Book Description
Richly illustrated and clearly focused, this book surveys the genesis, development, and culmination of modern European/American painting, sculpture, architecture, and conceptual art—from Post-Impressionism through the most recent developments in the 1990s. It avoids the typical encyclopedic approach of surveys in favor of examining selected but highly representative works in greater depth and from an enlarged spectrum of critical discourse. Organized along chronological lines, topics explore the ideas, forms, events, artists, and works—with each chapter devoted to a style, movement, or decade—from Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh through Minimalism and the general reaction known as Post-Modernism. Ideal for readers with a general
Amazon.com
Kingdom of Fear is billed as a memoir, but in essence, all of Hunter S. Thompson's books could fit into this category since his life and work have always been tightly bound together by a mythology largely of his own making. (After all, this is the man who, before earning a single dollar as a writer, began meticulously saving a copy of every letter he ever sent.) Still, this is certainly an unconventional memoir, but then what would you expect from the father of gonzo journalism? In these pages Thompson manages to dig deep and reveal a few "loathsome secrets" without offering the kind of personal details he has always avoided. His childhood, for instance, is basically summed up in a sentence: "I look back on my youth with great fondness, but I would not recommend it as a working model to others." He does, however, reflect upon his considerable legacy, including his well-known, and admittedly exaggerated, use of controlled substances ("The brutal reality of politics alone would probably be intolerable without drugs"), as well as offer assessments of his own work, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ("It's as good as The Great Gatsby and better than The Sun Also Rises").
In this collection of twisted parables and outlaw adventures, Thompson writes about his early run-ins with agents of authority and the lessons learned; his stint in the Air Force and the beginning of his journalism career; his unsuccessful, though illuminating, bid for Sheriff of Aspen, Colorado in 1970 as the Freak Power candidate; the casualties and unintended consequences thus far in the War on Terror; and numerous examples of present-day injustice and hypocrisy--all with his characteristic mix of brutal frankness laced with humor. He also offers his own take on state of the Union: "The prevailing quality of life in America--by any accepted methods of measuring--was inarguably freer and more politically open under Nixon than it is today in this evil year of Our Lord 2002." Thompson continues to make even the most deadly serious subject matter endlessly entertaining. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
Brilliant, provocative, outrageous, and brazen, Hunter S. Thompson's infamous rule breaking -- in his journalism, in his life, and under the law -- changed the shape of American letters, and the face of American icons. Kingdom of Fear traces the course of Thompson's life as a rebel -- from a smart-mouthed Kentucky kid flaunting all authority to a convention-defying journalist who came to personify a wild fusion of fact, fiction, and mind-altering substances.
Call it the evolution of an outlaw. Here are the formative experiences that comprise Thompson's legendary trajectory alongside the weird and the ugly. Whether detailing his exploits as a foreign correspondent in Rio, his job as night manager of the notorious O'Farrell Theatre in San Francisco, his epic run for sheriff of Aspen on the Freak Power ticket, or the sensational legal maneuvering that led to his full acquittal in the famous 99 Days trial, Thompson is at the peak of his narrative powers in Kingdom of Fear. And this boisterous, blistering ride illuminates as never before the professional and ideological risk taking of a literary genius and transgressive icon.
Customer Reviews:
Not his best.......2007-03-18
Mr Thompsons autobiography is somewhat lacking compared to his other works. It seems, that he in his later years didn't have that much new to say, and this volume shows it very clearly. It deals with the legend of HST, not the man Hunter Stockton Thompson, and only plays the same tune that we've been hearing since F&L in Las Vegas, only in a strongly diluded form.
A great drawback is that he recycles a lot of stuff from his earlier work, which if you're a fan/reader of his you can't help but feel a bit cheated about. The book isn't that long as it is, but when half the material already has been printed before, and therefore probably, for fans at least, is on your shelf already, it gives the feeling of the good Mr Thompson not really making an effort writing this volume.
It's not all bad though. There are highlights in the book. His description of his childhood is enjoyable and very biographical. The last chapter is also very enjoyable, although not that good as biographical material, it does for a good reading.
It starts out legitimate enough, but quickly turns to his rambling and at times incoherent style of writing. Worth reading if you're a completist. I would recommend the compilations of his letters "The Proud Highway" and "F&L in America" as biography instead. They are much better.
Significantly Better Than "Hey Rube".......2007-03-16
This book (2003) and "Hey Rube" (2004) appear to be the last of HST's books. While "Hey Rube" contains lengthy discussions of gambling on professional football and basketball (including "March Madness"), this book is more far-ranging, containing everything from Thompson's reminiscences of his youth to his (highly negative) thoughts on George W. Bush. There's even a chapter from "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972," one of the finest political books ever written.
The quality of the writing on the recent pieces is not quite up to that of his best from the past, but is still infinitely better than the mindless slop produced by other contemporary "writers." The man was an artist.
As always, one of the disturbing things about Thompson is his ability to assess politics correctly in real time. Reading back, you think "Why didn't people take this man seriously at the time?"
"Indeed," as Doc would say.
The best collection.......2007-01-19
It's true, there are lots of parts of this book that can be found in other books, but this is still the best HST book I've read. It's sort of like a greatest hits. The new parts however, are the best part of this book.
Some of his best work ever!.......2007-01-13
By far simply one of his best collections. It seems the good doctor saw what was on the horizon and unforunately he was right. The world is a lesser place without him and we should all cherish every word. His insight was frightening an accurate. BUY THIS BOOK!
Just what you would expect from a drunkard.......2006-12-04
Paranoid drivel is the best I can come up with ZZZZZZZZZZ.
Average customer rating:
- Tops of Clouds
- My profession's "bible"
- One of a kind aviation book...
- A memorable memoir
- A landmark in aviation writing
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Fate is the Hunter
Ernest K. Gann
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ASIN: 0671636030 |
Book Description
"This book is an episodic log of some of the more memorable of the author's nearly ten thousand hours aloft in peace and (as a member of the Air Transport Command) in war. It is also an attempt to define by example his belief in the phenomenon of luck--that 'the pattern of anyone's fate is only partly contrived by the individual.'" (The New Yorker)
"This fascinating, well-told autobiography is a complete refutation of the comfortable cliche that 'man is master of his fate.' As far as pilots are concerned, fate (or death) is a hunter who is constantly in pursuit of them...there is nothing depressing about FATE IS THE HUNTER. There is tension and suspense in it but there is great humor too. Happily, Gann never gets too technical for the layman to understand." (Saturday Review)
Customer Reviews:
Tops of Clouds.......2007-08-06
After reading FATE IS THE HUNTER by Elmer K. Gann, I will never think of the men and women that pilot commercial planes as "glorified bus drivers", because they stand upon the shoulders of the men that Gann describes in this fictionalized biography. The book is a series of stories that takes a young commercial pilot (presumably Gann) in the 1930's, from training on DC-2's to the beginning of the commercial jet era.
Gann uses "fate" as the thread that goes through this book, the only thing in common with flight today is the air surface to weight ratio and pilot training; still "fate", not luck, has much to do with the survival of man and machine; then as now. The book opens with an altitude adjustment of 50 feet on a night flight, because not maintaining proper altitude represented "sloppy flying", moments later another airliner flies above them at the altitude they just left. This was before collision avoidance systems and sophisticated air traffic control; the pilot relied upon his skill and training.
