V Books

The definition of the word `requiem' is a musical service or hymn in honor of the dead. How fittingly that word rests with the subject matter of this novel. `Requiem for a Dream' is just that, a musical hymn in honor of those crushed and shattered dreams. When reading Selby's phenomenal (and I mean that in the most extreme sense of the word) novel about abolished hope and sheer desperation the reader is forced to face the ugly truth about our horrific society.

You ever read that novel or watch that film that just eats away at the pit of your stomach and pains you to your very core? You ever struggle to turn the page or fight to watch the screen because the onslaught of negativity is picking away at your spirit and bringing you to a dark and lonely place you never wished to visit? That is the feeling experienced when reading (or subsequently watching the Aronofsky film adaptation) this novel.

The novel opens by introducing us to four people. We have Sara, an older Jewish woman who lives for television. The opening scene depicts her son Harry, strung out as usual, stealing her television to pawn it for money in order to get his next hit. Harry also has a girlfriend Marion as well as a best friend Tyrone C. Love. The three of them enjoy a nice taste of heroin every now and again and will do just about anything to get it. Sara dreams of one day being on television, and when she gets to opportunity she grabs it by the horns. She is convinced to lose enough weight to fit into her favorite red dress, the one she wore to Harry's bar mitzvah. This leads her to diet pills which she quickly and dangerously forms an addiction to. Harry and Marion on the other hand begin to develop a plan to buy and sell heroin for a profit, that way they can one day by that little coffee shop and make a life for themselves. This little plan involves Tyrone as well, and as the dope starts pouring in, their idea of a small taste begins to grow until they can't stomach the thought of selling any of it but feel compelled to keep all of it for themselves.

The novel brilliantly portrays the mind of an addict; the `I'll never get that bad, I can stop whenever I want to' mentality that cripples the mind and fortifies the very essence of the domination of the soul. All four of these individuals are taken over and beaten down by the disease that is addiction. There is a scene where Tyrone is arrested and spends some time in the jail cell with an elderly addict, a man who is so far gone Tyrone is disgusted by him. Tyrone is determined never to be that man, never to become that dependant on the taste, but the first thing Tyrone does when he gets out is cop him that taste. He doesn't realize that he is already there.

The novel, like I mentioned, is horribly depressing and utterly frustrating, especially as the novel comes to a close and everything begins to spiral into oblivion. As we watch Sara, Harry, Marion and Tyrone's lives completely fall apart in a gradual yet perpetual tumble towards rock bottom we are left with the bitter taste of pain and misery in the back of our throats. Experiencing Sara's mental deterioration at the hands of the pill; watching Marion degrade herself to escape the sick feeling of withdrawals; seeing Harry cast aside his own well being in order to keep that high; watching Tyrone come to realize he is no better than the men he despises; all of this eats at our very being and transports us to a place unlike any we've ever been.

Like the movie, the novel excels when focusing on the female characters. Sara and Marion are by far the most sympathetic and interesting characters in the novel; with that said they are also the most depressing and utterly devastating to read about. Their final outcome is far from pretty and makes the reader feel helpless and alone; much like these characters.

`Requiem for a Dream' is far from pretty. It is dirty, gritty and at times unbearable; but there is no denying that it is a masterpiece; literature at its finest. Hubert Selby Jr. is a deeply controlled and phenomenally capable writer who understands the appropriate darkness of his subject; an author who takes something so terrible, so bleak and painful and makes it quite frankly one of the most important novels ever penned. In my humble opinion this is the type of novel that should be mandatory reading at any substance abuse rehabilitation center. After reading this grisly novel (and of course watching the equally grisly film) I could never even stomach the idea of drug use. In a world that glamorizes any and everything harmful to the soul, `Requiem for a Dream' stands apart as a very real depiction of all you stand to lose.

If you've seen the film, better fasten your seatbelts. Aronofsky went easy on you. I can't adequately describe what Selby achieved in this novel, or in "Last Exit to Brooklyn". He is capable of describing the most brutal things with apparent (but ONLY apparent) objectivity, but at other times he writes with astonishing delicacy. I can't even think of another writer who can do that half as well as Selby.

If you found the last 20 minutes of the film as horrifying as I did, Selby's account of the fates of Harry, Sara, Marion, and Tyrone will make you want to cry for all of them.

This is not going to be an easy read for a lot of people, but it's a masterwork.

