Anthony Books

Anthony P. Mauro is back, hot off another African safari, with wisps of smoke still rising from the mopane logs and the pen in his hand. But his latest work is more than a re-account of a game-laden safari.

The New Age Hunter asks the question that has wrinkled the brow of anti-hunting urbanites since the practice of vegetarianism became en vogue; a question that is imperative hunters answer before the inevitable political battles over the future of hunting come to a head.

Mauro asks why a modern person, who does not depend on procuring his own protein for survival, still chooses to hunt.

He writes, "... it is the spiritual aspect that is the most compelling reason for why we hunt, but it ranks as the least understood by non-hunters. ..."

Using an anthropologist-type study of human evolution, a psychologist's analyzation of the human psyche, and combining his empirical and biological data with a hunter's insight and a writer's gift to weave theory with entertainment, Mauro takes as good a shot at nailing this critical question since the influential words of James Swan.

If you are a hunter intent on preserving your way of life, a conservationist, a student looking for truthful answers, or a non-hunter with a desire to understand the hunter's unwavering mindset, "The New Age Hunter" by Anthony Mauro is a worthy read.

--Jeff H. Johnston, Associate Editor, American Hunter magazine

Note from the author: The New Age Hunter has been chosen by iUniverse publishing for inclusion in its Editor's Choice program - the mark for creative writing and commitment to excellence. (A 5 star rating was selected because a rating must be chosen).

This volume is a great, concise analysis of the New Deal's political economy. Badger opens with a short account of the economic causes of the Great Depression, detailing problems with maintaining consumer demand sufficently to match the overwhelming productive capacities of the American economy. As this gap expanded and factories were forced to go idle, American businessmen followed a range of investment opportunities and incentives overseas (with the hope of helping European economies so they could pay off their World War I debts to Uncle Sam) at the expense of reinvesting in American businesses. Deflationary national and international monetary policies, combined with a worsening international economic situation (which hurt further the production potential of American business) sealed the fate of the American economy in the early 1930s.

Badger looks at the New Deal's response to this dark situation in several areas: industrial policy, labor relations, agrucultural politics, welfare policy and coalitional politics. In each of these areas, Badger emphasizes the constraints that Franklin Roosevelt faced in attempting systematic reform. At first, Roosevelt had to stress recovery over reform: in the dark, dark, days of the winter of 1932-33, people needed a sense that help was on the way immediately not a few months down the line. Later, when the economy at least stablized, he had to assess realistically his desire for economic restructuring and social justice (to the extent he possessed such intentions) against growing congressional conservatism, the power of localism in the administration of New Deal reforms (which usually worked to the benefit of local elites), and the belief of most working and middle class Americans in the American creed of individualism and laissez faire capitalism.

In sketching this, Badger seems to be most interested in countering critiques from the left concerning President Roosevelt and the New Deal. From the left, historians have argued that government and coporate leadership concocted the New Deal to save capitalism and inhibit the native radicalism of the American citizen confronted with the overwhelming catastrophe of the Great Depression. This cabal highjacked revolution and preserved capitalism.

Professor Badger agrees that Roosevelt saved capitalism, but he did so against the tooth and nail efforts of almost all capitalists in America, who did not appreciate FDR's efforts on their behalf. There was no cabal, just a lot of animosity between Roosevelt and industrialists. With a handful of enlightened exceptions (many of whom reaped big time benefits in World War II mobilization) capitalists were too shortsighted to engage in a plot to stave off revolution.

Badger's main critque of Roosevelt is that he should have embraced governmental spending -- Keynsianism -- on a systematic basis much earlier in the 1930s (he grudgingly accepted the eocnomic principles of Keynes only in 1938). This would have raised wages and thus increased demand. Had that happened earlier in the 1930s, Badger argues, Roosevelt could then have focused, if he wished, on the systematic reform of the American economy, and genuine social justice.

Regardless of how you feel about the correctness of Badger's analysis of Roosevelt's motivations and achievements, this is one of the best single volume treatments of the New Deal. It is an excellent case study of the political/historical constraints of politicians and policy makers in America, in the face of certain institutional and political cultural constraints.

