Nicholson Books

While the late sixties is generally thought of as the flowering of psychedelic and progressive rock, equally important and contemporary to these was the birth of jazz rock. Stuart Nicholson's important new book covers the meeting of these two genres of music, jazz and rock, mainly from the jazz side. It begins with a survey of the impact of rock on the commercial music scene, and then shows how various jazz musicians reacted to and adapted to it. This varied from the still surviving big bands incorporating some popular rock tunes in their sets, pop groups such as Blood, Sweat & Tears using a brass section, to the likes of Miles Davis, who was already one of the top jazz stars and went on to produce probably the most advanced music of the psychedelic era. Nicholson does an excellent job of showing how the music fit into the time period, and while he only gives passing mention to most rock bands, he shows their relationship to the jazz musicians as part of the overall music and cultural scene. For instance, he argues that Chick Corea's "Romantic Warrior" was in answer to Rick Wakeman's medieval theme discs of the time.

In Nicholson's view, from the 30's till the mid-50's, jazz was an essential flavor in pop music. Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra were originally jazz oriented singers. Starting with be-bop in the mid-40's, the leading edge of jazz began to loose its popular audience as the music became more and more complex. With the advent of rock and roll in the 50's, the youth dominated music audience turned their backs on jazz and embraced the new more basic electrified blues based sound coming out on 45's. By the mid-60's, rock ruled the music scene and jazz was largely a specialist genera, which consisted on one hand of traditional swing and Dixieland oldies, and on the other of the more extreme free jazz players, which was too experimental for the general audience. In the middle were the bop and cool jazz players, who while being somewhat accessible to the mainstream, by `66 were not exactly the latest thing.

For some, incorporating rock elements was merely a way to keep making music for a living. On the artistic side, jazz had the essential component of improvisation, which appeared to be one direction for rock to go as it mutated from pop to more a serious art form. As rock musicians began to experiment with mind expanding drugs, they attempted to create a music which was inspired by their experiences, and would be listened to by other psychic explorers. One of the principal forms of extending the blues based pop format is through improvisation on a catchy riff, much of classic jazz is basically improvisations on blues themes. Since rock is also generally blues based, it seems like an obvious evolution in retrospect. Nicholson goes into some detail showing how bands such as Cream, Pink Floyd, King Crimson and the Grateful Dead incorporated aspects of improvisation without ever really being considered jazz.

Miles Davis is the central star of the book, and there probably is no other person who embodied the world of jazz-rock fusion as Miles did. With his breakthru groups from `69 through '75 and his re-emergence in the early `80s till he died in '91 at the age of 65, Miles is the father of electric jazz. The book also covers in length the works of Hendrix, Santana and Zappa from the rock side, and Ornette, McLaughlin, Corea, Hancock and Weather Report from the jazz side. Also included are such almost forgotten early jazz-rock pioneers as Charles Lloyd, Larry Coryell & the Eleventh House, Gary Burton, the Free Spirits, the Fourth Way and Cannonball Adderley. There is also an interesting chapter on the rock influence on the big bands of the day, including Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Gil Evans and Don Ellis.

Nicholson comes up to the mid-90's, covering such people as John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Machine Gun, Naked City, James Blood Ulmer and Steve Coleman. He does an excellent job of covering the 80's, usually thought of a dry time in fusion, after splintering into either mindless pop pap, new age environments or musso noodling. While the mainstream jazz world was taken over by young traditionalists in smart suits, he shows that that the lower east side NYC scene was a fertile grown which kept the cutting edge alive with people such as John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Fred Frith, and the M-Base collective.

While charting the evolution of artistic expression throughout the book, Nicholson never loses sight of the commercial aspect of things - what it would take to get major labels to put out a product, and how they reacted when their stars started mutating to something unknown and potentially unsellable. There is also the undeniable fact that some of the musicians wanted to be stars and make lots of money, though they put it in the more hip terminology of "reaching out to the people".

