History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

No "Angel"
No mere specter of a star

Blue Angel
Donald Spoto
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385425538
Release Date: 1992-07-01

Book Description

In a career that spanned six decades, as a star of stage and screen, Marlene Dietrich created an unforgettable image. She was an international icon.

But that public persona masked the very private woman we meet in this biography. Spoto's story follows Dietrich from pre-war Berlin to Hollywood, which made her a star, to the nightclub stages of the 1950s and '60s, where she polished the legend.

From an unorthodox 52-year marriage to self-imposed seclusion, from her penchant for men's clothing to a lusty appetite for both sexes (Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Maurice Chevalier and George Raft), BLUE ANGEL reveals Dietrich in all her idiosyncratic glory.

"The fabulous book that tells it all. . .a great biography, a provocative appraisal." (Cosmopolitan)

Customer Reviews:

No "Angel".......2004-04-17

Donald Spoto tends to write pleasant, sometimes very insightful biographies that tend to look at different aspects of the stars they focus on. "Blue Angel," however, is not up to par. While his biography of actress Marlene Dietrich is well-written, he seems too disconnected from his subject.

Marlene Dietrich was a dominant sex symbol alongside the distant Greta Garbo. Her big break came with Josef von Sternberg, a German director who found the struggling actress and made her his muse, lover and inspiration. Dietrich kept spreading her wings in Hollywood, and in the 1940s she entertained Allied troops for her adopted country.

Spoto does a pretty good job of covering Dietrich's many-faceted life. Hausfrau and actress, Berlin cabaret and Hollywood, he checks it all out and describes it with a fair amount of detail. And despite the varied nature of Dietrich's love life, he at least tries to keep his tone professional and detached. (Even when describing Dietrich placing a bouquet of violets in a rather, um, intimate place)

What's Spoto's biggest problem? He seems to have no idea what made Dietrich tick. When describing the real Dietrich -- the woman behind the image -- he seems genuinely befuddled by her real personality, and spends too much time speculating on her motivations. However, he sheds a great deal of light on Dietrich's mystique, and how it was created by von Sternberg.

Donald Spoto's "Blue Angel" sheds some light on the not-so-angelic Marlene Dietrich, but his lack of insight into Dietrich's mind makes it a somewhat frustrating read.

No mere specter of a star.......2001-08-31

I found this book an enjoyable and informative read, though at times presented romantically and subjectively. The author does a fine job presenting Dietrich from many angles, truly fleshing her out (Spoto is irritatingly fond of the word "plump" to describe Dietrich's early adulthood)... Spoto seems to approach his subject with celestial reverence, as though trying to conceal his own crush behind a web of historical voyeurism (the discussion of debauched 1920s Berlin is particularly gratifying and grounding). Sometimes he speculates too much on possible motivations instead of simply offering the facts, but he also makes good use of others' reminiscences of Dietrich to back up some of his insightful conjectures. In short, a charming book, though not riveting.

Average customer rating:

Dark Angel
Loved this book but was lost
fine medieval paranormal romance
More please!
Not as promising as I thought ...

Dark Angel
Lucy Blue
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1416511962

Book Description

A deadly quest . . .

The sworn knight of an English lord, Gareth returns to the Highlands to pay a debt of blood to his uncle, the man who killed his father. But when his uncle's men murder his companions and leave him for dead, a mysterious beauty rescues him. Tender one moment, cruel the next, she bewitches him to his core.

A hidden desire . . .

Roxanna, a vampire princess, is sworn to break the curse that banished her kind to the dark. Awakened from her years-long slumber by Gareth's voice, she preyed on his attackers and kept him alive only to feed her hunger. But every night with Gareth makes her want him more, not just as a lover but as the soul mate she has never known. Together they will achieve both their dreams . . . or be lost to the darkness as one.

Customer Reviews:

Dark Angel .......2007-08-13

Roxanna is a vampire. She was locked inside a bottle for protection until her curse could be broken. Her protector, Orlando is in search of the chalice that can free her.

Roxanna is set free by villains intent on murdering Gareth and his men. She kills them, but she saves Gareth, intending to feed from him to regain her strength and destroy her creator, an evil vampire named Lucan Kivar. Roxanna starts to develop feelings for Gareth though and Gareth believes Roxanna is his angel. When he discovers what she really is, will he still call her angel or will she become a demon to him?

Gareth and Roxanna become allies in their fight to set Roxanna free and destroy Lucan Kivar. Their love was destined to save them all.

Dark Angel is a story rich in danger, sensuality and dark secrets. Gareth's intense passion for Roxanna is romantic and chivalrous. Roxanna is torn between her love for Gareth and her dark side. Dark Angel has an intriguing plot with memorable characters that held me riveted to each page.

