Morrison Books

As a life-long Doors fan, I do wish this story were true. It would be nice to dream that "he got away". What an adventure that would be.

I liked Mr. Manzarek's writing style and his educated vocabulary. The story had me spell-bound. His use of details was so amazing. I loved how he weaved true band experiences into his fiction.

I really did want to. I was a huge Doors fan back in the 60's and have recently started reading the many books on them, including this author's memoir, "Light My Fire", which I liked very much. This novel, however, was so ridiculous that after the fist 30 pages, I should have known what was coming. By about 50 pages in, he had found and solved the mystery. Come on! At that point, I had my own (better) ending picked out, skipped a bunch of the middle, and was laughing sadly at the actual conclusion. The "disguised" names he gave people and places were so silly, and the way he referred to the other 2 band members as simply "the guitar player" and "the drummer" was actually a favor, although I'm sure he didn't mean it to be. I would love to believe that somehow Jim Morrison faked his death and is alive and well out there somewhere, but I know it's not true and this just seems to be a way of making money from a long-past tragedy.

Being a life long Doors Fan, I could not resist this book.
The first few chapters really get you thinking about the fact/fiction mysteries within. It's more of a page turner than I thought, and I give Ray Manzarek great credit for his writing ability. It's powerfully subtle with appropriate imagery to the whole rock and roll lifestyle. If it is possible to love Jim Morrison any more than you already do, this book will refresh that love.
Midway through, you will realize that this is purely fiction. You will also empathize with Ray in that you want to believe so much that "The Poet" faked his death and is alive philosophizing from a tropical isle. I loved the many mythological references. These set up another great myth,that it is possible for an Icon to choose to abandon celebrity status when the going gets tough. Has anyone seen Elvis at 7-11? Keep your eyes peeled for Jim on remote beaches...

Ray's easy narrative makes this a quick, but highly enjoyable read. The story is basically the one we all wish was true, what would happen if Morrison was still alive and had only faked his death in Paris.

On a Halloween night about thirteen years ago, I was listening to a radio program with the psychic Kenny Kingston. He was doing on-the-air readings. Someone called up and said (rather sarcastically, I might add), "Hey, Kenny...why don't you contact the spirit of Jim Morrison..."
In a very matter-of-fact tone, Kenny Kingston replied, "You can't contact the spirit of a person who's not even dead..."

Silence.

Wooly Bumps.

More Silence.

Is Jim Morrison dead? Is he hiding out somewhere? These are questions that Ray Manzarek addresses in the book, The Poet In Exile. I met Ray Manzarek and had a ten minute conversation with him about 10 years ago. Nice man. Very nice man. He's not much of a storyteller and I really think he wants to be, but he's a heckuva nice guy.

Lemme tell you about an experience I had about 20 years ago. I was at the Roxy in Los Angeles and I went there to see a Doors cover band, Wild Child. There was this guy sitting there who looked like Jim Morrison would've looked had he lived to become middle aged. He had short, graying hair and a neatly trimmed goatee and he was dressed in a nice shirt and pants and had a very intense look in his eye. He almost looked kind of nervous being there. I mentioned to my friend, "Hey, who does that guy look like to you?" Without missing a beat, he thought the same thing I did.

It's time for the Doors cover band to hit the stage. The drum crack signaling Light My Fire fills the room and the middle-aged, Jim Morrison lookalike finishes his drink and walks away looking hurt and wounded.

What the???

True story. It still sends chills up my spine.

Is Jim Morrison still alive? Is he hiding out? Is he in exhile? I don't really know and this book doesn't really offer any clear answers. If I was a cynic, I'd tell Ray to stop drinking the bong water, but I don't know. I think Ray really wants him to be alive, but all of us Doors fans want that.

Still after all that, maybe "Jimbo" is right where he needs to be; in the hearts and in the souls of all he touched with his magic. In that case, being physically alive isn't the important thing, knowing that his legacy lives on, is.

Not a horrible book...not a good book...

Peace and Blessings, children of Light...

When I fist saw this book in the bookstore, it was filed in the "Romance" section, due to the cover art. Like "Blackmantle" before it, it has those horrible bodice-ripper-style covers that cause it's target audience to overlook it and mistake it for romance. Heck, not even the bookstores seemed to be able to place it properly.

That being said, it's actually a fairly good, (if occasionally preachy), story about the Celtic, (later Keltic) immagration from Earth to escape the religious prosectution of "St." Patrick and his followers. (which even other Christians suffered from, as witness the group that flees with the Kelts when they escape the Celtic lands.)

The main weakness isn't really the fault of Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, but of the publishers. Mainly that it's too condensed. Originally meant as the first of a trilogy like her "Aeron" and "Arthur" series, it was rewritten as a stand-alone by decree of her publisher, who then dropped her like a hot potato, (a fate hurting many of the mid-range genre writers anymore.) It would be nice to see this book rewritten as the first of a trilogy - and in the hands of a publisher that *wants* to try and sell a book and pubicize an author. Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's too good of a writer to deserve this fate.

Let me state, first and foremost, this is the most egregious example of Mary Sue-ism I have ever read. It stinks; it wreaks; it screams Mary Sue. I didn't know you could do that with an entire book, not just a character. If you don't know what Mary Sue means, Google it and chortle.

The entire book reads like bad fanfic. While I can admire well done flowery prose, detailed descriptions and an attempt to differentiate the speech of an ancient people, the prose clunks along, a well-turned phrase suddenly crumpling into ungrammatical pain. The book is full of interminable descriptions with tongue-twisting dialogue even the characters would have protested if they could speak their minds. I would skip several paragraphs at once to get to the heart of a scene because her descriptions rarely had bearing on the action and were too boring/distracting to plow through. To publish such poor writing should be a crime.