Overall, this is one of the best books I've read on any musical movement, and is highly recommended to anyone interested in the music. Not just a fan's raving, this is a well researched and documented book which covers a much broader spectrum than what is popularly remembered now as fusion. Nicholson is highly critical of the excesses some of the musicians went to at the time, without dismissing the whole genera, as is often done. My only complaint is that though the author is apparently English, he makes the movement to be largely an American phenomena, almost completely excluding bands such as Traffic, the European RIO groups, the Canterbury groups and the Germans. He also fails to cover the non-major label fusion bands of today such as Boud Deun, who obviously grew up listening to the main heroes of this book. However, this may be because they are too new for when the book was completed.

There is an introduction by Bill Laswell and an extensive discography up through 1997 at the end. While going somewhat in depth discussing technical aspects of the music, such as time signatures and tone colors, it is not so much as to overwhelm the non-musician reader.

David J Batten -

Especially considering the paucity of work on the jazz rock/fusion genre, I think this is a great resource and a fun read for those of us into all that stuff. I was most annoyed, however, at the number of name errors: Shaun Lane was referred to as Shaun Lake, Gordon Sumner was Gordon Summer, and Leni Stern was Lennie Stern. Shoot the editor and fact checker! I was also annoyed that he mentioned Miles Davis' solo work on a Scritti Politti single, but didn't relate that to Miles' previous cover of a Scritti Politti single "Perfect Way." Otherwise, I recommend it.

Anyone interested in the 500,000 mini-genres and sub-groups which have developed since the 1960s or so whose focus has been 'fusing' 'jazz', 'rock' and whatever else (in the case of John Zorn, everything else) ought to seek out this book (which reads like a college thesis by the way). Nicholson goes on at length about obscure British 'progressive' rock bands from the 1960s and writes little about Herbie Hancock, Sun Ra, and some other 'jazz' folk, and some 'jazz-funk/funk-jazz' bands, which is a task most other writers wouldn't bother to take on, either because they didn't know these bands existed or that they weren't worth mentioning. But the best part, the part Nicholson DOESN'T write, is a great discography of just about every known 'official' LP and CD release by every known 'jazz-rock' band - and a few interesting import (usually Japanese)-only and darker-market releases, too. Use it as a sort of record guide; do I mean the text or the discography?

If your interested in the "extremely broad" and compressed history of jazz-rock, this book will interest you. There was lots of stuff in this book that I had absolutely no interest in reading (Kenny G, Sting?) while the few artists I had most anticipated were given meager half page biography's (Herbie Hancock!). I guess that's the problem with a book that attempts to include so much, avoid bias, and leave the reader with nothing but facts. Unfortuanately, intense research can't solve everything, and a huge jazz-rock fan like me can't find anything else on the subject to read...

This is the first substantial book known to me that deals with jazz-rock, which later became known as fusion. In the '60's, jazz seemed to have ground to a halt. Free jazz was so structureless that there wasn't much to be done with it, once the novelty wore off. Black militancy in the form of Archie Shepp and Pharaoh Sanders was attempting to hijack the whole music for political ends (which some prominent jazz figures today still hope to do). Pioneers of the previous generations were just re-working their catalogs. And upstart rock and roll was suddenly assuming an artistic identity in its own right. The energy of rock, as well as the unexpected sophistication of some of its performers--The Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix--prodded many younger jazz artists to attempt to attached the punch of rock to the fluidity of jazz. This book is about these artists and their successors. Some are familiar, like John McLaughlin and Miles Davis, who are rightly given pride of place. Some are less so, like Larry Coryell, who never could quite get the business end of his career together. And some had been almost forgotten, like Jeremy Steig and Peter Nock, whose existences the reader is glad to learn of. The book consists mostly of brief considerations of artists' careers and catalogs, along with the author's judgment of their worth and influence. There's always room to quibble with these, and it's part of the book's enjoyability. One can also always argue about the cutoff point as to who belongs in this book. For example, Steely Dan and Cream are discussed, while Traffic and Spirit are not. There are a number of great jazz anecdotes (search amazon for _Jazz Anecdotes_, btw), like one instance when the rash young Coryell tries to cut Jimi Hendrix onstage, and Hendrix blows him out of the song with a single massive wail of feedback. The index is excellent, and there's a lengthy discography. This is a treat for music-lovers!

Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds.
Reported as one of the best books on modern soldiering and small-unit tactics. Written by former SAS sergeant Peter McAleese, a veteran of over a hundred firefights in war zones around the world, it condenses the combat lessons of his 30-year career into a single handbook. - every page is packed with practical insight into tactics (battle prep, patrols, ambush, defense), theaters of war ...

An all-embracing casebook of military skills drawing Peter McAleese'e vast soldiering experience. McAleese'e Fighting Mannual describes the full extent and variety of military tasks facing the modern infantryman in today's world of low intensity warfare and peacekeeping operations, in all climates and all terrains. Each skill is supported by a relevant military anecdote - some poignant, some horrifying, all laced with McAleese's wry humour. Aimed at serving soldiers, those who have recently left the forces and are seeking jobs in the quasi-mercenary world, weekend survivalists, paintballers and military buffs, this is the fighting manual - an informative, exciting and entertaining read.

Peter McAleese is a veteran of several of the world's toughest regiments and an experienced soldier who has survived many contacts (See his Biography: "No Mean Soldier" for details).

In this book he offers up the fruits of over 20 years soldiering to both the public, and too serving soldiers and officers, and some of the information may save your life.

I was particularly interested in the concept of having riflemen with RGGS's (Rifle Launched Grenades) ready fitted and so immediately ready to suppress the enemy in the event of ambush. This kind of detail is what could bring my platoon out alive of a live contact.

My thanks Peter,

Bryn

This is the finest military manual I have ever seen on the open market. It is a fascinating read, with the kind of nuts and bolts approach to warfare you would expect from a man with a military career stretching back decades. much of what Peter writes is simple common-sense, but it is common-sense which has been ignored due to the continuing obsession with the SAS and fancy weaponry. The book covers basic fieldcraft- the keystone of good soldiering- and then covers the problems of fighting in different locations, such as jungle, or the desert. Throughout Peter stresses attention to detail, and planning ahead, along with the importance of the fundamental battle drills. In conclusion, if you want to pour over glossy photos of machine-guns, look elsewhere. If you want to learn what soldiering is really about, buy this book today.

This book is a shocking example of a manual. A clear waste of time, ha books these days! Don't buy it. It does not give you any explanation of CQB in real circumstances like the Iranian Embassy Seige. No Mp5's or color pics. No tips on getting fit for selection. Not for millitary experts! Run away!

¿¿¿¿¿{PROFESSOR PETER GEOINGEHAN}?????

Having served under the author in a real combat situation - many, many Km's behind enemy lines. I have no time for a prof who claims to be "an expert" in warfare, and denies the author the professional status he deserves. Had the professor been amonst the men lead by the author, a less academic approach would have resulted in more than a fair judgement. I would go to the end's of the world and back in combat with the author, because I know him first hand - I was one of those guys who carried rifle grenades to respond to a distant mortar attack. On return to a tempory or permanentbase, who were not allowed to eat, change or bath, untill your kit was ready for the siren - rifle clean, amunition, water/food all resupplied. Ready for anything that could and would come your way. This is the mark of a real combat situation - not a hostage situation. We survived the bush war because of the high standard of leadership afforded to us. As for pictures - who has time to take them - except to show the aftermath of a real war. Even then most formal armies in the world deny the troops the luxury of taking photo's - if any were taken it would be in the utmost clandistine way, if found you paid a high price in detention barracks. The author would always be the greatest in my book, he knew combat, and he played the game for real - all the time.

I read the more popular Gaarder novel called "Sophie's World," and I enjoyed that very, very much. "Sophie's World" got me started in pursuing the study of philosophy. Gaarder was a new author for me, and I got really excited about checking out more books written by him. I then came across the "Ringmaster's Daughter," and I must say that I was very much DISAPPOINTED with it. I think it's dull, convoluted--the characters are just not believable and are just plain awkward. Perhaps, Gaarder should stick to writing about philosophy--he'd be much better at that.

Anyway, just a warning. If you enjoyed "Sophie's World," then do NOT read the "Ringmaster's Daughter." You'd be very disappointed. No wonder someone at Amazon sold the book to me for one cent.