Anthony Badger is a most distinguished professor of history at Cambridge in England. Few people better understand the Great Depression in America and the New Deal than Badger. This is a work of the highest caliber.

The book should actually be titled "The Great Depression and the New Deal," because it first brilliantly describes the Great Depression and the causes. He presents differing interpretations, which I really appreciated. Not everyone agrees. Not all aspects of America experienced the Depression the same, so Badger presents several observations. The portrait he paints is simply outstanding.

His analysis of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal is excellent. Badger has read everything written about the Great Depression, it seems. There are no better studies than this book, in my opinion. This is an important and authoritative review of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, and is even suitable as a college text.

My only quibble is that Badger should have more thoroughly covered the massive infrastructure investments that Roosevelt made, which greatly contributed to the economic boom during the second-half of the 20th Century. Badger also does not cover the post-war boom, which is an extension of the New Deal reforms and investments. In my opinion, Badger somewhat focuses too much as the relief aspects of the New Deal, but only slightly.

There recently has been a slight reinterpretation of the New Deal, with an emphasis on the infrastructure investments and the political economy. For example, read "Building New Deal Liberalism: The Political Economy of Public Works, 1933-1956" by Jason Scott Smith. Also read "The New Dealers: Power Politics in the Age of Roosevelt" by Jordan A. Schwarz.

Also consider Schlesinger's classic multi-volume history of the New Deal era.

New Departures is a fantastic look at what other cultures are doing right with passenger rail, and what America (and Canada, for that matter) is doing wrong. It's really a one of a kind volume, because so many books on Amtrak take highly polarized views of what should occur with that agency. Instead, Anthony Pearl illustrates rail policy that actually works in several countries around the world, and explains America's failed attempts at high speed rail. He does not make political judgments (such as Joseph Vranich's "End of the Line" and "Derailed" do), but rather succinctly provides a wealth of information about what actually works. I walked away from New Departures with an immense wealth of knowledge about passenger rail policy and its history in the US and the world. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in passenger rail policy and Amtrak.

I found the book to be the most insightful analysis of passenger rail at the global level I've ever seen. It is a great resource for anyone involved in policy, or for someone who just wants to know 'why we don't have trains like Japan or Europe'. To his credit, Dr.Perl does not come up with a crystal-clear solution for the future of Amtrak. This is reflective of the reality of the mix of economics and politics that is US transport policy, namely that: funding for passenger rail is a subsidy, but funding for road and air is infrastructure.

What a surprise New Hope for Divorced Catholics was for me. I thought being a divorced person that I could never marry again before God. The well-written book 'New Hope for Divorced Catholics' opened my eyes that not every marriage is put together by God, that annulments are used only in 15% of the Catholic world, that the process, though good for the educated Western mind, is a liability to the poor and many ethnic groups. I never knew the process is virtually only 35 years old in a 2000 year old Church. The concept of the death of a marriage was most understandable. It was fascinating to learn that if marriage is a Sacrament, in abuse it can be a sacrilege. This book is well titled. Truly, it is new hope for divorced Catholics and, I would add, for all Christians.

As a Catholic divorcee, I found New Hope for Divorced Catholics to be a superb book. I discovered profound understanding of a divorced person, startling insights into our Christian tradition, and a common-sense view of how no one is without a solution. This book is a must for all divorced Christians who have a faith, and all those in ministry who help the divorced and separated.

Mockler follows up his excellent first work, "Mercenaries," - which covered mercenaries from the Condottieri to the Congo, with a sequel that goes all the way up to 1981, the year of the failed Seychelles coup. In this we learn, for instance, of novelist Frederick Forsyth's alleged plot to stage a coup on the West African island of Fernando Po; we learn of the outcome of the Biafran war and the stunning Luanda show-trial of mercenaries fighting for UNITA in the Angolan wars. The real highlight of the book, however, is the story of "Mad Mike" Hoare's attempted ousting of Seychelles President Rene in 1981; a plot that began, ironically, when Hoare and certain other "technical assistants" to the 1978 film Wild Geese talked themselves out of retirement - much like the conversation between Richard Burton and Richard Harris in the film! Mockler actually proves a staunch defender of Hoare's coup attempt; Mockler thinks that President Rene was bad news and that the plot - widely ridiculed in the world press - actually came within a whisker of success. A terrific tale of recent history.

