United Kingdom Books

These are first hand accounts of men and women that lived through the first world war. It is all there--loyalty to your fellow soldiers, cowardice, indifferent heroism, terror, and the feeling of apartheid from home and family. The most striking rememberances I took from the book were the white feather incidents--where white feathers were given to soldiers out of uniform on leave in England by young women as a goad to get to the trenches.

This is the first book I've ever read in one day; 'I rest my case'.

My most lingering memory is the story of the soldier who was shot for 'losing his way' and not showing up for a battle. When offered brandy by the narrator before meeting his maker, he said he'd 'never drunk spirits and wasn't going to start now'. Not such a coward, after all.

Max Arthur's new book covering the Great War is quite unique in that its content is nearly all first-hand accounts from people who experienced the horror of the Great War. The author has utilized a number of tape recorded interviews conducted by the Imperial War Museum in 1972. Many of the tapes from the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive had been forgotten and left unheard for years.

Now Max Arthur has put together many of these unheard voices from the Great War to produce this spellbinding and captivating book. I must admit that I was reluctant to buy this book as I was worried that a book full of short accounts would be too disjointed and really not detailed enough to satisfy my interest. I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed reading this book.

Each chapter of the book was a year of the Great War and was commenced by an introduction by the author offering a brief run down on the major events of that year. Then we heard from the men and women who participated in these events, from both sides of no-man's land. The author has concentrated mainly on the Western Front and Gallipoli and has tried to run the oral segments in chronological order.

I was really taken by these segments and I found it hard to stop reading. The accounts from these soldiers and civilians alike were at times humorous, strikingly direct, horrifying and on many occasions quite sad. I was really taken in by these accounts and I don't think that any World War One library would be complete without this title sitting on the shelf. I can honestly say that I learnt quite a few things from this book and I would place it along side such works offered by Lyn MacDonald. Well done to the author and the Imperial War Museum for allowing these veterans, many now long dead, the last word on their experiences in the Great War. This is a great book, you won't be disappointed.

This book is full of fascinating wartime anecdotes given by the soldiers fighting it and the citizens involved in it. The staff of the UK's Imperial War Museum sifted through mountains of archives and picked out the very best to use in the book. Through the use of their own personal letters/interviews, the book follows the history of particular, mostly British, individuals during the war. It loosely follows the major battles of the Western Front and Gallipoli and even the Home Front.

Most of the letters vary in length between one paragraph and one page and are packed with the kind of realistic details that typical narrative histories of the World War I skip over. For example, in Gallipoli (p. 118) one soldier writes, "One of the biggest curses was flies. Millions and millions of flies. ... Immediately you bared any part of your body you were smothered." Short of actually being there, these kind of first person participant narratives deliver the essence of the war - harsh, demanding, brutal, comedic, and ocassionally surreal. The straightforward writing styles and unusual content make this book a true pleasure to read.

I have read over 40 books about the Great War, and this book is one of the best for personal narratives about the war. It's multi-person perspective delivers a well-balanced, insightful picture of the war at ground level (free of any hidden agenda). This book would perfectly complement a broad narrative history of World War I.

The Great Design: Particles, Fields, and Creation by Robert Kemp Adair is a great book of physics that explains concepts that are important such as Faraday's fields to nonphysicists and people who want to learn more. This book explained a lot and cleared up a fog of questions about physics. It describes, in short, the many concepts physicists use to try to find the universal unified field and the universal theory and equation. Major components of phsics like quantum mechanics and theories like the general and special theories of relativity are explained clearly and effectively.

What I liked most about the book is the information Adair chooses to write and the way it is put together with enhancements. This way, it adds to the experience because it helped the reader clearly understand the point Adair tries to make in each chapter. This book was great in the sense that it is easy to understand once you grasp a little meaning of the concept. But I personally felt that the chapters were too long so that it was kind of repetitive, and that this book would be better if Adair spent more space telling of other subjects in physics than emphasizing minute details on individual ones.

The Great Design was an overall good read and specially designed for people who thirst for the truth. All in all, I give it a good rating and I suggest people to read this book.

