S Books

I have to admit, I'd never heard of the Johnstown Flood and found this book recommended by Amazon when I was reading the reviews for "John Adams", also by David McCullough. "The Johnstown Flood" is well researched, easy to read and a real page turner. I highly recommend this to all history buffs.

The Johnstown flood of 1889 was a subject I knew next to nothing about. McCullough traces the development of the town, the nature of the earthwork dam that breached on May 31, 1889, and the people who in one way, shape or form were connected to this event. In the end, probably over 2,000 people died due to the flood. The personal stories are shocking and heartbreaking.

David McCullough excels in describing the central elements of his story, which is a talent that makes his works so popular. The nature of the town of Johnstown, its citizens, the railroad and the industries that were critical to is being, and the rivers and natural geography of the area are examples of where description comes into play. The exclusive South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club which included such notables as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick and others on its list of members also is a central element of the story. In essence, the dam created the lake that became home to this exclusive club. As the author discusses, especially at the end of his book, the nature of the work done to repair the dam during the club days certainly represented man's role in the cause of the flood, but as the author also mentions, so did the rains.

Leaders in the Pennsylvania railroad, the Cambria Iron Company and other folks from various backgrounds figure into this story. The description of the aftermath of the flood are also well told and the resulting work done to aid the victims and clear the debris. All sorts of groups contributed to the rescue of Johnstown and its people, including such groups as the Red Cross under Clara Barton's leadership, but we also learn of the journalists who inundated the area, the thieves and scoundrels who took advantage of the plight of the town, and others. The events during the flood and after are by far the most powerful parts of the book.

Obviously the search for blame figures into the last part of McCullough's narrative, as I briefly hinted at earlier. The author takes several factors and thoughts into consideration, which is only fair. Though we often seek to blame somebody or some group, it isn't always that easy. Some people left the town for good, others stayed and tried to rebuild their lives. Those who lost their families, as the author discusses, often had less reason to stay. It seems strange that these type stories make for such good reading; in fact, it seems perverse. But perhaps stories like these can offer us valuable lessons and can help us better understand the human condition, where it is good and where it is flawed.

I want to start out this review by saying, I did not find 1776 or Adams to my liking and although well written, there are many books better than 1776 and I did not, in the least enjoy the story of Adams and felt that Mr. McCullough was more interested in creating a textbook.

Having said the above, now that I have read The Johnstown Flood and The Great Bridge, I must admit that these are two of the best books I have ever read.

The detail was perfect, not overdone like in Adams and the mood of those affected by the Flood as well as the thoughts of those in nearby cities and towns rendered as though you were there. While I have not yet read his book on the Canal, these two books, in my opinion, exemplify the best of how a writer of American History should approach the topic of interest. I read both of these books in days as I could not put either down.

I am not a big fan of the period of American History (more of a colonial, Revolutionary War through Jefferson fan) that this book and The Great Bridge covers which, in my opinion, makes these two books even more incredible. I have begun many books of this era only to put them down after a few chapters. These two stories were compelling and made more so by the fabulous presentation of Mr. McCullough.

This was a Father's Day gift that he really enjoyed. McCullough's 1776 was great, and this seemed to be just as good, even though written a number of years ago & given a new cover.

This early McCullough book provides a look at one of the most catastrophic disasters to strike America. The Johnstown Flood destroyed more than 2500 lives and changed the landscape of western Pennsylvania. It moved the nation towards relief efforts and spurred a country to act on behalf of their common man. As always the author captures the people and the time in stunning clarity and really puts the reader there giving them a first person perspective on what happened to the people. After living in Pennsylvania for more than six years I found that few people really knew about the flood but this book does an excellent job of filling the blanks. If you want to see a trying story told in wonderful detail this is the place to start.

This is a gripping adventure story about imprisonment and escape. Henry Charriere (1906-1973), or Papilon, was a French criminal sentenced to life for murder (he claimed innocence) in 1931. Readers follow as he arrives across the Atlantic Ocean at the penal colony in Guiana (South America) for a life of hard labor under the hot sun. Papilon set his sights on escape, and flees on a small boat to Columbia, where he is captured and re-imprisoned. Escaping again, Papilon lives with some coastal Indians, moves on, and again is captured. Eventually returned to Guiana, Papilon endures two years in solitary confinement. Then he escapes by boat to Venezuela, ends up imprisoned there, and is set free in 1945. Readers follow his every move with great interest, but we don't know how much of this narrative is true - all, most, or some. Whatever the facts, this is a gripping story of adventure, daring, justice (or injustice), and escape.

