Articles Books

The book is too "academic" for the average reader. It feels like I am reading college research papers. Obviously, these articles are for academic purposes, but I was expecting more field-related stuff like front-line espionage stuff. Maybe I watched too much 007, but this was too slow of a read for me.

This Yale University Press publication is an insiders scorecard on how to collect information. Techniques for clandestine human intelligence gathering are reviewed in detail. The text even explores how internal CIA squabbling hurts U.S. intelligence gathering. The declassified articles from the agency's internal journal from 1955-1992 is mostly insider shop talk. My favorite chapter is VII, Counterespionage. Section eight of chapter three, psychology of treason is an ice-cold analysis.

Brad, a respected scholar in his own right, was given unique access to all past publications of the CIA's internal journal, Studies in Intelligence, and has produced an absolutely lovely collection of the best thoughts inside CIA from 1955-1992, organized into sections for imagery intelligence collection, overt human intelligence collection, clandestine human intelligence collection, human intelligence and its consumers, the analysis function, analysis and its consumers, and counterespionage. I regard this book as an essential supplementary reading for teaching both students and practitioners.

A fascinating piece of history. It's not that we read important secrets, or even that the topics of these journal articles are current and relevant, but from a historical perspective, the insights and conclusions are a fun window into the CIA's world over the years.

This is simply a collection of declassified articles from the CIA's in house quarterly journal "Studies In Intelligence". Many more articles have been declaasifed since the book came out and all are on the Center for the Study of Intelligence page at the CIA site. The author adds very little to the articles and you are better off just going and reading the ones that interest you yourself. They are organized by subject (i.e. analysis, Covert Action) at the Agency's website. The unclassifed "Studies In Intelligence" is also at the same place. I heard the author interviewed by G. Gordon Liddy when the book came out and as usual the "G man" was a fount of mis-information on intelligence matters.

Karl Heinz Fiedler is part of a secretive organization called The New Templars. The group is a privately funded organization dedicated to the preservation of the German cultural heritage. Karl goes to see a man named Herr Brandt, who at one point held a senior position in the SS Administration. The only problem is that there never was a Herr Brandt in the SS Administration. So the question is.... Who is Herr Brandt?

Well he must be someone important as Brandt passes on to Fiedler an inventory list that consists of photographs of valuable artifacts and a will that ensures that Brandt's whole collection goes to The New Templars. In the pile of stuff handed to Karl Fiedler is a typescript dated March 1944 and titled My Life by SS Gruppenfuhrer Richard J. Gluecks. Wrriten in the typescript is Mr. Gruppenfuhrer's account of how he helped dispose of Oswald Pohl's collection of artifacts.

When Al Hershey, private investigator was hired by Geoff Hughes to dig into the death of Megan Gilchrist his niece, he did not know what he was signing up for. As Hershey investigates the death of Megan he finds that she did not drown but was instead murdered. Megan was a sweet girl who did not hurt anyone so who and why was she murdered? These are the questions that Al Hershey has to answer. He will do so by travelling through three continents.




Theft of the Master was based on chronicled accounts of Hitler's orders to take and transport valuable pieces of art work to Germany. Theft of the Master takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of intrigue, adventure and secrecy. I thought Theft of the Master was like Indiana Jones meets James Bond..... Explosive! From the moment you pick up this book you will find yourself not wanting to put this book down till the end. I really enjoyed the little tid bits of information that author, Edwin Alexander gave throughout the book. He would insert interesting information at the bottom of the pages when it applied. This was a great addition as this helped bring you into the plot line more. It made Theft of the Master like a history lesson but the kind you actually want to attend. This is my first Edwin Alexander novel but you can be sure that it won't be my last! So do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today.

The beginning of Edwin Alexander's Theft of the Master is a bit odd. The author starts off with several 'background' sections that, for a while, lead me to believe that one or another person was a main character in the book, only to have them disappear entirely shortly thereafter. I found this a little jarring and unsettling. However, once the book settles into the investigation, following PI Al Hershey and his employers, everything hums along beautifully.

This is a tale of modern men, greed, theft, love, family, strategy, and manipulation. Edwin Alexander deftly brings Europe and her inhabitants and rituals alive, populating his pages with fascinating characters. Even those who only appear for a few pages leave an indelible impression on the reader's mind. Of particular note is Al's wife, Mrs. Hershey, who never actually appears on stage and yet manages to feel like a constant and whole presence through Al's fond thoughts of her.

The mystery itself is a carefully laid-out chess game, and even though it's quite easy to figure out the identity of a certain mystery man, following the mystery's puzzle pieces as they fit together is quite fascinating. The fact that the scene-setting is done so skillfully is the icing on the cake.

