Pennsylvania Books

Irish Secrets: German Espionage In Wartime Ireland 1939-01945 by Mark M. Hull (Assistant Professor of History, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri) is a 383-page exploration of why World War II German intelligence basically failed in the Irish State, and offers the documented view that the german effort represented a genuine menace to the Allies (including Northern Ireland) as well as the wartime neutrality of the Irish Republic. So much more than a stodgy historical study, Professor Hull offers the reader a truly gripping and comprehensive account of the intelligence war in Ireland and showcases the story of a brilliant, creative, and ultimately successful Irish Military Intelligence in waging a counter-espionage campaign that would overwhelm the German intelligence operations. Strongly recommended for personal and academic World War II Military Studies collections, Trust Yourself To Transform Your Body draws upon newly released intelligence files in several countries, in-depth interviews Professor Hull was able to conduct with surviving participants, and other previously unpublished primary sources.

It's not often that a history book comes along that catches my interest. When first starting to read "Irish Secrets," I thought I would be in for another historical timeline reading. As I kept reading, I was captured with the informative and humorous, yet tragic stories. Mark Hull has put real-life incidents together to tell the truth, whether liked or not. You do not get lost in the first chapter with the events occuring out of place, instead, you are given an understanding of the German Intelligence Service and the tools used to achieve an ultimate outcome of events. For Example: agent basic training, radio transmission secrets, secret inks, a coding system, and the people that were chosen.

I am not educated with this part of history. Frankly, I find it boring in the classroom, but not with "Irish Secrets." You will get to know the people and feel their half achievements and full loss. You will go to Ireland and have landed in the wrong area only to come upon a long hike through the roads, I believe the gent walked about 70 miles...of which he was dressed out of sorts! He is very easily spotted as a foreigner - not too well planned. You'll have illicit affairs, entrapment, thrilling escapes and ultimately see the inside of a jail cell.

This book is beyond a doubt, one of its own kind and should be read for the classroom, but also for pleasure! A simple "Spies Like Us" all the way humor. The classroom reading list should include "Irish Secrets" for scholars to learn a bit of forgotten history and enjoy a well written bit of work on the authors part. Irish Secrets is very well written and thorough in its recalling of a time went wrong. I enjoyed the book from start to finish and urge others to do the same.

This book has amazing insight into the realms of Irish and German espionage history. I found the reading to be thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining. Dr. Mark Hull brings a bit of humor into a subject that is difficult to entertain. I have never been an advent reader of any type of historical writings and found that once I started reading, I honestly felt capitivated by the reconstruction of history in this book. Unlike most history books, Dr. Hull has brought to life a writing that is serious in depth of subject, yet could be viewed world wide on a theatre screen as thoroughly enjoyable (James'Bond anyone?).

I would recommend this book for a history class or just for the enjoyment of sitting down on the sofa with a good book and a cup of wine for a relaxing evening at home.

Irish Secrets provides a stunning insight into a now forgotten aspect of the Second World War - Nazi Germany's secret overtures to neutral Ireland, 1939-1945. Berlin sent a "dirty dozen" agents by parachute and U-boat to Ireland, whose wartime leader, Eamon de Valera, was striving to maintain strict neutrality in the face of strong pressure to join the war (mainly from British Premier, Winston Churchill).
Mark Hull, a professor of modern history at St. Louis University, has produced the most detailed study of the agents sent to Ireland by Germany. They included a German circus weight-lifter, an Indian and two South Africans. Most were en route for missions in England, but all were caught and incarcerated in Athlone army camp in the Irish midlands (luckily for them because they would have faced executiion if discovered in wartime Britain).
The most colourful agent by far was Dr Hermann Goertz, who parachuted into Ireland just north of Dublin in 1940. Goertz was wearing his Luftwaffe uniform and medals in the mistaken belief that he would be shot if caught in civilian attire. Goertz who was in his 50s and a First World War veteran, asked a startled Irish farmer if he had landed in Northern Ireland by mistake. The farmer asked the German agent "You wouldn't happen to know Ballivor?" (the nearest village), at which point the conversation abruptly halted as Goertz went on the run.
As Professor Hull points out, Goertz had the most success among the German agents, remaining at large for 18 months. But it's believed that the Irish Army deliberately kept him on a long leash, checking all those with whom he came in contact, including the German ambasador, Dr Eduard Hempel.
Goertz was unsuited to a spying mission, however, and spent his time in prison writing love stories, practising suicide drills, and dreaming about taking over the leadership of the IRA (Irish Republican Army). After his post-war release, he was so alarmed at the prospect of being repatriated to Allied-controlled Germany (he feared he would be tortured to death by the Russians) that he took a cyanide pill and died instantly, in 1947.
Professor Hull's book - which is destined to become a standard work of historical reference - will prove an invaluable read for anyone intersted in recent Irish history, Ireland's historical links with Germany and, in particular, Nazi Germany's attitude to Europe's neutral states (which included Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Turkey).
It is noteworthy that the foreword for Irish Secrets was written by none other than Enno Stephan (the former head of German Radio's French-language service), whose 1963 book "Spies in Ireland" did much of the spadework on this fascinating topic.

