Book Description
Out of the clash of genius and the caprice of popes came the most glorious monument of the Renaissance
It was the splendor—and the scandal—of the age. In 1506, the ferociously ambitious Renaissance Pope Julius II tore down the most sacred shrine in Europe—the millenniumold St. Peter's Basilica built by the Emperor Constantine over the apostle's grave—to build a better basilica. Construction of the new St. Peter's spanned two centuries, embroiled twenty-seven popes, and consumed the genius of the greatest artists of the age—Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, and Bernini. As the basilica rose, modern Rome rose with it as glorious as the city of the Caesars. But the cost was unimaginable. The new basilica provoked the Protestant Reformation, dividing the Christian world for all time.
In this swift, colorful narrative, R. A. Scotti brings to life the artists and the popes, the politics and the passions behind this audacious enterprise. Gothic cathedrals reach up to heaven, but the basilica brings heaven to earth, and the new St. Peter's was the defining event of the high Renaissance.
In the tradition of Brunelleschi's Dome, Scotti turns sacred architecture into a spellbinding human epic of enormous daring, petty jealousy, and staggering genius.
Customer Reviews:
Read it before you visit St. Peter's.......2007-10-07
I will defer to the judgment of other reviewers who have found fault with some of the "facts" Scotti relates in BASILICA. This is a popular, not an academic, history of the building of St. Peter's in Rome. I found Scotti's depiction of the sequence of events and of the personalities at play to be consistent with what I've read elsewhere. And she does a good job of demonstrating how all actions have a multiplicity of consequences--good and bad. If she's a little guilty of playing a "what if" game (What if the popes had not committed themselves to building the grandest church in Christendom and used the selling of indulgences to help finance it, and what if a certain Augustinian monk had found less combative ways to voice his concern about the shortcomings of his church, and what if New World civilizations hadn't been pillaged and destroyed to provide silver and gold for the church's ornament...), at least she conveys a clear sense that history is a complex and intertwined thing. Also, her descriptions of the popes, artists, and architects who had a hand in bringing about an amazing worship space that took generations to complete are pointed but unelaborated (she does no "The Agony and the Ecstasy"-type of filling in the unknowable details). Everything she asserts about them can likely be supported from letters and diary accounts (even if incorporated via secondary sources).
My regret is that I read this book AFTER visiting the Vatican. I'm sure I would have had a more meaningful visit if I had read Scotti's history beforehand. And as lively as her writing is, most people could easily finish this 269-page book during a 9-hour trans-Atlantic flight. Perhaps Scotti's final sentence sums up one's mixed feelings about a building that cost the world so much: "Gothic cathedrals reach up to heaven. St. Peter's--muscular, sublime, irrevocable--brings heaven to earth."
Awesome Alliteration..........2007-09-03
Scotti's ability to tie the present to the past is impressive and instructive. I listened to the audio book and was both educated and inspired. Scotti built an understandable timeline and an understated history of popes and painters (and sculptors). My only complaint is that the alliteration was both constant and contrived.
Too many popes, not enough building.......2007-08-06
I very much anticipated reading a history of the building of St. Peter's. I was dismayed to learn that this book is a thinly-researched effort that is too pope-bio focused, with very little concentration on the building itself.
Full of anachronisms, full of misinformation. If you can keep your lunch down when reading chapter titles like "The Knaves of Saint Peter's", you are a better man than I am.
Thank God that I borrowed it from the library as opposed to buying it!
The Sacred and the Profane - a Grand Enterprise.......2007-07-23
Saint Peter's Basilica is at once a magnificent place of worship and a symbol of both the best and worst in the hearts, minds and souls of its human designers. A wondrous architectural and engineering achievement, the logistics and financial excesses and abuses contributed in no small way to the fracturing of the Catholic Church, sparking the Protestant Reformation and leading to the counter-Reformation at the Council of Trent.
BASILICA chronicles the story of this unique structure, spanning decades of human tumult and artistic controversy. Author R.A. Scotti (whose works include the fascinating SUDDEN SEA: THE GREAT HURRICANE OF 1938) offers the reader a lively portrayal of the strategies and machinations of artists, clerics, politicians and others. BASILICA is filled with gripping drama, expansive egos, and enough plot twists to keep the reader engaged the 320-some pages.
Some of the reviews, particular those from "scholars," refer to historical inaccuracies. As I am not a Renaissance scholar, I cannot comment upon them. The only complaint that I would have about the book is when the author editorializes on the Catholic faith itself. Although infrequent, these criticisms seem to be based on issues other than the subject matter of the book. Nevertheless, the book provides a fascinating look into the [arguably] crowing achievement of Renaissance architecture.
Exciting, Interesting Tale - but what was left out?.......2007-03-19
Very well written and apparently balanced account of the"space program" of the middle ages. Would have been 5 stars but the word "Cluny" does not appear in the book. With an omission that huge one wonders what else of great significance also was lost along the way.
Book Description
Finally: the truth behind McVeigh's self-serving account of the Oklahoma City bombing.
In Others Unknown, Stephen Jones, Timothy McVeigh's lawyer in his trial for the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Office Building in Oklahoma City, provides the fullest possible account of the worst act of terrorism in American history. In a complete revision of his 1998 hardcover, Jones tells for the first time the whole story of his investigation of the case, including what he was told by McVeigh and what he learned about others involved in the conspiracy. His account differs significantly from the tale McVeigh is telling as he faces execution for his crimes.
