Frank Books

THIS BOOK GAVE ME MANY KNOWLEDGEABLE TIPS ON HOW TO WIN, PLAY, AND GET COMPS WITH "MY MONEY". I AM GOING TO LAS VEGAS SOON AND FOUND THIS BOOK SIMPLIFIES GAMBLING, ETC. FOR THE BEGINNER "WHICH I AM". I ENJOYED THIS BOOK THROUGHLY AND WILL MAKE SURE THIS IS MY ONLY GUIDE IN LAS VEGAS.........I HOPE THE AUTHOR KEEPS WRITING BOOKS LIKE THIS.

Very informative and easy to understand especially for a beginner like myself. Explained the different types of games and odds in an an easy to understand language. I felt more education the next time I played the slots.

THIS BOOK GAVE ME MANY KNOWLEDGEABLE TIPS ON HOW TO WIN, PLAY, AND GET COMPS WITH "MY MONEY I AM GOING TO LAS VEGAS SOON AND THIS BOOK SIMPLIFIES GAMBLING FOR THE BEGINNER (WHICH I AM) I ENJOYED IT THOUTOUGHLY AND WILL MAKE SURE THIS IS MY GUIDE IN LAS VEGAS.

I never knew what I was up against when I played slots, but after reading Thrifty Gambling I found out the truth in plain, common sense language. I will still play slots, but thanks to Thrifty Gambling I am now an informed player. They used to be a mystery. Now I feel like I am in control of both the game and the money. Thrifty Gambling has changed the whole way I play and it's all for the better. I have read a lot of gambling books, but never one so informative with good common sense gambling techniques.An awesome, must buy book!

"Thrifty Gambling", by John G. Brokopp is a wonderfully written treatise on the field of gambling. There are charts, diagrams, statistics, and practical information that will save its readers money and their sanity. Many false premises concerning odds and your chance to win at a given game are laid out and explained. The term "thrifty" is well chosen and defined to give you the best play for your money. Games are defined, explained, and odds spelled out. This is a wonderful book to read and read again, and I bet you'll find your investment in the book will be well paid off with a better understanding of odds and better play for your money.

Edward Vincent editor OakParkJournal.com

I was one of the men mentioned in the book, I thought it was an excellent book and very factual...it really did bring me back to a time so long ago. The best part was that Frank Grzyb wrote about everyone...if you were there it will bring you back. If you were not there it will give you a true insight into how it really was there at that time. Thank you Frank!

In reading these stories, you can feel what these young men and woman felt,how scared they must have felt yet their friends and loved ones didn't know. I felt like I was there with them, they will never forget what they went thru nor should we !

I found the simple style a compelling and true account of the memories and feelings of ordinary american boys, who served at one of the most difficult times in american history. Very little BS or false glory, just a real account of real Americans, when less sacrificing refused to serve.

I am not usually a "military book reader", however I am very glad I had the opportunity to read Touched as it is so well compiled. I felt like I finally understood, in part, some of what our Vietnam Vets experienced. I have shared this book with other Marine friends of mine, and the feelings are mutual. Well done!!!

For Christmas, I sent a copy to my old First Sergeant in Alabama. His wife couldn't believe that he hardly put the book down until he had finished reading it. He wants another copy so he can donate it to the local library. I also sent a copy to a cousin of mine in Illinois, who is a Nam Vet. His e-mail comment was, "MANY THANKS FOR THE BOOK!!!! SUPERB !!!!"

If you get just one book on voice development, it certainly should be this one. As a phonetics teacher, I don't agree with every single detail in the book. But as someone who has taught English pronunciation and oral skills to ESL learners for decades, and also as a radio broadcaster, I feel a strong resonance with Lessac's approach. Differing in the details doesn't really matter, since the core of Lessac training is heightened sensitivity and slightly understated but focused control rather than specifics.

Lessac uses orchestral instruments as analogies to teach better articulation of each English consonant, e.g. the "N-violin" and the "T-snare drum drumbeat". Though impressionistic in approach, it does helps the student have an optimal quality in mind to aim for, and to pay closer attention to each internal physical event and the effect it produces.

Lessac has a fondness for coining his own jargon, like "NRG" ('energy'), "esthetic" (not "aesthetic"; 'anything that promotes sensitivity and induces awareness of sensation and perception in the body'), "kinesensic" ('intrinsic "self-to-self" sensation'), and of course the famous "Y-Buzz". The new terms are however well justified, since each figures importantly in the framework he teaches. The glossary in the back of the book can help keep everything straight. I also flipped to the index several times when trying to sort out the differences between terms like "tonal NRG" and "structural NRG" in the context of the book.

