G Books

Excellent and well written. A collection item for university level instruction and home library.

William H. Watkins writes about the power of education and how it "can be used both to oppress and to liberate." (pg.1) Watkins shares with us how research and science in the last century validated the belief that Whites were the superior race. This belief has played a great role in the development of the school system and curriculum we have today in America. The "White Architects" have used the school system to keep races of people oppressed. He clearly defines who the architects were and the role they played in orchestrating the school system we have today.

I believe that in order to see more success among minority students in schools today we have to restructure the whole school system. Watkins book strengthens my belief. He states "public education was product of historically, politically, and socially constructed ideas." These ideas need to be updated and remade to include all races equally.

Mr. Watkins walks us through an historical and turbulent era of education that continues to have ramifications in our present educational system. Watkins journey through the maze of black education exposes the political and socioeconomic influences of the dominnant and affluent white culture of the north. He reveals to the reader the influences of the corporate magnets of the north who wanted cheap labor and subserivent workers. They used their philanthropy and the educational system to imposed their own philosophy of education on the black population;while promoting subserivent lifestyles for those who participated. Mr Watkins is able to convince the reader about the political and economic hold that the corporate world imposes on the black population and the disregard these men had for how the black population wanted their education to progress.
Mr. Watkins continues to show us the need for continued political and socieconomic justice for all people and warns us of the continued influence that corporate America has on all of us.

William H. Watkins is subtle in his story of the "white architects" who developed Black education beginning in 1865, just at the end of the Civil War. Watkins shocks you with his "scientific racism" platform that he explains "presented human difference as the rational for inequality" and that it "can be understood as an ideological and political issue" (pg. 39). The reader senses a calm attitude about the author as he speaks of the Philanthropists, beginning with John D. Rockefeller, Sr, who was most concerned about "shaping the new industrial social order" (pg. 133) than he was for providing a useful education. "The Rockefeller group demonstrated how gift giving could shape education and public policy" (pg. 134). In their support of Black education, by 1964,the General Education Board (GEB) spent more than $3.2 million dollars in gifts to support Black education. This captivating book begins with a forward written by Robin D.G. Kelley who reflects that she learned one lesson from Watkins, "If we are to create new models of pedagogy and intellectual work and become architects of our own education, then we cannot simply repair the structures that have been passed down to us. We need to dismantle the old architecture so that we might begin anew" (pg. xiii). Why don't the school reformers who mandate educational laws experience such an awakening?

William Watkins pointedly and proudly explains how people other than the African Americans have guided the principles of Black education in the United States from the Reconstruction era to post World War II. Whether these people acting philanthropically as John D. Rockefeller or as "evil geniuses" (Chapter 6), they have shaped Black education then and some would argue for all time.

In his writing, Watkins shows that there is a view of the history of American education that does not come from the larger culture. Watkins view is from the "other side of the fence" that is not written by the victors but rather a survivor. This view is equally important as it establishes the fact there are always two sides to every story. "History is made by people in struggle" (p.179).

Generalizations tend to pervade Watkins' writings as the use of the words "few" and "many" are consistent. But this is understandable considering little or no empirical research was being conducted regarding Black education during this time period.

Pointing to the past for blaming is not the purpose of Watkins in his book, but rather an enlightenment of the history presented by a survivor of slavery, segregation and racial inequalities that have existed for generations. Truly, Watkins has offered a view of history in which we can reflect upon and use to help guide a new generation of architects.

Whether this work perfectly parallels the expoits of the character's real lives, should not be of concern. This book is beautifully written, with a literary gem on almost every page. It is one, if not the best book I have read in 10 years. What a shame it has not gotten more attention.

I have had no interest in literary interpretations of the world until I read this book. Here I found other lives struggling with the same staleness of mathematics and logic and their implications that I could not escape. I found lives exemplifying the difficulties of pitting one's factual evidence against human assumptions. I found, that is, that my own life is not so different as it's felt.

Well done, Duffy.

I bought this book in 1988. It then got buried under tons of other books until I unearthed it this weekend. What a great find. Rich characters, engaging prose...a thoroughly satisfying read. At 500+ pages, I'll admit it's a bit overwritten, but once you get going it's difficult to put down. Ranks up there with "In the Memory of the Forest" as gripping and memorable. Go work out really hard, take a hot shower, then grab an herbal tea and melt into its pages.

Surprisingly readable, given the subject matter, and from an author who obviously loves to write. This quality seems less than apparent in many books, but Duffy, I felt, took great time and applied careful skill in making his characters emerge on the page as recognizably full-fledged people. Whether the clumsy and appealing, if fanatic and mysterious Max; Ottoline's bony limbs; Wittgenstein's trench nemesis Grundfeldt; Russell's liberated flapper DD and her dentist father from the Illinois prairies the philosopher visits in a wonderful chapter; DH Lawrence's fulminations about blood knowledge; Moore's gustatory enthusiasm when dining at Hall; or Russell's attempts to write an article for Parents' Magazine on "Are Parents Bad for Children" while trying to seduce yet another lissome lass and take care of his failing marriage, faltering children, and chaotic progressive school--this book's most engrossing.

