History Books

As a fan of alternate history, I thought I might like this, especially given the many positive reviews I had read. I was quite disappointed with it.

The problem with this book is threefold:

1) Very little time is spent on just how the Roman Empire/Republic survived to the present day and what it's been doing since the time it should have fallen. When it is discussed, it is via character monologue, which is dry to the point of being almost unreadable.

2) I'm not sure if I was supposed to be surprised by the turn the book took, but I found it very predictable.

3) As I alluded to in the review title, is gets quite preachy. To elaborate on that would involve spoilers, so I'll have to leave it at that.

It did have its entertaining moments, and it was short enough that I don't feel I wasted too much time on it. I am glad I got it from the library, though, as I would have regretted buying it.

I love historical fictions, but I typically read American history. I was intrigued by the reviews and thought I glance through the first chapter. Well, I couldn't put it down. The characters immediately drew me in and I found myself needing to get to the end. A creative story that combines the future with the past. The unexpected turns will keep you reading.

I decided to pick up this book on a whim the other day while browsing amazon. I have never really been that interested in these types of books before, but I thought it looked interesting enough. I must have really lucked out on this one, because this book is great! I loved every minute of it. It was such an interesting story that made me consider history and how it changes the world. If I were you, I'd get it.

When I started reading "The Lions Way" I was skeptical about how much I would enjoy it. I was especially concerned with how the book would deal with religion. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. The author dealt with religion in a new and interesting light that really made me think and expand my faith. I really would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good fiction story, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction!

This is a great 'what if' fictional history that mixes action and good old fashioned boy meets girl with thought provoking ideas. An undercurrent for the tides of change can be felt as the story parallels our own current and past culture and events. I often found myself thinking that Marsan's fictional history was more believable than the history we are familiar with. I enjoyed the humanness and humor of the characters. Marsan's writing style is subtle and light. It easily invokes imagery-helping you to play out the story like a movie in your head. Yes, this book would make a great movie!

This readable memoir of one of the darkest parts of World War II in the Pacific theater brings Lester Tenney's experiences as a young man, recruit, soldier, prisoner of war and repatriated civilian to life. Mr. Tenney's journey through the hell he describes leads us through pain, despair, hope, bitterness and ultimately to the forgiveness he found. We learn about one man's faith in family and loved ones that led to his determination to survive. Anyone interested in World War II will find this a valuable resource. My book group (women in our fifties and sixties) was moved by this book. Several bought more copies to give to friends and family.

This is a story about a terrible event in history. This is not a fun story to read but it is one that needs to be read to help us appreciate how good our life really is. There are many memorable parts to this book, I am amazed anyone could survive this.

I remember this situation when I was 10 years old during WW2. This is a fascinating read and so well written that I could not put it down. It tells it like it was..

I just finished this book, and I must say I am inspired. Lester Tenney deserves an enormous amount of respect and admiration for what he endured and acomplished during his time as an american POW.

While this is not exactly a full account of the Death March and the surrounding events filled with statistics and data, it is Tenney's first hand account that makes this horrendous event so palpable that the reader feels as though they are enduring the very same hardships.

Do not expect this to be a simple or comfortable read. While the book has some wonderful and very happy moments, namely Tenney's own postive attitude and inner strength, these moments are doubled by nearly unbearable situations that will make you cringe, as any story about one of the most horrifying events of the war should. Tenney describes in extreme detail the atrocities of the Japanese military. While this story is anything but rosy, it is indescribably important, as it tells a story which seems to be forgetten in our society. What these men suffered through was every bit as terrifying as those on the battlefield, and those who suffered during the Holocaust. Tenney does their story justice, and shows us that these harrowing men deserve every bit of respect and admiration as any other serving in an American uniform.

The story of the Bataan survivors is at the same time unbelievable and infuriating. It blows my mind the cruelty these heros were subjected to on an hourly basis and at the same time I'm ashamed to say that part of me feels like Japan got off easy with two nukes dropped on them. That anybody lived at all is in itself no small feat.

The book itself is a great read. It was obviously written by a survivor, so consequently it has that 1st person feel that I like.