This book charts the history of mercenary campaigns, from medieval europe to the congo and beyond. It has all the big names, Mad Mike Hoare , Denard , Schramme et al and it tells the story interestingly and precisely being an interesting read and well worth whatever cost it is at. It is the best mercenary book I have read in a long time

This book is an excellent work of scholarship that examines Braxton's musical education in Chicago (AACM) in the 60s, his music as it progressed throughout the 70s, and, most importantly, how the media treated Braxton during these periods. It is essential reading for those who want a better understanding of not only Braxton's music but also the definitions imposed on creative music by the media establishment.

This book represents the best of jazz journalism. Radano writes extensivly about Braxton, but also captures the essence of the Chicago Jazz scene in the late 60's and the complexities of being a black avant-garde artist in an era where such things are just not accepted.

Part biography, part explication, part cultural critique, Radano manages to talk knowledgably and extensively about Braxton's music without resorting to technical jargon or waxing romantic like a fan...both serious mistakes of most jazz critics. And he also charts a sympethetic course through the philosophical divides of black artists in the 60's without taking sides or launching into unfounded polemics. Instead, Radaon's central premise, that Braxton's unique musical vision has never found a place in American musical society due to it's difficulty of classification (is it jazz? is it European oriented experimental music? What do we call this stuff?) and due to the less than orthodox education and views of it's creator, rings true in light of the facts of Braxto's life and the critical coverage and destruction that he recieved in the 70s and 80s.

Radano also does a marvelous job explaining Braxton's notoriously difficult philosophic/musical theories. The Triaxium writings are very difficult for the uninitiated (as are most free musician's theories - try making sense out of Ornette Coleman's descriptions of harmelodics...it's pretty tough going, though the results are stunning.) Radano strips away some of the deliberately obscure language that Braxton uses and gives us "Triaxium lite" as it were. Though this may seem on some level sacriligious, for many of us who truly admire Braxton and want to understand his thought, this helps enormously. It's made it possible for me to understand more of the liner notes on Braxton albums.

This book is recommended highly, both for fans of the composer/improvisor, and for anyone interested in the sad state of American culture at the end of the millenium. One hopes that Radano will decide to revise this book in light of the developments of the last 10 years (the book came out in 1993). Braxton's tenure as professor at Wesleyan University and his creation of an entirely new genre of music (Ghost Trance Music), along with a greater, belated appreciation of his notated music, may change some of Radano's conclusions, or at least inform them a bit.

This book includes the bios of many of the vaudeville headliners. It is well written and concise.

I own several of these paperback books (called: IMAGES OF AMERICA). These compact books never disappoint me. This company is still producing these wonderful books today ,and every few months, the company adds to the various IMAGES OF AMERICA themes.

I bought this book because I wanted a "general" photo book showing photos of the most well-known of the Vaudeville performers, especially those from New york.
This book did not disappoint. Under each photo, there is also a brief description of the actor-performer.

(NOTE: There are no side-show performers in this book. This book is mostly about singers and actors/actresses from the early days of Vaudeville in NEW YORK).

Each chapter also gives a brief description of the Era of Vaudeville. Very interesting information.

The price for these small IMAGES OF AMERICA paperbacks are always low ($) and affordable. For me, they are worthwhile to own in any Library.

Nightmare, by J. Anthony Lukas

In April 1973 J. Anthony Lukas was assigned to write an article on Watergate. This was followed by a second article; then a third. This book covers the whole story of Richard Nixon's abuse of his presidential powers. Chapter 1 starts with the 1970 election, which was not favorable to Nixon's hopes. He wanted a big victory in 1972. Attorney-General John Mitchell was a state and municipal bond lawyer who new about back-room deals. Protests in May 1971 Washington were met with Nixon's public disdain; privately he was worried (p.10). Nixon chose young men who had no independent judgment (p.8). Nixon felt threatened by the Establishment: "Wall Street, Cambridge, Georgetown" and others (p.13). A private security entity was created to investigate Nixon's enemies. [Was Nixon's problems due to an inferiority complex "lifelong sense of powerlessness" (p.18)?] Chapter 2 describes the insecurity of Nixon. The Huston Plan was killed by J. Edgar Hoover; but it seems to have gone forward (p.37). Sophisticated officials don't discuss secrets over a telephone, but in person in a private place (p.55). You never know who is listening to you.

