Frank Books

The first was Abraham Lincoln, and thank God he lived to see the Civil War to its conclusion. Unfortunately, Dostoevsky died of smoking-induced emphysema before his genious was able to formulate the aims of a revolution, potentially of comparable historical import to our own. This is my analogy -- not Frank's -- but his "biography" does make my view legitimate, I think.
Dostoevsky's sway over the new generation of radical activists was profound enough that he aimed to transform the ideology of socialist revolution into the ideology of a unique Russian Christian renaissance, in opposition to the secular materialism of the civilized world. In the author's eschatalogical imagination, he envisaged a Russian revolution of sentiment that would have had the opposite effect of France's "liberty, equality, and (compulsory) fraternity" -- but he died before he was able to manifest his positive ideal in its complete force through the character of Alyosha Karamazov. Thus, it would be interesting to find out what the sequel to The Brothers Karamazov would have been and also to see how Russians would have taken such a message.
Frank's "biography" should bolster most people's initial internal response to Dostoevsky's work -- a response that most of us have to struggle to articulate.

Dostoevsky: The Mantle of the Prophet, 1871-1881 is the long-awaited final volume by Joseph Frank, Professor of Comparative Literature Emeritus at Princeton University and Professor of Comparative Literature and Slavic Languages and Literature Emeritus at Stanford University.

Previous volumes in the series are: Dostoevsky: The Seeds of Revolt, 1821-1849; Dostoevsky: The Years of Ordeal, 1850-1859; Dostoevsky: The Stir of Liberation, 1860-1865; and Dostoevsky: The Miraculous Years, 1865-1871.

It was during the final decade of his life, 1871-1881, that Dostoevsky wrote Diary of a Writer and his greatest novel, The Brothers Karamazov. Many pages of Frank's fifth volume deals with analzying these two works (140 pages for The Brothers Karamazov alone).

With impressive literary scholarship, Frank throws light on the historical, political, economic, social, cultural, and literary setting within which Dostoevsky created his works of art, novels of great psychological depth.

For example, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: "Dostoevsky, the only psychologist, by the way, from whom I had anything to learn; he is one of the happiest accidents of my life, even more so than my discovery of Stendhal."

Dostoevsky traced the roots of the evils in Russian society to a loss of religious faith. By "religious faith" he meant specifically the Christian faith of the Russian Orthodox Church. He thought the Roman Catholic Church was a distortion and perversion of true Christianity. (See the harangue Dostoevsky puts into the mouth of Prince Myshkin in Part Four, Chapter VII, of The Idiot.

Of particular interest is Frank's discussion of Dostoevsky's philosophical thinking (framed, of course, within a Christian worldview), such as his ruminations on Russian nationalism, rational egoism, and the freedom of the will, and his grave concerns over the adverse moral and political effects of atheism and nihilism.

Frank soft-pedals Dostoevsky's notorious anti-Semitism, seeking to exonerate his hero as being simply "a child of his time."

Although one finds many things to dislike about Dostoevsky, one cannot help being impressed by his literary genius. Recognizing the excellence of Dostoevsky's art, Frank devotes the lion's share of his volume not to the man himself but to the man's literary production.

While this is surely not the fault of Joseph Frank, one is depressed by the seemingly endless fare of Russian sectarian bickering and murky political maneuverings. One breathes a huge sigh of relief to escape this oppressive atmosphere.

"Dostoevsky : The Mantle of the Prophet, 1871-1881" is the fifth and final volume in Frank's extraordinary biography of Dostoevsky, a remarkable undertaking of more than a quarter century. While every volume has been exceptional and well worth reading, because they share a title and differ only in subtitle Amazon's system tends to muddle reviews of the various volumes together. This final volume covers the last decade of Dostoevsky's life, so don't buy it expecting a one-volume bio of the great writer. If you care about Dostoevsky's work find copies of the first four volumes, read them, then read this book. The series sets a superlative standard for examining a great writer's life and works, but this volume isn't really intended to stand alone, despite a short "story-to-date" intro.

A truly triumphant conclusion to a massive and passionate undertaking. Frank shows the highest standards of scholarship in being objective, fair, yet sympathetic to one of the greatest of all writers. In this final volume, we have Dostoevsky living and breathing the Russian air of his beloved land seething with social, cultural and political issues of the day. An engaged and far-seeing artist if ever there was one. The complexity and paradoxical simplicity of his life presents us a real genius often at odds with the way he would be perceived by many of his readers, yet a humane and sincere human being. Now go back and read the magnificent works he has given us from his pen.

