Papers Books

This is an engrossing book which actually has some good tips on how to rid your house of cockroaches. I'm planning to find some Siege or Maxforce, or at the very least dip stale white bread in old beer and put the "bait" into a jar with Vaseline spread in a line along the top inside. A few of the cockroach experts (warriors?) the author interviews are just as fascinating as their subjects. Something else in the book: a miniature flipbook of cockroaches mating (not as interesting as his written description, though).

I read this book while spending the summer in a run-down, cockroach-infested, seasonal fishing cabin in Canada. It was hilarous, informative, very, very well-written and almost (almost) made me like the nasty little things. I always read while eating lunch, but really, don't do that with this book! I highly recommend this to anybody who has an interest in nature, an interest in insects, a curious mind, or...a population of cockroaches in his house! (No, really; there was enough info in this book to help me understand The Enemy and largely eradicate them. I am now in the market for similar books on bats, mice, ants, and bears... .)

OK, I admit I used to be among the majority who reacted in revulsion to these creatures and whose first instinct was to squash it--quickly!

Reading Schweid's fascinating book changed all that. The highly adaptable cockroach will probably outlive humans. They're perfectly designed scavengers and extremely good at proliferating their species.

The book combines a mixture of fact, anecdotes and fictional excerpts that explore the nature & habits of the cockroach as well as its uneasy relationship with humanity.

One of a selective number of books I actually had to buy. And, as a footnote, on a recent trip to D.C., I went to the Smithsonian and held a giant Madgascar hissing cockroach. And I like it!

_The Cockroach Papers_ by Richard Schweid is a book one might not normally think of as enjoyable, one that that focuses on the biology and human history of the cockroach. I however found it very entertaining, even funny at times, and also extremely informative and boasting a wealth of illustrations. The author had an engaging writing style, weaving in stories of his personal life (some only marginally related to cockroaches, though all were quite engrossing).

There are a great variety of roach species in the world, though not all of them are pests. The most famous of course are the pest species, including the most common domestic cockroach in the U.S, the German cockroach, (_Blattella germanica_), and the second most common, the American cockroach (_Periplaneta americana_), both the main subjects of the book. Other pest species in North America include the oriental cockroach, brown-banded roach (noted for colonizing appliances), and the smokey-brown, though there are 64 other species on the continent far from the haunts of man. More than 5,000 species of cockroach are known in the order Blattaria (from the Greek word blattae, for roach). Only about a hundred species worldwide occur around humans at all; most live unseen, generally in hot humid jungles though they are found virtually everywhere on Earth.

Schweid went into a great deal of detail exploring roach anatomy, physiology, pheromones (including not only mating pheromones but interestingly aggregation and dispersal pheromones), daily habits, and mating behavior, much of it fascinating reading. One learns the early warning system for roaches is not their antennae; it is a pair of feelers called the cerci, located on the backside near the anus, covered in hundreds of remarkably fine and sensitive hairs, each only 0.5 millimeters long and 0.005 millimeters wide (this is what lets them scurry away so fast when the lights come on!).

Roaches have had a long history with humanity, traveling with humans to every spot on the globe. They were particularly fond of traveling by ship, and historical records have shown people such as the Sir Francis Drake, Captain Bligh, and others having contended with them. Interesting, the word cockroach itself is a relative newcomer; while they have long been known to humanity (the Romans for instance called them lucifuga, for their habit of avoiding light), the word did not appear until Europeans began traveling the world. "Cockroach" as a term first appeared in the 1500s to describe not long familiar pests but new ones noticed from sojourns in Africa and elsewhere (the first written use in the English language came from Captain John Smith of Pocahontas fame in 1624). The two most famous in the U.S. are not natives; the German cockroach is thought native to north Africa, spread by the Phoenicians to Europe and then from there throughout Russia and eventually the Americas, while the American cockroach (sometimes euphemistically called the "water bug") is thought to have come directly from Africa on slave ships.