The book is filled with adventure, from trying to find a remote village in the Amazon jungle, using vague maps and landmarks above a sea of green, to flying in fog so thick and low that a cable is dropped from the plane to determine what is being flown over. These are the days when there were no sophisticated weather reports, navigation was by radio transmitter, a strong signal meant you were going in the right direction. Gann flew the Burma route during the WWII flying a DC-3 or rather nursing them over the Himalayas and also the European theater flying out of Nova Scotia and Greenland. He and his fellow pilots and copilots flew the "milk runs" between Cleveland and Columbus or Chicago to New York learning the route by landmark and hamlets, knowing what weather to expect given the season, discovering the idiosyncrasies of equipment and the people he flew with and relied upon; navigating by the stars on night flights over water.
Gann lists pilots that he flew with who didn't make it as a tribute in the beginning of the book. There is no question that the early days of commercial aviation were difficult and dangerous, but Gann and his comrades showed us the tops of clouds and paved the way for the airway system we have today.
My profession's "bible".......2007-05-01
As an airline captain, I will occasionally ask my first officers if they have read this book. While most say 'yes', a few haven't. Some haven't even heard of it. I instruct them, no, command them to order and read it immediately! Every aviator needs to read this book, the 'bible' of our profession in order to understand our heritage, and what we have been spared. Flying is now orders of magnitude safer than it was in Gann's time, thanks in part to the courage of aviators like him, but also to the engineers he so disparages in the book! But, who can blame him after one changes all the spark plugs in three out of four engines to a useless experimental type. When I taxi by the American Airlines hangars at LaGuardia, I imagine Gann running up each engine after his close call, embarrassing the nerdy engineer who made a nearly fatal mistake. That engineer's more intelligent colleagues, however, also invented deicing equipment that works, reliable navigation, weight and balance and performance rules that prevent accidents, and maintenance procedures that head off trouble. I, and all my passengers and co-workers owe our lives and livelihoods to the brave pioneers that made it so.
This book is spellbinding. My copy is well-dog eared. Yours will be too!
One of a kind aviation book..........2007-02-23
Ernie Gann's memory abides in a special place of honor within the hearts and minds of aviators of which I happen to be one. What fliers appreciate is Gann`s ability to articulate their feelings so eloquently. He is one of them but what sets him apart and what they revere is that Gann wrote so well about flight. It is not surprising then that fliers hold him in such high regard, but the real testament to his skill as a writer comes from the acclaim of others outside this fraternity.
You don't have to be a pilot to appreciate Gann's work. It is sufficient to understand humankind's willingness to push the limits, all along knowing there is a risk to be taken. Man has always been willing to take a chance "so long as [he] insists on striving for progress." (xv) Gann, through his gift of prose, carries the reader along, not as a passenger, but as an involved observer. That is Gann's talent. The reader believes he is there with him. You don't have to be a pilot to understand Gann. He doesn't challenge you with technicalities. He presents situations whose outcome hangs by a thread. Is it fate, luck, skill, or fortune that determines the outcome? Whatever, Gann is a survivor.
In the past, as it is to this day, flight is inherently dangerous and unforgiving. The danger is mitigated in many ways. One way is told in the very first chapter captioned "The Tip of the Arrow." Gann descends his aircraft fifty feet to be precisely on his assigned altitude. By this act of professionalism he avoids a near miss when an unreported aircraft flashes by mere feet away. If he had not descended moments before, they would have collided. Striving for perfection, Gann saved their lives. "Those fifty additional sloppy feet held only a few minutes previously -so insignificant then - are now revealed as the pinion of our lives." (13) Gann, the professional pilot, saves himself and his airplane. Is that fate? Luck? Good fortune? Or is flying a game of chance that is played until your number comes up? In Fate is the Hunter, by telling of his experiences in nearly ten thousand hours of flight, Gann leaves it to us to make the final interpretation for his survival. However he gives us some clues to his thoughts. He writes "at least let us admit that the pattern of anyone's fate is only partly contrived by the individual" (384) What if the other aircraft, flown by another equally professional pilot, also had descended fifty feet? Would that have been fate or bad luck? We would never know.
Unquestionably Gann tempted fate many times, but not recklessly. He is not a daredevil. His good fortune in Fate is the Hunter though contrasts with that of many friends and companions who were not so lucky. He lists their names in the beginning pages of the book. (v-ix) Was their demise preordained? Gann doesn't tell us exactly. Instead we read, without a lot of detail, that their deaths were due to an "unknown cause", a "radio range failure", a vagary of the "seniority system", or, to explain the unexplainable, "pilot error". Humans err but is a human error by itself fate? Or is it carelessness? Or stupidity? Or, given the circumstances like a wing falling off, simply unbelievable? Flying, we know, has little regard for the careless or the foolish. One thing is certain from reading Fate is the Hunter, the line between life and death can be very fine indeed.
Even with the best of human performance possible, the odds against survival may be so overwhelming as to be insurmountable. It is then that true heroism is necessary. Heroism is not ever mandated or demanded of someone by others. Heroism comes from within. It is the disregard for personal safety or salvation that propels action against overwhelming odds. This is not Ernest Gann. He doesn't hold himself out (nor the other pilots that he holds in high regard) as heroes though some of us may believe they were. Gann writes about this in the following paragraph.
"Line pilots do not live in an atmosphere of heroism, for that is a very temporary condition better suited to wildly inspired moments in which the hero hardly knows what he is doing. The pilots know what they are doing, right or wrong, always. They wear courage like a comfortable belt, rarely giving it a thought. But a line pilot is wary all of the time, which is an entirely different matter. To be continuously aware you must know what to be wary of, and this sustained attitude can come only with experience. Learning the nature and potentialities of the countless hazards is like walking near quicksand." (109)
What Gann experiences in his career are situations that require a cool head and good judgment. "The timid, super-cautious pilot is not necessarily the safest. Coupled with knowledge, a touch of boldness is required" (52) Gann will take a calculated risk, but the decision is based on his knowledge and experience.
A high standard must be maintained. In the role of an airline pilot, Gann recognizes he is entrusted with a duty. Passengers place their trust in the airline, the airplane and him. Quite simply, his is an occupation unlike any other. The cockpit of an aircraft in flight is a place that most people normally do not get to see. In our journey with Gann we are invited into his world as he progresses from being an apprentice just prior to World War II until he becomes a seasoned veteran as a Captain of his own ship. Ernest Gann doesn't tell us explicitly, but the reader begins to sense the Captain's responsibility for his passengers, his crew and his company. This burden is not carried lightly by Gann or the other pilots. There are a couple that Gann believes do not deserve his or our respect. These he treats with disdain. However he is not malicious and so he doesn`t use their real names. To the despotic Alessandro, he wished bad luck but nonetheless remains unscathed. The pretender "Captain" Dudley, who didn't have a license, was at first pitied, then loathed. After getting properly licensed Dudley again talks himself into command of another airliner which crashes. He survives but some passengers do not.
Four decades have passed since Gann wrote Fate is the Hunter and a few more years than that since Gann lived the events he so vividly describes in his book. From today's perspective on aviation, Fate is the Hunter opens a window to another time. Unlike the present jet age, all of Gann's flying was in propeller transports - DC 2s, DC 3s, the Lockheed Loadstar, the C-54, and the C-87. In many ways it was a more challenging time. Navigation aids and flight instruments were much less sophisticated than now. Still they were light years ahead of what was available just a short time previously. Yet, while the technology was more primitive, the human factors remain remarkably similar in the present. A pilot faces the hazards of winter snow and summer heat then just as he does today. A schedule is kept just like it is today. Fuel may be critical then as now. Seniority still remains the key to advancement. Pay is determined by the minute of flight though credit time figures into pay computations today. Remarkably the report time of one hour before scheduled departure is the same today as it was for Gann. When airborne there are still the hours of droning along with only routine tasks to complete but always having to be alert for any inkling of an impending problem. I can relate to a common request from passengers interested in exactly where they were. For me the request came via the interphone and is relayed by a flight attendant. In Gann's time it was probably directly from the passenger himself. Gann notes this was "information we seldom had ready at hand" and would "assume a solemn mien and point out a town, or village -anyone visible would do - and...would say. `That is White Pigeon.`" (176) I wish I had thought of that! Thankfully though, copilots today don't have to load passenger baggage any more. Jets are so large we would never leave the gate waiting for them to finish loading! Gann has unintentionally created an historical classic encompassing an important era in aviation.