(Dr David O'Donoghue, Dublin, Ireland).

This book offers a fantastic tease of a mere few of the outstanding, awe inspiring murals that this organization has produced. It makes me want to hit the streets of Philly to see them up close!

I love seeing these as I travel around and I thought I had seen all of them how wrong I was, buy the book and see what you have missed out seeing.
It is a great gift to some one new to the city in my view.

Beautifully written with gorgeous pictures! A terrific gift or perfect for your coffee table... I had no idea the City's mural arts program was about so much more than art, it is about imroving the lives of the city's youth by beautifying their environment, keeping them off the streets, and providing a constant in often disrupted lives.

What's even more incredible about this book than the first "Philadelphia Murals" - is that they found even more spectacular murals - enough to fill a second book!!! And the stories that go with these murals are as heart-felt as the murals themselves!!!

Treat yourself to this book - well, both books - it is a present you won't ever regret!!! I wish I could buy them for you - I wish I had enough money to buy them for everyone!!!

This book has done something that no other book has ever done for me, made me truly interested in history and anxious to read more. To be perfectly honest this is a subject I am usually not very interested in. Fortunately I was provided this book by a great publishing group -Triad. I knew that it was on my to be read pile, and because it isn't very long thought I would pick it up and "get it over with". Wow, how judgemental can I be, right? Well, thank you Sharon M. Clarke and Vern Firestone for making me see that I literally can't judge a book by it's cover.

To say that being a coal miner is a dangerous job would be an understatement - each year there are over 93 deaths and thousands of injuries. Sharon M. Clarke has written a wonderful story which uses mining as a backdrop for some extraordinary characters, and leads you on a journey that will tug on your heartstrings. It is not one you are soon to forget.

The Evans family have nothing holding them back after Mari loses her
mother, and Rhodri's job at the mine is rendered redundant. They decide that now is as good a time as any to start over, and what better place than America. So they pack a few items and board a ship with their 3 young boys.

Once here they decide that New York is not for them and they settle in New Salem, PA. It is a mining town, which is ok with the Evans' as this is the life that they are accustomed to. Unfortunately, working in the mines was similar to slavery - you arrived here with nothing and the mine set you up with a place to live and the essentials, but you used credit that the mine set up. It became almost impossible to get ahead so you became trapped in a very dangerous and very hard life.

The sorrow that this book exudes is overwhelming at times. I think what makes it so is the fact that this is how people lived their lives. The author has an uncanny ability to weave historical elements into the story, and really make you feel as if you understand what the individuals were going through. Starting with the sinking of the Titanic and the effect that it has on Mari's neighbor and best friend Catherine, to the effects of a heartbreaking loss due to Anthrax, and what emotions are evoked when the oldest boy enlists in the military to fight in WWI.

This story encompasses so much history and brings it to light in such a fantastic way, it was truly a page turner. Many people today, myself included, are not aware of the hardships that these people went through just to survive daily - the children received a knitted scarf and an orange for Christmas gifts and were THRILLED - can you imagine that happening today?

