The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers

Book Description

THE DEFINITIVE DOSSIER ON HISTORY’S MOST HEINOUS!

Hollywood’s make-believe maniacs like Jason, Freddy, and Hannibal Lecter can’t hold a candle to real life monsters like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and scores of others who have terrorized, tortured, and terminated their way across civilization throughout the ages. Now, from the much-acclaimed author of Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved, comes the ultimate resource on the serial killer phenomenon.

Rigorously researched and packed with the most terrifying, up-to-date information, this innovative and highly compelling compendium covers every aspect of multiple murderers—from psychology to cinema, fetishism to fan clubs, “trophies” to trading cards. Discover:

WHO THEY ARE: Those featured include Ed Gein, the homicidal mama’s boy who inspired fiction’s most famous Psycho, Norman Bates; Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, sex-crazed killer cousins better known as the Hillside Stranglers; and the Beanes, a fifteenth-century cave-dwelling clan with an insatiable appetite for human flesh

HOW THEY KILL: They shoot, stab, and strangle. Butcher, bludgeon, and burn. Drown, dismember, and devour . . . and other methods of massacre too many and monstrous to mention here.

WHY THEY DO IT: For pleasure and for profit. For celebrity and for “companionship.” For the devil and for dinner. For the thrill of it, for the hell of it, and because “such men are monsters, who live . . .
beyond the frontiers of madness.”

PLUS: in-depth case studies, classic killers’ nicknames, definitions of every kind of deviance and derangement, and much, much more.

For more than one hundred profiles of lethal loners and killer couples, Bluebeards and black widows, cannibals and copycats— this is an indispensable, spine-tingling, eye-popping investigation into the dark hearts and mad minds of that twisted breed of human whose crimes are the most frightening . . . and fascinating.

Customer Reviews:

Killers.......2007-05-28

Great book. I work in law enforcement so a lot of this I could tell if real or immaginary. I thought this was an interesting read.

Scary Stuff.......2007-05-18

I have not read any books about serial killers before. This one seems pretty good. Easy to read right before bed (and then easy to have nightmares).

good .......2007-03-31

one of the best serial killer books i've read, only problem i had was the repetitive information that happened occasionally, and he uses the word "unspeakable" every other page or so and that was a bit annoying haha. but otherwise it's very informative and detailed. i would reccommend this!

The Ultimate Book on Serial Killers.......2007-03-16

When I ordered this book, I wasn't sure what I would be getting. I started reading and it didn't take long to realize that this book was incredible. Details, details, details! Updates, graphic descriptions, and plenty of information! It scared the hell out of me, too. If you're looking for some easy, but priceless reading, this book is the book for you!

Awesome True Crime book!.......2007-01-05

Harold Schechter is by far one of the best True Crime writers. He presents thorough research and makes every sentence interesting. All of his true crime books are worth reading!

The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability

Average customer rating:

An Important Document
Great overview of Pinochet
Very Dark Time in U.S. History
"A handful were regrettably persecuted and tortured."
El Pueblo Unido...

The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability
Peter Kornbluh
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet
Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala
A Lexicon of Terror: Argentina and the Legacies of Torture (Oxford World's Classics)
Shattered Hope
The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes: Chile (Breakdown of Democratic Regimes)

ASIN: 1565849361

Book Description

Updated with newly declassified documents, a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2003.

When first published last year on the thirtieth anniversary of the Chilean coup, Peter Kornbluh's The Pinochet File was hailed on the editorial page of the New York Times —no doubt to the aggravation of Henry Kissinger and all those who would deny the U.S. role in undermining Chilean democracy and supporting the advent of General Pinochet's brutal dictatorship. "Thanks to Peter Kornbluh," Marc Cooper wrote, "we have the first complete, almost day-to-day and fully documented record of this sordid chapter in Cold War American history."

Peter Kornbluh led the campaign for the declassification of some 24,000 secret CIA, White House, NSC, and Defense Department records on Chile. The paperback edition includes new information and documents released since the hardcover went to press. This material is incorporated into a powerful retelling of the events that Newsweek magazine calls "a remarkable reconstruction of the secret U.S. foreign policy that transformed Chile into a dictatorship."

Customer Reviews:

An Important Document.......2007-02-05

"The Pinochet File" exposes in stunning detail the truth behind the infamous September 11, 1973 coup against the elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile and the United States' guilt in the event. Peter Kornbluh has produced a vast, important, priceless document about how the United States happily sponsored the destruction of democracy in a small South American country and helped install a dictatorship of death and terror. This is a horror story, no question, and it must indeed have been frightening to live in Chile during the reign of Augusto Pinochet if you were a free thinker. Kornbluh shows disclassified documents that detail how the CIA, under orders by President Richard Nixon (who else?), conducted covert operations in Chile to destroy the country's economy once Allende, a socialist, was elected president. Of course the White House could not accept a socialist government in the Americas, much less an ELECTED one. Henry Kissinger is reported here as stating that we should not allow countries to go Communist because of the irresponsibility of their own people, a chilling look into the thinking processes of men not only like Kissinger and Nixon, but like Bush and Cheney. In a sense that is the most important aspect of this book, the way it is still so relevant to our current situation in the world. The April 2002 coup in Venezuela against Hugo Chavez's government, which luckily failed, has all the fingerprints of U.S. involvement, much like the Chile case. Kornbluh meticulously documents both the rise and fall of Allende and the installment of the vicious military junta headed by Pinochet. Kornbluh goes on to report on the various detention centers and concentration camps spread through-out Chile during the regime's years in power, including Colonia Dignidad, an infamous German community said to house Nazi war criminals where Pinochet made alliances to use the spot as a horrific torture center. One of the most surprising chapters in the book, which will be a revelation to many readers unfamiliar with the Chilean story, is the one dealing with American citizens who were unfortunate enough to be in Chile during the coup and were either arrested, tortured or killed. The infamous Operation Condor is described here as well, a clandenstine terrorist network set-up by the military dictatorships of Chile and Argentina to kill any resistance in the hemisphere, all of this ignored by the CIA. "The Pinochet File" will shock many, anger others, it is a darker chapter of not just Latin American history but of our own as well. In a time when we are asking questions about terrorism and foreign policy, it is important to look into the not so distant past because it will tell us how we got here.

Great overview of Pinochet.......2007-01-02

This book provides all of the relevant documents on Pinochet and is an excellent addition to a study of Chile. Pinochet was a brutal dictator who held his country hostage with the support of the United States. If you are looking for a book that covers this time period I would recommend A nation of Enemies. If you are looking fore the original research though this book cannot be beat.

Very Dark Time in U.S. History.......2006-04-01

After September 11th 2001 the big question on the mind of American's was, `Why do they hate us?' Although the bloody military coup of Gen. Augusto Pinochet was over 30 years ago (ironically September 11th 1973) the lessons and ramifications still resound today. The main villain of the story is Nixon National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger but more so it's the belief that a purity of ideology trumps all other foreign relations concerns. Kissinger is quoted as saying "We [the United States] set the limits of diversity" and in Chile allowing a democratically elected Socialist to remain in power was unacceptable. The author writes, "This would be the first record of an American president [Nixon] ordering the overthrow of a democratically elected government".

I am no fan of neo-conservativism but one aspect of the movement I can appreciate is the desire to merge foreign policy with morality. Whether this has actually occurred is a debate for another book. Kissinger took such an amoral approach to foreign policy with his `realpolitik' that it's no wonder so many people around the world despise the United States. The United States did everything it could, including imposing economic sanctions using the World Bank, financing propaganda and fostering discontent among the military in order to bring down popularly elected president Salvador Allende. The goal was to wreck the economy and create conditions for a right wing takeover. So desperate to destroy Allende were Kissinger and Nixon that the CIA formed a working relationship with Patria y Libertad, a self-proclaimed neo-fascist paramilitary group that engaged in acts of terrorism including bombings who modeled themselves after Hitler's Brownshirts. After the violent coup that cost the lives of thousands of Chileans the U.S. government supported the brutally repressive Pinochet regime by reopening the spigot of foreign money and even selling military hardware while Pinochet's supporters rounded up and executed leftists. Chile wasn't just supported by the U.S. it was favored to the point where it was receiving 80% of all Title I Food for Peace in Latin America and $30 million from AID in housing guarantees compared to $4 million for the rest of Central and South America. Chile became the fifth largest customer of U.S. military weaponry falling just behind Iran.

There were at least as many people in government against what the United States was doing as for and the Republican leadership felt compelled to deliver endless and blatant lies to Congress in order to cover up their actions. This was a nasty, filthy piece of work that did incredible damage to the credibility of the United States and its place as a moral guidepost for emerging countries. So now Chile has come full circle with the election of Socialist Veronica Michelle Bachelet Jeria to the presidency. Venezuelian president Hugo Chavez has already learned that the United States still intends to set the limits of diversity with a U.S. backed coup attempt in 2002.

This is such an important book and if more American's were aware of history we might be less inclined to automatically blame others and spend more time correcting our own moral failings. When American's remain ignorant they become confused by the anger and resentment of others particularly in South America and the Middle East because people in those regions remember American actions quite well. This is not a blame America book but it is a look at actions that no American should be proud of. Chile is but one example of an amoral U.S. foreign policy and the more American's become aware the more we can improve in the future.

"A handful were regrettably persecuted and tortured.".......2006-03-09

In his review of "The Pinochet File" below, Mr. Ryan Setleiff blithely concedes that a "handful were regrettably persecuted and tortured." Viewing life through rose colored glasses allows one to summarily dismiss the history of mayhem and death that have been the result of shoring up corrupt client regimes worldwide through force of arms, and, tutelage in the methods of torture.

