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

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

sam's story
Color of the Sea Review
Wonderful and deep
Awkward prose and structure spoil a potentially good book
A Beautiful Story

Color of the Sea
John Hamamura
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312340737
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Book Description

Growing up on a Hawaiian plantation with other Japanese-Americans in the 1930s, young Sam Hamada trains in the martial arts of his native Japan. In California, he meets his extended family, and the beautiful Keiko. But as Sam and Keikos love blooms, she is forced to return to Japan and Sams family and friends have been interred in camps throughout the U.S. Sams knowledge of Japanese sparks the U.S. Armys interest and he is sent on a secret military mission to Japan where he is truly caught between cultures. From the tragedies of the camps to the bombing of Hiroshima, where Sams mother and siblings still live, Sam must navigate a world where his very identity both puts his life at risk yet gives him the strength to survive. This is a riveting epic about a boy in search of manhood, a girl in search of truth, and two peoples divided by war.

Customer Reviews:

sam's story.......2007-08-23

This is a wonderful story that holds your attention throughout, and helps you learn about the clash and blending of cultures as well. It was located in the Young Adult section in my library, but as with many books today, is an excellent read for adults as well. His story should still resonate today, and reminds us of some of the casualties of wartime.

Color of the Sea Review.......2007-08-01

The attention to detail in establishing the martial arts discipline was very key to the understanding of the overall plot. John Hamamura did a very nice job of building that information base in almost a sen-like way allowing the reader to see the story materialize in their mind in a comforting manner rather than have the images appear like someone is using a laser pointer to circle and highlight the profound wisdoms of a teacher to be later quizzed on. Interesting internal conflicts, and the historical implications leave one to ponder, what if?

Wonderful and deep.......2007-07-22

If you enjoy a story that has a multi-faceted plot then I highly recommend Color of the Sea. It is a novel that really makes you think about life.

The author paints a vivid scene with talented prose and rich description. The characters are real and engaging. This novel is for anyone who enjoys a deep read. I just can't say enough about it. I am recommending it to all my friends. Awesome!

Awkward prose and structure spoil a potentially good book.......2007-03-31

I checked previous reviews and was astonished to find so many readers giving this book five-star raves. The topic appealed to me because little fiction has appeared (to my knowledge) about World War Two - what led up to it and how it was experienced, from the viewpoint of the Japanese and Japanese-Americans who lived through those years.

I agree with the reviewer who finds the use of present tense awkward and inappropriate to the plot. The narration and prose style reminded me of the cheap magazines my aunts were reading (and I was forbidden) in the 1920s and 1930s. There is a great story there, but it is told very badly.

A Beautiful Story.......2007-03-12

"Color of the Sea" By John Hamamura is a tough book to find, but well worth every moment spent trying.

Author John Hamamura is a Japanese American born in Minnesota at the end of World War II to Japanese parents. He Currently lives in California so when it comes to the experience of Japanese immigrants during WWII Hamamura knows deeply of that which he writes.

The story begins pre-WWII and follows the life of 9 year old Isamu (Sam). Sam leaves his mother and siblings in Japan to join his father in Hawaii. From a proud Samurai family, Sam's father has become an alcoholic, blue collar laborer working in the cane fields of Hawaii. His dream for Isamu (like all parents) is that the boy transcend the his fathers station by being educated in English and ultimately to study at an American College. This story is deeply spiritual and the writing is superb. Hamamura understands the concept of "less is more" when it comes to writing. This short book is filled with images that run the whole gamut of the human experience; he contrasts images of love, sex, spiritual martial arts and the beauty of nature with the heart rending experiences of war, death, despair and the most vivid description of the ravages of Hiroshima that I have ever read. From an historical standpoint John Hamamura really gives readers a feel for what it must be like to live in a country and be a part of it, but at the same time be made to feel so "other". After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans became pariah with families locked in campls even though many served valiantly in the war (these events are detailed in the book).

If you could read only one book this year read Color of the Sea. This is an important book.

James the Brother of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Average customer rating:

Right Enough to be Revolutionary
Mere Conjecture, Little Sunstance
Interesting
Eisenman's Triumph
Tortured logic and even worse prose - but some key elements dead on

James the Brother of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Robert H. Eisenman
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 014025773X

Amazon.com

Robert Eisenman, one of the most eminent researchers of early Christianity working today, has produced an exhaustive study of the historical milieu at the time of Jesus and come to the conclusion that James, rather than Peter, was heir to his teachings. Because the historical material regarding James is actually quite plentiful, a clear picture arises not only in regard to who James was, but by extension, who Jesus was also. Controversy is assured; still, given a patient reading, one will discover that Eisenman's research is meticulous, his arguments cogent, and his conclusions persuasive. This should prove to be a popular and influential book.

Customer Reviews:

Right Enough to be Revolutionary.......2007-09-25

Concede that Eisenman is dead wrong in his dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Concede that they predate New Testament times by at least one hundred years. Concede that Paul is not the "Lying Spouter" of the Scrolls, and that Jesus' brother James is not the Scrolls "Teacher of Righteousness." Concede that this book is tedious, overlong, repetitive and often incomprehensible. Has the sting in its tail been drawn? Not at all. What remains is a revolutionary understanding of the social, political and religious context which gave birth to the New Testament literature and from which Christianity came. Christianity is peculiarly dependent upon historical claims it makes in regard to events in Palestine in the first half of the first century C.E. "James, the Brother of Jesus" shakes those foundational claims to their very roots. The book convincingly demonstrates a radical disjunction between the Pauline Christianity we have inherited and the ministry and legacy of Jesus as embodied in the Jerusalem Church. Is that important? In his book "Why Study the Past" Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, says, "The New Testament sets out to show that Jesus' story is the key to all other stories of God's dealings with his people, despite the discontinuities, the newness of what has happened through him. It also has to display a unity within the life of Jesus and the life of the early Church." In Eisenman's book that unity between Jesus and the life of the early Church is demolished. I would like to add "once and for all" but that would be overly sanguine.