I gave this to my granson who is 10 years old and he loves this book.

This is a well written, interesting novel revolving around Gaarder's most intriguing narrator. I enjoyed the vignettes throughout the book as well as the link to the greater story, but I felt as if I was watching a train wreck toward the end. I wonder why such an intelligent narrator was unable to deduce the obvious, which was, really, my only frustration with this novel. I did appreciate the novel's ancient Greek tragic turn, as Gaarder's other novels deal with saddness and loss as well, but not as darkly as this one. I truly felt angst as a reader, and thus, even if I didn't LIKE the outcome, I could certainly appreciate it in the contex of the story.

The Ringmaster's Daughter is told from the perspective of a young boy, Petter. Petter's overactive imagination is amazing, but sometimes gets him in trouble too. Petter is able to weave these fantastic stories, that are beautiful and sad. But he's a little crazy, too. He sees a little man that's not really there. This little man is always bossing him around. Petter can't distinguish between dreams and memories.

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I thought it was really unique that we got to read the stories that Petter came up with. Sometimes Petter tells stories in a way that reveals something about him or something important that he can't say flat out. Every story that Petter tells is amazing and tragic and ends with a twist, kinda like this book. Gaarder uses his "story within a story" method yet again and it works.

This is by far the best book I've read in a long time.

This is my favorite book by Jostein Gaarder. I think what has made it a better story than others lies in its intensity: love, pain, treason, mystery are interwoven very tightly. Gaarder has succeeded in creating a very intellectual, yet eccentric narrator with depth. Among other things, the book discusses the core of creativity and the role of the creator. Frankly, I do not know what to make of the ending. Much like Gaarder's other works, the book is laden with beautiful moments and ingenious ideas.

First of all, let me start off by saying that I agree with the reviewer who states that if you mean to read this book, don't read the review titled "One of My Favorite Books!" The plot device is one of the only good things this book has going for it, and giving it away turns the book into a complete waste of time.
Now, I would give the book more than one star if I wasn't trying to drag down the overall rating a bit. I'd give it two stars, maybe. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read. . . but it was close. The writing was almost amateur in style. Believe me, I've read writing by college freshmen better than this.
The ideas behind the book aren't bad, but the presentation is. Also, there was at least one scene that served no real purpose in plot or character development. At least the author doesn't use it this way, as far as THIS reader can tell. And there are some scenes that seem thrown into the story at random, like the one revealing that Lord Kensington is the guilty one. (people who haven't read the book shouldn't learn too much from that comment, I hope.) And it is so difficult to fit the different pieces together that you can't prove or disprove the way the author makes them fit together. I find it very hard to like most of the primary characters; the bard Byron is cold and it is hard to like the man, whose name recalls the Romantic poet, George Gordon, Lord Byron, and the name makes it just that much harder to like him.
Prince Adric is spoiled and naive, and he can't understand the world outside of the palace any better than he understood the world inside the palace.
In fact, there are very few characters in this book that I really like very much. I liked Seymour. . . most of the time.
So, you can read this book if you like, but there are many, many books out there that are more worthwhile.

This was a spectacular find. I loved this novel and found it very hard to put down. There was no way for the reader to know which direction the novel was going to next as there was a new twist around every turn. The characters are very real, and never stray from the form the author has constructed for them.

The story line was also one of the most original I have read to date. Yes, this is set in the time of castles and magic, but you will be amazed at how different the story is from others in its genre. I wasn't dissapointed.

This is one of my faves... anyone into fantasy should check it out... has some great plot twists.

With this book, Kurtz become one of my favorite writers. She was able to blend the past and present so well together that the reader wasn't even able to recognize that that was what she was doing. The plot itself was stunning with the idea of a lost prince coming back as a grown man to claim that which is rightfully his.

Excellent book that I found years ago and have always remembered - simply and elegantly told, with a big huge "ah hah!" moment payoff that's just so much fun that I'm dismayed by a review below that gives it away. The review was written with all good intentions, I know, but trust me:

If you intend to read this book, don't read the review below entitled "One of My Favorite Books"!!