It's just that good.

If you've read "Last Exit to Brooklyn," you'll be familiar with Selby's habit of not using quotation marks when he writes dialogue. But even if this is your first exposure to Selby, you'll figure out who's saying what pretty quickly.

And don't skip Selby's prologue.

As an aside: ELLEN BURSTYN WAS ROBBED! (As Sara in Requiem for a Dream, she really should have gotten an Oscar. I'm just saying.)

Hubert Selby Jr writes with in a way that is astounding. Bringing a story like this so heavily to life, to a point where it completely envelopes and engrossing you, all the while disgusting you is a great fete. I saw the movie, which is great in its own right, but not near comparison to the language of the book. Definitely recommended!

Selby's ability to capture inner monologue is incredible. You not only empathize, but you believe with each one of the characters. You hold on to the dream and it crushes you. Should be read in highschools everywhere.

You need to be ready before you read this book. Upon finishing this little dandy I was physically shaking. I can't think of any other book that has made of shake. The manic style and never ending punch in the face flow of this Hubert Selby Jr. masterpiece will stay with you for the rest of your life. If you saw the movie and so decided to not read the book, you are making a mistake. The book is a totally different experience then the movie. Each is a masterpiece in a completely unique way. It's amazing how real this book is. You will feel insane compassion for the lowest of individuals. You will want to reach out to these amazing characters. I don't know how Hubert Selby Jr. does it. His mind must have been a dark but beautiful and loving realm. If you want to be a book this one will make you its own. Read it.

This is a great book for those limited on space. Author explains how many plants are needed for each type of garden, whether it's vegetables, herbs or flowers. It's perfect for those who are limited on space! As a matter of fact it's really the only & smartest way to plant. Highly recommend.

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.

I liked the idea of a well-planned garden and this book had it all. I set my 10X15 foot garden up according to the illustrations and made tomato trellises using metal posts and wire. I have to say that by the end of the season there was a lot of die-off from fungus. Frankly, 1 foot square is not enough room for the average tomato plant, even on its nifty trellis. My melons and zucchini caught the fungus, too. I'd recommend using this book as a guide and spacing the plants further apart. It did keep everything neat and easier to weed. Overall good system.

The Great Brain is one of the best all time books for boys ever written. In my humble opinion of course. The prose is engaging capturing the attention. The stories are exciting and compelling. The chapters are just the right length. And it has all the elements that young boys love from Cowboys and Indians to cops and robbers. What more could you ask for?

But of course, looking back on my childhood as I place this book on the shelf for my own little boy, I realize that the moral lessons this book taught so covertly were lessons that stayed with me: tolerance for other cultures and religions, compassion for those less fortunate, love of family. These are foundational values and the Great Brain teaches them. And the thing is, as a young person, you don't realize you're getting a lesson, you just know you like the story.

In the book The Great Brain written by John D. Fitzgerld was awesome! The book takes place in Adenville, Utah. There are some main characters this book, Tom (T.D) who is known as the great brain, Swyen (S, D) who is the eldest and acts mature, John (J, D) who is the youngest and is always up to something, Abie who is a store owner, and Mr. Standish who is the new school house teacher who everyone hates. Tom, John, and Swyen's father ordered a water closet, which is a bathroom, and they let people see it if they paid one cent. They made forty cents total. When Swyen got the measles, John was jells because he had never gotten sick first and then got to rub it in his brothers face. So one day John decided he wanted to get sick. John went over to his friend Howard who has had the mumps. So he decided to sneak into his house and started breathing in Howard's sick breath, and what do you know, John got sick. Abie had fainted once, twice, Abie died from malnutrition. They had a funeral for him that very day. Mr. Standish was the new school house teacher. Mr. Standish had paddled Tom for not being a tattletale, and Tom swore he would get back to Mr. Standish. So anways Swyen had gone to a Cathloic school in Salt Lake City so Swyen was gone and it was now just Tom and John. Andy their friend had stepped on a rusty nail and had not been able to return back to school. He ended up getting a prosthetic leg.

I learned that you should not lie for any purpose. Like when Tom found a way to get rid of Mr. Standish and when Tom's father asked if he had known anything to know about it and Tom never spoke a word intill his mamma made him tell. I also learned in this book that helping people is good. Like when Tom helped Basil get out of a fight, or when Tom helped Andy play baseball.