This is a solid course book, not casual reading, so take the chapters one at a time, mindfully, to reap maximum benefit from the book.

This edition is attractive and carefully edited; I found not a single typo in the whole book. My one criticism is the price. The outstanding content makes it definitely worth the cover price, but I don't see why a paperback needs to be so expensive. Like with Peter Ladefoged's A Course in Phonetics (with CD-ROM), I guess it is because it is a popular university textbook that commands a captive audience. About a third of the cover price would bring it more in line with similar editions. But that's not the author's fault, I assume, and doesn't merit taking off a star. And speaking of Ladefoged's book, it would be helpful to readers if this book included a CD-ROM as well.

As a voice teacher for many years, I am always being complimented on my speaking voice. Arthur Lessac's book was not my speaking coach, my operatic training was - but the technique is the same. Lessac has done a masterful job explaining the "old" Italian, bel canto/good singing technique that's been around since the 1600's - but he's done it for the speaking voice. Singers need to use the same technique for both speaking and singing, and this is the best book I've found on speaking technique.

Now everyone can understand logically how to improve their speaking and singing voice, and perhaps operatic voices will be better understood as not being something elitist or unnatural. Using the power of your instrument to produce quality sound is amazingly natural - it ain't magic. The "magic" is being given the vocal chords of an angel, inspiration from God, the constitution of a horse, the luck of (all) the Irish, and the intelligence of an Einstein to develop that voice into a Pavarotti, a Sutherland, etc.

This is probably the best technique out there for freeing and developing a strong vocal instrument for speech and singing. This is the only voice text (and I've read and studied them all: Linklater, Skinner, Berry, Rosenburgh)which gives a spicific structural breakdown for the production of healthy and tonal sound. Most other texts are just exercises, but Lessac's System gives exact physical placement for each vowel, consonant, and dipthong sound as well as extensive tonal work. Especially good for the dancer due to the strong physical emphasis of placement of the tongue, lips, jaw etc. His work on Consonant action is quite inovative, drawing on the actors imagination and assining each consonant sound to an instrument in the orchestra, thereby allowing the actor to more quickly understand the musical quality of speech. Here is a basic overview of what is covered in the text; anatomy of the vocal instrument, the alignment of the body and the economical use of muscular effort to produce sound, the use of optimum pitch to discover and develop the presence of tonality and broaden pitch and range, the use of melody and the onomatopoetic nature of language to communicate ideas, and the application of these skills to a text.

This is everything anybody (actors, speakers and liars) will ever need to know about discovering, developing and using with confidence the voice as a tool to communicate. Westerners especially, I believe, have trained and maimed their voices to suit ideals (The average woman speaks about 6 tones higher than her natural voice prescribes). This book, a trusted training manual in many theatre and opera schools, teaches practically and without pretence, the real abilities of the voice. This is all one needs to acquire/rediscover, with practise, how the voice can be an (extemely flexible) extension of oneself in a physical world. A wholistic adventure which necessarilly encompasses correct breathing and posture, which will eventually be effortless, simply because it is natural. From an acting perspective the Arthur Lessac voice system becomes a perfect partner to the Stanislavskyan system of acting (associated with 'The Method' in USA). The practice of the Lessac system can easily be taught to a child and has proven successful in overcoming a stutter. This probably because the learner is made aware of the manoeuvre-ability of sound and how it is created, and not only on voice as a carrier of language. The book contains many excercises, each making one discover and realise the immense power of (self-generated) sound. Living in Africa one often wonders at the vocal powers of its people. Westerners can also feel at one with their true voices. The Lessac system would be the first (and last) step on the route to rediscovery. This is a popular book (I had two copies stolen from me when it was out of print) amongst performers and all those who believe their bodies are instruments.