While--state--interests (protecting overseas investments) can be seen as having served in the overthrow and murder of President Allende, perhaps a little diplomacy, and, a great deal more of urging our favorite dictatorial regimes to extend the franchise to the "least among (them)" would forestall the appeal of the very "leftist" movements Mr. Setleiff and others dismiss so readily.

Rather than fostering the lining of corrupt official's pockets (on-deposit in Manhattan) by force of arms, and, through state-torture, American interests would be better served through broadening the franchise of prosperity by way of inclusion through economic development. (inclusion, incorporation, cooptation, etc.) Nothing other than economic development--a shared stake fostering an obligation to an ordered society--has ever worked.

Any rigorous libertarian historian soundly condemns state torture. In "The Pinochet File" the proof is in the pudding.

El Pueblo Unido..........2005-05-19

This book is heavy reading -- heavy in the sense that it helps to fill in a missing part of American and world history. It can be a bit overwhelming, like any good history book, but we are nevertheless indebted to Peter Kornbluh for his hard work in bringing this hidden history to light.

History shows us today that the U.S. government was not so much worried about stemming the tide of communism in Chile as it was concerned that other nations, especially in Latin America, would be inspired enough by the "independent, rational socialist state" under Chilean President Salvador Allende to try something similar on their own. Witness this statement in Kornbluh's book from a secret Nov. 5, 1970 memo that Henry Kissinger prepared for then-president Richard Nixon (three years before the Pinochet coup): "In fact, as noted, an 'independent' rational socialist state linked to Cuba and the USSR can be even more dangerous for our long-term interests than a very radical regime."

This book's historical value is undeniable. It would have been good if Kornbluh could have shared more copies of the secret documents and less of the story narrative. But this book, as it stands, is excellent. Highly recommended.

SOE SYLLABUS: Lessons in Ungentlemanly Warfare, World War II (Secret History Files)

Average customer rating:

Technical yet interesting account of SOE training at Camp X

SOE SYLLABUS: Lessons in Ungentlemanly Warfare, World War II (Secret History Files)
Denis Rigden
Manufacturer: Public Record Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Get Tough

ASIN: 190336518X

Book Description

As the regular forces rebuilt after their escape from Dunkirk, Britain began striking back at Nazi Germany through a small number of strategically placed spies and saboteurs, the Special Operations Executive. Britain's Public Record Office now reveals much new information, particularly about the training of agents. This heavily illustrated work includes actual training manuals used during World War II.

Customer Reviews:

Technical yet interesting account of SOE training at Camp X.......2003-05-14

A very interesting book full of information that you will in all odds never use.

However, we need to remember the past. The SOE did not set Europe ablaze as Churchill had hoped but undoubtedly made a difference in the second world war. The training methods developed at Camp X still have a strong influence today. I have seen some of the hand to hand combat techniques in newer publications reproduced almost word for word. A variation Fairbairn's knife technique is still taught in the military.

Much of the information is adaptable to day to day life. Being aware of ones situation, how to find out if you are being followed and what to do about it and other situations are covered. While none of us will probably have to kill a brothel full of German solders it is still rather interesting to see how it would be done.

Don't expect smooth readability. This is a collection of technical documents and reads like it. It is not entertaining style but still a fascinating record of one of the most interesting sections of history.

How to be a Spy (Secret History Files)
Average customer rating:

SOE TRADECRAFT SECRETS

How to be a Spy (Secret History Files)
Denis Rigden
Manufacturer: Dundurn Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

International Spy Museum's Handbook of Practical Spying (International Spy Museum)

The Spycraft Manual: The Insider's Guide to Espionage Techniques

Running A Ring Of Spies: Spycraft And Black Operations In The Real World Of Espionage

The Safe House

Ultimate Spy

ASIN: 1550025058

Book Description

In the early years of World War II, Special Operations Executive (SOE) set up top secret training schools to instruct prospective agents in the art of being a spy. By the end of 1941, an international network of schools was in operation in secluded locations ranging from the Scottish Highlands to Singapore and Canada. How to Be a Spy reproduces the extensive training manuals used to prepare agents for their highly dangerous missions behind enemy lines. The courses cover a variety of clandestine skills including disguise, surveillance, burglary, interrogation, close combat, and assassination - everything needed to wreak havoc in occupied Europe. Secret History Files is an exciting series from The National Archives that puts covert history in readers' hands. Dossiers previously classified as 'Top Secret' are now available, with an introduction and background analysis by expert historians.

Customer Reviews:

SOE TRADECRAFT SECRETS.......2004-12-16

I would have given this 5 stars but, the description for this book failed to say that it is the soft cover re-titled, reprinted version of the 2001 hard cover book "SOE Syllabus - Lessons in ungentlemanly warfare, World War II" by Denis Rigden. I have bought so many books that have been reprinted and re-titled and it just fires me up. So be aware so you do not waste unnecessary money like I did. As for the content, the book is declassified training notes, outlines and instruction in the many facets of secret warfare. Some of the subjects are;

Irregular Warfare
Disguise Techniques
Surveillance
Agent recruiting
Burglary
Interrogation
Agent Covers
Agent Cell organization
Resistance
Subversion
Sabotage
Propaganda
Codes And Ciphers
Secret Inks
Fieldcraft and Tracking
Demolitions
Hand-to-Hand Combat
Weapons Training
Physical Training

This is just a sample of the material covered. This book is ideal for researches, historians and military enthusiasts. This is the same program of instruction that the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner to the CIA and Green Berets) was trained with at Camp-X in Canada. Great historical source.