This is an absolutely fascinating novel, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Just finished a book by a first-time author that could end up being a decent series... Theft of the Master. While I liked the writing and characters, the plot seemed to need a little work.

Al Hershey is a private investigator who has been called upon to look into the death of a young woman. She was ruled to have accidentally drowned during a midnight walk on the beach, but those close to her felt it was actually murder. As Hershey digs into the case, he turns up strange relationships between those who were involved with the woman both pre- and post-death. These relationships take Hershey all over the world, finally uncovering a connection between her death and the theft of a wooden sculpture that was stolen by the Nazis during World War 2.

As mentioned at the start, I enjoyed the Hershey character. The flyleaf says that Alexander is writing the next installment of Hershey's adventures, so there's a good chance that this character will continue to evolve and grow. The writing and dialog was well done, and there weren't many places where dialog was stilted or scenes overly described. The plot is where I had a bit of a problem. The cover and synopsis leads you to believe this will be a Da Vinci Code type story, with linkages between Nazis, Templars, and other murky organizations. The first chapter even starts out that way. But then we step away to get wrapped up in the young woman's murder, and it seemingly takes forever to tie back solidly to the original premise. And even then, I felt the woman's murder was the main plot instead of the search for the lost sculpture.

Writing a good novel isn't easy, and doing it the first time has to be a real labor. I think Alexander has the chops to get a good foothold in the mystery genre. I wouldn't hesitate to give his second installment a read. I only hope the plot is a bit more focused.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (7/07)

From the first paragraph of the first chapter the reader is drawn into this fast-paced drama, "Theft of the Master." Edwin Alexander has created an intricate story with a complex plot.

Veit Stoss, one of Europe's greatest sculptors was commissioned by Henry Schenk to sculpt a wood carving of Christ, seated preaching the Sermon on the Mount. The carving was completed in 1493 and presented as a national icon at Estonia's Tallinn Church of the Holy Ghost.

The story is based on historical events involving Hitler's transporting valuable cultural artifacts to Germany during World War II. "Theft of the Master" is a fictional account of Estonia's wood carving of "The Christ."

In a complex transaction involving a purchase an inventory of artifacts by the Templars, a secret society, this work of art was stolen and becomes the central plot of the story. The book is filled with unexpected surprises and plot twists involving smuggling, murder, and intrigue.

Private Investigator, Al Hersey, is hired by Peter Gilchrist to find the murderer of his daughter, Meg, who was found, drowned in the waters off Half Moon Bay, near San Francisco. The assignment takes Al on a dangerous quest for answers from San Francisco, to Estonia, Paraguay, Sweden, and New York.

Alexander is an incredibly gifted author. He puts into his characters, a depth of feeling, a glimpse into their obsessions, and those identifiable physical characteristics which make them genuine and believable. His detailed descriptions include, "a rumbling voice, a voice that rattled the walls," and "Tiny's tall, thin face was overdue a retread but the eyes were sharp and inquisitorial, sharpened by half a lifetime of scrutinizing doubtful people, potentially libelous stories and over-enthusiastic expense claims."

I became so intrigued by Alexander's vivid descriptions that I found myself visiting the picturesque websites of Half Moon Bay's shoreline, the Holiday Inn's lobby in San Francisco's China town, the dinning room of Neptune's Palace at the Wharf, the archaic St. Olaf's Church in Tallinn, Estonia, and the Mennonite Colony in Chaco, Paraguay.

Much of the plot is carried by the dialog making "Theft of the Master" a natural for movie and television adaptation. Edwin Alexander has masterfully crafted a tale of international intrigue, murder, suspense, drama, and deduction. I foresee Private Investigator, Al Hersey, destined to become the central figure of a fresh new series of adventure mystery novels.

Hitler's well-documented determination to loot Europe of its most priceless art has sparked the imaginations of writers worldwide, resulting in many a thriller in book or movie format. Amazingly enough, some of the lost art objects still surface occasionally in places to which they were carried by those who in turn managed to loot Hitler's stolen collection near the end of World War II. Edwin Alexander's debut novel, Theft of the Master, in which just such a piece surfaces in 1992, is a worthy addition to the genre.

The piece in question, a 1493 wood carving depicting a seated Christ delivering the Sermon on the Mount, was only one of many priceless art objects smuggled into Paraguay by one of Hitler's despicable minions when those "officers" scattered around the world to hide in holes like the rats they were. But even rats live long enough to die of old age occasionally and, when this one did just that, the priceless art was suddenly up for grabs again.