Mere Conjecture, Little Sunstance.......2007-06-11

I found Robert Eisenman's book "James the Brother of Jesus" to be a very lengthy and redundant work that makes big assumptions but proves very little. It is a study that raises many questions (over and over and over), but never does the author (in this reviewer's opinion) really satisfactorily prove any of his claims.

The narrative is a bear to get through. I try to completely read every book that I begin to read. Very rarely in my life have I put down a book and simply stopped reading to the end. I had to put this dull and lethargic work down several times out of sheer boredom and the author's tendency to repeat himself ad nauseum. When Eisenman feels he has a point to make, he insists on beating it into your brain again and again.

But that's about this author does in this thick book: he merely makes bold assumptions and then repeats the assumption numerous times. He never cross-examines himself, or states a question, but actually claims things which I have never heard anywhere else before in any other study of early Christianity before this.

I gave this book a chance because it was published by Penguin (whom I usually respect quite a lot for the books they publish). But this time Penguin miss the mark and back a hack writer who really doesn't prove anything and tries to discredit orthodox belief that's been established for well over two-thousand years.

Is the true story of James the actual cover-up that Eisenman claims that it is? I doubt it. We have no real way of knowing just who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls and when and for what purpose. Using the Dead Sea Scrolls as evidence is dangerous to any argument. We simply don't know enough about the Dead Sea Scrolls to use them for or against any proclamation.

I found the author's insistence that St Paul and the early diaspora Jews as being "pro Roman" and antisemitic as being a bit belligerent and intolerant. The author attempts to discredit the Christian faith and I found that distasteful and arrogant on his part. It's a free country and he is allowed the freedom of speech and the press, but we are also free to call him out in return. I found the author's entire thesis as being very much based on agenda, rather than merely a detached observation which began its life as a mere questioning.

There is no proof that the Righteous Teacher of the Dead Sea Scrolls is in fact the same James named in the writings of the New Testament and other early Christian texts. The author makes this claim many times, and I assume his strategy is that repetition will make the wary reader start to release all thoughts of skepticism and just start to assume that the allegation must be true. It's mere conjecture, not proof.

Other than the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are highly dubious writings that are very inconclusive, even today, there hasn't been any recent archeological discoveries that would back any of the arguments made in Eisenman's book. We simply don't know any more about the true identity of the so-named "James" than Eisenman does, or the authors of the early Church histories seem to.

I doubt this was an overwrite. More likely, the numbers of Jewish converts probably was never that numerous after Jesus' Crucifixion. The heavily Hellenized overtones of Jesus' thoughts and beliefs is most likely the explanation why there were so many diaspora Jews and gentile early Christian converts as opposed to purely Jewish ones in Palestine. Thus, it seems most probable that, like St Paul's and St Peter's travels according to Christian legend, Christian belief and conversion soon centered in the Mediterranean world of Alexander the Great and his successors rather than in the middle east. I doubt James was "written out" as much as the absence of mention of him and his role would indicate what it seems to indicate: and that is that whomever "James" truly was historically, he probably wasn't that important or significant a personage. The dominance of the Church in Rome was neither a political nor a racial plot, but most likely just a natural progression as tradition holds to this day.

Read Eisenman's book with an open mind, but always keep in mind that the author never fully backs his claims and most are unfounded. I cannot disprove his theories any more than he is able to prove them. They shall remain what they are: questions to ponder and little more.

Interesting.......2007-05-31

Very interesting thesis, but the evidence is so scant, it is difficult to judge the plausibility of specifics.

Eisenman's Triumph.......2007-05-28

Professor Eisenman has written a masterpiece. I demands work on the part of the reader; I am a physicist and expect good books to be demanding. Eisenman has smashed the old paradigm and presented a compelling alternative. Here we see the true followers of Jesus as rebels, pious Jews who were closer to Zealots & Essenes than Paul's fanciful neo-Greek folk tales about The Christ, that so influenced the Gospels. A must read!
Cypress Showley

Tortured logic and even worse prose - but some key elements dead on.......2006-08-22

Some of the key concepts of this book are excellent, even so the book is horribly flawed. The good:
1) James the brother of Jesus was the leader of the first Christian Church
2) James was well respected by all
3) James and his community continued to follow the Torah
4) Paul's vision based Christianity and James' Christianity could not be reconciled.
5) The Ebonites continued the traditions of James' community, and essentially asserted that Paul was an antichrist.
5) Why weren't the Essene's mentioned in the New Testament? I'm not sure I agree with the book's conclusion that the Essenes was the "pool" for the early Jewish church.

These points are covered in "Mythmaker" by by Hyam Maccoby, which is a much more enjoyable read, though Mythmaker itself is also flawed (it is unlikely that Jesus saw himself as a Pharisee, for example).

The initial thesis of this book must have been that James was identical to the "Rightous One" of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It appears that before the book was published more convincing evidence of the dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls (>100 years before James) became available, causing a major rewrite, and a large section devoted to asserting that the new evidence was probably fraudlent driven by ideology (not likely in my opinion). In any event the book often borders on the incoherent, and I often found myself thinking "he doth protest too much".

The book does have merit in mapping aspects of the Dead Sea Scrolls to James and the early Jewish church, which does raise the issue of to what degree they were heirs to the DSS traditions (though you have to sort this out from the (failed) attempts to prove that the DSS were the product of the early church).

