Adams Books

Absolutely hilarious! Makes me want to listen to the radio broadcast all over again.

These authors take you through the 5-book Trilogy (although they mostly focus on the first 3 books) in a series of essays. They are all light hearted, but some of them are more serious that others. It also includes a great interview of Douglas Adams from the 80s.

I had a lot of fun with the book and remembering my favorite scenes. The essays also helped me see different interpretations of the actions of the characters. I recommend it for the bookshelf of any H2G2 fan!

The book covers tons of details, from how important food is to the series, to computer design, the meaning of life, the meaning of 42, Marvin's place in the universe, Vogon poetry and even British humor. At under 199 pages, this tiny book seems to cover a lot, but I feel they could have done so much more. There is so much to debate and think about when it comes to Adam's universe that this book barely peeled off the first layer of the massive tome. But maybe we should leave some mystery for future readers to find and enjoy on their own?
To list just SOME of the contributors whose work is within these pages we have Stephen Baxter, Susan Sizemore and Adam Roberts.

Twenty essays make up The Anthology at the End of the Universe and each author basically tries to tell us what is so important about the 5 book Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy. It's sort of like the old joke about the blind men each trying to describe an elephant when they each had only a small piece of the animal in their grip. No one essay can be expected to give you a definitive answer as to what the Hitchhiker's Guide is truly about or what Douglas Adams' message was when he wrote it. What the essays do is give you an understanding of why the books are so popular and how so many people have found a place for them in their lives and hearts.

Some of these essays had me laughing out loud so that I had to read those parts to my husband to prove I hadn't really gone off the deep end. Other's had me wondering about how you could come up with such serious connections from a series of comedic science fiction books. Then there were the essays that had me saying, "hmm, never thought of that". And of course, being me, there were the essays that had me sniffling discreetly into a tissue. There's a lot to like in this collection of essays. However, they are essays rather than short stories and if you're looking for the latter this book is not for you.

Mike Byrne in "Beware of the Leopard", Cory Doctorow in "Wikipedia: A Genuine H2G2 - Minus the Editor, and Bruce Bethke in " The Secret Symbiosis: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Its Impact on Real Computer Science" talk about the impact that Hitchhiker's Guide has had on computer science, computer interface design, the internet as a communications media, and the impetus it was in starting many young people on a career in the sciences. The Guide in the television version, while done with colored gels and press on letters was heads and shoulders above what computers at the time were capable of achieving. Once people saw what a really good user interface could be like they demanded better than they had and the computer companies listened. In some ways, we have Douglas Adams to thank for the usability of computers because once users began to think there could be something better they demanded it.

Others see the Hitchhiker's Guide as a round about way to think of the truly important things in life: religion, humor, 42, looking at the world as it is. The following essays dealt more with the philosophical aspects of the books: "That About Wraps it up for Oolon Colluphid" by Don Debrandt; "The Holy Trilogy" by Selina Rosen (this one is so funny it should have a spew alert); "The Zen of 42" by Marie-Catherine Caillava.

No book about the Guide could be complete without a mention of Vogon poetry. Lawrence Watt-Evans in "A Consideration of Certain Aspects of Vogon Poetry" discusses the merits of quantifying poetry so that the Guide can equivocally say that Vogon poetry is the third worst. He also wonders about Arthur's seeming immunity to it.

Adam Roberts in "42" and Jacqueline Carey in "Yes, I Got It" discuss the philosophy of humor and its place in our lives. While Susan Sizemore in "You Can't Go Home Again, Damn It! Even If Your Planet Hasn't Been Blown Up by Vogons" realizes that the person she was when first exposed to the Guide and the person she is now do not view the Guide in the same way. Even with all the happy memories of that first reading, she finds that it doesn't have the same impact now as it did then.

Food, food, glorious food. Douglas Adams loved a good meal especially with good friends and food plays an important role in the Hitchhiker's Guide. The role of food is touched upon by Steven Baxter in "Lunching at the Eschaton: Douglas Adams and the End of the Universe in Science Fiction", A.M. Dellamonica in "Digital Watches May Be a Pretty Neat Idea, But Peanuts and Beer Are What Get You Through the Apocalypse".