Well organized and extremely informative, this book was well laid out and user-friendly. The author manages to seamlessly combine the history of conservatories with information on their function, design and place in contemporary life. All aspects of such rooms are offered for consideration, with equal attention paid to avid gardeners looking to indulge their habit all year round and families looking to add sunny, all purpose rooms to their homes. Beautiful glossy photographs share space with detailed sketches, demonstrating both the finished product and how to get there. This is a great book for anyone interested in building a conservatory, or just casually interested in this unique subject.

Somewhat informative but basic pictorial view of modern conservatory uses and alternatives. Like "Garden Room Style", also by Marston, barely veiled self serving to the fact that author is reputed to be linked to a manufacturing plant for conservatories and examples are dominated by same. Little here for the planner of a residential conservatory beyond what can be seen in brochures of British conservatory manufacturers that I have observed. Not much on construction, location and modern day applications of glass buildings. For inspiration and better visuals, see "Orangeries"(coffee table book), and "The Garden Room"(pictorial) or a selection of British conservatory companies' brochures.

This book is a real gem for anyone who is dreaming of having a conservatory one day. The photographs provide countless ideas for the design of a conservatory. In fact, it is difficult to just sit and read the book without going through all the photos first! What is also nice is that the photos showcase both the exterior and interiors of the conservatories.

Although the book does not tell how to build a conservatory, the author provides many practical pointers that the average person or builder would not know. These tips are especially useful if the conservatory has a dual purpose; i.e., dining room.

This book is an invaluable resource for anyone building a conservatory. I have yet to find any other book that covers the subject as exhaustively as this one.

Less of a how-to book than a source book for ideas and a very complete discusion on the history and theory of plant conservatories. Includes considerable detail on design features (floors, framing, furniture etc) and a small section on plants.

Virtually every one of the 170 pages contains drawings and photographs, mostly in color. The focus is British/North American, but translates to virtually any cold-temperate area in the world

You would probably need a how-to book if you were thinking of constructing a conservatory, and a planting guide book to fill it up, but you couldn't do better than start with this book to inspire and stimulate an interest in gardens under glass. A book for dreamers and do-ers alike.

Like many of Mr. Johnson's admirers, I can just barely see how he manages to read so much. But how he is able to write so much on top of that--incredible. Now he has turned his attention to ancient Egypt. Because this is a dead civilization, there is not much occasion here for political controversy, and so some of Mr. Johnson's fans may miss his pungent polemics. They needn't. He has compiled an largely satisfying popular account of the land of the pharaohs, which also leaves the reader curious to read more deeply.

The book is not a history. The historical narrative portion stops at the last great pharaoh, Ramesses III, and we turn instead to chapters devoted to the Egyptian attitudes of government, religion, art, and death. Johnson does a great job taking us inside the minds of the ancients by showing how, to them, these ideas were inseparable. His sources and illustrations are well chosen, though he continues to be plagued by sloppy editing. A couple of incorrect captions, a reference to an work of art "now in Leningrad", that sort of thing.

Each of his chapters are distillations of subjects which could have been (and are) the subjects of entire books. The account of the Western rediscovery of Egypt during the Age of Science flitted by too quickly for me--I wanted to read more about the adventures of Napoleon's very talented egyptologists. And the classical Greek historians like Herodotus are dismissed as little more than purblind tourists. Well, sure; based on what we now know.

This is a fast-paced book about a static civilization, a coffee-table book with serious, substantial text. Sounds oxymoronic? Well, it's true. Paul Johnson does it again!

I visited Egypt in October and received this book for Christmas. I could not put it down. It is the most informative book I have ever read about ancient Egypt. It includes excellent photographs and well designed and well placed tables. It answered all of my questions about the various dynasties, religion, culture, daily life and the fall of the kingdom. The geographic isolation of Egypt is an important factor in its development that I had not considered. As is the fact that Egypt was the first unified nation and that it was ruled by relgious principles, not militarism. This is an excellent book and should be on every educated person's bookshelf.

