Lawrence Books

I have been a big fan of Lawrence Block's for quite some time, He has written a large number of books in a number of series each starring a different "hero" (usually a detective). My favorite series are the "Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries" (Bernie is a totally likable burglar who also runs a second-hand bookstore), "Keller's Greatest Hits" with Keller, who is also totally likable even though he is a hit man and murders for a living and "The Affairs of Chip Harrison" . The first two volumes of this last series are biographical and we follow Chip on his adventure-ridden way to New York where in the later volumes he is the assistent of that very eccentric detective Leo Haig. All of the Chip Harrison books are well constructed, well- written, and - in the Block tradition - witty enough to make you snort out loud on occasion. When the "Affairs" appeared in an omnibus version I decided that this was the perfect Christmas for certain of my relatives and it turned out that I was right.

Is AIDS really caused by a virus such as HIV? This book cuts to the heart of why after 20 years we still have no cure or vaccine for AIDS. It is a brilllantly witten expose of what is really behind AIDS. It's well-documented and riviting. I recommend it highly. In a historical context Dr. Broxmeyer makes his argument and then some.

I'm a huge Al Pacino fan and I bought 'Al Pacino: The authorized Biography' thinking it was, well, his biography, since I already own a book named 'Conversations with Al Pacino', by Lawrence Grobel, the same author from his biography, that is entirely made out of interviews. In my country neither one of the books are sold and there are no reviews on this one in Amazon, so I bought it. I was shocked to find out, when it arrived, that his 'Biography' is actually the same book with a different title. Now, the interviews are amazing - they're about nine or ten and range from his first interview, in the seventies until the most recent years. I definitely recommend Al's fans buying either one of them. Just don't buy both. It's a waste of money.

I love this art. it is the classic example of "less is more". his paintings have a real presence. I highly recommend this work. he is an artist's artist.

Written by historian Lawrence M. Woods, Alex Swan and the Swan Companies is a fascinating, in-depth biography of 1800's corporate tycoon Alex Swan, and the robust enterprises he founded, particularly the Swan Land and Cattle Company, one of the larger livestock companies to operate in the American West. Chapters don't just detail Swan's life; over half of Alex Swan and the Swan Companies is devoted to the stories of his former businesses long after he was no longer running them. Appendices of financial information, a bibliography, and an index round out this thoughtful, involving portrait of a self-made man's legacy.

Ladybird history books are social history at it's best, from; I would estimate ages 8 to 14 for school use of simply to enjoy. They bring history alive for children, and are filled with fascinating information. As well as bringing alive an animated, exciting past, they also show how events of the past, are with us today, in so many fascinating ways

Alexander the Great, by L Du Garde Peach, traces the life of a man lived more than two thousand years ago, he was one of history's great soldiers, who created an Empire stretching from Macedonia to India.

The book traces his boyhood education by Aristotle, his military campaigns and conquests (with the aid of a map in the inner covers) and his Empire-building and trade.

It is both fascinating and educational , with superb illustrations by Andrew Kenny.

Quisiera, en primer lugar, señalar que mi acercamiento al texto no es en la lengua que lo gestó sino en castellano, lo que lo hace mitad hechura de su traductora, Aurora Bernárdez, esposa del difunto Julio Cortázar. Sin embargo, la pulcritud de sus trabajos previos asegura de ella una fidelidad al sentido de la obra que pocos autores podrían tener sobre sus versiones en otras lenguas. Durrell, en lengua de Cervantes, afirma virtudes inconmovibles: un narración fragmentaria, sostenida en el continuum del tono lírico, tono que no paraliza el tiempo, o mejor aún , lo diversifica en ramajes y sutilezas de psicólogo u observador nato que vuelven la morosidad de la novela un deleite inapreciable. Pero esto no significa que no sucedan cosas en la novela, suceden cientos de hechos, pero he ahí el mérito de Durrell: cultivar la poesía sin perder la vitalidad de la sucesión de los acontecimientos que envuelven a los personajes en conflictos particulares, en el marco de una ciudad milenaria que se pudre, metropoli que, precisa y borrosa, se mece en la calma chicha de las entreguerras. En esta ciudad, como esforzado teórico, pero a la vez como escritor pasional, Durrell dislumbra la obsesión central de su narrativa: la verdad como posesión del sujeto que conoce y, como consecuencia, la múltiple interpretación de un hecho, según su espectador y las circunstancias vitales de éste. Suerte de relativismo declarado, pero también de espíritu barroco moderno, Durrell despliega el mismo escenario en cada una de las cuatro novelas de su saga, pero lo muestra siempre distinto, dependiendo del personaje que privilegia como foco de su relato. Y cada personaje foco es a la vez un rol de los variados que juega un solo individuo en la sociedad humana: el yo más íntimo, el tú dialogante del círculo social inmediato, el ello de una sociedad que se mueve en la esfera de la política, y sobre estos, la percepción del paso del tiempo. Durrell, se dijo, escribió con el cuarteto de Alejandría la novela romántica del siglo XX. Y, por supuesto, es una novela de amor, pero creo, además, es una cosmogonía válida que clausura el siglo, y abre camino a otras búsquedas acuciosas, en espera de la nueva física que nos de el siglo XXI, esa física que, como lo hizo la Teoría de la Relatividad con el Cuarteto, nos de otra gran novela

This book touched me in a very special way and helped restore my beliefs in humanity and faith. Mr. Holben is a very gifted writer and has a unique and intelligent understanding of his subject. Dorthy Day was such an important person and this book is a must read for all Christians.

I found myself devouring each word and picture in this book while flying home from Madrid to my home, Tucson, Arizona, recently. It is beautifully written and eye-openingly informative for any reader. The descriptions are also accurate, about which I can attest as an active inhabitant of this fronterra, living in nearby Tucson and often working in Nogales areas. The pictures (a big difference from photographs) draw you into the experience of the subject in tender ways, while also being technically excellent quality. This is perhaps the best writing and photography to date by the increasingly infamous Hickey-Taylor team. bravo!!
Kathleen Williamson, J.D., Ph.D, CD - prose and song writer, musician, anthropologist, lawyer, etc.,

Davidson's America's Palestine is an excellent documentation of Anglo-American perceptions of the still today disputed Middle Eastern territories. Various media citations are included, such as the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and the LA Times. Discussion of the State Department's evolving position from neutrality to full fledged support of the Zionist agenda is included. The book is eye opening and gives a good history of how these early Anglo-American perceptions of the Arab-Israeli conflict distorted the realities of the Middle East.