Nixon's 1972 campaign raised an unusually large amount of corporate money; often from companies that had problems in Washington (p.127). [Is creating problems for corporations a way for government to raise campaign contributions?] "Most contributions from the business community ... are made in response to pressure ..." (P.128). [The more business is regulated, the more money that can be extracted by the officials in Washington. "They all do it."] Nixon also raised money from the wealthy who wanted to be appointed ambassadors (p.134). Page 142 shows how a company backs the twin-party system. There are no witnesses on a golf course. [Could Nixon's greediness have caused the Establishment to turn on him after the election?] Kevin Phillips' book noted that the lack of a Wallace candidacy would swell the 1972 Republican vote (p.147). Nixon tried to stop Wallace (pp.147-149), and failed. But something happened (p.150). The most famous dirty trick was on Ed Muskie (p.163). Bogus letters to newspapers and congressmen were used to create public support for Nixon, at least 50 a week (p.166). There is a report about Senator Thomas Eagleton's health (p.168). The next step was to stage break-ins (before Watergate).

And so the book continues with so very many pages on the Nixon Presidency. The Note on Sources says there was a glut of information where the difficulty was finding the truth among self-serving and conflicting data. The 45 pages of index to the 569 pages of text make this a reference book on Nixon's Presidency. The Sources list the books, articles, interviews, documents, and remarks used for this book. This is a one-volume book of information this topic. Lukas watched what Nixon did, not what he said. Not much has changed since this 1975 book was published. Lukas' comment that W. Mark Felt, Jr. was believed to be the source called "Deep Throat" has been confirmed (p.273). [The pagination is from the hardcover edition.]

Last time I looked, Woodward & Bernstein's "All the President"s Men" had 58 Amazon reviews; Lukas' "Nightmare" had none. Now, that's a travesty. If you have to read just one book about Watergate this book has no competitor. If you have to read just one book to show what good journalism can be, ditto. We say that journalism at best is "a rough draft" and we need to await "the verdict of history." But Lukas put this together in a matter of months and after 30-odd years, it still stands unchallenged on the shelf.

The fulcrum of this book is, of course, the "third-rate burglary" from which Watergate takes its name. But Lukas is far-sighted enough not to begin with that. He gives us the larger context of the early Nixon years: the internal wiretapping, the fund-raising money machine, the systematic campaign of dirty tricks against the 1972 Democratic campaign, both primary and general.

Indeed, for me perhaps the true pivot point is not the burglary at all, but rather that moment in January, 1972, when Gordon Liddy launched "a well-prepared thirty-minute 'show-and-tell'" to introduced "Project Gemstone" -- intended as "a vast intelligence-gathering and dirty-tricks campaign" against the Democrats and (one would have to say) against the electoral process itself. Here it all is: electronic surveillance and wiretapping; breakins; kidnap squads; mugging squads; call girls; sabotage. John Dean says he found it "mind-boggling." But Attorney General John Mitchell was more restrained: "That's not quite what we had in mind," he said. And Jeb Magruder was more proactive: "Cheer up, Gordon," he said, "You just tone the plan down a little and we'll try again."

For my money, that is the point at which any decent public servant would have stood up and shouted "GET THIS GUY OUT OF HERE! Don't let him come within a dung-fork's distance of any public policy issue any time, anywhere, ever again." Of course we know better now: in fact, Liddy's campaign did go forward largely as he had planned it. And it was not a free-lance operation: rather, it was embedded at the very heart of the Nixon administration.

From the introduction of Gemstone we move on moment by moment through the burglary, the coverup, the coverup of the coverup and finally, Nixon's resignation. By that point, almost any reader will concede that Lukas has documented his case. The denoument is the celebrated "smoking gun" -- the text of the tape of Nixon's conversation on June 23, 1972.