I first became acquainted with Arthur Lessac's work in the 1970's when I was in Graduate School. Since then, his Approach to Voice and Body Training has been the mainstay of my professional and personal life. His new book (the third version) has been written in such a way that complements the older version, yet takes us on a training journey that is wholistically and organically fresh and new. I enjoy teaching from this book, and my students enjoy learning from it!
--Nancy Krebs, Lessac Master Teacher

This is an excellent addition to the often underappreciated and underwritten field of show biz history. But I've found some curious oversights that should have been corrected. For instance, Al Shean, of Gallagher of Shean, was said to have reprised the team's signature song in only one movie, Atlantic City (1944). How could the far more prominent Judy Garland vehicle, Ziegfeld Girl (MGM, 1941) be overlooked, where Al Shean reprised the number with Charles Winninger standing in for Gallagher? Also, in the Eddie Cantor entry, it's said that Cantor's film debut was a 1913 experimental film for Edison. Is this being confused with the 1922 experimental sound film Cantor did for inventor Lee De Forest (which isn't mentioned)? No reference book is perfect, but I just had to point this out. Plus, with the current popularity of the Jazz Singer DVD with all the Vitaphone shorts, I'm surprised that a consummate vaudeville performer like Adele Rowland isn't listed. But that's minor quibbling; I'm just glad a set of volumes as this is available, and I wish there was another set planned to include more of the alleged 50,000 performers who made up the world of vaudeville!

This is from my review published in "In The Groove" Magazine - April 2007
Frank Cullen LOVES Vaudeville in all it's forms, whether it's the baggy pants comics of burlesque, the "specialty acts" like strongman or eccentric dancers who graced the stages of New York and around the circuits in the 1920s, or the singers who went on to make some of the most popular records of their day. This passion is obvious in the recent publication of the huge two-volume 1300-page compilation Vaudeville Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America (Routledge). Now in his 70s, Cullen saw his first Laurel & Hardy film at the age of nine and was hooked. (Yes, Laurel and Hardy both appeared on the vaudeville stage early in their careers and Cullen devotes six pages to them.). He started reading and watching and listening in his high school years and had a brief acting career as well. In the mid-1980s he formed the American Vaudeville Museum in CT and began publishing the quarterly Vaudeville Times (which I mentioned here last year). Now relocated to New Mexico, Cullen has put his energies into this fascinating book. The peak years for "Vaudeville" were 1905-1925, with over 2,000 theaters around the US. As many as 50,000 performers were in the business during that period. Obviously, not all are in the book but a good mix of the known and the "lesser known" are here. Record collectors will recognize many of them. There are the recording Bakers (Belle, Josephine and Phil) as well as the Smiths (Mamie, Bessie and Kate). Other recording artists covered in much detail include, Eddie Cantor, Sissle & Blake and Moran & Mack. The performers are listed alphabetical from A (Abbott a& Costello) to Z (Zetts Weekly, a rival to Variety, published in 1921). There are sections devoted to each of the "circuits" and the impresarios as well. Photos of the performers and sheet music covers are on many pages. In fact, you'll find a lot of performers who you've only known from sheet music covers. The very handy Bibliography and a 30-page Index, make the book even more useful. Whether you start from the beginning and read it straight through, or use to look up an artist you found on a recording, you'll find this book a great resource. It's a tribute to the hard work and passion of the author. Highly recommended!

Steve Ramm "Anything Phonographic"

A monumental and definitive encyclopadia by an outstanding theater historian. This tome is everything you wanted to know about vaudeville and its performers. It is destined to become the bible for historians and researchers of early American popular theater.

Frank Cullen's knowledge and articulation of the facts of vaudeville, old and new, is a welcome and needed addition to a genre sadly overlooked by the public. Vaudeville was America's first national pasttime and laid the foundation for the world of entertainment in our contenporary culture.

Nicely laid out, easy to read, ample photographs and humor make the two-volume set a must for libraries, archives and theater buffs, or anyone who has an interest in American social history.

Frank Cullen, longtime publisher and head writer of the Vaudeville Times magazine, has finally published his 2 volume biographical encyclopedia of vaudeville. For those who don't know, vaudeville was the main form of live entertainment in America from 1880 to 1930 and it continued even as late at the 1960s. This book carefully catalogues who was who in vaudeville, tells the major reason they became famous or were important, and offers biographies and descriptions of everything connected with the subject.
Along with the work of Professor Anthony Slide, these tomes by Frank Cullen constitute the most important documentation of this major form of American popular culture. Vaudeville is rapidly being forgotten today as its participants die off and younger audiences cannot even recognize the term. Cullen's work honors the performers and offers invaluable insights into what the experience was like.
The book is well written and, like vaudeville itself, immensely entertaining, whether you are reading about familiar stars such as Al Jolson or the completely forgotten ones such as the great Eddie Leonard. There is nothing to complain about in this effort-- if you want to know all about vaudeville, this is the magnum opus. It is lavishly illustrated and has about it that aura of love and care that comes when a writer is totally engrossed in his subject matter and approaches it with honesty, integrity and admiration.
Of course I have to tell you that I am biased because I'm in the book. I once was in "the show business" in vaudeville and there are only a few of us still alive who made it into the Cullen opus. But those of us who are left can assure you, dear reader, that all those vaudevillians who are encapsulated within would be proud of this book. It costs a good bit but it's got everything you need to know about a subject that once was close to the hearts of so many Americans. What's really fun is watching old movies on Turner, admiring the work of stars such as Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, or Trixie Friganza, and then keeping these volumes by your bed to look up the bios! Of course at my age that passes for high adventure! So, thanks, Frank, and good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are. If you know the meaning of that last phrase you'll love this book. If you don't you should read it anyway.