Importantly, in this instance, the missing seated-Christ sculpture has as much historical significance to the country from which it was originally stolen, Estonia, as it has monetary value to those hoping to cash in on Hitler's failure to survive the war. Alexander begins his story with the creation of the seated-Christ and describes in detail the atrocities committed by Hitler's thugs when they took possession of it. Then it disappears for nearly half a century.

Theft of the Master at times reads like two separate books because much of the story takes place on the California coast near San Francisco and involves a wealthy British family suddenly in need of the services of a private detective. They find one in the person of Al Hersey, a lethal ex-Marine and self-employed private investigator who is willing to go wherever, and speak with whoever might have answers to the questions his clients are asking. Slowly but surely, as the persistent Mr. Hersey pursues his investigation through California, Estonia, Paraguay, Sweden, and New York, it becomes obvious that the answers about what happened to his clients in 1992 go back much farther than anyone suspected.

Edwin Alexander's complicated plot is filled with memorably unique characters that are, at times, more fun than the plot itself but, by the end of Al Hersey's around-the-world adventures, the reader realizes what a trip it was and how masterful a job Alexander has done in tying all the loose ends together. Al Hersey and his stay-at-home wife, upon whom he depends to handle all the logistics of his investigation, make quite a team and here's hoping that Theft of the Master is only the first of his adventures of which we will be reading.

This one is quite a ride, so pay attention.

Rated at: 4.0

Like every other genius, Guthrie had hard times all his life. But that may be why he wrote so many great songs of people's lives. The world needs not superficial love songs but real love songs.

Elizabeth Partridge set herself up with a monumentally difficult task when she decided to write an authoritative juvenile biography of the great Woody Guthrie. How to write a story about a man that was simultaneously brilliant and woebegotten? Who spoke out for racial equality, strength among the masses, and freedom while also leaving every family who ever loved him? Partridge has done as good a job as could be done, considering her circumstances. The result is a meticulously researched labor of love that is just as much tribute as it is tell-all. As Pete Seeger himself has said about the work, "The best book about Woody ever written".

Woody Guthrie was born in 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma to a mother with Huntington's Disease and a father who joined lynch mobs and Klu Klux Klans. Talking about this point in Woody's life, Partridge simultaneously displays all the harsh horrible things Woody had to deal with growing up without actually condemning anyone. In fact, the portions of the text that talk about Charley Guthrie (Woody's father) joining in the persecution of African-Americans aren't related with any commentary at all. It's as if Partridge is working on the assumption that the readers will be able to process these facts and come to their own conclusions, rather than have interpretations rammed down their throat. It is also the first moment the author gives the audience the benefit of the doubt. It is not the last.

Moving on through Woody's life, we see him grow up, loose his parents (one way or another), and join various bands. We also see him beginning to travel all across the country on his own. At last, Woody marries and it becomes clear that he is not exactly prime husband material. Abandoning his wife regularly to travel (sometimes when she's just about to give birth), Woody joins various causes around the country. When Woody and his wife finally break up, her narrative abruptly ends. Patridge has a habit of following the people in Woody's life meticulously right up until the moment Woody breaks off all contact with them. Then, their story ends immediately. We never really learn how Woody's father ended his life. Or what became of Woody's children by his first wife (though an afterword in the back of the text explaining Huntington's Disease explains that all but three of his children died either of the disease or of car accidents). Do we criticize Partridge for her choice or narratives? Or do we accept that she really couldn't continually follow Woody's friends and relatives because of space and narrative issues? I'm inclined towards the latter, though it would have been nice to see a little afterword that explains what became of everyone.

Moving towards Woody's second wife, the war, and his battle with Huntington's, Partridge nicely melds text with social commentary. Woody's acceptance of all people, regardless of color, is especially well done. As he sinks further into Huntington's, and has an affair with a pretty young folk singer, the reader sees how Woody finally loses control. A little more information about the talented Arlo Guthrie (his son) would not be out of place at this point, but this is Woody's story, I suppose. Finally, we read Woody's death. The story ends.

Partridge is to be commended for how interesting this book is. As I read it, my husband continually asked me why this was considered a juvenile book. Apart from being published by a press for young readers, I have to assume it's considered a youth text because its so doggone interesting. The words are a little larger than you'd find in an adult biography. The pictures a little more interesting and consistent. On the whole it's a great read. Most wonderful of all is how well the book has been researched. Partridge includes an Afterword about her own personal connection to the subject, a tribute to the Woody Guthrie Foundation, information on Huntington's Disease, Acknowledgements (in which she mentions her interviews with Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seegar), Source Notes, a Bibliography, an Index, Picture Credits, and Permissions. She is nothing if not extensive.

