Spencer Books

Olmstead, Stark, & Tucker's "The Big Guns" is the companion work to Hazlett, Olmstead, and Parks' "Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War" and follows the same general format. As such the work provides the most complete catalog of these heavy artillery pieces available, and it includes a dircectory of known survivors. The authors focus on the development of these weapons and their mechanical/metallurgical details rather than their detailed deployment in battle. The ordnance pieces reviewed are siege, seacoast, and naval cannon as well as mortars and flank howitzers.

The history of the development of these heavy pieces of iron ordnance is fascinating. The metallurgical details of good and bad gun iron are explained as well as how ordnance men discovered the answers over decades of examination and research. The text details how casting methods and exterior ornamentation were altered over time to produce more reliable guns. Rodman's hollow casting is reviewed in depth as well as replacement of the ratchet elevation system, and elimination of preponderance in heavy pieces. Similarly, the CSA's slow acceptance of some of the improved Federal methods is also highlighted, as are key differences in CSA manufacturing and design techniques. Imported pieces are also reviewed.

Each of the types covered is well illustrated with photographs when available, and line drawings of each model. This thorough treatment is welcome, but can seem overwhelming for some classes with many variants such as the 32 pounder guns--of which I count schematics for 18 different types!

Among the small touches that add to this work are the cover image of an 8 inch siege howitzer firing (with exiting ball clearly visible) and similar photograph of a 13 inch mortar firing with ball visible. The glossary section is more than a reference, it contains some details of design and metallurgy that greatly augment the text.

The chapters themselves are: Mortars and Siege howitzers, Selected Army Guns and Navy Cannon, Siege Howitzers and Columbiads, Rodman Smoothbores and Rifles, Dahlgren Iron Guns and Rifles, Dahlgren Boat Howitzers, Parrott Rifles, Brooke Rifles and Smoothbores, Large British Rifles and American Experiments. The appendices of course list registry information and survivors of the known types of heavy ordnance in 167 pages of tables.

Despite the thorough nature of the work, there are a few things notably absent, particularly a review of carriage types such as was present in the field artillery work. A chapter reviewing the major siege and fortification carriages would have been a useful addition. As with the companion field artillery work, detailed range tables, review of ammo types, and tactical employment are largely omitted.

I highly recommend this specialized work to artillery afficionados in spite of its cost.

The basis of this very detailed book is the most thorough survey of surviving Civil War artillery pieces and fragments ever conducted. Based on this collection of raw data the authors proceed to classify the pieces and create the narrative for each individual item.
Detailed technical drawings, background information on the manufacturing and research on use and reliability of these pieces form a comprehensive reference.

Ever wanted to know the differences between Rodmans, Dahlgrens and Columbiads? Brooke rifles and Armstrong rifles? All the details about these and more are here!

This book is the result of dedicated, passionate work. It's obvious that the authors were driven by enthusiasm and scientific interest and the result is perfect.

This is a scientific book about historic ordnance - readers should not expect exciting battle stories and colorful descriptions. But this book excels at what it was intended for: being the single authoritative resource on Civil War Naval, Siege and Seacoast ordnance, including most of the ordnance used on Civil War Ironclads. OUTSTANDING!

Federal Agent Zach Taylor is a force to be reckoned with. There is nothing that can happen in one day that can faze him. From stopping a hold-up at a store, rescuing hostages from a bank robbery, saving a dog from a burning building, and bringing in a fugitive, Zach is one dedicated man of the law.

However things are about to change for Zach after a chance encounter with his ex-girlfriend, Erin McShane, brings out some feelings he thought he had managed to get out of his system. Erin, is a television journalist who is always hot on the trail of a big story. This time she is after a popular Congressman who seems to have ties to organized crime. So it is a sure thing that Zach and Erin are about to see more of each other.

The story is based around 12 rare blue diamonds stolen from Greek Jews during the Holocaust. They are the key in bringing down a modern day Miami crime lord who supplies terrorists with weapons. Zach has to go undercover and infiltrate the Dons circle to gather evidence that will bring the mobster down. He teams up Matt Crawford, a former prisoner and a mysterious, beautiful diamond dealer known only as Malone to get the job done.