There was nothing resembling tension, action, risk or excitement in this book. Ms. Kennealy is simply relating to her readers the events of the Celt's (Kelt's) immram from Earth and she's managed to strip every last hint of passion from it. Despite the fact her readers know it succeeded there's not the slightest bit of worry that some of the key characters may not make it. There is not the tiniest fear that their plans will be found out by Patraic or his followers and nefarious plots hatched to stop them. There is not the teensiest concern that a close friend might betray them. There is so little danger to the character's or their endeavor you wonder why you're reading it at all.

I honestly disliked the childish manner in which she portrayed both faiths. I'm a Pagan and even I found the way she treated Christianity to be offensive and rude, using the same hack arguments without thought. And she did equal disservice to her version of ancient Celtic faith (not that anything is actually known other than what little Irish monk-scholars recorded at the time) by holding it up as the one and far better faith. She becomes guilty of the hubris she decries in Patraic and his followers.

This book could have been so much better if Patraic were as sympathetic and admirable as Brendan and they had honest debates about the merits and flaws of each religion. But that would have taken away her cardboard cutout bad guy as well as her catalyst for the immram. Then Ms. Kennealy would have had to do something she seems incapable of - coming up with a better, more compelling reason for the Kelts to leave Earth. So, Patraic and his followers are brutish thugs and Brendan and the other Gael/Danaans proclaim themselves and their faith superior with a smirk and a wink. Yeah, that's mature.

If you need a Kelts in Space fix, go back and read her first three books. They are far, far better than this effort.

Once, and not so very long ago, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison wrote fascinating books setting the Kelts in space. She created one of the best-loved fantasy heroines in Aeron, and rewrote the Arthurian legend. Then she wrote the turgid Blackmantle. I hoped it was an aberration, a necessary cleansing of her memories and grievances that somehow missed the editor's desk, and looked forward to her next book.

The Deer's Cry is the story of Brendan the Astrogator, the Kelt who led his people to space, and it should be a rollicking, wild ride. Instead, Kennealy-Morrison puts the reader to sleep with an overlong volume of endless bickering between Brendan and Padraig, also known as St. Patrick, using their feud to symbolize the conflict between pagans and the Church. That, I could have handled; the pagan world's reaction to Christianity was not always awe and acceptance, and it would have been a treat to show some real arguments and debates between the two principals--if Brendan had been less self-righteous, or Padraig the least bit sympathetic. Instead, the characters are all drawn in black and white, the battle is overbalanced in favor of the pagans (who always manage to get in the last word), and everything about the Christians or the early Celtic Church is shown in the darkest light possible.

I'm not looking forward to another book in this planned trilogy. If this is the form Kennealy-Morrison plans to espouse from now on, I dread thinking about what her Gwydion trilogy will look like. For now, I'll keep my "Keltiad" and "Arthur" trilogies as an example of what Kennealy-Morrison can do when she's focused and uses an editor.

This book is racist and full of screeching dogma. It's also badly written, with clunky prose and eleven-line sentences. The action has a pace like continental drift.

The least we could hope for is an interesting way to be offended, but nope. Don't waste your money. No worry you'd waste your time, because it's unreadable.

I am a big fan of Patricia Kennealy's Keltiad series and very much enjoyed her other books, but this was a great disappointment. The author makes it very clear that it is her opinion that the bringing of Christianity to Ireland was a crime. It is a shame that the author allowed her feelings to get in the way of writing a decent book. There was a lot of potential of this book, but it was all wasted. If you wish to read a book by Patricia Kennealy - read one of the other books of the Keltiad.

I really like the story of Batman and Talia Ghul & her secret son. The artwork is terrific and I really like the Interlude story. But somehow I'm a bit confused with the ending. Overall, this is another good entry in Batman legend.

I would bet my life that this was one of the best writing stuff on batman. Mr. Morris very does a wonderfull work of writing this book. IT was a great read and im a math guy but i could it again and again. they is a part of the book tat is just writing like a short storys maybe im going overborad but i feel that is one of the best parts of writing in the last 10 years!!!!!!!!!!

This collection includes two storylines, or more like one and a half, which were originally released in the Batman comic series. The first storyline is about Batman discovering he has a son, and the second one is about Batman discovering and going up against two evil Batman impostors. Then there are two short throwaway stories which each took up one issue of the original comic series.

The main problem with this collection is that the second major storyline continues in the comics, but is cut in half here, and we see only the first half of it here in this collection. DC is releasing a second collection of Grant Morrison's Batman run later in 2008. I believe it is titled The Black Glove. It will have a similar structure to this collection in that it will have a self contained story (The Black Glove), followed by the second half of the storyline about the Batman imposters.

I don't know why DC chose to release these books this way. Having read the entire imposter Batman storyline, I think it is really great. But reading half of it, without the end, just seems useless. I wish that DC had instead decided to release a collection of that complete storyline by itself, and put the two shorter Batman and Son, and The Black Glove stories together in a seperate book, instead of splitting the imposter story between two books. But I would encourage anybody who is confused by the last part of Batman and Son to keep their eyes peeled for The Black Glove later this year. It will be worth the wait.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Grant Morrison's writing on the Batman title. It is sophisticated, dark and gritty, yet the affection between Batman and the people closest to him in his life (Robin, Alfred and Commish Gordon) is clearly evident, and is something that this title has needed for a long time. It really seems like there are emotional bonds between the people in this book and it makes them seem more human and more vulnerable, which makes the threats against them even more threatening. It's the contrasts that make this book.

Grant Morrison is one of the greatest writers that comics has ever seen. If his Batman is too dark for you, and you would like something lighter and full of wonder, try his All-Star Superman. It's great also.