I just came off of reading another book by Paul Johnson, "A History Of The American People", so this was quite a switch! Once again, Mr. Johnson has impressed me with his erudition and pleased me with his smooth style. Right up front, let me say that I was as ignorant as you can get concerning this subject before I read this book, so my knowledge level had nowhere to go but up! If you already know a lot about this subject you may not find this book worthwhile. That being said, if you don't know much about ancient Egypt this book is a good starting point. Mr. Johnson gives you some actual history as far as talking of events and dynasties, etc. but the majority of the book deals with the religious beliefs of the Egyptians and their art, and how the two were intimately connected. There is also an excellent chapter on hieroglyphs. One of the strong suits of the book is how it gets you into the mind of the ancient Egyptians and you start to see things the way they might have. Mr. Johnson explains such things as why, on wall paintings, people were shown in profile rather than giving us a frontal view and why the Egyptian artist intentionally chose not to use aerial perspective. (Sorry, you'll have to read the book to find out!) Suffice it to say, when you look at things after knowing what the Egyptians believed you will be able to appreciate their achievements all the more. The book is also useful in showing the link between Egyptian art and religion and what came later (Greek and Roman culture; Christianity; Judaism, etc.) Highly recommended!

Text book Egyption history is what you like get this book.

As a kid, I use to love watching insects. The ants impressed me the most, with their organization and ferocity. Sometimes I'd play a game to see how long I could hold my hand on the nest. Caterpillars were another curiosity, with their spines, toxic hairs, and camouflage. And what kid hasn't had the experience of picking up a lizard or snake, only to find it excreting its feces all over the place, to ward off potential predators?

When I saw Levy's book in the bookstore at the University of Washington it caught my attention immediately. Reading it was like going back in time, to the woods behind our house, where my fascination with animals and their modes of attack and self-defense originated. Levy's book is for all the kids (including the ones over 30) who find something intriguing about the microscopic kingdoms hidden under a log, or in a pond, and the ferocious battles that are wage there.

Evolution wouldn't exist without competition. The subtitle in Levy's book elaborates on the content: "A three-billion-year arms race." This is a book about plants and animals, and how they evolved to eat and escape from each other. The ones that are most effective in either evading or executing capture are the ones that propagate their DNA, and the result of this battle of pursuit and escape over the last 2 billion or so years has been some truly amazing life forms, employing some really interesting solutions.

Like any good book, Levy begins at the beginning, describing a little about the competition that existed among the very first forms of life on earth. Throughout the book, Levy describes different dimensions of the conflict. Some dimensions lead to flight, others to eyes, some to incredible speed and agility, others to stealth, and still others to ears of great acuity. Many conflicts resulted in chemical defenses. And some of the most bizarre resulted in camouflage.

A common theme throughout Levy's book is the manner in which evolution, over hundreds of millions of years, has resulted in extraordinarily complicated and refined mechanisms for both defense and attack. The discussion about bats, for example, describes how these small mammals use their acoustic sonar to track flying insects with the sort of accuracy we (who, by comparison, hardly use our ears at all) can scarcely imagine. Reading the section on bats, I had to remind myself that, while they do some incredible things with sound, animals with eyes do equally impressive feats with their eyes. Bats can decipher an incredible amount of information in an unbelievably complex mix of acoustic signals. Animals with eyes, on the other hand, manage to make sense of a bewildering barrage of electromagnetic radiation, and even discern the tiger in the grass. It's just that the difference in the evolutionary paths our ancestors took is so incredible that I cannot imagine doing with my ears what comes naturally to those bats with their ears.

Levy frequently compares the evolutionarily designed characteristics of animals with what we see in modern war machines. The flying bat, for example, hones in on its prey with far greater efficiency and accuracy than any guided missile. The chemical sensors in the noses of many animals are sensitive to an extraordinary degree. Some fish bring down flying insects by spitting water at them. To make the kill, they have to account for relative motion, and parabolic flight of the water drops. Other fish (the Anableps dowi) spend a lot of time near the surface of the water. To search for objects in both the water and the air, they have to account for the difference in the index of refraction in the air, and under water. The solution? They have evolved two eyes: one for seeing above water, and one for seeing below.