"This Land Was Made For You and Me" is not the world's most definitive biography written with youth in mind, but it comes pretty darn close. But don't limit it to the kids. Read it yourself. Learn a little more about what made the great man tick. Though it's over-quoted, here's what Woody himself had to say about his music:

"I hate a song that makes you think that you're not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose. I am out to fight those kind of songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood".

I have not read other books about Woody, but I don't feel I have to, to get an appreciation of who he was and where he came from. Until I read this book, I really had no idea what a great musician he was. I'm a fan of Arlo, but knew very little about Woody.
Woody's parents didn't have it easy - his father, Charley didn't like to face the reality of what was happening to his wife, he would drink so he didn't have to face it.
Woody explored just about every belief looking for answers, answers to life and how to live his life. He was mostly interested in the Communist Party and their beleifs.
At times Woody was a counselor to those who were lost, sick, hungry, wanting work and he would give them "commonsense answers", the people would go away satisfied with what Woody had to say to them.
Woody would quite frequently sing his songs to down and out families in migrant camps, always identifying with the workers.
Woody began to suspect the same illness that haunted his mother was effecting him also, he knew that Huntington's disease could be passed along generation to generation.
My heart breaks for all the people who loved Woody and for Woody himself. It's a tragic story, but one worth reading.

An always interesting and well presented recap of an astonishing
life. This book has stayed on my nightstand to be picked up again and again at all hours.

I really enjoyed this book.A longtime fan of Woody and have the bulk of his music that has been published.I have other books of Guthrie;namely, Woody,Cisco,&Me by Jim Longhi,Pastures of Heaven by Woody,edited by Marsh and Leventhal,Woody Guthrie-a life by Joe Klein and this is a very good addition.Though it is a quick read, there is a lot of fresh stuff;plus a lot of really good pictures I've not seen before.
If Pete Seeger says "The best book about Woody ever written", it's got to be good. Can you imagine Pete saying something he didn't believe? Get it,it's a keeper and enjoy it.

Excellent reporter and editor at the top of his game. Remnick is versatile and able to provide great insight into the character of an individual or event without the narcissistic first person narrative style of so many of his contemporaries.

David Remnick is a perceptive reporter and a lucid writer. The longer stories, such as the first of two profiles of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, have nuance and a sense of completeness that are the hallmark of the best kind of journalism. The shorter pieces are packed with verve and deadpan observation. The story of aging boxer Larry Holmes' "comeback" bout -- held in an annex of Madison Square Garden that is "the venue for such parental jungle missions as Sesame Street Live" -- is probably the funniest, saddest one-and-a-half pages I've read in a long time.

I mentioned that there are two pieces on Solzhenitsyn; this is part of the problem with this anthology: there simply isn't enough variety here. There are five profiles of literary figures(six if you count the piece on translators of Russian literature), four pieces about Mike Tyson or in which he figures heavily, four pieces on Cold War-era dissidents (including the two on Solzhenitsyn) and so on.

It's reasonable to assume that these subjects fascinate Remnick most, though he never gets around to telling us so himself. But for me, it sometimes felt like I was reading more or less the same story over and over.

These all are good stories, but there could have been more.

Reporting contains a rich assortment of twenty-three essays, all essentially personality profiles. In the book's preface, Remnick describes his method: "The pieces collected here--all written for The New Yorker, where I have worked since 1992--attempt to see someone up close, if only for a moment in time." Attempt is the key word. Remnick admits his interest in profiling people who seek to shape their public image and control what any writer (and reader) learns about them. Each essay is an account of a struggle between Remnick, who is seeking understanding and access, and (usually) a powerful or famous person, who only wants the public to have access on his or her terms.

As a former newspaper reporter with experience on beats ranging from police to politics to sports, Remnick is well equipped for this task. He wields all the tools of good journalism--observation, interviews, research, and writing strong sentences--to construct lengthy and riveting pieces of narrative nonfiction. His essays always embody what David Halberstam used to call "density"; Remnick clearly has more material and knowledge than he weaves into his finished pieces, which he crafts to present his readers with the most truthful portrait of the person he has managed to uncover. But when necessary, as in a favorable profile of Katharine Graham, Remnick can be as blunt as any editorial writer: "the demand for unreasonable profits is undermining the quality of American journalism."

The essays in Reporting are arranged into five untitled sections, which might be labeled as domestic politics and media, literary intellectuals, Russia, Israel and Palestine, and boxing. Since David Remnick is one of the remaining standard-bearers for the long article, the essays are educational feasts for the curious mind. "The Democracy Game: Hamas Comes to Power in Palestine" should be on the reading list of anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of power, hatred, and faith in the Middle East, and the profiles of Vaclav Havel, Vladimir Putin, and Mike Tyson are fascinating.