In interviews with Buffalo News journalists, reported in their recently released book American Terrorist (ReganBooks, 00/04), McVeigh claims total responsibility for the bombing, saying "It was my choice and my control to hit that building when it was full." In Others Unknown Jones sets the record straight, saying what he could not say when he first wrote this book, before McVeigh effectively waived attorney-client privilege: that based on what he learned as McVeigh's counsel, Jones knows that the bombing was a conspiracy, and that McVeigh was not its mastermind. "I'm not trying to say he was innocent. He has exaggerated his guilt to protect others. He played a role, but he was a foot soldier, a mule, not the general," says Jones.
"I know it did not happen the way he tells it in his book."
Jones reports in detail what McVeigh told him as the case progressed; explains why McVeigh did not plead guilty; and shows McVeigh's real role in the conspiracy and how he obstructed his own defense. This is the definitive historical record of a heinous act of murderous rage; an account indispensable to understanding what happened. And, says PublicAffairs CEO and publisher Peter Osnos: "We think it's important that Tim McVeigh not be given the final word."
Customer Reviews:
A topic worthy of a better book........2002-09-30
This book is too poorly written to read and understand. Problems in organization, narrative style and structure, plus an occasionally annoying narrative voice, make it difficult to figure out what is going on. The time sequence is random and much that is irrelevant is mixed in and has to be sorted through.
The author's coy refusal to state whether he believes Timothy McVeigh is guilty is negated by McVeigh's own post-conviction confession.
Had the author focused on his actual thesis, that Timothy McVeigh did not act alone and probably had the support of some organization, and had he offered well-organized, well-reasoned and well-supported evidence to support this thesis, this would have been a much better book.
Others Unknown.......2002-09-13
I read this book in 1999 and have shared it with many friends and family. I had the privilege of meeting Stephen Jones and immediately got the sense this was a man with integrity and a very strong belief in the Constitution of the United States.
After 9/11 my husband and myself re-read this book and again were passing it around to friends.
It makes you wonder why the government didn't pay attention to the information Stephen and his investigators were uncovering. It is obvious there was a connection of the middle eastern radical influence in the OKlahoma City Bombing.
With recent information connecting the 9/11 terroist and Tim McVeigh staying at the same motel makes a compelling argument that they are connected.
This is a must read if you Love America and all the freedoms we enjoy in everyday life.
"Others Unknown"--MUST reading for everyone.......2002-06-26
As a citizen of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City, I was incensed when Stephen Jones, an Oklahoma Lawyer, wrote a book about his attempt to defend McVay--the man who blew up the Murrah Building in our town. Jones had to have a guard when discussing the first edition of his book in the Library in Perry Oklahoma (where McVey was jailed when picked up on Interstate 35 on the way back to Kansas after the Bombing). Oklahoma people, to say the least, were not happy with Mr. Jones. After McVay published his own book, thus releasing Jones from his Lawyer's oath of Confidentiality, Jones wrote what I call "the rest of the story." I was still not impressed, and I was not going to enrich him by buying one of his books. After 911, I realized that the second edition of his book was written AFTER both World Trade Center#1, and Oklahoma City, and BEFORE World Trade Center II (911). Much of Johes' wanderings about the world in his effort to defend McVay, suddenly began to seem like something I should know about, as a Citizen of this country at this time in history. I bought a copy, and am awe-struck by the information in that book that might have had a bearing on "911"...One must discount all of the "losing lawyer's grumbling" about his poor treatment by the winning side; that is normal in Trial Lawyer Books...It is the portrait of international terrorism that he discovered, and wrote about in this book while preparing for that trial,that is engaging.I doubt if there was anything in this book that would have prevented "911"..but looking back sometimes is the only view of the future that we can have in such times. Perhaps McVay's only patriotic deed near the end of his life, was to free Mr. Jones to write this book, by publishing his own work. Two of McVay's co-defendants are still alive...one is awaiting trial in Oklahoma City for his part in over 160 murders....Find this book at the Library or somewhere and read it. No,I DO NOT KNOW MR. JONES. Clarence Robison M.D.
A Glimpse of the Truth.........2001-11-30
This book was written by Timothy McVeigh's lawyer , it raises the questions: Were there Others Unknown? Were there other countries involved in this conspiracy? Why weren't the defense teams allowed their own independant investigation in the bombing? Why was evidence withheld by prosecutors? A very good book to read, try also reading Freedom's End by James Nichols.
Close, But No Cigar.......2001-11-08
Mr. jones has written an excellent book except for one thing...he gives credibility to The Southern Poverty Law Center (...).
Otherwise, the book fills in a lot of gaps about the ongoing terrorism in America. The World Trade Center wasn't the first attack against us....Khobar Towers, the African Embasies, Flight 800, OK City, WTC#1, WTC#2....in my mind its all connected and so it is in Attorney Jones's as well. And he really lays it all out there so you can understand it, as well as demonstrating the sickening complicity of those at the top who manipulate what's left of the "Justice System."