When the world or universe is off kilter or just plain crazy, how do you remain sane when all about you are crazy? Well, some writers have evidently come up with some ideas on how to remain sane in a crazy world from their reading of the Guide: "The Subversive Dismal Scientist: Douglas Adams and the Rule of Unreason" by Vox Day; "Another Fine Mess" by Adam Troy Castro; "The Only Sane Man in the Universe" by Marguerite Krause; "Douglas Adams and the Wisdom of Madness" by John Shirley; and "Loop-Surface Security: The Image of the Towel in a Vagabond Universe - A Semiotic (Semi-Odd) Excursion" by Mark W. Tiedemann.

There's also an interview with Douglas Adam by John Shirley ("A Talk with Douglas Adams"). Amy Berner in "Words to Live " talks about how everything she needed to learn to life live she learned from the Hitchhiker's Guide. "Goodnight, Marvin" by Maria Alexander is the final essay in the book and a touching tribute to Douglas as a person who touched many of our lives with his writing.

Miller has taken a little-known set of antebellum incidents and made them live. The book is both a scholarly work and highly readable for the layman. Miller provides a modicum of "modern parallels" and editorial asides that would, if they weren't so intelligent, be inappropriate. As it is, his observations along these lines as the book progresses makes the work more interesting rather than less. This book is more interesting that last year's biography of John Quincy Adams, which I also enjoyed.

William Lee Miller, the wonderfully readable historian and author of a number of political history books, here turns his attentian to the United States Congress. His protaganist is John Quincy Adams, (of recent AMISTED fame) fighting the Southern block of congressmen who want to keep petitions for the abolition of slavery off the floor of the House of Representatives. The question of wether Adams will eventually defeat the "Gag Rule" builds from begining to end.

Miller's real strength, however, is his ability to write. He turns what could have been a dry history of congressional politics into a battle for the very soul of the nation. When Adams finnaly wins the battle, in the end, while nearly dying on the floor of congress, you want to stand up and cheer.

This episode of American history has rarely been given more than a line or two from the average college textbook. But by reading this book, you become half convinced this was one of the most momentous occasions in the history of the American nation, and perhaps that is the finist compliment I can give William Lee Miller.

Arguing About Slavery has a very difficult subject to make live, what William Lee Miller calls the "tedium and sublimity" of republican debate. The historian's duty to be evenhanded even when faced with the moral pit of slavery doesn't make the job any easier. Yet, Miller handles these problems with aplomb and, more, handily succeeds.

At about 500 pages, Arguing About Slavery is concerned with the parliamentary debate and tactics used by pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in the Congress in the 1830's and 40's. It shows how, nearly single handedly, John Quincy Adams insistence on the right to petition exposed the South's determination to controvert the Constitution in its quest to shelter the practice of slavery from congressional criticism. By the time the Congress puts the "gag rule" to rest, Adam's exposé had made abolitionism a powerful and accepted political force in the North.

Miller storytelling skills has the reader discovering the extent of sophistry the pro-slavery forces were willing to go to as they were forced to resort to deeper and deeper hypocrisy. He does this, however, without denigrating the men of the South. Indeed, much of the enjoyment you'll derive from reading Arguing About Slavery will come from the rhetorical skills the Southern Congressmen liberally display throughout.

Although Miller's protagonist is clearly J.Q. Adams, he spends considerable effort on a broad cast of characters, from the original abolitionists and their puritan backgrounds -- the Grimké sisters, Theodore Weld, Elizur Wright, Elijah Lovejoy -- to Adam's allies in the House -- Joshua Giddings, William Slade -- to the pro-slavery giants -- John C. Calhoun, Caleb Cushing, Francis Pinkens -- and moderates like Henry Pinkney (whose gag rule ironically was intended as a compromise) and President Martin Van Buren. If these biographies are not familiar to you, these and others in Arguing About Slavery should be. Miller describes the history and premises of all parties involved, but doesn't interrupt the flow of the tale to do so.

Miller does an incredible job of making the tedium and sublimity of republican debate come alive and at the end of the book you better understand the place of liberty in America's national consciousness, the intellectual forces that led to the Civil War, and the nature of the founders' relationship to the practice of slavery itself. The only criticism I have is that sometimes Miller's rhetoric is a bit too partisan, which reduces the value of the book as ammunition against slavery's apologists, which do still exist. But that has nothing to do with merits of the book as a work of the historical art, which are excellent.

This is an excellent book, one that surpassed any expectation I might have had for it. And my expectations were high, because the critics spoke so highly of it when it was released. Still, I doubted whether a decade-long legislative battle could carry my interest for 300+ pages. I was wrong. Every page and character was interesting, and the consistent imagery of John Quincy Adams, in the sunset of his political career, battling the southern foes in Congress on a daily basis is an enduring one. Books like this one should be substituted for the dry history curriculum that I had in high school.

