Book Description
And now I found these fancies creating their own realities, and all imagined horrors crowding upon me in fact'. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym is an archetypal American story of escape from home and family which traces a young man's rite of passage through a series of terrible brushes with death during a fateful sea voyage. But it also goes much deeper, as Pym encounters various interpretative dilemmas, at last leaving the reader with a broken-off ending that defies solution. Apart from its violence and mystery, the tale calls attention to the act of writing and to the problem of representing truth. Layer upon layer of elaborate hoaxes include its author's own role of posing as ghost-writer of the narrative; Pym - his only novel - has become the key text for our understanding of Poe. This edition offers eight short tales which are linked to Pym by their treatment of persistent themes - fantastic voyages, gigantic whirlpools, and premature burials - or by their ironic commentary on Poe's mystification of his readers.
Customer Reviews:
Mesmerizing Account of Tragic Death, Canabalism, Saving from Sea Death and more.......2006-09-06
I have not read this masterpiece until recently. Somehow it escaped my view. But a young Edgar Allen Poe does not dissapoint. This tale unfolds with the desire of a young lad to go to sea against his fathers and grandfathers wishes. Before departing he accidently runs into his grandfather at the fishermans warf and is again warned. But he desires to disobey his family and his hidden on board by his best (only) friend. His friend manages to bring his friends dog with them. It starts out with their plans going array when is friend does not introduce him to the crew once far out to see and this perplexes our hereo. Later he understands that there has been a mutiny and later is introduced to the seamen at a point of starvation. But the story line developes much further with a harsh view of starvation and being cast off at sea with violent mutineers. This is a magnificient story well told and is very griping from the start. Its a psychological terror well advanced for 1834. Poe should have been prouder of this work because he historically did not like.
"I feared I should not be able to write, from mere memory, a statement so minute...".......2006-02-13
Claiming that this is the true narrative of a sea voyage by Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, Edgar Allen Poe records the strange, unbelievable events aboard the ship Grampus in 1827 and on a voyage of discovery to the Antarctic six months later. Published in 1838, Poe's fictionalized narrative, supposedly penned by Pym, a young man from Nantucket, describes Pym's experiences beginning in July, 1827. Stowed away in the hold of the ship and aided by his friend Augustus Barnard, whose father is captain of the Grampus, Pym endures more than a week alone and in almost total darkness before he discovers that a mutiny has occurred onboard.
Macabre details of ghastly deaths and unrelieved bloodlust, the massacre of the crew, and the casting adrift of the captain presage even more gory events. A countermutiny, equally bloody, leaves only four men alive on the Grampus. A gale, a gruesome death ship which passes them, circling sharks, and additional deaths leave only two men alive when the brig capsizes.
The second half of the account details the trip of discovery taken by Pym and the other survivor, along with an English crew from a passing ship, south to the "Antarctic Sea," a voyage in which they go "more than eight degrees farther south than any previous navigators." On this journey they encounter a monstrous "Arctic bear," more than 15 feet long, a cat-like animal with red teeth and claws, warm water with Galapagos tortoises, a series of islands inhabited by canoe-paddling natives, the Aurora Borealis, hot and milky water, white ashy showers, and a huge human figure in white, not the sights reported by later Antarctic explorers.
Poe's only novel, in the romantic tradition of sea adventures, presages the publication of Melville's Typee, which is a true story. In this case, Poe plays with the reader's sense of reality, claiming that his fictional narrative is true and that the fictional Pym had "refused" to publish it because he thought no one would believe his tale. Ironies abound, matched only by the romantic embellishments and imaginative "discoveries" in Antarctica that make this fast-paced narrative as full of tense drama as any soap opera. The abrupt "conclusion" remains ironically inconclusive. Breathless excitement and near death experiences, combined with mystical visions and inexplicable events, make this exciting narrative fun to read. n Mary Whipple
Poe's One and Only Novel:.......2003-04-20
In this novel I had the same feeling I used to have watching or reading Treasure Island. It is one of the best adventure novels I have ever read.