All that you could ever want to know about vaudeville is contained in a monumental two-volume work, Vaudeville Old and New: an Encyclopedia of Variety Performers. It surpasses anything previously written about the American equivalent of British music hall and will stand as the major reference work on the subject for many years to come.

Given its scope, there are entries about entertainers whose names will mean nothing to the average British reader. But that is more than offset by the comprehensiveness the authors bring to all they touch. It is fascinating, for instance, to get an American take on British artistes who became big stars in the U.S., the likes of Vesta Victoria and Alice Lloyd. We learn more about such top-liners as Al Jolson and Danny Kaye and find the answers to all manner of questions. What was so special about Fanny Brice? What brought Sid Caesar's career to a halt? And who knew that the distinguished commentator, Walter Winchell, started out in vaudeville?

The books' essays about burlesque and music hall are as good as you'll likely to get and the fine writing evinces some deft and delicate touches: a description of Beatrice Lillie, for instance, is as "a treasured English tea-rose with thorns" is spot on. The "new" in the title is no false promise. The encyclopedia is bang up-to-date with entries on Britain's Chris Simmons, for example.

The extensive knowledge and deep love of vaudeville by the author, Frank Cullen [working with Florence Hackman and Donald McNeilly], shine through in each of these tomes' 1,300 magnificent pages.

Richard Anthony Baker

I'm saddened to see far too many people pigeon-hole Howard Frank Mosher as a 'writer of regional interest' -- maybe only those who live along the Mississippi should read Mark Twain, then. True, Mosher's books all take place in Vermont -- but these are such well-written, absorbing stories, the characters so unforgettable, that any one who appreciates fine literature can thoroughly enjoy them.

This volume collects 6 of Mosher's short stories along with the title novella -- the latter being possibly his most well-known work, having been made into an exceptional film with the amazingly-talented Rip Torn in the role of a lifetime as Noel Lord, Mosher's cantankerous ex-lumberjack. Lord is mentioned in some of the other stories, as well as in some of Mosher's novels -- and other characters make appearances in more than one work as well.

Set in 1927 Vermont, 'Where the rivers flow north' takes the familiar theme of the rugged individualist going up against the evil, unfeeling corporation, and breathes new life into it. Mosher's flowing style, combined with his incredible ability to bring to the printed page all the nuances of his characters' personalities -- warts and all -- give this and all of his works the finishing touches that only a fine craftsman can give. Noel Lord's Native American housekeeper/wife, Bangor, is one of the most memorable characters you'll ever run across. She and Lord have a classic yin-yang relationship that, most likely, neither one would acknowledge. A reader from any part of the nation can get inside these people, can feel and experience everything that happens to them -- and any time we can do that, we can learn and we can grow.

The characters in all of the stories here are, as in all of Mosher's works, vividly drawn -- Alabama Jones, the innocent-but-worldly aspiring carnival performer -- Burl, an old woman lying in a nursing home waiting to die, looking back at her life with a combination of bitterness and longing -- Eban and Walter, brothers, neighbors, at odds in their life over things large and small, but brothers -- a man dying, clinging to life through a kept peacock -- a boy passes through a coming-of-age event, a flood, which changes forever the way he views both his brother and his father -- another man, Henry Coville, makes some painful recollections and decisions as he feels the end of his life approach. Mosher paints them all with the deft brush strokes of an artist who intimately knows his subjects and the landscape in which their lives are played out.

Howard Frank Mosher is an immensely talented, always entertaining writer -- he deserves to be widely read, and what a treat is awaiting those who read him for the first time...!