Nannette reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Loved this book but was lost.......2007-03-17

I read the first book in the series, bound in darkness. I loved the first book and I discovered Dark Angel at my local Barnes and Noble. I immediatly began reading Dark Angel and about 1/2 way through the book, I felt extreamly lost and had no idea what was going on as new characters Siobahn and Tristan were introduced. Also, I kept reading about Isabell and Orlando being in Kivar's clutches. "WHAT?", I thought. Then I realized I stupidly skipped the second book in the series. With most series, you can skip certain books and still understand what is going on due to the backround information the author provides. In this series, that is not the case. I loved this book, but I wished I had read the second book first so I did not feel lost. A WORD TO THE WISE: read these books in order and please do not skip around. This series is worth it! ENJOY!

fine medieval paranormal romance .......2007-01-06

When he learned of his father's death, Gareth returns home to the Highlands seeking revenge against the killer. However, he and his companions are attacked by a marauding army. Knowing he will die without enabling his father to rest peacefully, Gareth is shocked when he is saved by a beautiful female.

Roxanna has decided Gareth will be her blood feeder until he withers and dies as she is a vampire, albeit a very hungry one who has just escaped from a bottled imprisonment. She knows she needs all her strength for her upcoming battle against her enemy, the evil vampire Lucian Kivar, who seeks the Chalice for some malevolent power grabbing use. However, to her shame she falls in love with Gareth, who bears the mark of this chalice on him that her odious foe wants. As Gareth returns her feelings of love he and Roxanna team up to challenge the mightiest vampire of them all.

The third medieval paranormal romance (see THE DEVIL'S KNIGHT and MY DEMON'S KISS) is a delightful star-cross lovers' tale starring a courageous male human and a much more powerful female vampiress. The change in Roxanna from seeing him as a prisoner to falling in love with her soulmate is handled deftly and given the time to evolve (reverse Stockholm syndrome aside). Readers will enjoy the latest thriller as good (the lead couple) battles superior evil (Lucian) with love being the secret weapon of choice.

Harriet Klausner

More please!.......2006-12-30

Yes! Finally! This is one of those books you just can't put down. I don't know what book that other reviewer read, but it coulnd't have been Dark Angel. I fell in love with Gareth and Roxanna is a great heroine. Definetly a must read and keeper!

Not as promising as I thought ... .......2006-12-28

I was disappointed in this book. Vampire Princess meets knight who will break the curse for her kind; the summary was so promising, but I found the characters of Roxanne and Gareth flat and unappealing. I was bored in the first three chapters alone. I was not able to finish it.

Average customer rating:

An entertaining and ambiguous cautionary tale.
Engaging light read
Funny if you've ever taken Creative Writing classes
The Age of the Antihero
possibly the worst book i've ever read...

Blue Angel: A Novel (P.S.)
Francine Prose
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060882034
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Amazon.com

Francine Prose may never surpass Joyce Carol Oates in the Prolific Olympics, but she is one of those omnipresent writers whom failed writers hate. And surely she'll make new enemies with her hilarious and cruel 10th novel, Blue Angel, a satire of academia, specifically of English and writing departments. The setting is Euston College in rural Vermont, a place kids go to if they don't get into Bennington; a place where desperate novelists teach creative writing to rich kids who don't seem to read. Prose, who has taught at all the hotshot workshops, skewers both teachers and students in the way only a true insider could.

Swenson, her writing-teacher protagonist, once published a well-received novel but is now consumed by neuroses and repressed lust, and instead of writing tends to get drunk or morose, or both. But when a gifted student named Angela Argo enters his class, he feels like he is coming back to life. His resurrection into "believing" in writing again, and his eventual disappointment, form the core of the novel.

Prose's gift for satire is stunning as she directs her caustic wit at all the current academic debates: sexual-harassment policies warning against all manner of "touching"; deconstructionists versus Old School fuddy-duddies; women's studies teachers who bring everything back to the phallocentric Man killing us all. But Blue Angel's best passages come when the author is describing truly rotten writers. Here's a Connecticut rich girl, a member of Swenson's workshop, who likes to write about all those poor unfortunate nonwhite people. Her story is called "First Kiss--Inner City Blues" and is written from the point of view of a Latino woman who lives in a trash-strewn neighborhood full of gunfire and bad people. Here's the opening line: "The summer heat sat on the hot city street, making it hard for it to breathe, especially for Lydia Sanchez." It's a sentence so bad, it's almost a revelation. --Emily White

Book Description

It has been years since Swenson, a professor in a New England creative writing program, has published a novel. It's been even longer since any of his students have shown promise. Enter Angela Argo, a pierced, tattooed student with a rare talent for writing. Angela is just the thing Swenson needs. And, better yet, she wants his help. But, as we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. . . .