The book is somewhat different than the also-superb 1972 movie starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Also, Charierre married and ran a resturant in Venezeula, returned to France as this book arrived in 1969, and put out another (BANCO) before dying of cancer in 1973. Then, in 2005, a 104-year old ex-convict named Charles Brunier (1901-2007) claimed he was Papilon, adding to the mystery.

A petty thief wrongfully convicted of murder by a French court in 1931. The bulk of this narrative, and it is a tremendous one, is this man's incarcerations in penal colonies in French Guyana: the many escape scenarios and attempts; the final escape to the mainland; and 2 years living with the local Indians.

Charriere's writing style is spontaneous, lucid, and totally without pretense; real storytelling prowess. The storylines are inbued with perserverance, grit, and undercurrents of humor. He never surrenders to despair; his sense of intrepid survival and courage sustain him throughout the 13 years of his imprisonments. The will to live is the engine that drives these riveting episodes.

The question of the authenticity of this narrative, like the Castaneda books, arises; but ultimately, it doesn't matter if this story is true or not. This is an adventure story; and hyperbole is always involved in the narration of any adventure, regardless of degree. It is the power of the storyteller that mesmerizes the listener/reader in this, a hero's journey. In this case, it is a journey of liberation from a series of hells.

After reading this book, you will come away feeling enriched by this man's intrepid spirit. Highly recommended.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Charriere's book was impossible to put down. Whether novel or real, his story as a prisoner is unforgettable. Highly recommended.

One of the great adventure books of any time; certainly had had huge impact on my childhood as it was more mesmerizing and novel and gripping than any of the more conventional classics. There it was: a documentary that once again proved that the human spirit at its highest truly becomes indomitable and cannot be destroyed.
The writer erected the monument to the spirit that went unbroken even in the harshest brutality of the Guyana's tropical gulag.

No, there's no need whatsoever for some poor sod to re-translate the whole book! It still reads beautifully. But, and this is a BIG but, the translation is, today, WAY TOO TAME. The quaint, oblique, charming English expletives he employs now badly interfere with the book's mood and thrillingly immediate, rough flavour. He translated this book way back in 1969; even the English aren't so delicate any longer. Please, isn't it time to honour Charriere's original manuscript, and dirty things up a bit??!

Mr. Thorne offers insight into an important world of science that only a person who has first hand experience could. While this book is a book about black holes, it is just as much a book about the science leading up to the ability of science to recognize and study them. It is very detailed with numerous "boxes" that include extra information. While it is not necessary to have an extensive science background in physics/astrophysics etc..., it would help. If one gives the book the patience that it takes, a world of information is available. It is not a quick read, but it is very interesting stuff no doubt.

I didn't understand a lot of this book. The physics was largely beyond me and I could not grasp the embedded diagrams that Kip Thorne used. These embedded diagrams attempt to represent three-dimensional space-time on a two-dimensional piece of paper. But I enjoyed reading the book nonetheless. One can look at science in two (or perhaps more) ways; the process and the results. I am interested in process, the building of one idea upon another. And Thorne does this particularly well. I am not a big fan of the results which is a good thing because I didn't really understand them, at least in this book. Thorne also included a lot of biographical information which I found very interesting. Thorne also admitted when he had made mistakes, which was refreshing; a nice human element. The most interesting parts of the book were when he compared the different styles of the various research teams. This is especially true when he compared first the American/British research style with the Russian research style and later in the book, the American, British, and French styles and their differing use of mathematics. Overall, this book was a good read, but by the end I was anxious to finish so that I could start reading Leon Lederman's new offering.

Kip S. Thorne explains Einstein's Theory of Relativity well. I have always been interested in time and space, and black holes, and anything that had to do with the universe and space. Thanks to this book my understanding of some theories has increased. I learned more about Enstein's quirks and devotion to the pursuit of scientific knowledge. A fascinating book.