I recommend this book to someone who likes smart kids and funny stories. Like the time John wanted to get sick and he got the mumps. Why I think that the book is funny because it is all about fun and making life worth living.

The is a wonderfully, great, terrific book! They need to re-release the Great Brain movie from 1978 starring little Jimmy Osmond! Also, if I may suggest, try reading the Adventures With Boys book series-- Just as good!!!;)

I poured through these books continuously in my youth. I would beg for a trip to the library so I could find just one more I hadn't read.

I had all but forgotten about them until my oldest showed a keenness for reading. Now I'm ordering them for her for Christmas. I hope she gleans as much joy as I did from them! I used to love to pretend that Papa was handing out his sage advice directly to me.

This is such a wonderfully written series for young readers. You really can't go wrong with them, and hopefully my daughter will review this for you some time after Christmas!

This book is a wonderful protrait of 19th century rural America, but people should be aware that it was written at a time when there was much more freedom of speech than we have today. Topics in the book include suicide, religious intolerance and fear of immigrants. There is a scene where the boys go skinny dipping and also one story concerns John mating his dog, so this book probably should not be brought to a public elementary school for fear it might offend someone. Also there are no African-Americans in the book, and while the book does portray Jews, Moromons, Protestants and Catholics coexisting, there are no Muslims in this book, so it is not very politically correct. Also the "I" word is used casually and no mention is made of the plight of native Americans, except to say that they are the only non-immigrants in America. Women are displayed in subservient roles, always cooking, cleaning and taking care of the sick, although all the boys are portrayed as having chores. [...]

Do you enjoy excellent food? If you have a good grill, you need this book. If you don't have a good grill, you need to buy one to go with this book.

The authors concisely cover the basics of selecting and using a grill, how and when to use direct versus indirect heat, and some general guidelines for cooking various foods. Then they get serious. The recipes in this book are clear and easy to follow, even when they take a bit of preparation. Some require some marinade time, but aside from that, preparation and cooking rarely exceeds an hour total. Pictures accompany all the recipes, which help give you some ideas of the final goal and presentation.

But best of all, the recipes range from very good to fantastic. They present beautifully and taste wonderful.

It is almost unnecessary considering the quality and variety of the included recipes, but the book also contains a section of recipes for rubs and marinades, and even a short treatise on balancing their components, to allow the more adventurous cook to create original recipes.

There are a dozen or more recipes in this book that are individually worth the purchase price. You get all of them and all the good advice and teaching for one price.

Although Weber grills publishes the book, their grills are hardly mentioned - this is far from the kind of book that exists merely to plug one product. (Although I hasten to add that my Weber is a gem!) It is an excellent cookbook that happens to use a grill as the preparation method.

Whether you are new to grilling and want to get started right, or are looking for some new ideas after years or decades of good but routine cookouts, this really is the book you want.

Although I own a number of BBQ Recipe Books; Weber's "Real Grilling" has
such a great variety of BBQ recipes, accompanied by 200 color photos of
the final reults. For anyone interesting in expanding their BBQ horizons; this IS the book!

this cookbook is great. my guest always compliment the food i make from it and it is very easy to follow. I bought 1 for myself and now have bought this one as a gift. both from amazon at about 1/2 price.

My wife told me that my grilling got 100 times better after I started using this book.

It has great recepies in it, but it also has some great tips on how to properly grill different foods that helped me the most.

This is a fantastic addition to any new griller(like myself), or even a seasoned griller who wants to add something different to their line up.

(P.S. - I recommend the Honey Mustard Chicken, makes a great change to plain old chicken.)

We love this cookbook. We have tried at leat 15 recipes and have been pleasantly surprised by all. We have never had such a wonderful and reliable cookbook.

When Aidan Thomas and his family have to move halfway across the country to care for his aging grandfather, the disgruntled teenager knows that life will never be the same. What he doesn't know is exactly how different life will be. The discovery in the basement of mysterious scrolls with a fascinating but unfinished story leads Aidan to seek the Door Within and travel to a world of noble knights and fair maidens. In The Realm, he learns more of the story found in the scrolls and faces the choice that will define his life forever--follow King Eliam or Paragor the Usurper.

Some of the characters are rather broadly drawn so that they seem rather exaggerated and thus unrealistic, but they are delightful nonetheless. Captain Valithor, Sentinel of Alleble, employs hilarious adjectives as he urges those in his charge to work harder. One fun thing about the characthers is the way their build and temperaments tend to mirror their weapons. Archer brothers Nock and Bolt are slight and quick, while hammer-wielding Mallik is built like a rock.