This book makes for a great introduction of particles & fields for the layman who is inclined to take on a book which surpasses the completely qualitative & popular (non-technical/historical) books that one can easily find at your local bookstore. I should clarify that this book might be seen as somewhat more than an easy introduction by the kind of reader who enjoys reading, for example, Paul Davies, John Gribbon, Steven Hawking, and Michio Kaku's popular expositions on science (physics & cosmology). From a popular science reader's perspective it could said that this book has a technical element to it in that the mathematics are present however I believe they are at an approachable level (i.e. there are no daunting calculus derivatives, integrals or other scary looking formulas). Here, let's have the author speak for himself from the preface:

"In this book I have tried to present those basic concepts of particles and fields and of space and time, as illustrated by modern physics, very much as a professional physicist understands them. I believe that these concepts are accessible to the nonprofessional - that which I can't explain to an interested layman, I must not understand properly myself. Which is not to say the ideas are so trivial that they can be understood by physicists or layman with the "attentive mind"...
The text is nonmathematical, though on occasion simple relations are expressed in algebraic forms that should be known to anyone with a high-school education. Some more complex relations that seem to be especially interesting are presented in the extensive set of footnotes. Though few of these require mathematical sophistication beyond that taught in the first few weeks of a high-school algebra course, mathematical simplicity does not translate into conceptual simplicity, and these presentations often require careful and time-consuming thought. Once written, a book has a life of it's own independent of the author's control; however I suggest that the mathematical footnotes be samples rather than consumed. There are those who can "read" mathematics like a novel, but for most of us so compact an information transfer cannot be assimilated easily and the time required to penetrate the arguments interrupts the narrative flow excessively."

Some of the nice features of "The Great Design" include plenty of intuitive examples, illustrated figures (with some decent Feynman Diagrams), important graphs and tables. I always enjoy when an author includes famous quotes at the chapter headings as Dr. Adair does. I think that you can see into the author's mind just a little more. As promised in the authors preface I quoted above, there are a generous amount of end of chapter notes referenced throughout the main text by number. Many of these offer slightly more rigorous (and technical) mathematical elucidation of the subject or just a deeper peek at the heart of the matter. So, if you are a layman like myself, I would warn you that this book might pose a challenge but a rewarding challenge nonetheless. Based on my experience with other books I have to say that a glossary would have been nice in this book but I did without.
Finally, I thought you might like a peek at the Table of Contents:

Preface.
Contents:
1. Concepts in Physics.
2. Invariance and Conservation Laws.
3. Covariance, Scalars, Vectors, and Tensors.
4. The Discrete in Nature - The Atoms of Demokritos.
5. The Continuum in Nature - Faraday's Fields.
6. The Nature of Space and Time - The Special Theory of Relativity.
7. The Equivalence Principle and the Theory General Theory of Relativity.
8. The Electromagnetic Field - The First Unified Field Theory.
9. The Problem of Change - The Second Law of Thermodynamics.
10. Quantum Mechanics - Determinism to Probability.
11. The Atom - A Quantum Laboratory.
12. Fundamental Particles and Forces - An Introduction.
13. Symmetries and Conservation Laws - CPT.
14. The Strong Interactions.
15. The Weak Interactions.
16. Cosmology - The World's Beginning and End.
17. Gauge Invariance - The Unification of Fields.
18. To the Ultimate Theory - Through a Glass Darkly.
Index.

I've really enjoyed this humble book and benefited from its comprehensive & comprehensible exposition of particle & field physics. It served my wants & needs very well. My hat is off to the author expanding my appreciation and understanding of the subject. A fantastically well-written book which is similar yet smaller (wonderfully succinct & concise) and has less mathematics is "In Search of the Ultimate Building Blocks" by Gerard 't Hooft. If you want a more popular book (no mathematics) you might want to look at "The God Particle" by Lederman & Teresi. As a final suggestion, I am compelled to insist that "The Force of Symmetry" by Vincent Icke would complement "The Great Design" very well! I've written a review of "The Force of Symmetry" as well.

Pick up a copy of "The Great Design" quickly before it goes out of print and enjoy your pursuit of knowledge (it's a wonderful adventure)!
Ciao!
IndiAndy
p.s. remember to read the other reviews as well as the book description & editorial reviews above my review.

This is the finest overview of physics for the layman or beginning physics student I have seen yet. This is not the usual history or biography based introduction but a good low-level mathematical expository on just about every current physics concept.

Perhaps the most lucid introduction to the quantum and touches of cosmology I have yet read. You can take it to many levels and go with the author and his sometimes clever, understated manner. Provides the MOST UNDERSTANDABLE explanation of the twin paradox of any of the (32) books I've read.