You could consider this as a good place to continue if you have already read Stephen Hawkins' "A Short History of Time" and want to deepen your understanding of modern cosmology at an introductory level.

When Carl Sagan wanted to have his fictional herione from Contact travel in time, he turned to Kip Thorne.

This book is Thorne's attempt to more fully explain the science of time travel.

And in the process Thorne takes you to the prediction and discovery of black holes.

First seriously suggested by the theories of Albert Einstein, a black hole is a star that has grown so massive (at least three times the size of our sun) that it litterally can't sustain itself against its own weight. It assumes a gravitional force so powerful that not even light can escape its grasp.

Obviously, therefore, learning what resides beyond the visible dark exterior of a black hole has eluded science.

Yet that dark exterior has fueled speculations that black holes may enable nature (and possibly man) to perform seemingly magical feats.

As mentioned at the outset, one of the most interesting of these feats is time travel and the reason is because the great gravitional power of a black hole litterally allows it to warp the space around it. For us it would be a little like standing on one end of a water bed when someone places an anvil on the other end. Owing to the great weight of the anvil, the bed is contorted and owing to its contortions we find ourselves falling toward the anvil.

Assuming a sufficiently heavy anvil we could see both ends of the water bed being connected.

One obvious challenge would to be travel a black hole without becoming a part of it.

Another not so obvious challenge is the fact wormhole creation at best is an exotic affair not occuring above quantum distances. In this way, any people wishing to use one would have to go an extreme wieght loss program!

Because of its thoroughness, Thorne gives an extended discussion of the characters involved in the story he's telling. For example, Thorne explains that physicists use both flat and curved universe models to understand black hole behavior. Additionally, even though predicted by his theories, Einstein actually disputed the existence of black holes. As a result, the Soviet Union and not the US was the first country to really encourage serious discussion of them. However, once predicted and then once found, black holes became a unique entree into the laws of physics and with it the mind of God himself.

For those who read or saw Contact and enjoyed it, this will be an excellent account of the fact behind the fiction.

It cost me about $200 to fill my raised bed with the planting mix recommended. It was a complete waste of money, as the water runs right out of the mix. It is far too light. He's right, you cannot overwater, but it also does not hold the water. In areas where water costs money or is scarce, this soil mix is a very bad idea.

This book is very helpful to learn a new way of gardening for higer yields in small areas. It has very helpful advice and good graphics to follow. It is easy to read and understand.

I guess I was looking for the quick answer version. Here's your square, now plant this....Not a book for the average gardener. Unless, of course, you are a botonist.

Have bought several Square Foot Gardening books since they are used so much. Now the second and third generation are reading it in our family. Full of clear, simple solutions and ideas which makes gardening easy and profitable.

I have owned this book for years. Worn out more that one copy. This copy was purchased to give to a new urbanm garden project in a develpomently challanged area of my city. We will be teaching at rick young people how to garden and landscape. This is one of many tools we will use and is as far as I am concerned the best how to do it garden book for people who have little or no knowledge about gardening.

This book has been wonderful! I am thrilled to be able to use it on my journey through nursing school. This book is a pathophysiology life saver as well. The care plans listed here and the information that is in this little book make life much easier! If you are in the medical field, you should own this book. If you are someone that is interested in just learning more, you might want to try the family edition that isn't quite as technical.

A well edited reference book that helps one understand nursing diagnostics. The writing is a bit small and the paper is very thin but other than that its a great little book.

This latest edition of the Merck Manual has been signifigantly updated and refreshed. The breadth is exceptional, and the hundreds of contributors have produced a tight, concise overview of medical coditions. You won't get any hand-holding, so if you are unfamiliar with medical language get a good medical dictionary and before long you'll be off and running. An invaluable reference for medical professionals and patients who like to read it straight up. It's interesting to compare earlier editions and realize that medical knowledge is still incomplete, even with the authoritative tone. The human system is so intricate and amazing. I'm glad that there are people trying to figure it out. Carry on!

I am a nurse and depend on the merck manual for
information and usualy get the new edition when
it is printed.I would not be without the manual.

