Book Description
The New York Times bestselling follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller A Million Little Pieces-the heartrending story of a friendship between a newly-sober James and the charismatic, high-living mobster he met in rehab, Leonard.
A Million Little Pieces was the first Oprah Book Club pick by a living author in over two years. It instantly became a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 USA Today bestseller, and a #1 Publishers Weekly bestseller, with over 1.7 million copies in print.
My Friend Leonard picks up right where Pieces leaves off. A New York Times bestseller in its own right before the Oprah pick, My Friend Leonard is James Frey's story of his friendship with Leonard, the larger-than-life mobster who "adopted" James as he left rehab. Leonard, who offers James lucrative-if illegal, mysterious, and slightly dangerous-employment when he needs it. Leonard, of the secret deals, of the surprising passions that belie his violent career choice, of fantastic generosity and ferocious loyalty. Leonard, who has been holding on to some remarkable secrets, and who has invested in their friendship more than James could ever imagine.
My Friend Leonard is, at its core, about the responsibility that comes with loving someone and going out on any number of limbs to care for them. And it is a book that proves that one of the most provocative literary voices of his generation is also one of the most emphatically human.
Download Description
Perhaps the most unconventional and literally breathtaking father-son story you'll ever read, My Friend Leonard pulls you immediately and deeply into a relationship as unusual as it is inspiring. The father figure is Leonard, the high-living, recovering coke addict ""West Coast Director of a large Italian-American finance firm"" (read: mobster) who helped to keep James Frey clean in A Million Little Pieces. The son is, of course, James, damaged perhaps beyond repair by years of crack and alcohol addiction-and by more than a few cruel tricks of fate. James embarks on his post-rehab existence in Chicago emotionally devastated, broke, and afraid to get close to other people. But then Leonard comes back into his life, and everything changes. Leonard offers his ""son"" lucrative-if illegal and slightly dangerous-employment. He teaches James to enjoy life, sober, for the first time. He instructs him in the art of ""living boldly,"" pushes him to pursue his passion for writing, and provides a watchful and supportive veil of protection under which James can get his life together. Both Leonard's and James's careers flourish . . . but then Leonard vanishes. When the reasons behind his mysterious absence are revealed, the book opens up in unexpected emotional ways. My Friend Leonard showcases a brilliant and energetic young writer rising to important new challenges-displaying surprising warmth, humor, and maturity-without losing his intensity. This book proves that one of the most provocative literary voices of his generation is also one of the most emphatically human.
Customer Reviews:
Better then AMLP!!!.......2007-08-31
I thought this book was a better story then amlp. While the first story was incredible and hard to put down. I always was waiting for him to crack, and fall back into addiction. As you read "My Friend Leanord" you'll learn many things about James Frey, all of them hard to belive, but all in all, real story-fake story,...an amazing story at that!
Pleased.......2007-08-17
I was pleased with this book because it gave me the closure that I didn't receive from A Million Little Pieces. I don't mind the whole controversy thing. How much truth do you expect from a self-professed crack head?! The emotion that this book draws from the reader is amazing. I felt fully involved and will always have a place in my heart for Frey's work.
A great continuation of "A Million Little Pieces"..........2007-08-16
Despite the issue Oprah had the the question of whether "A Million Little Pieces" was completely autobiographical or not, I really enjoyed the story that was told and was very excited to read "My Friend Leonard" to find out how life after rehab was. The story was great! I enjoyed the fact that this was a continuation of the original book, which I loved!
It took me about 4 days to read this book. I absolutely could not put it down! I couldn't wait to turn the page and find out what was happening! In all honesty, I was sad the book ended! I wanted it to keep going because the story was that good!
Great read....lies or no lies!.......2007-07-30
I read this book LONG after the Oprah controversy and frankly I didn't care if it was a lie. James Frey is a fantastic storyteller. I'm not much of a reader and it is hard for me to find a book that actually captivates my attention. And this book along with AMLP did just that!!! I do suggest that you read A Million Little Pieces before you read this(you'll like this one much better if do!). Both are GREAT reads and recommend it to anyone....lie or no lie.
disappointed.......2007-07-24
after reading amlp i had to have this book. not long after reading it, the whole oprah thing happened and i realized this book and amlp was a lie. i questioned these books while reading them. i thought how could all of this stuff really happen to one man??. but i believed it anyway and was extremely disappointed to find out that although james frey is a great storyteller...that's all..a storyteller. he should've been up front to begin with. the books are amazing but not so much when you are led to believe that they are true then find out it's all a fabricated lie.