Especially noteworthy are Duffy's depictions of trench warfare as Wittgenstein might have experienced it in WW1. I didn't expect that the relatively brief part of the philosopher's life would be so much a part of this novel. It serves, once you finish and can see the whole work completed, as the titular centerpiece and the fulcrum for so much of his subsequent reactions to the middle of the 20c. I had recently read Sebastian Barry's Booker Prize-nominated novel "A Long Long Way From Home," and while Duffy spends less than his whole novel on the hell endured on the Western Front, he gives a variety of vividly rendered scenes that match Barry at his best--no mean feat for Duffy's not a professional full-time writer, apparently, and this was his first novel. The depictions of war are simply and terrifyingly superb.

While I had difficulty even with the simplified explanations of Wittgenstein's thought, I confess, full comprehension of them may well be beyond any of us. W's own battles with his homosexuality, his family history of suicide, and his Christian ideals vs. his Jewish heritage make for engrossing material that eases the challenge of keeping up with W's ratiocinations. Duffy shows dramatically W's refusal to start a circle of fawning disciples or imitators of his notoriously challenging thought-experiments and investigations into what does and does not underly logic. Perhaps even Moore and Russell, as shown when they conduct the viva voce doctoral exam of W., cannot understand their candidate either.

The novel is not perfect; the latter chapters especially after WW2 appear rushed and the author seems winded by so much previous exertion on behalf of his complicated characters. The first section takes place around 1912; the wartime is largely early in WW1, and the latter part is around 1938 for the most part. Appended to this are detours back and forward in time that expand W's family history. It may sound cumbersome, yet it gives you enough of a context for each period to feel that you can find your way around.

Somehow over so many thousands of sentences, Duffy manages to avoid cliche, to write fresh and efficient prose, and to take the reader into a series of realms that would have seemed the least likely areas that a novelist would want to explore, let alone re-create over 500 densely printed pages. It took me most of a week's free time to read this, and it flows best when you have a few hours straight to immerse yourself in it. It's a novel that works by association, accruing patiently the rewards that pay off for the thinkers if not always their long-suffering supporting casts of lovers, relations, colleagues, and spouses.

The reason for so much reasoning gradually grows as the novel continues; you will begin to understand at least a bit how everyday life impinges upon and stimulates rarified speculation. This happens subtly, as it does in reality, and may take the space of hundreds of pages to connect, but it will cohere--for the most part, which is quite an accomplishment for a book that aspires to not only enlightenment but sophisticated entertainment. The novel does take its slow time to warm up; get beyond the first hundred pages, and know that with the middle section, part two, "The World as I Found It" will start to deepen its spell.

I certainly wasn't hampered in my enjoyment of this book by a lack of familiarity with (or, until now, interest in) twentieth-century philosophy. "The World as I Found It" taught me what makes a great fictional characters: such compassion and detail that I feel I know them as I know myself. Duffy's Wittgenstein, Russell, and Moore are forged from such different materials and live such different lives. But their struggles and motivations are painted in such rich detail that I intimately recognized the humanity in each of them. Great writing.

For a basic course in music theory, this is the compilation which will teach you everything you need to know about tonality, cadences, voice leading, nonharmonic tones, and harmony.

Bach's Chorales are the stuff of legend. The sheer wealth of invention is staggering. The Reimenschneider version has been around for decades and it is difficult to see how it could be improved. The layout is excellent with useful and insightful notes from a true Bach scholar.

For any piano player, music theorist, composer, or music enthusiast, this is the book for you. Excellent for daily piano study or for a better understanding of common practice tonal harmony. Great notes in the back for reference. The basis of tonality lies within these pages.

This is nearly indispensable for the serious music student. Used in most first-year theory courses, the Bach Chorales illustrate what the master did and why our Western music theory is based on the chorales he wrote.

First bought 18 years ago, I found that I'd somehow lost my copy along the way. I bought another copy since I'm taking further music theory courses and though it isn't required in this particular course, it helps immensely to have a copy on hand.

The book is very well laid out but the music is smaller than would be preferred. If the scores were printed larger it would be more enjoyable.

An absolutely beautiful study of the world of a sixteenth-century Flemish achemist and the tribulations he eventually suffers. It's pretty scholarly and there are no shenanigans involving the making of gold etc., the usual tropes. It takes its milieu very seriously and though it's very scholarly it in no way fails to involve the reader with the main character's quest for enlightenment. Things do come to a head, plotwise, in that Zeno is eventually persecuted on trumped-up charges of a heretical nature, admittedly, so there is a bit of the conspiracy element but it's not really the focus. Anyway, this is as good as John Banville's best historical novels such as 'Dr Copernicus' and 'Kepler'. The little essay at the back of the U.K. Black Swan edition is a fascinating document of the 60-year on-off piecing-together of what was originally a fragment and an excellent elucidation of how she researched it, what she took from where etc. 'The Abyss' was first published in 1968 and translated by Grace Frick with the author.

Marguerite Yourcenar is one of the towering novelists of the twentieth century, the first woman to be inducted into the French Academy. The Abyss is an essential for any serious library.