Encyclopedia of War Crimes And Genocide (Facts on File Library of World History)

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Encyclopedia of War Crimes And Genocide (Facts on File Library of World History)
Leslie Alan Horvitz , and Christopher Catherwood
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series

ASIN: 0816060010

The Einstein File: J. Edgar Hoover's Secret War Against the World's Most Famous Scientist

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Shockingly Relevant Today
More than a theory
Unusual suspects

The Einstein File: J. Edgar Hoover's Secret War Against the World's Most Famous Scientist
Fred Jerome
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Einstein on Race And Racism
Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology
J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets
Albert Einstein: A Biography
Einstein - Peace Now!: Visions and Ideas

ASIN: 0312316097

Amazon.com

From 1933 until 1955, the Federal Bureau of Investigation compiled a 2,000-page file on Albert Einstein, hoping to "destroy" his immense stature by linking him to Soviet espionage activities. At one point, not long before the scientist's death, a serious attempt was made to have him deported. This alarming campaign--responsible in large part for Einstein's exclusion from the Manhattan Project--is the subject of Fred Jerome's The Einstein File. Einstein's disloyalty, in the FBI's view, was clearly evidenced by his adamant political stances. He was a socialist, a pacifist (though he advocated war with Germany), and an outspoken foe of McCarthyism, nuclear war, and racism. Jerome's skillful narrative weaves the file's hateful (and often ludicrously inaccurate) entries with American political history, creating an invaluable context for both Einstein's views and the FBI's actions. Further, Jerome points to the more recent "sanitizing" of Einstein, from angry activist to "genial, absent-minded professor." This is a fascinating, compelling tale, one that reads like the strangest of fictions. --H. O'Billovich

Book Description

From the legendary physicist's arrival in America in 1933 until his death in 1955, Hoover's FBI-with help from several other federal agencies-made an all-out attempt to undermine Albert Einstein's influence and destroy his prestige. In this fascinating book, Fred Jerome tells the story of that smear campaign, and the reasons behind it-Einstein's convictions as a pacifist, socialist, internationalist, and denouncer of racism. Deftly weaving information from Einstein's recently declassified 2,000-plus-page FBI file with historical details of the period, The Einstein File offers the first detailed picture of Einstein's moral and political views, as well as a damning portrait of those who tried to punish him for them.

Customer Reviews:

Shockingly Relevant Today.......2006-02-10

This is a must read book for many reasons. We have allowed J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy's abuses of power to slip quietly into fuzzy memory. We have failed to learn from history and are now condemned to repeat it.

Einstein emerges in this book as far more than a smart mathematician. He was a good and wise man. That so much of our government's power was engaged in an effort to discredit him is frightening.

Einstein experienced the Nazi's rise to power first hand. He could see the similarities between their anti-Semitism and our own racism. He had seen the Nazis attack the Communists and quash dissent. Einstein was a long time Pacifist, but he supported the war against the Nazis, even to the point of suggesting to FDR that we develop the Atomic Bomb before Hitler could.

Einstein was never a Communist. He valued his freedom of thought and expression too much. He saw how dangerous narrow nationalism could be and that it could threaten democracy. Einstein and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt were strong supporters of the United Nations and Human Rights. This earned both extensive FBI files, along with Martin Luther King Jr., whose Civil Rights efforts were also seen as a threat by Hoover.

After World War II, Nazis were eagerly embraced as anti-Communists and recruited into the growing "intelligence community". Einstein, an avowed Socialist, was feared to be, if not actually "Red" at least "Pink", and not to be trusted. If he had not been so well known and loved, he would surely have been stripped of his citizenship and deported. Hoover certainly tried. Fortunately for Einstein, there was no real evidence at all against him, just allegations from completely unreliable sources, innuendo and irrational fear.

Today, the flames of irrational fear are again being fanned in our country. Fear is again being used to justify injustice and erode our civil liberties. Everyone should read this book, and take it as a warning.

More than a theory.......2002-11-11

The Einstein File by Fred Jerome, quickly dispels the poplar image
of Albert Einstein as an absentminded, head-in-the-clouds-genius.

Though Einstein is arguably the most widely covered, continuing
science story in history and is most noted for his scientific
theories that transformed our view of the universe. This book
chronicles the life of an Einstein that the masses knew nothing
about. An Einstein described as a troublemaker, an agitator, a
fervent pacifist, a socialist, and an open critic of racism.