Book Description
The Museum of Art has a big problem. Some of the museum's priceless masterpieces have been stolen and replaced by cunning forgeries! Are your eyes sharp enough to spot the differences between the fake and the real Rousseau? Hone your detective skills and find the tell-tale clues that will help the police track down the master forgers, and bring back the missing masterpieces. This one-of-a-kind book combines a mystery story, fun spot-the-difference puzzles, and a fantastic introduction to some of the world's greatest art. Guaranteed to enthrall children of all ages, Art Fraud Detective includes historical information on each painting, tips on the techniques of the Old Masters, and a glossary of art terms. Features art by: Rembrandt; Constable; Monet; Picasso; Raphael; Van Gogh; and more!
Customer Reviews:
fun problem solving puzzle to introduce art to kids.......2007-04-09
This book was a lot of fun for my son and I. Readers are told that four gangs of forgers have replaced most of an art museum's paintings, and only we can help figure out which are real and which are forged. Using a magnifying glass, you compare 8" by 5" four color paintings to 4" by 4" originals, looking for changes (such as missing items or objects with different coloration). This allows you to fill in a chart which allows you to deduce the forgers, the snitch and the unchanged paintings, thereby saving the museum. 34 painintgs are here, by Van Eyck, Piero, Uccello, Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo, Gossaert, Massys, Holbein, Marinus, Brueghel, Avercamp, Brugghen, Rembrandt, Steenwyck, Velde, Hooch, Vermeer, Chardin, Perronneau, Gainsborough, Turner, Constable, Watteau, Os, Delaroche, Ingres, Morisot, Degas, Monet, Rousseau, Seurat, Van Gogh and Picasso. Each painting is accompanied by a couple of paragraphs about the artist and the painting. We both enjoyed finding the mistakes, filling out the chart and solving the puzzle; the game also stimulated a discussion of painting and artists. It took us a few sessions to solve everything, but it was enjoyable time. I would buy other books by this author.
Art without the "awwww Mom".......2006-11-10
I have found that this book sets the stage for helping children to really look at art. The "fraud puzzle" presented in the book makes the children really spot unique techniques of the artists in several different styles. They are able to see what makes one style of art unique from others over the centuries as styles changed.
Art Fraud Detective.......2006-02-26
I bought this book for my very bright 10 year old granddaughter's birthday. My friend who is a librarian had bought it for her 12 year old niece and said she loved it and has asked if there are anymore in the series which there are. My daughter taped the answer pages together so she couldn't look at the answers and says that my granddaughter can't put it down. She loves it and I am willing to bet she will ask for the next in the series when she finishes Art Fraud Detective. This book is a great way to foster interest in art and artists.
Art with a twist.......2006-02-21
This book is a great way to familiarize children (and adults) with some of the greatest artists in history. Searching for clues as to whether or not each masterpiece is a fraud causes one to closely study the pieces in great detail. My daughters love looking at the art and doing the detective work. They usually want to go through several pieces each time we pull this book out. I highly recommend it to people of all ages!
Mystery lovers will love this book.......2006-01-31
My seven-year-old son says that he wished it were more entertaining. I guess I feel somewhat disappointed that he races through to detect clues to determine the frauds without reading the artist write-ups. But it's a good introduction to art history and appreciation and it certainly captivates those who love to read mysteries.
Book Description
Priceless masterpieces...Brazen thefts:
The true story behind the blank spaces on the museum walls.
What kind of person would dare to steal a legendary painting—and who would buy something so instantly recognizable? In recent years, art theft has captured the public imagination more than ever before, spurred by both real life incidents (the snatching of Edvard Munch’s well-known masterwork The Scream) and the glamorous fantasy of such Hollywood films as The Thomas Crown Affair. The truth is, according to INTERPOL records, more than 20,000 stolen works of art are missing—including Rembrandts, Renoirs, van Goghs, and Picassos. Museum of the Missing offers an intriguing tour through the underworld of art theft, where the stakes are high and passions run strong. Not only is the volume beautifully written and lavishly illustrated—if all the paintings presented here could be gathered in one museum it would be one of the finest collections in existence—it tells a story as fascinating as any crime novel. This gripping page-turner features everything from wartime plundering to audacious modern-day heists, from an examination of the criminals’ motivations to a look at the professionals who spend their lives hunting down the wrongdoers. Most breathtaking of all, this invaluable resource offers a “Gallery of Missing Art,” an extensive section showcasing stolen paintings that remain lost—including information about the theft and estimated present-day value—and which may never be seen again.
Customer Reviews:
Beatifully Made Book.......2007-09-16
This is a book you will pick and and leaf through just for the art history if nothing else. What makes it so much more than just your average coffee table book is the little known details of famous art thieves and their craft. I loved the glimpse into the world of auction houses and collectors who are too rich to be famous in the usual sense. The subject matter is fascinating when presented in such a lucid and well organized manner. The illustrations are top-notch. A must for serious museum goers and art history aficionados.
Museum of the Missing.......2007-07-16
I thought the topic was very interesting but the book skimped over the deatils - either it was trying to cover too broad a topic or each missing object was not covered in enough depth...there are fascinating stories behind these thefts and I got no sense of who had stolen the art works or why they had taken such 'criminal' risks.