I really enjoyed this book - some great art and a solid storyline about Batman finding out that he has a 7-10 year son from a tyrst with Ra Gul's daughter, which brings a lot of conflict to his relationship with Robin. There is a stand alone short story about the Joker, which is extremely volient and graphic, and I was distugusted by it. It had no relation to the main story. However the main story as i said earlier is very good and I definately recommend it. The ending leaves a hint of a sequel coming down the line at some point!

This is one of the worst runs in Batman in the last 5 years. And I've been following Batman for at least the last 15 years. I don't know what Morrison thinks. First he brings back the son of Batman.... and he didn't even read "Son of the Demon". Ever. And then Bat - ninjas...? Please.

THIS STORY AND THE ONES TO COME WERE THE REASON I CANCELLED MY SUBSCRIPTION TO BATMAN.

The only good story was the Joker's one. That's the reason I'm giving 1 star.

This bio is a very well balanced look at both music and the man behind the myth, contrary to some of the views expressed by other readers with obvious 'fan' bias. One wonders if Morrison was ever diagnosed as the mood-disordered bipolar he so obviously seems to be? Anyway, this book provides a clear look at the early years and recounts thoroughly the important years of the late 60s and 70s when Morrison's finest records were made. Of course, he is still creating wondrous music, bipolar or not. That's the important thing of note. Still, anyone who wonders how "Astral Weeks" came to be, not to mention "Moondance" and the many masterpieces that followed, will want to read this well-done work.

I've read "Behind the Shades" "Voidoids..." and others. I like Heylin's critical approach to his subjects--especially his "Secret History of the Other Recording Industry."
This book, however--leaves me thinking Heylin is SO MAD at Morrison for not talking to him--that he intentionally wrote a book that would tarnish the reputation of Van even more.
It's known that Van Morrison is more of a singer and writer than a talk-show personality, and his antics have been noted by his audience. Heylin, stating at the outset that the subject of his book wouldn't talk to him--and it seems like the title and every meticulously quoted and documented citations are all massaged to cast the artist in the poorest light.
There's nothing wrong with showing EVERYTHING about an artist--but it's still possible to celebrate their achievements. Reading Heylin is more like going over a court proceeding. He doesn't bother to make the achievements look like achievements--but points out faults at every possible opportunity.
You're a good writer, but you used your skill to hurt the artist--or get even for your ego bruising rebuff.

First of all, one has to be really interested in the life and the music of Van Morrison to want to read a tome of this heft. Morrison himself may wonder why anyone wants to know anything about him beyond what they hear on CD or on stage. Well, maybe its because his biggest fans want to know just what the source of all his talent is. After all, Morrison is far from a one hit wonder and a one trick pony. His ability to make quality music in so many different genres is a source of wonder to us all!
After I read the book, I read the reviews. Reading the reviews reminded me of how differently any given sentence or phrase can be interpreted, depending on the reader's angle. Some fans will brook no criticism of their idol, others are willing to read between the lines and to accept that because their idol is human, he is as likely to have flaws like the rest of us do. The fair-minded reader should remember that this is a biography, not a hagiography. It's certainly not a whitewash, but its not a hatchet job, either.
There is a wealth of information in Can You Feel The Silence, both about Morrison himself, and about his music. It covers the good times and the bad times and the development of his unique musical talent from his youth to the present century. Clearly, Van Morrison follows his own muse, but its up to the reader to digest the information and come to his/her own conclusions. The book doesn't purport to be the last word, but author Heylin tries to be as thorough as possible. I personally don't agree with Heylin's assessment of some of Morrison's work, particularly some of his later albums, but that just reflects our differences in musical taste.
So Van Morrison is said to be difficult. Heylin isn't the first to say it and he won't be the last. Lots of artists are said to be difficult. He is said to interview poorly. I have read two fine interviews in the English music press within the last year in which Morrison was quite forthcoming. Maybe those interviews that didn't work out were those in which he was asked asinine questions. Heylin seems at times to be on the side of those who bash Morrison as rude and unprofessional, but if you read closely, he is actually more balanced.
As for the music, if you pick 100 Van Morrison fans and ask them to write down their 10 favorite Morrison albums, you are likely to have not a single matching list. So I like Down the Road, Back on Top, and The Crying Game; Heylin thinks they are weak and unfocused. Heylin seems to like the You Win Again collaboration with Linda Gayle Lewis, I thought it stunk. But even though I don't always agree with him, reading this book helps me to hear Morrison's music with new ears. Whatever your view, this book is loaded with interesting stories about the how Van's albums were made. And you will find out why Moondance has not yet been remastered.
I recommend Can You Feel the Silence to anyone vitally interested in the life and music of Van Morrison. I find the listing of key people in Morrison's career and the sessionography following the epilogue particularly useful. If you find yourself dissatisfied with Heylin's portrayal, then there are other books on him available, but none of this scope.

I'm a long time fan and was well aware that Van Morrison is not a very likeable individual. However, this bio seemed a compilation of public information about Van Morrison with nothing really revealing about the man who has written such great music. There's no way to reconcile the despicable person presented in this bio with a guy who writes the kind of great, humanistic songs that fill the Van Morrison portfolio. Unfortunately, Van isn't talking and given his apparent desire to paint a distorted picture of his past (one of the few good revelations in the book), we'll probably never know the real person.

This is the most complete bio of Van I've read to date, and while I wish it would focus more on the music rather than the man's disdain of fame and celebrity, it's still a fascinating read into the life of a very private man. Sometimes I felt that the interviews went on too long and I just wanted to say, "Okay, we get it, he's a difficult person but get on with it!" Still it's worth the read and apparently there aren't that many great new biographies about Van, so give it a chance.