It speaks about an adventure seeker, a Mr. A. Gordon Pym. He tries to leave the luxury of his little city Nantucket, where he used to live with his father. One friend of his convinces him to travel. The first voyage was a total disaster. But he did not quit his dream. He went on yet another ... Man, it was the most chilling experience I ever had. It is not like anything you dream, it is even stranger. No goblins nor trolls appear hear, yet still, Poe can really bring the horror to your heart.
A mutiny is added to the singular experience Pym had, and then Cannibalism. And after you thought the story finished, you see that Poe starts a new story which not as impressive as the first, yet turns the attention to some other direction.
The end was a bit shaky. I did not like it at all. I usually do not like open endings. That was the only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars.
Overall, I would recommend you to read it in the middle of the night (if you do not have anything else to do), with a cup of tea, and with no one else around! You would enjoy it even more.
A disturbing tale of shipwreck and savagery.......2002-03-13
This story, Poe's only novel, is an endurance test for both reader and characters. I believe it was originally serialized, and reads like a collection of incidents rather than a complete story. However, it is a captivating tale, astounding in it's detail and casual horror. Arthur Gordon Pym was born under an unlucky star. He survives in the most inconceivable circumstances, from a drifting, overturned hulk to the frozen waters of the Antarctic. Each page turned piles more horror in his path, described with a growing clinical distance. Pym himself becomes more desensitized to each incident, until he views the irrational with a casual curiosity. The language is beautifully detailed, and some feel this story is the inspiration for "Moby Dick."
Altogether, a delightfully disturbing story. One of the best I have read.
Poe's Best Long Work -- And His Only, Even.......2000-02-19
At 150 pages or so, Arthur Gordon Pym is the closest Poe came to a novel. Rife with his characteristic polarization and dreamscape plots, this stands, in my opinion, as one of Poe's best. The short stories included only add to the mainstay, and it's a great value.
Book Description
A fully revised collection of Poe's work
The first new edition of this landmark anthology since 1945 presents a more complicated, perverse, and culturally engaged Poe. Along with the author's familiar masterworks in poetry and fiction, this new Portable Poe includes satirical tales that reflect his critique of American culture.
Customer Reviews:
The essential Poe.......2005-09-19
This volume contains the essential Poe, the stories and poems for which he is most well- known.
Like all American schoolchildren I had to read Poe when I was quite young. And I remember how his tales did not provide the kind of pleasure and insight I had found in other literature. "The Gold Bug" confounded me , and "The Tell- Tale Heart" frightened me, and the truth is even in adult years I have never taken much delight in the reading of the fictions of Poe.
The horror of real life has always seemed to me more than enough, and I have never particularly enjoyed the mood and tone of Poe's fictions.
I must admit too that Poe always seemed to me even when reading him as a child , 'extremely weird' to use a children's word. And ' weird' not simply with the connotation of ' strange' but of 'frighteningly so'.
In any case there is a Poe that I have treasured. It might not be in the whole of the poem, but in the rhythmn of 'Nevermore' there did strike a kind of fascinating note. And there are in the poetry of Poe great lines, 'the beauty that was Greece, the glory that was Rome'. And a sadness and a feeling of tragedy in some of the love- poetry.
Poe is of course much else to most other readers than to me, and the lovers of mystery stories, and detectives, of fictional conundrums tending toward horror, and of strange obsessions with beauty that dies young, will find more than they ask for in this anthology.
All the Poe You'll Ever Need.......2001-09-20
Unless you're a collector or completist, this volume compiles all the Poe you could possibly ask for. All the classic stories are here, and you can clearly see how Poe broke new ground and influenced all creative fiction that came after him. While most people are wary of "classics" that everybody talks about, but nobody seems to really like, Poe's classics will give you a true appreciation for his genius. You will truly be enthralled by such well-known tales like "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (in which Poe invents the detective story), and especially the immortal "The Raven".