This may be the story of just one family, but we all should be able to read this and see what are ancestors did in order to provide us with the way of living most of us are accustomed to - I am hopeful this will make some of us take stock in our lives and do things that will leave a lasting impact on
our descendents.

I don't give out 5 stars on a book lightly - it doesn't mean that I didn't like the book, in fact I love a lot of books that I only give 4 stars to. It takes a special book to earn 5 stars, and this one has done it. Thanks to Sharon M. Clarke, and hope to read more by you soon!


This book will be raffled off the first week in February. To enter this raffle visit www.uponfurtherreview.org and sign the guestbook underneath any book you are interested in.

As always if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at tracee@uponfurtherreview.org

Mourning Redemption captures a segment of American history with wit, charm, drama and love. This story is as raw as an abusive husband and father, as frightening as the Black Maria bearing her injured, dead and dying coal miners to their families for a final farewell and as tender as young love and a stolen kiss.

From the moment I turned the first page of this marvelous novel, I was drawn into the story of the Evans family, as they crossed the Atlantic to settle in New Salem, a coal mining town in southwest Pennsylvania. Here, the miners are but cogs in the coal mining "machine", endlessly yoked to soaring credit at the company store, poor housing and food and lives filled with hard work, black coal dust and ever present danger. The only chance many have of breaking the vicious cycle lies in the grave and any stolen moments of joy in the interim seem as precious and rare as gemstones.

I was drawn into the forbidden love of "bad boy" Orville Jenkins and Kelly Hennessy, which tugged at my heart strings as a pregnant Kelly was sent packing to Michigan to have her child. As the world goes mad in the midst of the Great War, Orville is filled with dreams of being united with his love and their young son, Morgan, but Kelly dies while he is still overseas and Orville passes on as well, leaving poor Morgan a young orphan. Morgan's return to New Salem on Geraint Evans' broad shoulders heals many wounds, proving to all the resilience of life itself. Despite the incredible struggle and numerous setbacks, life is indeed to be treasured, savored like fine wine and renewed in the eyes of the very young. Like the boys of New Salem, may we swing life's bat with all of our might and grin with delight at every home run. This book is a triumph.

Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (2/07)

"Mourning Redemption" places the reader in the lives of a Welsh immigrant family, immediately bringing you in as "one of them" as you follow their lives. Triumphs and misery, happiness and fear, all a part of every day living are brought to you through the pages of this wonderfully written book.

The Evan's family begins their trek to a new world in the early 1900's when the father, Rhodri, makes the decision that it is time to leave their homeland. After his wife, Mari, has experienced many tragedies, the last being the death of her last surviving parent he realizes that even if she doesn't think it's necessary perhaps it's time to move on. He loses his job as a miner, giving them nothing to hold onto but each other and the decision is made to follow suit of many others of those days and go to America.

The family moves to a small mining town in Pennsylvania, where they quickly blend in with other immigrant families and settle into a life of normality. The author takes you through the many happenings of the days, from the sinking of the Titanic and how it affects the family and family friends to the World War, by weaving the bits and pieces of history throughout the storyline. Making you feel as though you are a part of their life, you rejoice in their small wonders and cry with them at their disasters. You realize the astounding difference that one family made in our world, making you realize that perhaps you too have made a difference.

My favorite aspect of the story is a young man named Orville who is basically an outcast to the small town, as both parents are simply nothing more than worthless drunkards. Orville gets just one taste of how a family truly should be when asked to stay for dinner with the Evans family and this one encounter remains with him for the rest of his life. To see how it truly changed the direction of this young man's life, creating a war hero and true gentleman by just this single encounter speaks louder than anything.

Touching, dramatic, simplistic and amazing, the author takes you through a passage of time when the world was constantly changing. Touched by the characters that she creates, so true to life and authentic, you will forever remember the story of the Evans family and the world around them. Absolutely one of the best books I've read in a long time. "Mourning Redemption" is one of those books that just goes along smoothly until you find yourself turning to the last page and thinking "Oh, I want more!"