Thank God somebody finally has the guts to say it out loud....now if the bought and paid for media would only get off their kiesters....naw, too much to hope for.
Read the book and learn what's really going on in this world...if you don't already know. Worth every penny if you don't have a clue, and worth even more if you want substantiation of the sad reality of the decline of America during and post Clinton.
Customer Reviews:
A Notated History Book .......2007-07-14
Mr. Williams traces the dark history of the characters inside the Vatican from prior to WWII to the recently deceased Pope's time. The history is of the dark side from Pius XI's actions and inactions with the Hitler Regime to Pope John Paul II's Vatican Banking scandals. Other reviewers have criticized the author for dwelling on the dark side and have accused him of fantasizing. The notes are there to check. His intentions weren't to point out the benevolence of the Vatican - they were to point out the side that up to recent times have not been brought to light. If a reader is truly interested in history, one has to have all the facts. Some of the facts are contained within Mr. Williams' book and I commend him for bringing them to our attention. Also contained are Appendices of THE LATERAN TREATY OF 1929, a chronological listing of Popes from Peter to John Paul II, and THE CONCORDANT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND THE GERMAN REICH. The facts are noted within the chapters and the notes contained at the end of the book. One can use the notes as a further reading bibliography if desired. This book is 202 pages long and this reader read it in one Saturday sitting. If you're interested only in polemics, read something else. If you're interested in facts, even if they have warts, you need to read this book.
Baffling.......2007-05-07
As a catholic I was not aware nor did I expect that Vatican officials were prepared to compromise so much for earthly matters. Our Lord told his apostles "leave everything and follow me". If what the book says is true Vatican officials including Cardinals and Popes did exactly the opposite.
The way the book is written is very interesting from start to finish. I think that anyone who reads this book should however read it with an open mind and not take everything it says as the gospel truth. The author's sources might not be hundred per cent correct and credible after all.
Paul Williams (the author) is a "Church historian", not a Catholic-basher.......2006-05-16
Please ignore review which heaps emotive bashing on the author, Dr. Paul Williams, as if Williams was some kind of "Catholic basher" (he is actually a dedicated Roman Catholic apologist). FYI, the back cover of another book he wrote, called "The Complete Idiots' Guide to the Lives of the Saints" (2001), describes Williams as having "served as professor of Catholic theology and patristics at the University of Scranton [which proudly identifies itself as "a Jesuit university"]" and as "senior editor of Northeast Books, the publishing arm of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars". (Hardly the credentials one would expect from a genuine "Catholic basher"!) If anything, Dr. Williams strives to pin the blame for various historic Vatican scandals on a cardinal, the Mafia, or other convenient scapegoats, etc., as a PR effort to minimize "damage control" to the Vatican's reputation for scandals in WWII history, etc.
a great book.......2005-08-07
In its expose of Vatican intrique, particularly as it pertains to pre-World War II, this book is exceeded only by Lucien Gregoire's "Murder in the Vatican." Both books are very much history books and both are written to the maker's mark.
Great history book.......2005-07-27
Growing up in America, one of my favorite topics in school was history, be it American, Western, or world history. Never in all those classes did I come across anything like the tales told in this book. The author is a historian of Christianity, and in this book he gives an inside history of the Vatican, with an emphasis on the 20th century. Specifically, he tells the facts that the Vatican would not like people to know. The major events covered in this book are:
1. The Vatican's treaty with Mussolini and the Fascist Party in Italy whereby the Vatican would get its own land and country from Italy. In exchange, the Vatican would support the Fascists publicly and privately. This occurred in 1929, I think.
2. The Vatican's agreement with Hitler in the 1930s whereby the Vatican would pressure Catholics in Germany to not oppose Hitler. In return, the Nazis gave money to the Vatican in the form of a church tax levied on German Catholics.
3. The Vatican covering up for some of its officials who took part in the Holocaust.
4. The Vatican helping Nazi scientists escape to the US at the end of WWII. In return, the Allies kept secret knowledge about the Vatican's complicy in the Holocaust and private arrangements with the Axis powers.
5. The Vatican aligning itself with the Mafia after WWII to help secure inroads into foreign governments, and get good deals on investments world-wide.
All in all, this was a very impressive book. It is quite short, and probably as easy to read as a Harry Potter book, though shorter than a Potter book. The book is written in chronological order, and there are a lot of references to various primary and secondary sources.
I highly recommend this book.
Customer Reviews:
Wow. Just Wow...........2004-11-27
As an avid reader of anything about Tim McVeigh,I waited a long time for this book to come out.I was not disappointed. This book is amazing and it has such an emotional impact on me that I have to let months go by in between readings of it.This book gives you a vivid, real picture of the last two years of Tim's life. It reports a day to day account of the last 2 weeks of his life before he was sadly executed.While Tim haters would probably enjoy it,I was heartbroken as such a bright young man was put to death among the hatred of so many.
The best thing about this book is that it colorfully illustrates Tim as a person. A human being , not a monster. A good person in spite of his actions.This writing also painfully illustrates another side of the death penalty from a side most people don't see or care about-the condemned persons family and friends and makes an eloquent case for why their shouldn't be a death penalty in this country at all.