The Abyss is a remarkable study of two men in early sixteenth century Europe. One is looking for worldly pleasures, the other for something more serious. It's the latter man, Zeno, who becomes one of the most unusual heroes in modern novels. Yourcenar traces the man's intellectual growth against the background of a Europe whose collective mind was also growing, and shows how a powerful intellect can triumph over bias, superstition, and intolerance. The writing is wonderful, with long sentences that meander over pages the way Zeno wanders through the continent; the characters met along the way are memorable; the philosophical discourses are fascinating. It's not an easy read, but perhaps as worthwhile as any other book published in the last half century.

I read this book several years ago and although I no longer remember many details I still think of it as one of my favorite books. It recreates around the life of the main character all the main issues of the historical period concerned: The crumbling of the medieval political order and the slow rise of the Nation-States, the Reformation and the Religion wars and, in general, all the chaos generated by the decline of Medieval thought and the emergence of a myriad of new alternative conceptions about mankind, nature and society. What makes this book so marvellous is that it masterly combines all these issues into a literary work elegantly and coherently written.

The book speaks for itself and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in historical novels. However, I can tell that it is much more enjoyable with some knowledge of the politics and ideas of the time, because that is when you find out all the work that the author had to do in order to present this incredible novel.

Although I do not consider it as a demerit of the work, the only thing I dislike of the book were the final reflexions of Zenon, because they have certain twenty-century sartrian flavor, which -although valid- cause frictions with the so lively historical atmosphere created by the author.

Reading a book by M. Yourcenar, a prose writer of great skill, is invariably a delight. The scope of her novels is epic, the composition is as intricate and carefully crafted as a Beethoven symphony. Here in The Abyss, the main theme of the book - the clash between the impetus of momentous historical forces and the destiny of a single human being - is introduced in the very first sentence of the book. It accompanies the reader throughout the book as an insistent motto theme. Yourcenar's prose is carefully polished and aristocratic and reflects her admirable erudition. It is a language with the colour, texture and depth of a precious fabric or an excellent wine. The pace of the book is naturally rather slow, particularly in its second part where the alchemist and doctor Zenon has settled down again in Bruges and is given to long bouts of introspection. But the noble pacing is fully in accord with the gravity of the subject matter and the stakes involved. I think the book has lost nothing of its relevance today, a time in which civil rights are being widely curtailed in the name of abstract principles. As such it warrants closer study by those wanting to resist these pressures and to stick to honest and authentic choices.

This book is a series of summaries and stories of the 30 designers Bucher talked to. It's a great book to flip through and think about. My only regret is that most of the designers' works shown in the book is reproduced at miniscule size, simply because there is so much of it to show. I think I had the wrong expectation in wanting to see lots and lots of work, but the stories of each designer is an inspiration in itself.

I am a designer. I carry this book to my office everyday. This is my most important book to quickly review entire graphic design history, and also inspire ideas from other designers!!!

I love this book. There is a ton of info but writer/designer Stefan Bucher has layed it out in an eye-catching, extremely functional way and I appreciate that. The insight into the designers lives and working process is something you just won't find in another book. I find it inspiring for us wannabe designers! As an artist or designer, this is a must-read!

After much time reading books on what seems like my weakest attribute (business acumen), I decided to treat myself to a book that was focused on what I love: design. In September I stumbled upon a book by designer, Stefan Bucher, called "All Access, The Making of Thirty Extraordinary Graphic Designers."

This book was a rather fortuitous find, but it re-awakened my interest in the joy of making things. I read and reflected upon the content in it exclusively for a number of weeks. This is particularly rare for me, as I generally have about a dozen books on the go, all in varying stages of completion.

It feels as though the design community has recently experienced a deluge of monographs which take on either a hero-worshiping or somewhat self-indulgent nature. Although he's clearly excited by the people he chronicles in his book, Stefan manages to stem any kind of adulation, instead breaking his studies into small chapters. Each of these passages works to illustrate the challenges real practitioners of design have struggled with, and how they have come to find their voice through their work.

If anything was difficult for me in reading this book, it was in keeping names and bodies of work straight. The vast collection of gifted designers and their wide ranging oeuvres, felt a little like a crash course that I couldn't quite process in time. As a result, I've been re-reading the book in fits and spurts since the fall, and have referenced it extensively in discussions ever since.

To read more: http://www.ideasonideas.com/2006/01/reconsidering_design/

All Access is one of the most abundant, interesting design books I've had the pleasure to comb through. Most design publications are a pleasant visual trip, but All Access has not only engaged my eyes, but pulled me in to read every entertaining, inspiring word. I would recommend this book to everyone from the seasoned design professional to someone who is only remotely interested in graphic design. It could change the latter to the former....

This is an eloquent and heartbreaking tale of one immigrant's journey throught the U.S. Immigration system. It reads like a John Grisham novel although the story is sadly true. The author, a 7-foot tall Kenyan, was a political prisioner in Kenya for his role as a labor organizer. He faced imprisonment and torture and was ultimately able to escape Kenya via the promise of a basketball scholarship in the United States. In his quest for political asylum in the U.S. he encouters heartless judges,corrupt officials, State Department bureaucrats, a beautiful "witch", kidnapping rebels, interpid law students and a dedicated and brilliant law profressor (his co-author). I couldn't put it down and felt a mixture of outrage at the U.S. immigration system while in awe of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most dauting of odds.