If you are a student of biblical history, and are up to hacking your way through a jumbled thicket of thoughts and words to extract the few pearls, then this book is worthwhile.

If you want a more fun read that outlines evil Paul vs the true jewish church, then get Mythmaker (but do remember that Hymam takes many of his insights too far).

Under the Serpent Sea (Secrets of Droon, 12)

Average customer rating:

Secrets of Droon, 12 through 15 plus Special Edition, Book 1
An Underwater Story
Droon is back again!
Great installment in SUPER series for kids!!!
Most Secret

Under the Serpent Sea (Secrets of Droon, 12)
Tony Abbott
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 043920786X

Book Description

In the dramatic culmination of a mystery that¹s built up over the last four books, Eric, Julie, and Neal discover the source of Keeah¹s power‹and one of the great secrets of Droon. The kids travel to the underwater kingdom of Demither, the mermaid witch who controls the elements with the Red Eye of Dawn. It¹s up to them to hide the Eye safely away from the clutches of Lord Sparr!

Customer Reviews:

Secrets of Droon, 12 through 15 plus Special Edition, Book 1.......2007-06-02

Got it quickly and at a good price.

An Underwater Story.......2004-06-09

This book takes place in a magical land called Droon. The three friends, Eric, Julie and Neal are on their 12th adventure in Droon, seeking Demether, the underwater queen of the ocean. She has a red jewel she stole from Lord Spar, called the red eye of dawn. This jewel has a spirit in it which is making her yellow. This book has inspired me, and I would think many other people, to make up their own stories, to think about their own adventures in other worlds. I did not think this book was the best book I had ever read, because it really did not have that much action.

Droon is back again!.......2002-03-02

This was the best of all the Droon books. It reveals all the secrets of Droon. And the main character (the seawitch Demeteier) is a woman. I've been reading Droon books since I was 6 years old. And they get better every time.

Great installment in SUPER series for kids!!!.......2001-07-08

My son (now 5) and I were pleased (and relieved, and ecstatic) to finally have the opportunity to read (and thoroughly enjoy) the most recent installment in Tony Abbott's wonderful fantasy series, the Secrets of Droon. Granted, we've now read all twelve, and we've found they continue to improve (in addition to getting longer, which also makes it seem like you're getting more for your money). Here, the cast of characters remains basically the same, with the action and heroics evenly shared by the girls (intrepid Julie and the junior wizard, princess Keeah) and the boys (thoughtful Eric and the ever-hungry, but frequently unlucky, Neal). In "Under the Serpent Sea," we again confront the fearsome sea witch Demither and unlock further secrets of the elusive, shape-shifting Queen Relna. The young protagnists, as always, benefit from the faithful guardianship and mentoring of the the Wizard Gaelen. If all of this sounds daunting, then don't hesitate to start at the beginning of the series, because the author constantly rewards readers as the books progress. Over the last few years, all of our friends' kids (from 5 to 12, boys and girls) have also become hooked on Droon. So what are you waiting for? Open the basement door, and head on down the hidden staircase....

Most Secret.......2001-05-02

I have all the droon books but this is the best. In it princess Keeah, and her friends Eric, Neal, and Julie go to the under water home of Demither the witch. I think you should read it because it is such a good book.

The Secret Initiation of Jesus at Qumran: The Essene Mysteries of John the Baptist

Average customer rating:

A different kind of scholarly treatise.
The Da Vinci Code Companion
Another Good Read from Robert Feather

The Secret Initiation of Jesus at Qumran: The Essene Mysteries of John the Baptist
Robert Feather
Manufacturer: Bear & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1591430445
Release Date: 2005-08-08

Book Description

An examination of the early, mysterious Essene community at Qumran that links it with John the Baptist, Jesus, and the beginnings of Christianity

• Offers an eyewitness account of the final burial place of John the Baptist

• Makes the case that Christianity grew out of a form of monotheism first formulated by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten

• Includes physical and photographic evidence never before published

In his earlier book The Mystery of the Copper Scroll of Qumran, Robert Feather analyzed the Dead Sea Scroll engraved on copper that is considered the work of the secretive, devout Jewish sect known as the Essenes, who lived at Qumran around the time of Jesus. To continue his research into the Essene community's way of life and how its beliefs may have influenced the beginnings of Christianity, he met with Father Jozef Milik, one of the scholars who worked on deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1950s. Feather learned that during Milik's work somewhere near the Qumran ruins, he had excavated a headless corpse that he believed to be that of John the Baptist.

Feather presents persuasive, powerful evidence illustrating the strong link between the Qumran Essenes and New Testament teachings and showing that both John the Baptist and Jesus were intimately involved with this community at Qumran. He further supports the claim that early Christians continued a belief system centered on a form of monotheism first formulated by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten and uniquely espoused by the Essenes at Qumran.

Customer Reviews:

A different kind of scholarly treatise........2005-12-24

I bought "The Secret Initiation of Jesus at Qumran" because I had read Robert Feather's previous book, "The Mystery of the Copper Scroll of Qumran" and I wanted to see where his research had led. I settled into the "serious reading" chair in my home office that is very different from my "fun reading" chair (which actually consists of lounging on the living room sofa). I figured that I would need intense concentration and I even had a notepad handy to try to keep the names and dates orderly.

Perhaps it would be best to describe what this book isn't. I was prepared for a typical, dry, academic study. That would consist of a brief statement of facts followed by a seemingly endless series of footnotes. The purpose of the notes would be to show how other experts agreed with the wisdom being presented. There would be long paragraphs that needed to be diagramed to keep my understanding from getting untracked. That was the reason for my notepad.