A completely different account of the bombing is reported here and it will blow your mind. I believe most of it to be the truth , but I still have a hard time fully grasping it all and it has not fully sunken in .If this is all true the implications are amazing, beyond the scope of what most of us can imagine and is NOTHING like the official story.
Supposedly all this came from McVeigh in a deal worked out with the authors that they would not publish it until after the "official" version of his life and death{American Terrorist} that he wanted out there hit the stands and therefore after he was executed.
I feel that we need to hear what the 2 authors of this book have to say.
I am guessing that not many people outside of folks who have a hard core interest in Tim/the bombing or victim's families will pay much attention to this book because it was written by 2 death row inmates and people have a prejudice against taking inmates seriously. But ask yourself-what really do 2 guys on death row have to gain from this other than getting out what they feel to be the truth? Guys on death row keep little if any money from something like this because of laws that stop them from doing so. And since the book hasn't gotten much attention that I've seen,fame wouldn't be the motivation either.
Finally, this book took almost 3 years to write and the authors claim hats because it took that long to verify Tim's claims from outside independent sources and they were able to substantiate 95% of the information Tim gave them.In closing if you ever wondered about the official story of the bombing or Tim as a real person, not the villainous caricature you saw on TV, then you owe it to yourself to read this book.
Definately worth reading........2004-04-17
One of the more interesting books dealing with Mcveigh. Gives a feel for what type of person Mcveigh really was while taking a look at the inner workings of federal death row. I only wish it had a better publisher because it was filled with spelling errors and bad editing which slightly butchered the work of these two authors. And the price is a little steep. But the information is worth the price... Another piece of the puzzle.
Book Description
On the night of Monday, May 4, 1998, in Vatican territory, the bodies of the commander of the Swiss Guard, his wife, and a young lance corporal were found in the barracks of the picturesque force entrusted with protecting the pope. It was the worst bloodbath to take place in more than a century in the heart of the supreme authority of the world's one billion Catholics. Four hours later, the Vatican announced that the lance corporal, twenty-three-year-old Cédric Tornay, had shot the couple, then committed suicide in "a fit of madness" brought on by frustration with the unit's discipline -- a conclusion it reaffirmed after a nine-month internal inquiry.
But as John Follain's hard-hitting exposé shows, the official report was a travesty, a tissue of suppositions, contradictions, and omissions. Based on an exhaustive three-year investigation, City of Secrets reveals how the Vatican, the oldest and most secretive autocracy in the world, staged an elaborate plot to obstruct justice -- and hide the scandals it dared not confess.
Customer Reviews:
Wake Up Call for Catholics.......2006-10-31
It's so easy being a Catholic in the United States: priests who are your buddies, who stop over for Thanksgiving meals, know your kids by name, offer wholesome, practical advice for marriage and high school football, and who will have a Bud Light with you in the early autumn afternoon.
Not so easy when you're a young member of the Swiss Guards in the Vatican: priests are not your buddies, priests refuse to counsel you, your fellow Swiss guards insult your use of French and give you punishments when you don't deserve them. If you were a Swiss/French Guard, you might never come of age. You might be dead.
As we have found in some public schools throughout the USA, bullying can lead to mass murder when those being bullied see no other way out. Such is the situation in John Follain's CITY OF SECRETS. We Catholic readers have our eyes opened to the reality of the closed-society that is the Vatican.
If you want to keep your eyes closed to the severe problems within our beloved church, don't read this book.
If you think having a secret society, OPUS DEI, propagandizing side-by-side with the true mission of the church, then you absolutely must read the book. You have been sleeping as have I.
Be prepared to be shocked. Or, have the politicizing and manipulations found in the American church's pedophile scandal already opened your eyes wide?
by Larry Rochelle, author of HOME SCHOOLED.
a pleasant change.......2005-08-06
In that it gives a look at some other murders outside of the mysterious death of John Paul I, this is a refreshing book. Yet, since it does not invlove a Pope it is likely to suffer unfairly from less interest. I recommend you not pass it up. An alternative is Lucien Gregoire's "Murder in the Vatican" which takes one on a methodical imvestigation of the murder of eight men which combination was the leadership of the progressive movement in Church - including the 'murders' of John Paul I and Paul VI. That all of these men died mysteriously within a few months of each other itself would arouse ones suspicions - but Gregoire offers much more than just that. I would recommend you buy these books as a package.
Great read........2005-01-01
This is another book that deals with the hypocrites in the Vatican.
People seems surprised when their hear of crimes in the Vatican, but this is an organization that supports and promotes priest who molest little boys.
The latest example of the lies and hypocrisy of the Vatican can be found with this week's tsunami.
The official newspaper of the Vatican had a spurious and misleading report that falsely claimed the Israeli government had denied emergency relief for tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.
The official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano singled out Israeli leaders for declining the country's request for emergency help, when in fact the Israeli government's offer to provide a team of medical and security personnel was rejected by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry. However, Israel is providing an airlift of food and medical supplies to Sri Lanka.
Can you believe that? The Vatican defends priest who are child molesters yet has the gall to falsely criticize Israel.
GOOD READING.......2003-07-04
ALTHOUGH THE BOOK I THINK DOES NOT FINALIZE THE CONCLUSION, I FOUND THE METHODS THE AUTHOR TRIED TO PASTE TOGETHER THE BITS AND PIECES OF TRUTH OR INFORMATION WELL WORTH THE READ. IN THE END I THINK THE BOOK ANALYZES THE CHURCH MORE THAN IT SHOULD BUT THEN AGAIN WHY NOT?