After taking a beginning XML class where the required reading was the O'Reilly book on XML and XSLT (Learning XSLT) I had become completely frustrated with XML all together. I finally started diving through tech books to try to find something written in English and lo and behold Sams Teach Yourself book came to head.

I did have a current knowledge of XML, but this book shed light on an otherwise dim beginning for me. And the XSLT that is in this book is without a competitor when it comes to breaking down and simplyfing the methods for getting what you need layed out on the page correctly.

This book will NOT give you advanced methods such as MODE or IMAGE includes (which is a shame since these are very important); however, if you need to say, "A-HA" to creating an XML document and linking the XSLT and CSS to the file, then this is the book to pick up, jump in, then jump off into something more advanced.

I agree with the gentleman above (Mr. Sholto L. Douglas). I am 1/4 of the way into the book and I was so disappointed I just had to read the review on this book, which I should have done prior to purchasing it. However my previous experience with SAMS books had been excellent so I purchased it at a bookstore based on the publisher. I won't make that mistake again. From now on I'll purchase from Amazon AFTER reading the reviews.

As Mr. Douglas states the examples are sparse and poor. I am used to SAMS books providing many concise examples, analogies and exercises that aid in your learning. Not everyone learns best by theory.

Since I have never experienced Mr. Morrison's work my disappointment lies with SAMS. They usually put out a better product. I will return this book tomorrow. There have got to be a number of books that handle this subject better.

This is one of the worst books I have ever seen.
If not for the fact that it was bought for me, I would seriously look at returning for a refund.

Unfortunatley all I can do is recommend to the schools that I deal that we dump all purchasing of the sams 24hr series.

This book's index, and references to content is so badly done that it had to be done by kids because not even a computer would foul this up so badly.

Even the content itself is inadequate.
Yes I can learn the bare basics of XML with this book, but thats not much more than getting a brocure or similar info of the net for free.

If I had needed real XML knowledge this book wouldnt have even come close. As it is, its not even sufficent for basic knowledge. I know because I have reference material from my job that was better (even without an index on it).

I am surprised that SAMS would publish should a childish publication... My own 12 year old nephew can do a better job of proofreading & editing than the socalled professionals who did this book.

Those reviewers of this book who say its well organized need to learn to read as this book is very disorganized and virtually useless as anything but a $2 primer..
Ie; Its value is equal to a introductory primer that I have gotten in the past (litterally).

I think the bigger problem is not the author but the editors/publishers,proofreaders, who seem to be incapable of reading or scanning or verifying their own work.

I highly recommend not buying any SAMS book ever again.
Especally the 24hr series. The idea of a 24hr book should be that you can learn the subject in 24hr segments (whether clocktime or 24 steps).


An index that tells you page 134 for a item, but you find instead on page 180, or even the endofchapter stuff where it tells you to grab data from another chapter but its acutally yet somewhere else (a different chapter than specified).

I wouldnt consider paying more than $2-$5 for any 24hr sams book, because you will not get your $ value out of it.

I am happy though that I have been successfull in having several schools cancel current and all future dealings with sams 24hr series... Successfully eliminating at least a nice chunk of profit for 'incompetent editors/proofreaders'.


I do wish to point out to anybody considering this book...there are much better books for the same or better price than this.
Again if you must buy this book, get it cheap, say maybe $5 or less, that way you wont feel as ripped off.

scratching your head so much trying to figure this book out then ENJOY! In 24 hours you too can have all the confusion of XML as you when you strarted the book + be a bald! (at no extra charge to you)

I will have to say if you are interested in reading a book about writing xml code about writing xml code. Then this is perfect for you.

Confused? yeh me too... you'd think if someone spent the time to write a book about writing XML code they might would throw you a few more examples of how the actual code is written rather than spending the whole book talking about the history of XML.

I sort of feel like I could tell you anything about XML; how it started, the cool people who could use XML, I could even tell you what XML wore to SGML's birthday party last year. I couldn't tell you how to write the code sadly enough.

What's good: a quick summary of major XML technologies, including DTDs, schemas, XSL, SAX, DOM, and more. This book tells briefly what each does, and gives some idea of how the pieces fit together.

What's not: there's not nearly enough here to get a programmer going on a real XML project.

This may help a beginner get a quick, high-level idea of what the big pieces are and how they fit together. Don't expect to get any real work done once you've read it, though.

//wiredweird

This book is an excellent read, but keep in mind it was written by mechanical engineers, I am a an electrical engineer and never got heavy into fluid flows so this book did me great justice. Someone mentioned that it does not mention forced induction in the text. With forced induction you are not particularly concerned about intake side, for exhaust side all you have to do is adjust the pressures to how ever many bar you are running, or as this book writes it into lbs/in squared, these equations are based off of perfect afr so figuring out the exhaust output pressure is not all that tough.
All in all I gave this a book a 4 because it is exactly what it says it is, but supplemental reading on fluid flows is a really good idea, if not a must... this book is more of highlights the fluids theories in intake and exhaust systems for you.

Very outdated. I regret not having read the reviews here prior to purchasing this book. The last time this book was updated was 1972! There is nothing in the way of forced induction. Turbochargers are not mentioned and there is a single reference to superchargers on page 17! "Fuel Injector" is mentioned once. I am definitely sending this one back. Not the first time I have been disappointed with Bentley Publishing. FYI, 1972 was the year Pong came out. As I said, the book desperately needs to be updated.