Along the way Schweid chronicled the numerous ways the cockroach has entered various cultures, ranging from their role as the "Trickster" in Caribbean folktales to the famous song "La Cucaracha" (originating with Pancho Villa's soldiers, about a roach missing its two back legs, a song with many versions), to the writings of Franz Kafka, to the 1997 movie _Mimic_.

The association with roaches has not been a wanted one, as they have been known to be vectors of many diseases, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and even hookworms and tapeworms. They have been known to be more direct threats; people have gone to emergency rooms when roaches became lodged in their ear, and roaches have been known to partially consume human fingernails, toenails, and skin. Also, they sometimes feed on human corpses, causing such damage at times that forensics experts have mistaken damage caused by roaches as wounds sustained by the deceased while alive.

The war against cockroaches has gone on for millennia. Over the centuries there have been numerous ways used to combat them. An Egyptian papyrus was found with a prayer to the ram-headed god Khnum for protection from roaches, and the Greek scholar Diophanes recommended ways to rid homes of roach infestations. Sailors were once given rewards, either bottles of brandy or shore leave, for turning in specified numbers of roach bodies and sometimes kept on board monkeys or lemurs to hunt and eat roaches.

Today fighting roaches is big business; there are estimates that as much as $240 million a year is spent in the U.S. on control of roaches, with the city of New York alone spending half a million dollars a year on insecticides. Schweid chronicled much of the research into controlling them and the debates over whether to use sprays or baits. The war has taken a special significance as studies have shown a very strong linkage between asthma and allergies to cockroaches. As asthma appears to be on the rise - a 60% increase in the last decade, particularly among poor African-American males - this is very important.

Roaches are of course famous survivors and Schweid provided numerous examples of this. The American cockroach for instance can survive 90 days without food, and 40 days without food or water. They eat a tremendous variety of items, with the pest species known to consume glue, hair, paper, leather, banana skins, and feces. There are 14 breaking points on the legs, cerci, and antennae of the German cockroach, which, if grabbed by a predator, they can pull away and leave the enemy with just an appendage, one replaced at the next molt.

As much a pest as some species of roach have been, they have actually served mankind. The American cockroach has long been a favorite laboratory animal thanks to its substantial size, abundance, ease of care, and exemption from any laws governing the use of lab animals. Work on roaches gave birth to the field of neuroendocrinology and was important in early studies of circadian rhythms.

There are fascinating random factoids on nearly every page. My coworkers and most friends don't care to hear all my new knowledge, unfortunately. Not exactly cocktail party chitchat. But extremely interesting to learn about. Mating habits, nervous systems, favorite foods, pheromones,molting, it's all here!

This book is so fun to read! My 9 month old baby boy loves to touch the caterpillars and turn the pages himself. The butterflys at the end of the book are a great surprise for him. Highly recommended!

My 2-year old son loves this book! He loves touching the caterpillars and then always says "OOOH!" at the end when he sees the pop-up butterflies. He never gets tired of it. Edit: he ripped out all the butterflies. They are too flimsy. But he still likes to look at the bugs on each page and touch the catepillars.

This is by far my daughter's favorite book. She immediately took a liking to it at 4-5 months, because the book has bright colors and the popup at the end excited her. She is 11 months now and gets so excited when she even sees the book. She can't wait to get to the end to see the popup butterflies. She has torn them when she tries to grab them, so I'm buying a replacement, but no other books that we have gets such a positive reaction. Whenever my daughter needs a distraction, all I have to do is pull this book out.

My son loves all these kind of books. Ladybugs, butterflies, monkeys, the stars one too. We keep searching for more like these since he loves them so much. All them are to be read each night without fail. He has started to count with me as I turn the page and he is not even 2 yet !

This book is positively awesome. The colors pop, there are lots of fun pictures to look at, and the caterpillars are fun to touch. My son, who is not yet 1 1/2, loves it. The only problem I have is the final spread, which is a pop-up page featuring butterflies. My son adores the butterflies and wants to see the final page as much as possible. He does make a special effort to be gentle with the butterflies, but they're pretty fragile. One has a bent wing now, and the wing sometimes catches on the other butterflies when we try to close the book. Other than that, though, I have no complaints. These wriggly, wiggly caterpillars are definitely welcome in our home!