Not until in this the fifth and final volume of Frank's biographical look at Dostoevsky's books is the issue of antisemitism fully dealt with, and good heavens what PASSIM references there are! Finally, Dostoevsky's introduction of the blood libel myth into The Brothers Karamazov got on Frank's nerves (I don't know if Frank is Jewish though): "[T]hat Dostoevsky should have introduced such material at all, no matter how topical it may have been, leaves a permanent stain on his reputation that nothing can efface.....NOW, he gives the widest possible circulation to this age-old vilification, first used in classical antiquity against the early Christians themselves." (p. 670)

Yet Frank's words for the book itself include: "genius," "grandeur," "poetic power," "symbolic elevation," "a monumental power of self-expression to his characters which rivals that of Dante's sinners and saints, Shakespeare's titanic heroes and villains, and Milton's gods and archangels....with the same superhuman majesty as the figures of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel." To save ink Frank might as well compare The Brothers Karamazov to the Old Testament. (This would be appropriate as Christianity is a leitmotif in Dostoevsky's works.)

Such a brilliant book! (Dostoevsky's, that is.) Little wonder that Einstein, someone I admire very much, also liked it a lot, antisemitism notwithstanding.

Frank's biographical criticism runs to almost 3,000 pages from Volume I-V. I'd hoped at least 300 of those pages would be devoted to The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky's masterpiece) but I got half that number.

The "mantle of prophet" which Frank refers to of course has nothing to do with antisemitism: He means that Dostoevsky was, even more than Pushkin, the prophet of the Russian radical spirit.

A long time will pass before another definitive work on Dostoevsky supersedes this multi-volume masterpiece.

(...)

After reading Lazaris' Dragonman: The Adventures of Luke Starr, I anticipated that we'd soon hear from our morphing protagonist, Luke, and the tenacious team of Starr Investigations once again. In this sophomore creation, Lazaris utilizes his crafty skill of piecing together sequenced ambiguities and mysteries and revealing their significance to the reader at precise moments, which signifies creative and structural mastery of a writer over his abilities and work, like a concert pianist who can perform Chopin in his sleep. We witnessed this exemplary technique in the first born Dragonman: The Adventures of Luke Starr, but Lazaris' second spawn Dragonman and the Poseidon Encounter showcases this artistic foresight at a discernable level.
Now realizing the extent and implications of his powers, Luke battles with the conflict of how his gifts will affect his future, his endeavors, and even the lives of his offspring, were he to have children. Each intriguing chapter possesses imagination that is authentic and events that are unpredictable. Lazaris has conjured many memorable tales, combining elements of mystery, science fiction, and even allusions to mythology. After a climactic encounter with the God of the Seas in search for the Trident, Luke is reunited with his Grandmother, an incident that propels the novel to its dramatic conclusion-a conclusion that leaves readers thirsting for Lazaris' hopeful hat trick.

New York Times best-selling author
Ellen Tanner Marsh
Dragonman and the Poseidon Encounter

In Ted Lazaris's first fantasy adventure novel, Dragonman, the Adventures of Luke Starr, the reader was introduced to the likeable Luke and his seemingly normal way of life growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Luke was portrayed as a quiet, average kid plagued by all the inherent problems of the typical American teen: dealing with a crush on a girl he's too shy to approach,
pesky sisters constantlypoking their noses into his business, bullies at school and exams to study
for. But Luke, readers soondiscovered, was burdened by a far greater weight than any of his peers, as he struggled to come to terms with his birthright as The Chosen One, savior of the distant world
of Spellville. Not only that, but, like hapless Peter Parker forced to juggle his complex life as Spider-Man while pursuing his love interest and his not-always-easy career, Luke had to learn to harness the enormous powers of Dragonman, his super alter-ego, a persona that regrettably did not come with an instruction manual. In this second, action comic-like installment, Dragonman and the Poseidon Encounter, Luke seems to have come to terms with his legacy and appears well in control of his super powers--which he will be called upon to use this time around to save the world from an evil demon who seeks to claim the souls of every human being on earth.
The mood of impending danger is set from the very first page, when author Ted Lazaris takes off his gloves to delivering a knock-out of an opening scene: Five-year-old Bobby Blakely, running downstairs on the morning of his birthday, finds not the hoped for brand new bicycle as a gift, but rather an enormous blue whale that has somehow "washed up" in the small lake on his parent's isolated farm. While many consider the whale's appearance a hoax, others believe it to be a sign of impending Biblical doom. And it is enough to rouse Luke's suspicions that worse is about to happen--which it does.
In a pace that never flags, Poseidon Encounter unfolds in a complex thread of differing tales, from an old-fashioned detective murder mystery to a science fiction fantasy, all neatly stitched together by an intriguing cast of characters, both good and evil and not-exactly-as-they-seem. An imaginative writer, Lazaris blends magic, mysticism, religion and the fast-paced action of the comic book world into a book that fans of the first Dragonman tale will find hard to put down.