Being a fan of Walter Lord's impeccably researched book "A Night to Remember," I was instantly intrigued upon learning of "The Night Lives On." I had had several lingering questions for years: why was an order given to turn the ship starboard when the iceberg eventually hit starboard? How, specifically, was the matter of the Californian's involvement dealt with? Which theories about "the gash" don't pan out? All of my questions and more were painstakingly answered as if I had asked Mr. Lord for an explanation myself. His ingenius weaving of history, statistics, personal testimonies, and logic, blended into an easily understandable format, made my love of the Titanic's story grow even more. Anyone can buy one book and know the generalities of the ship. But this book goes above and beyond to educate those already acquainted with the story and wanting a much more in-depth look.

WALTER LORD DOES IT AGAIN. HE BRINGS IT ALL TO LIFE. A MUST HAVE FOR ALL "TITANIC" FANS!

I picked up this audiocasette due to curiosity. The information packed tape was interesting, and even made me angry because this tragedy did not have to happen. Like people say, most tragedies are a string of unfortunate events coming together at the same time. I don't think the sinking of this liner is anything different. It gives a glimpse into the technological limitations of the day, the caste system of the gilded age, and the prevailing seaman's attitude of the time. After listening to this (and reading The Perfect Storm), my interest was certainly piqued. I ordered some books on the Titanic and the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and can't wait until they get here.

Walter Lord follows up his best seller of the fifties-A Night to Remember--with this eighties version on some mysteries about the sunken liner. One learns about the musicians (two groups actually) and what they played that night while the life boats were being loaded. Another story details the negligence of the freighter Californian for not answering the eight rockets of distress from the Titanic. Another story details the shootings and suicide near the end of the launch of the last life boats. Still another story details why there were not enough life boats on the Titanic and most other ocean liners of the day. Walter Lord clears the air about these mysteries with his well informed writing.
If you want to know more about the Titanic, read both Lord's books on the subject (A Night to Remember, The Night Lives On). They will help the reader understand this tragedy. I have seen the movie and I know the producers consulted these books when they made the movie.

Calling this 'the sequel to _A Night to Remember_' is slightly misleading. Rather than the storytelling style employed to relate the story of the sinking of the Titanic, this is almost a collection of 17 1-chapter essays about various points of the disaster. Excellent stuff, but if you were expecting, say, the story of the Congressional and Parliamentary investigations of the disaster, you need to look elsewhere, e.g. Wyn Craig Wade's _The Titanic: End of a Dream_.

"Unsinkable Subject" - Overview of the popular fascination with Titanic.

"What's in a Name?" - The actual launching of Titanic from Harland & Wolff's shipyards.

"Legendary from the Start" - Titanic was indeed popularly supposed to be unsinkable, but the trend of sacrificing safety features for competitiveness had actually taken hold during her design.

"Had Ships Gotten Too Big for Captain Smith?" - Explores Smith's record, including a near-collision in harbor with Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic.

"Our Coterie" - The group of first class passengers, including Col. Gracie, mentioned in _A Night to Remember_.

"Everything Was Against Us" - Contrasts the ice warnings, lack of coordination between radio room & bridge, and lookouts, with the notion that the accident was a one-in-a-million chance.

"The Gash" - The collision itself.

"I Was Very Soft the Day I Signed That" - How and why ships the size of Titanic could legally sail while carrying so few lifeboats.

"What Happened to the Goodwins?" - Facts and figures about 1st class vs. 3rd, contrasting White Star's implication that those people down there couldn't understand English, with the Goodwin family (an electrical engineer and his family, emigrating from London to New York, all of whom were lost, including the 6-year-old).

"Shots in the Dark" - Explores the stories about Murdoch, one of the officers loading the lifeboats, and whether shots were fired.

"The Sound of Music" - An in-depth look at the "Nearer My God to Thee" myth, and the 2 bands on the Titanic. (I was aggravated to learn that that entire, touching sequence with the cornet in _Raise the Titanic!_, which I loved as a kid, was made up from whole cloth - the musicians were just as courageous as the movie made them out to be, but no cornet players.) And if you're a professional musician who thinks *your* agent is heartless, wait till you read this.

"She's Gone" - Compares the eyewitness accounts of Titanic's last moments with what we now know.

"The Electric Spark" Captain Rostron of the Carpathia, who picked up the survivors at great personal risk.

"A Certain Amount of Slackness" Discussion of Captain Lord (no relation to the author) of the Californian, in sharp contrast to the preceding chapter.

