sams (who died at 78 in September 2004, to our loss).

In his late years, John Reed accomplished a magnificent task: writing and revising this book. Though a smallish book, he successfully compiled critical evaluation, date (latest estimate), circumstance, and future effect of an great numbers of important (often unduly underrated) works of Schubert. His view is in general quite well-balanced and persuasive. I think this book is the most reliable guide book for Schubert's supreme music. Strongly recommended.