Behind the Vatican murders.......2003-07-03
The strength of John Follain's book, based on his four-year investigation, is that we end up with a firm understanding of why Tornay did it. City of Secrets is both superb journalism and an outstanding example of forensic psychology.
Secondhand investigations of sensational crimes are often nothing more than instant books. However, Follain not only took the time to contribute something of worth to the canon of crime journalism but also exposed weaknesses in the Vatican that need addressing. In this case it is the fact that the Swiss Guard, supposedly responsible for protecting the Pope, are nothing more than toy soldiers -- Dennis Chute, The Edmonton Journal
Book Description
In the tradition of Robert Caro's The Power Broker, a sweeping, investigative history of the building of the road connecting Manhattan to the rest of the country.
At the dawn of America's love affair with the automobile, cars and trucks leaving the nation's largest city were unceremoniously dumped out of the western end of the Holland Tunnel onto local roads wending their way through the New Jersey Meadowlands.
Jersey City mayor Frank Hague—dictator of the Hudson County political machine and a national political player—was a prime mover behind the building of the country's first "superhighway," designed to connect the hub of New York City to the United States of America. Hague's nemesis in this undertaking was union boss Teddy Brandle, and construction of the last three miles of Route 25, later dubbed the Pulaski Skyway, marked an epic battle between big labor and big politics, culminating in a murder and the creation of a motorway so flawed it soon became known as "Death Avenue" —now appropriately featured in the opening sequence of the hit HBO series The Sopranos.
A book in the tradition of Robert Caro's The Power Broker and Henry Petroski's Engineers of Dreams, The Last Three Miles brings to vivid life the riveting and bloodstained back story of a fascinating chapter in the heroic age of public works.
Customer Reviews:
Could be better.......2007-07-23
Fascinating topic, but seems more focused on union-labor relations and politics than the highway itself. Lacks maps to back up descriptions of local geography, and the conclusion was extremely weak.
Some other books about New Jersey history and geography that I found a better read are Robert Sullivan's excellent Meadowlands, Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike by Gillespie and Rockland, and for the true hardcore transportation geeks and wonks out there: Doig's Empire on the Hudson.
A missing piece of history.......2007-07-07
Let me start by saying that I was born in Jersey City in 1940 and lived there until 1956. My father had his business there and after I finished school, I wound up in the family business. Because my dad was always interested and somewhat involved in politics, I still retain some knowledge and awareness of that one of a kind era.
I can vividly remember going to Journal Square and passing over the manmade cuts that looked like canyons to a young boy. And when I attended Dickinson High School, looking down on the approaching traffic to the Holland Tunnel.
This is a book that I've been looking for someone to write for many years. If you are from Jersey City or Hudson County and were born before 1950, so many memories will return. If you have any interest in machine politics, union labor or history in general, this is a great find. I couldn't put the book down and was very disappointed when I was finished.
Mister Hart could do us all a favor by supplementing his research and writing a complete history of Jersey City (Hudson County).
A Brisk Read.......2007-06-09
The Last Three Miles has as its most specific focus the construction of what is now known as the Pulaski Skyway. Serving as macrocosm are the machinations of politicos and union men and corporations before and during the construction of America's first viaduct/superhighway. The cast of characters is nigh Shakespearean, and Steven Hart is particularly good at breathing life into the major players. Foremost is Frank Hague, Irish tough and one of America's great political bosses. Serving as foil is Teddy Brandle, the thuggish union boss who becomes rich and powerful by playing ball with Hague, and whose dispute with his patron over the construction of a hospital leads to the climactic labor struggle which serves as climax in Hart's narrative. Also making an appearance is railroad engineer, intrepid world-traveler and lothario Fred Lavis. There are many others.
In less deft hands, the book could easily have exceeded 500 pages, and been rendered unreadable to anyone not a historian by the inclusion of tedious minutiae. Hart's great gift is whittling down the story to its most concise threads, threads that pull the reader happily along. He tells his tale with wit and vigour, somehow managing not to skimp on essential context, situating his New Jersey narrative within the larger framework of labor woes and Tammany Hall-style 'democracy' and federal intervention in local public works. It's a great read. I laughed out loud at several points, most heartily during a catalog of the salaries and 'duties' of several well-paid Hague henchmen. Hart even manages to take the reader on a harrowing ride along the Skyway's hazardous route.
Hart treats his subjects fairly and allows their flaws largely to speak for themselves, which is refreshing. It's easy to condemn guys like Hague and Brandle for their paranoia and brutish excesses, ignoring their often astonishing achievements. The Last Three Miles documents both in an entertaining and enlightening manner, reminding us that this was how things got done for much of our history.
The Last Three Miles is not merely a story of the hopes, woes, and struggles behind the completion of a public works engineering feat that failed to live up to intended purposes. It's a story of a nation evolving from humble roots to industrial and economic supremacy, often in a ham-fisted, blundering fashion.