I made my way to Howard Frank Mosher via Edward Hoagland, another Vermonter and writer of considerable talent. Hoagland mentioned Howard in a few of his essays on Kingdom Country and apparently the two were friends and competitors. Since I find Hoagland so good, I figured any writer he considers a peer must be worth a gander. After having read Where the Rivers Flow North I see that the two are peers and competitors. This book consists of six short stories and one novella of just over a hundred pages.

Starting with the short stories. They are quiet salient, well-crafted works that succeed universally, as literary stories about men and women grappling with the weighty issues of life, and as quasi-historical vignettes that pull back the veil on an interesting region of our country. None of them exceeds fifteen pages, but within that short space Mosher packs a lot of action, intrigue, humor, and drama. Nearly all of the characters are of a low social economic class, men and women struggling to eek out a living in the north woods, either as farmers, bootleggers, gas station attendants, loggers, aspiring race?car drivers, prostitutes, deer hunters, wardens, or what have you. Mosher knows his world well - and it's a harrowing world at that. Nature - the woods, the mountains, the snow and cold -becomes almost another character in these stories; but it's not just beautiful. Any tourist could write about the beauty of a landscape. Mosher is so talented because he takes you, with his well-crafted characters, into the heart of the landscape, to learn what it feels like to wrestle with it from inside. The nature of Kingdom Country that Mosher conjures up is vengeful - there is no surface level sentimentality here - this is the real deal. Nowhere is this felt more than in the novella Where the Rivers Flow North. This story perfectly brings together Mosher's strengths - intimate knowledge of nature, memorable and nuanced characters, local history, and a compelling story line rife with metaphors.

If you are on the fence about this writer, I urge you to take a chance. If you like Stienbeck and his California, you'll like Mosher and his northern Vermont.

I am a hypercritcal reader and I love it when I pick up a book I cannot stop reading. I have subsequently ordered all of Mosher's books and cannot wait to read them. Mosher is not a good writer he is a great American writer. He builds character and place like the master he is. Thank you Mr. Mosher.

After I found out that former my in-laws knew Howard Mosher personally and my ex-husband had him as a teacher and coach in school and hung out with Howard's kids in high school I HAD to read a book written by him. This is the first book I read by Howard and I can't wait to read more. What a great illustration of Vermont in the early 1900's!

I read this every November, when the days start to get short and the first snow flies. This collection portrays a lost and disappearing Vermont, a way of life on the verge of extinction.

Dr. Frank Eichorn's Internal Customer Relationship Model (IntCRM) is a practice that is highly effective in meeting today's functional business unit and IT integration hurdles. This book is a must read for any Operations Manager of Project Leader looking to mitigate the difficulties facing most organizations when it comes to systems integration. Dr. Eichorn's smooth writing style coupled with "real life" applicable examples made this a positive reading, but more importantly, a positive learning experience. Highly recommended reading for a person faced with mitigating integration in their organization.

This book gives you a complete understanding of IntCRM and provides you with the tools necessary to assess your own organization's IntCRM. Dr. Frank Eichorn walks you thru each of the five key dimensions of the IntCRM model. He even provides you with a list of survey questions. Assessing my organization was easy with Dr. Frank's help! His recommendations are excellent. We are well on our way to removing the barrier between IT and the business units! A must read.

First, many of us do not realize that there exist a barrier between IT and business processes. Second, once you acknoledge the exclusion, then get the book; because, it helps you undestand how resolve the separation, and utilize IT as an organizational competitive advantage. Plus, the book is simple to read and understand. Well done!!

I am always looking for fresh and innovative methods for our company to help clients. Dr. Eichorn's frameworks are comprehensive, and I use them in business architecture discussions. Horizontal collaboration is my favorite section.

This is the best book I ever read in this area.

The book address the critical issues of how to sucessfulluy integrate IT effort with business needs, which I am sure is a desire but struggle for many companies.

Combining his many years of sucessful practical experience in manageing IT group in one of the largest finanicial institutions and his doctor research, Frank shows us how to achieve better IT and business integration.

For every business execs
-who want to leverage IT technogloy better to boost the bottom line and
every IT manager
-who want to achieve a better business and IT integration, the book is a great read.

If their entire team could read and implement the ideas and notions in te book , much more efficiency and productivity will be achieved with much less money.

Wolly Wisdom is a great book that will educate you on the many veriations of the great fly we call the wooly bugger. This book will not only show how to tie this fly but will show the many ways to fish this very effective pattern. A great read!

One of the most complete books with pictures and diagrams and easy to understand directions.