Absorbing Overview.......2007-03-30
I work for a global insurance broker with an international art practice that insures many of the world's great museums. I am also an avid art collector. Unlike Christian and Doomjesse, I found this book very useful for the opposite reasons. Personally, I found the "breezy" style of writing a pleasant change from the scholarly style of most art books I read. This is a great overview that anyone can understand. The illustrations are wonderful. We need more books on art that entertain and perhaps, for the novice, stimulate further interest in a subject. While it is a valid criticism to say that this book is not a comprehensive history, I came away wanting to know more and I can talk to my associates in the art practice in a more educated manner.
Not so Artful.......2007-03-27
While some interesting recent fine art thefts are covered, this is neither a comprehensive history of art theft (as suggested by the book's subtitle) nor even a more limited, but still serious, historical reference book. It is written in the breezy style of one writing a popular news column aimed at light entertainment for the mass market. I do not think those with some prior interest in art will walk away with much useful new information.
Those interested in this general topic, as related to World War II, should consider buying and reading "Rescuing Da Vinci" by Robert Edsel.
Excellent book on the rarified world of art crime.......2007-03-18
This book gives a fascinating view into the rarified and exclusive world of art collection, art theft, and art recovery. This book is well written and the lithographs that accompany the text are excellent. There are side explanations throughout the book about the more fine points of the art collections, artists, thieves, and art investigators. The author has done a good amount of research into the most famous and most recent art crimes and he provides details of how it all happened and whether the works were recovered or not. In the popular culture, the topic of art theft and recovery is seen almost as a glamorous enterprise. Indeed, Hollywood films such as "The Thomas Crown Affair" have helped to boost that image. In this book we learn that, aside from some exceptional cases, most of the time art theft is perpetrated by true thieves and criminals. Correspondingly, the effort of art recovery is done by normal law-enforcement agents, whose lives are sometimes on-the-line during the sting operations. It was somewhat shocking to learn that in spite of the large monetary value of the thefts, when the thieves are apprehended and prosecuted, they often receive sentences of less than two or three years.
Average customer rating:
- MNReview
- Worth reading if you can do it quickly
- Eye Candy
- Mary Magdalene Vs. the Men's Club,
- Surprisingly Good
|
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
Manufacturer: Doubleday
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Similar Items:
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Angels & Demons: A Novel
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Holy Blood, Holy Grail
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A Million Little Pieces
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Deception Point
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The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
ASIN: 0385504209
Release Date: 2003-03-18 |
Amazon.com
With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh
Book Description
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.
In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.
THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller…utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.
Download Description
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever. THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller¿utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.
Customer Reviews:
MNReview.......2007-10-02
Asorbing - you won;t want to stop listening. (Much more thrilling than reading the book.)
Worth reading if you can do it quickly.......2007-09-30
You need to read "The DaVinci Code" really fast; it's much better that way. You need to read it fast because if you slow down for a second, you might start asking questions like --
> Why does the author seem to be basing this book on schlocky movies like "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"?
> How or why would Mary Magdalene wind up in France of all places?
> Were five million people really burned to death as witches, at a time when the population of all of Europe was maybe sixty million?
> Why are all the book's characters straight out of central casting?
But I don't want to be too tough on the book. Trying to make straight-laced Christianity compatible with Druidic free-love fertility rites will stretch anyone's syncretic capabilities.
Now, maybe for his next book Monsieur Langdon can dig up the grail, put the documents on the internet, then go off to discover that a certain sixth-and-seventh-century religious warrior-prophet was really married to four men, not women, and that this fact is constantly being alluded to by the Weinstein brothers in all their films.
Eye Candy.......2007-09-30
Never take a fictional story seriously, even when it can be ridden with a lot of false facts, and crap characters. This is a techno thriller, and from my experience in reading techno thrillers, it provided exactly what a thriller was supposed to provide: Edge-of-your-seat action and enough riddles to keep you turning the pages. In the haste to provide such a thriller, character development is one of the things left behind. The characters are simply there to drive the plot, but don't do much themselves. Thus is `The Da Vinci' Code.
Now, I've read `Angels and Demons' second to this, and the same themes are eerily there, if not almost complete copies of one another. Yeah, you got another Alex Cross, but at least Robert Langdon is slightly interesting character...or is that the plot talking?
The plot, we all know what this book is about and what it contains. Is the Holy Grail really a cup? Did the power of the church rest in man? What is humankind's darkest secret? Everything, while not totally accurate (This is fiction--mind you), did blend together, and it's no wonder why several people even believe this stuff is real. It really *does* sound convincing, and that is what a thriller is supposed to do. It's supposed to give you bogus that can pass off as true, or even truth than can pass off as true. Da Vinci's paintings tie together in the mystery, as well as Isaac Newton, among many others. The riddles are well-done and do not give you a sense of `huh?' when you solve them with Robert Langdon. Boy, the church seems to hide quite a lot of things from us, aren't they?