This was the most useful book I've ever read. I learned more about myself and ways to make myself a better leader from this book than from any other. Many helpful and enlightening excercises to complete and reflect over. I'd recommend it highly.

This was the first time ordering college textbooks for us, and the book came in early, and in excellent codition. Thanks!

An excellent book that should be on every leaders/managers/supervisors desk. It provides great basic material that should be learned in college leadership/management courses. The concepts and practices are covered at an appropriate depth.

It would be best used in the classroom or with a small group of current or prospective leaders, but is a little difficult for the person who is used to reading and learning because of numerous learning exercises.

Again, the basic leadership concepts are there, better than most publications. On the other hand it is difficult to use as a reference source because the index is overly populated with names of authors and not to content material.

Book is very expensive!

My two suggestions for improving the book would be to help new and existing leaders assess their competencies so they understand where they should focus their learning. The book is probably overwhelming to most readers when observed in total without understanding I am strong in this area and need to learn more in this area. Secondly, leaders/managers/supervisors must understand that leadership/management is a process that draws on this learning at different times as needed. Until they understand this they cannot apply this material or any of the broad array of books, concepts or strategies for managing on the market. I feel we confuse leaders/managers as much as we help them without helping them understand how and when to apply the vast array of leadership/management learning and concepts. When one understands the process of management and the need for various competencies and skills to address particular situational issues, the the material becomes invaluable.

You may think from the critique above I would not recommend the book, but I do recommend it. Again, it is a great book and worth the money if studied and the concepts applied to the process of leadership and management. A great book for classroom or group learning!

Leadership is a tough subject to teach. There are plenty of books with 'leadership' in the title and as many definitions of leadership as there are authors writing about leadership. This book will be a big help to the professor looking for an integrative solution for the classroom.

Manning and Curtis do a wonderful job for the teacher looking for a comprehensive, engaging tool for teaching students about the 'art' of leadership. In the process, Manning and Curtis offer a variety of interesting and involving exercises, essays, examples, and ideas about the practice and profession of leadership. Over sixty people assisted in the review process to develop the book.

Manning is a psychology professor and Curtis is a professor and coordinator of leadership and organizational studies, both at Northern Kentucky University.

This is a 368-page workbook, with more than thirty exercises designed to illustrate various aspects of leadership. The book is divided into nine parts and 28 chapters, including parts on vision, ethics, empowerment and performance management, among others. Leaders are portrayed as teachers, heroes and rulers. Chapters include self-assessment and end-of-the-chapter summaries with answer keys. There are sixteen pages of current endnotes and a lengthy glossary.

"Baseball as America: Seeing Ourselves Through Our National Game" was the companion volume the landmark traveling exhibition from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. As its thesis this book takes Jacques Barzun's declaration "Who ever wants to know the heart and mind of American had better learn baseball." Within these 320 pages you will find yourself exploring every aspect of the American pastime lavishly illustrated and even long time baseball fans will be surprised at how much they will read and see that is new to them.

After an introduction by Jules Tygiel, which features a 1860 Currier and Ives lithograph showing Lincoln and his opponents for the presidency describing their platforms in baseball terms, "Baseball as America" is divided into seven units: Our National Spirit, Ideals and Injustices, Rooting for the Team, Enterprise and Opportunity, Sharing a Common Culture, Invention and Ingenuity, and Weaving Myths. Within these pages you will find Robert K. Adair explaining the science of the curve ball invented by Candy Cummings but first explained by a 23 year old Isaac Newton and Paul Simon explaining to Joe DiMaggio his use of Joltin' Joe's name as an emblematic icon in the song "Mrs. Robinson." There is Dan Shaughnessy's "Obituary of Elizabeth Dooley" the legendary Boston Red Sox fan and Buck O'Neil explaining how the Chicago Cubs traded away future Hall of Famer Lou Brock because the team already had three black outfielders. Then there are the letters Curt Flood and Bowie Kuhn exchanged when the outfielder refused to be traded from the Cardinals to the Phillies. You might remember Flood's letter from Ken Burns' documentary "Baseball," but here we have Kuhn's response.