Of the many features in this book, some of the best are the many excellent black-and-white line drawings. The book is full of them (they average about every other page). It's also well written, and has a generous index. The subject matter is what captured me, though. If you are someone who finds fascination in the incredible, but possibly little-known facts about animals, especially insects, then I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did. It certainly kept my attention. It's one of those books I had difficulty putting down.

having been virtually unable to put the book down i can almost feel my I.Q. increasing! (not hard!) The book describes in understandable terms the fascinating realm of survival in the wild, from microscopic organisms to the largest creatures ever to have lived. A good, insightful read crafted masterly. My only negative comment was a few repeats of data, although i think the intention was to remind rather than redundant insertion.All in all a brilliant read!!

The author mixes dry science with enough pizzazz to evoke the kind of wonder a child has for small insects and other creatures featured in the book. I wouldn't say that I couldn't put this book down. I enjoyed it more by reading bits and pieces at my leisure.

The title should really be _Evolutionary Wars: The Billion Generation Battle.._. The book is a description of various defenses and offenses animals have developed through evolution to aid them in the great natural selection. However, he didn't go into as much detail as I'd hoped for about those specific defenses/offenses, and exactly what species they have possibly made obsolete. It was more of a listing it seemed. Snakes have venom. That is cool. Salamanders can change color. That is cool.

If you have read previous Nicholson biographies I would recommend you do not spend your money on this one. What's new?: Jack's injuries/illness and movies that go up to The Bucket List. If you haven't read any biographies on Jack, this is not a bad read. The book's major themes are Jack's screen and personal personas (as they can be divined), his involvement with money- particularly how much he gets paid a movie, his off screen relationships and the issue of his paternity. As with most of Nicholson's biographys this is not authorized and thus relies on press and ex- associates/"friends" accounts of who Nicholson is..The author does attempt to present a balanced picture and has noted Nicholson's generosity as well as his "mean spirited" dealings with money. This reads on the side of a "pop" biography as opposed to a serious biography. I suppose we are not going to get a decent biography until Jack agrees to authorize one. The language in this book is at times crass: "codfish Jack", Warhol is a "pop art twit", Jack's collection of record albums makes him a "pop music nerd", "born a bastard", "horn dog hedonist", "obeying his gonads" etc. The themes that get overstated are Jack's paternity and his demands for getting paid for his movies....There are minor inaccuracies which makes you wonder about perhaps other substantive ones?..: Bob Dylan was not on the Easy Rider soundtrack (two of his songs were-but not him); Hunter S. Thompson did not kill himself with a shotgun, it was a hand gun; Allen Ginsberg does not spell his name ALAN; Jack could not have danced cheek to cheek to "Blue Velvet" in 1954, it wasn't a teen hit until the early sixties; The Two Jakes did not "predict" the growth of LA suburbs, because the script was written after the growth of suburbs; Jack is referred to as being both 5'10" and 5'9", because at one point he decided to cease his public display or discussion of drugs but kept on doing them, did not make him a "hypocrite"...There are some relatively minor editorial problems but its not worth going into...Maybe some day we will get a serious study of Jack's movie making, his artistry and his history...I would like to see a book that judges Nicholson on his art as an actor and the quality/impact of his movies...and not so focused on him as a person in and above the Hollywood psychodrama...

The author of this bio meticulously researched his subject (notes and bibliographies attest to this) but you'd never know it by reading the text. There are a lot of mistakes in this overly written book i.e. KEITH Carradine not DAVID Carradine starred in Pretty Baby, Al Jolson made the line "you ain't seen nothin' yet" famous NOT Jackie Gleason . . there are a lot more examples but that's not the real problem with the book. For an author who's jacket blurb claims he is such an experienced investigative journalist he wastes an awful lot of time detailing Jack Nicholson's sex life (Does anybody really need to know the shape of Nicholson's penis???) and how much money he has (Exacting figures on how much he was paid for EVERY film). This makes much of the book read like a tawdry tabloid and less like an insightful life story.
It starts great and is quite incisive in some parts but the title is misleading: The author never explains or says how Nicholson became the biggest movie star in modern times. The audiences' ability to live vicariously through Nicholson's on and off screen escapades is the key to the man's appeal and yet it's never explored or even stated! Go figure.
The book does have my favorite typo I've seen in some time (There are many, leading the reader to wonder if anybody proofed the manuscript). On page 251 the author recounts and anecdote from screenwriter Ned Wynn concerning the way Nicholson used to ski without turning: "Jack remembered slipping over the edge and zipping straight down Aspen Mountain right beside Jack, who tucked and picked up speed." I guess being beside himself is Nicholson's favorite position.