However things are never easy. The first problem is Valeria Santiago, the Dons daughter, who has a thing for Matt. Then we have Raul Carlona, an ambitious mobster who wants to do things his own way. Also add to the mix Toni Manzano, a professional hit woman out for revenge. Oh and last but not lease dont forget Zachs ex, Erin the journalist who will do anything for a scoop.

This story has some Tom Clancy feeling to it. However it is a lot fluffier and not as deep or long as the famous authors books. With enough thrill and suspense to keep the reader going till the last page, there is a definite style to this one that a lot of people will enjoy. The characters are slightly over the top as well as the storyline but the witty writing makes up for it. With phrases like Just for once Id like Backup to be here during a shooting. And No French Fries? What kind of French restaurant is this? there are some giggles to be had.

Yet another book based on terrorism is not exactly filling a gap in the market. However this one does have a recipe that could prove successful. With lots of action, twists and turns and a splash of romance this book has danger and suspense all the way through. Although on the other hand are there enough readers out there who want to read about this kind of theme when we are already confronted with it everyday through the mass media.

If you need a rush of excitement then Spencer Danes first novel Blue Diamonds is worth a try.

Author Spencer Dane doesn't waste any time getting the plot rolling in Blue Diamonds. A few pages in and there's already a body count. Zachary Taylor, the protagonist, is a complicated hero who would rather spend a quiet evening listening to classical music than participate in a shoot out. Naturally, this fast-paced story doesn't allow Zach his wish. Blue Diamonds follows the trail of a dozen rare diamonds stolen from Greek Jews during the Holocaust. The diamonds weave their way around Zach, a powerful mafia don, a corrupt Congressman, a beautiful and mysterious diamond broker, and Zach's former girlfriend--an investigative reporter who will do almost anything to get her story, maybe even endanger Zach! It's a great story with plenty of action, intrigue and unexpected plot twists. You can tell Dane did his homework on this book. When Zach calls on his military or police training, you can bet that it's 100% correct. Dane gives you accurate information about weapons and tactics without bogging the story down with unnecessary details. The characters are well drawn and avoid the clichés so common in this genre. Zach, while being a highly-trained and very lethal man, is deeply religious and truly doesn't like to kill. At one point in the book, he notices that a dead hit man he shot is Catholic and he calls in a priest to perform last rites. The book is tightly plotted. Besides Zach and his partner Sabrina, it's hard to tell the complete agendas of the other major characters. And just when you think you've got it figured out, the plot throws you another curve ball. In summary, the book is well written. It's a fun read with lots of good characters and an engaging plot. It was hard not to finish it in one sitting.

I recomend this book to anybody interested in music or musical composition. Henze writes with a great sense of humour and sometimes it feels like reading a novel ( this is a complimment!) .
What I like about Henze is his "brutal " honesty and commiment to music. I have enjoyed this book a lot . I hope that you do too.
Some stories in this books deserve to be read .

Hans Werner Henze has led a rich,full musical life. He had good vital instincts from the start,opting to foster high level contacts within the musical institutions in Europe East and West. The West has served him well first with early operatic productions,a succession of unbroken commissions and latter recordings by premiere ensembles. He turned away from his own post-war generations quest for a new musical language along the lines of serialized materials and post-Webern gesturing. Instead he found his own voice in a lyrical eclecticism that continually searches for differing dramatic situations, as in painters Gericault's "The Raft of Medusa". This autobiography reveals an active life of schedules,concerts, rehearsals,assisting in teams for the productions of his works, discussions and conducting. Along the way Henze stops to chat with friends for inspiration and support and news,he even pays respects when necessary at the funerals of Auden or composer Luigi Nono. We also find Henze in Cuba with revolutionaries And in East Germany with his friend Paul Dessau. Leftism for Henze is odd, a man who sacrificed nothing was still tauted by the primary venues of the West. But we learn of Henze's continual quest for compositional materials and how politics enters this formula no matter what ideology he happens to share.Also how each work inhabits its own life. His politics does extend to going out on a limb for comrades, as when composer Isang Yun was abducted by the Korean government from Germany to return to prison and torture. Henze assembled a forum for his release in Europe. He also made an arrangement of a song by Theodorakis also a victim of imprisonment. For the musician this autobiography makes fascinating reading on Henze's views, how his music is performed, who is the most sensitive conductor, what composer he admires, how he organizes festivals and venues.I must say I never warmed to his music.