Einstein arrived in the United States in 1933, the year of
the Nazi's ascent to power in Germany, and became the focus of
J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. And by any means necessary the FBI amassed
a 'file cabinet' of information on him. Fred Jerome stumbled on
documents that addressed Einstein as a Spy and a Kidnap Plotter.
And a dossier where Jerome discovered the political dimension of
Albert Einstein's life and his intense commitment to social justice.

Jerome says when he realized how much had not been told to us about
the life of the 'Man of the Century', he felt as though he had been
robbed. This is not another biography of Einstein, some two hundred
have already been written. It is a window opened by the FBI on the
nature of Einstein's politics, the depth of his public involvement,
and the generosity of his endorsements of organizations he supported.
And it is this activism that made Hoover's Bureau consider Einstein

dangerous. This book reveals information that makes one think the
history we know is sanitized, and what we don't know is at times
appalling. It talks of a 'list' maintained by the FBI on celebrities,
political figures and anyone thought to have affiliatiions with the
Communist Party. It underscores the dangers that can arise, and the
rule of law that exists in times of obsession with national security.
And it creates questions on where the line should be drawn on the issue
of an invasion of privacy. This one will make you take a seat.

Reviewed by aNN Brown

Unusual suspects.......2002-07-15

Einstein was a troublemaker, the author informs us at the beginning of this book detailing, armed with the 1800 pages of files released by the FOIA, with Hoover's Albert-paranoia in action, aimed at the great scientist, especially in the years of the Red Scare, McCarthyism, and the Cold War. The public image of the greatest scientist of the twentieth century has been carefully manicured, but behind the teddy bear was a determined activist on many fronts, who fell afoul of not only the Nazis, but of the FBI. Einstein's valiant stands on social justice, racism, antisemitism, war, peace, and the Bomb barely enter public consciousness through the layers of the myth. The record of Hoover's manipulations and skullduggeries is almost pathetic in its pickiun character, next also to its bungling and misinformation. It is, for example, discouraging to watch how Einstein is deprived of security clearance, lest a man with such a reputation and global popularity be, we suspect the motive, able to influence or speak out from the inside on the use of the first atom bomb. The portrait left of the reactionary and racist Hoover at the head of a critical institution pursuing this biased and incomprehending agenda is nothing less than appalling. The portrait of Einstein's deep social concerns (read a triffle 'leftist') in action is the real man, please.

Average customer rating:

Thought provoking
Not a work of scholarship
maybe a thriller, surely not a biography
Riveting...Then Boring
A great addition to Holocaust literature

Nazi Hunter: The Wiesenthal File
Alan Levy
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Holocaust | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Simon Wiesenthal: A Life in Search of Justice
The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Newly Expanded Paperback Edition)
THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT
The Real Odessa: How Peron Brought the Nazi War Criminals to Argentina
Justice Not Vengeance: Recollections

ASIN: 078671090X

Book Description

This is the remarkable story of a man who has become a legend in his own lifetime. Simon Wiesenthal spent four and a half years in Mauthausen concentration camp during the Second World War. With the exception of his wife, all his immediate family were exterminated, and he himself ended the war a living skeleton. Since then, he has achieved international renown for his tireless tracking down of Nazi war criminals—including his capture of Eichmann, the “desk murderer” who masterminded Hitler’s Final Solution, and Stangl the overlord of Treblinka—and for his pursuit of Mengele of Auschwitz, the dreaded “Angel of Death.” To this day his work continues, his motivation simply expressed in the words: “Justice, not vengeance.” The accounts of inspired detective work that lie behind Wiesenthal’s successful apprehension of the fugitives reads as excitingly as any thriller, but Alan Levy’s book is much more than that. It is an award-winning examination of the work of one of the greatest Jewish figures of the twentieth century. 8 pages of black-and-white photographs bring to life this gripping account of the life-long pursuit of justice by the man who declared “So long as the criminals are free, the war has not ended for me.” “Wiesenthal has played his part in a disturbing episode of post-war history. [A] readable and intelligent book.”—The Times (London)

Customer Reviews:

Thought provoking.......2007-04-12

This is an unusually well written book. The sections on Weisenthal's early years are fascinating, but ultimately, this is not a biography, as it is the story of Weisenthal's " clients " which is the most haunting. Don't agree with other reviewers that the book is non critical of Weisenthal - within a supportive framework, the author makes it quite clear just how hopelessly wrong Weisenthal got it on Mengele, and there are plenty of quotes from his detractors, including leading Jews.

One of the best books on the Holocaust and its aftermath I have read.

Not a work of scholarship.......2006-07-22

This book is well intentioned and should certainly be read, but it is not a work of scholarship. It is poorly written too. It is frustrating.

The book does not live up to its title. The author reveals little of Wiesenthal's files. For that, it is recommended you turn to Wiesenthal's books.

The book is poorly structured, bounding together several biographical entries, largely unconnected with one another. Some entries span a few pages, others span over one hundred. The main entries concern Eichmann, Wallenberg, Mengele, Stangl. Raoul Wallenberg the hero finds himself squeezed between mass murderers Eichmann and Mengele.