This book reads more like a novel. Mr. Feather provided me with a map, charts, a compass, and a flashlight. The preface warned that it would be necessary to understand the basic history before the conclusions would be apparent. But then I was introduced to a kind of adventure hunt/thriller. I first met a noted academic in a spooky apartment and all the facts changed from memory challenges to clues in a puzzle. Whenever there was an overload of facts coming at me from every direction, Feather provided a chart that made it all clear. The impressive thing about this was that he even made clear the reasoning of those who reached different conclusions from his own. You could easily choose which horse you wanted to bet on. I readily understood the evolution of the Hebrew/Jewish concepts of resurrection and afterlife. I could even tell you which historian had used what data to put a date and name on the Essene's "Teacher of Righteousness."

I enjoyed his unusual chapter titles, such as "Scribblers, Squabblers, and Scholars" and "Paul's Smoking Gun." After 224 pages of preparation, Mr. Feather went back to the spooky apartment and re-introduced all the prime characters. I felt as if I now knew them and how they might act. The book then became a rapid page-turner, hurtling toward the conclusion. Instead of dry prose, you read phrases such as "It was one of those nerve-tingling moments." I could actually feel the thrill of the discoveries.

The preface promised a trip of discovery. Feather shined light behind the curtains and into the caves. At he end, he delivered on his promise of an unexpected turn of events and the finding of someone he wasn't originally looking for. It seemed as if he set out not to prove something but rather to discover it. I felt as if I was there when he did.

The Da Vinci Code Companion.......2005-12-09

I whole-heartedly recommend this masterpiece to the "Da Vinci Code" fans, as well as to anyone who has ever curled up in front of a roaring fireplace to read a good mystery. Robert Feather is all about facts and logic, which might normally make it hard to keep one's fire, lit. But that's not the case with this fantastic story. Each turned page heats up more and more, making the book very difficult to put down.
It's a must read in today's world of religious uncertainty. It takes the reader behind the embryonic scenes of a new kind of Judeo-Christian-Islamic triangle, told in a way that only this author could, considering his background and extensive knowledge of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
As the pages were turned faster I could sense Mr. Feather's jubilant circumspection of the findings, which lead to this testament about missing (and perhaps deliberately hidden) links, within the corpus of those three religions. It's the stuff of Secret Societies and it may even be telling us where the bodies are buried! Until now, only by being a member of a select group or two, could one come to the same conclusions which Mr. Feather offers up for consumption by anyone who merely takes the time to read. "The Secret Initiation of JESUS at QUMRAN" is an easy and enjoyable path to enlightment.

Another Good Read from Robert Feather.......2005-10-28

You will enjoy the thorough scholarship in this engaging book more if you've already read Feather's Mystery of the Copper Scroll of Qumran. In this sequel, Feather builds on his research into the connections between Akhenaten and the monotheism that became Judaism.
For almost fifty years after their discovery, a small team of scholars prevented access to the Dead Sea Scrolls. What were they afraid of? What were they hiding? Did the Essenes practice a purer form of Judaism? Was this the path to which Jesus was calling people? For those who have pondered these questions, Feather's research provides a wealth of well-documented information.
Feather provides convincing evidence that the primary communities initially connected with Jesus's Way correspond to known Essene communities. This is exciting news to those who seek the truth and it clears up many previously inexplicable details in both chronology and doctrine. Some of the "hard sayings" that caused people to leave the Jesus movement could well be based on the stringent demands of the Essenes.
Be ready for lots of scholarly details presented in a highly readable format. Feather's interviews with Jozef Milik and his wife Yolanta gave him an inside track to uncovering some of the cover-ups of the Dead Sea Scrolls officials.
Though sources are cited in the extensive footnotes, the book could profit from a bibliography to make it easier for interested scholars to find related materials.
A great gift for those willing to leave their Sunday School paradigm behind.

Myth, Fact, and Navigators' Secrets: Incredible Tales of the Sea and Sailors

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Nautical Adventures Beyond the Ordinary

Myth, Fact, and Navigators' Secrets: Incredible Tales of the Sea and Sailors
J. Gregory Dill
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1592288790

Customer Reviews:

Nautical Adventures Beyond the Ordinary.......2007-02-26

I was searching the Internet for my Dill ancestors when I ran across J. Gregory Dill. I was led to Ocean Navigator magazine and enjoyed what I read of his so when I heard that he had written Myth, Fact and Navigators' Secrets I had to buy it. He says in the forward that it's appropriate to use as a bathroom reader and I would agree. However, when it arrived and I sampled it before stowing it away for later use, I found I couldn't put it down until being reminded that it was bedtime. That was 177 pages into the book. The balance of the book was soon finished without ever having seen the use for which it was intended. From Ernest Hemingway's attempt to create an anti submarine vessel from his yacht during WWII to John Paul Jones relieving Lady Selkirk of her silver on the coast of Scotland during the Revolutionary War the book fascinates one with little known stories of adventure and intrigue and written with a sense of humor.
Bob Dill

Jesus & the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Unlocking th Secrets of His Life Story

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Lets make a buck
An Early 1990s Controversy
One of my favorite books, and it's still available!
Radical, but not backed up by evidence
an outstanding piece of research!

Jesus & the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Unlocking th Secrets of His Life Story
Barbara Thiering
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060682868

Customer Reviews:

Lets make a buck.......2005-09-04

It should be noted, as other reviewers have also pointed out, that `Jesus the Man: Decoding the Real Story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene' is the same book as `Jesus the man', which is the same book as `Jesus & the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls'; all different ISBN's and publishers but essentially the same book; repackaging in trying to dodge the negative reviews of the past and trying to cash in on the Da Vinci $.