This is a Christmas gift for a friend. She loved it and is going to pass on to her friends to read it.

Five Easy Decades goes through all of Jack Nicholson's films. The blockbusters as well as the ones that tanked. You also learn a bit about Jack's Mother, sisters, 1/2 siblings, his many girlfriends + many kids.
This book was an interesting read. I learned some facts about Jack I didn't know. Also the book lets you know how each movie came to be. Behind the scenes stuff.
Some of the chapters are bit dragged out and too much trivial information is given, but overall a good read for any Jack fan.

I am very happy to say that I did not purchase this book; it was loaned to me for my opinion. I find the author's mentality so disgusting (you can see why from the other reviews) that I am not even going to finish reading it. Generally speaking, I enjoy satire, but I find this just a vehicle for the grossness that so many find desireable and amusing in today's culture. Save your money - buy a GOOD book!

i loved this book so much .. yet at tymes i wanted to throw it and still i kept on reading it .. the story hold's you captive as it twist and turns revealing the story bit by bit.. if you haven't read it yet i sugest doing so soon... i could not stop reading it

All right, I admit it. I have become a depraved and obsessive fan of Geoff Nicholson! I was compelled to read all his titles and each one has pleasantly surprised me. I don't know how the mind of this man works but it is scary how he can, with such dark humour and hysterical grotesqueness, manipulate his plots and characters.

In "The Food Chain" he does this once again. I literally was wincing as I read it. I have been to movies where I was afraid to look at the screen but was so morbidly tansfixed by what was going on that I couldn't completely turn away. This was how I felt about the entire book.

In short, if you love a good read and wish you could tap into the twisted side you know you must have deep down somewhere, get this book. Then again, I suppose I'd say that about any of Nicholson's works.

Can't wait for "Flesh Guitar"!

The vagueness of what is going on makes this book stand out from others; the reader is kept in the dark about the present but gets the past woven in through the chapters to build up the story. I felt like I took a journey with Virgil Marcel, his invitation to the secret Everlasting Club in England wasn't traveled alone, it was a trip taken with the reader deeply immersed in with everything that was going on. For a foreigner such as himself the food was strange sure, but the real food that was served and created for the club was a mixture of disgusting combinations, fancy pairings, secret meats and an overabundance of liqueurs, not to mention the naked woman lounging on the dinging room table...

Virgil has no idea what he has gotten himself into, spoiled, rich and young he takes advantages of what the club has to offer but unknowns to him its not as simple as it seems. Something dark and secret and mysterious is happening and the members who belong to the club are no ordinary people. Sadists freaks, gluttons and weirdos with insatiable strange fetishes have feasted there for the past three hundred years and they have no intentions of changing their bizarre, dark rituals and feasts. As Vrigil gets tangled up deeper into the nets of despair and simply walking away is not an option. Half the fun was reading about the history of the members and the other was worrying what was happening to the guests, the chapters go back and forth giving more glimpses of what this club is really into.

The writing was silky smooth and flowed easily, it never bumped around my head like a blind critter and the ideas and theories the author included were not too foreign, but it was unusual to see crazy things one can make up in their head or simply know in print, staring them in the face. Nicholson's charm lays in his descriptions, the amount of food in this book is staggering, most of it doesn't come close to anything I would be able to eat, a creature put together on a silver platter with a shark's head and octopus tentacles, claws and other weird parts is not your daily fare, yet it was something that The Everlasting Club was known for and the reader gets to experience it all.

The bizarre meets gruesome and perverse in this strange but wonderful tale, and the ending was great, I felt scared that this thin book will end before thing get really ugly but it was all tied up wonderfully. Full of twists and turns this book doesn't shy on taking the deep plunge into the deep end of the psyche!

- Kasia S.