This is the sort of book that makes you want to read more, to look up details, to check facts, to find out more. It creates needs more than it satisfies them. It is a frustrating book.

The book is well intentioned, but poorly written. It consists of a string of assertions that are not backed up by references. It suffers from the weaknesses of an eyewitness account, except that the writer, Alan Levy, has not witnessed anything himself. And he does not tell us where his facts come from.

In several places, Alan Levy corrects Simon Wiesenthal. Wiesenthal's writings are full of mistakes, we are told. Alan Levy compares the two versions of Wiesenthal's memoirs to show how his views have changed over time. He corrects this or that assertion, but because he never tells us where his facts come from, this is a useless exercise bordering on the profane.

Simon Wiesenthal was not a scholar and he has often been wrong. But this is mostly because he relied on eyewitnesses' accounts and anonymous denunciations. It is also because, driven as he was by a desire to bring to justice nazi mass murderers, his strategy was to keep the hunt alive by publicizing believeable nazi spottings as well as not-so-believeable spottings. What reasons does Alan Levy have for writing such a sloppy book?

This is a frustrating book because it is full of facts we would like to check, but cannot because there are no references to the sources.

Turn instead to: Raoul Wallenberg, by Sharon Linnea. Into That Darkness: From Mercy Killing to Mass Murder, by Gitta Sereny (this is a biography of Stangl). Mengele: The Complete Story, by Gerald L. Posner. Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, by Hannah Arendt. The Sunflower, by Simon Wiesenthal.

maybe a thriller, surely not a biography.......2006-04-02

I was quite disappointed by this book (I hesitated between 2 and 3 stars, and finally opted for 2, to balance the enthusiastic reviews that this book gets)
When I started reading it, i had great expectations. Here was a book that would tell me the story of Simon wiesenthal, a survivor of the Holocaust that swore to hunt Nazi around the world, and bring them in front of justice.
The description of wartime and the horror of concentration camps is quite good (although anything written by Primo Levi is much better). The wartime life of wiesenthal himself is well described, although it sounds a little romanticized. It could have set the ground to understand what drove this man in his postwar hunt. But that's where the disappointment comes : it doesn't. The book goes back and forth between a mere collection of facts and a blindly admirative account of Wiesenthal's life. Whatever Wiesenthal says is right, whatever Wiesenthal does is great. What this book lacks is independant investigation. The author seems to be satisfied with Wiesenthal accounts on pretty much everything in the book. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say Wisenthal lied on anything. But a biograph should not rely solely on the testimonies of his subject. And when he does quote somebody else, the quote is not properly referenced (there is a certain flakiness in Levy's journalistic methods).
Rather than giving fuzzy criticism, let's look at one particular example:
Page 136 is symptomatic of the lazy writing in this book : the first part of the page is a long citation of Annah Arendt, explaining how Eichman got out of Europe after the war (Levy doesn't give the reference of the quote). Then he goes on to quote an ecclesiast who helped Eichman getting out, testifying how he didn't realized that the person he was helping was a Nazi (Levy also ironizes about the fake innocence of the priest). Here, once again, we don't know where the quote is coming from. Did Levy directly asked the ecclesiast ? I doubt. More probably Levy got this quote from Wiesenthal himself (probably from one of his books). This is symptomatic from this book : it comes so close from a direct testimony of Wiesenthal that he even forgets to remind us when he actually is quoting him. So then, why not just reading one of Wiesenthal's books instead?
This is just an example taken randomly. Other -more serious- points on which Levy doesn't take much distance from Wiesenthal include :
-when Wiesenthal proposed that Eichman be dressed a a Nazi during his trial (page 156, Levy qualifies this idea as "emotionally right", I personally find it grotesque)
-On the controversy between Wiesenthal and Israel's secret services as to who took the most important part in Eichman's capture (once again, all we have his Wiesenthal point of view, taken for granted).

The function of a biography (and this book is advertised as a biography) is to give a balanced, honest account on one man's personality, not trying to hide its complexity. On that regard, Alan Levy partially fails.
As I read again my comments, I realize that I have been a little bit harsh. The book is not bad, it is just that it is written more like a thriller than a book on history.

Riveting...Then Boring.......2005-02-03

First of all, I'd like to state the book (most of it) was quite riveting. Levy begins with a look at Wiesenthal's experience as a young Jew in pre-war Europe. He later chronicles Simon's life during the war in the camps and his search for his family after the war. The stories make for fascinating reading. Then, Levy writes how Simon got into the business of Nazi hunting.

The chapters describing the hunts for Adolf Eichmann (and the rivals between Mossad and Wiesenthal), Josef Mengele, and Franz Stangl were absoluting quality reading. After the chapters on these three Nazis, and the brief chapter on the concentration camp guards, the book takes a different path and describes the ordeal of Raoul Wallenberg. Although Wallenberg was not a Nazi, but a humanist dedicating to saving the lives of Jews, I had to ask myself what this chapter was doing in the book. Nevertheless, it was quite fascinating to read about the ordeal Wallenberg faced and to read what actually happened to him during the war, and especially, after the war.