I'll nestle it on the bookcase between Plunkitt of Tammany Hall and The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
The Last Word on the Pulaski Skyway.......2007-06-06
There's something repulsive, yet strangely compelling, about the Pulaski Skyway, the grimy eyesore that the author aptly describes as "a uniquely efficient generator of traffic accidents." Deride it you must, but the Skyway is a fitting landmark for the squalid industrial wasteland it straddles. You'll want to buy and read this book in a hurry, before the inevitable collapse of the rusty hulk -- which even today, after some 75 years of service, plays a vital role spewing traffic in and out of New York City. It can't be too long before the monstrosity falls down, as anyone can attest who regularly drives the wretched span linking the Holland Tunnel and points west.
This well-researched little book tells the complete story of the Skyway's ill-starred design and construction. But by way of context, it necessarily tackles a much bigger story: the life and times of the notoriously corrupt Frank Hague, long-serving mayor/dictator of Jersey City, and the bloody battles waged by trade unions locked out of the Skyway project -- a forgotten, sad chapter in America's history.
Top-notch political, industrial history piece -- sheds light on a long overlooked element of modern America!.......2007-06-01
I live in North Jersey, but this book is relevant to anyone interested in American history, the changes this country underwent when the automobile became commonplace, and the evolotion of modern machine politics and bossism. This exhaustively researched, yet economically written book is full of insight and fascinating information about the power struggles that ensued as American cities tried to cope with the changes wrought by the need for roads.
Frank Hague is not as widely known as other political bosses of his era, but he should be, and Mr. Hart's smooth style and astute writing bring the decades-long Jersey City mayor to life and fill in many blanks about him. Hague's controversial reign had a permanent and very tangible impact in New Jersey, New York, and, in fact, throughout the nation.
Book Description
The dark side of the Gilded Age is revealed in this vivid new view of turn-of-the-century New York. Scholar of American culture M. H. Dunlop penetrates the psyche of New York City in the pivotal years made famous by Edith Wharton, the Vanderbilts, and the Rockefellers, unveiling an age that was not genteel and proper but dangerous and predatory.
Drawing on rare primary sources, Dunlop showcases the sensational and surreal events of the times -- from a wealthy society wedding where locals were trampled in their frenzy to watch, to the harrowing nine-hour execution of a zoo elephant diagnosed with sexual frustration, and more. Spiced with cameos of such characters as Stanford White, William Merritt Chase, the Midnight Band of Mercy, and exotic dancer Little Egypt, Gilded City brings to life a key era that saw the city rise to dominance in America.
Customer Reviews:
A Study that Needed a Little More Study.......2003-11-06
When I picked up this book, I expected it to be a chronicle of the decadence and debauchery of turn-of-the-century New York ('Scandal and Sensation' are in the subtitle, after all). As I read along, it became clear that the author had a specific thesis in mind, and that the book was more a study of class/sexual/social relations during this economically volatile era than a scandal sheet. Fine. But as a study, I found the evidence to be slim. What she presents as support for her theory (newspaper accounts) is questionable. Imagine future generations trying to figure us out based on what the New York Post says!
Still... Looking at it as a compiliation of social atrocities committed by the affluent in the face of the poor, it's pretty outrageous. I enjoyed the dozens upon dozens of anecdotes, and Dunlop's style is very engaging. Even the footnotes were enjoyable! While I wasn't satisfied with her attempt to neatly tie together all the chapters at the end of the book, I was satisified that I had gotten a better understanding of a decadent, turbulent, and fascinating society.
A new and improved 19th century!.......2002-02-12
Finally, finally. A book about the 1890s that doesn't drag out the same old "Gilded Age" cliches, like Stanford White and the bland fantasy in Edith Wharton's novels. This book deals with the real thing, i.e. the raw, indulgent and competitive consumption of goods by the very rich. This book won't appeal to readers who want the nineteenth century to be about middle class propriety. But it will appeal to readers who prize its original material and the way it retells the story of the period. Terrific. I will never look at a painting of a peasant girl, or a red velvet sofa, in the same way!
Being Kind.......2002-01-20
Being kind with the two stars, but I hate extremes. As for the book...well, overwrought? My God, where have all the editors gone?
A series of college lectures repackaged as a book.......2001-12-08
A few weeks after I finished this book, I picked it up off of the shelf thinking I might like to read it -- and realized when I opened it, that I had already read it. There just had not been enough substance to impress itself upon me. That is really a shame because the time period is a fascinating one and Dr. Dunlop obviously knows her stuff.
The problem seems to be the format. Each of the chapters is presented as a set piece. Although there are themes that hold them together, there is no real development from beginning to end of the book. Adding to this fragmented approach are the notes that follow each chapter rather than coming at the end of the book. One is left with the impression that Dr. Dunlop has compiled some of her favorite, perhaps most popular lecturers and repackaged them as a book. No doubt she is a good lecturer and respected in academia. Having skills in the classroom, however, does not necessarily translate into being a good author.
With a few line drawings and etchings -- no photographs -- these are slim pickings indeed.
This read like a high school term paper........2001-05-18
Edith Wharton's novels, various episodes of PBS's The American Experience, etc., captured much more of the time than M.H. Dunlop did in her book.
While giving plenty of references, the content offers very little insight as to how the Panic of 1893 and its aftermath affected the middle class as well. We merely get a few examples of the extreme excesses of the very rich and not enough of the incredible suffering of the extremely poor.