Deliciously risqué, Blue Angel is a withering take on today's academic mores and a scathing tale that vividly shows what can happen when academic politics collides with political correctness.

Download Description

It's been years since Swenson, a professor in a New England creative writing program, has published a novel.It's been even longer since any of his students have shown promise. Enter Angela Argo, a pierced, tattooed student with a rare talent for writing. Angela is just the thing Swenson needs. And, better yet, she wants his help. But, as we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions...

Deliciously risque, Blue Angel is a withering take on today's academic mores and a scathing tale that vividly shows what can happen when academic politics collides with political correctness.

Customer Reviews:

An entertaining and ambiguous cautionary tale........2007-08-16

Sort of in the tradition of David Mamet's "Oleanna," but far more humorous, the talented Francine Prose introduces us to Ted Swenson, a 47 year old tenured writing professor with a seemingly story-book life: attractive adoring wife (Sherrie), one time author of a successful book, and a cushy easy career teaching a small fiction writing seminar at a small Northeastern college. But there are chinks in the armor. After two years of futility, Swenson realizes that the new novel he tells everyone (including his publisher) that he's "working" on is going nowhere, his college aged daughter (Ruby) hardly speaks to her parents, and he realizes that he's fairly useless as a professor with a bunch of talentless wannabe writers as students at what's a rather mediocre school. Enter Angela Argo, one of his students, a punky morose young woman with a certain degree of seductive skills, who stirs something in Ted when she demonstrates real writing ability. Careful though, Ted, with her seemingly innocent flirtations! Angela (and this really was no surprise at all) may have her own agenda.

Some of the scenes in the book are superb. First, there's Ted Swenson's writing seminar, and the way the students interact and comment about each other's hackneyed puerile stories (anyone who's been in a college writing seminar can certainly relate). Second, there's dinner at the Dean's house for the English Department (with some wonderfully drawn, though perhaps cliched, characters) where an inebriated Swenson acts rather unprofessionally. Third, there are the surrealistic scenes at the end where Swenson becomes completely unraveled. Perhaps the weakest link is the private scenes between Swenson and Angela.

I love the way Prose foreshadows her story with other works of fiction, and the way "Blue Angel" always keeps the reader slightly off balance, yet consistently amused and interested. I honestly can't understand the negative reviews here. I suppose there are those who demand that a book is wrapped up at the conclusion, with all the loose ends neatly tied, but I don't see why this is necessary given that real life is seldom like this.

One minor quibble: I found about a dozen spelling errors, including, in one instance, one of the character's names. But for me, all one has to know is that I'm definitely going to read other works from this fine novelist.

Engaging light read .......2007-07-22

I liked this book a lot. I thought a lot of its strength came from Prose's ability to make us feel sorry for the main character, despite scolding his stupid actions throughout the book. How could Swenson be so dumb? I liked a lot of the dialog too.

I can understand people's problems with the book "answering questions nobody asked because everyone knew the answer already". Its still a quick, engaging read. Worth the $2 at the very least.

Funny if you've ever taken Creative Writing classes.......2007-06-01

The best parts of this novel are the scenes in which the students are workshopping each other's stories. Anyone experienced in workshopping will find these scenes humorous because Prose captures the awkward tensions involved with trying to find good aspects of a bad story. I took a dark pleasure in her examples of bad prose: "The heat on the city streets made it hard for it to breath, especially Lydia." When you're presented with a line like this in a workshop, you find it almost impossible not to cringe. Here, you can laugh.

The rest of the novel is bland. After worrying about being tried for sexual harassment for discussing student stories that involve bestiality, the professor is ultimately accused for sexual involvement with a student. His worrying was a lot funnier than the actual case. Really, the book drops somewhat at the end, after he is accused, for it skips large periods of time in few pages and doesn't really present the reader with anything new.

If you've ever been a creative writing student, though, you should read this book, just for the laughts. I wish it had been more about the workshop.

The Age of the Antihero.......2007-05-30

Literature has entered the age of the antihero. Modern works that feature bona fide heroes are damned to mainstream, or if they are sufficiently lacking in big words, they may have a place in the Young Adult section. Today the only licensed guide for true literature is via the antihero. It turns out that while the antihero is an excellent chap for pointing out society's blemishes, he is pretty shabby at resolving them. For all of you reviewers who complained about the third act, this may be why it left you feeling unsatisfied. Showcasing those who right wrongs has become the preserve of the biographer.