Of course Ernest L. Thayer's ballad of the republic "Casey at the Bat" will be found here, along with a Charles Schulz "Peanuts" cartoon of Charlie Brown praying to catch a baseball, Bob Newhart's "Nobody Will Every Play Baseball" routine, and excerpts from W.P. Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe." There are photographs of the famous Honus Wagner T206 1909 baseball card, Eddie Gaedel's 1/8 St. Louis Browns jersey, Shoeless Joe Jackson's shoes, Lou Gehrig on the cover of a program from the American baseball tour of Japan in 1931, "Babe Ruth Underwear," and the patent and model for F.W. Thayer's 1878 catcher's mask. Then there is the poster of the elephants playing baseball for the Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Then there is the juxtaposition of words and images: Joe Raposos's lyrics to the Frank Sinatra song "There Used to Be a Ballpark" with a photograph of the demolition of the Polo Grounds. There is an excerpt from Bernard Malamud's "The Natural" with the cowbell Hilda Chester used at Ebbets Field and a photograph of Andre Dawson's final visit to Wrigley Field. A photo of Satchel Paige of the Kansas City Monarchs warming up at Yankee Stadium and Ted Williams' 1966 induction speech at the Hall of Fame where he surprised the crowd with his call to honor the stars of the Negro Leagues. A letter from Fiorello LaGuardia in 1945 about a committee formed to end segregation in baseball opposite a pair of photographs showing black kids and white kids clutching Walter Johnson board games and waiting to meet their favorite baseball star.

The back of the book includes a list of the selections from the collection broken down into baseballs (handmade ball made by Babe Ruth at school), baseball cards (1952 Topps Mickey Mantle), bats (George Brett's "pine tar" bat), books, booklets, and periodicals (comic book "Roy Campanella Baseball Hero"), broadsides, handbills, and posters (handbill urging integration of the New York Yankees), caps (Hideo Nomos no-hitter cap), cartoons ("Base Ball as Viewed by a Muffin" from 1867), communications equipment (Red Barber's first microphone), decorative art (theater lobby card for "The Jackie Robinson Story"), fan art and fine art ("Tom Seaver" by Andy Warhol), games and toys ("darktown battery" cast iron mechanical bank from 1888), gloves and mitts (Yogi Berra's mitt from Don Larsen's perfect World Series game), jerseys and uniforms (1976 Chicago White Sox Bermuda shorts), jewelry (charm bracelet made from championship jewelry given by Lou Gehrig to his wife), letters and documents (All-Star ballot filled out by Casel Stengel), medical-related items (ethyl chloride numbing spray), merchandise (Reggie Bar wrapper), miscellaneous equipment (prototype JUGS Speed Gun), programs and scorecards (program for first Colored World Series), sheet music and records (1908 Edison Wax cylinder record of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and magic lantern slide), shoes (worn by Ty Cobb), souvenirs (1961 button, "I'm for Maris--60 in '61), stadium equipment/artifacts (turnstile from the Polo Grounds), tickets and season passes (ticket to Lou Gehrig Day), and trophies and awards (Cy Young Award given to Sandy Koufax).

So you can get a very good idea of what you missed out from the traveling exhibit. Of course this is a fraction of what was on the tour and while less than half of what is included on these six pages makes its way into "Baseball as America" just looking over the list can be fun. The tour, of course, is long over, but if you have never been to Cooperstown, or if it has been a while since you have been to the Baseball Hall of Fame, then be forewarned because this book will make you want to go and visit all of the baseball treasures on display.

This book is an excellent companion piece to the Baseball as American travelling exhibit (www.....org). The pictures included (like any National Geographic piece) are first rate. The included stories are from a diverse group, from sportswriters to former players. However, that's where the book takes a bad turn. The articles are inconsistent in style and quality, and for anyone who enjoys baseball, it's painful to read. This book is required for anyone who loves the game, but I wouldn't recommend it to casual fans.

From the eye catching cover to the inspired essays and beautiful photographs inside, this book is a delight. All that was missing was the hot dog and beer. A great gift for fellow baseball fanatics! Go White Sox!

Book is very nicely presented with many great illustrations, pictures, and excerpts from notable authors. Great book for the casual or diehard baseball fan. This book covers the terrific exhibit now showing at New York City's Museum of American History. Check it out. It's very worthwhile.

Great mirrored cover, a must for the completist.Very entertaining!

"Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you." That should help put you in the mood for reading this review. "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog!"

Although this book is about impersonating Elvis, I was intrigued about the many details about how Elvis achieved his effects on his audience.

The author is an Elvis impersonator who is president of the Elvis Impersonators International Association. You will learn almost everything you need to know to look, sound, and act like Elvis in a way that will stimulate those who meet you. After this book is widely read, Elvis sightings should definitely soar!