Gann's description of the aircraft he flew contrasts remarkably with
the aircraft in use now. At the time however they were the best that were available. In one episode the regularly scheduled equipment, a DC-3, is grounded for maintenance. A DC-2 is substituted for the regularly scheduled flight from Nashville to New York with Columbus, Ohio as the alternate. The flight proves to be Gann's first encounter with icing and almost his last flight, period. They encounter heavy icing and battle deteriorating sky conditions until finally arriving at Cincinnati where the weather has remarkably cleared. The fortuitous substitution of a DC-2 saved them. The DC-3 would not have been able to stay in the air carrying the same load of ice. As for the C-87 which he later flew Gann says it "could not carry enough ice to chill a highball."(214) These details provide invaluable information for aviation historians.
Inevitably, in reading Fate is the Hunter , the reader reaches a point where he might ask himself, is all this true? Gann says "insofar as one mind can reveal a vast and extraordinary complex endeavor, all the facts and events described are true." (xvi) I believe him. In nearly ten thousand hours of flying an endless array of situations are possible. Given the time frame, the aircraft he flew, and the conditions he encountered it is entirely within reason for to him have lived the experiences as he describes them. His logbook would be proof. All pilots have one. One thing is sure, if his story is not true, the people he writes about (those that have survived) would not have let him get away with it!
I only have one question. That has to do with "unporting" (368) That is a term as unfamiliar to me as it was to Gann when he was told about it. In the episode that describes the condition, Gann had "arranged the only possible combination of power, speed, and weight which would blockade the chances of unporting" (369) preventing loss of control. Another airplane crashed because of the problem but Gann was unaware except for "a certain trembling" (365) He was only told of the danger later after he came back to work from vacation. Personally I put this in an "ignorance is bliss" category. There are many things beyond the control of the pilot and if you can't do anything about it, it is not worth worrying or knowing about. Even if Gann had known of the problem it is unlikely they would have been able to determine the exact flight requirements to prevent it from occurring. That was only figured out later. Aerodynamics is not my forte but someone else may be able to shed some light on "unporting."
How does Gann's story end? In the end I think he becomes discouraged. He is caught by the seniority trap. A pilot, once he begins with a company, is locked into that company's seniority list. If he were to leave and come back later he would have to go to the bottom of the list and start all over again. Gann left American to pursue another flying opportunity. When that business failed, he was not inclined to start over again as a copilot. He became a writer.
Like a wealthy gambler, he knew when to quit.
A memorable memoir.......2006-11-28
Ernest Gann's autobiographical work is one of the very best examples of the genre ever. The settings are all over the world, but are always in flight. Each chapter is a vignette from his time as a commercial flyer during the late 1930s, '40s, and early 1950s. Every measured word is a pleasure, taking the reader into Gann's cockpit and indeed, into his state of mind. Gann's prose is deceptive in its brevity and simplicity. The proof is in the success of his purpose, which seems to have been to allow his reader to see, hear, and almost smell the experiences of a working aviator. Such a flyer's average hour on the job has been famously described as "59 minutes of utter boredom punctuated by sixty seconds of sheer terror." Gann's exquisite prose captures all sixty minutes of such hours, and does so with seeming effortlessness, but really with eloquence and elegance. Read this book if for no other reason than to study descriptive narrative at its best. You will want to add it to your personal bookshelf, and pick it up once in a while, as I do, just for the pleasure it affords.
A landmark in aviation writing.......2006-11-13
I've never read a bad Ernest Gann book, but the autobiographical FATE IS THE HUNTER marks the top of his form, followed by BLAZE OF NOON, etc.
Bill Brown
Amazon.com
A former infantryman, Adolf Hitler had little use for the German navy, which he considered inept and politically suspect. Still, through the skillful maneuverings of a young, up-and-coming naval officer named Karl Dönitz, Hitler eventually endorsed a costly program of shipbuilding. As a result, Dönitz was able to field a vast fleet of U-boats when Germany went to war against France and England in 1939. Although his enemies were initially better equipped, Dönitz was the craftier fighter, launching daring raids on shipping convoys and Allied harbors, and for a time, controlling the chief Atlantic sealanes.
In this monumental history, Clay Blair analyzes the German U-boat campaigns from 1939 to 1942 (a companion volume continues his narrative to 1945), which, he writes, fall into three phases: one against England alone, another against the newly arrived American navy, and a furious third against the combined Allied forces. Blair argues, against other historians, that the "U-boat peril" has been overestimated. He holds that the American submarine campaign against Japan in the Pacific was far more effective, and observes that 99 percent of Allied merchant ships on transatlantic convoys reached their destinations. Even so, the U-boats introduced a powerful element of terror into an already horrific war, diverting Allied effort into antisubmarine campaigns and delaying the transport of much-needed materiel.
Blair's outstanding work adds much to the naval history of World War II. Packed with detail, it is sure to become a standard work on the Battle of the Atlantic. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Clay Blair's best-selling naval classic Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan, is regarded as the definitive account of that decisive phase of the war in the Pacific. Nine years in the making, Hitler's U-boat War is destined to become the definitive account of the German submarine war against the Allies, or "The Battle of the Atlantic."
It is an epic sea story, the most arduous and prolonged naval battle in all history. For a period of nearly six years, the German U-boat force attempted to blockade and isolate the British Isles, in hopes of forcing the British out of the war, thereby thwarting the Allied strategic air assault on German cities as well as Overlord, the Allied invasion of Occupied France. Fortunately for the Allies, the U-boat force failed to achieve either of these objectives, but in the attempt they sank 2,800 Allied merchant ships, while the Allies sank nearly 800 U-boats. On both sides, tens of thousands of sailors perished.
The top secret Allied penetration of German naval codes, and, conversely, the top secret German penetration of Allied naval codes played important roles in the Atlantic naval battle. In order to safeguard the secrets of codebreaking in the postwar years, London and Washington agreed to withhold all official codebreaking and U-boat records. Thus for decade upon decade an authoritative and definitive history of the Battle of the Atlantic could not be attempted. The accounts that did appear were incomplete and full of errors of fact and false interpretations and conclusions, often leaving the entirely wrong impression that the German U-boats came within a whisker of defeating the Allies, a myth that persists.
When London and Washington finally began to release the official records in the 1980s, Clay Blair and his wife, Joan, commenced work on this history in Washington, London, and Germany. They relied on the official records as well as the work of German, British, American, and Canadian naval scholars who published studies of bits and pieces of the story. The end result is this magnificent and monumental work, crammed with vivid and dramatic scenes of naval actions and dispassionate but startling new revelations and interpretations and conclusions about all aspects of the Battle of the Atlantic.
The Blair history will be published in two volumes. This first volume, The Hunters, covers the first three years of the war, August 1939 to August 1942. Told chronologically, it is subdivided into two major sections, the War Against the British Empire, and the War Against the Americas. Volume II, The Hunted, to follow a year later, will cover the last years of the naval war in Europe, August 1942 to May 1945, when the Allies finally overcame the U-boat threat.