I'm so tired of all these yuppie cooking shows. I think that the "Two Fat Ladies" is such a refreshing breath of fresh air! Whenever I see it on the television, I stop what I'm doing and get ready to learn something and have a great laugh. I appreciate it even more now that Jennifer has passed on.- Kristina Jansz

Haggis is the legendary national dish of Scotland. It is, when well-made, surprisingly delicious. We served an excellent one to friends from Nova Scotia that we bought in Scotland, and our guests were delighted by its spicy richness.

Clarissa Disckon Wright, the witty co-host of the Two Fat Ladies cooking show, wrote this book with her wry humor but also with authority. It is an excellent work and fun to read. The illustrations are charming.

Be warned, however; making a haggis yourself is not for the faint-of-heart, nor is a detailed recipe included here--the initial stages of making haggis resemble a post-mortem more than a culinary exercise. Dickson Wright gently suggests you buy yours, as most people do. This is surprising, as she once described a recipe for beef tongue stuffed in sausage casing explaining, "just as simple really as applying a condom, though, of course, less fun."

Clarissa Dickson Wright fans will love her little book of history about one of Scotland's culinary products. Except for its whiskey, if one mentions "haggis" one immediate thinks of Scotland. The book is brief and to the point with suttle humour peppered throughout the piece. Ms. Wright shows her culinary knowledge and her well read background in this delicious piece of work.

Clarissa Dickson Wright, The Haggis: A Little History (Pelican Press, 1998)

Books like this make me wonder: what is the publishing industry thinking jacking up their prices every year, like clockwork, assuming we're going to buy this "cost of living increase" nonsense?

Clarissa Dickson Wright's The Haggis: A Little History is a small, lavishly-illustrated hardback priced such that, if the carpings of other publishers are to be believed, Pelican must have taken a major loss printing and selling it for the price they do. One would expect to see a book of this beauty selling for at least three times this price solely to break even. (Heed well, poetry fans. You're getting screwed on those fifteen-dollar trade paperbacks of less than an hundred pages. Not that you're surprised, but now you have hard evidence.)

As to the content of the book itself, it's a short essay by Dickson Wright (the surviving member of the wonderful Two Fat Ladies) on the origins, history, and popularity of the dish that has come to be associated with Scotland more than any other, though it's been said the Scots invented whiskey because they had to eat haggis. With her trademark wit and charm, Dickson Wright sheds new light on the much-maligned supersausage. Maybe even enough new light to get a few folks to try the stuff. Maybe. Folks, if you have tried scrapple and thought you were eating something akin to haggis, think again. (One word: oatmeal.)

A lovely little book. Granted, probably not for everyone, but giving a slew of these to children as birthday presents (you can remove the dust jacket; the actual book cover is just as beautiful and far more durable) may finally take the taint off the Scottish Hot Dog once and for all. ****

Today, most people know Mary Wollstonecraft for two things: her pioneering book, considered the first feminist work 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman', and her famous daughter, Mary Shelley, author of `Frankenstein'. Diane Jacobs' biography shows that Wollstonecraft was much more than her works and progeny. Born into a life of unnecessary poverty (her father wasted the family money), Wollstonecraft, from an early age, fought against the injustices she saw around her. By the time she reached adulthood, she had rejected the typical role for women in the 18th century, especially where conventional marriage was concerned; she also believed there was more to life than teaching or being a governess (the acceptable occupations for women). After trials, more poverty, and unrequited love, Wollstonecraft comes into her own when she becomes a writer and then travels to France during the revolution: here she is exposed to the wider world, serves as an education advisor in one of the revolutionary governments, and meets the love of her life, American Gilbert Imlay, by whom she has a daughter, Fanny. Although the relationship doesn't last, self-realization propels her to a mature writing style and philosophy that was unfortunately cut short by her death after giving birth to her second daughter, Mary. Jacobs does an excellent job of chronicling Mary's life and work; however, I found the beginning of the book repetitious (but then again, so was her early life), and only when Mary goes to France did I find it to be interesting. What I found fascinating was the stereotypical `female' reaction Mary has to her deteriorating relationship with Imlay: plaintive letters and even suicide attempts to get attention and keep an unfaithful (and flaky) lover with her. Jacobs has a knack for describing the supporting characters in Mary's life wonderfully: Mary's two sniping sisters, their resentment and complete lack of understanding of Mary's choices (and some of it is deserved, as many of Mary's promises to help them never came to be); Imlay, obviously good-hearted, but shallow (and surprisingly naïve - his request of William Godwin to not talk badly about him, even though he takes Fanny's support money away after Mary's death is worthy of criticism); Joseph Johnson, whose long-suffering support of Mary makes him one of the most sympathetic characters in her story; and Henry Fuseli, the painter, for whom Mary had an obsessive passion (despite the fact he was bisexual and married). Perhaps where this book falls short is in the portrait of William Godwin: not really mentioned until the middle of the book, he seems tacked on at the end; his and Mary's relationship, at times, seems one of convenience, at least for her. The most poignant part of the book, at least for me, was at the end, when Fanny, overlooked by her stepfather (and ignored by her biological father) accomplishes what her mother attempted: at 22, she travels to Wales, checks into a hotel, and commits suicide, leaving a letter hoping that her family would "have the blessing of forgetting that such a creature ever existed..." (285). It would have been fascinating to learn what this first, and possibly smarter, daughter of Wollstonecraft could have accomplished had she been given the chance.