I have designed race cars for years and I definitely recommend this book. I found information in this book that I have not seen published anywhere else. It explains how tri-y headers work. It explains the theory behind pulse tuning of exhaust and intakes. The intake pulse tuning is the basis of why Porsche created intake manifolds that effectively change between several intake runner lengths. These theories are even backed up by proven test results performed by engineers. There are even simple equations that are directly applicable to designing an intake or exhaust. This book is "old" but then so is the 4-stroke engine and although today's engines may seem "new" they are fundamentally the same as the "old" ones which makes the material in this book very worthwhile. If you want to know more than what intake or exhaust you should *buy* and are possibly thinking about creating your own intake or exhaust system, definitely buy this book. If you are looking for a book like this but even more technical, I suggest the 2 volumes titled "The Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice" by Charles Fayette Taylor.

The information in this book is just as relavant now as it was when it was written back in 1972. Physics is physics, after all. The book gave me a much clearer understanding of header theory. My only complaint is that Smith and Morrison obviously wrote this book for engineers, and I'm not one. I had to struggle to understand some of the concepts, particularly on tri-y header design; but in the end, it was definitely worth it. The exhaust concepts are equally applicable to carbs and fuel injection. The only things lacking were crossovers and merge collectors, but I guess those things weren't invented in 1972. This book will give you a basic grounding in header design theory, and will enable you to discern a set of well-designed headers from a useless tangle of pipes. If you plan on building a set of custom headers, this book is definitely required reading.

I read the book cover to cover. My impression is that this book contains exhaust and intake design information that was current in the 50's and '60s. Very little information for modern 4 or 5 valve per cylinder engines, and fuel injection tuned intake systems. No information on practical design of V8 performance exhaust system for street emmissions legal exhaust. Needs updated.

Birdie Tebbetts' career in baseball covered nearly his entire life and he expresses his opinions on a number of things, oftentimes in strong terms. A New England native Birdie says his best years in baseball were with the Boston Red Sox. After having spent a number of years in Detroit with the Tigers, Birdie says he was booed out of Detroit. Tebbetts says pitcher Hal Newhouser of the Tigers begged his way into the Hall of Fame. Newhouser, he says, had his best years when the stars were off fighting WWII. Could this be sour grapes for his not being in the Hall of Fame himself? As an executive for the Milwaukee Braves during the 1960's Birdie says it was a job he detested. Such things as deciding on a hospitalization plan for the groundscrew and who is to get the contract for paving the parking lot at County Stadium were meetings he had to sit in on. He does provide us with some interesting tidbits in regard to what scouts look for in baseball prospects. I may be wrong, but at times Birdie seems to come across as a braggert. I also didn't feel it was necessary for him to be so flippant in using God's name in vain so many times.

THIS IS A VERY NICE BOOK TO READ. I DIDN'T KNOW BIRDIE PERSONALLY SO I CAN'T COMMENT ON WHETHER HE WROTE THIS OR NOT. BUT I AM FROM CLEVELAND, AND REMEMBER HIM AS MANAGER DURING THE MIDDLE 1960'S. HE DID A GOOD JOB AND WAS WELL RESPECTED BY THE PLAYERS AND MEDIA. I ENJOYED THIS TALE OF HIS LIFE IN AND OUT OF BASEBALL. I AGREE WITH ANOTHER REVIEWER THAT I THINK MORE TIME WAS NEEDED ON HIS MANAGING CAREER. ALSO I WOULD HAVE RATED THIS 5 STARS IF THIS BOOK WAS LONGER. BUT VERY WELL DONE AND QUITE INTERESTING.
VERY RECOMMENDED.

Unlike a couple of other reviewers (....), I never knew Birdie, and cannot attest whether these pages seem written by the real man. What does stand out, however, is that any fan of baseball before the present - swing for the fences, no strategy needed - era will enjoy this book. James Morrison has culled many, many delicious stories from Birdie's diaries. Some stories are not brand new to baseball literature, but Birdie's viewpoint on them is worthwhile. Except for some quotes using swear words, I cannot see what Birdie's friends can object to here. The player-manager-scout's humanity and delightful humor ring out on every page. Perhaps the best chapter reviews player-umpire relations in the "old days," but the anecdotes throughout make it hard not to read out loud to others.

My only regret is that short space was given to Birdie's managing years. I suspect he was too busy then to post lengthy diary entries. Perhaps Birdie would have edited the finished product differently, had he lived, but this book will stand out with that of his Tiger teammate, Elden Auker's, as one of the best books on baseball from the '30s through the 50s.

...I knew Birdie well and know a lot of people who also knew Birdie well and none of us believe that Birdie authored this book. The man we all knew is not represented by the words on these pages. For example, Birdie wrote an article titled, "I'd Rather Catch". This was written by Birdie himself and Birdie spoke about it many times. In the article he praised Newhouser. Having known the man, I never heard him ever criticize another player. On the contrary, he was one of baseball's biggest fans. And he most certainly did not talk like the blue collar, swaggering, swearing person represented on these pages. This is a book published many years after his death. I would keep that in mind as the pages are turned.

Birdie was a great storyteller. This book was not written with Birdie's sense of humor,intelligence, or respect for the people in the baseball industry. I knew him well and do not believe that he wrote it. Unfortunately, since he died three years before he supposedly wrote this book, we can't hear his side of the story. This book is just not worth the paper it's printed on.

Sorry, I really don't have any good comments on this, because I haven't had any classes to use it with right now. Maybe later in the fall classes I might be able to use it then.