Armchair Interviews says: This book is highly recommended for readers who enjoy well-written profiles of interesting people.

Anyone interested in public affairs will find some of the best writing of the last decade here, from Remnick's profiles of Blair, Gore, Havel and Putin to Netanyahu, Sharansky, Arafat and Solzhenitsyn--few reporters have captured these players in a more intelligent, illuminating fashion. In between, there's also fascinating reading with his takes of everyone from Philip Roth and Don DeLillo to Mike Tyson. Even though I had read every single one of these pieces in The New Yorker before, Remnick is one of those rare writers who reads even better the second and third time around. A joy to read from start to finish.

A friend of mine who spent in his early years in the former Soviet Union, and knows its culture well, Moshe Fushman found Remnick's 'Lenin's Tomb' to be one of the most insightful books as yet written about Russian society.
Remnick shows in his investigative interviews an in- depth knowledge of his subjects that enables him to present them in a new light. He is a writer who tends to see things others may not. And certainly he is one with a stance and position of his own.
I saw that clearly in the long New Yorker interview he did with former Israeli Prime Minister Barak. This largely favorable report proved later to somewhat overplay Barak's brilliance and underplay his difficulty in learning from others less brilliant than himself. But in general Remnick in his Middle East interviews shows ( Netanyahu, Sari Nusseibeh, Hamas) good knowledge, with not always the best judgment. His optimism is naive, and his understanding of Palestinian society not really critical enough.
He writes more surely about Solzhenitsyn, Putin, and the world of Eastern Europe. His takes on literary figures beside Solzhenitsyn, Amos Oz, Don DeLillo are also insightful.
In general his pieces tend to have a swiftness and comprehensiveness which makes them, to me, at least very appealing.
This is a first- class collection of essays and highly recommended.

I am Greg Daugherty's son, Jeff Daugherty, and I'd just like to say that it is the best book ever written even though I have never read it in my entire life.

And by the way, for those of you who say he used to be an editor, he is still an editor for Consumer Reports.

Greg Daugherty was the managing editor of Success magazine when I wrote a time-management column for the magazine, so I can speak from experience when I say that he's a talented writer and an expert who knows the magazine industry from the inside out.

With more than 20 years experience in the magazine business, he knows what works. In his book, YOU CAN WRITE FOR MAGAZINES, he shares his knowledge in an informative, inspiring, and entertaining way.

Over the years I've followed the principles that Greg details in his book and I can attest to how practical and useful they are. I've had more than 200 articles published in a wide variety of publications. It's quite a "high" to go into a store, look at the magazine rack, and know that you have articles in three national magazines that month.

The ingredients for success are in Greg's book--first how to get great ideas, then write winning articles (leads, middles, and endings), quizzes, compelling interviews, eye-catching sidebars (13 kinds), query letters that work, and finally prepare your manuscript and sell it--all you need to do is to add your own special brand of creativity and some perseverance.
-- Kathleen Hawkins, president of winningspirit.com and author of Spirit Incorporated: How to Follow Your Spiritual Path from 9 to 5

I finished a short book titled You Can Write For Magazines by Greg Daugherty. It is 124 pages of practical advice on how to turn your writing efforts into salable material for magazines. The book covers how to create ideas, how to write effective query letters to editors to sell those ideas, how manuscripts should be formatted, and so much more. When you get done with this book, you'll have an idea of what you need to do in order to start your career as a part-time freelance writer. If you've been writing already for publications or if you've read other books on this subject, you might not find an abundance of new material here. But the information you will find is concise and readable, so it's worth reviewing it again...

Have you ever considered writing for magazines but were not quite sure how to go about it?
Perhaps, you have wondered how magazines work? How do go about selling your articles?
What about ideas, where do you find them?
These and many more topics are elaborated upon in Greg Daugherty's slim tome, You Can Write For Magazines.
Daugherty is a successful freelance writer and magazine editor for more than 20 years and as he states, "I guess I can qualify as something of an insider in the magazine business now."

The 124 pages of text contain a wealth of detailed information that will invariably prove invaluable to anyone contemplating selling their articles to magazines.
The topics are divided as follows: selling, securing ideas, query letters, manuscript mechanics, leads, how-to articles, writing about people, personal experience articles, quiz writing, sidebars, reviews, rejection, business aspects, reference sources and how to speak "magazine."

From the very onset, we are informed that editors are not gods and that New York is not the cradle of civilization.
In other words, do not be intimidated by the editors and do not hold onto the belief that it is only New York where you will sell your articles.
Once you have overcome this kind of a "stage fright" you are ready to proceed onto the next steps.