If you are familar with Mary Shelley(or her classic book "Frankenstein") This extremely researched and well-written biography introduces you to her mother,Mary Wollenstonecraft(Godwin) A lady who was truly before her time(the late 1700's). The daughter of an abusive father and indiffrent mother,her brilliant mind enabled her to write the classic treatise "Vindication Of The Rights Of Women" while only in her 20's. She also journeyed to France and witnessed The French Revolution in all it's g(l)ory,had several passionate love affairs,one which produced a child though the father had no intention of leaving his wife and marrying her, making her a single working mother long before it was either fashionable or accepted. She married William Godwin ,(the father of the future Mary Shelley) and tragically died from complications of her childbirth at 38. Although Ms. Wollenstonecraft's life was short,it was well-lived and makes for fascinating reading that the author(Diane Jacobs) vividly brings to life with both immediacy and wit. An empowering book for woman as well as an engrossing bio for both sexes..

I had the great pleasure of reading and using Diane Jacobs' "Her Own Woman: The Life of Mary Wollstonecraft" while researching and writing my recent biography, "Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy (Corinthian Books, 2002). Vice President Aaron Burr, for all his flaws, was the first prominent American man to enthusiastically embrace and publicly endorse Wollstonectaft's radical feminist views on the equal education of women. He used her principles to give his teenage daughter, Theodosia, a "man's education" which would equip her for the three roles in life he envisioned for her: queen, president, or empress. I found Ms. Jacobs' work extremely insightful and enormously useful in understanding this woman who many cite as one of the first mothers of feminism. -- Richard N. Côté

Diane Jacobs has taken the intriguing, and sometimes tragic story of Mary Wollstonecraft and turned out a riveting account of a true pioneer. Fresh and readable, the book makes use of previously unknown sources to provide a new perspective on someone who's life was even more dramatic than her important writings. Far and away the best book on Wollstonecraft. Truely enjoyable and highly recommended.

Alexandra Johnson, who teaches writing at Harvard and Wellesley, provides us with six excellent stories about the role of the diary in the creative lives of seven prominent female writers. The chapters are arranged progressively according to both the age of the writers at the time they began writing the most celebrated parts of their journals, and to the time period in which they lived. For each chapter, Johnson slightly modifies her style to best capture the spirit of the particular writer's life, as recorded in her diary. It is a very effective narrative device, executed with remarkable precision, a style that is very difficult to carry off without sounding artificial and capricious.

The role of memoir is often underestimated outside of literary fiction, but its importance is gaining ground. One need not be an English major at some liberal arts college like Amherst, Swarthmore, Smith, Vassar, Mount Holyoke, or Sarah Lawrence, to find the subject relevant and interesting. For example, we often rely on patient memoir as medical narrative in my graduate program in biomedical ethics at the University of Maryland. History, law, and even business are focusing more attention on personal narratives now than in years past. Still, it is in the diaries of writers where we find the most inspiring stories.

In Johnson's book, the frustrations and insecurities of hailed writers are laid bare for us both in their journal excerpts and in the author's impressive ancillary research, making these past figures seem ever more human than what we usually grasp from reading their fiction. The incipient chapter on Marjory Fleming, with its occassional comparisons of the central figure to other important juvenile femmes de plume (Anne Frank and the young Bronte sisters), fills the reader with both charming amusement at how such a young girl could write like such an adult, and with awe at her gifted literary ability, which was cut so short by an early death. The next two chapters, on Sonya Tolstoy and Alice James, show us the age-old struggle of the aspiring female writer against male-imposed (both societal and familial) restrictions to her creative expression. These are among the most emotionally frustrating chapters; they often reminded me of the classes I took as a Women's Studies minor in college.