You get instructions for creating your own Elvis costume for around $170 (if you do your own sewing and can rent some blue suede shoes). If you are like me, you didn't know that Elvis used lots of make-up in his stage appearances. You will learn how to put that make-up on yourself, as well as dye your hair the right color (yes, Elvis dyed his hair, too).

If you are simply a loyal Elvis fan, you can be more like him by using only the products he did (Brut, Colgate toothpaste, Wella Balsam shampoo, Neutrogena soap, Scope and Listerine), so you can smell as nice as he always did.

The book contains instructions for making your entrance, putting together songs in the way Elvis would have done, and making a splashy exit. I never would have thought of hiring people to pretend to be your bodyguards.

You are cautioned to keep your act and costuming in sync.

If you do decide to become an impersonator, you get lots of marketing advice as well.

After Elvis died, many people resented impersonators. Since then, many people hunger for more Elvis and the impersonators have gotten better. Somewhere between 3,000 and 10,000 people now do Elvis impersonations. After this book, that number and quality will surely grow.

There is a lot of good humor in the book about what it is like to be an impersonator. Sometimes you can pick up tickets left for Elvis at the box office. Other times you may get a chance to advise on or appear in a movie, as the author did.

The many wonderful photographs of Elvis make this book fun to look at for Elvis fans.

There was only one let-down. The author says, "I firmly believe Elvis is dead." Maybe I'll have to go see an impersonator show after all.

You can enjoy this book as a serious look at Elvis, as a serious look at being an Elvis impersonator, or simply as good humored fun. In any dimension, you'll enjoy yourself!

After you have finished reading and enjoying your Elvis reveries, I suggest that you think about what else may be missing from your life that you once greatly enjoyed. How can you recapture that? This may mean revisiting old haunts, taking on new "old" experiences, or making new friends who share the old preferences. In any event, allow yourself to be real about what you once enjoyed. You can enjoy your youth at any age!

"Uh, thankya, thankya . . . very much!"

Being from Jacksonville, and a big fan of Rick's, I recommend this book for everyone whether you want to be Elvis, Priscilla or Lisa Marie!! Full of memorable pics of Elvis, Rick performing and pics of him with Celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker from "Honeymoon in Vegas". The book is colorful, entertaining and fun for any library! Rick is the "King" of showman himself, so slip into your blue suede shoes, lean back relax and enjoy "Be Elvis" - it rocks just like Rick and the forever King!

As a collector of the unusual , I found this highly entertaining. I have seen plenty of Elvis impersonators in my day, and this struck me as amazing that there is a how to book...

A great gift for an elvis fans everywhere

A fabulous Beatles "timeline diary" of their professional activities. It reads alot better than that description though. Helps one to focus on the myriad of events that the Beatles experienced and endured. You will read it and wonder how they had the energy to do what they did. An exhausting lifestyle. A great starting point to understand the internal Beatles experience. Presented in "day by day" diary format.

Not novelized. Not embellished. Just facts. A working documentary rather than a sensational expose'. Extremely useful to the serious collector.

Harrowing.

This book is the most comprehensive Beatle book I've ever read, and it helped a ton in completion of my Beatle web page. There just isn't a better book on the market.

weiner divides his book into easy to decipher and read chronologies and for this he deserves a medal. though all of the information he gathers is available elsewhere having it in one volume is particularly useful . his concise chapter on various versions and mixes of the songs is a godsend.

A dream-come-true for any Beatles fan or collector, this is the only up-to-date, complete, accurate Beatles record reference published to date. The only books in the Beatles literature that can compare with the quality and value of this volume are those written by Mark Lewisohn, particularly his "COMPLETE BEATLES CHRONICLE." Wiener's book, unlike Lewisohn's, includes every recording the Beatles ever made, both as a group and later as individual solo artists. It also includes all of their unreleased recordings, of which there are hundreds ranging from studio outtakes to crude home demos, rehearsals, concerts, radio and television appearances, and even recorded interviews. Of even greater value is the listing of dozens or bootleg records and CDs on which these rarities and curiosities can be heard. With the exception of the recent "ANTHOLOGY" releases, the book is a complete, accurate guide to all known Beatles recordings, and at an incredibly low price. The book is divided into several well-organized sections, including a recording chronology of their released material, U.S. and British discographies, a chronology of unreleased recordings and bootleg releases of them, a list of alternate versions (there are an amazing number of these), rare special releases, plus appendixes listing guest appearances by the Beatles on other artists' recordings, and video releases. There are a number of other Beatles references that claim expertise for their authors and accuracy and completeness of information, but these must be viewed as "pretenders" when stacked up against Wiener or Lewisohn; they are the class in their league. Betty Mitchell

I love this book! It was written with a thorough grasp of the scientific aspects of matching your plants to the birds you want to attract, and creating mini-habitats where birds will feel welcome and secure. But this is obviously a labor of love too. The book is organized so that you can look up plants and birds separately, but it also helps you to understand how they relate to each other. Information about growing zones is included for each plant, so you can easily chose species suitable for your location. The line illustrations of birds are excellent-very artistic and spirited, and clear enough to make it easy to identify the birds in real life.