Sharon M. Clarke has written a story of Welsh immigrants that reminds me of 'How Green Was My Valley' - and that is high praise indeed.
It is a beautiful epic novel that brings us on the journey of the Evans family - Rhodri, his wife, Mari, and their children. Clarke gives us vivid pictures of their journey to America and their experiences in a new country.
The Evans settle in New Salem, PA. It is a mining town. If you had no education and had a family, and wanted to eat, you had two choices - work at the coal mines, or steel mills.
In this area, mining was king. You worked in the mines, they owned you.
You owed them for your housing, the tools you used, the store you got your food from, etc. - By the time they deduct all costs, sometimes you only had pennies for your pay. A hard life.
Mourning follows the events of its time - the Virginia Mine Wars, the sinking of the Titanic, the unrest in Europe, and subsequent start (and horror) of WWI - and Geraint, the oldest of the Evans children's participation in the war.
Clarke also shows us the terror that the Spanish Flu caused - that pandemic claimed millions of lives around the world - including America, and it very poignant given the threats of flu pandemics today.
The scope of this book is amazing.
For those of us who are descendants of immigrants during this time of the early 1900's, this book will touch your heart. It is a story of love, conflict, history and redemption, and it is not to be missed.

Doing research on the Irish Brigade for some writing, This book was just what I needed.

William McCarter was a twenty-one year old Irish immigrant when he enlisted in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry in August 1862. The unit soon became part of the Second Brigade, First Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, better known as the fabled Irish Brigade and Carter's memoirs, "My Life in the Irish Brigade" has the distinction of being the first full-length memoir published by an enlisted man in the Irish Brigade. McCarter's account covers the brigade from the Seven Day's Battles in which it made its battlefield reputation, to its assault against the Bloody Lane at Antietam, to the charge up Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg where McCarter was gravely wounded and forced to leave the army. Because he was detailed as the personal scribe to General Thomas F. Meagher, commander of the Irish Brigade, McCarter was able to meet and judge the famous generals of the Union Army such as Ambrose Burnside and Winfield Scott Hancock. Kevin E. O'Brien, who has written widely on the Irish Brigade, edits the volume and in addition to his Endnotes he has included several interesting items in the Appendixes, such as the poem "The Irish Dead on Fredericksburg Heights" which was printed in the "Irish-American" in 1863. McCarter's recollections are quite engaging, and his description of the Brigade's actions at the fateful battle of Fredericksburg, where the vast majority of its 1,200 men were killed or wounded, is the best part of the book. If you have more than a passing familiarity with the history of the Irish Brigade, this is an excellent book to give you a unique and fascinating perspective on their glory days during the Civil War. It is also one of the better written memoirs, by enlisted man or general, you will find.

William McCarter's book is quite an interesting tale of his involvment as a private for the famous Irish Brigade. McCarter's vivid descriptions of soldier life, marching, camping, facing cold weather, hard living and the Battle of Fredericksburg was very well done. McCarter missed Antietam although his regiment did face the Confederates at the heights of Fredericksburg. McCarter tells such a facinating, informative, sad, happy, yet chilling story at times during his soldier career that it was hard to put this book down. His vivid story of Fredericksburg and how the brigade battled it out, how he was injured and how he escaped death while suffering upon the battlefield was certainly the best part of the book. I wish more soldier accounts were written as well as this one as this book is one of the better books I've read that tells a soldier's story. 5 STARS!

The Civil War has always been of great interest to me. Consequently, when I find a book that tells of real-life experiences coming directly from the pen of the man who experienced the things he wrote about, I am automatically interested. Private McCarter wrote candidly of what he witnessed, felt and thought while in the Irish Brigade. His book is easy to understand and evokes vivid mental pictures of the scenes he describes. He seemed to be an educated, good-hearted man who, if he was alive today, I would love to meet.