This is an excellent resource for anyone. I highly recommend it for individuals who want to review major breakthroughs in the health care industry. It provides concise, yet detailed information on many important topics that interest almost anyone.

This is a story of a soldier in an army in decline, a lost war and a premature end of a magnificaint career. It is also the most motivating war story that I've ever read. It is the story of a man with barely a 7th grade education who joins the army at 15 years old and earns a battlefield commission in Korea and in Vietnam becomes the only soldier to be awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, 10 Silver Stars and three times nominated for the Medal of Honor (which he did not recieve) and became the youngest Colonel in Vietnam. The book is a cry for military reform and it is also a war story. Hackworth tells of the desparate fights on nameless hills in Korea in a fasion that makes you wish that you were there, not an easy task, with the Korean War. When a lackluster soldier is killed Hackworth is proud that he died well and makes him a hero to the unit. He never seems to feel fear-"I guess I just like war...I like the cameradship. Adversity brings out the best in men"- Hackworth told Ward Just in the book "Military Men." In Vietnam Hack often took hopeless situations and turned them into victory. In a way his resignation was a victory, this self educated soldier stood up to a buracatic army that was losing a war while others went along. This is the most motivating book that I've ever read, so much so that I retured to active duty after reading it, insisting on infantry. David Hackworth may have been "Once An Eagle" but he was no colonel Kurtz-as the hardback dusk cover suggested. Hackworth died in 2005 from cancer, the only fight that he ever lost.

Great book! Hackworth was a true warrior stud. He was the essence of an instinctual soldier and was quite lucky to have survived so many brushes with death. I did find his conclusions interesting as he was not entirely correct. He became a liberal after Vietnam and predicted things that did not happen with the USSR, Central America, and more. He did give great insight into how bungled the Vietnam War was and what could have been done to "win" it.

Colonel David Hackworth was a soldier's soldier. Born too late to see active service in the crucible of WW II, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Army as soon as he could. Often credited as being the most decorated American soldier of his era, Hack was well-known within the U.S. Army for his courage, honesty, and derring-do exploits.

Hack ranks right up their with the U.S. Marine's Chesty Puller and Gregory "Pappy" Boyington as the sort of officer who is a pain in the a** to have around in peacetime -- but who is exactly the sort of leader you want when the bullets start to fly. It is impossible to read about Hackworth's battlefield experiences during the Korean War without getting a lump in your throat for the privations those poor guys suffered. (Many U.S. Army units were airlifted from the States via Japan directly into combat in Korea, still wearing their Class 'A' uniforms -- totally unprepared for the Korean winters and the raging fighting they found upon landing.)

Col. Hackworth's Vietnam experiences are fascinating, too. As he rose in rank he displayed an uncanny ability to call a spade a spade, and his dismay with how the war was being fought eventually led to his being personally cashiered out of the Army by the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army!

Buy this book and read it -- you're in for a real treat! Hack was the real thing, and his demonstrated courage and abrasive honesty make him worthy of study and appreciation by both junior and senior officers throughout the armed services.

Captain Michael L. Pandzik, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)

Excellent Read......... Highly Recommended ... 5 stars

About Face chronicles the experiences of the youngest colonel serving during the Vietnam circumstances. The book itself begins in February 1951 with Hackworth facing the enemy in Korea and is divided into twenty-three chapters. About Face follows David Hackworth the length of his military journey from the days when as a young soldier nick-named 'Combat' he charged into the face of the enemy along a path to near ruin at the hands of disgruntled superiors. The work includes maps, author's notes, a foreword by Ward Just, an Epilogue and an Appendix including a Glossary, Index and final notes.

About Face is a well written page turner presented in language clearly understood by the typical reader. The book is certain to interest those who have any link at all to the Vietnam situation faced by so many men and women from our country. The book helps to demarcate what happened, when and to whom.

I first read About Face written by Col. David Hackworth during the late 1980s. I found it particularly helpful in helping me...a woman with little knowledge of anything military, understand better my children's dad, a land based Viet Nam combat vet and the problems he had to deal with before his death.

As the wife of yet a second Viet Nam combat vet, special forces, I suggest this book for anyone who wants a better understanding of the debt of gratitude and respect we citizens owe those who served during the action in Vietnam and those who willing to serve in The United States Military today.