At this point, you can quit reading the book. The next chapters dealt with Bruno Kriesky and Kurt Waldheim. I didn't have a clue who Bruno was. (I believe he became chancellor of Austria during the '70s). Why was he in this book? As far as I can tell, it was due to Simon and Bruno not liking each other. Bruno was a Jew who claimed that he was not a Jew and tried to distance himself from Jews during the war. He didn't kill any Jews, so why have his story in this book? It's wasted space.

As far as Waldheim is concerned, the jury appears to be out as far as his guilt is concerned. There never seems to be direct evidence pointing to Waldheim as to whether he was responsible for killing partisans (or at least KNEW some killings took place)
in Yugoslavia. Waldheim's superiors (during the war) say that he did not have the authority to kill or order killings; a sargaent who reported to Waldheim said that he did. Some say he was present at the time the killings took place; others said he was not. Some say that as part of intelligence, and as a lowly lieutenant, Waldheim would not have known about partisan killings. Others said how did he not know? If no one knows the truth, why read it about in this book? Even the Yugoslavian government has refused to prosecute. So, I may ask, why fill 150 pages of this book if there is no conclusive evidence that Waldheim is guilty? The later part of these chapters were very boring. The book was about hunting murderous NAZIS, not about people who were ashamed of being Jewish or about German Army officers.

The book should have included the hunt for Nazi Klaus Barbie and other Nazis who eluded capture for many years. Then, I would have rated this book 4 stars. But, to include chapters on Bruno Kriesky and Kurt Waldheim? A real time waster.

A great addition to Holocaust literature.......2003-07-11

Alan Levy does an excellent job documenting both the life of Weisenthal and of the killers he hunted. One of the most striking points is the change in the ideas and attitude of these war criminals from the pre- to post- war period. The continued complicity of governments in hiding these fugitives until today is unbelievable as is the existence of clandestine organizations such as Odessa, which directly assist them.

One of the most interesting parts of the book I found was about Kurt Waldheim and the struggle that former military personal have with admission of their involvement with the German army. Living in Europe, it is easy to assume the collective guilt of the older generation of Germans and Austrians, but much harder to imagine the choices they faced both during and after the war. We get to imagine it from both the side of master and slave in the course of this book. I am currently living in a former Communist country, where Stb agents (Czech KGB) and Communist party members were some of the first to profit from the change to capitalism, so I can clearly imagine in some ways how the post-war period was for both Germany and Austria. The inclination to forget the past and move on is great, and yet, at least here, the same "leaders" have managed to change outfits with such little protest. It is 12 years since the fall of communism and there have been so few investigations here of the crimes of former government officials, that the situation seems comic. The people of Czechoslavakia just as the Germans did before them, want to forget, and yet justice will only be done when people with Simon Weisenthal's courage and drive become involved.

Levy goes to great lengths to highlight the Weisenthal coda defining the difference between a war criminal and personnel who were aware and complicit during the time war crimes were occurring. Weisenthal placed a great deal of emphasis on both truth and morality in his work, but the author shows balance in pointing out that he didn't always get it right.

This is a great read and a book that is hard to put down. Highly recommended.

21st Century Complete Guide to Edwards Air Force Base: Great Moments in Flight Test History, Strange Airplanes, Spy Planes, Space Shuttle, X-1, X-1A, X-2, ... Audio and Video Files (Two CD-ROM Set)
Average customer rating:

Don't waste your money

21st Century Complete Guide to Edwards Air Force Base: Great Moments in Flight Test History, Strange Airplanes, Spy Planes, Space Shuttle, X-1, X-1A, X-2, ... Audio and Video Files (Two CD-ROM Set)
World Spaceflight News
Manufacturer: Progressive Management
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: 1592482023

Book Description

This up-to-date and comprehensive CD-ROM provides full coverage of the amazing achievements and fascinating work at Edwards Air Force Base in California - many milestones of modern aviation and spaceflight were made at Edwards!