While this book bears the same theme as `Angels and Demons': a dark secret about the church that's been hidden for thousands of years, a dead leader leaves behind a single clue that could help out Robert Langdon and his new heroine companion, the you-didn't-see-it-coming villain, a `society-discarded' bodyguard to evil, etc...the book grips you, and does not let go. And that's why it's perfect for eye candy. It's just not good for you if you eat too much of it. Give it a try, but only if you're into characters who drive plot, and the plot is the only thing worth reading alone.
Mary Magdalene Vs. the Men's Club,.......2007-09-29
`The Da Vinci Code' is fiction; a fictional story about Sophie Neveu, a fictitious cryptologist working with the French provincial police, and Dr. Robert Langdon, a fictitious Harvard Symbologist, thrown together in a murder investigation by the victim himself with a hidden agenda which leads to a modern day search for the Holy Grail. This story is as captivating as the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, with a twist. It is a book that keeps your attention and you will not want to put it down.
As with all great books it makes you think, wonder "what if", and puts a spin on one of the most misunderstood, if not THE most misunderstood person in history. As a young boy going to catechism, I had strong interest in the story of Mary Magdalene. The nuns portrayed her as a repenting sinner, a [...], and it was disturbing to me why Jesus Christ appeared to a [...] first on the birthday of Christianity. It is so refreshing and surprising that I am not alone with my feelings.
To me, faith is having belief in something or someone without proof. I believe in God and Jesus Christ, I do also believe in Mary Magdalene.
I don't know if she was the wife of Jesus Christ. I do know that the Catholic Church slandered this woman and did not recant it until 1969, hundreds of years after the slanderous remarks made about her. The damage to her is almost irreversible but God acts in mysterious ways.
As many people believe it is the end of times, to me it seems odd that so much attention is being drawn to Mary Magdalene now. It is surprising to me it is happening on the cusp of a new Pope coming to power. I see something different in this Pope just by his first address to the people. Just my opinion, but I think we are going to see the church try to put Mary Magdalene in the place she belongs and let women take their rightful place in the church.
Last year I was at a retreat, and one of the classes was about Conclave; with the Pope's health failing and getting on in years, they thought it would be good for us to understand how it went about. This was the first place I was introduced to the man who has become our new Pope. The one thing that stuck in my mind was the requirements to be Pope.
First, you must be baptized but not necessarily a Catholic.
Two, you must be a male.
Three, there is no three at all; the two requirements are all there is. I believe this is showing the discrimination of women in the church in such a blatant manner that it is unforgivable.
So, if the church does not believe that Mary Magdalene is the wife of Jesus and she is not a disciple, then who is she?
Let me express my feeling of the birth of Christianity and the last days of my Lord. He was accused, tried, convicted, scorned, and forced to carry his own cross in pain and humiliation, which became the tool of his demise. The one thing through all of these events was the presence of Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. As they both cried and prayed at his feet as he died, WHERE WERE THE DISCIPLES?
Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary helped to remove him from the cross then prepared his body and helped to place him in the tomb for final resting, they then wept for three days and nights with great pain and sorrow. On the third day he rose from the dead, did not appear to any of the disciples, or kings, or Rabbis, not even to his own mother. He chose to come to Mary Magdalene first, and to her alone to confront his pain. She is one of the most important, if not the most important person to Jesus Christ. This can be seen in this one example on the birthday of Christianity. She fills every requirement to be a disciple but she is not.
One reason could be that she is female, and the Catholic Church is the largest and most powerful men's club in the world, with the Vatican being the biggest men's locker room the world has ever seen. Remarks like, "a woman belongs to her husband", is just one example. If you or I made some of the statements in the workplace that are made by priests in church, we could be fired; it would be considered sexual harassment. Accepting Mary as a disciple would rock the foundation of the church that Peter built. So I think we are at the end of times, the end of the old church and the men's club, and approaching the birth of a new church, with women standing next to men, THE CHURCH THAT MARY BUILT.
Or, is it as Dan Brown has so elegantly brought out in his book, that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus.
This book is fiction but it asks real questions to every Christian; who is Mary Magdalene and why was she so important to the Lord? Why did the church try so hard to discredit her and write her out of the Bible?
Why the Gospel of Mary is restricted reading from the Catholic Church? I was in Mass one Saturday evening and this book was a big part of the homily, where the priest went on to say this book is blasphemy and not to be read.