Meet Swenson Swenson, Ms. Prose's Nabokovian style antihero who, though willing to joust with the sexual conceits of university life, only spurs his charger down the lists at a tepid ho-hum trot and ends up forfeiting horse, armor, and title. Battered, but none the wiser, he walks off the last page a pauper with no means of support, no squire, no page, and probably still mired in writer's block.

I believe SS's flaw is in his habit of real-time editing his social interactions. He obsesses over what others may think of his most trivial statements and actions. Come to think of it, this behavior probably accounts for why he's been unable to complete his third novel for the last twenty years. He is so uptight about how others regard him (though in reality it may be how he regards himself) he could pass for British.

The story's villainess, An-GEL-a, a pity that the tip of the tongue only requires two not three steps off the palate, was suspected of being a pathological liar by SS. This was wrong. She was a sociopath. Lying is only one of the many tools used by sociopaths. When confronted by their crimes, liars can be made to feel badly about their behavior. Angela suffered no such compunctions. Interesting how the little vixen was so willing to sell her `innocence' for literary gain, only to become the poster girl for the sexual harassment harpies--nice touch.

Though Ms. Prose's intent was to skewer the sexual harassment crowd such as they existed on American campuses ca. 2000, I think she did an even better job skewering the publishing industry. Look at the diabolical act Angela had to commit to get her book published. A student, her talent unknown but to herself, she knew she was facing the impossible. And look at the despicable self-serving character of Len Currie, SS's big city editor. SS is, or was, an author of some renown, he hadn't bothered his editor in many years, and now he wants to pitch a student whom he believes can really write. Instead, Currie ignores SS's obvious credibility and remarks that student writers are beneath him. I found myself detesting the editor even more than I did, Lauren Healy, the leader of the local femme-Nazis. [Word of the day: `misandry', meaning hatred of males, handy opposite of misogyny. Everyone knows what misogyny means--comes up often in cocktail conversations--but you need a really big dictionary to find misandry.]

All in all, this was a book with a mission, which is to say Ms. Prose didn't write it to be entertaining. If you were disappointed in the outcome, ask yourself how you felt when you read the last page. Were you angry? Ready to take up the lance in righteous indignation? Then Ms. Prose accomplished her mission.

--Ejner Fulsang, author of "A Knavish Piece of Work", Aarhus Publishing, 2006

possibly the worst book i've ever read..........2007-01-11

i'm not exactly sure why i bought this book. something about the blurb and first couple paragraphs caught my eye... not to mention the vintage photo on the cover. but, ultimately, i'm disappointed. the story plays out in the first 75 pages and consequently drags through another 225 until it finally ends in glazed-over, lamely symbolic scene that involves a doe serenely staring down the main character across the snow-covered Vermont campus. The authors use of question marks in her younger characters' dialog was mildly amusing the first time, but quickly grew old with over use. And she had lots adjectives that didn't add anything but ambiguity to otherwise clear and concise descriptions. I'd like to get her address and mail her this horrible failure of a novel... so I don't have to look at it on my bookshelf and be reminded of the time i wasted reading it.

i give it two stars only because it kept my disgusted attention... just like a multiple car crash on the highway.

Average customer rating:

my 12-year old son is hooked on the spy high series
Angel of the Night
lRI ON HER OWN?! Sounds good

Angel Blue (Spy High)
A.J. Butcher
Manufacturer: ATOM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 190423335X

Customer Reviews:

my 12-year old son is hooked on the spy high series.......2007-08-29

He's a selective reader, so I'd consider his preference as a strong recommendation for kids of similar age.

BTW, you can get these books directly from the UK, with free shipping (!!) from Book Depository, at prices around $7. If you order from Book Depository through Amazon you'll pay $3.99 per book for shipping (huh?).

Angel of the Night.......2006-01-02

As the second book in series two, Angel Blue stars the lovely Lori Angel as she uncovers an assassination plot. Though, we see Lori tackle more than just baddies. She goes through a few relaionships and the whole "duty vs. desire" issue many young adults must tackle at one point or another. Part of the enjoyment is seeing how Lori (and all the others, for that matter) have grown and changed over their experience at, and after, Spy High.

lRI ON HER OWN?! Sounds good.......2004-08-14

The beautiful Lori Angel finally gets her on book- and it is fantastic. Like all the other books by AJ butcher, this deserves five stars easily- six stars if I could!