My copy arrived yesterday; I may not get to read it until our beach vacation this summer. But the photo of the two authors on the inside back flap of the dust jacket may be the funniest author photo ever! It will be hard to wait until this summer to read it.

I found the book a moving story of David Kenny's trials in establishing his right to remain in the U.S. But more than a story of asylum, it is a story of optimism as David Kenny, his wife, family, and legal team work together to find a way to prevent him from harm in his native Kenya. There were many emotional scenes in the book and I found myself impressed by David's open spirit and his devotion to his friends. The love story within the book is also funny, spunky and inspiring. David's narrative let's use see parts of America very clearly from our assumption that all Kenyan's can play basketball to how many people have personal hand guns and are not afraid to display them proudly--a display that shocks people from nations where guns are only in the hands of the government or the criminals.


The book is very frank about the complexity of the law and the obstacles that prevent many immigrants, even those with attorneys, from securing legal status in the U.S. Many people are critical of our legal system and wonder why more people don't have legal status. Perhaps reading this book will help them understand how difficult the legal and bureaucratic hurdles can be. I am an immigration law professor and hope to use this book in teaching but I recommend it to anyone with an interest of the amazing journeys modern day refugees make.

David Kenney and Phil Schrag have opened many windows into the world of law and the emotional experience of law's rigidity.

This is an amazing book that makes plain the unbelievable complexity of immigration law. Anyone with an interest in immigration policy should read this book.

For those of you looking for a good summer read to take to the beach, or just a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy day, I highly recommend opening up the pages of Asylum Denied. It is both informative and inspiring as it tells the story of David Kenney Ngaruri, the political asylee who struggled to stay in America. Although the book is currently being passed around law schools, as the new go-to-guide for asylum law, I am sure it will not be long before it makes the bestseller stands at nation-wide bookstores or grabs a spot on Oprah's booklist. Asylum Denied, written by two authors, the above-mentioned David Kenney Ngaruri and Philip Schrag, the professor of law at Georgetown University, serves both as a law manual and as a heart-warming story of adventure, perseverance, and love. Unlike most law-related books, it reads very smoothly and catches your attention from the first page. Even if this is not the usual type of book you read, I urge you to give it a try. If the face on the cover of the book is not enough to convince you to read it, then I hope this review will.

"This is a story of what one man did to Bring people to Christ-- a man whose efforts were directly responsible for the conversion of perhaps not less than 500,000 souls, heard by millions." this in a time before electronics ,TV, etc. Charles G. Finney an autobiography is the story of the the Second Great Awakening 1825-1845. A (USA)spiritual revival with the first Great Awakening 1740-1750. AS George Whitefield was the primary traveling Evangelist in the First Awakening (though many people were and must be involved for revivals of this magnitude) Finney was the D.L. Moody, the Billy Sunday, The Billy Graham of his day. The Holy Spirit used him to have a major impact in turning our nation back to God and His paths. This book will encourage you to pray, share the gospel and to practice yielding to the Spirit and the Word of God. It is an American book of acts of the Holy Spirit through a yielded man in his own time. This is a great look at our spiritual heritage. Evangelist John R. Rice is said to read this book once a year to remind him to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Finney was a well known abolitionist of his day though that is not in this book. His reputation as a man after God's own heart was undiminished all his days. [[ASIN:1556610629 Lectures on Revival, is probably the most important book on Revival apart from the Bible ever written] God bless you as you read this book. (The quote is from fly leaf of my 1908 copy ) Note: Finney was not a be reconverted over and over preacher. He did believe it was possible for a person to choose to forsake Christ the same way you choose Christ not that you accidentally sin your salvation away. I believe this to be wrong doctrinally but Finney's Auto Biography does not reflect this nor was it a doctrine he taught in his early years. This book will encourage you to attempt great things for God. The works of Finney have all recently been republished and are available on DVD as well as print.

This is probably the greatest Christian biography in print. What a man of prayer and holiness! There are some on the Web who attack Finney - and I don't agree with some of his theology - some of it is pretty much incomprehensible - but on the subjects of prayer, holiness, revival, faith, preaching, sin, sanctification, salvation, the Holy Spirit, soul-winning, zeal, and committment - he is without peer. A conservative estimate is - that without TV, radio, magazines, mailings, PA's, microphones - etc... That over 500,000 people were converted under his preaching - and over 80% were Christians until they died. The figure in modern evangelism is about 5% stay "saved" or in church for over 1 year. Finney's sermon, "Moral Insanity", is considered by several Christian leaders to be the greatest statement of truth, outside of the Bible. Every preacher in America should be made to memorize Finney's, "How to Preach So As To Convert Nobody", before being hired. This is his amazing life and ministry in his own words. This book is life-changing material. Please read it prayerfully. I have over 15,000 Christian books in my personal library - and this is one of the top 10.

If you ever wanted revival in your own life or ministry, this book is the most clear representation I have ever seen in print anywhere. It is a riveting book that has kept me up at night for hours until I could read no more. Many people talk about revival and many people desire it, but until it is seen personally, it is difficult to comprehend. This book comes about as close to really "seeing" revival as possible. Once you see that as Finney uses the same techniques over and over and gets the same results, you come to the realization that maybe we can do it, too. These are not some mystical "techniques", but good old-fashioned bible techniques like prayer, fasting, faith, humility, etc. You must read the book. Don't criticize his theology until you have read his work. As one preacher told me, "They criticize his theology, but they can't match his power!" See for yourself. Then, after you get inspired about doing this in your own life, then read "Lectures on Revivals" by Finney to see how to incorporate it in your own life, and then "Systematic Theology" by Finney to understand the theology behind it.