Patience is the key word as you review how to create the numerous book covers, inserts, and themed boxes included in this ingenious book, and the outcome is worth the effort.

You'll realize that architecture plays a vital part in this craftsmanship. Rulers, triangles, sewing needles, knives, and more are among the necessary tools. However, the one-of-a-kind creations are worthy of your time and energy.

I've seen similar items sold at New York craft shows for a pretty penny, so if this is your interest, start with the Accordian Book or Simple Box as a foundation to other projects.

No one will ever say they can make the same creations, unless like you they've invested this book. And even then their interpretation will be different.

Shirley Frazier
The Gift Basket Design Book, 2nd: Everything You Need to Know to Create Beautiful, Professional-Looking Gift Baskets for All Occasions

Paper of all kinds is easy to come by. This book teaches you how to create useful and decorative items from different papers. The author's handmade structures are well illustrated, and the directions are easy to follow. Once taught and inspired the sky's your only limit. Happy Papering!!!!!

I have taken classes with Ben, and his book is written so clearly and easily followed that it is almost like he is standing next to you, going over it step by step. Illustrations are very helpful but his 'real' work is even better. There is such a variety of projects in this book that I know I will keep it as a handy reference.

I own several books on book-binding, but I'm still struggling with case-bound books - so when an artist whom I respect recommended this one, I ordered it. I found that the instructions are very clear and well-illustrated; and that each project builds on the previous one. Each project contains lists of specific measurements and supplies, but the author also provides formulas for measuring, so that if you have some book-binding experience you can immediately modify the projects according to your own ideas. I felt so excited by the projects and the clarity of instructions that I went on a book-making binge, and made 5 of the projects in 3 days (including a very nice case-bound book). I haven't made any of the boxes yet, but I can see that the instructions for them are as clear as those for the books. I highly recommend this book.

It is an excellent introduction to book arts and box-making craft, and yet it contains information that are helpful to readers with more advanced skills. I have taken several classes from this author, and this book helps me to remember all the important techniques/principles that I learned from his classes: gluing, sewing, cutting, and figuring out the sizes of the paper/chipboard needed to create a specific book or a box. There are 11 book projects - four are of accordian type, one is of photo frame type, and the rest are bound type. And there are four box projects - one is three sided and the rest are four-sided, some with dividers. One of them requires no glue. Each project in this book contains a list of formulas and materials, thus making it easier for me to plan. The directions and diagrams are very readable and easy to follow. The surface treatment section is a nice and brief introduction to altering the appearance of the paper surface - four different techniques are presented. The gallery section contains many beautiful examples of how the basic techniques covered are used in different ways by various artists. It is truly a very informative, instructive, and inspiring book.

This book is excellent! But, I am biased. Col Tom Yarborough was my Professor of Aerospace Studies at Indiana University and a major reason why I joined the Air Force. He a great and inspiring man. I highly recommend this book by a true hero.

This is by far the best book I have read on Vietnam. It takes you to the air with the pilot like you are in the back seat. It's hard hitting and lots of action. I highly recommend it.

Anyone who is an armchair flyboy or military aviation buff will find this book to be one of the best. Col. Yarborough's writing style keeps you on the edge of your chair as you follow his incredible hair raising missions in Veitnam and Laos. Best on all this is not fiction but the real item.

I read a lot of Vietnam pilot's memoires but these are definitely the best. Here I found absolutly the most hair rising combat sorties in treetop level under enemy fire written with such speed, that I could not stop reading. I don't know Tom Yarborough personally, but I really started to like that guy when reading his book. If I should ever be in such a stressy enviroment like Nam, having a guy like him as squadron mate should make things a lot more bearable.