First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels

Average customer rating:

An excellent history of the early Blue Angels
Two books about one man.
First Blue
"Take charge. Go do it."
Interesting Time, Interesting Person

First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels
Robert K. Wilcox
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312322496
Release Date: 2004-09-23

Book Description

The Remarkable Story of a True Hero of American AviationThe U.S. Navy's Blue Angels are the most famous flight demonstration team in the world. While millions of aviation enthusiasts see their shows every year, the story of the man who formed the squadron has never been told. He is Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris, a World War II Ace and one of only two aviators ever to command the Blue Angels twice.First Blue details the epic journey of an unassuming man whose strong character and desire to fly launched him into a life of drama, heroism, and accomplishment unique in his field. Because he wanted to serve his country during World War II, a young Butch Voris found himself flying fighter planes as part of the pitifully prepared and outmanned front in the early stages of the Pacific theater. He was nearly killed there but went on to be a leader in one of the most fearsome naval air squadrons in the Pacific. As a pilot, Butch is unquestionably in the same class as more recognized aviator heroes such as Chuck Yeager and Pappy Boyington. While his World War II experience alone could comprise a book, Butch may be best known for his efforts in the creation of the naval air demonstration team, the Blue Angels. After the war, Voris was personally chosen by Admiral Nimitz to start the Blue Angels and to lead them, first in prop planes and later in jets. The story of his efforts is as exciting as it is inspirational, and it's told here in meticulous detail and with great humor. Today the Blue Angels still follow traditions established by Butch. Butch's involvement in military flight didn't end with the Blue Angels; he became a major player in the development of the F-14 Tomcat and NASA's Lunar Explorer Module for Grumman. Butch dedicated his life to his work, and here, finally, is the remarkable, untold account of this true American aviation pioneer and hero: a man whose life had unparalleled influence on naval aviation and whose legacy continues to inspire millions of Americans each year.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent history of the early Blue Angels.......2007-02-05

The book is well written and the author has done an excellent job of describing the man and his work.

Two books about one man........2006-10-19

You could easily divide this one into two halfs. The first half is Butch's WWII Naval air combat exploits in the Pacific Theatre. The second half skips a beat then covers the Blue Angels and his Naval career after the war.

The WWII stuff is a great read. I'd give that half 5 stars. Lots of first hand accounts dealing with famous and not so famous battles.

The second half, and ostensibly the reason for writing the book, deals with Butch's role in forming the Navy Blue Angels, and his post war career. This half, while interesting enough, bogs down and does a pretty good impression of a tail dragger from time to time. I got the feeling the author struggled with this half of the book, I did.

At times there is plenty of action and excitement in mid-air collisions, falal crashes, near death near crashes, etc. The rest of the time the author is fighting to move the story along. He tries to make the day to day job as thrilling as the flying. It's a decent effort, but not entirely sucessful.
This half has more than it's share of filler... speculation based on newspaper clipings of air shows (like those were ever accurate to begin with)... Endless accounts of what a great guy Butch was... it gets old after a while.

The first half I read in two days. The second half took me a week.

I have to say one thing that's fairly important. The author is up front about speculation. You won't have much doubt about the veracity of the rest of it. In that regard it's excellent.

Call it a four star book on a five star subject.

First Blue.......2005-09-17

As a pilot and Navy vet.I enjoyed reading this book,
it was well done.Had a friend from our Essex days who
became a plane capt.on blue 4 and thus i was able to meet
some of the boys back in 1960.Buch Voris spent time at
North Island San Diego as i did for some 2 1/2 years.
The book brings back some fine memories.
T.J.Johannsen

"Take charge. Go do it.".......2005-02-02

First Blue is a sterling biography of one of the best known and most admired Naval aviators of the 20th century--Butch Voris, who not only started the Blue Angels after WW II, but restarted them after the interruption of the Korean War. In detailing Butch's career from his aerial combat in the Pacific to his service with NASA and the space program, Wilcox shows us a man of unflagging courage, devotion to his craft and his country, and constant pursuit of perfection in the performance of his duties.

In incident after incident, Butch's character emerges dramatically--the character accurately understated in a 1943 fitness report by his first skipper, Jimmy Flatley: "He has a very strong personality." His perfectionism saved the lives of his flying teammates, as well as his own life, many times over. The hair-raising air show disaster Wilcox opens the book with is only the first of a series of near-death experiences for Butch. As zealous in implementing good ideas of others as in pursuing his own innovations, he improved on almost every aspect of Navy practices and procedures he came in contact with, including the squadron-basing system for the Pacific fleet and methods of choosing and developing the best aircraft for the Navy's needs.