Thank you.
Bessie Roberts

I have used this text for two years in my Foundations class that I teach at a local college. I personally like the broad scope of information that is contained, but considered the 1997 version outdated from the start..i.e., no brain research; In additon, I do not think the work is well written at all. It is confusing and hard to follow. As an example, he mentions Socrates and Plato, but does not say why (Chapter three, page 62). I could site other examples but "brevity is the soul of wit"! Thanks :)

Morrison's FUNDAMENTALS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION is his other book (third best, in my opinion, behind Jo Ann Brewer's book and Stephanie Feeney's book). This is essentially the same excellent text with a well-done added section on Programs and Services For Children.

Like Morrison's other text, it's full of alot of stuff in just a little over 530 pages, but it's a one-stop reference.

The only problem is the price: $95. You can get the other three books for less money with essentially the same information.

In general, though, it's a fine, fine book.

I've used this book as a reference because of the tremendous amount of information it holds. The information is up to date and presented in a clear way. Early Childhood Education Today is easy to read, comprehend, and utilize as a college student.

I am majoring in Birth through kindergarten Education, and I feel that this book is well worth the money. With its many colorful charts and their detailed descriptions, it is an easy way to get the sometimes complicated information understood. This, along with the helpful websites and each chapters' focus questions, this book is a "must have!"

Two similar storylines here, but one of them is an inter-company crossover. The second part of the trade is JLA-Wildcats, from the blue Superman era.

For the Wildstorm era, they all get along fairly nicely, particularly when Zealot works out Wonder Woman can take all she has and more.

The Ultramarine part is a US government created Superman that has the problem of not having the smart people that the JLA does, so they get infiltrated and taken over. Throw in Gorilla Grodd, the Justice League out of action, it is up to the Batman, and the Batman clone's sidekick to save the day.

Pretty mediocre, really, although giant insane gorillas are usually entertaining, as is the lecture about how easily his followers are bought for bananas.


3 out of 5

Any Morrison is good Morrison and any problems I had with his previous JLA work had more to do with the sometimes awkward and usually overblown artwork. McGuiness is a perfect partner in crime for this story, however, as his tight, expressive linework really sings.

It's a neat little superhero tale on its own, but, in the broader context, is an important prequel to Grant's "Seven Soldiers of Victory." There were a number of puzzling questions in my mind after I finished SSoV and this mini cleared several of them up nicely.

First off, JLA, as written by Grant Morrison, is THE superhero comic of all time. Exciting, reinvigorating, packed full of details and characterization! Ah, such characterization! And history, too! By history, I mean, JUSTICE LEAGUE history. Grant's run on JLA was a heartfelt love letter to all incarnations of the JLA, especially the Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman-led JLA. His run on this comic was the inspiration for The AUTHORITY (and no doubt influenced ULTIMATES as well as Jeph Loebs' run on Superman/Batman) ; widescreen, epic superhero extravaganzas of pure imagination and fun.

I can understand where some may be disappointed by the story featured in ULTRAMARINE CORPS, but in order to fully appreciate its many details, plot points, characters and events, one truly must be versed in Morrison's JLA run as well as his SEVEN SOLDIERS mega-meta-event, and even his current BATMAN run. This is not some marketing ploy hatched to sell comics; it's simply great storytelling of the truly EPIC quality and stature. One of the best aspects of Grant's work is that he always gives stuff to chew and mull over; his comics are never of the disposable, throwaway and forget about type. The more times you read them, the more you glean from them. Talk about your value for money!

Taking stock of the ULTRAMARINE CORPS, the infant universe of QWEWQ -- Grant first made mention of this back in issue 12 of JLA, Part 3 of the ROCK OF AGES arc; when Mote says to Green Lantern: "YOU SHOULD TAKE TIME TO SEE AND REMEMBER THESE WONDERS..." that's not an aside, that's foreshadowing at it's most subtle and skillful -- any aspiring writers would be wise to study Morrison's work for how to lay out a story in the long term and plant seeds that come to perfect fruition in due time. Now, QWEWQ gives birth to NEH-BUH-LOH, one of the prime villains of SEVEN SOLDIERS.

The Ultramarine Corps were introduced in the EXECUTIVE ACTION arc from JLA #s 24-26. Superbia, the floating city, was introduced right at the end of that arc, and, until Morrison wrote the ULTRAMARINE CORPS arc, I longed to see what he could/would do with such a great concept (which is, no doubt, a nod to Jack Kirby's SUPERTOWN, only with a more "AUTHORITY-esque/Post-WATCHMEN" spin put on it. The characters of Knight and Squire have also returned recently in the pages of Morrison's BATMAN -- the CLUB OF HEROES arc so exquisitely drawn by JH Williams III.

I find it interesting and a little frustrating to read reviews of this arc that dismiss it as weak or under-developed and it really is an indication of readers' inability/unwillingness to share in Morrison's vision.

I can tell that Morrison is having a blast playing in the DC-verse, where he feels truly at home. Who else but Morrison would equip Batman with such diverse and kooky stuff such as: a Dalek, the head of the IRON GIANT and the claw of the Robot from LOST IN SPACE? What? You didn't see that? It's all on display in Bats' "sci-fi closet" -- "DON'T TELL MY FRIENDS IN THE GCPD ABOUT THIS, ALFRED," indeed! This sequence PERFECTLY sums up the essential nature of Batman; how the character has changed over the decades and yet still manages to command such interest and awe. With this scene, Grant gives nods to the following: the 60's live-action TV series (Alfred hands Bats the Red Phone complete in a glass dome on a tray!), the 50s kooky, sci-fi era (sci-fi closet), and even straddles the current era with the post-Wertham censorship/Batman deputised-in-daylight era: "my friends in the GCPD" ("friend" being a nod to that "lame" era of the deputised Batamn; GCPD in my mind referencing the recent GOTHAM CENTRAL series). The fact that this neither undermines or diminishes Batman in the slightest is testament to Grant's skill at deftly handling the DC characters with such a level of respect -- a trait that Frank Miller certainly should take note of!