The Future of Fantasy: A Book Review of Ted Lazaris' Dragonman: The Adventures of Luke Starr
by Jason Rodriguez (Editor) www.edit911.com

Fantasy and science fiction have maintained their rebirth stage in recent years. Not since Star Wars and Star Trek have fantasy aficionados and rookies alike been on such an orbital high. With the emergence of Harry Potter and the resurgence of Lord of the Rings, the new generation of Trekkies and Tolkienites are rekindling fantasy's fire. While these giants have reached the best-selling bookshelves and mainstream matinees, what is next for this growing genre? Although still working its way through the underground, Ted Lazaris' Dragonman: The Adventures of Luke Starr will inevitably unleash its ground-breaking tale into the fantasy/science fiction arena with undeniable force. Lazaris and his work have the potential to take this genre of literature from the initial stage of rebirth to the full-blown development of a renaissance.
This masterwork fuses elements of neo-fantasy with enchanting escapades of a mythical hero's journey. The phenom Luke Starr carries the blessing and curse of being anointed "The Chosen One." Through the guise of the heroic Dragonman, Luke breeds righteousness and counteracts the infections of evil with his superhuman abilities and capacity for generating miracles. Lazaris intertwines the tale of Luke's prodigious path with connecting plot allusions and links that give the novel symmetry and composition. He skillfully balances these storyline strategies with the benevolent, witty dialogues between Luke, Jessica, and Crystal, which masterfully merges orchestration, thematic implications, and the idiosyncrasies of the adolescent characters' innocence, curiosity, ambition, and compassion. Within this human element of the novel, Lazaris also incorporates unforgettable and imaginative episodes involving a blood brother bond between dragon and human, puzzling serial murder mysteries, an alien invasion, and encounters with the devil in the form of a plausible psychic. Although this work has been paralleled with the revered creations of Rowling, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other fantasy virtuosos, Dragonman: The Adventures of Luke Starr possesses a creative and inventive authenticity that is incomparable.

New York Times best-selling author
Ellen Tanner Marsh
DragonMan The Adventures Of Luke Starr

Question: What do C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum, J.K. Rawlings, J.R.R. Tolkien and Stan Lee have in common?

Answer: In some way, shape or form their magical characters find a presence in Ted Lazaris's Dragonman, the Adventures of Luke Starr. The similarities are irreverent and fun; Dorothy's adventures in Oz (in Baum's outstanding series of books, not the 1939 MGM movie) are no more strange and fantastical than young Luke Starr's trek through the mythical world of Spellville in search of his kidnapped friends. J.R.R. Tolkien's evil orcs and wizards are equally well represented by Lazaris's hag demons and gruelbores, and Luke falls afoul of as many odd creatures in Spellville as Harry Potter does at Hogwarts.
But the journey for Luke is not so much a mission of mercy as one of self-discovery. For despite his humble Midwest origins, Luke is no ordinary teenager. Imbued with super powers following a ritualistic exchange of blood with a dragon, Luke soon discovers the awesome legacy of his birthright and must learn to accept the fact that he is known in this other world as the Chosen One. Still, in the tradition of Marvel Comics' Stan Lee, creator of modern superheroes like Spider-Man and Silver Surfer, Lazaris's Dragonman is unquestionably human, grappling with his doubts and fears even as he sets off to save Planet Earth from alien beings hell-bent on destruction.
"My book is about good fun and a means of escaping your daily routine," Lazaris tells his readers, and keeps his promise by delivering a fast-paced fantasy in which the epic struggle between good and evil rests squarely on a likeable hero's young shoulders.
"You were bound by destiny," a being of light tells Luke, "and will embark on a life of great adventure and mystery, with the power of unlocking the doorway to any world."
And as if that weren't enough, Lazaris offers up an eye-popping array of intertwined subplots linking Luke's fantasy world to his real one, wherein unsolved murders, a mysterious psychic and an ominous stranger keep the action rolling until the satisfyingly climactic conclusion.

I admire your efforts, through writing adventure stories, to encourage people of all ages to enjoy reading. I send my best wishes for your success.

Sincerely,
Laura Bush
First Lady

This is a well crafted novel that follows the saying "write what you know". The characters have a depth provided by Heavey's use of his life experiences to create their personalities and he surrounds them in an atmosphere he clearly knows well; on top of which he creates suspense and drama within the novel which had me bitting my finger nails (literally). A wonderful first novel. I look forward to reading his next.