This is an excellent book. I just started tying flys in January 07, mostly saltwater flys. This book gives good advice on how to ty these flies and how to fish them. The catalog of patterns for wooly worms and wolly buggers is the greatest strenghth of this book. The author has collected a voluminous amount of fly patterns with photographs as well as descriptions of the origins of the fly and where it works best. I'm traveling to the Ozarks next month to fish there for the first time and I found a fly - a Miller Wolly Worm - that originated there and is purported to work well. I highly recommend this book for tyers of all abilities.

Everyone uses them in some way or another. This book doesn't break new ground, but it does consolidate the experiences of years fishing into one handy reference. The book can be used to validate what you're doing or not doing. It will also show some new wrinkles about tying and fishing methods.

"Woolly Wisdom: How To Tie And Fish Woolly Worms, Woolly Buggers, And Their Fish-Catching Kin" by fly-fishing expert Gary Soucie is a superbly presented `how to' guide to creating a special class of versatile and popular fishing flies that are experienced proven at catching fishing. "Woolly Wisdom" provides an informed and profusely illustrated documentation on tying and fishing with some 400 of these diverse, handmade flies for both fresh water and salt water fish. Fun, informative, practical, and time-tested, "Woolly Wisdom" is confidently recommended for any aspiring fly-fisher from novice anglers to seasoned experts.

I received this book as a gift this Christmas and let me say that is was one of the funniest I have received is some time. I tend to be what some might call a political junkie and this book takes a nice shot right at the overly partisan and greatly increased sense of importance me and my fellow political geeks have placed on the differences between the Dem's and the GOP. If you are strongly in the one of two camps and have a thin skin, then you will probably only like half of this book, but if you can sit back and laugh at the extreme view of the political masses today, then this book will put a smile on your face.

The format is a two sided take off of the funny "You know you are a red neck if.." series. If I have one criticism is that the book was just too short. Thirty minutes is about all you need to read the book and I finished thinking that the author could have done so much more. For example he stayed away from jokes on any particular political figures. Then again the books gives you just what it claims, light humor that is perfect for any politically focused friend or family member. Buy it and prepare to laugh.

Really loved this book. It was fun to look at the jabs taken at both Democrats and Republicans.. and to be honest, they both are very accurate. Democrat or Republican, you'll enjoy this book!

Full of good laughs and some deeper jabs that stay with you. Interestingly, my wife, a Democrat, thought the writer really stuck it to the Republicans, while I, a Republican, thought he was merciless on the Democrats. That's quite a trick. You'll enjoy it. Your friends will love it. You'll find yourself marking your favorite pages so that you can read them again and share them with friends.

It may not be "gut-buster" humor, but I found myself (and others) making punctuated outbursts of laughter, delight and recognition while reading through the book. It cleverly portrays the knee-jerk-stereotypes, which are so ingrained in the Republican / Democrat ideology, as to make each feel the other is getting roasted while one's own camp gets off relatively easy! If truth is in the eye of the beholder, this work shows each one of us as being oblivious to our own biases and the assumptions underlying them...which is pretty laughable!

When I picked up "You Know You're a Republican/Democrat If..." I expected a collection of off-color, just the usual "I hate Bush," or "Kerry's just a rich liberal" puns. I thought, given the title, the writer, like Jeff Foxworthy in his redneck series, just picked low-hanging fruit.

It is quite witty. Some jokes are reiterations of ones heard on Leno and Letterman, redone in the "You know you're a" style, but others are current, fresh and funny.

I tried to guess the writer's political leaning, but the jokes are well-balanced. He honestly pokes fun at whatever his side is, and thoroughly jabs the other. My hat is off to him for not revealing who will get his vote.

Ironically, left side of each spread is a Republican joke, and the right side is a Democrat joke.

Some of the jokes are based on simple stereotypes, like, "You know you're a Republican if... you think Florida election officials are fair and unbiased. You know you're a Democrat if you think 'fair Florida elections' is a contradiction in terms."

Other jokes show keen wit, and understanding of the deeper philosophical differences and inadequacies between each party and their adherents, like, "You know you're a Republican if you've thought about becoming a Libertarian, but have trouble with their philosophical support of prostitution, gay marriage, and uninhibited personal freedom. You know you're a Democrat if you've thought about becoming a Libertarian, but have trouble with their support of free trade." Another: "You know you're a Republican if you prove your racial sensitivity by saying 'gracias' to your gardener. You know you're a Democrat if you're strongly committed to racial equality even if you don't personally know anyone of a different race."