This is one of the books I continue to recommend after all this time. It is the portrait of a life that seemed successful but remained directionless until entered the Truth. A powerful conversion led to Finney's preaching ministry to more people that we can fathom without the benefit of modern mass media.

After reading "Finney's Systematic Theology," I read this book. Of course, I could not stop there, and later read the entire autobiography. This book is a great beginning to learning more about and being inspired by Finney and his prayer life! Beginning in 1980, I published 16 books of Charles Finney's writing, and only "Principles of Prayer" remains in print, so I am happy this autobiography is still available!

I believe those of you who enjoy Finney and Andrew Murray will also enjoy "Prayer Steps to Serenity," which teaches truths that I learned from studying Finney and Murray for many years. The book follows a 12 Steps and Serenity Prayer format. It is available through Amazon, with ISBN 0595313043. If you know of anyone who is looking for a 12 Step devotional that will help them walk in the power of the Holy Spirit according to the scriptures, you can heartily recommend this book to them. "Prayer Steps to Serenity" was not published by Bethany House, and it is a larger than a trade paperback (a 9 inch by 6 inch paperback) that includes devotional readings, prayers to encourage you to keep on praying as the Holy Spirit leads, a personal Journey Guide (or workbook), and a Group Journey Guide for prayer and support groups. "Prayer Steps to Serenity" is also supported by two websites that offer a lot of free guides and resources for those seeking more information about Christian recovery and starting Serenity Groups. Go to PrayerSteps.org or SerenityGroups.org for more information, or to write me about Finney.

Thank you for reading!
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.

When I began reading this book,I anticipated a telling of the nazi shadow engulfing the Jews of Austria in the style of-say- Primo Levi, or even Zweigs recollections in his 'World of Yesterday' autobiography. But Appelfelds style is unique. Yes, the nazi shadow is coming to engulf.As readers we know what their fate will be. But Appelfeld tells the story from the universal human perspective where we evade reality and interpret everything the way we want it to be, not as it actually is.

Jews are gathered in Badenheim for their annual vacation. The 'sanitation' department has ordered all Jews to register. The residents know they will be going to Poland.Dr Pappenheim talks of the new opportunities; how it is essential people return to their own country of origin. (The atmosphere of evading reality is heightened as nobody asks 'Why?') Langmann is angry. He is Austrian. Why should he be uprooted over a mistake? Peter the pastry shop owner blames it all on Pappenheim for bringing decadence to the town with his art festivals.(Again, no one asks what has this got to do with their situation-even though Peters accusation is a common myth espoused by the nazis.) Fussholdt carries on writing his major critiques on jewish philosophers and culture whom he dispises despite his own judaism.

Throughout, there are no Cassandra characters. Only quickly appeased comments (They took my house is somehow turned into an understandable action by the residents.)Even at the end, Pappenheim is convinced they cannot have far to travel when 40 filthy cattle trucks arrive at the station to take them to Poland; its all ok.



This book is a mere 148 pages and must be read in one sitting to gain the full effect. It transcends the era and the crime it portrays, it tells you of mans fatal flaw in disbelieving the evil that can occur. Trusting to decency and reason to quell brutality. You know that these people know, but even as a reader, you would feel uneasy in trying to break the truth to them.



Appelfeld has a unique way of writing and a message for both his own people and all of mankind. This was an honour to read.

Badenheim is a quiet, idyllic holiday town in Eastern Europe. The 'leader' of the town, Dr Pappenheim, is busy preparing for the annual festival, writing letters and sending telegrams to beg and plead for musicians and artists from Vienna.

While the preparations are under way, the Sanitation Department begins quietly undertaking a rigorous inspection of each and every house and shop in Badenheim. Among the many questions asked is how many and who of the residents are Jewish. The vacationers and locals alike think nothing of the questions, nonchalantly confirming or denying their religion, and returning to their food, their wine, their entertainment. Here and there, a few people discuss the increasing powers of the Sanitation Department - they have just recently closed the Post Office - but nobody seems to mind. Badenheim is quiet and peaceful, and that is how they like it.

Time passes. The impresario, Dr Pappenheim, is still writing letters, but he senses that they are going off into the void, never to return. A few - very few - letters are still allowed into Badenheim, but for the most part, the Sanitation Department has closed off the city. Guards are posted to deny entry or exit to any man, woman or child of Jewish descent. It happens so slowly that nobody really notices, but at one stage, almost all of the non-Jewish people have gone, and of the tiny trickle of visitors allowed into Badenheim, every person is a Jew.

There is a quiet horror to Badenheim 1939. Throughout this very short book, it seems as though with each page, the oppression and terror of World War II is approaching the Jewish people of Badenheim, but they never see it. With every freedom slowly being denied - the shops are closed, the gates are sealed, outside communication is forbidden - the reader is left to wonder if this time, if this time when the Sanitation Department closes the pastry shop, say, will they understand? But they never do. Everything happens over such a long period of time, and so quietly, that nobody really seems to realise when they are suddenly trapped, except for a few minor characters who are slowly going mad, the cracks in the calm facade they have wrapped themselves in widening with every minute.