Many of the scandals are well-known (e.g., Stanford White). And the depressing cluelessness and shallowness of the very wealthy (or those who wanted to be in that social strata) can easily be found in Wharton's "The House of Mirth" and "The Age of Innocence".
As for the extremely poor, Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" illustrated the lives of those who lived in the slums and tenements of New York much more vividly.
I felt that I was reading the bony carcass of what could have been a great book. It also felt like Dunlop was "assigned" the book, detested the subject and wrote the worst of everything in order to create an "objective" opinion of the times. More often than not, the book gave me a headache from the hammer Dunlop seemed to have been wielding over my head.
I love non-fiction, but felt that I have a better understanding of the period from recollections of dearly departed relatives, and the works of non-fiction (and fiction) of other authors. I was sorely disappointed.
Amazon.com
Stephen Jones, the chief defense counsel for Timothy McVeigh, the first of two men convicted in the tragic 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, lays out a case that McVeigh and Terry Nichols, also convicted in the bombing, did not act alone. In his attempt to defend McVeigh, Jones traveled the globe to turn up every possible scrap of information that might lead him to the "others unknown" cited by the grand jury that heard evidence in the bombing case. Some of the evidence is compelling, including the severed leg that did not match any of the victims; Jones is convinced it belonged to "John Doe number two," an unidentified man credited with planting the bomb in the Murrah Office Building. Jones also lays out a very strong argument that Terry Nichols was in touch with Muslim fundamentalist terrorists in the Philippines and that he asked them to help him build a bomb. But Jones's refusal to break his attorney-client privilege by discussing anything that McVeigh said to him forces the author to walk a tightrope, revealing nothing about his client's role in the bombing while trying to outline the potential involvement of others.
Non-conspiracy buffs may find it far-fetched that the United States government would want to cover up information about the possible involvement of Muslim fundamentalists or white supremacists in the bombing, but Jones has two arguments to support the idea. First, he suggests, the government was trying to cover its tracks for not having heeded various danger signs before the bombing took place. In addition, this was too big and too horrible a crime to go unpunished; it had to be closed without question and with no suspects left at large. For those who are persuaded by Jones's arguments, the chilling question remains: when--and where--will the "others unknown" strike next? --Linda Killian
Book Description
In this startling book, the state-appointed chief defense counsel for Timothy McVeigh argues that to assume that the bombing of the Murrah Office Building in Oklahoma City was merely the work of two "mad bombers" is to ignore the real meaning of the most serious episode of terrorism in American history. Others Unknown does not merely reconstruct the trial. Stephen Jones had access to a vast amount of research material and possesses an insider's understanding of the behind-the-scenes politics shaping the case. His decision to reveal in this book what was not presented at trial was made out of a firm conviction that it is in the national interest to do so. The true story of the Oklahoma City bombing has not yet been told, and to misunderstand what happened on that April morning is to take the unacceptable risk that a similar tragedy may occur again. Stephen Jones reveals the evidence and theories that didn't make it to trial: that the plot may have involved more than two people; that the government may have known about the bombing in advance; and that it may have covered up evidence.
Customer Reviews:
An Important Analysis.......2004-02-08
Stephen Jones blends an insightful analysis of the events that have transpired since April 19, 1995 and the date of McVeigh's execution in Terre Haute, Indiana based on two important premises: The government investigation was incomplete and McVeigh did not receive a fair trial. This is as much a book for law students as it is for conspiracy artists. Jones' southern charm comes forth in his capacity as author yet his role as defense lawyer never escapes the reader. Jones covers his bases much of the time, pointing out early in the prologue that he would not have been able to write this detailed account of his conversations with McVeigh had McVeigh's appellate team attacked his capacity as a lawyer during McVeigh's trial.
This book is far from sensational and actually is closer to a calm, reasoned look at both McVeigh as a person and United States v. McVeigh as a trial set in perhaps the most bizarre and compromising circumstances in the past fifty years. This book perfectly suits any law school course involving mass destruction or suits any university course concerning political dissent or even the political science of law.
Good on the facts but needs to go deeper.......2002-01-03
Others Unknown put into print what the majority of thinking Americans sensed about the Oklahoma City Bombing.
There had to be more people involved.
It all started with the FBI drawings of mystery man number 3, who was described by no more than 3 people to have been with McVeigh. He looked Middle Eastern. Hmmm, nope no terrorist acts would ever occur on American soil right. Then the second little facts that weren't put to light, the bomb making materials that they had receipts for would never have been enough to do that sort of damage. And on it goes.
The interesting thing is that Stephen Jones (the author and McVeighs attorney) even points the finger at Osama Bin Laden back in 1998. Hello is anybody listening. Hindsight is great, but I think we all knew there was more than meets the eye about this ordeal.
The weakest part of the book is that MR. Jones never delves deep enough into why the government cover-up. He barely scratches the surface, but I think that is the real mystery. Why was the government not screaming that we know there was at least one other person involved and we need to find him? Is it simply that Bill Clinton didn't want to rock the boat? Could it have been that he was trying to create a legacy for himself, other than ????gate (you fill in the scandal)? Did he think naming an Arab as a suspect might destroy peace talks with Israel and Palestine? These are all only conjectures but the book should have hit these issues harder.