(Full disclosure--Frank Heavey and I played soccer together in high school.) I had a very hard time putting down "Dying to Sea," and finished it in just a couple of sittings. Heavey manages to create a sense of tension early and maintain it throughout the entire book. If Hollywood isn't already interested in this book, they should be. At no time could I predict where the plot was going. Details that come up early in the book figure into the plot later on in a way that always pushed me to think hard, but were never so complex as to be impossible to recall. A great read, whether or not you know the author!

"Dying to Sea," is a wonderfully fun read for all those seeking adventure, mystery and romance all in one. Set on the beautiful shores of Cape Cod, three friends Annie Hopewell, Matt Gallagher and Tucker McKinney join for one last carefree summer before embarking on their next life path. After a brief intersection with Carson Ridder and Buster Sykes, the trio find themselves entangled in a murder investigation/treasure hunt that will leave them fighting for their lives. From Boston to Chatham, they race against time, in hopes of finding a treasure that will ultimately their determine their fate.

First time novelist Frank Heavey brings to life the innocence of summer and the charm of Cape Cod as the reader is swept away in an action-packed journey. Whether you are a thrill-seeker or a romantic at heart, "Dying to Sea," will captivate your senses and enthrall your mind.

I read this action-packed novel in a day! Readers travel on the heels of a host of convincing and imperfect characters, across more than a century, to picture a web of drama and mystery unfold. Heavey's rich descriptions of the New England landscape are so satisfying one can taste the salted ocean air on each page. The thrills roll out with greater frequency than the tide in Dying to Sea, and I loved following the adventures to some of my favorite spots: Chatham's beautiful and historic shoreline, the bustle of Harvard Square, and the shimmering waters of Nantucket Sound. Sprinkled amidst the drama are moments that can make one wistful: the unexpected captured aroma of homemade fudge from a Main Street candy shop, the nostalgia of a lighthouse visit, and the innocence of love discovered on a moonlit beach. This book has it all - enjoy!

Set in Chatham, Massachusetts and areas of Boston, Dying to Sea has all of the elements that make up a great book, including mystery, suspense and intrigue. The author does an excellent job of connecting you to the characters as he vividly describes their distinct personalities. You feel as if you know them personally. I enjoyed this book immensely and I have been recommending it to everyone. This is a perfect summer read, I could not put the book down!

This book is classic Dobie in style and is "the" book on Texas Longhorns. Dobie takes us through the history of the breed, through the animal, through the men and women that loved, used and abused them, and through the many tales that surround them, both fiction and fact. The animal stands large in this work, but the flavor of the old days, of the hardships, of the ranch life, of the love for the land of the people who lived and died there is a part of it too. For anyone with an interest in this breed, this book is a must read. For anyone else with a feel for the Southwestern United States, Texas, cowboys, or the land, it's time well spent.

As horses were introduced to America by the Spanish, so too were cattle, and both species became feral, then wild, and learned to survive on their own under extreme conditions in the west. Not infrequently some retained some of their domestication. Texas was the land of their beginning as catalysts to a lifestyle peculiarly western because of how they developed. The Longhorns were tough individuals as well as part of a breed apart, and Dobie was just the sort of person to describe them for what they were, and the men who made it their purpose to use them. Dobie is a story teller of exceptional talent as well as an historian of necessity if his stories are to carry any weight. Each Chapter deals with an aspect of the beast and its habitat from which they were removed to form enormous herds driven north by cowboys over tractless miles to railheads when they arrived or to distant markets before their coming. Cowboys were tough, but also gentle as they crooned softly to the cattle on a stormy night hopefully to prevent "stompedes." Dobies' tales of individual Longhorns illustrates that within the being of some was a spirit that exceeded normal expectation, and contributed to human emotions in spite of themselves. The Longhorns began to fade as bloodlines were mixed to improve the breed, and as railheads came closer to the herds. For "improved" cattle had not the prowess or the ability to survive without the help of man as did the pure Longhorns. They were a breed in transition from one life style to another, but their memory remains because of Dobie and his tales. Fascinating reading.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT COLLECTION OF STORIES ON THE LONGHORN. IT STARTES WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF CATTLE AND HOW THE LONG HORN CAME TO BE. THERE ARE A FEW TALES OF THE LONG HORNS LONG HORNS,AND AFEW ON WHY IT WAS THE PERFECT ANIMAL FOR TEXAS CATTLEMEN.THE BOOK IS ENDED ON A SAD NOTE THAT TALKS ABOUT THE LAST OF THE WILD LONG HORNS

Frank Dobie, a University of Texas professor, spent years collecting stories of the old southwest. Many are tales that he wrote down of 19th Century life. Several are collected into volumes about important parts of life at the time, including "Longhorns" and "The Mustangs".