My favorite chapter is about the relationship between the great Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield, as recorded in their diaries. The way that Johnson writes about these two, one can feel the writers living and breathing, conversing and writing, fretting and maligning, praising and rejoicing in their shared and individual literary triumphs and (often self-perceived) failures. Of all the chapters, this one is a true must-read for the bookworm short on time.

The following chapter on the provocative (and promiscuous) Anais Nin reads almost like a confessional more than a biography. The most interesting points of this entry are where Nin confronts her own dishonesty within her diary's pages--the 'cardinal sin' of journal-keeping. Without saying so explicitly, Johnson shows the reader by example how important it is to keep one's diary devoid of any false stories or feelings. The last chapter on May Sarton is like smiling into the day's end--the golden years of one's life published in best-selling diaries. One is never too old to begin, I suppose.

The six chapters are capped by a prologue and epilogue, both in the form of diary entries (they may very well be) from Johnson's contemporary life. This book, unlike so many other nonfiction books of its kind out there, reads like a seamless biography that entertains, informs, and (most importantly) moves the reader to a better appreciation of the interior lives of some great (and some overlooked) female writers and diarists. It is a book for reflection on the power and value of keeping a diary (or 'journal,' for us men), and for motivation for all of us to start keeping one of our own.

What a fantastic find! This book is one of those treasures that you will never forget! A truly savoury read!

For the diarist, writer, avid reader or fan of Virginia Woolf, Anais Nin, Alice James, Katherine Mansfield, Marjory Fleming or May Sarton (or just for a lover of great writing!), this is a must-have book. I have kept a journal for nearly 20 years and have never thought much of it. In other words, it's part of me like my arm or leg is but in this book, journals are made into fascinating mirrors (or in some cases, pandora's boxes) of women writers. The author explains in great detail how each writer used her journal as a creative tool. The title "hidden writer" is somewhat misleading, as all the women in this book were published, but the "hidden" aspect perhaps refers to the private aspects of themselves they revealed only in their journals. Chapters on Katherine Mansfield and Virgina Woolf are exceptional.

Johnson's research is phenomenal, layered and her narrative skill at tying it all together is amazing. Somewhat mediumistic, she dons a slightly different voice in each chapter, to best bring the writer's diaries to life.

The book ends with a few journal entries from the author.

A fascinating, memorable read. Anyone with an interest in writing, psychology, and creativity should find this a wonderful read!

Recommended without fail!

This book examines several women writers through recent history, and how their practice of journal-keeping helped (or hindered in the case of Anais Nin) the finding of their unique voices and the moving of their private writing into the world in spite of the often huge barriers of their repressive time-periods and circumstances.

It starts in 1809 with Marjory Fleming, a six year-old Scottish prodigy whose diary became a huge success after her death at age nine from measles - and her older cousin and mentor who never published a word.

Then Sofia Tolstoy, in 1862, marries Leo Tolstoy who funnels her considerable energy and talent and intellect into scribing and organizing his own work.

In 1889, Alice James hides behind illness to avoid competing with her ambitious brothers Henry and William; she only manages to start a diary once she's a middle-aged invalid in England, far away from her famous American family. I found her story particularly haunting and appalling.

Next, Virginia Woolf and Katharine Mansfield chronicle in their journals their creative friendship and rivalry. Then there's Anais Nin in the twentieth century whose fame is secured by her bank-vault filled with less-than-truthful diaries; oddly enough, her fixation on her diaries keeps her from breaking through with a successful work of fiction.

Last comes May Sarton who goes where no one has gone before and writes with great candor about old age and solitude. The book is written in a scholarly, yet fluid, style that pulls you along. Very interesting.

This is a great book on one of the great private jewelry collections of all time. The images in this book are the benchmark for this kind of book and the text is highly informative. The Duchess had impeccable taste and the Duke indulged her at every turn. Not a piece this woman owned was anything but the epitomy of elan and elegance, it was no wonder that her jewel auction brought out royals and the famous, I especially appreciated the breathtaking Prince of Wales feather's broach bought by Elizabeth Taylor, no surprise that this woman of singular taste would buy the best piece from the collection of a lady with dare I say even better taste. Great book, highly recommended.