I am confused, is this not censorship? Does not censorship feed mistrust, restrict the mind from growth, and stifle freewill. That's odd, because the church I was brought up in believed that freewill is the one thing that God the Father Almighty, the creator of us all, WILL NOT influence. I guess the leaders of the church think they know better than God
Speculation can take us down all kinds of roads. If God sent his son to us to forgive us for our sins and live among us as a man to understand man's suffering, why would God forsake Jesus of the most powerful emotion we as man can feel; the pain and beauty of love for another and the sense of parenthood.
Surprisingly Good.......2007-09-26
This is one of those books that I avoided reading for a long time. Sure, it was popular, and it had an intriguing concept, and a lot of people thought it was very good. A lot of writer people, however, denigrated the book, saying it had too many adjectives and adverbs, among other things. When I finally did get around to reading it, I was surprised to find myself drawn inexorably into the story.
The Da Vinci Code begins with Robert Langdon being called to the Louvre museum, where there has been a bizarre murder. Langdon, an expert symbologist, winds up becoming both a suspect in the case and the only investigator who really understands it. Together with Sophie Neveu, a police cryptographer who turns out to be the victim's granddaughter, Langdon sets off on an urgent quest to solve the crime. As Langdon and Neveu race from clue to clue, the plot unfolds to huge proportions, including murderous conspiracies and secret societies, with nothing less than the Catholic church at stake.
As a story, The Da Vinci Code is very well done. It captures the reader's interest from the start and holds it throughout Langdon and Neveu's headlong dash through the night. The characters are well drawn, if awkward in places. The locales are exotic, and the settings intricately detailed. The plot itself is a masterwork. The fact that this book has spawned so many other books to discredit it is testimony to the authenticity and credibility of its voice.
To be honest, there are places in the book where the structure of the sentences falls into a pattern that is humorous and annoying if you recognize it. The vast intricacy of the plot and the convincing detail of the setting, however, more than compensate for any deficiency of character or sentence structure. As a writer, I found much more to covet here than to ridicule.
All in all, I think The Da Vinci Code is a new classic. Many people still discount the work, but I'm not sure how a true bibliophile could justify avoiding it. The book has become a phenomenon, an icon of modern success in the book industry. And, underneath it all, it really is a good story.
Average customer rating:
- Minnery Collector
- The Exploding Cigars of Doom
- Perhaps I may be a little strange, but I love this book!
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Kill Without Joy!: The Complete How To Kill Book
John Minnery
Manufacturer: Paladin Press
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ASIN: 0873646479 |
Book Description
Now under one cover, here are all six volumes of the notorious How To Kill series, the complete history of murder, assassination and death by design. The Hatchet Job, Smothering, Drilled to Death and other chapters provide gruesome testimony to why these books have been banned in certain countries! For information purposes only!
Customer Reviews:
Minnery Collector.......2003-06-29
Its not written as a how to manual only as a description of how it can be done, which is what it advertises. So don't give this book a bad review because YOU think it should be more of a do it like this or do it like that book, because people are going past the context of the book and trying to make it into something its not nor claimes to be. John Minnery is dead there won't be a revised edition people.
The Exploding Cigars of Doom.......1999-05-19
If you are a mad scientist and need some convoluted, impractical and easily escapable way to kill agent 007 this book might be of some limited use. It's devious schemes are on the order of sulfuric acid in a Visene bottle. The ideas in this book might seem slick to some twelve year old kid but are not worth the attention someone with a more than passing acquaitance with reality.
Perhaps I may be a little strange, but I love this book!.......1998-09-06
This book has been banned in Canada. Now under one cover the complete How to Kill Series. Forget the book Hitman! Covered in this book are the hatchet job, body snatchers, quiet alley cleaner, smothering, drilled to death, exotic weapons, and lots more. More than 500 pages! This book is the complete how to history of murder, assasination, and death by design. If you have a fetish for the macabre, then order yourself a copy today!
Amazon.com
Forget the history you were taught in school; Richard Zacks's version is crueler and funnier than anything you might have learned in seventh-grade civics--and much more of a gross-out, too. Described on the book jacket as an "autodidact extraordinaire," Zacks is also the author of History Laid Bare, making him something of an expert guide through history's back alleys and side streets. There's no fact too seamy or perverse for Zacks to drag out into the light of day, from matters scatological and sexual to some of history's most truly bizarre episodes. Curious about ancient nose-blowing etiquette? What about the sexual proclivities of Catherine the Great? Throughout chapters such as "The Evolution of Underwear" and "Dentistry Before Novocaine," Zacks proves a tireless debunker of popular myths as well as a muckraker par excellence.
Book Description
The best kind of knowledge is uncommon knowledge.
Okay, so maybe you know all the stuff you're supposed to know--that there are teenier things than atoms, that Remembrance of Things Past has something to do with a perfumed cookie, that the Monroe Doctrine means we get to take over small South American countries when we feel like it. But really, is this kind of knowledge going to make you the hit of the cocktail party, or the loser spending forty-five minutes examining the host's bookshelves?
