Phillips Books

This book is like my secound bible, i refer to it often. Super job in reviews, pictures, graphs, and those great stats that placed Oldsmobiles in a league of there own!

$Roger

A must read for musclecar ethuiests.Also recommend that The "Generation X" crowd read, to fully appreciate what a "real car" was. The 442 W=Machines andHurst/Olds are well covered-And they were trully awsome. Just ask GTO owners.

The very title of the book suggests that a great deal of help was needed in overcoming one of the most shameful events in the annals of America's very dark racial history. The events in question have to do with Robert Whitaker's award winning story about what happened to a group of black sharecroppers in the Mississippi Delta, in Elaine, Arkansas, just up the street from Helena, about a 4 hours drive from my own hometown of Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

What happened on the night of September 30, 1919 has been seared into the collective memory of all blacks affiliated with the Helena area. On that night, a group of Black sharecroppers, who had gotten tired of years of being cheated out of their fair share of their cotton crops, decided to take matters into their own hands by forming a union with the intention of petitioning and eventually suing their landowners to redress this long-running economic inequity and injustice.

This injustice, incidentally was common practice used against black farmers, whether sharecroppers or not, and existed all over not just Arkansas, but all over the South. As a small boy, I can distinctly remember my grandfather, Silas Brown, who was not a sharecropper, but happened to own his own proverbial "forty acres and two mules (Blue and Cake)," bitterly complaining about how he too was being cheated out of his cotton crop by the unscrupulous "buyers and ginners of cotton."

In any case, the group didn't get very far along in their plans to form a union, as a car pulled up to the wooden church where the meeting was taking place and with a posse of "federalized concerned white citizens" began a four day massacre that ended up killing more than 100 black men, women and children, and was also coincidentally responsible for the death of a solitary white man.

This "white instigated vigilante action," as is customary in the U.S., was of course referred to as a "race riot." Meaning of course that the blacks inside the church, and not the white terrorists outside, were responsible for the occurrence of the incident. In the "mop up operation," following this clear white vigilante action, massacring more than 100 blacks, more than 300 black farmers were also arrested and charged with a variety of crimes ranging from illegal assembly, rioting, resisting arrest, carrying concealed weapons, to the murder of the lone white man.

In the "kangaroo court" that followed, the court-appointed defense attorneys refused to call any witnesses; prosecution witnesses were whipped if they didn't lie; and a mob held sway outside the courthouse, threatening to burn it down if there were no convictions. Some of the defendants were sentenced to die in the electric chair in less than two minutes; the rest in no more than a few hours. The all-white jury consisting of the normal cast of characters, of local leaders and "distinguished concerned white citizens" sentenced the "so-called union ring leaders" to death in the electric chair.

In 1919, this was American justice in its fullest racial glory.

The book however, is not about the "so-called race riot" per se, but is about the heroic legal efforts of a black Little Rock attorney named Scipio Africanus Jones, an about how he succeeded in taking the case (Moore vv. Dempsey) all the way to the Supreme Court and getting six of the death sentences overturned. And while the author readily admits that many of those involved in the legal victory were white, for obvious reasons his focus was on the bravery, courage and skill of this lone black lawyer, who risked his life in taking up the cause of the defense.

Since the context and circumstances of the story constituted a virtual leitmotif of small town southern racial injustice, it is puzzling how some Arkansas white historians (especially the author of Blood in Their Eyes, which is "a decidedly white account" of the same set of events) can call the incident controversial? It is also difficult to see why they chafe over the fact that Scipio Jones was made into a black legal hero. It is a black hero story, told about black people. Do whites have to always steal all black narratives, when American history is written? Why not just leave it alone?

As a footnote, there was once a black High School in North Little Rock, Arkansas, in the same AA Conference as my own Merrill High, name Scipio Jones High School. Until reading this book, I had never known who Scipio Jone was.

Worthy of a movie for sure! Five stars

This book is heartrending but also uplifting. It brings into focus a national hero, Scipio Jones, who was born a slave but rose to prominence. Now forgotten, he brought about--through his deft legal work--changes in our national law that we would do well to remember now in these days when habeous corpus seems to have gone by the wayside. Truly this book can be seen as examining the changes in our law that made it possible for the civil rights movement to emerge. It really is a great book and a great read. It can be hard to get through some of the gripping--but painful--accounts of the killings in the beginning of the book--but the end is worth it.

This is the best book I've ever come across for all round information on training the body for a healthy strong life. Phillip Sienna clearly knows the body, how to take care of it and how to build it. I have been using this book for some years. Though I am now over retirement age I continue to consult its pages. It's good clean weight practice free of gimmicks. I highly recommend it.

I have read this book and have even taken classes with Prof Sienna. He is a knowledgeable person who cares about his students and it shows in this book. It is definitely a book you will want in your library if your a serious athlete or a novice.

The previous reviewer has gone into the technical aspects of the subject. I shall discuss the book itself.
John W. Brunner has been a college professor for many years and is quite familiar with the craft of research. This study is based on documention in the US National Archives. (For a detailed discussion of the socuments see my review of the author's OSS Weapona)
The book is now in high demand in the after market and brings a premium price.
For most it will be interesting reading but it ia so specialized that few collectors will need it. And who has one of these bows anyway? ;o)

This is the most fascinating book I ever read on Crossbows. Being a collector of Crossbows & other light weapons, a hunter and shooter, I always fell that Crossbows are funny and efficient, trully lethal weapons. But they are cumbersome, heavy, and almost impossible to build in a home-workshop. With the historical and practical knowledge gathered thru this fascinating book, we can create our own advanced Crossbow-type weapons, much cheaper and as accurate and deadly as the bow-and-string traditional ones. Using rubber-bands and simple (but trully hi-tech) solutions to the "problems" of the amazing Crossbow, we find, in this wonderfull book, a marvelous view of how the good old things can be changed to become something better, indeed much better! I know you'll love this book, as much as I love it. I'm a published author, too, and this book is one I wish I have writen... I love this book so much that I give ten, as gifts, to friends that like Crossbows, too, and all them loved it. Buy it. You won't get disapointed, I'm sure.