One pleasant surprise was how easy it change my boring backyard in an older suburb into a haven for many species of birds. A lot of the plants mentioned in the book were already there, including some I had planned to remove until I read this book. I gradually added many more bird-friendly plants, including a prairie garden which finches seem to love. The result was almost magical-the more things I planted, the more birds showed up! Another bonus was that if you have enough plants that birds like, you can get rid of conventional bird feeders-just give them a natural supply of food, and a birdbath or other water source, and you will be amazed at how many bird species you will see-all in your own back (or front) yard!

A fabulous book for beginning birders, Birdscaping your Garden acts as an all-purpose guide to identification, habitat, and feeding habits. Identification is aided by a short description as well as a black and white sketch and a full-color photo. Each two-page spread discusses one bird with details including migration and winter range, breeding range and behavior, nesting, and a short list of plants to use for bird food.
The feeding guide is garden and plant focused (rather than the typical hanging birdfeeder type focus) with the idea of using native plantings to attract and feed birds. Purchased seed options are rarely mentioned.
As organized and helpful as the individual page layouts are, the overall organization of the book is lacking. The reader is forced to browse through all 64 birds in the directory section to find what is being sought since the birds are not listed in any particular order. The book's lack of regional focus is also limiting and reduces the number of relevant entries to about 30 if you live in New Jersey, for example.
The final section of the book is a plant directory which is organized alphabetically by scientific name. The section includes photos and general cultural guidelines for plants that will shelter and feed the birds previously discussed. A list of "Birds Attracted" within the individual plant descriptions is a nice cross-reference with the bird directory section.
The dichotomy of the book should not put you off - it is clearly written and useful despite its overall lack of organization. There is no doubt it is valuable for creating a native, bird-friendly garden.

Want to "reform" your backyard? This book is a great place to start. A wonderful primer on birds and plants, this book is also a solid reference book. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in, or is serious about, creating a great place for the birds and the bees to hang out.

I first found this book at our local library and when I went to photocopy "a few pages" I realized I was about the copy the whole book so I decided to just buy the book for myself. It's terrific! It goes through all sorts of species of bushes and trees, indicates what type of wildlife is attracted to it, how they use it, etc. It has good pictures too. A real must have for the backyard gardener who wants to have some wildlife in their life. Highly highly recommended

Steve Tally put together a fantastic collection on the men who have served as Vice-President. (The book covers all Vice-Presidents up to Dan Quayle, and even Alexander Stevens the lone Vice-President of the Confederacy).

Its not a textbook, but is very entertaining reading.

The profiles of the Vice-Presidents, each about 4-5 pages are humorous-- pulling no punches. Even those who occupy a prominent place in history (Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman & others) are not spared.

If you want an entertaining read, with good historical value this is a good one.

Steve Tally looks at America's vice presidents - from John Adams through Dan Quayle and gives us the inside scoop on each of these men's foibles and character flaws. The chapters are short and sweet and hilarious!

Tally introduces us to Vice Presidents who assumed that they were really assistant presidents, vice presidents who never really showed up to work, vice presidents who showed up to work but really shouldn't have bothered and vice presidents who never really grasped the idea that they were supposed to work with their presidents to get things passed through the Congress.

For the researcher paper writers out there, Tally's work would be inappropriate to use as the main source of your information, but it would make a fantastic book to add that little bit of extra to make your paper more interesting to read!

This was truly an enjoyable read. I borrowed mine from the library but I'm adding it to my wish list here because I want to have a copy of my own!

Bland Ambition is an uproariously funny, highly irreverent look at the Vice-Presidents of the United States. The author covers every man who has ever served as "Veep" (ending with Dan Quayle), exposing every foible and gaff. I would not recommend this work as a textbook, but it does make an interesting introduction to the men who are completely invisible in most history books.