Mary Cappello's "Nightbloom" presents a poignant and often lyrical portrait of her early life in a working-class Italian-American community. However, she displays a blind spot when casting her gaze towards Sicilian culture. Granted, her Sicilian father was abusive, uneducated and excessively macho, but not all Sicilians have these negative qualities. While most were very poor when they first came to the United States, they brought with them a rich cultural and ethnic heritage with Arab, French, German,Greek, Italian, Jewish, Norman and Spanish roots. Contrary to the popular Mafia stereotype, most came from agrarian backgrounds which nurtured a solid work ethic that enabled them to develop high educational and socioeconomic goals. For this reason, I take issue with Cappello's subtle generalization that most Sicilians are like her father's relatives who jokingly referred to a bust of Giuseppe Verdi as "Joe Green." Most of the second and third generation Sicilians in my large extended family are intelligent upward strivers who would find this denigration of Verdi embarrassing.
Capello rationalizes her own embarrassment about this by claiming that her relatives were engaging in a "parodic" approach to high culture. This is indisputable from the perspective of sophisticated cultural theories that analyze the relationship between "high" and "low" cultures. Yet from another equally valid viewpoint, Cappello's relatives blindly ridiculed an important composer about whom they knew very little.

Cappello tries to take a culturally relativistic stance when she says that when she was younger she had "naively" and "studpidly" regarded her Sicilian relatives as less intellectual and "cultured" than other Italian groups. Yet, while she claims to believe that all groups produce their own interesting cultures, she clearly identifies more with her mother's more creatively gifted and intellectually ambitious Neapolitan family. Both Cappello's younger and current self seem to long to participate in the elite culture that many academics in the humanities feign indifference towards, but secretly admire and desire.

Capello's stereotypes of Catholicism are as troublesome as her tendency to slight Sicilians. While Catholicism at its worst presents authoritarian and tyrannical priests and nuns who peddle morally narrow attitudes, the Church is based on a rich intellectual tradition that often offers interesting alternative views to mainstream Protestantism. Fascinated by Catholicism's
intellectual coherence and spiritual power, many wealthy New England women from the late nineteenth until the mid-twentieth century shocked their Brahman families by converting to this religion.

The nasty, neurotic nuns that Cappello encountered in a Catholic elementary school during the late 1960's, should never have entered the teaching profession. During the 1970's, I had many similarly mean, caustic and bullying teachers in a public elementary school that had progressive pretensions. Many Catholic schools that guided immigrants into the middle class were led by intelligent and sensitive individuals who were far different from those that Cappello describes. Capello's represenation of Catholicism only in terms of its worst elements is not only inaccurate, but provides grist for the mill for those who stereotype this religion as ignorant, irrational and pathological.

"Nightbloom" is worth reading because Cappello presents many provocative reflections on her Italian-American experience. Nonetheless, her observations of Sicilian-Americans and Catholicism are often simplistic. For a more compelling discussion of the class issues faced by second and third generation descendents of southern Italians, read Maria Laurino's "Were You Always an Italian: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America." Laurino describes in more detail the class issues that upward striving southern Italians have faced and often continue to confront in American society.

In a very poetic way, Mary invites us on a journey into herItalian-American heritage. We learn first hand, through the writingsof her grandfather, the life of first-generation Italians struggling to make a living in America. I was deeply impressed how Mary is able to see the strengths as well as the human frailties in her family members; in spite of the suffering, there is much to remember and honor. The themes in many ways are universal, and I felt a deep reverence and importance to understanding my own ancestral heritage. I kept having an image of a weaver weaving life currents - her ancestor's stuggles to survive, Mary's life with her violent-tempered father and agoraphobic mother, and her own journey to understanding who she is as a lesbian academic rising beyond the working class - with each individual thread important to the beauty of the tapestry. This book is poet psychology and is must reading for those who search for meaning and importance in their own lives. It is a great read!

Ms. Cappello has a rare talent for illuminating the complex -- and bringing out the poetic in the everyday -- nature of family and its effects on self. Her autobiography is an intimate view of her self actualization as a scholar, lesbian, and human being in the contextof her Italian American upbringing. Even though this is a very self directed work, it continues to push the reader to understand his or her own context and self. A very beautiful work.