Molly Martin
Reviewer

This book was an inspirational read. Even though it takes forever to read this book, it's well worth the time. Hack's experiences shared in this book changed my outlook on life, and my outlook on human interaction/organization.

I would recommend this book to anyone, as I'm sure his experience can be applicable to anything you will ever have to deal with in life.

My daughter was reading this book for her government class and I started reading this. I could not put this book down. Even my husband started reading Lady President. This unique tale of international intrigue and political double-dealing is almost right out of todays headlines. President Marie Arcola is a tough, well created character and a role model for the women in our nation. I am going to bring this one to my bookclub and I hope to see a sequel soon.

The ladies from my book club stumbled on this Lady President novel over their summer reading from two of their teenage daughters. My gosh! The way this story is told is as if the author could see the future. The situation in Iraq and Iran, the events from last September, the incidents in Washington, D.C. President Marie Arcola is very much a mirror of what women are going through in todays world. I am a manager of a big company and I can relate to the stereotypes in this novel. Many of my friends who read this book were surprised about the certain prophecies touched upon in this fast-paced story. And we are only two years away from a Presidential election.

I had to pick a bunch of books to do my government paper. Lady President was one of the books. My teacher said it was great for a fiction but since there has not been an America woman president I could only use it for entertainment purposes. Still this book was the talk of my class. And I did my paper on other women in American politics. My older sister and my mom read Lady President and they loved it. They thought President Marie Arcola was a strong, tough character. We also liked Senator Ttrevor Thomas and the other characters. Someday this story might be true or a story like it. I will be going to college in two years and plan to go into education. I know for a fact there is politics in the field of education. I think this book educated a bunch of my friends and I about America with a woman president.

I am doing a high school paper about women in politics and I read Lady President. It is difficult to understand why women have to struggle in this country and I can identify with President Marie Arcola as she tries to get the generals and senators to cooperate and let her do her job. My teacher brought up this idea of an American woman president in class and the class was divided. Some of my friends read this book and were impressed. My government class has learned alot about other countries from this story. Especially Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. And the way the Taliban treated women. I think Lady President is ahead of its time and we hope to see another book with President Marie Arcola.

I am a San Francisco professor on Sabbatical. I was talking with my daughter about this extraordinary Lady President novel and I have brought it to my sisters attention. We were in New York City during the summer and two weeks after September 11th. Part of my teachings deal with how books and movies mirror our inner egos. In Xavier Carbajal's Lady President novel a tense dramatic statement is introduced for the future of America. Right off the bat, this author causes chaos: America has its first woman vice president and she wants to quit. Vice President Marie Arcolas life is near perfect. She has a wealthy, loving husband, two beautiful children and is ready to relax into a life of writing childrens novels. But terrorism makes the mark. My sister read this book a few months ago and she told me it was like walking through a maze of mirrors. I noticed this author wrote a Jules Verne sequel called Captain Nemo and another work on Edgar Allan Poe. Those other works are very different from this novel. I am curious as to how this author had the intuition to create Lady President. Although Hollywood and other writers have attempted to invent America with its first woman president, they will never come close to what Lady President has to offer. There is a sense of primal fear intertwined with every page. The author takes the lady president and asks us "What do you think? How is America with a woman president?" Now, since my daughter and I read this novel, my sister read it again and brought some interesting theories to light. My husband also read this novel and introduced a totally new revelation of Americas future: all the soldiers, the call to duty and the sacrifices made to fight true evil and our country now becoming a fortress. Mr. Carbajal left the end of this story with us wondering. We still have dozens of unanswered questions. I hope to see a sequel to this marvelous story.

im 24, altho i read these books when i was still the intended age.... i was going thru some old things, donating most of what was there, but i loved these books when i was young, so i wanted to read them one more time before i gave them away.... i ended up buying 3 more to add to my collection! morbid, yes! but great stories that keep you hooked, no matter what age you are. if nothing else, the historic side of things makes them that much more interesting

this came to me in great shape and just what i wanted. thank you

I highly recommend the Betrayel because it will tell you the secret about the unspeakable terror that has haunted Fear street for the last 300 years. Its about this girl name susannah goode falls in love with Edward Feir and they both want to get married. But Edwards father forbids him from seeing her so he framed susannah and her mother of being witches and burned them at the stake. William Goode , Susannah`s father , wanted revenge against the feir family so he traveled to every colony to find them. This book will tell all about two feuding who caused terror on fear street for 300 years.