Excellent first hand story of flying the OV-10 as a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam. Especially exciting because of the nature of the mission: supporting the infil and exfil of long range patrols. This story has only recently been declassified and is now told in a vivid and thrilling first hand account by one of the most decorated Forward Air Controllers from the Vietnam war. If you like flying and fighting you'll love this story.

Having lead a life of great travel and adventure (she was married to an army officer in British Colonial times and posted all around the world, Kaye then sat down to write a series of mysteries based in the places she had been, there were six of the "Death in..." series including Kashmir, Zanzibar, Kenya, the Andamans and Berlin.

Of the 6 of them I think this is the best so far, but I have one left to read, Death in Kashmir which I am most looking forward to. I haven't found any of these books to match the extraordinary and sweeping writing of her romances, or indeed the scope they cover, but they are reasonable and fun reads if somewhat dated.

Victoria, raised in Kenya returns at her aunt's bidding to assist her in her farm in the rift valley. She is also returning to see Eden, the cousin whom she loved but who dumped her to marry another woman, Alice. While on her way out Alice is brutally murdered. This is all in the shadow of the Maumau uprising and the incipient violence is palpable beneath the surface of the book.

There are some genuinely surprising twists in this book and Kaye doesn't cheat too much, you can actually figure this one out from the clues she makes available. If you're smart that is....I'm not, but I did go back and check!

I must tell all you that I enjoyed this just like I have enjoyed ALL OF HER BOOKS since I first read 'Far Pavillons'. She is the reason I still want to go to India! In "Death In Kenya" I could picture the setting having traveled to Africa in 1989 and I was fortunate to spend some time in the bush on safari and it was simply wonderful. Her books once again bring enjoyment to me. I am ashamed to admit that after I read 'Shadow of the Moon' I was sidetracked and never read any of the others, but I am making up time for the lapse now. "Death in Kenya" is thoroughly enjoyable and I am now looking forward to reading her "Golden Afternoon". How special!

I've read "Death in Kashmir", "Death in Zanzibar", and now "Death in Kenya". I liked them all, but found this one to be the most fun. It has a very good twist at the end, with the discovery of the murderer. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the M.M. Kaye "Death in..." books!

I did especially enjoy this mystery by M.M. Kaye. I love all her books. The settings are exotic and beautifully decribed by someone who has obviously lived there and has known all the character types who appear in her stories. British drawing room mysteries without the drawing room. Lots of sightseeing, historical references, etc. It takes you back to a time that seems, to me at least, as very interesting. Cocktails, and tea, and nobody ever works for a living. Very intertaining.

Before I read this book, the only works of M.M. Kaye that I had read were the Far Pavilions and Shadow of the Moon. Both were excellent but I had seen her as more of a romance writer and was therefore surprised to learn that she has written mysteries as well. Death in Kenya is a very well-written mystery with a nice touch of romance but the best part is the atomosphere. Kaye does a masterful job of recreating Colonial Kenya at the end of WWII where many settlers were born and bred in the country yet clung stubbornly to their British roots. The world they inhabit is one of bungalows, afternoon tea parties, card parties at clubs, and hunts - this sounds old-fashioned even for the 1950's, but you recognize that the winds of change were already blowing over the remaining colonized countries and the white settlers were desperately trying to hold on to a disappearing lifestyle. The mystery itself is intruiging - Victoria Caryll, a young girl who had been born in Kenya but was subsequently sent to England for her education is asked to come out and be with her aunt, Lady Emily DeBrett. Victoria is reluctant because returning to Kenya would meen meeting her cousin Eden DeBrett, who she had been formerly engaged to. As a teenager, she had been in love with Eden when he had broken her heart by abruptly calling off their engagement and marrying another girl. However, her aunt prevails upon her to come. But as she is on her way out, Eden's wife Alice is brutally murdered and the story takes off from there. The mystery is interesting and genuinely suspenseful and reading about Kenya was amazing! Kaye had actually lived in Kenya and her love for the country and indeed all of Africa clearly comes through. Highly recommended!