I really enjoyed reading this memoir. Although the background is Italian-immigrant, the essays and stories are univeral in terms of how we integrate and transcend our past. The book is like watching a weaver working all the individual threads and colors that come together in a unique pattern. Mary weaves her story and the stories of her parents, siblings, and grandparent together and shows that we truly are a product of our cultures, what we become can and should never be separated from our heritage, and that beauty exists even in the darkest memories. Mary tells a story that ends with no ending; likewise, our own stories blossom as we search into our past. The book reads in some places like a journal; it is always poetic psychology, exploring her mothers agoraphobia, her fathers violent temperament, and her own process of discovering her self as a lesbian woman moving up from the working class in which she was immersed.

I highly recommend the book; it is a sweet complement to anyone's own process of self-discovery. ((:

I work with the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. Students age 15-18 come to the USA to spend the school year and learn our customs, cultures and educational systems. We take them to historical sites, like Wash, DC and points of interest like New York City. Their host families and Rotarians take them to places of interest around the state. We are located in PA so this book is a perfect keepsake for them. The book highlights the wonders of our keystone state and the photos bring back the memories of what they experienced.

Attractive, reasonably priced photo book on the Keystone State.
Irwin, whose photography has appeared in National Geographic, is particularly good in his coverage of the plain people of Lancaster County. Irwin doesn't neglect any part of the state, however. An excellent keepsake for anyone living in or visiting this state.

Even if you're not a Pennsylvanian you'll enjoy leafing through this pictorial celebration of the Keystone State. Enriched with 150 color photos by ace photographer Jerry Irwin this landmark volume offers glimpses of every nook and cranny of a beautiful state.
There are breathtaking views of Pennsylvania Dutch country in autumn with towering trees lit by brilliant oranges and reds. Who would want to miss the battlefields of Gettysburg, an integral part of our nation's history? Picturesque covered bridges in Lehigh County merit attention as do the majestic Poconos and the Appalachian Mountains.
Mr. Irwin's unerring eye captures familiar scenes as well as little known treasures found in historic buildings and landmarks.
In addition, photos are accompanied by succinct captions which enhance the viewers experience. "Our Pennsylvania" is a volume to treasure and return to again and again.

Even if you're not a Pennsylvanian you'll enjoy leafing through this pictorial celebration of the Keystone State. Enriched with 150 color photos by ace photographer Jerry Irwin this landmark volume offers glimpses of every nook and cranny of a beautiful state.

There are breathtaking views of Pennsylvania Dutch country in autumn with towering trees lit by brilliant oranges and reds. Who would want to miss the battlefields of Gettysburg, an integral part of our nation's history? Picturesque covered bridges in Lehigh County merit attention as do the majestic Poconos and the Appalachian Mountains.

Mr. Irwin's unerring eye captures familiar scenes as well as little known treasures found in historic buildings and landmarks.

In addition, photos are accompanied by succinct captions which enhance the viewers experience. "Our Pennsylvania" is a volume to treasure and return to again and again.

- Gail Cooke

Excellent book, great resource for the train lover. Lots and lots of high-quality photos, good text. Highly recommend.

This is a very fine, concise introduction to the "standard railroad of the world." For a readable, yet remarkably thorough introduction to the Pennsy, this is the book to read.

I purchased this book as a gift to myself and it is super. Pictures are very nice and the reading is easy to deal with.
Even my 5 year old loves it.
If you are into trains, this book is worth the money.

A small yet thorough book concerning the history fo the PRR from start to finish. Well written and very informative.

Public employee pensions are in deep trouble in many countries, undermining economic policy and threatening retiree well-being. What can be done to help them perform more efficiently and enhance old-age security? This volume takes stock of public pension developments in the US and Canada, highlighting challenges these financial institutions face in coming decades. The first Pension Research Council study of public pensions in a quarter-century tackles these topics with an impressive team of international actuarial, legal, and economic experts.