I am 24 years old and I still love Fear Street. I read this saga over 10 years ago and I started thinking about it a few months ago for some reason. I looked in book stores but it was order only, so I didn't bother. Finally my husband told me to go on Amazon and order it. After all, we would be going to the beach for Labor Day weekend and I don't like going into the water, so reading material is a must.

I'm almost done with the first book, and I love it. I feel like a teen again.

I really like this book because of the mystery and the betrayal and also the dark things that happen. In the book there is a example of betrayal between the two families because the Feirs light a huge fire
at the Goodes, house and believe it or not the Goodes and the Feirs use to be friends.

This book takes place in Massachusetts where two families the Goodes, and the Feirs have been in a battle for years.There had been a great fire that had taken two special people away from William Goode. One was his wife Martha Goode ,the other was Susannah Goode, his daughter. Now William seeks revenge on Matthew and his whole family.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and horror books and R.L Stine books.There is a second book but I have not chosen to read it because it gets slow at the end and they talk about the same things over and over.

I recently finished my first year at a top tier law school. This book did so much for me. If you are serious about getting good grades in CivPro, I think you should seriously consider this book. It forces you to understand the concepts and work through the rules, which is vital to doing well on exams. Don't stress about exams. This will help you.

This is by far one of the best supplements out there. It really explains everything and illustrates the material with great examples followed by explanations that are clear and concise. I would not recommend taking Civil Procedure without this book.

However, one caveat: this book may not cover all of the material in your Civ Pro class. Off the top of my head, I know it is missing chapters on class actions, Seventh Amendment right to jury trials, and interpleader (though it has impleader and other joinder topics). Despite this minor shortcoming, the material that is contained in this supplement is explained well and illustrated through great examples. Definitely a must have!

This is an essential supplement if you are going to understand this God-forsaken subject. I took off a star because there are some important subjects that are not covered in the book for some reason (For example, there is very little on Rule 24)

This book was very helpful for reviewing each section as we went through them in class. The explanation sections are wonderful and the examples are very helpful for exam prep.

E&E is a great series. I've found many of the books helpful in supplementing law school reading that can be at times difficult to synthesize. However, Freer's supplement on civil procedure is unbeatable.

Law school is about knowing the rule and applying the facts. E&E is great at helping you to know the rule. However, it doesn't help you figure out how to apply the facts, especially in a way pertinent to law school exams. Freer's book is full of examples and frameworks that assure success on your CivPro exam. This is especially true of the frameworks he lays out for analyzing Personal Jurisdiction problems and Erie.

Buy Freer and you'll be happier going into your final.

Lawrence Ritter in his original Preface describes his book as about the early days of baseball. I'm going to make a correction. Mind you it is the only one I will make. His book is about the early days of modern professional Baseball.
With that being put aside , I must praise Mr. Ritter for his most original idea for a book. He took upon himself to travel the U.S.A. in search of the very players who established our National Pastime in the early part of the 20th Century. People talk of Shakespeare and Churchill as prolific writers of the English language. What Mr. Ritter has done is an epiphany for writing a book. His concept was indeed very simple. Why not seek out the very best living Baseball Players of the early 20th Century, and ask them to please describe their experiences.
In the early to middle 1960's when Mr. Ritter did this, he was able to talk to these pioneers of modern baseball in the twilight of their wise years. These 26 men had time to reflect on their careers and describe an age unknown to us. Mr. Ritter traveled to these men and I'm sure asked the correct questions and let these gentlemen record their responses on tape. What he captured will stir the heart of each true Baseball Fan.
For the record my two favorites are Stanley Coveleski and Bill Wambsganss. You can guess from these selections what my favorite team is.

I really enjoyed listening to the stories from some of our classic baseball heros. They brough history to life. This audio book was one of the best purchases I've made. I truly enjoyed just listening to these remarkable men tell there own stories of baseball's past.