Daugherty's familiarity with the subject matter and the fact that he is a seasoned writer adds a great deal of substance to his clear and concise text.

As an example, his dealing with the topic of selling articles is primarily based on the advice "study the magazine." Although the author admits, "this may be the most clichéd advice ever offered to people who want to write for magazines. It may also be the best."
This study should entail looking at the cover, table of contents, masthead, departments, articles, advertising, guidelines, and the various types of magazines. In other words, don't leave any stone unturned, you may unexpectedly find a niche.

An added feature is the inclusion in the last chapter of the book of the jargon used by writers and editors.
The list, although not complete, can help you "speak magazine like a native."
As Daugherty states, if some editor orders you to "kill that widow," you won't end up doing anything you'd regret."

One of the deficiencies of the book, however, is there is an absence of a section dealing with other magazine reference sources and web sites.
This would have been helpful.

Nonetheless, this compact guide will prove to be a welcome addition to a writer's library.

This review first appeared on reviewer's own site

When I first received this how-to book, I thought it didn't look like much. At 124 pages, it was quite a bit smaller then my other writing manuals and reference books. Then I started reading it. I found that on every page of "You Can Write For Magazines", Author Greg Daugherty, has filled them with invaluable advice, ideas, and the dos and don'ts of either breaking into the freelance business, or improving your odds of getting the Editors to consider your ideas for publication.

Having been on both sides of the coin, editor and writer,he is able to let the writers know just what those editors look for(providing you didn't catch them in a bad mood), and he completely understands the writers points of views and feelings, from the dawn of the idea, to the acceptance or rejection. I also liked that this how-to book, was in no way a dry read. Daugherty keeps every page interesting and injects his own brand of humor as well. I read it from cover to cover, but I know I will be returning to it for help in the future.

The book covers it all. You'll learn what goes on behind the scenes in the magazine world, the best techniques for selling your ideas, writing a good query letter to get the attention of the editor(here I would've liked an illustrated example of a query letter for those getting started), brief manuscript mechanics,best way to prepare and conduct interviews, and how to deal with rejection. There are chapters that go into specific types of writing. For example,how to write 'how-to' articles, writing about famous people, writing one of those Quizzes so many magazines have,writing from personal experience and many more ideas even including review work(naturally this was a chapter I found most interesting).One bit of advice here, was to make a light pencil mark, next to notable pages in a book you are to review. If I had done that with this book for review, I would have marked up the entire book, and gone over my word allotment here as well.

Other advice covers, money matters, contracts, your rights, magazine terminology,finding time,other reference books that may be of great help, and what to do after that great day arrives and you are PUBLISHED!This book answers all questions for both fiction and nonfiction, the newbie,and gives solid advice and a fresh outlook on things for those that have been at it for a while.

In Chapter 20, 'The Writer's Reference Shelf',Daugherty, lists 7 essential books for every writer. A Dictionary, a Thesaurus, A Style book(he gives recommendations),Book of Quotations, Encyclopedia(found on most computers these days),an Almanac and an Atlas. I would have to disagree and say there are 8(where magazine writer's are concerned). To that list I would add "You Can Write For Magazines" by Greg Daugherty.

Thanks Mr. Daugherty for all the help. I'm already putting some of it to good use.
It's a Keeper....Laurie

It is true. Not too many Americans are aware that the Founding Fathers called the Articles of Confederation of 1781 our, "first Federal Consti-
tution." Mr. Jensen points out that they were the written expression of the political philosophy of the Declaration of Independence. If one understands the concept of local state sovereignty (or independence) as expressed in the Articles, then they will have a much better understanding of the argument between the Federal Government and the Confederate Government (1861-1865)which was only a continuation of the long argument over the nature of the Union of American States. (And, as one reviewer points out, it is an on going argument until this day.) All in all, it is an excellent read; and very pertinent information.

This is a very old book; it was first published in 1940. Not very many history books are still worth reading almost 70 years after their publication, and this one just barely makes the cut.

What makes this book worth reading is that, very simply, there is virtually nothing newer on the subject. The Articles of Confederation are an important passage in early American history. They are widely regarded as a failure, however, which was superseded by the universally admired Constitution, which now gets all of the attention. The Articles of Confederation are the ugly step-child of American history. No one wants to write about them, so this book from 1940 is still -- by default -- one of the best books on them.

The chief strength of the book, now, is that it describes in some detail the history of how the Articles of Confederation came to be. It gives a very detailed history of the politics of the revolutionary era, not in the large sense of mass politics, but in the more focused sense of the back and forth fighting in Congress. It very properly focuses upon the central importance of the Western lands. Some of the colonies -- Virginia in particular -- had absurd claims to own land all the way to the "South Seas." Other colonies did not. This lead to huge and understandable conflicts.