Never before has Hitler's U-boat war been chronicled with such authority, fidelity, objectivity, and detail. Nothing is omitted. Even those who fought the Battle of the Atlantic will find no end of surprises. Later generations will benefit by having at hand an account of this important phase of World War II, free of bias and mythology.
Customer Reviews:
Very good book!.......2007-05-13
This a very good book about the U-Boat history in the Second World War!
I recomend!
Best regards,
Excellent research but a little too biased.......2006-11-18
I've always enjoyed Clay Blair's writing style. Probably because he was a journalist instead of an historian. However, as with his book Silent Victory, he can't help injecting his personal biases in the narrative. Blairs interest in U boats came about when his boat the USS Guardfish was docked next to Erich Topp's U 2513. That was later used as a target by the U.S. Navy. The U 2513 was a type XXI boat that was ahead of its time technologically. The torpedo tubes were designed to operate like a revolver shooting bullets! Blair tends to down play the achievements of the Kreigsmarine in the early years of the war, and the technological advancements put forth by Doenitz and his staff. A fact Mr. Blair conviently omits.
Reference Text.......2005-08-23
This is definitely a must-have for anyone seriously interested in the U-boat war of the Atlantic. Actually, this is the first book I've read on U-boats but I can imagine that this may well be the all-encompassing reference text. The book is well written and gives an excellent account of what happened. For a novice wanting to get the general idea it's perhaps a little too detailed. The accounts of the exact amount of tonnage sunk by each and every U-boat gets a little tiresome after a couple of hundred pages, but what can you do? You don't have to memorize them. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see how most U-boat commanders overstated their kills.
I got to this book after reading SHADOW DIVERS which is absolutely the best book on diving written so far. (You do not have to be a diver to dig this)
There are two parts to Hitler's U-boat War, The Hunters 1939-1942, and The Hunted 1942-1945 and I have no idea why both volumes aren't available by the same publisher. The second volume is only available used at approx. three times the price of a new edition of the first volume(?) It took me a while to figure this out so I got the second volume from Weidenfeld & Nicholson military who sell only the second volume. Here at Amazon the title of this second volume is merely given as Hitler's U-Boat War which is confusing because from that you don't initially know that there are two volumes and which one this one is. Only when you see the actual photo of the bookcover you see that it says The Hunted 1942-1945. Why make life easy?
Long book but an exhaustive and exceptional one........2005-08-07
Clay Blair has done an outstanding work on his first volume: "Hitler's U-boat war, The Hunters". The appendix alone contains a large sum of information about the first half of the U-Boat war. No one book should ever be considered as "the definite volume", but these works are about as close as it is possible to get. While Clay Blair describes on every U-boat operation, he also sets on destroying several myths about the U-boat war (such as the unnecessary criticisms on Admiral King).
His style of writing can sometimes be "dry" as he tends to repeat the same words over and over but that would be the only negative part about this otherwise wonderful book.
This book is highly recommended for anyone seeking for an exhaustive book on the evolution of the U-boat war and of the people involved.
I would give this book 4.5/5 but since it's limited to either 4 or 5, I'l go with the 5 stars.
Sadly, the 2nd volume of Hitler's U-boat war doesn't seem to be available on Amazon.ca... I guess I must go look elsewhere to purchase it.
~Shc~
The best U-boat book available........2005-07-12
This has to be one of the best presented and historically researched books of the German U-boat war ever made. It has a great mix of technical information with many anecdotal stories taken from eye witness accounts and from the personal diaries and logs of the men who fought the battles.
I have read other military history books covering such events as D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, but this has to be the first book that didn't bore me with endless streams of impersonal statistics and facts but still delivered enough of the information to please any grognard.
I have read some reviews that claim Blair was biased, and anti-German, and I have to say I don't understand at all how anyone could come to this conclusion. Blair criticizes and praises both sides for their mistakes and triumphs during the U-boat war. And his conclusion that the German U-boat war was doomed from the start of the war is more than supported for the sheer statistical and historical facts presented.
Book Description
Explains the physical, chemical, and biological needs of trout, and shows how climate, geology, vegetation, and flowing water all help to create trout habitat.
Customer Reviews:
Better Trout Habitat: A guide to Stream Restoration and Mana.......2001-11-01
This book provides an in depth review of the methods and techniques used to provide habitat characteristics to a variety of streams. The writting style is excellent for both the lay reader as well as someone with a scientific back ground. However, it does not dwell on some fot the more technical details which requires a more technical level book to provide more indepth details. However, as a general manual to habitat resoration it provides an excellent background as well as the necessary caution needed when conducting these types of instream restoration projects.
Good Trout Habitat and Life Cycle Reference.......2000-06-07
This book offers a good variety of man-made trout improvement structures, but the current (2000) state-of-the art in trout habitat improvement trends toward a more natural, vegetation and channel reconstruction approach. This book provides excellent design guidelines and background information on trout and their life cycle, and perhaps the most useful part of this book was the author's ability to teach the reader enough about the habitat requirements of trout to allow the reader some latitude and innovation with their habitat improvement designs.
I personally enjoyed the workable, readable and philosophical approach to fish habitat improvement, and I believe that this book would be a good reference for anyone who wishes to improve trout habitat.
Remember, an ounce of habitat preservation is better than ten pounds of habitat restoration efforts! (Also, the information in this book will help the reader become a more effective trout fisherman!)
Book Description
For over 20 years, the character Vampire Hunter D has haunted the imaginations of people around the world, its image forever etched in the mind’s eye through the dazzling artwork of Yoshitaka Amano. As the original novels appear in English for the first time, American readers are clamoring for a more extensive look at this singular creation. Coffin obliges. This gorgeous retrospective embraces the full scope of Amano’s work with the character: in the novels, as inspiration for the animators of the two theatrical films, rare paintings, and illustrations created for release as limited edition prints. In addition to the breathtaking artwork, Coffin features an original Vampire Hunter D short story by creator Hideyuki Kikuchi, available nowhere else.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful.......2007-07-09
I bought this book for my boyfriend, who is a huge fan of the series. I cannot speak from my own experience with it, but from his near fainting reaction upon receiving it, I would say it is definitely worth the money. From what he has said, the artwork is incredible. I would recommend it for any fan of the series or the art.
Awesome book........2007-04-20
The art in this book is detailed, beautiful, and breathtaking... I was blown away by even the pictues which were only sketches.
I recommend it highly to fans of Vampire Hunter D... as well as anyone who is an art fanatic or art book collector... or even just someone who loves Vampiric things in general.
Gorgeous book!.......2007-03-02
This book is HUGE, which it should be to show off the fantastic artwork. Loved it! All Vampire Hunter D fans should get it, just don't expect it to fit in your book shelf.. lol! Pay close attention to the dimensions in the item description. It also comes in a slip case to protect the book.
To die for.......2007-02-14
The kind of book one wants to open and roll himself or herself all over the pages. Huge size, excellent paper, amazing printing quality, and I can go on practically forever. Much better than the Japanese edition which is small and most pictures are not even full size, but cropped. (Yes, I am crazy enough to own both editions!) Amano is a genius. His lines and forms are flowing, his colours mesmerizing. Invest in what will hold you spellbound for hours.
awesome D.......2007-01-10
love the art book. a must have for D fans and Amano fans.