Wouldn't you rather learn things like how the invention of the bicycle affected the evolution of underwear? Or that the 1949 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to a doctor who performed lobotomies with a household ice pick? Or how Catherine the Great really died? Or that heroin was sold over the counter not too long ago?
For the truly well-rounded "intellectual," nothing fascinates so much as the subversive, the contrarian, the suppressed, and the bizarre. Richard Zacks, auto-didact extraordinaire, has unloosed his admittedly strange mind and astonishing research abilities upon the entire spectrum of human knowledge, ferreting out endlessly fascinating facts, stories, photos, and images guaranteed to make you laugh, gasp in wonder, and occasionally shudder at the depths of human depravity. The result of his labors is this fantastically illustrated quasi-encyclopedia that provides alternative takes on art, business, crime, science, medicine, sex (lots of that), and many other facets of human experience.
Immensely entertaining, and arguably enlightening, An Underground Education is the only book that explains the birth of motion pictures using photos of naked baseball players.
Richard Zacks is the author of History Laid Bare: Love, Sex and Perversity from the Ancient Etruscans to Warren G. Harding, which was excerpted in classy magazines like Harper's and earned the attention of the even classier New York Times, which noted that "Zacks specializes in the raunchy and perverse." The Georgia State Legislature voted on whether to ban the book from public libraries. He has studied Arabic, Greek, Latin, French, Italian, and Hebrew, and received the Phillips Classical Greek Award at the University of Michigan. He has also told his publisher that he made a living in Cairo cheating royalty from a certain Arab country at games of chance, although the claim remains unverified. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Time, Life, Sports Illustrated, The Village Voice, TV Guide, and similarly diverse publications. Zacks is married and busy warping the minds of his two children, Georgia and Ziegfield. He resides in New York City, and can be reached via e-mail at rzacks@echonyc.com.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyed this entertaining book of Trivia .......2007-06-28
I enjoyed this entertaining book. This book is not a deep educational study of history, but a book filled with interesting bits of historical information, OR funny facts & trivia!
Some facts will make you laugh, and others will puzzle you. Nothing wrong with that. When I got this book I was looking for a "light reading" book to read on a plane trip. After the trip, I lent the book to a friend and my friend enjoyed it too.... (Therefore, we both give it 5-stars).
Juvenile, at best.......2007-06-12
This could have been titled something like "One Man's Attack on the History of the Church", or "One Man's Attempt to Disparage Western Civilization", and that would've been more descriptive. Zacks spends about half the book dredging up odd and unflattering facts about the Catholic church (which doesn't exactly require a great historian) as well as blaming many of the ills of modern civilization on various popes. It is a restful page, not to mention chapter, when Zacks isn't pounding the Catholic church about something. The chapter on religion mostly beats on the Catholic church to the point where Zacks himself starts to feel guilty and points out that they are an easy target. Then without pausing to catch his breath he proceeds to go on and take some more pot shots. He spends quite a bit of the chapter talking about the crusades in such a fashion that you'd think the Muslims were just frolicking in the woods making daisy chains. And speaking of Muslims, in the entire chapter on religion there is one paragraph on Islam, and that a complimentary one from Voltaire. That was one thing I learned, I never knew Voltaire said anything complimentary about any religion.
He then goes after the Puritans and Mormons, and although by his own research the Puritans were far more tolerant than the Anglicans, he feels compelled to disparage his own conclusions. When I say "go after" I am not saying that I am disputing his facts. I am saying that it is something like reading about the Civil War as told by Jeb Stuart. You might technically be getting the facts, but you're not getting much perspective.
Zacks also keeps calling anyone who reads the Bible or talks about morality "Bible thumpers". Hilarious. He's full of little snide and juvenile comments like this that at best are whimsical, and almost always biased. He speaks of the history of political lies from most recent to oldest- and uses Nixon's "I am not a crook" as his most recent sample. I can think of one or two more recent.
A lot of the facts were not all that outrageous, either. Nobel invented dynamite? Does anyone not know that?
This isn't to say that there weren't interesting facts, or even that it was poorly written (it was not), just that it was often insulting and condescending. Imagine if he kept saying "f**got" or something like that over and over instead of "Bible thumper" and you can get the idea. As a Bible thumper I get ridiculed from time to time, and I don't usually whine about it, but I don't usually have to pay for the privilege, either. Finally, I'd say most of the same facts I got from a book I'd read earlier, "The Know it All", written with a lot more panache and without leaving me with the feeling that I had been dragged through a sewer.
Underground Education.......2007-05-12
I already had a copy of this book; i liked it so much I got another copy as
a gift for a friend, who is also an educator. The work could do with a little
more documentation, but it's a great read overall.