The editor has included many of the surviving letters that Poe wrote to the various women he unsuccessfully tried to court, and especially to his cruel stepfather, which provide great insight into Poe's inner demons. If you ever wonder why most of Poe's stories are based on death and/or madness, these letters will show you why. The only problem with this particular book is that it is a little too exhaustive, and includes many items that are more of historical interest than they are readable. This is true of most of the entries in the Articles, Criticism, and Opinions sections of the book.
Annabel Lee.......2001-06-30
I think it was emotional and she was sick and really ill after catching a chill on a beach,the authoris mourning the death of his lover.
in my opinion it was sad,but a great book.there is alot of romance. It was kind of hard toread because i'm only 9 and I had to have someone explain the story to me.
Ahh Poe. . ........2000-07-23
Of all the writers you were forced to read in High School, Poe may be the most contemporary. After all, where would today's Alternative Goth culture be without the influence of Poe.
In this volume, fans of the strange genius are given a rare treat. Editor Philip Van Doren Stern has collected not only the all-time greats (e.g. "The Tell-Tale Heart" "The Pit and the Pendulum" "The Raven" etc.), but also some eccentric choices like "The Man of the Crowd". In addition, the book gives several non-fiction articles and literary reviews written by Poe showing that he was not without a practical side.
But perhaps the most fascinating thing is a section of letters Poe wrote, to among other people, his stepfather, his wife, his mother-in-law, and various members of the literary community. These paint a colorful picture of his often desperate existence. After reading these letters, you may think Poe tragic, pathetic, pretentious or maybe even egotistical, but you wll never think of him in quite the same way you previously did.
Read this book for a fresh look at one of American literature's greatest geniuses.
Book Description
Presidents yearned to fire him, but were daunted by his storehouse of damaging secrets. Public officials and private citizens lived in fear of his illegal surveillance and harassment tactics. Now, in this ground-breaking, at times shocking biography, J. Edgar Hoover, the man who ruled over the FBI for nearly fifty years, emerges definitively as one of the greatest menaces of our times.
Official and Confidential, by the award-winning investigative journalist and author Anthony Summers, is the first book to expose the public and the private J. Edgar Hoover. Other biographers have hinted at the dark secrets in the Director's life, but Summers courageously discloses the truth. After conducting more than eight hundred interviews and obtaining access to previously concealed documents, Summers has created a chilling portrait of a legendary figure who blatantly abused the public trust.
* J. Edgar Hoover, Summers establishes, was a closet homosexual and transvestite. Mafia bosses obtained information about Hoover's sex life and used it for decades to keep the FBI at bay. Without this, the Mafia as we know it might never have gained its hold in America.
* J. Edgar Hoover shamelessly accepted gifts and free lodging from millionaire oilmen, and appropriated FBI facilities for his personal use.
* J. Edgar Hoover influenced the course of World War II by ignoring an early warning about Pearl Harbor.
* J. Edgar Hoover used his knowledge of John F. Kennedy's womanizing to ensure that Lyndon Johnson became Vice President. He relied on dirty tricks to stay in office under Kennedy and subverted the Warren Commission's probe into the investigation of his death.
* J. Edgar Hoover himself was the target of a Watergate-era burglary attempt - and perhaps even a murder plot.
With these and other astonishing disclosures, Summers defines a man and his times. He explores Hoover's troubled youth as the son of a mentally ill father and a highly demanding mother, and the development of the obsessive behavior that dominated his later years. Summers takes the reader on an extraordinary journey, as a zealous young lawyer rebuilds an ineffectual corps of agents into a massive force capable of police-state tactics. With riveting detail, Summers documents Hoover's behind-the-scenes role in war and peace through fifty years and eight presidential administrations.
Richly anecdotal, meticulously researched Official and Confidential depicts some of the most controversial and colorful events of our century. Here is a disturbing lesson in how one man was able to abuse his position of power and change the course of American history.
