Brandt Books

Gray's book does a masterful job of elucidating a key part of the Cold War. In looking at the Cold War in Europe, historians, both academic and popular/armchair, often overlook what America's allies were doing as they fought their own fronts in the larger Cold War. While NATO allies like Britain, Germany, and Italy were loyal supporters of the U.S., and they played a role in Washington's strategy, they also had their own agendas. Nowhere was this more important than in West Germany.

Unlike other American allies in Europe, West Germany had its own "personal" Cold War to fight (against East Germany). In doing so, however, its decisions could impact the larger global conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Additionally, West Germany was locked in a struggle with its own countrymen, in a sense. The "enemy" were fellow Germans.

Using a tremendous array of archival evidence, Gray demonstrates the origins, nuance, and development of West Germany's own Cold War strategy. His bibliography is very impressive. At one point, Amazon recommended buying this book together with Mary Sarotte's "Dealing with the Devil," also about Germany during the Cold War. The two books complement each other nicely, and the comparison is made even more intriguing by the fact that Sarotte and Gray both studied German history at Yale University, only a few years apart.

This book is necessary reading for the graduate student or scholar of the Cold War, and it is an excellent choice for the casual reader looking to go beyond the History Channel.

Pastor Brandt brings many years of Christian living, pastoral ministry, ministry administration, and a heart for God to the pages of Gifts for the Marketplace. In it, he commends the reader to use and understand that the gifts of the Spirit are for use in the "everyday" world we live in.

Each of the Spirit's gifts are thoughfully detailed with biblical, contemporary, and personal examples.

Pastor Brandt may make the best review of his own book when he says in Chapter 15; " The burden and primary message of this book has been gifts for the marketplace. Our purpose has been to generate a greater awareness of the need for and possibility of manifestation of the Spirit's gifts outside the four walls of the sactuary. Awareness of God in the meeting place ought always to result in awareness of God in the marketplace."

Pastor Brandt continues to offer all of his writings in a very affordable package and they are well worth reading. My copy of Gifts for the Marketplace was copyright 1989.

This is a wonderful "modern day" translation of most of the Psalms, written in a way, that I could easily understand. Some of them are even funny, but do express fully how I have felt at times. Wonderful book, love reading it over and over. Reading the bible thru in a year. So when I read a Psalm in the bible, I then go to Good Lord, Where are you?. Great accompanying book.

I bought this book when the table of contents appeared so interesting -

i. Lesbian Writers talk about their lives and works
ii. Book and magazine publishers: Freedom of the press belongs to she who owns the press
iii. Lesbian writers talk about their passions


With a list 22 outstanding interviewees that includes -

Lee Lynch,
Valerie Taylor
Ann Bannon
Dorothy Allison
Leslea Newman
Joan Nestle,
Katherine V. Forrest
Sarah Schulman
Carol Seajay
Jewelle Gomez
Minnie Bruce Pratt

This book is a Keeper!


From the back of the book -

Intimate portraits of the writers whose books have shaped our lives.

Reach into the soul of National Book Award nominee Dorothy Allison.
Look behind the art of Lambda Award winners Jewelle Gomez, Minnie Bruce Pratt,
Joan Nestle, Katherine V. Forrest.

Writers and publishers, chroniclers and heroes ... discover their struggles and triumphs.

Henry's adventure teaches a valuable life lesson for children and adults. We all need to develop an "Attitude for Gratitude." My grandchildren love this story. Linda's illustrations are vibrantly colorful with adorable facial expressions. This book is beautiful enough to grace a coffee table. There will be more life lessons to learn when Henry's other adventure books are released. I intend to have a full set! There is more information about Henry on his website 'henrythetulipbulb.'

Henry's adventure teaches a valuable life lesson for children and adults. We all need to develop an "Attitude for Gratitude." My grandchildren love this story. Linda's illustrations are vibrantly colorful with adorable facial expressions. This book is beautiful enough to grace a coffee table. There will be more life lessons to learn when Henry's other adventure books are released. I intend to have a full set! There is more information about Henry on his website 'henrythetulipbulb.'