Disappointing read.......2006-12-26
It was my fault; I did not heed the warnings of some of the other evaluations of this book on-line. I thought that An Underground Education would be something akin to An Incomplete Education (4th ed), or at least Reader's Digest's Strange Stories and Amazing Facts (1976). An Incomplete Education is a terrific book full of tid bits of history, science, art, etc. which I thoroughly enjoyed. Strange Stories and Amazing Facts was also full of information ranging from Super Novas to the Loch Ness Monster, and I loved reading this book with my grandfather and still flip through today. Unlike An Incomplete Education or Strange Facts, An Underground Education was neither inciteful nor educational. It was basically a "history" of the sexual preferences and perversions of people throughout history, with some titillating pictures of hermaphrodites.
This is a book I would have enjoyed at age 14, but not as an adult.
Enthralling Arcana.......2006-12-04
An absolutely marvelous examination of those historical tid-bits that they never teach you in school, like the indecent forgotten parts of the Bible, the sexual side of slavery, and the evolution of underwear. Ah, but we're here to discuss the morbid side of life, and there's a lot of disturbing darkness scattered throughout the book, especially in the "Crime & Punishment" and "Medicine" chapters. An immensely fascinating and enlightening book - highly, highly recommended!
Book Description
With explosive new revelations concerning the "National Security Matter" that led to the cover-up of her murder, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is a page-turning account of one of the most shocking crimes of the century. Donald H. Wolfe meticulously chronicles her final days, names the killer, documents the mode of death, and identifies those who orchestrated the cover-up. The pieces of the puzzle regarding Monroe's mysterious death finally lock in place with the testimony of the remaining two key witnesses who have come forward for the first time.
Assistant District Attorney John Miner, present at the autopsy, reveals his secret interview with Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist. He also explains why Marilyn Monroe was a homicide victim, and why he is calling for a new investigation and the exhumation of her body.
Newly discovered CIA and FBI files document the dark secret in Marilyn's relationship with the Kennedys, the truth behind her break-up with the President, the shocking facts about the star's last weekend at Cal-Neva, and the many bizarre events that took place at Marilyn's home the day she died.
Customer Reviews:
about the "late" Marilyn Monroe.......2007-02-25
Hi ! I may be wrong but I don't think Don got it right this time - his book on the Black Dahlia, on the contrary, is by far the most convincing that was ever written on the subject. What killed Marilyn is most probably a serial killer that I happen to have encountered myself. His name is nervous breakdown. But why for godsake did Peter Lawford introduced her as the "late" Marilyn Monroe at Kennedy's birthday party ONLY 3 months before she died and would for ever be referred to as the late Marilyn Monroe ? Was it a most cynical inside joke given the fact that - as we know it now - he and his brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy are rumoured to have visited Monroe on the day she died ?
murdered or not mr. wolfe doesn't tell real story not profitable for him.......2006-06-01
Nancy Miracle wrote the real story and Mr. Wolfe stole what he could the only real story is told and available through the marilyn monroe foundation marilyn monroe had a real life and that real life is available =through the marilyn monroe foundation only
Card Carrying Psychiatrist?.......2005-10-22
I share the concern of amazon reviewer Thomas Hughes that author Donald Wolfe accuses people close to Marilyn of being communists.
This didn't detract much from Mr. Hughes' love of the book, but it sure gives me a problem.
The 2005 movie "Good Night And Good Luck" spells out the danger of accusing people of communist tendencies. Donald Wolfe should watch it.
I can try to defend just one of the deceased victims of Mr. Wolfe's witch hunt. Dr. Ralph Greenson was the best known psychoanalyst in California in the 1950s and 60s. He was a professor at the UCLA medical school in that era before David Geffen put his name all over it.
I simply cannot believe that Dr. Greenson attended Communist Party meetings as late as 1962 when he counselled Marilyn as the last months of her life ticked away. He also supported JFK, so why support a leader who tries to overthrow communism in Cuba?
UCLA probably was just as bureaucratic and underfunded in 1962 as it is today, but it's a real stretch to think that a professor at the medical school endorsed communism. Then I'm supposed to believe that he hired one Eunice Murray to spy on Marilyn on behalf of the party?!?
Don't get me wrong, I accept that Jack and Bobby used women as toys including Marilyn. But the Communist Party could care less about that.
mr. spoto is insidious he mentions nancy miracle but in such a way as to discredit her real story.......2005-09-13
he tries in this book but fails and because he just researched the old story through the old hollywood lies but when he does mention nancy maniscalco her real daughter and in such a way as if she were related to the kennedy's it makes one sick what a sellout if he was that close to the reality and then went for the old crapola see www.marilynmonroefoundation.com for how to get the real uncensored story of the real woman and her daughter published by the marilyn monroe foundation
Don was right!.......2005-08-07
Donald Wolfe nailed the theory of Marilyn's death years ago....I know him personally....no one cared then and his book sat idle. This book tells it as it probably was. Good job Don.....you finally have the answers......