This book is most effective because we know what happened to the Jews post-1939. We know where they are going, and what will likely happen to them. The Sanitation Department assures them that they will be transplanted to Poland, and everything will be fine. They believe because they have to believe. Towards the end of the novel, the razor wire, the guns, the dogs all make an appearance. To ignore what is happening is suicidal, and yet they do. After all, how could a race of people imagine that they would be persecuted in such a terrifying manner? Surely, their minds would shied away from such horrible information, from the mere idea that a man - a country - wanted to eradicate six million of them? And yet, that is what happened, and that is how the novel ends, a perfect, bleak, dark ending that is all the more horrifying for how completely reasonable every single tiny little step leading up to their incarceration inside a derelict train, headed, presumably, for Auschwitz.

Badenheim 1939 is a powerful book because it shows how easy it is to accept something unacceptable, if it is presented in small, reasonable, easily palatable pieces. None of these characters are overly bad, or good - they are absolutely normal. They squabble, they argue, they love, they laugh, they sing, they cry. In fact, throughout the entire novel, nothing untoward happens to any of them - except for the encroaching holocaust.

Aharon Appelfeld's beautiful and highly polished novel, Badenheim 1939 was originally published in Hebrew in 1975. Although the Holocaust forms both the historical backdrop of the novel as well as its imaginative focus, it does so from behind-the-scenes and, as such, is subtle and implicit in its assertions, all to its enormous credit.

Badenheim 1939 is set at an Austrian vacation resort during the spring of 1939. A seemingly unremarkable assortment of middle-class Jews on holiday have gathered at Badenheim, only to later be united by what would become history's most atrocious turning point. The "Music Festival" resort of Badenheim will, soon enough, become a place of Jewish detainment from which the only exit will be via forced transport to Poland.

The vacationers, however, for the most part, remain in blissful unawareness of what is to come. Spring is in the air and summer is about to blossom; the Jews spend their days strolling the hotel gardens, visiting the cities cafés, sampling strawberry tartes at the local pastry shops, engaging in sports and bickering, gossiping, bargaining and complaining, much as any other vacationer. The mounting horror, which every reader of this sensitive and elegant book will realize, is made all the greater by the fact that it is a horror the characters simply cannot, or will not, see.

Badenheim 1939 is written with an artistic subtlety and insight with which most modern readers remain sadly unfamiliar. Appelfeld's concern, in this book, is with the prelude to the German catastrophe and not with its actual occurrence. The author, himself a Holocaust survivor, makes virtually no mention of the Nazi atrocities and shows no interest in the graphic portrayal of the brutalities committed. Appelfeld is certainly not oblivious to the facts, he simply has chosen to place his focus elsewhere. In Badenheim 1939, the Holocaust is an incipient threat rather than a full-blown horror.

Appelfeld's prose is more akin to lyric poetry than to narrative fiction and shows a tremendous gift for rhetorical restraint that is rare among writers. This is a beautiful and quiet tale, exquisitely told with imagery, understatement and indirection. The effects of the narrative accumulate and change in much the same way the seasons do, in increments that are minimal and yet extraordinarily moving. This is history, but it is history perceived at its most mundane. In this remarkable manner, Appelfeld creates something of extraordinary beauty and yet, manages to intensify the tragedy.

In the end, Appelfeld's characters do, of course, suffer the horrors that befell all Jews, of every nation, whether directly or indirectly. The genius of Badenheim 1939 lies in its projections of a gradual, incipient menace and its portraits of Jewish reactions, which range from ready adjustment to slowly unfolding despair.

It is in the space between the reader's knowledge of what is beginning to unfold for the Jews and the latter's own blindness to it that the book registers its most powerful impact, once again doing so without any direct reference to the ovens, the gas chambers or the camps. Appelfeld's artistic beauty lies in his amazing ability to suggest rather than describe. Giorgio Bassani was able to do something similar in The Garden of the Finzi-Continis but Appelfeld is, perhaps, the more superior.

Rarely has the tragic end point of Jewish fate been invoked no clearly and disturbingly and yet so indirectly. We come away from Badenheim 1939 as though from a finely-rendered tone poem, complete with the knowledge that we have been absorbed into a special moment in time and in feeling; in this case, the moment just before the trains departed for Poland, the final pause before the end.

Badenheim is a an Austrian resort town whose denizens are almost all Jewish. This short novel describes the reactions of the residents of the town as preparations are made to deport them ' to the East'. It describes the gradual series of changes in which the town is slowly closed down, and its residents denied their privileges and enjoyments. A number of characters stories are highlighted including the Impressario Pappenheim who has for years organized the Music and Dramatic Festivals in the town.The story of a half - Jewish waitress who identifies with the Jews and who injures herself in desperation is also told. Also an assimilated writer who mocks Herzl and Buber and worships the satiricial Karl Kraus is despicted. Most of these characters are living in the delusion that they are about to be deported from Austria to go to a better life in the East, in Poland. Appelfeld is a master of depicting these small games people play with themselves, these small self- deceptions which keep them from facing a horrible truth.
In the end the town closes down and the residents and vacationers of Badehnheim are taken away. When four old dirty trains hook up with them they still refuse to see the reality. And the concluding thought of escape is that they must be going 'on a short journey since the cars are so dirty'.
Assimilated Jews, often self- hating but even more often painfully human in clinging to delusions of their own normalcy and safety are the subject of this work. It is all prelude to the Disaster and Destruction the Shoah which is to destroy them all.