Customer Reviews:
The PR machine of J.Edgar Hoover........2007-04-06
This book is an expose' of J.Edgar Hoover and his actions as Director of the F.B.I.
Mr. Summers covers Hoover's entire career and his rise to fame thanks in part to his personal PR man. He was definitely an oppurtunist and exaggerated his stories frequently. Thoughts expressed by his nieces were candid and of interest in that aspect.
Hoover had far too much power and that becomes more obvious through the relationships he had with the Presidents he was supposed to serve. FDR made the regrettable decision to enhance Hoover's powers.
That fateful decision adversely affected a lot of people including Charlie Chaplin and John F.Kennedy to name a few.
Hoover was the most powerful figure during most of his tenure. He used that power to gather as much blackmail material as possible and he frequently used it. Often-times blackmail was used for his job security or, as in the case of the 1960 Democratic ticket, to force political decisions. His longevity was due in large part to fear. He wasn't trusted by most of the Presidents during his directorship.
Anthony Summers wrote about other abuses by Hoover which includes the free vacations he took with Clyde Tolson,the backing by Organised Crime figures of his horse racing bets,the staggering amount of taxpayer money spent on Hoover's luxuries.
There were a lot of pages dedicated to Hoover's relationship to many mafia figures. The Mob's blackmailing of Hoover was covered in detail also.
This book is easy reading and covers J.Edgar Hoover from birth to death. There are some startling details of his abuse of power. A very good book overall!
rewriting history.......2006-12-31
It's incredible how some still think that J. Edgar Hoover was a great American. Maybe these people should read this book to see how he really was. Anthony Summers did a great job investigating the life of number one of the FBI. Although written in a kind of a tabloid style, it still gives us some shocking details of the life of this man.
Thanks to his vast knowledge, Hoover blackmailed his way through American society. Because of his 'compromising documents' he was able to keep the members of Congress and the presidents quiet. The fact that Hoover told the people what they wanted to hear, made a hero out of him. If only they had known what we know now.
Hoover was corrupt and received a lot of nice presents from his rich friends. The fact that Hoover hated homosexuals was all the more strange, because it was a well kept secret that his 'friend' Clyde Tolson was more than just a friend. The incompetence of the FBI was never questioned, because Hoover was able to lie his way through his career.
Well written and interesting new facts.
BEST book on Hoover.......2005-12-23
Anthony Summers has written a masterpiece; no other way to put it. Well written and researched--the best book on HOOVER, bar none. Get this! Vince Palamara
Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of 2 books, in over 32 other author's books, etc.)
A Stellar Research Effort.......2003-11-09
Britisher Anthony Summers is a crack researcher who was seasoned in the finest documentary atmosphere available, that of the legendary BBC. This book is every bit as fascinating as Summers's work on Richard Nixon. While the Nixon book was entitled "The Arrogance of Power," this work on the life and times of controversial FBI director J. Edgar Hoover could well be titled "The Abuse of Power."
Summers reveals how Hoover was a man in between who was trapped by the same method he used to compromise and place in fear presidents and members of Congress. A tenacious investigator, he turned his agent-bloodhounds loose on men in power, gaining enough information to compromise them. The moment an influential House or Senate member would complain about FBI abuse, he would receive a call from Hoover informing of information he held. At the same time, Hoover was in turn compromised by what the Mafia held on him. Hoover, an outwardly homophobic director who stated bluntly that he did not anyone of that persuasion working in his Bureau, had a homosexual life he attempted to keep secret. Frank Costello and other Mafia chieftains let him know that if he threatened their domain they had important information they would use against him.
Another fascinating element of Summers's book is his detailed revelations about Hoover's influence with U.S. presidents. He was said to have influenced John F. Kennedy's choice of Lyndon Johnson for his running mate in 1960 because Hoover held potentially damaging evidence on Kennedy's womanizing, which would have destroyed efforts to paint the Massachusetts senator as a loyal family man in the hard-fought 1960 campaign against Richard Nixon. Nixon was a politician who also had reason to fear Hoover. He was never willing to replace him for that reason, despite an expressed preference to do so.