"Second-guessing" - The inquiries and subsequent litigation (Lord's treatment of Senator Smith should be contrasted with Wade's more detailed treatment, but then Wade has a whole book to play with).

"Why Was Craganour Disqualified?" What happened to some of the survivors. (Craganour, owned by a member of the Ismay family, was disqualified from winning a major British horse race.)

"Unlocking the Ocean's Secret" - The search for the Titanic, leading up to Robert Ballard's successful attempt in 1985 (written before others began plundering the ship for relics).

This is one of the best combat depictions of the Viet Nam War that I have ever read. I highly recommend it for former military readers.

My friend Beetle was there. Lee Burns was there. Others were there. Nolan writes almost as if HE were there. It happened before I got in-country, but it was a legendary fight by legendary Marines and Nolan tells the story so very well. I am proud to have helped carry these Marines in my helicopters and supported them in every way possible. They are heroes in the truest sense of that so misused word. This book is an EXCELLENT read!

Keith Nolan has managed to capture the absolute confusion and fear associated with modern combat in Operation Buffalo. I started this book in 1997 or there abouts and was unable to finish it. As a former Marine who was in boot camp in San Diego when this operation took place I had a difficult time with the content. Lose an entire company of Marines to a sly enemy? Impossible. And then to read about the loss of additional Marines in trying to recover the dead and wounded (something that is very important by the way) that had fallen the day before....difficult. I just couldn't finish the book.

Well, I picked it up again, after ten years, and read it completely. In a very belated way I have to compliment Mr. Nolan on not only his ability to tell a difficult story, but to tell it in a way that makes sense and then manages to touch the heart. As another reviewer stated, Operation Buffalo hurts the heart of the reader and this reflects the sensitivity that the author weaved into his tale.

The doctrine at the time was that the Marines divided an area in to map grids. The Marines would sweep a grid with a company, clear it, and then move on. The NVA would wait for the Marines to leave and then move into that grid knowing that they were probably safe for a while. The battle that took place in July of 1967 is the result of the Marines out smarting themselves. They decided to sweep the same map grid twice, trying to catch the NVA off guard. It worked. But a single company was no match for what the Marines stepped into.

The American fighting man has been depicted in less than a glowing manner in Viet Nam. Brutal, drug crazed killers. I think while some of that may be deserved, the bulk of that criticism is undeserved and is served up by people who have never humped a pack or shared water out of a canteen. Nolan does a huge service for the Viet Nam vets by explaining the sheer meaness of the NVA in how our wounded were treated. Well done.

Operation Buffalo isn't a book for the weak of heart or for those who don't really want to be informed. It is a book that speaks well to the commitment of American fighting men in general and of U. S. Marines in particular.

Semper Fi.

This is as terrifying an account of the Vietnam war as I've ever read. Forget the melodrama and sensationalism that characterized much of Vietnam war literature in the early and mid-eighties: Nolan's sparse style and clear representation of what took place on the DMZ in the summer of 1967 will give you nightmares. Don't look to find refuge here in a simple war story: Nolan tenaciously presents history as it unfolds.

This is a must have book for your library. After over 30 years you forget why you hated Vietnam until you read a book that brings back all the memories. This is such a book. I served with 1/1 and 3/1 after these battles and am amazed that keith Nolan is able to bring to life what it meant to serve in a Marine Corps Infantry Bn in Vietnam. I got angry, I laughed and I cried as I read this book. At times I felt like I could reach out and touch some of the people, the writing was so vivid. Everyone should read this book and remember what the Marines paid in blood for that war. THANK YOU USMC for what you gave me and THANK YOU Marines all over the world protecting us now.

I have read many of John McPhee's works. They are all excellent and captivating. He writes on so many subjects, it is amazing that they are all great. No wonder he teaches at Princeton, or did as I remember.

This time John McPhee turns his hand to one of those
anomalous natural treasures that has survived in
spite of intense urbanization. The Pine Barrens are
two-thirds of a million acres-an area the size of
Yosemite that sit beside a major artery of the most
developed region in the country. With the New Jersey
Turnpike to the west and bustling, chintzy Atlantic
City to the East, it's hard to imagine that this great,
weird wilderness could be so little known.