I adore this book! It's an oversize publication which increases the beauty of the photography. The photos of the Duchess'jewelry are breathtaking, and it also provides a full account of the famed auction, including the amounts paid for the jewelry. There are great pictures of celebrities who purchased some of the pieces. There's even a stunning photo of Liz Taylor wearing the Prince of Wales Plume Pin for which she paid over $500,000. It also recounts the story of their lives along with pictures, including copies of newspaper clippings during the abdication. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Duke and Duchess or the forthcoming auction of the Windsor's household possessions at Sothebys. This book is the jewel in my collection of royal books!

THE JEWELS OF THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR 1st edition,is a lush vicarious view of the golden age of royalty. The illustrations are breathtaking, done by some of the world's most famous photographers including Lord Snowdon..a marvelous addition to any collection.

THE JEWELS OF THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR 1st edition,is a lush vicarious view of the golden age of royalty. The illustrations are breathtaking, done by some of the world's most famous photographers including Lord Snowdon..a marvelous addition to any collection.

This is a very good story, and well told, even if ghost written.

Oddly, it casts the Duke of Windsor in a poor light, and indicates why, quite apart from the marriage question, he was a bad King. Who can read without wincing his account of how he abruptly cut short the presentations of debutantes to him at Buckingham Palace because it started to rain? This was the high point of perfectly harmless society ladies' lives, and he not only walked out in the middle, but caustically observes that he cannot understand why anyone was upset.

And then there is the peculiar passage where he says that he worked out that it would take nearly a month for bodies like the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and others, to present their loyal addresses, so he insisted on them all being done in one day, in one batch, because he could not be bothered to respond to all of them individually. Yet this was his job as a constitutional monarch!

A welcome feature of the book is that it stops at the moment of abdication. Although this means that he doesn't have to explain his conduct during the lead up to the war, and during the war (which is, however, documented in the Duchess of Windsor's memoirs), it does focus the book almost entirely on his upbringing as a Prince, and on the abdication, which are the most interesting things about him.

Well worth reading.

The Duke of Windsor wrote this book in the 1950s while living in Paris. Reading it you begin to get some sense that for all his faults here was an individual of extraordinary personal charm. It was certainly a singular life. Here was a boy who was led to believe he would inherit the throne of the greatest empire on earth but who ends up as a sad fixture on the international cocktail party circuit in the arms of an ageing American divorcee of uncertain past. What happened! The anecdotal style of this simply written book is very enjoyable to read. The passing of the certainties of the Victorian age, the Edwardian twilight, World War I, the thrill of all things new and American in the 20s and 30s: the would be Edward VIII is a uniquely placed witness. History increasingly casts the Duke and his bride as ridiculous even sinister figures. This book helps you to remember that they were human too, falliable, and at the mercy of political and world historical forces beyond their control.

The greatest love story of our century is an understatement.
A King's Story is well known to be ghost written for the Duke and even with constant prodding, he suffered from selective memory.
He seems to forget all his previous "friendships", those familiar with the saga will know this means the married women in his life before Wallis. A great addition to royal book collection, but if you are looking for the facts, hunt them down in Donaldson book. Companion book is the Duchess Heart has it's reasons. Maybe they should have gotten together so the facts in each book matched.

It is quite a sad testament to our times that there are very few true gentlemen left these days. Civility is indeed going the way of the do-do bird, and the days of gents like David Nivens, Cary Grant, Cole Porter, Sean Connery and the good Duke here, are slowly fading into obscurity. That need not be the case and, hopefully, there are few out there who still feel as do I, that it need not completely die. Perhaps if more read the memoirs here, they will become inspired and such a dream can become realized.

The memoirs themselves are quite extraordinary and give one fantastic insight into this legendary gentleman and family. Reading other reviews that quibble over "selective" memory of the Duke, I can only surmise that these come from the very same individuals who grab the latest issues of "In Touch" and whatever other gossip periodicals they can grasp, only to "learn" the inside dirt on various celebs and noteworthy individuals. If that's what you are truly after in the first place, then this is definitely not for you and you should just stick to reading the by-lines or scanning the photos of the tabloids. Otherwise, if you'd like to get a peek into a life of grandeur and civility, and perhaps some tips on how to bring a modicum of dignity to your own, then this is for you.