Book Description
In a small village outside of Phnom Pehn, little children as young as five years old were forced to live as sex slaves. Day after day their hope was slipping away. Tireless workers from International Justice Mission (IJM) infiltrated the ring of brothels and gathered evidence to free the children. Headed up by former war-crimes investigator Gary Haugen, IJM faced impossible odds-police corruption, death threats, and mission-thwarting tip-offs. But they used their expert legal finesse and high-tech investigative techniques to save the lives of 37 young girls and secured the arrest and conviction of several perpetrators. Terrify No More focuses on this dramatic rescue story, and uses flashbacks to tell those of many other victims who were given a second chance at life by this amazing organization.
Readers of John Grisham and Ted Dekker novels will appreciate the suspense, plot twists, and relentless pursuit of justice found in the true story of Terrify No More.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointment.......2007-09-06
This book is a great disappointment. Buying this book I thought to obtain some serious information on the subject. I didn't expect to buy some superficial nonsence of a local U.S. sect. To European standards Gary Haugen's prostelitizing is appalling obscene and self serving and in this IJM is to be considered a dangerous sect. Don't buy this book.
Painful, powerful book -- may change your life.......2007-08-19
Sometimes enlightenment comes like a cold slap in the face. That's what this book delivers -- stories of abuse and oppression that most people don't know exist in our world today. I didn't. But Haugen and Hunter, in a style that is smooth and suspenseful, tell the stories of numerous victims of slavery and oppression who were helped through brave undercover operations by true-life heroes. At times heart-breaking and painful, at others joyful and celebretory, this book is hard to put down. You won't want to, but you will want to give copies to your friends. Nicely done. Thanks for helping me to understand the world just a little bit better outside my own whitewashed life.
Julia L. Truelove Needs to Get a Life.......2006-12-29
The review by Julia L. Truelove is one of the most ridiculous and unintelligible rants that I have ever read. It is clear that the reader approached this book with a strong bias of quasi-christian hatred and had already made up her mind before she got passed the cover. The author of this book has a Harvard law degree and previously worked for the U.S. Department of Justice. Thus, if he wanted to attain distinction and/or accumulate wealth for himself, there were many avenues at his disposal that would have been far easier and yielded greater returns then starting an organization to stand up for forgotten children of third world countries. Her attack that the author has created the International Justice Mission (which has rescued hundreds of children from underground commercialized rape and prosecuted their aggressors) only to garner prestige and money for himself is completely asinine. Her extremely thoughtful and innovative solution at the beginning of her diatribe is to simply inform the U.S. government and put things in the hands of politicians because, as we all know, that is usually the most effective way to fix any problem. First of all, the author of the book talks extensively in chapter 25 about how he and others have put pressure on the U.S. government to substantively confront these problems. He mentions how the American public needs to be made aware of the evil that lives in this world in order that they too might take it up with their government. Also, mentioned in Haugen's other book, Good News About Injustice, is the forced child prostitution that has existed, and does exist, in the United States. (I believe that this is mentioned in Terrify No More as well, but I am not 100% certain.) The author's purpose in writing this book was obviously awareness, not literary distinction, and I give him kudos for it. Gary Haugen saw the aftermath of a terrible genocide in Rwanda and decided to do something tangible and effective to confront the injustice and the abuses of power that run rampant in this world. Why is this so disturbing to Julia L. Truelove? I guess it's because the guy is a christian, a christian of the worst kind, one that actually does something with his convictions to help and love other people besides just going to church on Sundays. I don't understand why it is such a deeply troubling idea to tell a child that has had the concepts of love and affection perverted in the most despicable of ways that there is a God that cares about her with a perfect holy love. Julie's allocations that Haugen condemns Vietnam as a sinful nation because it is non-christian is ludicrous, especially since the book is centered around an operation that takes place in CAMBODIA. One of the main parts of IJM's whole mission is to get the honorable people of a certain country to uphold honorable laws that by and large already exist but are not being enforced. She goes on to mention President Bush, the Iraq War, and mistreatment of Native Americans to try and bolster her argument but forgets that they have no relevance to the work she is commenting on. Terrify No More really is a compelling book about a terrific and successful organization that has committed itself to stand up and fight for the oppressed who would otherwise have no voice. IJM is a christian ministry that truly lives out Christ's example in a bold, loving, and tangible way and has brought hope to many. This should not be something to be feared or ridiculed, but rather embraced and supported. Those who actually read the book, and at least have one foot in reality, will see what I'm talking about.
Terrible yet captivating.......2006-11-28
Haugen, Gary A. Terrify No More. Nashville, TN. W Publishing Group. 2005.
This riveting book by Gary A. Haugen, founder and president of the International Justice Mission(IJM), first-handedly tells the story of a mission proposed by members of IJM, to rescue child sex slaves from Savy Pak, a city in Cambodia that is infamous for its sex trafficking and sex tourism. IJM is a non-profit organization that fights for justice in a world riddled with injustice. This book is amazing as the reader is placed in the middle of the action. However, the content of the book can be extremely disturbing as one reads of the conditions and terrors that these young children face; but there is an amazing sense of hope that comes through to let the reader know that this is not a hopeless case, there is something that is being done. This book traces chronologically the path that IJM took to rescue a few of the millions of children that are trapped in the sex trade. Photos of the children and the conditions help the reader grasp reality through pictures. The book is geared towards those of the college age and older; an easy read that emphasizes the cause of justice in an unjust world. This book gave me a first hand account of the fight against sex trafficking which is what my senior thesis is discussing, I used this book as a basis to understnd more about the sex trade, and those who fight against it.
Excellent book.......2006-09-03
Excellent book! The subject matter is tough to handle at times, but I've bought this book for a few friends because it is so good.
Average customer rating:
- Earl Swagger Hunts Again!
- Earl is back
- Politics and bullets do mix
- Good read... S. Hunter is better than this
- Even Swagger cannot save the weak story
|
Havana: An Earl Swagger Novel (Earl Swagger Novels)
Stephen Hunter
Manufacturer: Pocket
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Hot Springs (Earl Swagger Novels)
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ASIN: 0743457978 |
Amazon.com
The field of male fantasy fiction receives a generous literary boost with the publication of Havana, Stephen Hunter's third novel (following Hot Springs and Pale Horse Coming) to feature straight-shooting ex-Marine and Arkansas state policeman Earl Swagger.
Reluctantly leaving his wife and hero-worshipping son at home, Swagger flies off to Cuba in 1953 to act as a bodyguard for "Boss" Harry Etheridge, a rainmaking Southern congressman who proposes investigating the influence of New York gangsters on the Guantanamo Naval Base. Almost as soon as his lungs fill with the humid Caribbean air, Swagger regrets accepting this assignment. Not only must he contend with posturing, backstabbing U.S. intelligence agents, but Boss Harry proves to be both incautiously lustful (forcing Earl to rescue him from a Havana brothel confrontation) and a big target for mobsters who don't want American politicians or anyone else upsetting the profitable criminal equilibrium of Batista-era Cuba. Swagger exacerbates the risk to his longevity by agreeing to help the U.S. government assassinate Cuba's revolutionary darling of the moment, Fidel Castro--a task that will pit this Arkansas lawman against a disenchanted Russian killer who's been charged with protecting and mentoring the 26-year-old agitator.