McPhee is the perfect guide to the Pines. He is as
sensitive to the natural history as he is to the
culture. He has a sympathetic ear for both the natives
and the outsiders who wander in from time to time. He's
a writer who can focus on a detail-a threatened fern or
the quality of water and then pull back to the big picture.

A thoroughly entertaining book.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

Those of us from the Northeast know that wilderness can be found if you're willing to hit the road and search for it, and also that it's precious and worth protecting from the onslaught of industry and sprawl. But even those familiar with the region's wilderness offerings will be surprised by the natural bounty and remoteness of New Jersey's Pine Barrens area. The masterful essayist John McPhee published this travelogue and study of the area back in 1967, when the depths of the Pine Barrens still offered genuine seclusion form the outside world, with hardy folks still living off the land by picking berries or making charcoal. And this beautiful area was surrounded on all sides by the most urbanized and industrialized blight on Earth. Things aren't quite so rustic there anymore, but reading McPhee's engaging treatise on the area should make modern folks wish to both visit the Pine Barrens area as a valuable slice of nature, and to protect it as a precious and dwindling resource. That's what makes this short but lovable book from the great McPhee a timeless classic for nature lovers. [~doomsdayer520~]

My wife gave me this book in 1978, and I devoured it in one evening. I have since been all over the world, and no matter where I go, the pines are always the reference point for me. My teen years were spent in the pines, with my good friend Tom, where we would travel its dirt roads, canoe its streams and fish its lakes, and hike its trails and roads. Mr. McPhee weaves a story that is so true, so historically rich, and for me, so reminiscent of the years of my youth. Please read this book, and then go and make your own memories.

I'll keep this short and sweet: McPhee's The Pine Barrens is an entirely outstanding, fascinating look at the unique area that is the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. McPhee covers Piney culture, the unique ecological nature of the region, its history, and its hidden treasures. The writing is poetic and rich, the people interesting, and the information detailed, thorough and never dull. A really great read that anyone living in NJ should get.

The Vietnam War produced some of the greatest, yet unsung, heroes in American history, Franklin "Doug" Miller was one of them. This book is not so much an autobiography as it is an oral reflection that makes you feel that you are there as he tells his story, with Miller moving to topic to topic as it occurs to him. And what a great story it is. Miller is sometimes vague on details, not going into how he went from being a PFC in a line company to being assigned to Special Forces. Miller's first combat experience was truly unique, more like a company of mountain men in the far west fighting the Blackfeet than a modern army that we think of in Vietnam. "We're going to go across the river and attack a village, do you want to go along?" His platoon sgt asks.

The book's relaxed style does not distrack from the horrors that combat can be and the titled sub-chapters such as-Silver Star, or Bronze Star are helpful as the reader is fully informed on what actions the author was decorated for. It becomes apparent that decorations in Special Forces were hard to come by. The authors discribe day to day life in the S.O.G. unit and provides some insight into the legendary "Mad-Dog" Shirver. The action in which SSGT Miller earned the Medal Of Honor is told in edge of your seat intensity-I wasn't sure if he would come out alive, even though he was telling the story! It's a story that goes from bad, to worse, to hopeless, to acceptance that all's lost.

After nearly six years in the combat zone Miller starts to get a little battle rattled and is sent home. Forunatly the army helped him recover and as a Sergeant Major became an inspiration to a new generation of soldiers. "Doug" Miller became a Special Forces legend, he deserves to be an American legend. I'm glad that his story has been told.

This book is phenomenal. I have been interested in military history, tradition, battles, operations, and training since I was a young kid and have read many books about this genre. I have to say that this one was the best I have read so far. Frank Miller's adventures are beyond compare. Miller often had luck on his side, but what really mattered was that he was good at gathering intelligence and killing the enemy. He didn't enjoy killing, but he understood that it was either him or them and he did what he had to do without dwelling on it.

This book puts you right on the battlefront and makes you feel part of the brotherhood and loyalty that men share when confronted with life and death. There are many humorous stories scattered in the book of more relaxing times away from battle which Miller shares.

I have to give much praise to the author, Elwood Kureth, because he was able to write about Miller's exploits in a way that really made you identify with Frank Miller. A very well written book and very entertaining.

I'm not opposed to all wars but I was very much against our involvement in Vietnam. I thought then and still think that we should have been helping the other side. I bought this book wanting to hear what combat was like there from a special forces soldier. Fortunately, the book didn't get into the politics but simply told about his life and job, which was to collect intelligence and kill the enemy. His bravery and what he went through is mind boggeling and the descripions of battles are riviting. I stayed up way past my bedtime reading it.