A fascinating book of Brandt photos contrasting English slums with planned municipal estates. This was the kind of assignment that he loved: the chance to put across a social point-of-view using real people and places. The sixty-three photos (beautifully printed with 200dpi) are probably the best of visits he made to Birmingham and London for the Bournville Village Trust.

There seems to be a continuing mystery about these photos though because they were discovered in the Trust's archives as a series of seventy-seven prints mounted on cardboard with the negatives (but actually missing eight of these). It would be rather unusual for a commercial photographer to hand over negatives to the client because additional income could be made by doing extra prints and the print quality could still conform to the original supplied prints. Brandt said of the commission that it was "...a job well done".

An interesting essay in the front of the book reveals how Brandt manipulated the artificial light in the slums to contrast with the brighter better homes where sunlight through open windows is the light source. Frequently a semi rural location is shown outside the windows. There is a stunning shot on page eighty-four of a young boy looking in a window at his parents eating a meal (with full plates) heavy shadows on the tablecloth from the bright sun and trees in the background. Compare this with a family eating in their dark slum living room on page twenty-nine, cups of tea and sandwiches possibly the main meal of the day.

As well as the sixty-three photos, one to a page, there are the eleven cardboard mounts shown that had the original prints, again one to a page, and three essays about Bill Brandt and his approach to photojournalism. A worthwhile photobook in my view.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Poles fought gallantly for France, and indirectly for their lost himeland, throughout the French Revoltionary and Napoleonic Wars. The most reliable of Napoleon's foreign troops, they marched the length and breadth of Europe and established a combat reputation second to none. Heinrich von Brandt was one of these, being commissioned into the Grande Armee as a sous-lieutenant shortly after Prussia's defeat in 1806. He quickly was assigned to the famous Legion of the Vistula, humped his pack, and went into Spain, seeing his first action in the famous second Siege of Saragossa. Brandt's fascinating narrative is lively, accurate, and blunt, telling in vivid detail the horrors of war and the lighter moments of garrison duty. He fought his war in Spain assigned to Suchet's Army of Aragon, seeing much action. When Napoleon starting gathering the huge army that invaded Russia in 1812, The Vistula Legion was one of the units pulled out of Spain to go into Russia. His description of the marches across Europe, the thorough preparation for the Grande Armee's invasion, and the trek to Moscow is fascinating-one can literally not put the book down. The best feature of the narrative, however, is Brandt's candid description of some of the notable personalities of the period, including Napoleon, Marshal Davout, and Marshal Suchet, all of whom he met and talked. He was praised by Suchet, interviewed for his commission by Davout, and saw Napoleon more than once, describing both he and Davout as having terrible tempers when provoked. His description of the terrible retreat from Moscow and the brilliant battle at the River berezina on the way out of Russian are fascinating. This is one of the best soldier memoirs I have ever read. It is as colorful as those by Charles Parquin and Baron Marbot, and very accurate. This book belongs on the book shelf of every Napoleonic historian and enthusiast.

This is an excellant book for those with an interest in how the Fugitive law of 1850 was applied. The book is based on the trial of a slave named Jane Jackson who took advantage of Pennsylvania's freedom law, that states that once a slave sets foot on Pennsylvanis's soil they are free.

The main character in the story though is not Ms. Jackson but a white abolitionist named Passmore Williamson who "aided" Ms. Jackson and here two children in their escape for there owner" a Col. John Hill Wheeler an U.S. diplomat on his way to Central American and was passing through Philadelphia when Williamson with the help of some black dock workers and ships crew made the snatch and relese of the Jackson family.

The story has no real clear cut conclusion and is a telling tale of how often U.S. courts can be less the conclusive in there findings. If you are a Civil War bluff who is interested in the war beyond the battles and personalities this makes a good read.

This is a very good book to buy for an easy introduction to astrology. Whilst it touched advanced topics as well within the book its basic principles gives the reader a very good foundation and easy read to astrology. For you to judge my opinion I would clasify myself as an intermediate with regard to the practice of the subject. I first read this book back in the 90's and it is still today my reference book for a quick guide answer.
As a rating goes, I would give this book 8 / 10.
If you have an open mind towards the subject this book is a must read.