Morrison's dialogue in this arc is no slouch at all! Superman berating the defeated apes: "A bunch of dumb slogans, a few bananas and you belong to anybody, it seems. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves." And Morrison knows not to overload it all with too much talking - I love the bit where Batman winks his approval at the Squire. Genius!

On the art side, Ed McGuinness's pages are nothing short of spectacular. One should grab copies of the single issues in order to truly behold and appreciate his layouts. Superb stuff!

Overall, this a great, great story. A good swan song for Morrison's JLA as well as a good intro to SEVEN SOLDIERS. Editorial at DC perhaps could have written more detailed notes (actually referring to the SEVEN SOLDIERS link on the back copy, for example. Hint!)

JLA/WILDCATS -- at first this reads like just a filler type of story, But then, that's the genius of Morrison. EVERY TIME he gets me more on the subsequent reads!

Val Semeiks art is, as usual, classy and story-centric. Truly one of those under-rated artists that produce so much work and yet never seem to get the glory, Semeiks always (just like Grant's Animal Man cohort, Chas Truog) tells the story visually without degenerating into mere overblown pin-ups. Substance over style.

I generally have a problem with these type of cross-overs anyways. The fact that Morrison not only had to contend with the Blue Superman, but also a WILDCATS that were missing a couple of their original members, arguably undermined the "wow!' factor so necessary for these type of comics. But Morrison being Morrison, he pulls it off better than most could have. What probably sours this more than it should, is the fact that his and Jim Lee's "WORLDSTORM" revival of the WILDCATS is currently in comic book limbo after only ONE issue. Still, that one comic was/is still better than the 8-9 issues combined that Miller and Lee have produced on All-Star Bats! Now THAT is a comic deserving of one's bile and ridicule. Talk about out-Schumachering Joel Schumacher! Ouch!

With Grant Morrison and Ed McGuinness you might expect a lot from this book but they fail to entertain.

The first half is a 3 issue series that introduces a host of new heroes, kills many of them, and exiles them to another dimension. It is confusing, characters are barely introduced or explained and the threat is fairly dull.

In the second half of the book the JLA has a dull, dated, 90s team-up with the Wildcats. They meet, they fight, they team-up. Nothing of interest happens.

Give it a miss.

Grant Morrison is an amazing writer, perhaps the Alan Moore of his generation, so don't let what you find here in JLA: Ultramarine Corps fool you. The author of such amazing runs on JLA, New X-Men, Doom Patrol, Animal Man, and All-Star Superman launched JLA Classified with a three part arc collected here, in which the JLA is busy in a pocket universe, leaving Batman as the only hero to take on Gorilla Grodd after the Ultramarines get taken out. No worries though, 'cause Bats has robot versions of his fellow JLA members to go into battle with as he tries to avoid becoming dinner for Grodd. The art is from Ed McGuiness, so you get a pretty solid mix of well drawn/cartoony art. The second story is a pretty lame team up/crossover with the JLA and the Wild C.A.T.S., which lacks any sort of the personality or intrigue that usually populates Morrison's work. The Ultramarines story from JLA Classified is a fun diversion, but definitely not that close of a worthwhile effort from Morrison that we usually get. All in all, JLA: Ultramarine Corps is worth a look for JLA and/or Morrison fans, but you could do better.

Two similar storylines here, but one of them is an inter-company crossover. The second part of the trade is JLA-Wildcats, from the blue Superman era.

For the Wildstorm era, they all get along fairly nicely, particularly when Zealot works out Wonder Woman can take all she has and more.

The Ultramarine part is a US government created Superman that has the problem of not having the smart people that the JLA does, so they get infiltrated and taken over. Throw in Gorilla Grodd, the Justice League out of action, it is up to the Batman, and the Batman clone's sidekick to save the day.

Pretty mediocre, really, although giant insane gorillas are usually entertaining, as is the lecture about how easily his followers are bought for bananas.


3 out of 5

Any Morrison is good Morrison and any problems I had with his previous JLA work had more to do with the sometimes awkward and usually overblown artwork. McGuiness is a perfect partner in crime for this story, however, as his tight, expressive linework really sings.

It's a neat little superhero tale on its own, but, in the broader context, is an important prequel to Grant's "Seven Soldiers of Victory." There were a number of puzzling questions in my mind after I finished SSoV and this mini cleared several of them up nicely.

First off, JLA, as written by Grant Morrison, is THE superhero comic of all time. Exciting, reinvigorating, packed full of details and characterization! Ah, such characterization! And history, too! By history, I mean, JUSTICE LEAGUE history. Grant's run on JLA was a heartfelt love letter to all incarnations of the JLA, especially the Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman-led JLA. His run on this comic was the inspiration for The AUTHORITY (and no doubt influenced ULTIMATES as well as Jeph Loebs' run on Superman/Batman) ; widescreen, epic superhero extravaganzas of pure imagination and fun.

I can understand where some may be disappointed by the story featured in ULTRAMARINE CORPS, but in order to fully appreciate its many details, plot points, characters and events, one truly must be versed in Morrison's JLA run as well as his SEVEN SOLDIERS mega-meta-event, and even his current BATMAN run. This is not some marketing ploy hatched to sell comics; it's simply great storytelling of the truly EPIC quality and stature. One of the best aspects of Grant's work is that he always gives stuff to chew and mull over; his comics are never of the disposable, throwaway and forget about type. The more times you read them, the more you glean from them. Talk about your value for money!