WOW, this is one of the most gripping and moving accounts of personal combat and experiences in Vietnam that I have ever read. I had great difficulty putting this gem down, as it is directly related in first-person and the author does a magnificent job of making you feel as if you're right there alongside the subject of the book (Franklin Miller).

Nothing is held back, and if you've ever served in the military, you'll fall right into step with the narration. Everything is presented in all its gory detail, so if you're a little squeamish, you might want to skim across a few sections. The ending is particularly heart-wrenching, especially the afterword by the author's widow.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the up-close and personal views of combat in Vietnam.

As Command Chaplain For US Special Operations Command I had the profound honor of presiding at This hero's funeral. During the months before he died, I spent some days at his home in St Petersburg to offer some spiritual care.

Even to the very end he was a man of strength and courage. He had an abiding faith in Christ that comforted him and allowed him to spend his final days encouraging and supporting his children. As we prayed he would ask me to pray for his children first becuase they were his greatest concern.

He gave me a copy of his book which I read immediately. It is an amazing story that captures the true heart of a warrior. It is a "must read."

Chaplain Lee M. Thompson
Colonel, USAF (Ret)

A book loaded with great & useful information. A lot of research has been undertaken on the history of Reiki & presented in this book. It is very interesting to see the difference in traditional Japanese Reiki & what is in the West today. I find this book to be an excellent reference. Thanks go out to the authors.

Even though I was already a Reiki Master when I read this book, I learned some wonderful things! A well thought out book of history and details (I especially love the early section with illustrations covering the order of strokes for writing in Japanese characters) that will help Reiki students of all levels. I never want to stop developing with Reiki and this book certainly furthered my education! Well done and many thanks!!!!

Since beginning my journey into Reiki, I have come to realize that although the actual act of doing Reiki is easy (anyone can do it), that if you really want to delve into the practice you have to go searching for answers. Along the way, I have come across a number of very good resources and have developed some favorite authors, persons who I expect quality research that informs me about various Reiki subjects while also presenting their information in a way that will actually help me grow as a person, as a practitioner, and as a Reiki Master. Quite a tall order, indeed.

Bronwen and Frans Stiene are at the top of this list. Their work is consistently well-informed. I also find their topics quite interesting. More importantly, I find it easy to translate what I read in their books directly to my own growth and purposes.

The Reiki Sourcebook is a great general resource that should be on every Reiki practitioner's bookshelf. Topics explored range from basic information and the history of Reiki through courses and an explanation of the complexity of lineages to specific Japanese and Western Reiki techniques.

Very impressed with The Reiki Source Book. This book discusses the original Reiki. It is a well balanced presentation that brought forth many of Usui's original intentions of being a spiritual path as well as a method of healing. It did an excellent job of presenting the paths of Reiki that had developed over time. Quite an eye opener. All paths are presented with respect and balance. This book had wonderful explanations that help the reader gain a new perspective.

Bronwen and Frans Stiene wrote an intriguing work entitled "The Reiki Sourcebook," which consist roughly 350 pages and four parts and appendices. The authors did a wonderful research into the history of Reiki as well the Western and Japanese Reiki techniques. Not only that, they also discerned and discussed the difference between traditional (Usui Method) and non-traditional knowledge of Reiki, and touched upon the origins of each.

I found this book to be strongly resourceful and insightful on the subject of Reiki. Personally, I had never taken a Reiki class and only heard of the term in passing. I came upon this book as both curiosity and of possible interest in pursuing this teaching. Of this book, I found it to be strongly helpful for a beginner of Reiki or just someone (such as myself) who seek to know more about the Reiki system.

This book is well worth the effort and worth the read as it is literally packed with information on the subject, and I found it to be quite informative.

This book was decent and somewhat interesting. The details are too few and the characters set at extremes or stereotypes. Many important events take place as silly coincidences and their is no real feeling for the novel. The descriptions leave much to be desired. Also all of these "strong" people weep constantly, are unsure of themselves, and break down in despair.

Clavelle's Shogun far surpasses this book. It gives you a real feeling for medeival Japan and an understanding of the culture of the time period. I know that Shike takes place before this but it does not do the same thing for its setting that Shogun does. Both books include a foreign main character trying to make his way in Japan and Shogun is the far more compelling novel.