They provide great insight into the origin of those animals and their importance to people who lived in those times.

Another excellent Dobie book is "I'll Tell You a Tale," with excerpts from these two books and others. The anthology includes tales of gold, stories of irony, Old West characters, and saddle stories.

J. Frank Dobie spent his life documenting the grassroots history of Texas and this book is probably his finest examples. I've read all of his books and found this one to be the most informative. There's also a wonderful collection of photographs of many of the different variations of horn and hide at the rear of this book. You'll learn how the cattle came north from Mexico in the beginning and how early settlers rooted them out of the thickets of East Texas to start their herds. You'll learn about many of the principal cattlemen of early Texas including their drives north to the Kansas railhead.

If you enjoy Texas history you'll really enjoy this book.

With the same meticulous attention to historical detail as Harry Turtledove, but with a lighter touch, Frank Minogue takes the reader on a succession of journeys. As the heroic crew of HMS Panther set out to engage that scourge of Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte, they are kidnapped by the Vellies, an alien people with a peculiar sense of hospitality and an incomprehensible passion for the British navy's figgy-dowdy pudding.
Taken to the Velalian world they set about supplying the Vellies' insatiable appetite for figgy-dowdy but their initial reluctance mellows somewhat when the Vellies prove to be generous in their thanks. And what true British tar can resist a little off-shore romance, even if it is light years to the nearest British port? And even when the crew and Vellies part company the adventure still has a way to go.
This is a gem of a book. It is adventure, romance, history and science fiction rolled into a perfectly crafted whole.

I just finished reading Figgy Dowdy & LOVED it! It was VERY funny! I have also read and enjoyed other stories by Frank Minogue. Not only does this author write funny stuff, but he also captured my attention from the very first page. His characters come to life (even the alien ones) and the action doesn't stop. It was an intriguing mix of historical detail and sci-fi. A good read!

I had the great fortune to be the editor for this book. As a retired Navy man, the sailor in this book rang true. It doesn't matter that the sailor is from the 1800s. Sailors are sailors are sailors.

This is one funny book. Talk about sailors on shore leave. Throw them on an alien planet and sailors they will be.

This book was a pleasure to edit as much as it was a pleasure to read.

Jake George
Acquisitions Director
Virtual Tales Publications

What do English sailors in the Napoleonic wars have in common with teleporting aliens? Answer: figgy-dowdy. This rather unappetizing pudding nevertheless draws the Velalians (Vellies) across space and time, and when they go home they take the good ship HMS Panther and its crew back with them. The Vellies just can't get enough figgy pudding and they're willing to give able seaman Harry Larkington and his crewmates almost anything they want in exchange.

Frank Minogue writes with a deft wit and his prose never falters, whether he's describing 19th century naval customs or the cultural peculiarities of an alien world. Narrator Harry Larkington's laconic outlook on life is no more fazed by the aliens and their habits than it is by Boney's navy--or by his own ship's officers for that matter.

This "first contact" story is great fun, with plenty of laughs and occasional spots of pathos, as the crew of the Panther must deal with one shock after another while keeping their upper lips suitably stiff. On the other hand, readers who seek for allegorical allusions to our own planet's history of exploration and the meeting of cultures will not be disappointed.

This is historical science fiction at its best.

Figgy-Dowdy was my first experience with Frank Minogue, but if this book is typical of his work, I'll read more. His humor reminds me of Art Montague's writings. I was reading and laughing with a sailor's accent from page one. The size of the book was perfect for a cross-country plane ride and the quality of the book (cover, paper, binding) was excellent. You don't have to be a sailor to love Figgy-Dowdy, it's an all-round funny story and I'm glad I read it.

"Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun" by Frank "Foo" Fujita, with Stanley L. Falk. Subtitled: "The Secret Prison Dairy of Frank "Foo" Fujita". University of North Texas Press, 1993.

This is an interesting book on many different levels. First, it is the story of a World War II Prisoner Of War. But not just any POW: Frank "Foo" Fujita was a Japanese-American, perhaps the only Japanese-American who was held as a POW in Japan. And, on the third level, "Foo" was a Texan and a member of the Texas National Guard. His unit was called up, to be sent to the south Pacific, and, after the sneak attack, on Pearl Harbor, they were diverted to Australia. The 2nd Battalion, 131st field Artillery was assigned to the defense of the Dutch island of Java, where they were overrun by the Japanese. Most of us have forgotten the American units that were part of the ABDA, American, British, Dutch and Australian forces in this theater, with, perhaps the major exception being the cruiser, the U.S. S. Houston. (See, for example, pages 345-346, where a contemporary "bird-colonel" does not believe that Fujita's unit was never in the Pacific.)