Overall a good book, especially for the ignorant Americans who are spoon-fed their daily dose of propaganda from CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Etc., and think its news.
The Government Given Way to "Power, Venality, and Display".......2001-07-31
Stephen Jones, the lead counsel for Timothy McVeigh, writes an engrossing book that is not only about his client's case, but gives equal treatment about a nefarious government reminescent of Rome of the Roman Empire. In his writings Jones not only presents many deficiencies in the Federal government's case against McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing, but also paints the picture of a government agency completely hell-bent on "winning." Jones, in advocating for his client, contends that the prosecution's case was incomplete and circumstantial; exculpatory evidence was either withheld or stalled that could have helped in giving McVeigh a fair trial.
In his analysis, Jones does raise enough doubt in McVeigh's "direct" involvement in the bombing, and more that one can of worms is opened. For example, an extra leg is found in the Murrah Building rubble that does not belong to any victim. Additionally, several red flags that are discovered by Jones and his team may imply that the bombing was planned from abroad. For example, how can only two men plan and execute such a bombing of such magnitude, something said to be impossible by bomb experts in other countries where this kind of thing is routine? Jones questions Terry Nichols' ignorance of the OKC bombing plans. Nichols made several trips and many telephone calls to the Philippines, a hotbed of terrorist activity -- that's never taken seriously in connecting Nichols, much less in mitigating McVeigh.
Jones' book is also his own biography foray into a high profile case that transformed his life and his beliefs about U.S. justice. His book, as he writes, is not meant to cash in on this case, but to expose the truth. Jones believes McVeigh should have been found not guilty (Read especially the acknowledgements!), and portrays his client as a man, not the demon characterized by the press. Although Jones does not offer why McVeigh was involved at all, this would seem to be covered by attorney-client privilege. Despite this, whether or not Jones convinces the general public of the facts that McVeigh did not receive a fair trial and that the government successfully hid the truth is left for the reader.
Eye opener........2001-04-12
This spring I enrolled in PSCI 398 Domestic Terrisom. As part of my outside reading, I came across this book. I found that it was very informative and offered a new insight into what happend in Oklahoma City. Though I read this book on my own time, it gave me lots of good ideas on how to explore the question that plagued my class "What is domestic terriosm?" This books explains why everyone including the guilty deserve a defense.
Mea culpa for Tim McVeigh's lawyer.......2000-10-08
In trying to justify his defense of Tim McVeigh, which needs no defense, since we all know everyone is entitled to a good defense no matter what the crime, Stephen Jones tries to convince us that Tim McVeigh may not be guilty of bombing the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, or at least that there are a number of others involved.
His main defense consists of trying to convince the reader that certain eye witnesses do not agree with each other on important sightings of McVeigh, but you don't have to know much about legal proceedings to know how unreliable eye witnesses can be. Another strong pillar of his defense is the finding of an unidentifiable leg in the bomb debris. A leg that apparently belongs to none of the known victims. Presumably, the owner walked away on his remaining leg and never showed up at any hospital in the area. Presumably, the medical examiners trying to patch up numerous body parts got it all right and could not have made a mistake.
On top of that, Jones was a party to fake confession of McVeigh's that was designed to confuse far right milita units who might be talked to admitting things they knew about, since Tim had already taken credit for the bombing. This little subterfuge backfired on the defense when the Dallas Morning Times illegally learned about it and proceeded to tell the world about the confession, not realizing it was fake.
But like all murder trials, you can't help but feel the accused is guilty when he won't take the stand in his own defense. McVeigh taking the stand was never even considered as far as I can determine from this account of the story. And since McVeigh would rather go to his death, and Nichols to life in prison, rather than incriminate anyone else, one can only conclude they are truly guilty.
Nevertheless, I recommend this book to all buffs of courtroom trials and conspiracy buffs who can probably have a lot of fun with it.
Average customer rating:
|
San Francisco Confidential: Tales of Scandal and Excess from the Town That's Seen Everything
Raymond Mungo
Manufacturer: Carol Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
California
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Pacific Northwest
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1559722460 |
Books:
- Beyond Appearance: A New Look at Adolescent Girls
- Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History
- Big Girl Knits : 25 Big, Bold Projects Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves
- Breaking the Silence: Art Therapy with Children from Violent Homes
- Chasing Matisse: A Year in France Living My Dream
- Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul: Stories to Inspire, Support and Heal (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
- Chinese Medical Herbology & Pharmacology
- Considering Doris Day
- Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?
- Dark Desire (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 2)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Flowers: Creative Design
- The Virgin's Lover
- La autopista del sur y otros cuentos
- One Man, One Rifle, One Land: Hunting All Species of Big Game in North America
- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
- The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story
- The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief
- Instant Notes in Ecology
- Mind Your Own Business: A Maverick's Guide to Business, Leadership and Life
- Cendant Corporation an Rac Holdings Limited: A Report on the Merger Situation Monopolies and Mergers
Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence
When the Astors Owned New York: Blue Bloods and Grand Hotels in a Gilded Age
The Cardinal's Hat: Money, Ambition, and Everyday Life in the Court of a Borgia Prince
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
Inside the Vatican (National Geographic)