The weakness of the book is the silly and simplistic interpretation. According to Jensen, the politics of the period is the split between the evil conservatives, who plotted, first, to stay with King George and then, failing that, for an oppressive central government designed to hold down the common man, versus the righteous radicals who opposed all government, of any kind, except local government. In essence, Jensen takes up Jefferson's view of the period -- the battle between democrats and "monocrats" -- changes the labels a bit, but basically endorses it as if that highly partisan view was all there was to it. It is really absurd. Jensen sees leaders such as George Washington and John Adams as pure black conservatives. It is a cartoonish interpretation.

I don't suppose one in ten Americans realize there was a first constitution of the United States before there was "the" Constitution of the United States. Merrill Jensen is the definitive historian of that period - up to 1789 when the present Constitution took effect - and this book is one of several of his covering the topic. Reading of this period would do much to remind Americans that the debate over the nature of American government has been going on since 1776. The debate concerns "weak" central government (the Articles of Confederation) vs. "strong" central government (the Constitution). The Federalists (favoring the Constitution) won politically, but their victory did not settle the argument. Any American presidential or congressional election campaign brings out the same themes sounded 200 years ago as the Constitution faced ratification. In any event, Jensen does much to rehabilitate the history of the Confederation, clarify the agruments, and takes care to note the remarkable accomplishments of the Confederation congress. His writing style is very accessible and the book is a quick read.

Merrill Jensen's "The Articles of Confederation" is a great review of a truly neglected form of government. Jensen shatters the Federalists myths of "national government" and the Continental Congress inheriting the powers of the British Parliament.

Jensen details the beginnings of the federal union in 1774 with the collapse of the colonial governments and the meeting of the First Continental Congress in September 1774. It is shown how conservatives, primarily merchants, land speculators, and admirers of the British government, fought independence up until the very signing of the Declaration of Independence. Although they supported the colonial cause many were frightened by "republicans" and "democracy". Due to these fears they supported a strong central government similar to Britian.

The radicals, Richard Henry Lee, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson,
Thomas Burke, and John Adams were avid supporters of Independence. The radicals also supported a weak central government dependent on the states for support and were unwilling to embrace a new national government. With some exceptions, most radicals were localist and democrats because they believed that through their state governments self government would function best. The conservatives were fearful of local government and it's democratic tendencies. Many were also immersed in land speculation and did not like the participation of the "rabble" in politics.

Jensen takes the Articles from the debate in 1776 through ratification in 1781. One interesting aspect is how the eastern delegates,NY, Maryland,, Pennylvania, etc, were willing to cede the western land to Spain just to keep their region powerful at the expense of the farmers and artisans of the west. Men like Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer, John Jay, Samuel Chase, and John Dickenson were more interested in the land claims than the liberty of the western settlers.

Thomas Jefferson was the most farsighted concerning the west. he proposed Virginia retain title to her claims to be surrendered to Congress only if the land was made into "free and independent states" He also proposed a radical plan to "give land to those who would settle it" thereby attacking the root of land speculation.

Overall the Articles were not a "weak" government, nor were they ineffective as later Federalist propaganda states. They were the embodiment of the American Revolution, revolt against distant centralized authority and the sovereignty of the individual colonies against the centralized power of parliament. Overall a great history.

The review provided by Amazon is so comprehensive that I would urge anyone interested in the details to rather read that for an idea of what exactly to expect. I thought I'd just throw in another opinion to balance the others, that this book is essential reading in my opinion if you have any interest in Hemingway or his work. He himself used in his books many excerpts and ideas from his earlier journalistic work, and much that seems of his own creation had its roots in this early writing. I agree with critics of this book that not all pieces are of the same quality, and some of the really early ones are written in a different, almost youthful style (he was only 21 for the earliest pieces) that was not always easy reading for me either. But once you've gotten through these earlier ones, you can look forward to a fascinating collection of articles written with a great deal of insight into whatever he was writing about, be it Mussolini or fly-fishing.

Hemingway's work here is very valuable but the book has a smallish typeface and it is printed in grey rather than black, so it is awkward to read unless your eyes are perfect. Also the book is heavier than I think it needs to be. Among Hemingway's best work his short stories stand out most, and these articles are worth having along with them. My favourites are about skiing in Switzerland and also Christmas in Europe.

I loved this book! Hemingway's fiction and journalism frequently interchange themes and even wholesale passages. This takes nothing away from either, rather demonstrating that good writing finds application in either venue. It is a vastly interesting piece of work to a reader that has an intrinsic interest in Hemingway, and his life and times. It is less interesting to the reader looking for a story, though there are some great ones in there. These pieces added a lot to my understanding of an american icon.