This is not your typical cat book with cutesy photos and silly conceits ( think "why cat's paint"......)
Assorted artists get real with all the angles on the feline world and they dont' hold back. Highly amusing and a visual treat.

Two friends chipped in to give me this book for my birthday and I am so grateful! OK, it looks a little amateur hour, but the designers and editors have come up with a really good way to help settle that uneasy feeling of nausea that comes from looking at too many pictures of cats. I'm of the school that believes my own cats are pretty good looking, but that the cats of others are basically monsters just seeking attention. Magazines like CAT FANCY try to dress up this unpalatable truth and pretend that we all love each other's cats and even cats in shelters. Instead McDaris and Pearson go here for the DIY, not to mention scary look. The endpapers (designed by McDaris) display a hanging spider web of lit filaments (like Shelob) studded with floating cat heads, like an early Judy Bolton mystery. And the writing is pretty cat-skeptical too, especially Amy Kellner's scathing expose of the thinking behind those rancid "Hang in There, Baby" drawings of cats clinging to tree branches and clotheslines. Hate them!

Roe Ethridge has a cat that looks cute, but it's asleep, possibly dead, in this photo, a cat on a blue linen tablecloth with white stitching like a baseball. Steve Lafreniere presents the cats and the cat photos of his mother--at one point, he recalls, there were no fewer than sixteen cats living with them--in Chicago, where the cats are more vulnerable and yet tougher than other cities--its artists too I think. It is more the story of a human, a woman whose passion for photography took her to Rolleiflex but just short of professional status, the ultimate mystery, rather than how cute her cats were. Somehow Ryan McGinley got his cat to climb up a piece of gauze (like Doris Day) and shot it from underneath, light stirring in the cat's left eye like an aspirant to great stardom. I'm not used to gee the George Hurrell side of Ryan McGinley, but here it is. And is that really Bruce LaBruce in Terry Richardson's picture of a masked, naked man crouched over a pan of kitty litter? Bruce, you look gooood!

Had I the time I would comment on every text and picture in the book, but they are mostly all of a piece, and that is, most of them are sort of offputting at first, than one admires the ingenuity and the freshness with which the writers and artists carried out their assignment. Terence Koh, dressing your cat in that flat, white Peggy Lee wig must be a comment of Lee's impersonation of the Siamese in LADY AND THE TRAMP? If not, what is your excuse! You're scaring me here . . .

The best word I can think of to describe this writing is punchy. Spencer artfully packs so much into quick and lovely sentences. His stories evoked much thought for me about his characters. I wasn't always sure I liked them (the characters), but they were always real. I'd definitely recommend this book.

No one writes with more pathos about modern life than Darrell Spencer. His characters are brave but muddled, and the troubles about which they must be brave are generally too absurd (the sign painter whose employee misspells "entertainment" and provokes a cranky Las Vegas mob boss, or the ex-Mormon jogger whose devout neighbor wants to pray for his hamstring in the temple) to find much comfort--or nobility--in their lives. What's remarkable about Spencer, though, is that he finds nobility in the mundane, mostly by giving voice to the perplexed Mormons (and faithless but still looking-for-faith Mormons), puzzled husbands, fabric store clerks, trailer park host, and deaf people who suffer, joke, and survive in these stories. If you like short stories, you absolutely must read "Late-Night TV" and "It's a Lot Scarier if You Take Jesus Out."