This book explores the diversity of governmental pension plans and investigates how these financial institutions must change in years to come. Public employee pensions are in deep trouble in many countries, undermining economic policy and threatening retiree well-being. What can be done to help these programs perform more efficiently and enhance old-age security? This volume takes stock of public pension developments in the U.S. and Canada, highlighting challenges these financial institutions will face in coming decades. The first Pension Research Council study of public pensions in a quarter of a century tackles these topics with an impressive team of international actuarial, legal, and economic experts.

This is a sine qua non treatise for anybody having to deal with the subject of pensions. Edited admirably by actuarial scholars Mitchell, representing academia, and Hustead, representing private industry, the book covers all aspects of pensions in the private, public and academic sectors. The editors also write several individual chapters on their areas of super - expertise. Actually the most useful and comprehensive chapter, the one on governmental and military pensions, is written by the team Mr. and Mrs. Hustead. Mrs. Hustead is an expert attached to the White Houses' office of the budget. The most interesting chapter, this by Mr. Hustead alone, is the one with his lucubration on the pensions system, sometimes debacle, of the District of Columbia, Washington DC, the capital city of the USA. Although it was not the obvious intention of the author, it shows in a very peculiar and amazing way the vicissitudes of such a political entity that fully justifies the usage of vehicular license plates with the proclamation of "Taxation Without Representation" kindly exemplified by firmer President Clinton in the First Limousine, and, of course, immediately rejected by the Bush's administration. Finally, the selection of the goddess Minerva for the cover, is a master, and artistic, stroke.

What can be done to help public sector pension plans perform more efficiently, and thereby enhance old-age security? In much of the world, public sector pensions are in deep trouble, undermining economic policy and threatening retiree well being. By and large, North American public pension systems have performed better, boasting tremendous assets and offering reasonable retiree benefits. Even here, however, military and civil service systems are not doing as well. This volume takes stock of public pensions in the US and Canada, offering lessons and highlighting challenges these financial institutions will face in the coming decades.

The first Pension Research Council study of public pensions in a quarter-century tackles these topics with an impressive group of international experts from the actuarial, legal, and economic fields. Contributors illustrate how reform options vary across uniformed employees, teachers, legislators and the judiciary, municipal and state employees, and military personnel. This study will be invaluable to taxpayers and their representatives, and those responsible for both public and private sector pensions.

Olivia S. Mitchell is the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, and Executive Director of the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School. Edwin Hustead is Senior Vice President in charge of governmental actuarial and benefits consulting at the HayHuggins Washington, D.C. office.

Perfect size, fits in a pocket. Has two maps. Subway map, greater philly map, and independence mall area map.

I love this map. fits right in your backpocket and is perfect for walking around where you don't know your way. The only downside to the small size is, well, the small size. I wear reading glasses of +1.75 strength, which is not too much, but without my glasses it's a struggle to read it. For those who don't need reading glasses, it will be perfect.

I took a trip up to Philadelphia with some friends and the friend we were visiting gave us this map to use when we go around. This map is AWESOME. It is everything you'll need to get around Philadelphia and it fits right into your pocket, literally.

SIZE ASSESSMENT
I first kept it in my purse and it was actually kind of cumbersome to constantly take out, so we started keeping it in jacket or pants pockets, and it rested there easily. Also, it's very small and discreet, so you don't feel like a tourist-moron when you have to bust it out to figure out where you are.

MAP ASSESSMENT
It has maps of the greater Philadelphia area, the Historic District (where the Liberty Bell, etc. are) and the Subway routes. They even suggest a "walking tour" that you can take to visit all of the places around the Historic District (takes about 1.5 hours). When it folds out, there is about an inch margin on either side that goes past the protective cardboard cover, and the mapmakers use this space to detail information about the best hotels, restaurants and sightseeing attractions. Everything is easily legible and the legend is also easy to find.