This book is one of the best for strategy framework and methodology formulation. It is also very useful for case interviews. I believe that every management consultant and related professionals should own a copy, and hope that it would be incorporated into the MBA curriculum of the top B-Schools for strategic management.

A "must have" for Management Consultants in Strategy.

John Courtney
Managing Director
www.strategyconsultinglimited.co.uk

AFTER READING THIS AND SOME OTHER BOOKS FROM THE PROFESSOR DAVID A. AAKER, I'VE BECOME BETTER AT DOING MY MARKETING JOB.

Unless you know where your company is going, chances are it won't get very far in today's global marketplace. That's why every business needs the strong vision and keen sense of direction that come from the development, evaluation, and implementation of business strategies-and why every business owner or manager should have Developing Business Strategies, David A. Aaker's classic and comprehensive guide to strategic planning, now in its fifth edition.

Using vivid case studies, Developing Business Strategies helps you to move beyond reactive problem solving toward the development and realization of sound strategic objectives for your company. Providing both the framework and the tools necessary to make strategy development and strategy review efforts effective, this book shows you how to:

* Conduct a structured external and internal analysis of a business with confidence * Develop sustainable competitive advantages by creating assets, competencies, and strategies * Make strategic investment decisions to generate growth * Organize to support strategies * Compete strategically in hostile, growth, and global contexts.

As compact and easy to use as ever, this new Fifth Edition offers new or revised sections on current topics such as strategic uncertainty, buyer hot buttons, shifting customer priorities, strategy as options, paradigm shifts, organizational stubbornness, and brand equity. You'll also find up-to-date research and fresh examples on economic value analysis, competitor image, total quality management, reengineering, the virtual corporation, and more-plus a set of useful sample planning forms to help guide you through the strategy development process.

Whether you're a business owner, manager, or planning executive, the key to your company's success is in Developing Business Strategies.

David A. Aaker is the E. T. Grether Professor of Marketing Strategy at the Haas School of Business Administration at the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of numerous articles and ten books on strategy, including Marketing Research, Fifth Edition (Wiley) and Managing Brand Equity. His books have been translated into eight languages. Professor Aaker is an active consultant and speaker in the United States, Europe and South America.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School in London.

I enjoyed reading this book which I found to be fascinating and enlightening. The book describes strategy and its role in ensuring that organisations achieve their mission. It is a comprehensive book on various aspects of strategy including the need to focus on customer needs, environmental analysis, knowledge management, strategy formulation, strategic positioning, strategy implementation, forecasting technologies, alliances, creative thinking, design as strategy, downstream business models, global leadership, among other informative topics.

The book is well written, well presented and easy to follow and understand. It is very practical and with many good examples and case studies. I would strongly recommend managers at all levels to read this interesting, practical and insightful book on strategy. The book is also useful and handy for strategy consultants and students doing an MBA or other postgraduate studies in business.

It's safe to say that this book is easy to digest while the film of the same name will probably make you regergitate everything you just digested. A film full of symbolism, mythology, and a high doze of violence & "GORE." The book is an in-depht psychological break down of EL TOPO while the film deals with the abstract and supernatural. Think of the TV show "Kung-Fu" with a layer of Antonioni's "Zabrisky Point" a sprincle of Jim Morrison's "HWY" with a huge splash of spaghetti "For a Few Dollars More" and a red dash of "Apocolypse Now."

I personally have a DVD copy of EL TOPO from a Japanese import and would expand on the film but this book does more justice to this cult classic....

This rare book is even better than the cult movie on which it's based. The first half of the book is the screenplay; there are many B+W photos to help you picture what the characters look like, which is quite nice since there are some pretty weird characters.

In the screenplay, Jodorowsky has added notes and descriptions in between the lines dialogue. This is extremely helpful as it helps make clear the many metaphors in the movie. Whereas in the actual film some of the scenes and symbols are unclear and are kind of cheesy due to the movie's low budget, Jodorowsky's writing makes the scenes come alive and makes them more meaningful.