In this adventurous tale full of truth and treachery, rambunctious and hilarious characters, Aidan learns what it means to never be alone. Though written for Junior High and early High Schoolers, the story contains enough depth to satisfy an older reader while remaining simple enough for children many years younger. "The Door Within" is sure to delight any reader of adventure and fantasy.

Mr. Batson takes quite a risk in this, his first novel -- he makes the hero unlikable for a considerable length of time. Aidan Thomas is very angry about moving to Colorado. He is angry at his parents for making him move and thus leave behind his one true friend, he is angry at his wheelchair-bound grandfather (Grampin) for making it necessary, and he is angry at the world in general because bad things happen. Now, he has his reasons and Mr. Batson is making an important point, but still even those of us who are similarly scarred (my family moved FIVE times during my childhood) will soon grow weary of his incessant whining and raging. It doesn't help that there isn't another likable character in the book for quite awhile. Aidan's parents are clueless and insensitive, and Grampin spends several chapters saying nothing or sleeping. All in all a very tough slog!

Nevertheless, with the premise in mind we know that things are going to change eventually. The Other begins to ooze into Aidan's world and (mercifully) begins to distract him from his own troubles. Then in chapter 7 Grampin surprises both Aidan and the reader, and at the end of chapter 8 Aidan FINALLY crosses over. Then it takes two MORE chapters of Aidan wandering around lost before the adventure truly begins in chapter 11! However, at THAT point, 79 pages in, events begin to move with that relentless "Batson pace" that readers of Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire are well familiar with, and what follows makes up for what Mr. Batson has put the reader through in the first ten chapters,...

well, for MOST of what he has put the reader through anyway.

Mr. Batson has created a fascinating world in the Realm, with similarities to but not quite like any other fantasy world I've ever seen, with Biblical references that are quite obvious to those who are looking for them but no stumbling block to those who are not. I bought this book at the same time as Isle of Swords as part of a promotional deal, but I never got around to reading it. Now I shall have to rush out and read the sequels: The Rise of the Wyrm Lord and The Final Storm.

Note: Other than a lower price the chief attraction of the paperback edition is the inclusion of the so-called "Lost Chapters", basically earlier draft versions of the first four chapters accompanied by author's commentary. They make for an interesting comparison. On the one hand the current shortened beginning is excruciating enough; on the other hand this longer opening humanizes several of the characters, making them less annoying! If you loved the hardback, you might love this additional material, too, but if you are purchasing your first copy, you night as well stick to the paperback.

This fantasy tale is amazing. I loved reading about Aidan's adventures in The Realm. The characters are realistic and the plot line creative. Instead of just swords, it's more of a spiritual battle for the hearts of people

This book was a great book. Anyone who likes fantasy would like The Door Within. Its a great start to the trilogy.

For a first in a series, and first book ever from an author, this is pretty good. It has some little flaws here and there, but overall, The Door Within delivers fun fantasy with a great message. If you're a fan of Brian Jacques' Redwall novels, try these, Wayne Thomas Batson has a similar writing style.

I was told I should read this book after vaguely hearing about some of the things Hill Harper has said and done. I am not one to jump on anyone's bandwagon but I do know of a lot of black men that need something that will encourage them to excel in school and in their career. I was especially looking for something for my sons to read in this area.

After reading this book I felt like I had just listened to a reading from Superman. I thought I had done and gone through a lot in my life but this guy has more than his share, plus my wife told me about who his gorgeous girlfriend is and I was even more impressed.

With that being so good though and how great of a read I found it to be I can't give it a perfect score because of the fact that I think it will be a little hard for most young black men to relate to him because he is so perfect. Being from a perfect bloodline, star high school football player, college friend of Barrack Obama (who even wrote an excerpt in the book), Law degree from Harvard, TV/Movie star, and beautiful girlfriend make this hard to relate to. I know when I was a kid being told you can do it just because I've done it from a person that you never really felt struggled is a hard pill to swallow.

With that said, I'd still give this to any young man and let them try to swallow that pill.