I STRONGLY SUGGEST THESE BOOKS FOR TODAYS CHILDREN AS THEY ARE CLEAN, INFORMATIVE AND EVEN AT TIMES-FUNNY. I READ THEM AS A CHILD AND LOVED THEM. WOULD'NT IT BE GREAT IF TODAY'S CHILDREN COULD GET ENRICHED BY DECENT BOOKS INSTEAD OF WHAT THEY HAVE TODAY.

These are among those books that, if you didn't have them as a child yourself, you wish you had--and you certainly want them for your children or grandchildren. This anthology includes some of the most enduring quality children's literature ever written: excerpts from other books, short stories, poems, etc. Since they were produced in the '50s, when publishers were not so intimidated by authors' references to God, many stories also contain a healthy dose of "reverence."

Get a set for the children in your life...even if the child is yourself!

this Book reflects the Heart&Soul of the Lakers title drive&run.the start of Something big.a Treat for Laker Fans.

As far as quickie championship stories go (and I've helped produce a few of them), this may be the best ever. Superbly packaged and illustrated, well written, this title is one I've enjoyed immensely.

Roland Lazenby
author of Mindgames, Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey

Gerald Betty's work "Before the Reservation," is a testament to his skills as a comanche warrior, even today. Although he rides a Land Rover instead of a Palomino, I'm sure he could still survive on the open range. I laughed, I cried. Betty is a genius.

A highly recommended contribution to Native American Studies, Comanche Society: Before the Reservation by Gerald Betty (History Department, Texas A&M, Corpus Christi) is a meticulous and scholarly study of Comanche society from the beginning of New World Colonization by European powers through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Focusing especially on how the bonds of kinship affected the interplay within Comanche clans, and how the Comanches came to adopt horses, pastoralism, and other Iberian traits into their own culture, Comanche Society is a fascinating and analytical history of the evolution of this Native American nation.

Nurse-clinician and attorney, author Barbara Coombs Lee presents case histories of terminally ill patients, in an unblinking, sympathetic and uplifting way. She also tells the story of Oregon's remarkable law, first in the U.S. to permit physician aid-in-dying. The book provides a breath of air in a society stifled with violent media overload and morbid curiosity about death, but little support in handling the actuality. It should reassure Americans that taking control of life's ending is not only possible and practical, but life-enhancing for the individual concerned, the family, and the community. John Ashcroft doesn't get it, but this approach actually prevents impulsive, desperation suicide and prolongs meangingful life for many, because they have compassionate medical support.

This is a marvelous book, beautifully written, thoughtful and sensitive. The various stories by and about people helped by Compassion are wonderfully told and very moving. The introductory chapter, "A Death of One's Own" is one of the best statements I've ever read on this subject. The book is a very valuable contribution to the literature and to the public debate on end of life choices.

There really are no words to describe the Chance Purdue stories. Call them hilarious, a delicious spoof of the hard-boiled detective tales, call them a new drink: Phillip Marlowe with a (genetic) twist -- call them anything, but READ them. And guess what: They are even funnier when read aloud in your best imitation Bogart monotone. My only mistake was having taken a drink of coffee when I read this:
< She said, 'What's your name again?" I said, "Purdue." I said, "Like the Big Ten." She said, "Young man, I think you're exaggerating." >

I spewed coffee everywhere! All of Ross Spencer's books are worth the time and money, but none of his characters ever stole my heart like sexy, dunderheaded Chance Purdue!

Got a craving for humor? Love a well spun yarn that skates the edge between the ridiculous and the sublime? How about Phillip Marlowe meets Spoon River Anthology, as interpreted by Hawkeye Pierce? Well, friend, rush out and grab a copy of The Compleat Chance Purdue.

Ross Spencer has created the blondest blond bimbos, surliest villains, and most relentless victims ever to rub shoulders with a "private dick." Bumbling heroes, disoriented vamps, and a series of plots punchtuated with wry (or perhaps inspired by rye) humor from start to finish -- The Compleat Chance Purdue is a writer's joy and a reader's delight from cover to cover.