History coverage includes Moments in Flight Test History; Historical Virtual Tour of Edwards AFB; The Planes that Yeager Flew; Aircraft including X-1; X-1A; X-2; X-3; X-15; X-33; A-20 Havoc; B-2 Spirit; XB-35 Flying Wing; YB-49 Flying Wing; F-15 Eagles; Silver Anniversary of the F-16; F-22; XP-59A Air comet-America's First Jet; XP-80/80A Shooting Star-First to Exceed 500 mph; Spy Planes; Strange Planes-Weird, Wild and Wonderful; Space Shuttle Columbia; Biographies of Pilots including Florence "Pancho" Barnes; Scott Crossfield; Bill Dana; Glen Edwards; Joe Engle; Fitz Fulton; Charles Yeager; Female Test Pilots; Edwards Before the Military; The Dry Lake Beds; Evolution of Flight Test; Major Milestones; USAF Test Pilot School; Sonic Booms; Other Testing; Pushing the Envelope; Breaking Mach 2; Sled Track to Survival; Edwards-Hollywood Collection; Weapons Systems for Tomorrow's Air Force; UAV Robo Force; Air Supremacy in the Jet Age; First Flights; Remembering the First Supersonic Flight; Murphy's Law was Born Here; Muroc Lake Bed Marker; Base History; Moments in Flight Test History. Coverage features About Edwards; Products and Services; Base Guide; Contracting; News releases 1996 through 2003; Careers at Edwards; Flight Safety; F/A-22 Raptor complete coverage; Edwards History; Photo Gallery illustrated with dramatic color and contemporaneous black and white photography of aircraft and pilots; Test Pilot School. Products and Services coverage includes Edwards Climate, Terrain and Visibility; Overview of Capabilities; Combined Test Force; Electronic Warfare; Flight Testing; Logistics; Ranges; Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles; Facilities and Resources Overview; Avionics Integration; Measurement Facilities; Logistics Resources; Aircraft Instrumentation; Modification Center; Ranges including Ridley Mission Control; Edwards Flight Test Range; Designated Spin Areas; Radar Fidelity and Geometric Range; Terrain-Following Radar Course; Instrumented Routes; Mobile Range; Runways and Dry Lakes; Business Guide; Sharing Technology. Edwards Capabilities and Facilities includes Electronic Warfare (Electronic Warfare Directorate; Avionic Test and Integration Complex; Flight Test and Open Air Range); High Performance Computing/Distributed Center (HPC/DC); Measurement Facilities (Tensile Strength Measurement; Air Data Calibration Facility; Ground Vibration/Structures Laboratory; Human Factors Laboratory; Icing/Refueling Laboratory; Instrumented Propulsion Complex; Aircraft Gun Harmonization Facility; Stores Weight and Inertial System Facility Test; Test Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) Lab; Aircraft Horizontal Thrust Measurement Facility); Modeling and Simulation (T & E Modeling and Simulation/TEMS); Open Air Ranges; Mission Support Facilities (Aircraft Corrosion Control; Air Traffic Control; Test Pilot School). Measurement Facilities include Air Data Calibration Facility; Human Factors Laboratory; Instrumentation Propulsion Complex; Parachute Test Complex; Aircraft Gun Harmonizing Facility; Stores Weight Inertial Facility; Aircraft Thrust Measurement Facility; Test Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment. Over 1100 image files and nine video files are included in this set. Over 10,000 pages are reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Apple Macintosh systems. Reader software is included. Our CD-ROMs are privately-compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed, searched by finding specific words, or printed without untold hours of tedious research and downloading.

Customer Reviews:

Don't waste your money.......2005-01-20

This 2 CD set is basically composed of only 2 hugh PDF
files that have no organization whatsoever and are a nightmare
to try to navigate. There are some decent photos embedded
in the PDFs - but again there is no real organization of the data
or the photos.

Encyclopedia of World History (Facts on File Library of World History)

Average customer rating:

Amazingly comprehensive for a single volume, excellent!

Encyclopedia of World History (Facts on File Library of World History)

Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

History | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Dictionary of Historic Documents (Facts on File Library of World History)
The History of Europe (Facts on File Library of World History)
Encyclopedia Of The Enlightenment (Facts on File Library of World History)
Concise Atlas of World History

ASIN: 0816042497

Customer Reviews:

Amazingly comprehensive for a single volume, excellent!.......2003-12-12

Although you won't find everything in here, this is a surprisingly well-executed and comprehensive single volume valuable for history buffs and casual reference users alike.

With entries on a huge volume of major historical figures, geographical locations, conflicts and more, this book is a handy reference when one needs a quick answer on thousands of history related topics. If you need an easy way to look up where a certain country is located or which tribes settled which parts of Europe after the Roman Empire, this is your book. Even the most ardent history buff will value this tome for its ability to easily refresh the memory on so many topics. Many entries contain useful illustrations such as photographs of important historical sites, maps of geographic locations, drawings of period clothing and armor, maps of ancient migration paths, national flags and more.

Like most encyclopedias, the answers to complex issues are not explored in depth in favor of saving space for a huge number of entries. However, even the brief explanations on complicated topics are helpful and satisfying considering the space available, and parents of inquisitive children will value this book indeed for that quality. The next time someone asks you what caused the American Civil War and you need a brief, comprehensive answer, this book will prove its worth.

SOE Syllabus (Secret History Files)
Average customer rating:

Great read

SOE Syllabus (Secret History Files)

Manufacturer: PRO Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Secret Agent's Handbook

ASIN: 1903365600

Customer Reviews:

Great read.......2006-05-01

I cant say too much about the book because Im still early into it, but from what Ive read has been very interesting. Even the introduction which is the history of the program, is worth reading.

However, all the data is dated (thats given since it was for WWII) but still can be helpful. I skipped close to the end to read the hand to hand combat section which gave some great tips.

If you like or interested in FBI/CIA/Secrent Agent action, this is book is for you.

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