Wilcox is especially informative on the politics that cause turkeys like the F7U Cutlass to be purchased by the Defense Department--but rejected by Butch for the Blue Angels. And he reveals how Butch's detective work was instrumental in exposing the dishonesty in General Dynamics' development of the F111B fighter, crediting Butch with "raising the F-14 [Tomcat] from the F111B's ashes." A vivid encounter with Defense Secretary Robert McNamara helps us understand how a brilliant business leader can disastrously mislead the government and the armed forces.

Honesty and loyalty were rarely, if ever, in conflict for Butch. He repeatedly risked his reputation and career for the sake of both. Wilcox often reveals Butch's motivations through his own words: "Every time you are put to a test and survive, you learn something more. I think it was just my nature. Take charge. Go do it. I'm a great believer in that. It's my basic instinct."

First Blue is as informative on the technicalities of flying a hot fighter plane as it is on military-industrial politics. Wilcox's description of the difficulty of landing a prop-driven fighter on a pitching aircraft carrier deck is the best I've read, and for an encore he vividly shows us how doing it in a jet fighter is even trickier.

Wilcox also includes countless nuggets like how Butch got his name, how he had an unexpected chat with Winston Churchill after the war, and how he saved the fledgling Tailhook Association from the risks of south-of-the-border partying.

Butch Voris will forever be inseparable from the Blue Angels, the foremost precision flight team in the world, but this book shows convincingly that his contributions to America's superiority in the air and in space were far more numerous than that. The honors showered on him for these achievements make your head spin, leaving you unprepared for the revelation of the weaknesses in the Navy's promotion system that allow it to lose a superb officer like Butch.

Interesting Time, Interesting Person.......2004-10-27

In March of 1941, Butch Voris joined the Navy as a pilot trainee. This was a time of peace. But before his training ended, it was no longer peace time. The country and soon Butch Voris was at war. The planes they flew were Wildcats, not exactly the best machines to use up against Zeros. Not to many of the early fliers survived the war, but in spite of a number of close calls Butch did.

After the war Butch was personally selected by Admiral Nimitz to set up a demonstration team to attract people to join the Navy. He did, it was called the Blue Angels. Before too long, another little situation came up called Korea. After that Butch went back to the Blue Angels, the only person ever to command it twice. Butch Voris eventually left the navy and went ot work for Grumman, being involved in the development of the F-14.

The book is well written, and covers an interesting period of an interesting person's life.

Average customer rating:

Two German erotic novels

Blue Angel Confessions
Margarete von Falkensee
Manufacturer: Blue Moon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1562013270

Book Description

This book contains the entire text of two classic erotic novels, Blue Angel Nights and Blue Angel Secrets. Originally published in 1931 as The Pleasure Garden, these two novels describe the lascivious side of two of the most infamous eras in world history: Germany of the 1920s and Hollywood of the 1930s. With an unsparing eye on actors and aristocrats, students and showgirls, in cafes and salons and at backstage parties in pleasure boudoirs, Blue Angel Confessions describes a time when even the most outlandish proposal was likely to find an eager accomplice. The novel works as an erotic satire on German society, religion, and politics, with a particularly harsh view of the rise of the National Socialist Party. Von Falkensee’s biting prose has at times been compared to Voltaire and Kafka and is always as intelligent as it is erotic.

Customer Reviews:

Two German erotic novels.......2001-02-06

Typically I am not really a big fan of German erotic literature but this book contains two novels that are worth reading.

The 'Blue Angel Nights' a book of 252 pages deals with the erotic adventures of the decadent rich in Germany in the 1920's ...

The 'Blue Angel Secrets' is a similar account of 240 pages of some German actors in Hollywood in the 1930's ...

The first book spends much more time describing and in typical (forgive the stereotyping) German fashion detailing sexual exploits while the second book has eroticism it is much more of a story as well.

Book Description

In 1946 the Blue Angels first took wing; a team of four pilots flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat, in daring air shows conceived by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Chief of Naval Operations. And in the 60 years since then, V and Echelon formations gave way to awe-inspiring Diamond maneuvers and solo tricks like the Dirty Loop and the Tuck-away Break. The six-man teams moved into the jet age with the McDonnell Douglas IA-18 Hornet. More than 350 million spectators around the world have thrilled to the Blue Angels precision flying. Arriving on the Blue Angels 60th anniversary, this book is a fitting tribute to these representatives of naval aviation and international ambassadors of good will. In soaring words and photographs, The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History celebrates the popular units feats, key figures, and aircraft: from Flight Leader Roy Butch Voris first outing in 1946 to the time of the Korean Conflict, when the Blue Angels formed the nucleus of a fighter squadron known as Satans Kittens; from 1974, when the team donned a new aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II, to the breathtaking air shows of today.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book About America's favorite Aviators - The Blue Angels!.......2006-08-04

Nicholas Veronico has produced a marvelous collection of photos, history, stories and reference data on America's most popular aviation group in his coffee table sized book "The Blue Angels - A Fly-By History: Sixty Years Of Aerial Excellence." It is sure to please all Blue Angel fans world wide. There is so much more to his book than some cold history about the group. This book gives you both the men and their flying machines in a perfect and balanced presentation.