Thiering uses the pesher technique to try to prop up her works. A look at most other reviewers from those that have read her books, will tell you how flawed this technique is.

I think very little of the present author along with another writer, Laurence Gardner. They both contend that Jesus descended from the cross of which he was nailed and crucified to. Gardner goes that bit further and say's that Jesus Christ was drugged while on the cross until reviving post crucifixion. Both authors use this argument to then continue to say that Jesus lived the happy family life in begetting children. This then is Gardiner's cash cow, the power of the crucifixion to give the appearance of power via an imaginary blood line. Let's put the word 'Logic' on the cross instead. Even if you don't believe in Jesus Christ having been crucified, try to at least understand this. Crucifixion is a death sentence. You have a crowd of people watching and Roman soldiers doing the crucifying. You then have a body that is nailed to timber at the hands and feet. Added to all of this is the scourging that the Romans inflicted, coupled with the spear that pierced the side of Jesus, causing water and blood to gush out. According to scripture, Christ did return to walk this planet, but in a glorified state i.e. "Touch me not for I have not yet ascended". From an esoteric perspective, the mission of Jesus was an evolutionary pathway. According to esoteric wisdom, the need for a human partner would have been a necessity prior to Jesus sacrificial mission. To insinuate Christs return to father children is preposterous.

So what is it, there is no proof of Christ ever existing as most armchair internet theologians would try to tell you or inclusively try and pull the bible to shreds or Christ died and came back and fathered children; all equally trying to devalue the mission of Christ in the spirit of Antichrist; the continued voice of the masses, which still cries to this day "Crucify him and give us the murderer Barabbas instead". Hardly the middle ground of Christ came as a sacrifice to die for the sins of humanity. Christ gives us the example towards spirit and spiritual ascension, while the ego with its desires, passions and lusts, stands in direct opposition to this.

If I could give this book a 0 star rating I would have no hesitation. This is the worst book that I have ever read, a book full of unverified fabrications and outright lies. I usually keep most of my books, as I'm a bit of a hoarder. If I don't like a book or I've gotten what I wanted out of a book, I'll sell the book. With this book on the other hand, I thought I can't even stomach the thought of someone else wasting their time on this, so I trashed it.

If you're into the Da Vinci code stuff, do yourself a favour and look for a book and author with more credibility, so as to not waste your time and money, and to save filling your mind with useless dribble.

An Early 1990s Controversy.......2003-01-05

_Jesus and the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls_ provoked quite a bit of controversy when it came out in 1992. In it Barbara Thiering made presentable in a very easy to read fashion her theory that the Teacher of Righteousness (found in the Dead Sea Scrolls) is actually John the Baptist, AND ... the Wicked Priest or the Man of lies is Jesus of Nazareth.

Crucial to Thiering's theory is her pesher technique as described in chapter four. Thiering explains that pesher as found in the Old Testament means an "interpretation." However in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a pesher is a word puzzle set up by the writer so that hidden historical meanings could be conveyed. Thiering goes on to apply this technique to the New Testament.

Her theory is generally criticized for one of two things. First, Thiering's pesher technique is backward with regard to the NT. Whereas a pesher is a method for reinterpreting previously written authoritative writings, in Thiering's view the NT was originally written in a codified form. One might note with interest that if this were in fact so, then no one has realized this for about 2000 years. For example, the subapostolic writers totally miss it. The second criticism that scholars generally raise against Thiering's theory is her redating of some of the DSS in order to make them compatible.

_Riddle_ was controversial when it was published in the early 1990s. However the theory has gained few adherents and few scholars give it much attention anymore.

One of my favorite books, and it's still available!.......2001-03-29

This book is available under the title Jesus the Man. If you like this book I recommend The Book that Jesus Wrote by Barbara Thiering

Radical, but not backed up by evidence.......1999-11-01

If this is the first book you read on the subject of the historical Jesus, you may well be impressed. It is a liberating experience to understand that the gospels, with all their contradictions, are political documents rather than 'the revealed word of God'. However, any examination of what the gospels actually are absolutely must be backed up with flawless evidence. This is the price of rejecting an interpretation upon which much of western history has been built.

The Pesher method is seductive. It offers a holy grail of meaning - a true understanding of what actually happened, something scholars have failed to uncover. But if you come to this book after researching the subject exhaustively, I'm afraid this book is an illusion.

Promising, even tantalizing, it signally fails to deliver on the promise. The explanation of the Pesher itself is rudimentary, and while some texts are given interesting twists, they are adrift in vast seas of speculation. It is no good hypothesizing that one verse has a new meaning, when those surrounding it bear no meaning as a result.

If Ms. Thiering really wants to convince, then she should apply her extraordinary scholarship to presenting a total picture, not one where every so often one verse can change everything. It can't. It doesn't. So that, ultimately, anyone with some reading on the historical Jesus will realize that this is one more chimera.

To be specific in one instance, if the early christians - Peter, Paul and Jesus (still alive) - had truly decided to hoodwink mankind into believing an untruth, i.e. that Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, it surely casts them in a doubtful moral light. Tiering discusses neither this, nor any debate among the characters themselves as to the morality of the method. If Jesus travelled around Asia Minor and stood to one side, listening while Paul preached the story of his death and resurrection, he was a lesser man than I have understood to date.

A lot of scholarship hovers around this hypothesis, but in the final analysis it is not enough.

an outstanding piece of research!.......1999-06-29

Beautifully written, painstakingly researched. Not a hurried interpretation just to publish a book, the writer researched the Scrolls for twenty-five years! The writer has a way of pulling the real truth from our mythologies and painting a factual picture of Jesus' history. After reading the book, I came away with more respect and understanding of the life of Jesus.