No punches pulled - this is the story of the men behind the men, and how badly they all performed. A very enjoyable read, entertaining, and informative. Short chapters make it (and I say this reluctantly because it's such a good book) a great bathroom reader. HIGHLY recommended.

The Book of Lilith is an extraordinary fictional account of the life of Lilith, here portrayed as the first woman of Creation rather than the succubus or demoness of certain myths. The story begins with the somewhat exasperated account of a college professor, perplexed at why he has been chosen as a key contact for the Iraqi woman who has salvaged a collection of scrolls she believes are valuable. The woman has been beaten, raped, and enslaved, but she still manages to trick her captor into allowing her use of the Internet--not so she can seek asylum, but so she can share her find with someone who will appreciate it. She scans in photographs of the ancient scrolls to ensure a record of their discovery in the event of their untimely destruction.

Upon translation, the professor and his colleague realize the magnitude of this incredulous find. The scrolls are the account of the creation of man, told from the point of view of Lilith, the mother of all. Lilith's tale places a feminist spin on the story of Creation, purporting the weaknesses of Adam and his naturally tendency toward sin. As seems to be a pattern in this tale, Lilith is beaten and raped by Adam, and quickly flees Eden, refusing to accept his aggression. Thus, Lilith is also the first single mother. On her own, she accepts her duty from God (portrayed as Inanna to Lilith, though God takes on a masculine form when "it" appears to Adam), which is to provide the empty vessels of humanity with souls. Lilith's task is not an easy one, as Adam will be a constant inhibitor of her higher purpose due to his obsession with sin. Eventually, Lilith will come to represent two feminine archetypes: her own independent self and Eve, self-chosen submissive to Adam.

If any of the story seems outrageous or disturbing, it isn't at all because the author's own brand of sarcasm makes every aspect of the tale completely plausible. Brown's suggestion that shopping is actually a form of worship or that Adam's key hangup with Lilith was her refusal to be on bottom during intercourse is just a taste of the tongue-in-cheek humor that follows the reader on this journey. When the story begins, Brown eases the reader into the plot with wit, but as Lilith's story evolves, the sarcasm actually begins to fade. By the end of the book, the depth of the theology involved is such that the reader will find themselves immersed in contemplation of the meanings suggested, leaving the humor behind. Through Brown's fiction, he brings to light some of the true inconsistencies and irrelevance of the tenets of major religions.

I found myself emotionally involved in Lilith's tale, at times laughing out loud, at times brimming with joy or seething with anger. At some points, I was lost in the story so much that it seemed real to me, and when I brought myself back to reality, I longed for it to have been a true account. It's a wonderful work of fiction that encourages the reader to examine humanity's existence and the sacred feminine from many perspectives.

The Book of Lilith is a work of serious fiction. You should find
it entertaining, and it should make you think. The general category for
the work is magical realism, or perhaps satiric fantasy in the spirit of
Barth's Chimera. It is a story set in a pseudo-academic framing
story involving the supposed discovery of lost scrolls in war-torn Iraq
by a somewhat mysterious maiden.

These scrolls, when translated, turn out to be the oldest written
documents ever discovered, the first person story of Lilith
herself. Although the frame is of course just part of the story
(and yet told realistically enough that it fooled at least one early
reader into asking the author "so where are the real scrolls") the story
itself is carefully researched and spans four cultures from the
early Bronze or late Stone age. Lilith takes the reader with her
as the crazy course of her life ensouled carries her from its beginnings
in a magical Eden located in ancient Sumeria to Sidon in early
Phoenicia, to Mohenjo Daro and the Harrapan civilization, and finally to
a wicked and corrupt India in the years immediately preceding the
violent cleansing portrayed in the Mahabharata. It is lovingly
derived from many scholarly and historical works and epics, including
The Book of Genesis, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the
Upanishads, the Alphabet of Ben-Sirra, the Dead Sea
Scrolls and more.

Note well that the Lilith portrayed is not the "goddess"
worshipped by various cults, nor is she the she-demon portrayed
by various patriarchal writings. She is a real person -- the first,
untamed wife of Adam, with a surprising relationship with the more
submissive Eve. In fact, she is the first real person gifted
with a soul by God, and it is her appointed task to bring the gift of
Soul to all things in Creation (beginning with Adam) by means of her
love, just as it is Adam's task to bring about the rule of Law and hence
begin the process of evolving a just and ethical society. Lilith enjoys
both preternatural knowledge and a personal relationship -- one
that involves sharing sushi and shopping trips to early bazaars - with
Goddess in the metaphor of Inanna (given that any human
representation of God is at heart an anthropomorphic projection of a
genderless state of Perfect Knowledge and Perfect Being).