The second half of this book is an interview with Jodorowsky, which is a treat because in his everyday speech, he talks like a poet.

If you can afford a copy, I would recommend this book for any Jodorowsky fan or anyone who likes cult movies.

I read this book in 1975, just after seeing the film. I have no idea if the movie would stand the test of time. I understand it was withdrawn from distribution and can no longer be seen. But at the time, I thought it was fantastic! The story of the gunslinger (as metophor for seeker of truth) fighting the other masters in the desert -- the strange cavern full of mutants -- all of it must be seen to be believed! A group of us went back and saw this film over and over again. I still don't know what it all meant, with its strange amalgam of sufism, buddhism, etc, but I wouldn't mind seeing it again. ADDENDUM: Well, I did see it again recently, and found it very difficult to watch. I assume those butchered animals were actually killed for the movie. It was interesting, but didn't work for me anymore. Boohoo!

el topo is a trip in to the mind of a man who is looking for himself,an extraordinary piece of literature,jodorowsky is probely one of the great genious of art still unknow.you have to read el topo and you will be a greater person

I saw the film 28 years ago. It had an effect on me immediately and ever since. I still remember vividly the scene where El Topo falls into a volcanic crater and lands in a village isolated and suffering from lack of genetic diversity. The scene with the whips. The silver star under the hero's heart, facing the man who never loses. "Shoot him!" What a film!

Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation

This is an ambitious and serious work, accessible in style, and packed with information in over four hundred pages. It has three main themes, clearly defined in the introduction.
The first is the love between Adrienne Monnier and Sylvia. The details of this, so we are told, 'were and are still little known' in 1983 when this book was first published. The second is her admiration for, and championship of, James Joyce. The third is her bookshop, Shakespeare and Company, which was a key feature of the literary scene in Paris between the two World Wars.
By far the most detail is provided on her professional relationship with Joyce. Her efforts to get Ulysses published and smuggled into America, her financial and personal efforts to support the author, and the amount of time and energy she invested, are the key theme of the book.
Naturally Sylvia knew all the other familiar literary figures of the time. Hemingway and Pound are frequently mentioned, as is Gertrude Stein.
As intimated in the introduction there is less to be said about more personal relationships. In a way this seems rather a pity. The anecdotal style and recurring references to various incidents along the way give the writing a rather disjointed feel. Inevitably there is also a certain sense of déja vu particularly for anyone familiar with biographies of Hemingway for example.
The strength and the weakness of the book is the amount of text devoted to James Joyce. Joyce attracts great, but not universal, enthusiasm. The man himself seems to have had more arrogance than charm. Depending on the side of this divide which the reader favours this book will firmly hold the attention or will, in places, rather pall.

This is one of the best books that I've ever read about the 'lost generation' of Americans literary refugees in Paris. The writing is excellent, the research exhaustive and thorough with unparalleled access to Ms. Beach's 'surpressed' portions of her autobiography "Shakespeare and Company". It is readily apparent from this book that without Ms. Beach and her unflinching support, there would have been no "Ulysses" (and maybe no James Joyce). But there was so many other authors she supported and nurtured as well, as the quote from Ernest Hemingway cited above illustrates as well. This book is almost a 'must read' for those persons interested in American literature of the mid 20th century.

This one has been around for some time now and it is not the worse for wear. For those interested in our literature and literary Paris during the 1920s and 1930s, then this is one of those "must reads" (I truely hate that term, but know of no better to describe the improtance of this work at this time). The author's research is absolutely miticulous and fills in many gaps in the story of this remarkable woman. Do be warned though. Many of the names of people mentioned here are rather obscure (at this day and time) for those not immersed in the literary world. This can make the work a bit difficult to follow at times. That being said, this is a wonderful work to read to cause many of these names to become less obscure than they are now...one more of the many reasons to read this work! The book covers some of the intimate details of Beach's relationship with friends and lovers that she so well side steps in her own account of this time. Recommend this one highly. Actually, you probably should purchase this one as it is one that is a good book for reference and one you will probably want to reread.