The book not only looks great with many photos of the planes in action but the text digs deeply into the history and personalities involved with making this team a sixty year hit. The author uses some good editing and an easy to follow format to share this group's story. It is obvious that there was some detailed research that enshrines this whole book project. It feels like a labor of love from the author and comes across in an entertaining style. The book is a tribute to a wonderful group of aviators.

It will sit proudly on your coffee table or in your book shelf but if you leave it lying around the office or the house, people will begin picking it up and browsing through it - the temptation is just too great to fondle and ogle it. The good thing about this book is that it is just as much fun to look at and read the second or the third time or even the first one hundred times you pick it up. It is a collector's book to be cherished and displayed.

The MWSA gives this book its highest rating of FIVE STARS!

Great pictoral history, but.............2005-12-28

otherwise somewhat limited in scope. Chronological history of the Blue Angel squadron. It won't end up being used as a reference for BA history, but it gives a good overview for the casual BA enthusiast. Pictures are great, and otherwise rare.

From Pow to Blue Angel: The Story of Commander Dusty Rhodes

Average customer rating:

Learning to understand Japanese
The Story of a Member of the Greatest Generation
The story of deeply religious young men whose beliefs led them to reject military service.
Truly inspiring

From Pow to Blue Angel: The Story of Commander Dusty Rhodes
James L. Armstrong
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0806137649

Book Description

As only the third fighter pilot to become leader of the Blue Angels, Raleigh E. "Dusty" Rhodes helped develop the most famous aerobatics team ever formed. From POW to Blue Angel tells his story--a fast-paced drama teeming with action and human interest and capturing the initiative and tenacity of a true American hero.

Jim Armstrong has drawn on extensive interviews and Dusty's scrapbooks and flight logs to produce a rare account of the Blue Angels in the late 1940s. Readers will experience the stress of practice and the exhilaration of air shows as Armstrong takes them inside Dusty's cockpit during the era when the Blues first found fame, perfecting their trademark formations and maneuvers.

This book is also a moving account of the degradation that Rhodes suffered for three years as a prisoner of war, and includes his rare, ground observer's view of the firebombings of Tokyo and Yokohama. Armstrong poignantly captures Dusty's return to a changed postwar America, and also recounts his tour as a fighter pilot in Korea.

From POW to Blue Angel is an intimate story of service and survival that will carve a place in naval aviation history--and inspire all who keep their eyes skyward.

Customer Reviews:

Learning to understand Japanese.......2007-03-13

From POW to Blue Angel is the story of Commander (CDR) Dusty Rhodes, one of the first commanders of the Blue Angels. Mr. Armstrong tells us of CDR Rhodes exploits in the US Navy. Critical to the story is his time in WWII and the time between WWII and the Korean War. Unfortunately for CDR Rhodes most of his WWII time was spent as a POW of the Japanese (Dusty was shot down on his first combat mission and captured during the Battle of Santa Cruz). Most of the book focus's on his time as a POW. His treatment seemed to depend on the guards and camp he was in. This is the true high point of the book as Mr. Armstrong, while being distant in his telling does justice to Dusty's situation. His time as a POW is followed by his return the US forces and to the US (a good story on how he got back to the US). Once back in the US, Dusty decides to stay in the Navy and relearns how to be a pilot. This is followed up by him being accepted into the Blue Angels and eventually becoming the leader. I will spoil one little bit, while leading the Blue Angels he took them from F8F Bearcats (propeller driven) to F9F Panthers (jets).

This book is a solid 4 star book. I preferred the front half of the book when Dusty was a POW. The story was sharper and more interesting. His observations of the Japanese and of his situation were insightful on something most people don't being to understand. In the later half, things seemed to drag a little. While it was interesting what he did as a Blue Angel, I felt that there was more struggle with writing it than the earlier section. My other reason for only 4 stars (really, the front part was a strong 4.5 stars) was the writers style. There were to many times when his style just killed the chapter for me. While no Chuck Yeager, From POW to Blue Angel is a good story to read!