Aharon Appelfeld, one of Israel's greatest writers, has had only a handful of his 40 books translated into English. It's too bad. Then again, it's too bad Appelfeld didn't write "Badenheim 1939" under the pen name "Albert Camus" --- if he had, this 148-page novel would be taught alongside "The Stranger" and regarded, rightly, as a modern classic.

Appelfeld is a very unlikely writer. But then, it's remarkable that he's alive. Born in Romania in 1932, he was a quiet boy, an only child. He was just 8 when the Nazis shot his mother and deported him and his father to a concentration camp in the Ukraine, at which point they were separated for twenty years. Aharon escaped to Russia, where he was a shepherd. In 1944, at 12, he joined the Russian Army. When the war ended, he made his way to Italy and, finally, to Palestine. He spoke so many languages he couldn't express himself in any. And he had only a year or two of schooling. But he managed to enroll in college in Jerusalem and, soon after, to begin writing stories in Hebrew.

Appelfeld has one great subject: understanding what happened to his people. "I'm dealing with a civilization that has been killed," he has said. "How to represent it in the most honorable way --- not to equalize it, not to exaggerate, but to find the right proportion to represent it, in human terms." What kept him from depression, bitterness, suicide? "I've never been an angry person. This is what saved me."

"Badenheim 1939" --- the first of Appelfeld's books to be translated from Hebrew to English --- is a modest, precise, even-handed tale. As it should be; this is a simple story, of a single season in a resort town favored by Jews. As the novel begins, Spring has arrived. So have the musicians. And the first tourists.

Dr. Pappenheim is the local impresario; he's all bustle. Expect to see him at the Post Office, sending telegrams and opening letters. But this season is unlike all others. For one thing, the Sanitation Department has increased powers --- it's now authorized to undertake "independent investigations." For reasons not made clear, these investigations include the construction of fences and rolls of barbed wire. Appliances appear, "suggestive of preparations for a public celebration." The visitors to the resort expect "fun and games."

And, indeed, the office of the Sanitation Department is starting to look like a travel agency, thanks to the new signs: "The air in Poland is fresher" and "Get to know the Slavic Culture" and "Labor is our Life." There's plenty of time to think about those signs; walks are now forbidden, guests must stay on the grounds of the hotel. It's a nice break in a dull day when the Sanitation Department puts maps on Poland on sale.

The Post Office closes. Just as well. No mail is arriving --- and who knows if letters are getting out? But more people suddenly show up, all of them Jews. Here for the Music Festival? Apparently not.

And now it's Fall. The cakes of summer are no more. Ditto cigarettes. Lunch is barley soup and dry bread. Concern? Bad dreams? Of course. But no one can really believe that what is happening is more than an inconvenience. At worst, a mistake.

At last a train appears at the station. An engine with four filthy freight cars. The last paragraph shows how the worst thing you can imagine can be sold to you as something else. How easily you and yours can be lost. And, in one of the greatest sentences ever to end a book, how you can go to your doom still believing it's all going to be okay.

Among many books dedicated to capitol ships in the II WW, this volume is a very pleasant reading. It comes close to the experience of on the spot study of the design, construction and operational life of dreadnoughts of allied Navies, leading every naval buff to the very insight of the ship themselves. Each class is thoroughly illustrated, giving detailed information of ship's armament, protection systems, engineering and machinery. The best facet is the careful examination of operational career of each ship and the analysis of battle damage sustained by the ship according to testimonies, technical data and the most probable reconstruction of incoming shell trajectory. The damage studies are interesting since they are presented with extensive use of line drawings, further explaining the ships' innermost structural architecture. Another remarkable feature is the extensive chapter dedicated to Soviet wartime effort to build capital ships. It literally casts a light on the subject, providing many facts and photographs of this unknown page of II WW. Profiles, armor diagrams, shear,frame & body plans, line drawings are very accurate as they are results of blueprints' deep investigation.

This book is really an authoritative source for studying battleships from their inception to their final days.

Mssrs Garzke and Dulin have written a trio of detailed, comprehensive and objective analyses of the battleships of the World War II era (designs past 1930). In this volume, they analyze the capital ships of the Netherlands, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. Overall, they rate the units of France as the best in the 35,000 treaty class due the Richelieu's fine protection and speed coupled with excellent firepower. The authors analyze the loss of Prince of Wales to Japanese air attack and the loss of Hood to Bismarck in intricate detail. For any wargamer or student of warships or naval history, this book is a must. Even designs contemplated but never laid down or completed are discussed, including the Lion class and French Alsaace class. A must read.