Given Swagger's well-established weaponry skills, it's hardly surprising that Havana is peppered with tightly choreographed shootouts, both on dusty country roads and in a Zanja Street porno theater full of moaning patrons. That's the male fantasy part; this novel's literary inclination shows in its portrayal of Havana as a richly decadent city full of shiny-fendered Cadillacs, jaded whores, and casinos flushing money onto Florida-bound boats. While Ernest Hemingway and mob boss Meyer Lansky make cameo appearances here, only Castro leaves much of an impression, whether he's bumbling through an attack on a military barracks or defending himself against a father who thinks him lazy, vain, and "womanly" ("I am between opportunities, but I swear to you, I am a man of destiny"). Although Swagger's climactic gunfight tests the limits of credibility, Havana remains an unusually substantive page-turner, expertly blending hostilities with humor and heart. --J. Kingston Pierce
Book Description
Outgunning all others in the arena of razor-edged action and sheer guts, New york Times bestselling author Stephen Hunter plunges Earl Swagger deep into a steamy underworld of power, politics, and blood...
Cuba 1953: The island is on fire.
The Mafia-run casinos are rolling, and it's just a 30-minute flight from Miami to a world of vice, gambling, sex, and drugs. The money is there for anyone who knows how to get it, including the Cuban government and the police, who want to keep their ally Uncle Sam happy. There's only one threat to this corrupt utopia: a silver-tongued, daring young revolutionary named Fidel Castro. With the Cold War underway, the Soviet Union has sent a sophisticated veteran agent to find and support the young upstart. To counter, the CIA has summoned Medal of Honor-winning ex-marine Sergeant Earl Swagger, whose heroic exploits have earned him the reputation of a man who doesn't know how to lose. But he's not just going to find Castro....
He's going to kill him.
Download Description
"Havana, the sultry spring of 1953: gambling is expensive, sex is cheap, and death is free. A half-hour by air from Miami, it's the world's hottest -- and most dangerous -- city. From the plush mobster casinos in Centro to the backstreet brothels on Zanja Street, you can get anything you want, for a price. The city is the linchpin of many empires: the Mafia's, the CIA's, numerous American corporations', El Presidente's, and even the vice lords' of Old Havana. It must be protected at all costs. But now there's a threat. A young lawyer, a kid named Castro, is giving speeches. He speaks of reform, of change, of self-determination. He speaks of...of revolution even. This danger must be dealt with. So, into the steamy, sunny climate of corruption come two men, both unafraid, both skilled, both tough as ball bearings. They would be friends in a sane world, for they are so similar in their capabilities and experiences. But now they have to be enemies, because the Cold War is at its apogee: one is American, the other Russian. The American is named Earl Swagger. A Medal of Honor winner on Iwo Jima, a toughened gunman from adventures in Hot Springs and the swamps of Mississippi, Earl has been conned by two young Old Boys of the CIA to become Our Gun in Havana. The Russian, Speshnev, also a veteran of tough battles (from Spain in '36 to Berlin in '45, with a few stays in the gulag just for seasoning), has a similar assignment: he too is sent by strategic gamesters to pay attention to that same young orator. But his job is protection, not elimination.
Customer Reviews:
Earl Swagger Hunts Again!.......2007-09-30
I fell in love with Stephen Hunter's Earl Swagger novels this year. Luckily I discovered the first one at the beginning and listened to them on audiobook in order. There are three of them so far. HOT SPRINGS, PALE HORSE COMING, and HAVANA.
The Swagger name may sound familiar to people. Mark Wahlberg just starred in the movie SHOOTER as Earl's son, Bob Lee Swagger. Stephen Hunter has been intermittently writing novels about father and son over the last few years. Earl's adventures are set in the 1940s and 1950s. Bob Lee's are more in present-day, and the latest novel in that series, THE 47th SAMURAI, has just been released.
If you haven't read any of the Swagger novels, I really recommend reading them in order. Both series tell a story that's more mosaic than anything else. Both are pieces of the other. Hunter began with Bob Lee's stories, then told the first of Earl's. Obviously the author has become enamored of both his creations. Unfortunately, Earl's adventures maybe at an end after HAVANA. I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only fan that hopes this isn't so. I do know that THE 47th SAMURAI has chapters in it from Earl's point of view, and that the plot revolves around choices both Swaggers face.
HAVANA ends up being more spy story than either of the two previous books about Earl Swagger. I think Hunter had a hard time fitting Earl into the plot in some ways. The previous two books hit harder and were more driven by Earl's choices. In this book, Earl seems to be reactive more than proactive.
Everything centers around the unrest in Havana in the 1950s. The United States government has a Central Intelligence Agency operation in place on the island and they're carefully monitoring the political backlash surging against Carlos Batista, who is friendly toward the Americans. As long as Batista is in control, American companies will flourish there. At one time, Havana was referred to as the Disneyland for adults, referring to the gambling, prostitution, drinking, and drugs available.
The New York Mafia has bested interest in the island government as well. Meyer Lansky was there overseeing mob-related business throughout those turbulent years. Hunter uses the mob-influenced history to his advantage throughout the novel. There's even a mob hitman working for Lansky who is called Frankie Horse after he gunned down a New York policemen and his mount. The mob bosses didn't like the idea that Frankie had killed the horse. As punishment, he was sent down to Havana.
The story takes a little while to get started. There's a lot of backstory to set up, but it's all important to provide a picture of the political and economic climate of Havana during those years. Hunter obviously did his research well and enjoyed the subject matter.
Earl gets called in by the government to write shotgun for a senator while he's down in Havana. Harry Etheridge is a southern congressman with a taste for prostitutes. Earl doesn't really care for the assignment, but he's tempted when those who hire him point out that he could provide a much different future for his young son and wife. Those two people mean everything to Earl, and that's one of the reasons that I enjoy him so much as a character.
Earl is plainspoken and humble, and his world is black and white. He doesn't drink because he knows he can't handle it. When he fights, he gives everything he's got because he knows nothing less will do. He's one of the most decorated soldiers to ever come out of the Pacific theater in World War II. And he knows what killing's all about.
This story is bigger than the previous two Earl Swagger novels. In the earlier books, the plot remained thin and Earl stayed in the spotlight nearly the whole time through. HAVANA offered up a richly textured series of events and characters that at times eclipsed Earl. I missed having him on the pages, but there was so much else going on that caught my attention.
Hunter also obviously fell in love with Speshnev, a Russian soldier that was freed from a Siberian prison camp. Spesnev became something of a political embarrassment to Moscow and was locked away in spite of his service during World War II. The old Russian is a wily and cunning man gifted with great, dark humor. I found myself wishing that Stephen Hunter would write a book about him at some point just so I can see everywhere Speshnev has been and what he has done.
So Stephen, if you're reading this, know that you already have one fan waiting for that book.
The chemistry between Swagger and Speshnev is electric. I spent much of the book fearing the time they would meet over gun barrels. In the beginning, Speshnev saves Earl's butt twice, but I knew that they were working at cross purposes and that conflict would at some point need to be resolved.
Hunter also seems to have great fun poking at the CIA's presence in Havana. The intelligence agency seems to be primarily a joke as he shows the emergence of the new "laidback" agents the kind of fit the preppy model. But Hunter also gives them one of Earl's oldest foes in the form of Frenchy Short, who betrayed Earl's team in Hot Springs.
After caring for Senator Etheridge, and getting shot up for his trouble, Earl gets pressured by the CIA to become an assassin and kill Fidel Castro. At the same time, the reader knows that Sheshnev has been sent there to educate young Castro and get him ready to take over Cuba as a communist partner.
Although the reader knows that Earl isn't going to kill Castro, a lot of the story still yet remains to play through. Even without the mystery and suspense of how Earl was going to kill Castro, I stayed glued to my radio as the audio book played. I hated getting out at my stops and often found excuses to run errands that could've waited or go buy a Coke so I could get through a particularly exciting sequence. The problem was that most of the sequences in the book are exciting and is difficult to leave Earl in any one place after the action gets going.