If I could, I would like to thank Barbara Thiering for her tedious research and for the well-written summation of the facts. The way she wrote kept the reader riveted. If you are on a quest for truth, this is a must read!

Average customer rating:

Brilliant underwater scenes...tremendous suspense!

You can run, but you can't hide......

LET THE SECRET OF THE WATER PULL YOU UNDER

It's no secret. This book is a keeper !

Great story! Loved the flashbacks sequences!

The Secret Ever Keeps
Art Tirrell
Manufacturer: Kunati Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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bang BANG: A Novel

The Game

Rabid: A Novel

ASIN: 1601640048

Book Description

High adventure and chick lit combine as billionaire tycoon Jake Eastland nears the end of a long life of shady dealings, lost love, and failed relationships, and is given one final chance to atone. Themes of greed, lust, guilt, family karma, and the power of forgiveness play out as a granddaughter arrives whose relationship with Jake could change everything for both of them. This sprawling epic adventure of feuding families, prohibition rum-runners, and present-day treasure hunters is equally thrilling and heart-warming.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant underwater scenes...tremendous suspense!.......2007-09-14

In The Secret Ever Keeps, Art Tirrell weaves a rich story of a bitter family rivalry, Depression Era wheeling and dealing, and a thrilling underwater treasure hunt. Set on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the novel shifts effortlessly between the present and the 1930s. Jake Eastland, a hard-nosed billionaire nearing the end of his life, attempts to make amends for his unscrupulous dealings in the past by reaching out to his sole living relative, a young woman who is unaware she even has a living grandfather. As they get to know each other, their disparate pasts arise to haunt them.

Tirrell's depiction of their slow-growing relationship is delicate and moving, but it is the suspenseful plot that keeps one flipping the pages. Tirrell quite simply writes the best underwater scenes I have ever read. He takes the reader down into the depths, and no matter how unfamiliar one is with this eerie, potentially deadly setting, one feels one knows exactly what it would be like to dive into the bowels of a sunken ship, to get one's line snagged or air cut off, to be caught and whipped away by a sudden current. Suffice it to say, you'll be breathless, until the secrets and ancient treasures are revealed.

The Secret Ever Keeps is a terrific debut novel for Tirrell. I know he has another in the works and can't wait till it hits the shelves.

The above is from an Amazon CA review by Meg Westley of Stratford, Ontario.

You can run, but you can't hide.............2007-07-01

Art has written a beautifully paced book that effortlessly leads the reader through the dubious dealings of Jake, the aging head of the Eastland family. Secret is both intriguing and complex but Art's composition never leaves the reader out of touch. Ultimately we are reminded that no matter where we are, our past is never far behind and it is always best to turn to face it.

LET THE SECRET OF THE WATER PULL YOU UNDER.......2007-05-29

This is that novel, so rich in its writing and characters, that you sink into it easily. Sink into your favorite reading chair, too, and enter what great writers are supposed to do ... take you to new worlds and times and people. Art Tirrell knows his way around Lake Ontario ... literately and as one of its competitive sailors ... and I found myself at one point in the book looking at a map so I could see just where this new watery world was. I was watching mobsters and whisky runners fly across Lake Ontario and I witnessed the pull and mystery of deep seated family relationships. And water. What is it about water ... deep water ... that makes a story and character's lives so much more fascinating? So much more dangerous? And then at the end I found my heart thumping at a deep decision our heroine Laurel was about to make. I couldn't believe it. But that's what happens when you enter such a mysterious place. Your heart thumps as secrets are finally revealed and dealt with in ways you cannot imagine. Art Tirrell has written a masterpiece.

Todd Sentell is the author of the hilariously mean spirited Toonamint of Champions: How LaJuanita Mumps Got to Join Augusta National Golf Club Real Easy

It's no secret. This book is a keeper !.......2007-05-21

Do you like sea stories?
How about Adventure stories? Or stories about romance, mystery, the roaring 20's, bootleggers and gangsters - all built around a central core of modern day problems of love, hate, redemption and reconciliation.

Don't believe that all those things could be packed into one riveting story? Well then pick yourself up a copy of Art Tirrell's new novel, The Secret Ever Keeps and see for yourself how a skillful author can artfully weave all these things into a book that will hold your interest from page one to the very end.

[...].

The Secret Ever Keeps is just that ... A keeper !

Ric Wasley - Author
[...]

Great story! Loved the flashbacks sequences!.......2007-05-19

Art Tirrell's The Secret Ever Keeps is a modern Cinderella story, with a rum-running, sunken treasure twist. On the shores of Lake Ontario, Laurel Kingsford discovers that there is more to her family's past. There is a secret that has laid buried, one that is yearning to be revealed.

While searching for a treasure buried far beneath the sea, she uncovers a conspiracy, a passionate new love, a jealous and formidable rival, more family than she wants, and riches beyond her dreams. But of course, something--or someone--wants to spoil her plans at happiness and they will go to any length to take her breath away--permanently.

The Secret Ever Keeps is a tantalizing read. Fast-paced, sexy and sensationally plotted, it will keep you guessing and cheering on the heroine until the explosive and satisfying ending.

I have given this novel 5 stars because it deserves it! The story is awesome and it is believable and well-researched. Great work! I look forward to Art's next novel.

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song

The Silent War: The Cold War Battle Beneath the Sea

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There's better stuff out there...
Inside story
A true American Hero
The Silent War ... The Story of J.P. Craven
Great Book, need to read

The Silent War: The Cold War Battle Beneath the Sea
John Pina Craven
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743223268

Amazon.com

In October 1962, the United States government demanded that the Soviet Union remove long-range tactical missiles that it had positioned in Cuba, a short flight from targets like Washington and New York. After nearly a week's wait, during which the world braced for nuclear war, the Soviet government finally relented. It did so, in part, because its capitalist foe had one weapon that it then did not: 10 dozen submarine-mounted nuclear missiles that could be fired from beneath the waves and reach targets inside the Soviet Union within a matter of minutes.