FIRST THOUGHTS: THIS VOLUME INCLUDED BOTH THE MOST AND LEAST FAMILIAR SHIPS TO ME

This was a real pleasure to wade through. Although I have read a great many volumes which detail the British Dreadnought classes quite well, I knew very little about the 2 French classes and the proposed Dutch Battlecruiser. The oversize fold-out sketches were a real pleasure to behold, especially under a bright light and a magnifying glass. Over the years I have read many books about naval vessels and military history and this volume, like the rest of the series, adds some new and fresh perspectives to my thinking. Whereas NO single book or series on the subject of 'Battleships' can be considered THE FINAL WORD on the subject, this series, of which this specific volume belongs, is so well organized, detailed and comprehensive that I firmly believe that it is a 'must-have' for those with an intense interest in Battleships - like myself.

IN A NUTSHELL: CASE STUDIES OF 8 DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT CLASSES OF DREADNOUGHTS FROM 4 COUNTRIES

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER TWO: THE DUNKERQUE CLASS
CHAPTER THREE: THE RICHELIEU CLASS
CHAPTER FOUR: THE NETHERLANDS - DESIGN 1047
CHAPTER FIVE: THE KING GEORGE THE V CLASS
CHAPTER SIX: THE LION CLASS
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE VANGUARD
CHAPTER EIGHT: THE SOVIETSKII SOYUZ CLASS
CHAPTER NINE: SOVIET BATTLECRUISERS
CHAPTER TEN: CONCLUSION

APPENDIXES

A. FULL-SCALE ORDNANCE TRIALS
B. THE PRINCE OF WALES
C. BATTLESHIP AND BATTLECRUISER GUNS



WHAT IT IS: THE ABSOLUTE ZENITH OF A NATION'S JINGOISTIC TECHNOLOGY & POWER

In essence, the Dreadnought represents everything a powerful or wanna-be powerful nation can impart into a ship to project power on the behalf of that nation. I just made that up, but it is so obviously true. When one goes through these volumes, one can see a combination of the national pride, desperation and deviousness that lay behind the erection of fleets of these incredible vessels. Here are some motives that are touched on in these volumes:

The British wishing to limit the size, power and number of Battleships by treaty as their global fortunes were on the wane proposed and built ships that were less than ideal in all respects prior to World War 2;

The Japanese wishing to keep the world in the dark as to the size and power of their new ships [Yamato Class], hide the construction of the ships and put out false documents regarding the ships' displacement and the gun caliber of its main batteries [460mm];

The Americans utilizing the escalator clause to include 16" guns in the North Carolina class as a response to the secret Japanese building program;

The Germans building larger ships than they were limited by treaty to do as the need for armored protection increased as war approached;

The French built the Dunkerque and Richelieu class as a response to the Germans building the 'Pocket Battleships", followed by their 'Battlecruisers';


BOTTOM LINE: THE SECOND VOLUME OF AN AWESOME HISTORIC TRILOGY

After a complete reading of the entire trilogy, I feel, I now better understand the construction and design considerations that lead to a completed Dreadnought. These books including this volume have fed my interest and have encouraged me to look deeper into the topic of Dreadnought engineering and construction. Now, after reading this series, and then re-reading it, I feel better able to grasp the technical materials that I will have to deal with as I continue to delve into the fascinating topic of 'Dreadnoughts' and their effect on history.

Excellent as a general technical reference. Compiles technical data very hard to find in a reasonable amount of places elsewhere. Drawings much improved from those that blighted their previous work on US battleships. Wish they would redo the book on US battleships.

I'm adding my voice to the chorus of praise for the G&D books. The attention to detail is impressive. The authors go so far as to account for the different definitions of "inch"--an inch of armor in the Royal Navy was actually 0.98in, and this reflects correctly in the figures cited for the KGV, Lion, and Vanguard classes. In citing the damage inflicted on France's Dunkerque by exploding depth charges, the authors properly tally, not the amount of explosive in all the depth charges lying alongside the ship, but only the amount which detonated properly. Impressive work.
It should be no surprise that more recent revelations have overtaken G&D's look at Soviet designs. Still, the info they do present is generally representative of the design's actual properties. A similar state applies in the chapter on Dutch Design 1047.
The only caution requiring the reader's attention is that the occasional typo pops up to confuse the statistical information. This is a general caveat for all three volumes rather than this one in particular.

Ben is very well written, very eloquent. He is an extremely informative writer. He gives the whole picture and helps me to have a sharp grasp of the procedures and the tastes that he has experienced. To me, Ben is greatly appreciated.

As a homebrewer and beer enthusiast who travels quite a bit, I have been looking for a manageable beer guide/road map. Thanks to Mr. Myers et al. for providing just that. Let the journey begin!!

When traveling throughout North America this pocket size 'thirst inducer' is a must! Prost to Ben Meyers! ­Merf, Product Development Bert Grant's Ales

Mr. Myers' book cuts through the fluff and BS put out by most brewery PR wonks, and tells the craft beer story like it REALLY is. I laughed, I cried, I ordered another beer (from Ben's recommended list, of course). His inights into Northwest beers are particularly inspired. I've also found that the book works great as an unusually tall beer coaster, too!

Being a busy brewer, I seldom get the chance to travel far and sample the efforts of other North American brewers. Reading 'Best American Beers' has changed my priorities. I'm hitting the road with a tremendous thirst thanks to Myers' factual, concise descriptions and ridiculously witty prose!