This is quite a spectacular book, a privileged look into the most famous English language bookstore in Paris, Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare & Company. Not only is it delightful to read the history of how Sylvia's modest dream became such a huge success, but it is also fascinating to read about Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce when they were young. The language is rich and fulfilling, the photos insightful, and in the end, I really felt as if I had been part of it all, sitting in Sylvia's bookstore, hearing the rustle of pages as the day passed away.

This is one of those books where you care about the characters. Their past and future becomes important and that the characters are real people make this book all the more fasinating. A book one does want to end. But end it does with style.

This book has been around for a long time and it has been about 50 years since I first bought it. It contains many wonderful games played by great chess masters over a long period of time. It starts off with some short stories about chess. The games show how brilliant some of our chess masters were long before the likes of Bobby Fisher. This book is a must have in any chess lover's library. It is truly timeless!

Don't read this book to learn or improve your game (although that will happen at least to some degree anyways). Read it because you are a chess lover and you want to read some marvelous stories and anecdotes, all the more delighful because of their age (this is a 1949 book). A small third of the book is stories; a larger third is oddities, problems, studies, etc; and the largest third (really about half the book) is a collection of games which were chosen not so much for their teaching value as for their revealing certain facets of the game.

To experience the charm and nostalgia of this book, search around for a hard-cover original (I got one for about five dollars) and eschew the trade paperback reissues. The hard-cover has a nice substantial "bulk" and is a pleasure to use, all the more so with a worn copy that has been enjoyed by many other chess fans.

This is a unique chess book that has something for everyone. It has amusing and intersting stories that apply to people who have litereary interests as well as chess interests and it has a striong theme throufghout that although chess is wonderful, it is really secondary to life. It also has fascinating stats, stories, and great game collections and puzzles to solve. Really it is a perfect chess book to go over and read by the fireside on a cold night or any night for that matter. Buy it or pick it up at a library, and if you love chess, you will love this book..

This is a chess book of a different sort - it is not a how-to manual for beginners, nor is it a strategy and tactics book for the more advanced player. This is just what Fireside books are meant to be - collections of memories, anecdotes, puzzles, lists and other trivia (and not so trivial) bits about chess. This is of interest to those who have a deep abiding passion for chess, as well as for those who only dabble in it occasionally. Both editors have written other books on chess; both Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld have written some of the better books on learning chess separately, and together they also collaborated on a book showing strategy and skills development toward winning at chess.

This book is divided into three main sections. The first section contains stories and articles, collected from various publications such as the New Yorker and other newspapers and magazines. Included are also comics from the New Yorker, the Saturday Review of Literature, the New York Herald and other sources. Here are fake histories of the game, tongue-in-cheek stories, poignant memories and more. From the 'Capsule History of the Game' by Chielamangus, we get this snippet:

'The next great figure was Wilhelm Steinitz; a very deep player - also wide, though short. He held the world's championship for twenty-six years, and was therefore considered by his rivals to be very obstinate and pig-headed. Dr. Lasker then held the championship for another twenty-six years. Critics explained that this was because he made weak moves. This was psychology. Lasker thus became known as the apostle of common sense.'

The second section is entitled 'The Magic of Chess'. The entry 'Odd But True' includes a feast of trivia items. How can a game be won (or lost) in two moves? Was there really a master-level game that concluded in four moves? What was the longest master-level game, in number of moves? Many people through history have played through correspondence; given the amount of time permitted between moves, one would not expect too many mistakes, but the shortest of these types of games concluded in a mere six moves. There was also a book published once in Germany with the title, 'Advice to Spectators at Chess Tournaments'. All the pages were blank save one, which had but two words on it - 'Halt Maul!'

The third section is a collection of classic games and strategies, which includes a lot games more interesting for the circumstances surrounding them as much as for the play that takes place. These include miniatures (short games), blindfolded games, and even 'the perfect game'. This has a strange quality about it in chess - according to Chernev and Reinfeld, the perfect game is not one in which all the moves are 'perfect': 'A game in which neither side has made a mistake does not add up to perfection; in such games we find only a sterile dullness which lacks every memorable feature.'