I came across this book in the early 80's I was almost overwhelmed by the scope and well developed characters. This book transports us to early feudal Japan and immerses you in Japanese culture. An easy equal to Eiji Yoshikawa's classic prose. I have read and re-read this title many times and cannot get tired of it. It's enthralling and epic in it's development. I was heart-broken when I learned author Robert Shea passed away. I was also grateful that he left this priceless gift to the world. I searched for many years to find copies of this book in hardcover for my private collection of favorites. It is almost criminal that the publisher has let this title fall out of print. With such popularity being given to historical fiction novels; this is clearly a timeless best-seller. I urge all who want to be surprised to read this book. I find ragged and worn used copies and give them to friends. I am always ingratiated for gifting this book to them. All the women are moved to tears. (Sometimes the men, too.) Even I have been moved to being moist-eyed by the powerfully written chapters in this book. I urge the publishers to re-print this title and give it back to us. It has a high collectible value as it is. You will have dependably high sales. Maybe one day, some ambitious director will cast this book into film. If so, don't cheat us with a two hour movie. Give us the mini-series in full scope and detail. If my house was on fire; I would run into it and grab my hardcover editions and trade paperbacks and run back out again, thanking God it wasn't too late!!! That's how good this novel is!!!

A great story during that starts in Japan during the 13th century. An increasable tale of 3 people who come together by chance and who's lives have become intertwined, and find their lives intersect despite long periods away from each other and thousands of miles at times. This novel covers everything from love to friendship, adventure, war, deceit etc.... This book really has it all. Anyone who has interest in the Samurai period of Japan will find it especially interesting. I could barely put it down.

There are two major historical events which focus the great composition of this novel: the Gempei Wars and the Mongol invasions, making clear that the author, certainly on purpose, has mixed both to construct a more powerful historical drama, when the truth is that a century separates them. The two families which struggle to death in the novel, the Takashi and the Muratomo, symbolized by the red and the white dragon,respectively (much like the Houses of Lancaster and York in England, who fought the Wars of the Roses because of their red and white roses symbols)are the real Taira and Minamoto families, who fought the so-called Gempei Wars in the XII century, which was to end only by the creation of the Kamakura Shogunate represented by the first shogun in the history of Japan, Minamoto Yoritomo. On the other hand, the Mongol invasions planned by Kublai Khan took place in the XIII century, when the Minamoto had been replaced by the Hojo regents' rule. Nonetheless, "Shiké" is a powerful picture of the beginnings of feudal Japan, quite the seeds of what was to be known as the Sengoku Jidai in the XV and XVI centuries, apart from the fascinating accounts of Mongol campaigns conducted by the successors of Gingis Khan. Considering also that the characters (there are many) are wonderfully conceived, and that the beautiful love story between Taniko and Jebu lies at the very heart of the novel, it is a delicious reading, a very well done work of Literature, not a simple best seller.

I'm confused...is there a 3rd book to this series or not? If so, what's its name?

As a lover of the old days of baseball (prior to the 1970's) , and with an interest in various types of artifacts pertaining to the old days, this book wonderfully broadened my horizons. The sections on baseball cards was especially fascinating for me as i do some collecting to add to some as i had as a kid (50's-60's).
would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the old days of baseball or collects baseball memorabilia.

I purchased this as a gift and the recipient was thrilled with it. I did sneak a peak before giving it away and enjoyed it immencely.

A very well done book. Big glossy pictures of some of the greatest Baseball artifacts in America. Probably the closest I will get to seeing these in person.

Stephen Wong has created a drop-dead gorgeous look at some of the game's great artifacts, and many will be surprised to learn that they are not at the Baseball Hall of Fame nor even at the Smithsonian (despite the book's title). The game's artifacts extend way beyond the cards and gimcrack collectibles sold at the ballpark, and Wong has deftly toggled his focus from collectible to collector and back again, providing a memorable prose portrait of the lively game played off the field. I cannot recommend this brilliantly conceived book highly enough.