Hill Harper has given us a rare gem. This book should be "required" reading for all young men. I gave it as gifts to my nephew and my cousin. I also encouraged a co-worker to read it and she's preparing to give it to her son and other young men. It's an "easy read". The letters and advice given are poignant, timely, educational and insightful. Down to earth, excellent advice for growing up and everyday living. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the importance of school/education. And the emphasis on being "incredibly happy". Hill is a gifted man with a heart and soul for service. I look forward to his future writings.

I thoroughly enjoyed Letters to a Young Brother and will be passing it along! So many of Hill's theories can be applied to everyone's daily movement. Great Job!

That one of favorite ACTORS, was not only a Brown and Harvard graduate but an awesome writer as well. After reading such high reviews on here I decided to order the book. I have 2 boys, 9 and 7, that aren't quite to the age level of this book, but they well definately be reading it as they approach their tween years. After reading it there is advise and pearls of wisdom that should be applied to adulthood, male or female. I love the fact that he talks on a level that is very relatable to young boys and that he gathers insite from known entertainers, which imo draws the youth in that much more. As many are raised by the TV, movies, and mush so something that their favorite actor/actress (Anthony Anderson, Ray J Gabreille Union, Sanaa Lathan) sports figure (Venus Williams, Curtis Martin), or rapper (Nas, David Banner, Ice Cube) says may come across as cool and strike accord with them. Presidential nominee Barak Obama even contributes. I just ordered Letters To a Young Sister, DeFINE Your Destiny, cant wait to start reading it.

I brought this book as a gift for my twentysomthing brother. Who is a not an avid reader, but he enjoyed this book.

After visiting most of the places in this book last year, I wanted to read this book to find out the experiences of those who fought in this battle. It was a great book, especially if you are a WWII buff like me.

Read this book first when I was 15 years old and it motivated me to learn more about history of the second world war. It's one of the great books on world war II and D-Day and it is highly recommended!

The military interviews were lame. An important part of history, would have liked more intel detail and military strategy.

Great Reading. A complete account of the most important actions performed during the Normandy Landings as seen from both sides of the battle.

Once you pick this book you won't stop reading until you finish the story.

A great deal of ink and celluloid has been used to describe the Allied invasion of Fortress Europe on Tuesday June 6, 1944. This book remains and no doubt always will be one of the best accounts of what happened that day. It captures the heroism of the common soldiers on both sides. While some of the men collapsed under the pressure, most exhibited great bravery as they fought for what they were told to fight for. One of the best features of this book is that Ryan depicts the German soldiers as fighting soldiers; he very rarely mentions the concept of Nazism or the origins of the war.
There is also very little mention of the clash of egos on the Allied side, although he spends a great deal of time describing the personality conflicts on the German side. I do not fault him for this, for it was these conflicts that kept the German mobile reinforcements from entering the fight on the beaches when they could have made a difference.
D-Day was not the greatest battle of World War II, greater ones took place on the Eastern front between Germany and the Soviet Union. However, it was the most complex in execution and was necessary from the Allied point of view. Given the tremendous power of the Soviet offensive in the east and the blockade of supplies, Germany would eventually have been defeated. However, if the D-Day invasion had been repulsed, the Soviet armies would have overrun all of Germany and possibly even much of France. As a consequence of this, the post-war world would have been very different. From this perspective it was one of the most significant as it put allied armies on a course through Germany. You cannot understand history without knowing about D-Day.

Another awesome Pigeon book.

He's now officially a member of our family. We've adopted him. And now my husband and child walk around saying, "It's a taste sensation" all the time.

This isn't one of the pigeon books where you talk back to the pigeon. Instead, the pigeon talks to the Special Guest Star - the Duckling!

My nieces (aged 5 and 2.5) can literally recite this one by heart. And they will! Oh, they will. They love every page of it, and if that's not a good recommendation, I don't know what is!

They even (especially) love the inside covers. On the front inside cover there's a lot of hot dogs, but on the *back* inside cover one of the hot dogs has been cut in half - just like the pigeon cuts his hot dog in half to share it with the duckling!

Mo Willems has done it again. This is a very fun book for small children. My kindergarten students love all of Mo Willems books but, this is one of their all time favorites.

This is one of those books that tells a story with just the pictures. If you have a small child, you are 'explaining' the pictures and adding these words in that is all dialog. At 8pm, I don't want to make up a story around a book. I want to read a book to my kid.

Although the illustrations are cute, I still wish there was more narrative.