To make the story even more interesting, Sergeant Fujita was an accomplished sketch artist, and he includes contemporary drawings of himself and of the Japanese mistreating POWs. So, on this level, he has enhanced his story visually. His entire diary was in a code of his own fabrication. His diary and his drawings were hidden in a wall of a building in his POW camp; the diary and drawings were recovered after the war. This recovered material makes this book a primary source for the history of Japanese-held POWs.

Excellent primary source supported by explanatory notes supplied by Stanley L. Falk.

Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun is the true and riveting account of Frank "Foo" Fujita's experiences of being a Japanese American combat soldier who was captured by the Japanese during the Pacific campaign of World War II during the defense of Java in early 1942. Based on his secret prison diary, we are provided a "window in time" regarding the daily life and experiences of a prisoner of war which vividly recounts the privations of the POWs and the living conditions in Japan. The text is illustrated with drawings, maps and photographs. What is surprising is the humor that was to be found -- even in the midst of the most severe circumstances. Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun is a unique contribution to the annals of World War II literature and highly recommended for academic, community, and personal library collections.

I met Foo in a restaurant in Abilene, TX, sitting in a booth next to him and two other gentlemen. His book was to be released the next day. My wife, after evedropping on their conversation, introduced her and myself. Foo sold us a copy of the book....and autographed it for us. This was several years ago. We have learned he has since died. He was very warm and personable with us. His story is facinating. (His reason for being in Abilene was that there was to be some sort of POW reunion the next day.)

I knew "Foo" (he died last year) and many of the other men (my father among them) who were taken prisoner with him. This is an excellent book about a little known page in American history. Although, in many ways, Foo's captivity was atypical of the treatment most of the "Lost Battalion" received, it is a fascinating, well written book which shouldn't be missed by anyone interested in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Having known Foo since High School days and later being a sister-in-law, I read the original dairy and saw the pictures he drew of the atrocities experienced there in prison. This book is an excellent account of the way it was. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a factual story of what it was like to be in a POW Camp in Japan during World War II.

Barry Sparks brings Frank "Home Run" Baker back into baseball's limelight in this biography of the Hall-of-Famer. Barry managed to unearth much about Baker's personal life despite the fact Frank has been deceased since 1963 at age 76, and few folks still were living who knew Baker during the author's years of research. This book is more about Baker's life and baseball career than about baseball in his era---the preferred mix of information in a biography. Too many biographies of players from baseball's deadball era emphasize the game as played then, its stars and the winning teams, but provide too little about the player himself. Not so, with Sparks' biography on Baker. Baker's work ethic helped him become a star player, but his personal life interrupted his playing career several times. Find out more about Baker's World Series heroics, the reason for his nickname, and the reasons he had to stop playing in the major leagues on more than one occasion. Read Barry's detailed and informative biography about baseball's first home run hitting hero in the World Series.

Barry Sparks's book about Frank "Home Run" Baker is an insightful story of the Major League Baseball home run leader from the early 20th century. Tracing Baker's life from his hometown of Trappe, MD, to the Major Leagues and into retirement, Mr. Sparks tells of Baker's career with the Philadelphia A's and New York Yankees, and of the two seasons during which he stepped away from the majors to play with a semi-pro team.

This book does a superb job of taking the reader back to the days of daytime-only baseball. Particular attention is paid to the World Series games in which Baker played, where he earned his sobriquet "Home Run" Baker for blasting two homers in a single World Series game in 1911.

Extensive chapter notes and bibliography supplement the story and reveal the amount of research done to create the book. Yet, the book is not written to read like a college term paper. Mr. Sparks's writing style is quite enjoyable and makes this book a pleasurable experience for baseball fans of all ages.

This book is more than an intimate biography of a baseball legend. It is also a look back at a nascent sport as it was just beginning to capture a nation's heart. This was an era when entire towns emptied out to watch the local boys play at the ballfield, and when people relied on newspapers to bring them glorious tales of big-league action. It was a time when the highest-paid player made $12,000, and performance-enhancing drugs did not yet exist. In short, it was a time when baseball was still a sport, and not yet an industry.

Author Barry Sparks does an excellent job of placing the reader inside the Deadball Era (1900-1920) as he tells the tale of Frank "Home Run" Baker. According to the preface, Sparks hails from Baker's home region of eastern Maryland, and as a boy he had an opportunity to meet the aging baseball legend. The book's lively prose suggests that the thrill of that encounter still remains with Sparks today. He reveals Baker as a polite, hard-working man who eschewed the limelight and, above all, loved playing baseball. The research is impeccable and well documented, with detailed notes, indexing, and bibliography.