I gotta tell you the truth. I loved the book! It has excellent dialogue and it is well written. Maybe at some parts it can improve because at some parts I found it a little dull. I'd recommend this book for someone who wants a good book to read with not little but not too much action. The ending is excellent

This book and this writer are just like Gerald A. Browne at his best in his prime, only the main characters and the supporting roles are more vicious and low. Great and smooth writing style, logic and interesting plot and scenario, unique yet weird characters. Simply wonderful! Just wish more readers could discover this great writer and his fantastic works. Mr. Finch should have a shot at the main-stream publishers with deep pocket for marketing promotion and strategy, because every one of his books should be in the top 10 bestsellers. Very glad to find a writer who could take over the retiring and downhilled Gerald A. Browne.

This is the first and only guide to Paris' 20 arrondissements - or local districts - and, though a few years since I wrote the last edition, remains the only neighbourhood guide to the city for regular visitors. Feel free to search the site for info on my more recent French travel guides, includin AA Essential Lille, AAA Travelbook France and Paris Scene.

This is the first and only guide to Paris' 20 arrondissements - or local districts - and, though a few years since I wrote the last edition, remains the only neighbourhood guide to the city for regular visitors. Feel free to search the site for info on my more recent French travel guides, includin AA Essential Lille, AAA Travelbook France and Paris Scene.

everyone should buy this book - everyone

I was a bit hesitant about buying this book. Sometimes you get unpleasant surprises with books about art and artists (not too good writing, not too good images, not enough of any of those), but luckily this was not the case with this one. It's a good looking book, yes, a very handsome edition, loads of photos, some sketches, and good documentation. Essays are good too, I just wish there were a bit more (what's the word?)you know, more in number and longer... but anyway, a fantastic book to look at. THE DOWNSIDE: I wish there was more writing, and the softbound cover doesn't feel really safe (I'm scared of opening it too hard and separating the cover from the pages), but it's ok if you are careful (it's not like this book will get anywhere near children - the nightmares they'd get!). Oh yeah, and somebody should release a DVD or CD-ROM with the performances! My got, that'd be nice!
PS: If you're thinking of buying this for it's "shock value" you won't be dissapointed. Plenty of scary, gory, creepy stuff...

In Chicago, last-year, my high-school's Drama and English classes had this as our semester- project...It was a blast! And we all could stop laughing! 'Penguin blues' may no longer be in circulation, but my graduating-class from last year is enternally GREATFUL Drama teacher had found this in book-form from her library! Drinking sucks at any age, but to us, this play underscores it bittersweetly through humor...we lost 3 of our class not long before it was decided to do this one-act gig, we dedicated the show to them. Will somebody out there PLEASE REPRINT THIS BOOK! The year that it was published or written may not be current, but the issues always are! I didn't know the guy who wrote this is also Neelix on Star Trek:Voyager...Not only can the dude act, but he CAN WRITE! Read the book, do the play and then check-out the dude behind them both! Trip-OUT! Graduate from '98, Chicago, ILL

This is the story of a voice over actor who meets a nun while they are both in alcoholic rehab. Gordon, sadistically abused by a nun in grade school, and Angelita, ashamed and in denial about her drinking, come together in a profound and surprising manner. The play is also very funny! And says some insightful and unexpected things about catholocism and booze. I think it would make a great movie; it certainly is a great play!

I learned photography in college years ago with Davis' book as the textbook. I was delighted to find an update, though I still have the original. Davis is an authority on photography, and his book is a must for anyone serious about learning all aspects of photography.

If you can only take one photography book to that desert island, take "Photography" by Phil Davis. The subject is endless and there are many, many books that cover all the facets of photography, but I have found Mr. Davis's book the one I go back to for explanations of the art and science of photography. It aint cheap, but you get what you pay for.

This is Book 2 of a five book series that will bring your child to the equivalent of the Grade 4 level of the Royal Conservatory of Music. It is non-threatening and comprehensive and will give your daughter or son a solid foundation in the piano. Brightly illustrated, it will never bore. This series is enhanced by a large number of supplementary volumes from Hal Leonard, including books on piano theory and classical music solos. This series can't be beat and as a parent whose child is using this set of books, having begun with the two excellent Usborne ones, I give the Hal Leonard program the highest rating. Warmly recommended.

This is Book 3 of a five book series on piano for kids. This is a great book and my daughter is getting into it right now, having completed the two Usborne books and Book 2 of the Hal Leonard series. (The Usborne books are a great beginning for any child and actually land them about in the middle of the Hal Leonard Book 2 when they are completed.) The Hal Leonard piano instruction program is full of good tunes and bright colours, very user-friendly and child-friendly. The back cover of each book lists many excellent complementary volumes which can be obtained. (They don't list their classical music solos volumes though, I'm not sure why, but these are also a good buy. Entitled Classical Themes they follow the instruction books level by level up to and including level 5.) Book 3 is an excellent advanced beginners program and the entire series is a good investment. A local piano teacher informed me that the Hal Leonard series teaches her kids the notes and the music better than any other teaching method out there. Highly recommended!