Many themes (some of them somewhat disturbing or even shocking, be
warned) are woven into the story. Lilith is in turn an eager young
bride in love, a young mother coping with what turns out to be a
possessive, insecure, and slovenly husband, a beaten and raped wife who
prefers to work as a harlot to feed herself and her children rather than
ever again be "owned" by any man, a miracle worker beloved by God and
granted the power to heal the sick or punish the wicked, a penetrating
judge who can plumb the depths of the darkest heart and consign its
possessor to freedom or a horrible death, and (throughout) a seductive
lover with the uninhibited knowledge of sexual pleasure she is ever
willing to share -- as long as she gets to be on top, or at least
to take turns.

At the end of all this -- eventually -- she turns out to be neither more
nor less than an extraordinary human being who suffers from her pride
and mistakes, who struggles with her appointed task (sometimes
succeeding and sometimes failing) and who learns from the pain and
reward of a life well spent that knowledge and wisdom are not the same
thing.

There are surprises and adventures, wickedness and great good, laughter
and tears, and -- perhaps -- a nugget or two of wisdom, so give it a
try. I think you'll enjoy it!

What an amazing book! It's really hard to categorize, and at first I didn't think I was going to like it, but all of a sudden I "got" it. It is alternately really funny -- some of the footnotes are hysterical -- and serious. I'd be laughing out loud and four or five pages later I'd be angry or sad.

Two groups of people are going to really like this book: the first and most important is anyone who just plain wants a fun read. I could see this one becoming a best-seller really easily simply because it is so entertaining. However, the general crowd of feminists, humanists, goddess worshippers and so on will really like it because it paints an inescapable picture of how the entire Judeo-Christian-Muslim culture derived from the book of Genesis hammers on women from the get-go. Lilith in this book isn't a vampire or succubus or slayer of children -- she's just a very modern woman who gets stuck with a relatively weak and insecure man. Although it is a lot more complicated than "just" that -- I don't want to spoil the surprises in the plot but suffice it to say that Lilith and Eve are not who you think they are if all you are familiar with is the standard myth.

The ending of the book is really powerful. It reminded me a little bit of Siddhartha, but at the same time it was quite different. A really interesting tie-in to Hinduism and Buddhism, but really that wasn't the point. The book is a strange sort of love story, and somehow all of the threads of love get pulled together in a very satisfying way.

The prose could probably be improved -- I think it is the author's first published book -- but it isn't obtrusive and sometimes it is really good or even poetical. The story itself is pure magic -- even the framing story is appealing once you get over the shock and realize that you're reading black humor satire directed against both the war in Iraq and the mistreatment of women in that entire culture. Highly recommended.

WARNING! Fellow readers, if you pick up this book on Lilith, the least explained woman in the bible, you end up either screaming or even cussing - if you can only accept the literal interpretation of the Bible espoused by the "born again" fundamentalists - or else you will be captured by a new vision of creation and the roles of women and men. You will be intrigued by the author's vision and very readable literary style as he "translates" the archeological discovery of a young Iraqi girl in a crater created by the war still ongoing. In the process you will meet a "new" interpretation of some age old questions about the roles of men and women. Who was created first? Adam, or was it Eve, or was it really the mysterious and erotic Lilith. Other questions raised are: Why does God allow us to make choices and perhaps screw up? Why do bad things happen to us? Can things get better? Why did Cain slay his brother Abel and many more. There are answers given.

Professor Brown makes both the modern archeological, geopolitical story and his vision of the history of our world from the "original creation" through Genesis and on ...back up to today's geopolitical problems very interesting and plausible. He raises some very real ethical questions and shows his readers some possible answers. If he teaches his classes with equal facility, his students are lucky. Read and enjoy!

Having attended Brandeis University, this book is very accurate. It tells of the good, the bad, and the ugly. The college prowler series is great and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking at a four year school.

Everyone looks at different things while searching for colleges. Some want rural, others want suburban, but really everyone just wants to find a place that feels like home to them. This information cannot be found using statistics alone. What high school students need is to hear about other people's experiences at college, and that is exactly what these guide books give. I am confident that Brandeis University is the school for me after reading this guide, and I recommend this product to anyone who is in the process of searching for their own college that would feel like home to them.

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The book explains it all....no one could possibly give this a bad review! YMMMDI !