I have been an avid reader of baseball history for most of my life and I first purchased this book in the 80's and wore it out and purchased another copy. There isn't a season that goes by that I don't read it again. When you read the interviews of the ballplayers, recorded by Lawrence Ritter, it's as if you are a fly on the wall hearing the conversations first hand and the ghosts of seasons long past are brought back to life.

You get a first person account of some of the most famous moments in early baseball history through the fond recollections of some of the participants. Merkle's boner, Snodgrass' muff, Wambsgan's unassisted World Series Triple play are all recounted. The most entertaining parts of the book recount tales of Germany Schaefer stealing first base, the chronicles of Charles Victory Faust, and Wilbert Robinson attempting to catch a grapefruit dropped from an airplane. You get a glimpse of Ty Cobb from his teammates Davy Jones and Sam Crawford. You get several different takes on the great manager John McGraw from several different players who once played for him.

This is hands down the greatest sports book I have read. It's not only a great history of the early days of 20th century baseball but a wonderful piece of Americana. The book breaths humanity and paints a portrait of the ballplayers of the past who played for the love of the game unsullied by steroids and multimillion dollar contracts.

If you love the game of baseball as it once was and still should be this is a "must read"...some of the players interviewed by Ritter were unknown to me and I was fascinated to learn of their exploits...I ordered an additional three books and sent them to long time fans of the game...If I was a GM today in MLB I would have every member of the team read this book so that they might appreciate the game as it was in its infancy...the modern player (in most cases)doesn't realize how fortunate he is to wear a major league uniform and earn the money today for playing a "game"

Statistically, baseball back then couldn't be more at variance with the game now. Cy Young threw 511 career victories, and 750 complete games. In 1909, Ty Cobb led the majors both in batting average (.377) and home runs (9). Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford hit over 300 triples in his career.

What to make of such numbers? Lawrence S. Ritter's "The Glory Of Their Times" strips away the statistical confusion by getting to the heart of Major League Baseball's early days, the players themselves. An economics professor, Ritter invested his downtime from 1962-66 in interviewing elderly men, baseball players all who knew what it was like to face a Walter Johnson fastball, or have Ty Cobb slide into the base they were covering.

"People were more unique then, more unusual, more different from each other," says Davy Jones, who played on the Tigers with Cobb and Crawford. "Now people are all more or less alike, company men, security minded, conformity - that sort of stuff. In everything, not just baseball."

Transcriptions of Ritter's interviews with Jones and 21 other former players, including Crawford and two others then in the Hall of Fame, makes up the whole of "The Glory Of Their Times," published in 1966 and later extended with four more interviews in 1984. Nearly all the interviews offer both testimony and color for the game as it was then.

Bill Wambsganss tells us about his unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series, and how Ring Lardner once used his last name to rhyme with "clam's chance" and "Ray Chapman's pants". Fred Snodgrass tells us about his famous muffed fly in the 1911 World Series, and how his New York Giants tried to psyche out the Philadelphia Athletics by sitting on the dugout bench, ostentatiously sharpening their spikes.

You hear so much about another famous World Series moment, the Merkle "boner" of 1908, that you feel like you were there on the field, too. There's a Rashomon-like quality to hearing various interviewees give their different takes on such things as the character of John McGraw and whether "Giant Killer" Harry Coveleski was run out of the league when he was caught chewing on bologna. (Snodgrass says so, while Harry's brother Stanley, a major-league pitcher himself, calls it "a lot of bull".

Not all the interviews are riveting. One wishes Ritter could have pushed some of the old players more, like the rumors that swirled around Smoky Joe Wood involving fixes. But allowing the subjects the reins probably drew more color out of them than a Grand Jury could have. I love how Crawford keeps telling Ritter he hasn't much time to talk, while giving Ritter one of the longest and most entertaining interviews in the book, describing how players would allow themselves to be rubbed down with "Go Fast," a noxious combination of Vaseline and Tabasco sauce that made them sweat like a sauna.

"I hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't," Crawford says at the end. "There are a lot of the old-timers still left,you know, and they're liable to say, 'That fathead, who the hell does he think he is, anyway, popping off like that!'"

If you like baseball even a little, you will enjoy "The Glory Of Their Times" quite a lot.