OTHER NOTES
I liked the map so much that I wanted to buy one for when I go to Stockholm this summer, but the typical sites (Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble) garnered no results or results that had extremely high shipping charges. However, I finally found a site that sells all the Pop-Out maps available (http://www.mapeasy.com/prod_polist.html) and even charges only $2 for shipping. After contemplating paying anywhere from $11 (in the Buy New/Used part of Amazon) to $20 (Amazon.com.uk), I was happy to get it under $9 (total) from this reputable website. Also, it's easier to find every single one, since they're in a list style, on this webpage. No more searching for me! I'll always know where to look to get my next pop-out map.

This is an excellent map.
It is detailed, but the writing is clear (no need for the magnifying glass).
It has Downtown Philadelphia in a popout map on one side (which includes some of the major shopping areas!) and Historic Philadelphia in a popout map on the other side. It includes a walking tour around Independence Mall. The back has a handy at-a-glance guide to Downtown Bus & Trolley Routes.

It has all the information you will want, popout the section you need and it folds back down again and can fit in a pocket or purse.

The author does an excellent job in describing Philadelphia's former baseball parks. As someone who grew up in Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s, it brought back fond memories of Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium. You feel you were actually there as a fan in these parks, especially Baker Bowl and Shibe Park.

The author was obviously very thorogh in his research. One of the things I especially liked is that he apparently conducted numerous interviews of former players, writers, team officials and their relatives, and fans, and didn't rely solely on published materials, as some authors do. His writing style is clear, informative and very readable. I recommend the book highly. I plan to see what other books the author has written.

This book about Philadelphia's old ball parks was informative and eye catching.
Too often, old ballpark books glaze your eyes over with trivia or overwhelm you with minutia.
I was delighted to get a feeling about these ball parks, the city and the people involved with them.
The photos are great and really give you a sese of "being there".
I wish there was a book about Ebbet's Field or The Polo Grounds that was this good.
This book leads the way in how a ballpark book should be done.

Bravo Mr Westcott.

Rich Westcott's Philadelphia's Old Ballparks is a truly stupendous book about major league baseball parks in Philadelphia that no longer exist. The book focuses on Shibe Park (aka Connie Mack Stadium) and Baker Bowl (aka Philadelphia Park). Combined, these two parks housed major league baseball for a combined 113 seasons, with Shibe Park being the home of the Philadelphia A's from 1909 to 1954 and home to the Phillies from mid 1938 to 1970, and Baker Bowl being home to the Phillies from 1887 to mid 1938. The book also discusses in less detail Columbia Park, first home of the A's, Recreation Field, first home of the Phillies, other "major" league parks from the late 1800's, and some Negro League parks.

The book is loaded with interesting stories about each of the ballparks included. Many first-hand anedotes from fans and former players about Shibe Park, Baker Bowl, and even Columbia Park are included. With Baker Bowl and Shibe Park, a listing of events in each park, changes over time in each park, and features included in each park are remembered and discussed.

Mr. Westcott's book also discusses the historical significance of each ballpark, particularly Baker Bowl and Shibe Park. Baker Bowl was the first ballpark in baseball to built with steel and brick, and was the first stadium in the U.S. to use a cantilever design. It was also the last pre-steel-and-concrete-era park to be abandoned. Shibe Park was the first all steel-and-concrete park in major league baseball to be built (in 1909) and its materials and design were copied in essentially all ballparks that were built soon thereafter, including Ebbets Field, Fenway Park, and Wrigley Field.

Overall, the book is a loving tribute to the rich history of Philadelphia Major League Baseball. Fans too young to remember the parks in the book (like me) will quickly become experts on these lost ballparks, while fans who went to games at these ballparks will be reminded of their experiences. The book has inspired me to buy other books dealing with old ballparks, and about the only negative about the book is that it will point out the lack of similar books for other major league cities. This book deserves that kind of praise.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT!MY FAVORITE BALLPARK IS RECREATION PARK-THE PHILLIES FIRST FROM 1883-1886.THIS LONG FORGOTTON PARK HAS A VERY NICE CHAPTER IN THE BOOK.PICTURES OF THIS PARK ARE RARE BUT THERE IS A PARTIAL VIEW FROM THE 1884 SEASON.I HAVE BEEN A PHILLIES FAN FOR 44 YEARS AND I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!