Two of my favorites is, "You know you're a Republican if you're afraid of the IRS. You know you're a Democrat if you're afraid of the FBI," and "You know you're a Republican if you support George W. Bush's plan to put a man on Mars. You know you're a Democrat if you want that man to be George W. Bush."

Maybe the gem in the whole book is "You know you're a Republican if you think Colin Powell might make a good President, if he wasn't black. You know you're a Democrat if you think Colin Powell might make a good President, if he wasn't conservative."

This is a book worth stocking in the bathroom, or for reading aloud on trips. Both sides take some heat, so no will be offended.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

In this impressive volume, Professor McLynn takes the reader through not only the crucial year of 1066, but the decades preceeding this fateful year, slowly building a picture that shows the early medieval period as a vibrant and often chaotic period, rich in political intrigue, economic uncertainty, and devastating military undertakings.

Unlike many books that use 1066 as the centrepiece, McLynn doesn't use a chronological narative, rather he uses the personalities of time to tell his tale and explain his conclusions (many of which run counter to the common understanding of the period).

Particularly insightful for this reviewer was his analysis of Harald Hardrada; as well as the analysis of the Saxon vs. Norman fighting methods and warfighting equipment. Most interesting though was McLynn's dispelling of the myth of the 'arrow through the eye' for Harold Godwinson, arguing instead that Harold was literally assissinated by a group of knights hand-picked by William toward the conclusion of the Battle of Hastings.

The final element that McLynn uses to support his arguments is that of logistics. His method is reminescent of how Hans Delbrück makes sense of the fantastical claims associated with the size of ancient armies. McLynn clearly shows that Napoleon's dictum that an 'army marches on its stomach' couldn't be more true.

This book is a great read for any person even remotely interested in these pivotal events that defined the future of England and also for the serious student of the early medieval period.

Enjoy.

We have a tendency to view people of long ago as simple in their lives and politics. This well researched and written book opens the door to an age much more rich in the scope and depth of its political intrigue and subsequent warfare. In setting the stage for the climactic battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, Frank McLynn takes us back thru a generation of tangled politics, alliances made and broken, power won and lost. He details the long relationship between the Godwins and Edward the Confessor, King of England but beset on many sides by powerful enemies. McLynn sketches the life of Harald Hardrada, who served lords of Kiev and Byzantium before becoming ruler of Norway. And he shows how William, Duke of Normandy consolidated his power and administration in preparation for the invasion of England. In the process McLynn puts a critical eye on his sources, recognizing that they may have been written to enhance the reputation of the winners rather than with a strict eye to truth. And he isn't afraid to say that some things we'll just have to assume or guess, because the sources are so scant, so obscure or unbelievable. This is not my favorite period of history, but I found this book most readable and reasonable, and the story very absorbing. A very fine job.

This was a book I found hard to put down, and is probably one of the best books on the Anglo-Saxons and specifically the Battle of Hastings that I have ever read.
Maclynn's attention to sources, and critical analysis of those sources, is excellent. And I found the chapters covering each of the main protaganists illuminating. Covering the behind the scene machinations shows just how much Harold II had to contend with, how great a king he would have been had he not been killed, and the great disservice that has been done to him historically simply because the Normans were victorious.
You very much get the feeling as to who the victors of this battle should have been, the Anglo-Saxons, and it was so very close too.

Mclynn's book is the clearest and most profound of the many which have centred on the events of 1066. The background into the three 'big men' involved (Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, Harold Godwinson,Earl of Wessex and King of England, and William Duke of Normandy) is extensive, but written with real sense of the demands of narrative. This is not a dry academic treatise. It is a well paced, yet thoroughly researched book. I especially liked how he went deeply into the political machinations of the time. These were not simple people. They were canny, shrewd, calculating, and Mclynn exposes the dealing and double dealing that went along with magnate status in the eleventh century. He tackles several historical traditions and beats the snot out of them, Harold's death by arrow in the eye being one. An immensely readable book,and one of the most well thumbed in my collection

I cannot praise this slim volume too highly as a resource for the study of the 11th century in upper Europe. Dr. McLynn is a superb writer, balancing the need for exhaustive details and character insights with a narrator's gift for storytelling. Focusing on the three major players of the invasion of England in 1066, William of Normandy, Harald Hardrada, and Harold Godwinson, he not so much writes concerning the actual battles of 1066 as about what led to them, leading the reader on an epic journey through political intrigues and lavish landscapes, from Norway to Byzantium. And if he uses the word "contumaciously" far too often, one can forgive him in favour of the grandeur of the tale.