"Frank 'Home Run' Baker: Hall of Famer and World Series Hero" is ideal for the avid baseball fan, and for anyone interested in the origins of America's pastime.

Mr. Sparks has fulfilled a life long ambition with this work. It is an easy read and for a sports enthusiast, opens a window into a closed chapter of our nation's pastime. In following the life, career and character of a player few know much about but who is very highly rated by Bill James (the father of sabremetrics), Mr. Sparks shows the career of the dead ball era's "Babe" in a good but honest light. The sparing with Connie Mack to be paid is an interesting sidelight, as is seeing Baker in his final years with the Yankees playing along side the real "Babe". This a very worthwhile book to own and read in depth. My copy is autographed and I do cherish it.

Barry Sparks book was interesting and informative. I couldn't put it down. My knowledge of the dead ball era was limited to tidbits about some of the players, ( Christy Mathewson ,Collins, Bender, etc). Barry's book, not only gave me a good appreciation of Frank Baker, but the whole era from 1909-1922. The effects of WW1 on baseball and the players refreshed similar memories of my childhood and WWII . It also refreshed many childhood memories of Shibe Park ,scene of seeing my first Major League Baseball Game in 1946 and numerous games when I attended Temple University in the early 1950's This Nostalgic trip expanded my knowledge and appreciation of the A's , the game of baseball, and Hall of Famers in the early 1900's. I remember my Dad and Uncle talking about these players but Barry's Book captured an intimate snapshot of early baseball and the deadball era, and has inspired me to make another trip to Cooperstown to spend more time focusing on the Hall of Famers, balls, bats, and memorabilia of this era.

The other reviews center on the diner language. That's all very well, but I like the quirky characters. Does anyone else perceive Frank and Ernest, especially Ernest, as the epitome of capable masculinity, like in movies from the 1940s? They are cool, they are witty, they ooze dignity and they are well-dressed! Where are real life men like Frank and Ernest!?

I liked this book A HOLE LOT!!! It's an easy reader book but it is interesting how they talk in such an odd language. When I was much younger every night I would read this book.

This book is unique in that it is written in language used in a diner. For example, is you order ham, they might say "Noah's son". If you are familiar with the name of Noah's sons you would guess this right off the bat!!! Also, my husband and I are Dr Pepper collectors and Dr Pepper is mentioned in the book. We were so thrilled when we read this and honestly, that is the only reason we bought the book!!! I do plan to read it to our young friends. I think they will get a kick out of the way it is written.

Never much a fan of her Carl books, I nevertheless love this one, and am saddened to see that it's out of print. Frank (a bear) and Ernest (an elephant) make their living operating businesses while the owners are on vacation. When this pair agrees to run a diner, though, they must learn a whole new language--and we right along with them.

Kids love this, or at least my son did. For some time, we'd use diner talk from the book, calling donuts "life preservers," coffee with cream "a blonde" and vanilla milkshakes, "white cows." The language is revealed naturally in the text (though word mongers will love the glossary in the back); customers order in ordinary language such as "A tuna sandwich on toast, please and a Dr. Pepper with the ice left out" and then Frank calls the order to Ernest using diner talk: "Ernest, I need a radio sandwich down, and an M.D., hold the hail." It is fresh, funny and wonderful.

For the fun of the language, the warmth of these characters, whom no one seems to notice are an elephant and a bear, to the detailed illustrations (you could easily craft a stage set from these paintings), this book reminds us, as children do, that food, after all, is fun. Finally, the diner's retro design and the book's nostalgic feel might make it a fun read for grandparents, who possibly remember such places, to share with their grandchildren. I hope that this book will be reissued, as it is a truly pleasurable one.

I found this scholastic paperback at a thrift shop in Yuba City. The illustrations caught my eye and then I realized it was an Alexandra Day book. Going to a restaurant is so much fun when you know the lingo of the cook! And just look at the concoctions Ernest and Frank came up with. Even though this book is out of print you must try to get a used one. It is well worth your child's imagination! The little boy who had my book took very good care of it.

Frank Gehry is known for its curvely shaped architect. This books is an assembly of works he has done. (though not complete unless they revised it.) If you did not attend his Guggenheim museum retrospective exhibit, then this could partly compensate for it. I would say the best way to appreciate his work is to visit each building!

A wonderful exploration into the thought and work process of creative artist and his team. Frank Gehry is to architecture what Dale Chihuly is to glass.