Readers of the previous two books will know that this one has been done differently. Some may not like it because Earl is off screen so much, but if they hang around till after everything is set up, they'll get to see Earl in his element: hunting men and struggling to stay alive under harsh circumstances.
I had a great time with this book. I hate to think that this is the end of it. I would love to see another novel of Earl any time in here. I would especially love to see a war novel recounting Earl's adventures in the Pacific. After Earl returns home to his family in Blue Eye, Arkansas, it's not long before he's murdered while carrying out his job as an Arkansas State Trooper, though not in this book. And that gives me hope that another novel may yet be in the offing.
If this is all there is, I appreciate all the great stories. Hunter gives his readers a character that is at once real and ideal. There aren't many like him, not in real life and not in fiction.
Earl is back.......2007-02-10
This guy can write. I like the way he brought in the character of Earl in previous books and how we are now finding out more and more about him and how these facts helped formed the man, which was later reflected in his son. Improbable fiction but who cares. Entertaining and well written, keep on writing them.
Politics and bullets do mix.......2006-11-15
In this,the latest of the Earl Swagger novels, Stephen Hunter uses the backdrop of 1953 Cuba with its' complex mix of American capitalism run amok and emerging Soviet Communism. The ever virtous Swagger is plopped in the middle of this miasma by the CIA in an attempt to assasintate the rebel leader Fidel Castro.
I know a couple of the reviews have complained that you already know the outcome as Fidel was never assasinated, but I felt that this actually added intrigue to the book as the reader wonders how the usually unstoppable Swagger is going to be turned from his course. Although this book was not the testosterone fest that Hunters previous two novels (Hot Springs and especially Pale Horse Coming) were there is still enough bullets and fisticuffs to satisfy.
The greatest strength of this book was Hunter's ability to capture the atmosphere and feel of Cuba of the 1950's. By interjecting several real characters from American history and critically examining the United States involvement and behavior Hunter gives incredible creedence and a sense of reality to this tale. With the mob, CIA, Cuban Freedom Fighters and Soviet spies all involved it becomes almost impossible for Swagger to tell whom he can trust (if anybody).
The supporting characters, as usual with Hunters' recent work,are Portrayed with depth and feeling as well. As one reviewer stated the Soviet agent almost steals the story and provides a wondeful foil for Earl Swagger.
If you are looking for a good action-adventure novel with lots of political intrigue and set in one of the most tumultous locales in history then pick up a copy of Havana from one of the best American authors writing today.
Good read... S. Hunter is better than this.......2006-07-29
It was good but I know S. Hunter can do better. One thing I have to say is that noone writes better about a man fiddling a gun than S. Hunter. His writing is such that reader can feel the trigger on your fingertips and smell the gun powder.
If you already are S. Hunter fan, pick it up. If you haven't read S. Hunter book before, start off with Dirty White Boys or Point of Impact.
Even Swagger cannot save the weak story.......2006-06-25
Cuba in 1953 - a Mafia-run world of vice, gambling, sex and drugs. Of course police and the government all get their share out of it. Only the young revolutionary Fidel Castro might be the next threat to the corrupt Cuban government. Therefore the Soviet Union sends a highly experienced veteran agent to support Castro. To counter the CIA sends in Earl Swagger with a single goal: to kill Castro.
The story development is pretty slow and did not really grip me. Unlike former books I did not want to stay up late to finish it. The reason is obvious: the story is not convincing and has two really big flaws right from the start:
1) We all know that Castro is very much alive today. So you know that the mission will fail (for whatever reason).
2) If you read other Earl Swagger books before then you know that Earl is no cold-blooded killer. Therefore the basic idea does not work at all. The concept of Swagger turning into an assassin is just not "Swagger-like".
There are some Western-style like shootings in the book that are typical for the author and Earl's skills are fun to follow as usual but they cannot make up for the otherwise pencil thin story.
A great quote from Earl Swagger to support my thoughts: "No, I am not planning nothing except to get the hell off this place. It was a mistake ever coming. I have been shot at in too many hard places to die in a gutter in a city I don't know, for reasons I don't understand." Absolutely correct! The author should have followed this thought and should have let Swagger stay home! And I still do not understand why he wrote this story...
Further aspects that kind of spoiled the fun for me:
This time Swagger meets Fidel Castro. And Meyer Lansky! (Who is next? Young J. F. Kennedy?)
In "Hot Springs" Swagger knocked down Ben "Bugsy" Siegel. This time it is Hemmingway who is on the receiving end of of Earl's fist. (Again the same question: who is next?)
It starts to get a bit ridiculous.
Therefore even if this is a Swagger book which (normally) puts it way above the average book almost automatically, it is not one of Hunter's best works. Actually it is by far the only boring book with either Earl or Bob Lee Swagger in it! (So far there are 7.)
With "the day before midnight" (1989) Hunter already proofed that he does not need any Swagger character to write a fantastic page turner. Maybe it is about time for the author to invent a new hero and let Swagger rest in peace?!
Average customer rating:
- A real Gem
- True Colors
- Five stars aren't enough.........
|
Hans Hofmann: Revised and Expanded
Sam Hunter
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0847823806
Release Date: 2006-02-14 |
Book Description
Nature's purpose in relation to the visual arts is to provide stimulus-not imitation....From its ceaseless urge to create springs all Life-all movement and rhythm-time and light, color and mood-in short, all reality in Form and Thought." -Hans Hofmann
This book is the only comprehensive treatment of one of Abstract Expressionism's most important forefathers: Hans Hofmann. Hans Hofmann attends to every stage of his prolific career. Nearly 300 gorgeous color plates reveal this modern master's extraordinary sense of color: beautifully vibrant greens, rich blues and brilliant reds organized in strikingly powerful patterns. Sam Hunter, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, writes a substantive essay on every aspect of Hofmann's distinguished body of work. Five important essays by the artist himself are included, revealing his philosophy of art which was so influential to the generations that followed him. Frank Stella, an important painter who deeply admired his work, also contributes an essay.
Customer Reviews:
A real Gem.......2007-01-17
I knew this would be a great book when I ordered it but when I received it I was overwhelmed by its quality, a slip-in hard cover and beautifully bound hard cover book inside.
It containes a large number of high quality colour plates (possibly all his work), and an excellent description of Hans Hofmann's thought processes in the introduction by Sam Hunter and as a bonus, 5 essays written by Hans Hofmann. A real asset for any artist who has an interest in the development and progression of abstract painting from the 1920's to 60's.
True Colors.......2004-11-07
This is the finest Hofmann book I have seen.
The combination of hue clarity, nuance, and sharp focus of the plates acurately recreates the space of the paintings and really lets them sing.
The brush and knifework, even the weave of the canvases are all crystal clear in the reproductions.
This solidly constructed book is a work of art in itself.
Five stars aren't enough................2002-10-03
This book deserves 7 stars. The plates are superlative, and the coloration is excellent. Coloration is a problem that plagues most books about Hofmann (among others). His use of reds and magentas can be difficult to reproduce with proper balance. Frequently, the results are that the plates appear somewhat anemic or the reds take on an exaggerated neon character that is hard on the eyes. Here, then, is a feast for the Hofmann enthusiast with nearly 300 pictures, practically all of them in exquisite color. This is an experience second only to actually viewing a Hofmann exhibit first hand. In my opinion, the plates alone make this book a worthy acquisition. But there's more.