Enjoy.

If you want to be inspired to really make a difference in the world, read this book. I had trouble putting it down. Bart Campolo connects powerful stories & the good news of Jesus in ways that challenge common views of what it means to really follow Christ. This book is about how to recognize who Jesus is and where he can be found.

The day I picked up this book, I read it from cover to cover. It gives you a sense of the day-to-day concerns of the young people who are living, for Jesus, in places where they're not allowed to go out at night because of the danger of the neighborhoods, of the people they're meeting and caring for, of the failures as much as the successes, of the doubts probably more than the certainties of Bart Campolo, who directs the ministry. In the final analysis, it gives Christians who are facing much less difficult ministries-of-daily-life feel inspired and, especially, not so alone with the questions.

I actually participated in the program that Bart got a lot of these stories from. Not only an amazing program, but Bart's chosen a good selection of stories from people's experiences in the inner-cities of America. Frightening situations, heart-melting situations.... A great compilation of short, encouraging stories. Very honest. Very real.

Kingdom Works provides an accurate and powerful introduction to the realities, challenges, and rewards of living and serving as disciples of Jesus among the poor in inner-city neighborhoods. A must read for anyone considering living and/or ministering in the inner-city.

This book reveals a lot about life as a rock musician. Genya Ravan is a Rock & Roll Queen, and this book is a must for a peek into the 60's and 70's rock world. Genya lived it & tells it all, from her many incarnations as a musician with the FIRST all female rock band, Goldie & The Gingerbreads , lead singer of Ten Wheel Drive, solo artist, & record producer . If that isn't enough, how about starting your life as a prisoner of the Nazi's and escaping with her parents & sister, sharing beds & buses with Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck & others, and reaching the depths of drug addiction & surviving cancer. Genya Ravan is an extraordinary woman, and she tells honest tales that will make you see how it was for one of the original women in rock & roll.

You should read the book, if you were a fan of the Ten Wheel Drive. But you could read it, too, if you are just and simply looking forward to a great story. Just when it becomes incredible, commence to listen to some of her music (you wanted that all the time, you notice)...

It blows you away, no matter what we choose to write, here.

This fascinating book covers the life of Genya Ravan, who, among other things, founded Goldie and the Gingerbreads, the first all female rock band that played their own instruments, fronted the ground breaking rock band with horns Ten Wheel Drive, recorded multiple solo albums and was the first female major label record producer. The story is an exhilarating roller coaster ride which begins in a concentration camp, takes you through rock stardom, drug addiction and finally recovery from cancer. Along the way many famous icons of rock history are described first hand and Genya's experiences should make for a real page turner for any fan of rock music as well as an inspirational story which can be appreciated by all.

This book is just incedible. I've been a fan of Ten Wheel Drives Brief Replies & her (just rereleased) Urban Desire & And I Mean it albums, but I was not expecting the intense story about to unfold before my eyes. Holocaust survivor, first all girl band, first woman music producer ect. Does it realy take a hit record to recognize a true original? You must buy this book & get blown away! Also go to www.genyaravan.com SHE'S NOT DONE YET!

Perfect for Map Lovers or just for Navigating your way around the many small streets, mews and byways of London. Easy to use and as complete a street guide as you will find.

...it must be good! When I spent some time in London, I got this book based on the recommendations of several Londoners. It truly took me everywhere. And, it's in bookstore and cornershops around London too. That's a testament to it's use and reliability. I'm going again soon and intend on purchasing the newest version!

London A-Z, (pronounced "A to Zed" in the UK), is the essential guide to navigating the complex maze of streets that makes up London. This atlas contains every street, alley, passageway and cul-de-sac in the city, and you can't do without it if you live in, or intend to seriously explore the city.

The true testament to the quality of the atlas: It's the one thing you'll find in every delivery van, taxi cab and potential house-finder's car.

If you do not want to get lost in London - buy one of these!! -they are invaluable to finding tube stations, Post Offices, Train Stations and for even just trying to figure out where you have ended up! I lived in London for 3 years and I still use one, every street is included so that wherever you end up you can quickly and easliy find your way. It also lists all the Post Codes, because some addresses in London may be just listed as SW7 - and to find out WHERE that is you can just look at the front map refeence or in the back index. Every street and tube station is listed in the index..and there is a handy Underground Tube Map on the back - ALL you need in London! Much easier to use than a map.