What I especially admire is that McLynn has no fear of discounting or disagreeing with popular impressions. His take on 1066: the housecarls' favoured weapon was not the double-headed axe (although they used it), but the pike, of which they had many varieties; Harold was not killed by an arrow to the eye; the supposed superiority of the Norman military engine versus that of Anglo-Saxon England was nonexistant, as seen in Harold's 1063 war that brutally smashed the feared Welsh. These tidbits and more await the reader of this highly recommended work.

Grew up reading this series. Now I have a permanent copy of my own. Good price and great product for comics junkies.

How sweet it is to sit down and read these comics from the 1950's- it's like a miniature journey back into the past where sexism, politcal correctness and all the sociological baggage we lug around today did not exist. It's like opening a window and letting in a fresh breeze that tickles your lungs and makes you laugh!

Lil Abner always had a strong fan club that allowed the reprinting of the daily strips by Kitchen Sink press for about 25 volumes, which if there was no fan base, only one or two volumes would have been published.

In addition,we are very lucky that Frazetta's reputation and fan club would allow the printing of a comic strip that John Steinbeck once stated, its author, Al Capp, should be given the Putszler (excuse the spelling) prize.

Al Capp was a master satirist and storyteller, who would have one acclaim like Mark Twain or O'Henry if not for the snob attitude toward comic strips.

This is shown here. The 50-year-old color strips are re-printed in a fine manner with expert commentary about the period they were written in by Denis Kitchen.

This is the only full color page spread of Marylin Monroe in Lil Abner.

Beware, they feature "politically incorrect" well-endowed women, and one main character, Daisy Mae, as mostly submissive, which would not be allowed in comic strips today as it would raise the ire of feminists and other "progressive" people.

On the other hand, it features the two main male characters, Abner and Pappy, as idiots or wimps, Abner and his brother Tiny as "hunks", and the one of the main women characters, Mammy as the leader of the Yokum clan, who occassionally beats Pappy, which are allowed in comic strips today as the "Progressives" seem to have no problem with this.

Remember, vintage comic strip reprints do not generate big bucks, some even lose money. They are produced out of great admiration for the strips, and we should be grateful for the publishers for doing so.

By the way, why does Amazon include a 'NO' in 'was this review helpful to you?'. People are only human and don't like opinions that differ from themselves. With some who are less mature, this the 'NO' makes it too easy express such displeasure.

Are they trying to discourage negative reviews, hence not purchase the CD. Such reviews only help a person in not being dissatisfied a product that received positive reviews

This is the second volume of Li'l Abner Sunday strips drawn by future king of fantasy art Frank Frazetta. I have be honest and admit that in my opinion Li'l Abner is the greatest American comic strip of all time. So, my opinion is not exactly unbiased. Naturally, I loved this book. Many people have the opinion that the strip went downhill after Li'l Abner and Daisy Mae got married. That may be true, but it was a slow descent down that hill, and the strip was still great in the mid 1950s. The scripts are hilarious and the Frazetta art is beautiful (although drawn in the style of Al Capp, not his own style). I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in classic American comic strips.

Finally! Although one may quibble over some technical details ( the strips might have been printed a bit larger, and the color is a bit muddy in spots, ) there's no denying that publisher Denis Kitchen is performing a service to mankind by making these historic strips available again - for the first time in almost 50 years.

Al Capp was at a creative peak in the 1950's, the heyday of his uber cool American satiric masterpiece: LI'L ABNER, and these classic Sunday page sequences don't disappoint. For many people, this was their first exposure to Frank Frazetta's work, and he managed to capture Capp's idiosyncratic style with the greatest of ease, adding many brilliant, characteristic nuances of his own along the way.

With the demise of the late, lamented Kitchen Sink Press a few years back, I despaired of ever seeing this classic material back in print again - but here it is! It's impossible for gen X-ers weaned on tripe like Dilbert and Foxtrot to even begin to imagine what a rich source of art and humor the American comic strip used to be in the 30's, 40's and 50's.

For anyone interested in re-visiting a Golden Age of this uniquely American art form, you couldn't ask for a better place to start than this. Hopefully the series will be continued before and beyond the Frazetta years - into the forties and sixties. And while we're at it, how about a color POGO Sundays collection, Mr. Kitchen?