Chernev and Reinfeld had the reputation for being able to speak for hours on end about chess without notes or books, much in the way many people will talk about sports, movies, politics or other areas. They write with wit and skill (much like the way they play the game), and have the hope that through their writing their love of the game is contagious. Judging from this book, one of my earliest books on chess, they are indeed.

Yes, this book is good; and is a former incarnation of the Chess Companion. Therefore it is given 4 stars, as 3 1/2 for the Chess Companion. The games are good, even not as high standard as the games in the following decades later. The chess endings are very helpful. Many chess themes are very clear. But the story part is not great if you have high expectation. At least they are localized to one half of the book, imagine if those stories were inter-leaving with the real chess. I still don't know how to organinze those stories in a book. Like their current leading part of the book causes some distraction to the good chess to follow; however, if they were in the last half, then we or at least I would expect more exciting (and real-life) chess stories. I just got some idea. The book has two front covers and two halves and one is upside-down of other. To read from one end, it's the real chess games; turn it up-side down, and read from the back, it's the fairy tale chess. Let the publisher worry about how to print it. We are just the chess audience... ;-)

THIS BOOK IS POWERFUL, ITS SHOCKING, AND IT IS ASPIRING. THERE IS NOTHING ON CHANNEL 11 THAT BRINGS THE HONEST, INSIGHTFUL, VERY REAL ACCOUNT THAT MR.DOUGLASS DOES IN HIS BOOK. FROM SLAVE TO FREE-MAN, THIS IS TRUELY AN AMERICAN SUCCESS. SKIP THE INTRO, AND JUMP INTO IT.

Douglass's second, and lengthier, narrative fills in many of the gaps left in his first autobiography: we learn about his mother, his siblings, and more details about his psychological transformation from brute to man. It's quite insightful, as Douglass is careful to relate each of his personal experiences to the innate evil of the peculiar instituition, for both the slave and the slave holder.

What are your impressions of Frederick Douglass? What would you say about Douglass observation that "conscience cannot stand much violence? Do you think it was possible to be a good slave owner?Why or why not? Why does Douglass view slaveholders as well as slaves as victims of slavery? Why is education incompatible with slavery? Why do you think the white children's attitude toward slavery is different from that of their parents? How would you describe Douglass attitude towards Mrs. Auld?

Having read a biography of Douglass many years ago, I thought I knew his story. Hearing through his pen was an entirely different matter. What a master of the language and insighful set of observations on human nature.

I am a man of many words, but words fail me in my endorsement of this book. The letter to his former master in the appendix is worth the price of the book by itself.

Standing in line at the Lincoln Memorial, a book beckoned to me that I previously hadn't seen before. The face of Frederick Douglas grabbed my attention; a man that I've respected for many years, encountering him mainly through my study of Abraham Lincoln. On the spur of the moment, I snatched up a copy of "My Bondage and My Freedom", and within a few days, my admiration in Frederick Douglass was transformed from interest to awe.

Frederick Douglass orginially penned his book as a response to people's accusations that someone as articulate and composed as he couldn't possibly be a former slave. With that goal in mind, Douglass wrote his memoirs, in a straight forward, powerful way. In the book, he painfully and honestly documents the path his early life took; the memories of being owned, how slaves coped during these times, and how he managed to pull himself out of it all.

While Douglass' life in itself is amazing, (as he describes the amazing process he undertook to learn how to read), what amazed me even more are Douglass' discourses that he sprinkles through the book, discussing relevant issues during the time. In one instance, he addresses the concern about why slaves simply didn't run away from their oppressive situations. It's almost as if you can actually hear the people talking to Douglass and he responding to them.

This book does not only tell the tale of a truly amazing American, but gives us a unique insight to the times. This book should be required reading in every high school in this country.