Other particulars making this book a great addition to any bookshelf dedicated to Modern Art are five essays by Hofmann on art: "Plastic Creation", "The Search for the Real in Visual Arts", "The Resurrection of the Plastic Arts", "The Color Problem in Pure Painting" and "Sculpture". This is not to mention an excellent Introduction by Sam Hunter and wonderful essays by Tina Dickey and Frank Stella. Of course, there are the requisite features of a monograph: a brief (perhaps a little too brief, but who can complain at this point) chronology of Hofmann's life, and a selected list of exhibitions. Add to all of the above the attractive binding, a sturdy and handsome slipcase (which is what is pictured above), and what you have is a unique and appealing presentation of Hans Hofmann, his life, his work, his thoughts and his place in Twentieth Century Art.
This book is enthusiastically recommended.
Book Description
SPORTS, POLITICS, AND SEX COLLIDE IN HUNTER S. THOMPSON'S WILDLY POPULAR ESPN.COM COLUMNS, PROVING THAT THE GOOD DOCTOR IS IN -- AND AS INSIGHTFUL AND INCENDIARY AS EVER.
For decades, Hunter S. Thompson has galvanized American journalism with his acerbic wit, radical ideas, and gonzo tactics. He continues his reign as "The Unabomber of contemporary letters" (Time) with Hey Rube. Fear, greed, and action abound in this hilarious, thought-provoking compilation as Thompson doles out searing indictments and uproarious rants while providing brilliant commentary on politics, sex, and sports -- at times all in the same column.
Filled with critics' favorites, as well as never before published columns, Hey Rube follows Thompson through the beginning of the new century, revealing his queasiness over the 2000 election ("rigged and fixed from the start"); his take on professional sports (to improve Major League Baseball "eliminate the pitcher"); and his myriad controversial opinions and brutally honest observations on issues plaguing America -- including the Bush administration and the inequities within the American judicial system.
Hey Rube gives us a look at the gonzo journalist in his most organic form -- unbridled, astute, and irreverent.
Customer Reviews:
Buy "Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century" instead.......2007-03-18
This book (2004) and "Kingdom of Fear" (2003) appear to be the last of HST's books. While "Hey Rube" contains lengthy discussions of gambling on professional football and basketball (including "March Madness"), "Kingdom of Fear" is more far-ranging, containing everything from Thompson's reminiscences of his youth to his (highly negative) thoughts on George W. Bush.
The quality of the writing of the recent pieces in both books is not quite up to that of his best from the past, but is still infinitely better than the mindless slop produced by other contemporary "writers." The man was an artist.
As always, one of the disturbing things about Thompson is his ability to assess politics correctly in real time. Reading back, you think "Why didn't people take this man seriously at the time?"
"Indeed," as Doc would say.
Ouch.......2007-02-06
I'm heartbroken. I admit it. I'm not a year around sports nut. I don't watch games all the time. I don't even get ESPN. And I've never allowed myself to get sucked into the uber-geeky world of fantasy leagues. But the Bears are special for me. And if you let yourself care enough, you'll get hurt. It's unavoidable. You can't experience the thrills without being vulnerable to the pain. Especially the way it happened. With the Bears jumping to a lead within the first 14 seconds, and having a nice action-packed first quarter, I couldn't help but believe. But the Colts managed to dominate. And what hurts the most, what's got me down, is that the Colts won by out Bearing the Bears. They played good hard-nosed defense and then wore down the Bears defense with a relentless running attack. Oh well. I still think Peyton's a bit of a goober but the Indiana coach seems to be a real class act, so I'll try and be happy for them. And I know it's just a game. There are bigger crises in the world. There are bigger crises in my life for that matter. Still, it hurts. This goes down in my top five for losses that hurt, along with the Bears of the late 80's being eliminated in the playoffs by the Redskins and then the Niners, and maybe along with some of those Nebraska victories over Colorado. Particularly those real close ones in that painful, smarmy Neuheisal era.
So when the soul is truly in pain, where else would I go for comfort but Hunter S? I didn't even know about this book until recently. I didn't know he was writing a regular column for ESPN's web site. But he was and these columns are among the last writings we'll have for him. And what better a topic for Mr. Thomson than gambling? Hunter was at his best when writing about those little vices, those things that can be wonderful, even enlightening, in the right doses, but much more entertaining to read about when they are pushed to and beyond the limits of self-destruction. Great stuff.
By the chance of timing, almost a twisted kind of serendipity, this collection contains a generous allotment of Mr. Thomson's political writings as well. The collection spans a period of time containing the Presidential coup in which Bush stole the election from Al Gore and then 9-11 and its aftermath as well. There is an essay written by Thomson dated September 11th, 2001, written that evening following the attack, with classic Thomson vitriol, filled with his trademark fear and loathing, as well as some paranoia that history reveals to be more prescient than delusional, warning that the power that be would use the tragedy of the terrorist attacks to justify further tragedy of an even grander scale. That may be near universal sentiment in hindsight but remember back to that time to realize how deranged and treacherous that would have sounded to the average citizen. Certainly to the chattering hens in the mainstream news media, who couldn't give the American public credit for anything more sophisticated than black and white thinking.
A great voice is gone. I suspect he may have been trying to commit suicide by lifestyle for decades, but when that repeatedly failed, he finally had to take more direct action. And the Chicago Bears are not the world champions. Maybe I should admit that the NFC really is a weak division this year. Or maybe the Bears got what they deserve for playing the entire game with their safeties twenty yards back, trying to win by being the more conservative team. With that mentality, not even the point spread could help Bears benefactors. What would Hunter have said?
Thompson's Swan Song - Fans Decide for Yourself.......2006-12-08
"Hey Rube" is Thompson's least interesting book. About 95% of it involves sports and gambling, mainly on football, and a lot of typical name dropping (Ed Bradley, Douglas Brinkley, Johnny Depp, ad nauseum). Jack Kerouac. The book is boring as all get-out, but hey, see for yourself. Thompson brought us many fine works, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", "The Rum Diary", "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail," you name it. His meglomania knew no bounds; his persona was largely one of his own mythological making. It remains indelible fact that he was an important founder of the so-called "New Journalism" which surfaced in the mid-sixties, though in a recent conversation with Gay Talese, this other dignified writer refused to even mention his name in connection with the "New Journalism" when questioned at an appearance at Faulkner Books in New Orleans. If you like stupid football predictions and wreckless sports gambling as your two primary intersts, this is the book for you -- don't miss it. Otherwise, it is the last sad blatherings of a brain-dead paranoiac determined to follow in the footsteps of Hemingway, whose macho at an early age he emulated with a visit to Papa's gravesite in Ketchum, Idaho. Rest in peace, Hunter. Your great works far exceed this piece of worthless trash.
This was my first..........2006-04-11
Hunter S. Thompson book. I loved every word of it, sports and politics alike, I just wish it would have had a bit more of an even balance between sports and politics. His thoughts make me feel okay about my own views - blended and difficult to define. I'm sure we would have disagreed on some things but agreed on many more.
Since reading the book, I find myself wondering what he would have had to say about certain things: Boston winning the World Series, the new immigration laws, the second Bush presidency/what happened to Kerry, Johnny Damon leaving the Sox and the Dick Cheney hunting mishap!!! The list goes on....
I feel as though I'm only now getting to know him. I look forward to reading more very soon...
A good, but not great read.......2006-01-21
I loved "Fear and Loathing in America." And while I think there is some decent stuff in here, it is just too sports oriented. I mean the book is based on columns from ESPN, so don't be surprised. And I like sports as much as anyone. But the crazy energy of Thompson and blinding insights are diluted by information about betting against the spread. Still there is enough in here to like. He wrote this before and after 9/11/2001. Some of his earliest thoughts on the fascist tendencies of some of the early post-9/11 policies. A good, but not great read.
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