"What made the tape so damaging," says Lukas, "was ... the plain, irrefutable language which showed that six days after the Watergate burglary the President of the United States knew a great deal about the break-in, realized that Liddy and [E. Howard] Hunt had been involved, recognized Mitchell's probable complicity, personally ordered a cover-up of the facts, and used the CIA and the FBI to protect his personal political interests."

Watergate was a tragedy, of course, and any honest account is bound to make pretty sordid reading. But at the end, one can find uplift. For however many people behaved badly, quite a lot of people behaved well: famously Eliot Richardson, who resigned as Attorney General rather than fire Archibald Cox; perhaps more subtly Congressman Peter W. Rodino, Jr., who succeeded (at no small efort) in keeping the House hearings decent and honorable; more surprisingly Congressman Lawrence Hogan, conservative Republican from Maryland who upstaged some of his more liberal colleagues by declaring for impeachment (he was offended at what Nixon had done to the FBI). And I'd even save a kind word for Hugh W. Sloan, Jr., a campaign staffer who did, concededly, take part in some of the money-sloshing, but who in the end refused to go along with the coverup.

Woodward and Bernstein have their place in Watergate history, if not nearly as great as their own (well--Woodward's) self-promotion would suggest. If they did not originate much in the way of real Watergate news, they did a great deal to keep the topic on the agenda. But their project also did a great deal of long-term harm, helping to facilitate the growth of a climate of "client journalism" where reporters get cozy with sources and manipulate the process as much as any active participant. Tony Lukas died far too young (and a suicide). As a monmument, he leaves a body of exemplary journalism, of which this is a capstone.

This remarkable little book, by an adept and adroit translator, is not merely a superb rendition of a beautiful, compelling poem; it is an ingeniously enlightening and entertaining look at the poet's times and the poem's context.

For those interested in John's Gospel and early Christianity, this book is an invaluable resource. For those who simply love great literature, this extrordinary translation brings a true poetic gem to the modern world.

Mark Anthony Prost has done something very important. His traslation of the work of a 5th Century Poet, Nonnos of Panopolis, "The Paraphase of the Gospel of John" is the first time ever in the English language. Mr. Prost's translation into English captures the flavor of the poem by using the traditional English form used by Milton and Shakespeare. But it goes deeper than that technicality, it brings to life a beatiful work of art that has been missing to English speaking poets until now. Discover this jewel!!!

November Friend is an excellent debut novel from Anthony Rivers and is a tale based upon two major things that most of us hold dearly: love and friendship. The book opens with an introduction to Christian, a writer for a magazine, and his chance meeting with Tanya....a beautiful, career-oriented woman who's not quite sure of what she wants in a relationship or hasn't fully decided if she even wants one.

Also introduced in the book are: Nicholas, Pam, Maiya, and Reggie. The characters and tone of voice in the book set an atmosphere in which you feel as if you're either talking or listening to your best friend. I found myself laughing at the commentary between the characters and also at times, feeling their pain, especially Christian's desire to find the "one" who would love him unconditionally and completely. And, I could also relate to Maiya's pain with the "drama" she went through even though I've never been faced with the consequences she endured.

The book alternates between the viewpoint of Christian, Maiya, and Tanya and once you start reading it, you will NOT want to put it down. You can feel Anthony's excitement for his characters from page one until the very end....and you'll be screaming for more. You might even be like me and start filling up his email box with queries on when the sequel will be ready. The ending will definitely amaze a lot of folks because it's not your typical ending that you would expect from a novel, but it will definitely have a dramatic affect on how you view love, life, and friendships.

Anthony's writing style is warm and refreshing and you'll find yourself in a sea of happiness and feel a bond of friendship with him and his characters. I felt as if I were enveloped in a cloud of warmth while reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who's had and lost a friend or to those who have dreamed and hoped for true love. Anthony Rivers is here to make his mark on Literature! Don't miss out....

~Tee C. Royal
Founder, R.A.W. SISTAZ Book Club

Captivating, intriguing, warm, a must read...!!!! The characters will draw you in a make you a part of thier lives. But could you stand the excitment? And the friendship? Find out for yourself. I did. (smile)