Taking stock of the ULTRAMARINE CORPS, the infant universe of QWEWQ -- Grant first made mention of this back in issue 12 of JLA, Part 3 of the ROCK OF AGES arc; when Mote says to Green Lantern: "YOU SHOULD TAKE TIME TO SEE AND REMEMBER THESE WONDERS..." that's not an aside, that's foreshadowing at it's most subtle and skillful -- any aspiring writers would be wise to study Morrison's work for how to lay out a story in the long term and plant seeds that come to perfect fruition in due time. Now, QWEWQ gives birth to NEH-BUH-LOH, one of the prime villains of SEVEN SOLDIERS.

The Ultramarine Corps were introduced in the EXECUTIVE ACTION arc from JLA #s 24-26. Superbia, the floating city, was introduced right at the end of that arc, and, until Morrison wrote the ULTRAMARINE CORPS arc, I longed to see what he could/would do with such a great concept (which is, no doubt, a nod to Jack Kirby's SUPERTOWN, only with a more "AUTHORITY-esque/Post-WATCHMEN" spin put on it. The characters of Knight and Squire have also returned recently in the pages of Morrison's BATMAN -- the CLUB OF HEROES arc so exquisitely drawn by JH Williams III.

I find it interesting and a little frustrating to read reviews of this arc that dismiss it as weak or under-developed and it really is an indication of readers' inability/unwillingness to share in Morrison's vision.

I can tell that Morrison is having a blast playing in the DC-verse, where he feels truly at home. Who else but Morrison would equip Batman with such diverse and kooky stuff such as: a Dalek, the head of the IRON GIANT and the claw of the Robot from LOST IN SPACE? What? You didn't see that? It's all on display in Bats' "sci-fi closet" -- "DON'T TELL MY FRIENDS IN THE GCPD ABOUT THIS, ALFRED," indeed! This sequence PERFECTLY sums up the essential nature of Batman; how the character has changed over the decades and yet still manages to command such interest and awe. With this scene, Grant gives nods to the following: the 60's live-action TV series (Alfred hands Bats the Red Phone complete in a glass dome on a tray!), the 50s kooky, sci-fi era (sci-fi closet), and even straddles the current era with the post-Wertham censorship/Batman deputised-in-daylight era: "my friends in the GCPD" ("friend" being a nod to that "lame" era of the deputised Batamn; GCPD in my mind referencing the recent GOTHAM CENTRAL series). The fact that this neither undermines or diminishes Batman in the slightest is testament to Grant's skill at deftly handling the DC characters with such a level of respect -- a trait that Frank Miller certainly should take note of!

Morrison's dialogue in this arc is no slouch at all! Superman berating the defeated apes: "A bunch of dumb slogans, a few bananas and you belong to anybody, it seems. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves." And Morrison knows not to overload it all with too much talking - I love the bit where Batman winks his approval at the Squire. Genius!

On the art side, Ed McGuinness's pages are nothing short of spectacular. One should grab copies of the single issues in order to truly behold and appreciate his layouts. Superb stuff!

Overall, this a great, great story. A good swan song for Morrison's JLA as well as a good intro to SEVEN SOLDIERS. Editorial at DC perhaps could have written more detailed notes (actually referring to the SEVEN SOLDIERS link on the back copy, for example. Hint!)

JLA/WILDCATS -- at first this reads like just a filler type of story, But then, that's the genius of Morrison. EVERY TIME he gets me more on the subsequent reads!

Val Semeiks art is, as usual, classy and story-centric. Truly one of those under-rated artists that produce so much work and yet never seem to get the glory, Semeiks always (just like Grant's Animal Man cohort, Chas Truog) tells the story visually without degenerating into mere overblown pin-ups. Substance over style.

I generally have a problem with these type of cross-overs anyways. The fact that Morrison not only had to contend with the Blue Superman, but also a WILDCATS that were missing a couple of their original members, arguably undermined the "wow!' factor so necessary for these type of comics. But Morrison being Morrison, he pulls it off better than most could have. What probably sours this more than it should, is the fact that his and Jim Lee's "WORLDSTORM" revival of the WILDCATS is currently in comic book limbo after only ONE issue. Still, that one comic was/is still better than the 8-9 issues combined that Miller and Lee have produced on All-Star Bats! Now THAT is a comic deserving of one's bile and ridicule. Talk about out-Schumachering Joel Schumacher! Ouch!

With Grant Morrison and Ed McGuinness you might expect a lot from this book but they fail to entertain.

The first half is a 3 issue series that introduces a host of new heroes, kills many of them, and exiles them to another dimension. It is confusing, characters are barely introduced or explained and the threat is fairly dull.

In the second half of the book the JLA has a dull, dated, 90s team-up with the Wildcats. They meet, they fight, they team-up. Nothing of interest happens.

Give it a miss.

Grant Morrison is an amazing writer, perhaps the Alan Moore of his generation, so don't let what you find here in JLA: Ultramarine Corps fool you. The author of such amazing runs on JLA, New X-Men, Doom Patrol, Animal Man, and All-Star Superman launched JLA Classified with a three part arc collected here, in which the JLA is busy in a pocket universe, leaving Batman as the only hero to take on Gorilla Grodd after the Ultramarines get taken out. No worries though, 'cause Bats has robot versions of his fellow JLA members to go into battle with as he tries to avoid becoming dinner for Grodd. The art is from Ed McGuiness, so you get a pretty solid mix of well drawn/cartoony art. The second story is a pretty lame team up/crossover with the JLA and the Wild C.A.T.S., which lacks any sort of the personality or intrigue that usually populates Morrison's work. The Ultramarines story from JLA Classified is a fun diversion, but definitely not that close of a worthwhile effort from Morrison that we usually get. All in all, JLA: Ultramarine Corps is worth a look for JLA and/or Morrison fans, but you could do better.