In The Silent War, John Craven, an architect of the Polaris missile program, writes that the episode offered unambiguous proof of the value of "a strong silent deterrent" and of the importance of a superb submarine force in preserving the balance of power. In this memoir, he recounts the evolution of the Polaris weapons system during the cold war. Along the way, he reveals little-known incidents of espionage and saber rattling that will give readers pause to wonder how war was avoided for all those years. A bonus for Tom Clancy fans (who are likely to enjoy his book in any event) is Craven's sketchy but fascinating tale of a real hunt for a lost Soviet submarine that took place during his tenure as well as his accessible but nonetheless detailed account of the advanced military technology he helped bring into being. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Packed with the technological details and insights into military strategy that fans of Tom Clancy relish, The Silent War is a riveting look at the darkest days of the Cold War. It reveals, in gripping detail, the espionage, innovative high technology, and heroic seafaring the United States employed against the Soviet Union in the battle for nuclear and military supremacy. John Pi?a Craven, who shared management responsibility for the submarine-borne Polaris missile system, captures the excitement and the dangers of the times as he recounts the true stories behind some of the century's most shocking headlines and reveals harrowing episodes kept hidden from the public.

Craven describes for the first time the structural problems that almost caused the destruction of the Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, and presents startling information about the race to recover a hydrogen bomb from the B-52 bomber that went down off the coast of Spain. In a report no fan of The Hunt for Red October will want to miss, he provides a fascinating, authoritative perspective on the Navy's reaction to the rogue Soviet submarine and its mission.

A major contribution to Cold War history and literature, The Silent War will appeal to military buffs and fans of nonstop adventure thrillers alike.

Download Description

The Cold War was the first major conflict between superpowers in which victory and defeat were unambiguously determined without the firing of a shot. Without the shield of a strong, silent deterrent or the intellectual sword of espionage beneath the sea, that war could not have been won. John P. Craven was a key figure in the Cold War beneath the sea. As chief scientist of the Navy's Special Projects Office, which supervised the Polaris missile system, then later as head of the Deep Submergence Systems Project (DSSP) and the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle program (DSRV), both of which engaged in a variety of clandestine undersea projects, he was intimately involved with planning and executing America's submarine-based nuclear deterrence and submarine-based espionage activities during the height of the Cold War. Craven was considered so important by the Soviets that they assigned a full-time KGB agent to spy on him. Some of Craven's highly classified activities have been mentioned in such books as Blind Man's Bluff, but now he gives us his own insights into the deadly cat-and-mouse game that U.S. and Soviet forces played deep in the world's oceans. Craven tells riveting stories about the most treacherous years of the Cold War. In 1956 Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine and the backbone of the Polaris ballistic missile system, was only days or even hours from sinking due to structural damage of unknown origin. Craven led a team of experts to diagnose the structural flaw that could have sent the sub to the bottom of the ocean, taking the Navy's missile program with it. Craven offers insight into the rivalry between the advocates of deterrence (with whom he sided) and those military men and scientists, such as Edward Teller, who believed that the United States had to prepare to fight and win a nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union.

Customer Reviews:

There's better stuff out there..........2007-06-07

OK, so it's a biography, not a history book or novel. However, that's not an excuse for shameless self-congratulation. The "good stuff" in this book is due to the subject material itself, not how its presented. There are better works on this subject. And to top it all off, the numerous grammatical errors point to the less than professional nature of this book. I expected better.