THE PIGEON FINDS A HOT DOG! is another installment in saga of the Pigeon, and this time he wants to eat a hot dog. In fact, the Pigeon is about to eat his favorite dish, a mouth-watering, delicious hot dog, when the Duckling appears. The Duckling, a new character to the Pigeon books, says he has never had a hot dog, and, not so innocently, sets about trying to get the Pigeon tell him more and more about hot dogs. The Pigeon gets VERY frustrated, going off on one of his famous rants, while the Ducking just sits there, looking sweet and naïve. So that he can finally eat his coveted hot dog, the Pigeon does the only thing he can do to get the Duckling to stop interrupting him...he shares his hot dog.

Author Mo Willems has done it again, spectacularly, with this one. THE PIGEON FINDS A HOT DOG! teaches a fine lesson about sharing, one that my three year old understood immediately. She loves to tell the Pigeon that he should share with the Duckling, and she is very happy every time he does. We also love seeing the Pigeon express a gamut of emotions as he reaches this decision. Mom acts them all out, and the wee one thinks this is hysterically funny. "Do it again, Mom-Mom!" is a familiar cry.

Kids are drawn to these books because the Pigeon, and, in this case, the Duckling, reacts just like they would. The illustrations are clever and very expressive, and it is clear exactly what the Pigeon is feeling. The other day, my child was quite angry. I said, "Hey, you've got smoke coming out of your ears, you must be really angry." She started giggling and said, "Just like the Pigeon, Mommy," and the impending melt-down was adverted.

I highly recommend THE PIGEON FINDS A HOT DOG! for anyone, but most especially for those who are already Pigeon fans.

There are things that I didn't expect, that surprised me a little bit about his character, but if anything, seeing Anthony come through all of these situations only upped my respect for him as an actor, as a writer, and as a person.

This book really moved me with Rapp's emotional honesty, and I echo the praises from previous reviewers. I rate it as 4 stars because, like a previous reviewer suggested, I feel it tended to drag a bit at the end and could have ended a chapter earlier. I strongly suggest the audio recording, especially for fans of Rent and of Anthony. Hearing him read the story himself (particularly for the small and poignant personal moments, like the frequent "Hi, Mama"--"Hi, Tonio" exchanges with his mother--it broke my heart every time) was an intimate and powerful experience, and when I finished I felt I had just had a long and passionate conversation with a friend--which i was very sorry to end.

Anthony Rapp tells an emotional story about personal life, love, and loss as he describes the years surrounding the phenomenon that is Rent. This is a book no Renthead should be without. Afer reading this book, I feel like I have gotten to know Anthony as a person, and gotten a rare glimpse through Anthony's eyes of the man that was Jonathan Larson.

Anthony Rapp was in on the creation of the masterpiece which became the Broadway sensation "Rent," almost from the beginning. He has written his memoir of that experience with great sensitivity and insight.

This book is a riveting tale about the creative process, how a play goes through its evolution to get to Broadway, and how every once in awhile a theatrical miracle can happen which changes everyone's lives. "Rent" is such a miracle. I just saw the play once again on Broadway this past weekend. I took my teenaged daughters to see it. After eleven years, it is finally closing down some time this year. If you cannot get to New York to see the play, rent the movie. It's not as good, but almost.

I loved this book, and recommend it to anyone who has ever overcome adversity to pursue a dream.

This book is amazing. It's a great read, easy to follow and really hits at your heart. I would reccommend it to everyone.

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 had read where this was considered by many as "the best baseball book of all time." Well, you know how hype like that works; rarely is anything as good as it's built up. Not in this case. This really IS fantastic baseball material. It's so good that several people have copied its format since but nobody has come close to duplicating it. It's the content, though, not the form that makes this so entertaining.

The "it," by the way, refers to letting former players talk into a tape recorder and write down exactly what they say. In this book, we get ballplayers who played in the wildest era in baseball history: the Deadball Era. Thus, you get some incredible stories, many of which are just jewels, things you will treasure if you're a fan and you love baseball history.

If for nothing else, the story about Germany Shaefer's pinch hit home run is worth the price of the book. It is the funniest baseball anectdote I have ever heard or read.

Baseball great Ted Williams said when he finished reading this book, he started over and read it again. I believe it.

Lawrence Ritter recorded and wrote what has amounted to an instant classic, from the year it was published in 1966. All the hype, folks, isn't hype: it's the truth - a fabulous collection of baseball stories.

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.

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.