Papa took pride in his image as the hard-bitten, hard-drinking newspaperman, but these entries suggest he was more of a columnist than a reporter. The most interesting section involves his monthly letters to Esquire magazine in which he rambles amusingly about typical Hemingway concerns -- fishing, hunting, writing. If you would like to step back in time and read Hemingway as Esquire's readers did in the 1930s, this is for you. The pre-WW2 writings suggest Papa as an isolationist; some of his most powerful writing involves the cruel realities of warfare. His WW2 writings are crisp and clear, too, although some of the political discussions are dated and, as such, dry. Still, his trademark tone and style are evident, and fans of The Great Man will enjoy leafing through these random scattershots.

This is the book that inspired the movie "Meet the Robinsons" but don't expect it to be the same stories. Similar characters, great illustrations and a fun story, but don't make the mistake of selling it to your kids as "the Meet the Robinson's" book. Just let it stand on its own and they'll recognize the characters if they've seen the movie.

We ordered this story book right after we bought and viewed "Meet the Robinsons," which we thoroughly enjoyed! I then had the opportunity to enjoy reading this story (on which the movie was based) to my 4-year old little boy. What a great story line ... what a great concept ... what an imagination! My kiddo got more excited with every page and the illustrations were incredible. I am now an official William Joyce fan. We look forward to enjoying many more of his creations in the future!

First off, my son loves this book. He's 3 1/2 and he has wanted it to be read to him before night time and nap time for the past week. That means that it's up there.
It's a neat book that looks like it takes place in the 20's. Basically, it's two boys wandering around the Robinson Estate, and they are looking for Grandpa and his false teeth. The different pages tell of encounters with different family members. I don't really think of myself as a radical, but they mainly meet male members of the family who are inventing something or doing something cool. Women are mentioned a few times. The sisters are talking on the phone and trying on their prom dress. The grandmother is helping the grandfather. The mom is helping the dad. And at the end there is a lively reading of tarzan by the mom. But I was left wanting to read about someone like a wacky aunt who just got back from Africa or some woman with a little vigor.

I was afraid that my kids would not resonate to this book after expectations that it was the Meet the Robinsons book. That was not the case. My children love this book and have repeatedly asked to have it read at bedtime. There are similarities in the book to the movie, but the overall plot is quite different. The differences are quite enjoyable. It's a much simpler story, so it works better at bedtime and with a wider age range of children. The author and illustrator also created Rolie Polie Olie and the book has the same retro- cartoon style. The artwork is quite endearing. Would love to have some of the illustrations to hang on the wall.

I am a Chinese and have learned English for almost 20 years. I am OK with most English grammars, but still I have a lot of trouble with articles. I found this book is very helpful. Although it did not explain why, it provides a lot of useful rules and the exercises corresponding to the rules are very helpful. I recommend this book.

As far as I'm aware, this is the only book of its type. As such it is a valuable tool for the student trying to improve his/her ability with articles. However, too many of the example sentences used in the book are decidedly unnatural. Also, some of the rules are too dogmatic - English is rather more flexible than the author allows. Finally, the book has a number of misprints and errors. Not enough to seriously undermine the text, but enough to make you wary.

To sum up, a reasonable text, which covers most of the ground. Some updated examples and a greater attention to detail would help greatly.

Using the right English article is the most challenging part of the English language for those Asian students whose native languages do not exercise articles as distinctivey as the English does. (Plural/singular words is the next hardest part.) Even for those who have achieved considerable skills in English as the second language confess a trouble with articles. This book does a great job removing the haze in association with the use of articles. As a Korean student, I have been looking for a book like this for years. I sincerely thank the author for having introduced this book although I wish he had covered more extensively with this subject in this book.

One of those books that grabs you and makes you read it all the way through to the end before you can ever think about putting it down. I could only think of Sean Connery playing the lead in this one. A fascinating story that is well written with a hard to accept background on how the book got started. I feel comfortable recommending this book as a must read to all !

A wonderful "male-action-adventure" novel with romance, intriguing characters and some tender moments to captivate even a female reader well into the wee hours of the night. It all seemed so real -- it COULD be real! I finished "Articles" on the third day of reading at 3 a.m. and found myself thinking about Danny, his dad and the rest of his family for days afterwards. I hope Rodin is working on a sequel...

The book is taut in its narrative, suspenseful in drama and probably "not far from the truth" in content. First half of the book is very well written - surely a page-turner with some interesting twists to the plot. Towards the end, the author seems to run out of ideas to "stretch" the storyline. All in all, an excellent first novel from Rodin. Enjoy!