Amazon.com
Author Frank W. Abagnale knows something about fraud--he once committed it for a living. "Through my various hustles, I passed something like $2.5 million worth of checks, a blizzard of paper that I scattered in earnest throughout all fifty states and twenty-six countries, all before I was legally allowed to drink," he writes. "I was proficient enough at cashing fraudulent checks that I earned the distinction of becoming one of the most hunted criminals by the FBI." Abagnale was ultimately caught, and he served prison sentences in France, Sweden, and the United States. In the 25 years since his release, Abagnale (who also wrote Catch Me If You Can) has become a leading consultant on fraud prevention.
"I'm still a con artist. I'm just putting down a positive con these days, as opposed to the negative con I used in the past," he explains. "I've applied the same relentless attention to working on stopping fraud that I once applied to perpetrating fraud." His expertise comes in handy: businesses lose an estimated $400 billion each year to fraud. The stories Abagnale tells in The Art of the Steal provide fascinating glimpses of a criminal underworld. He describes "shoulder surfers" who rip off bank customers at ATMs by videotaping their fingers as they enter PIN numbers, retrieving receipts from wastebaskets, and then creating fake credit cards--all rather inexpensively. Whole sections of the book almost read like a how-to manual for aspiring thieves, though Abagnale has other motives. Throughout, he offers sensible advice on how to foil the con artists. Much of this is common sense (cut up credit cards when they expire), but some of his suggestions aren't so obvious. He warns readers not to write checks to the "IRS," for instance: "Envelopes to the IRS are common targets because of where they're going." Instead, checks should be made out to the "Internal Revenue Service," because criminals can turn the "I" of "IRS" into an "M," and turn a tax payment into a gift for "MRS." Smith. The chapter on the emerging problem of identity theft--with its tips on how to keep Social Security numbers private--is especially helpful. In all, The Art of the Steal is captivating and useful. --John Miller
Book Description
The world--famous former con artist and bestselling author of
Catch Me if You Can now reveals the mind--boggling tricks of the scam trade--with advice that has made him one of America's most sought--after fraud--prevention experts.
"I had as much knowledge as any man alive concerning the mechanics of forgery, check swindling, counterfeiting, and other similar crimes. Ever since I'd been released from prison, I'd often felt that if I directed this knowledge into the right channels, I could help people a great deal. Every time I went to the store and wrote a check, I would see two or three mistakes made on the part of the clerk or cashier, mistakes that a flimflam artist would take advantage of. . . . In a certain sense, I'm still a con artist. I'm just putting down a positive con these days, as opposed to the negative con I used in the past. I've merely redirected the talents I've always possessed. I've applied the same relentless attention to working on stopping fraud that I once applied to perpetuating fraud."
In
Catch Me if You Can, Frank W. Abagnale recounted his youthful career as a master imposter and forger. In
The Art of the Steal, Abagnale tells the remarkable story of how he parlayed his knowledge of cons and scams into a successful career as a consultant on preventing financial foul play--while showing you how to identify and outsmart perpetrators of fraud.
Technology may have made it easier to track down criminals, but cyberspace has spawned a skyrocketing number of ways to commit crime--much of it untraceable. Businesses are estimated to lose an unprecedented $400 billion a year from fraud of one sort or another. If we were able to do away with fraud for just two years, we'd erase the national debt and pay Social Security for the next one hundred years. However, Abagnale has discovered that punishment for committing fraud, much less recovery of stolen funds, seldom happens: Once you're a victim, you won't get your money back. Prevention is the best form of protection.
Drawn from his twenty-five years of experience as an ingenious con artist (whose check scams alone mounted to more than $2 million in stolen funds), Abagnale's
The Art of the Steal provides eye-opening stories of true scams, with tips on how they can be prevented. Abagnale takes you deep inside the world and mind of the con artist, showing you just how he pulled off his scams and what you can do to avoid becoming the next victim. You'll hear the stories of notorious swindles, like the mustard squirter trick and the "rock in the box" ploy, and meet the criminals like the famous Vickers Gang who perpetrated them. You'll find out why crooks wash checks and iron credit cards and why a thief brings glue with him to the ATM. And finally, you'll learn how to recognize a bogus check or a counterfeit bill, and why you shouldn't write your grocery list on a deposit slip.
A revealing look inside the predatory criminal mind from a former master of the con,
The Art of the Steal is the ultimate defense against even the craftiest crook.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Common Sense that's Not so Common.......2006-12-02
Abagnale offers some insight into the mind, motives, and methods of many criminals. As I read through the The Art of the Steal, I found that many of Mr. Abagnale's suggestions were useful, some were common sense, and a few were just fluff to fill up the pages of a book. I liked the format because the chapters are broken down into logical (and small) segments that provide excellent reading material for the bus, train, or in a waiting room. I found the details of the scams described in the book absolutely fascinating.
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