Well done survey of Gehry's work by Gehry himself, as such, the text is highly informative and the images show his work in its best light. Gehry is without question one of the most influential architects working today, and though I would not necessarily call me a worshiper of his work, im more of a richard meier, santiago calatrava kinda guy, I do respect his awesome talent and his contributions to the field of architecture. If you have any interest at all in Gehry or architecture in general, then I highly recommend you added this to you library.

I just want to begin this review by saying that this book is a need for any architect's library. The book Frank Gehry, Architect, provides a wealth of knowledge about the architect as well as the structures that he has created over time. Most pages in this book (and there are many) contain full color pictures, sketches, or descriptions about the structure and the architect. This book spans from Gehry's earliest projects to project underdevelopment. Projects range from structures to furniture, and even to art (sculpture like stuff). An aspect that I like most about this book is seeing Gehry develop his ideas and hone his craft. I should also add that this book also contains several models that were created for structures. I think this is essential because it allows beginning architects a chance to see effective model building techniques as well as different ways to convey a feeling which is essential for effective communication with a client. Overall, I would highly recommend this book for all architects and students.

a very interesting look into the life and times of Frank Gehry. Anyone ineterested in architecture or interested in increasing their knowledge of architecture and architecture's past must read this.

Far too little research has previously been available about Frank Nitti, Capone's "Enforcer" and the public face of the Chicago Outfit after Capone was sent to prison, but anyone with an interest needs look no further than this book. Ron Humble, in what can only be described as an amazing researched book, has brought Frank Nitti back to life within these pages and has revealed the complex and contradictory gangster in a way that no other writer has ever been able to do. This is a highly readable (although filled with great detail) book that no one with a serious interest in the Chicago gangland era should be without. Don't miss this one!

I enjoyed this book so much - I read it in two sittings. As a ghostwriter on several mafia stories I've had to read dozens of books about Chicago's powerful mob organization - The Outfit. I've found most to be overly sensational, speculative and gruesome in their story telling. Ronald has broken through the mold. Frank Nitti: The True Story of Chicago's Notorious Enforcer is written in a refined style that makes the true horror jump off the page. Ronald does a great job framing the mafia in historical context, showing the blurred lines between good and evil in mid-nineteenth century. Great book.

Everyone knows of mob boss Al Capone. But what of his successor in the mob, Frank Nitti, who should be just as infamous, if not more so? "Frank Nitti: The True Story Chicago's Notorious 'Enforcer'" is his tale, bringing the tale of the countless murders and conspiracies for more, the vice and corruption that came with Nitti's leadership. With examinations of how Nitti has been portrayed in myth, legend, television, and movies, it tries to find out the truth about the man through scholarly research, covering everything from his time as Capone's enforcer, his plots to extort Hollywood, and his mysterious death, ruled as a suicide, but could it have been a complex assassination? "Frank Nitti: The True Story Chicago's Notorious 'Enforcer'" is highly recommended for anyone with a strong interest in the golden age of the mob and for community library true crime shelves.

I thouroughly enjoyed Ron Humble's book on Frank Nitti. The incredible detail of Nitti's grim circumstances in his youth and the insights the author provides of how his personality fit the needs of the mob and allowed him to rise to mythic status was fascinating. The depictions of Frank Nitti by Hollywood that Humble includes are further indications of how ruthless a person can become in the right circumstances while still retaining a human quality. I highly recommend the book.

Author Ronald Humble mentions a number of things I wasn't aware of prior to reading this book on Frank Nitti. Humble mentions that Nitti was likely responsible for the hit on Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak in retaliation for Cermak's sending two men to eliminate Nitti. Giuseppe Zangara was chosen by the mob to assassinate Cermak because Zangara was in debt to the mob, and if he didn't carry out the hit he and his family would suffer torture and death. If Zangara did as the mob ordered, the mob would see that Zangara's family was taken care of in a positive way. Author Humble draws comparisons between the assassinations of Mayor Cermak and President John Kennedy. Zangara and Lee Oswald were both expendable. Zangara was quickly eliminated through execution, and didn't dare express what he knew due to concern for his family. Oswald was quickly eliminated by Jack Ruby. Author Humble also states Nitti was likely in on the rub out of despised enemy Machine Gun Jack McGurn, and north sider Hymie Weiss. The author wonders whether Nitti's death was a suicide or was he a victim of foul play. I would stick with a suicide due to his reluctance to return to prison. Finally the author spends quite a bit of time on Nitti as he was portrayed on television and in the movies showing how much coverage he was given in this area. When the author isn't sure about events in Nitti's life he makes sure to point that out. I found the book very worth while and one that should interest those who enjoy mob-related books.