The Story of a Member of the Greatest Generation.......2006-10-22

The statistics for the first combat patrol of a fighter pilot are not good. No matter how much training they have, no matter how mentally ready they are, getting into combat for the first time is simply different than anything training can teach.

Then again, at the beginning of the War the Americans were flying the F4F Wildcat. Up against the Japanese zero it was slower in both climbing and level flight. It didn't turn as sharply so was outmatched when it came to dog fighting.

Finally at the beginning of the war the Japanese pilots were the best trained with the most hours, the most experience in the world.

October 26, 1942 was the date of Dusty Rhodes first combat patrol. They ran into zeros and Dusty Rhodes was shot down. From the book it appears that he never saw the plane that got him. It fits right in with the statistics.

From there it was a series of Japanese prisoner of war camps until the end of the war. Surprisingly his stories of life in the camps are not nearly as bad as many of the stories that have been published. His life was by no means good, but by no means as horrible as say the Bataan Death March.

After the war, it also seems that he had less troubles than many. Divorce, yes, but he handled this easily - to short a marriage, to much had happened. He was soon back on flight status. Soon after that he commanded the Blue Angels. He went on to flying a fighter in Korea, and a reasonable career after that.

This book covers from basically getting shot down to his return from Korea. It is largely based on his memories, but exhaustively researched to back up what he said. It is well written and an joy to read. You have to respect these members of what Tom Brokaw correctly called 'The Greatest Generation.'

The story of deeply religious young men whose beliefs led them to reject military service........2006-10-15

Raleigh E. 'Dusty' Rhodes helped develop the Blue Angels, the world's most famous military aerobatic team - and was only the third fighter pilot to become its leader. Interviews, Dusty's scrapbooks and flight logs form the foundations of a survey which is part biography, part aviation history, and always interesting: fans of military history and aviation will find it a top pick. Mark Matthews' SMOKE JUMPING ON THE WESTERN FIRE LINE: CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS DURING WORLD WAR II offers a fascinating and rare probe into a little-researched aspect of World War II history: the story of deeply religious young men whose beliefs led them to reject military service. Instead, some of them were paid a minimum wage to volunteer for the Civilian Public Service as U.S. Forest Service smoke jumpers based in Montana: this is their story, and uses extensive interviews with World War II conscientious objectors and original documents to recreate their stories.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Truly inspiring.......2006-08-29

I am distantly related to Dusty Rhodes, which is why I bought the book. However, it's not the reason I couldn't put it down - it's just an amazing story, and very well-told. I expected a dry explanation of war battles and air flights. This book is anything but dry. It is touching, funny, heart-warming and truly inspiring. It's very readable, even for someone who would normally never pick up a "war book". Dusty's story is one of courage, hope, determination, a love for his country, and a love of life.

Beauty & The Blue Angel (Silhouette Desire, No 1514)

Average customer rating:

I loved It
Good story

Beauty & The Blue Angel (Silhouette Desire, No 1514)
Maureen Child
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0373765142

Customer Reviews:

I loved It.......2006-09-27

This is the 6th in the Barone Series and is Alex Barone's story. He is a navy pilot on leave and meets waitress Daisy at rival Conti's restaurant. He is immediately attracted to her even though she is 9 months pregnant. When Daisy goes into labor at the restaurant, Alex whisks her over to his nurse sister Rita's apartment and she delivers Daisy's baby. Alex stays and talks to Daisy during the delivery and she names the baby girl, Angel. Alex is immediately enthralled by mother and baby and cannot believe some man let them go. He doesn't understand his feelings because he was jilted by his fiance several years ago and has not had a serious relationship since. Something about Daisy gets to his heart and he finds himself spending all of his leave time with her and the baby. Daisy is falling in love with Alex, but cannot believe a rich Barone would be interested in a poor waitress. Also, she has trouble trusting men after Angel's father left them. Daisy is sure when his leave is up, Alex will forget all about her and Angel.

This is a sweet story and I liked seeing the sensitive loving side of this Italian hunk. Don't miss this one.

Good story.......2003-06-18

When waitress Daisy Cusak goes into labor at work, handsome Alex Barone steps in to save the day. Alex gets Daisy to his sister's house (his sister is a nurse) and then assists in the birth of Daisy's daughter. Alex is so captivated by Daisy and her daughter that he spends most of his leave from the Navy with them. Soon, Alex and Daisy find themselves falling in love. They both have baggage from previous relationships that makes them hesitant to get seriously involved again.

The story is good but there are several mistakes in the writing. First Daisy has chestnut hair then blond hair then chestnut again. Alex pours her a glass of water but she gulps wine. Nothing major but I found it distracting.

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