Inside story.......2006-11-24

"The Silent War" adds more grist to the ever-churning mill of rumors about the Soviet submarine that sank about 1,500 miles from Maui in 1968.
John Craven, a civilian who was chief scientist for the Navy's Special Projects Office, proposes that the sub may have been a rogue and that it was preparing to launch a one-megaton missile at Oahu.
Craven infers this, in part, because photos of the wreckage seem to show that the conventional explosive that surrounds the nuclear warhead exploded, leading to the loss of the sub. Such an explosion is one kind of "fail-safe" device: If some unauthorized tampering is done, better to blow up the missile than have it armed and dispatched.
Craven says the probability that the sub was a rogue is low but he seems to take it seriously. His scenario does not explain how the rogue crew hoped to reach Oahu with a missile whose range is thought to have been 750 miles.
Craven, still bound by security regulations, says he isn't revealing any secrets. A comparison of "The Silent War" to "Blind Man's Bluff," the 1999 book about underwater spying, and to "Spy Sub," a 1997 novelized version of the hunt for the Soviet sub by one of the participants, leaves plenty of mystery.
"60 Minutes" reported the sub's number was K129, but Craven says survivors of the crew said it was something else. In "Spy Sub," Roger Dunham calls it PL-751.
Whatever it was, Hawaii was involved at least after the sinking, if not before.
The spy sub USS Halibut ("Viperfish" in Dunham's book), which Craven's group supplied the still-secret hardware for, practiced its hunting off Lahaina, Maui, in the early '70s. The Glomar Explorer, the CIA ship that tried to lift the sub off the seafloor, was much noticed in Hawaii around 1974.
Craven, as interested in policy as in ocean technology, provides a novel reinterpretation of that episode.
According to him, the Navy could have explored the sunken sub with supersecret underwater craft, and nobody would ever have known. Instead, the Nixon administration pulled the Navy off, gave undersea intelligence to the CIA (which meant that Craven had nothing to do with Glomar) and -- besides blowing $500 million on a (probably) failed mission -- nearly ruined the advance of oceanic technology.
The argument, which like most of Craven's views is neither simple nor obvious, is that the cover story for the Glomar -- that it was going to recover manganese nodules off the deep ocean floor -- was stupid.
It certainly was. By 1974, it was known that you could not make money bringing up lobsters worth $5 a pound from 1,000 feet deep, so it was absurd to think it would be worthwhile to bring up nodules worth a penny a pound from 15,000 feet.
Nevertheless, according to Craven's view, the ocean scientists of the rich countries were left "misunderstanding the limits of ocean resources," which led to "the waste of precious development resources."
Maybe so, but if the people in charge were stupid enough to fall for the CIA trick, that raises the question whether they would have done any better if they had deployed their manganese-hunting millions in some other direction.
Possibly not. After leaving the Navy, Craven became a dean at the University of Hawaii, where he became project manager for two of the most hare-brained schemes ever hatched by a state government famous for fiascos, a "floating city" off Waikiki and the embarrassing ocean thermal energy conversion project at Keahole.
Craven, whose family tradition had him down from birth for the Naval Academy, couldn't get appointed. After obtaining a doctorate at the University of Iowa, he ended up in the middle of Navy business anyway, an opportunity for which he is grateful.
The earlier part of "The Silent War" concerns the development of the Polaris nuclear war deterrent. "A nation choosing a strategy of nuclear deterrence cannot also choose a strategy that would commit the nation to a tactical nuclear war," he writes, which not everybody understood, then or now.
Via another complex argument, Craven asserts that the undersea cold war allowed the United States to let the U.S.S.R. know it knew in the 1980s that the Kremlin was losing command and control of its deterrent forces, and such an understanding brought about the dismantling of the Soviet Union.
In a short review, it is not possible to give the full weight of Craven's argument on this subject. You will have to read it yourself, which is worth doing anyhow, as "The Silent War" is also a fine mix of derring-do, good old American know-how and personal strife and achievement.

A true American Hero.......2006-02-24

John Pina Craven's The Silent War is written by a genius, a patriot and an important figure of our Cold War victory. Those who have criticized the book on the basis of its chronicling of the author's recollection of his own role in the events depicted must suffer from their own inferiority complexes; Craven was there, and he played the role he played. That's history, folks. Blind Man's Bluff, which predated his book and which he did NOT write, confirms this. Finally, as one who has had the privilege and pleasure of sitting down with him and hearing some of the exploits of those he writes about, I can report that he is a true patriot and a man of peace, who did what he did to prevent war at all costs - billions but worth every penny.

The Silent War ... The Story of J.P. Craven.......2006-02-22

I was looking forward to reading this book. Made it almost through Chapter 2 and decided I was done. This book is more about J.P. Craven than it is about the Cold War and the courageous and commendable service that was provided by the Navy's Silent Service. If you want to know about how Craven saved the world, this is the book for you otherwise it is a great disappointment. Recommend reading (or re-reading) Blind Man's Bluff before opening this autobiography.

Great Book, need to read.......2005-11-18

Considering the security restrictions Dr. Craven had to adhear to, the information he was able to provide is amazing. However, the reader needs to sometimes read between the lines. The author has outfoxed his minders!

Average customer rating:

five years equals five stars
Excellent tips for novice or experienced sailor
GREAT for the inquiring sailor

Sailors' Secrets
Mike Badham , and Robby Robinson
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071348697

Book Description

Sailor's Secrets contains over 1,000 tips, suggestions, evaluations, and nuggets of hard-won advice from more than 300 seasoned veterans.

Instructive, humorous, biting, and challenging, Sailor's Secrets can be opened anywhere and enjoyed. Its wide-ranging chapters cover routine maintenance, understanding weather, safety at sea, storm strategies, piloting, engine troubleshooting, gear and outfitting, and simple solutions to complex problems.

Michael Badham and Robby Robinson have created the nautical equivalent of an experts' forum. Don Casey, Dennis Conner, Bob Rice, Dave Gerr, Hank Hinckley, Bill Biwenga, Sheila McCurdy, Katy Burke, Meade Gougeon, Buddy Melges, Walter Greene, Steve Callahan, and a host of others share the insights they've developed over millions of sea miles.

Customer Reviews:

five years equals five stars.......2000-11-22

I cannot tell a lie. Along with Michael Badham, I wrote SAILORS' SECRETS. Aside from learning the tricky placement of the apostrophe (for "sailors'" to make it plural) in the title, the toughest part was "what to put in and what to leave out" after five years. We went after under-known gems of wisdom and expertise from sailors who had been there. We got them, by the boatload. It's a bit hard to use the index and/or the table of contents diasl up a particular reference. Maybe that's because, after five years of interviewing sailors, assembling biographies, doing illustrations, collecting permissions, and organizing the work into "commandments," for the average guy, I (we) found it hard to pour still more time into refining and cross-referencing our opus. Other than that , however, SAILORS'SECRETS has stood the test of thousands of readers and the passage of another five years with superior results and reviews. Trendy as sailing can be, our book hits the basics of racing, cruising and boat owning that aren't likely to go out of date.

Excellent tips for novice or experienced sailor.......1998-11-18

I thought I knew a lot about sailing but this book is so jam packed with good ideas and tips that I've read it from cover to cover. The style is simple and the range of ideas comprehensive. If you have a sailor in your life, this is an excellent present.

GREAT for the inquiring sailor.......1998-07-08

This book povided us with many helpful sujestions and ideas on various subjects. It is great for the new-commer to sailing AND the experianced sailor. Recomended to anyone who is willing to improve!

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