This beautiful book belongs in every baseball enthusiast's library, but it would be a mistake to keep it on the shelves. Author Stephen Wong has partnered with the Smithsonian to publish the most stunning book on baseball on the market. It deserves to be on your coffee table not only because of its wonderful photographs but also due to the wonderfully rich way he presents the history of the game. Wong gained remarkable access to the sport's foremost collectors, combing through hundreds of images and memorabilia items. The payoff is tremendous for anyone with an interest in baseball or, for that matter, in American history and culture. Readers will learn the essential facts about the game, and the fascinating tidbits, such as the origins of the curve ball. They then get to see remarkable shots, some most unusual - from folk art statues to Don Larsen's enshrined shoes from his perfect game to the bricks of former stadiums. In fact, this book should be placed in the Hall of Fame!

If you are interested in and fairly familiar with New Jersey politics and politicians this is a reasonably entertaining and informative book. It's no page-turner, but not bad.

According to this well written and documented book the elected have not ever been to New Jersey! It is not only amazing but downright disheartening to read all the unbelievable events that have gone on for years by both parties in all parts of the state. No wonder so many people leave this beautiful place. They can't afford it. What really makes you mad is that there is little hope for future change. This book will make your blood really boil!!

Even if you live a continent away in Washington state, "The Soprano State" will amuse, educate and yes, horrify you. Authors Bob Ingle and Sandy McClure have put together an appalling catalog of the "worst of the worst" New Jersey politicians and public servants and their most outrageous shenanigans.
As the authors note, "why should such a wealth of lunacy and depravity" be enjoyed only by New Jersey? My personal favorite, in a chapter titled "All Aboard the Gravy Train," is an anecdote about how sometimes "the legislative gravy train delivers real gravy." In that case, New Jersey taxpayers coughed up $124,000 over three years to purchase 300 lunches each day the Legislature was in session to feed 80 members of the assembly, 40 senators _ and lobbyists. The lunches were trucked in from a well-connected restaurant 57 miles away!
¶ It's tempting for us outsiders to feel smug, but there's also a nagging worry: what if our politicians are just less obviously outrageous, and our reporters more lapdog and less pit bull?
¶ Beyond the entertainment value, this book is a cautionary tale, reminding us that citizens anywhere can be fleeced by those we elect.
¶

As a former kid from New Jersey I purchased the book as
somewhat of a lark. After devouring the material it was
no longer a lark. The pathetic corruption is so clearly
detailed and documented it makes your head spin.The New Jersey I left in 1974 had an outstanding public school system which has been decimated by the lads in Trenton,
draining resources from small school districts and pumping
those funds into inner-city enviroments. No measurable
improvement is to be found. the State is bankrupt,under-
funded pensions and corrupt at every level of government.
If you live in NJ you have to read this.Then start packing

This book should be called, "The Corruption State," which is a better title, since New Jersey is one of three in our country that's known for corruption from the top all the way down to the smallest town. If you can dream up a way to squeeze money out of a taxpayer, then you can be in NJ politics. They are professionals here and have perfected the art of stealing from your wallet.

After this book was published, they came out with two more ways to take money out of our wallets: They want to charge us $.10 for a deposit on every can and bottle that can be recycled IN SPITE OF US ALREADY RECYCLING! So...if you want your dime back, YOU have to take it to a redemption center to get your dime back.

The next new tax (they call it a "user fee") is they want to add $.40 per 1,000 gallons of water onto our water bill. Call it what it really is: a tax.

This book was at times so funny it was infuriating, so maddening it made you furious, so ridiculous it drove you insane, yet us as residents here are powerless to do much about it as long as these jerks run this state. The endless pay-to-play, patronage, favoritism jobs in Trenton (the state capital) and beyond will continue as long as there is a New Jersey. Even if you vote, they will still continue to run this state using the newly elected as their puppets. It's been done before.

We are NOT in debt; not if Atlantic City gave Trenton $468 MILLION dollars in 2007! This is just one example. It's the wasteful spending, it's the three, four and five jobs one person holds PLUS their pensions and benefits that's draining our state's treasury and the cronies who run this state allow all this! Why? Because they're part of it, they receive it as well and they make damn sure that their family members and friends are also on the dole as well so everyone has a piece of the action.

Excellent book. My only regret is that I can't move out of my home state (NJ) sooner than I want to! What a shame...I grew up here, I love the area, but I can't afford to live here anymore, not when the pickpockets control this state and it's never going to change, even with Christopher Christie doing his best to root out the corruption.