This is a book that takes the readers to the highest portals of power and uncovers many secrets. Hoover had a profound influence on American politics from the thirties until his death in 1972.
Why we should be scared by the Patriot Act.......2003-07-29
This book is important to read in the post-9/11 era. At a time when every cable-news pundit is crying out for Congress to take the shackles off the FBI, it is good to remember why Congress slapped those shackles on in the first place.
The author makes a pretty strong case that J. Edgar Hoover was a thoroughly corrupt, racist, mentally unbalanced megolomaniac who egregiously abused his powers for financial and political gain. I'm skeptical of some of the author's wilder allegations -- for example, a suggestion that Richard Nixon may have had Hoover killed by poisoning his toothpaste. However, many of the abuses of Hoover's FBI were well-documented in Congressional investigations in the 1970's: the secret files; the unfettered use of wiretaps, bugs, infiltration, warrantless searches and seizures (i.e., burglaries), and other methods of surveillance, all done without any judicial oversight and often without any legitimate law enforcement purpose; harassing Vietnam War protestors, people in the Civil Rights movement, suspected "Communists," and other political "enemies."
One of the book's main points is that Hoover kept himself in power for so many years -- despite evident corruption and manifest incompetence -- by blackmailing successive presidents with the dirt he had gathered on their private lives. Although largely speculative, the possibility does seem to be frighteningly plausible. Other allegations that appear to be supported by fairly good circumstantial evidence include Hoover's ties to the Mafia and his sexual hypocrisy.
I'm giving the book only 4 stars because the author's breathless, tabloid style makes it difficult to really sort out established facts from mere rumor, innuendo and hearsay. Still, it is a very entertaining and thought-provoking read.
Book Description
EDGAR KENNEDY appeared in over 400 Hollywood films spanning four decades. An original Keystone Kop for Mack Sennett, he went on to support such film luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Bros. John Wayne, Lucille Ball and Doris Day. Billed as "The Average Man," Edgar starred in his own short comedy series at RKO for 17 years. Bill Cassara was born and raised in San Jose, California where his love for the movies began while attending weekly programs at the Garden Theatre, a neighborhood cinema. A graduate of San Jose State University, Cassara dedicated himself to a career in law enforcement. This 25-year veteran of the Monterey County Sheriffs Office currently holds the rank of Sergeant and is assigned to patrol on the Monterey peninsula. In 1984, Cassara founded "The Midnight Patrol" chapter for the Sons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society. He has also been a board member for the Monterey County Arts Habitat and the Monterey County Film Commission. Cassara chaired film events featuring appearances by Doris Day and Clint Eastwood. Cassara also hosted the Edgar Kennedy Celebration in Monterey in 1997. BearManor Media
Customer Reviews:
Raider Of The Lost Celluloid.......2007-09-19
Edgar Kennedy, one of the funniest supporting comedians in film history, is probably best knows for his appearances in the Hal Roach shorts of Our Gang and Laurel & Hardy but actually appeared and starred in hundreds of films in a lengthy career. Author Cassara has pulled off the seemingly impossible! By doing exhaustive research that must have been akin to archeology, this raider of the lost celluloid has produced a well-rounded bio that completely humanizes Mr. Kennedy and presents a full chronology of a life in film... and beyond. You leave this well researched documentary of a cinema clown with a feeling that you know the man. Frankly, that's just astounding to me. There's not much material on Edgar Kennedy out there and Bill Cassara has written a history that fans of classic comedy will revel in.
Edgar Kennedy Brought to Light.......2006-05-04
Bill Cassara's book sheds new light on the fascinating life and times of Edgar L. Kennedy. Credited with over 500 films, Edgar had a colorful life in and around California during Hollywood's heyday. Edgar worked with all the movie greats who often looked to him for suggestions and guidance in the art of Comedy and film making. Mr. Cassara has done some painstaking research and has brought to life many parts of Edgar Kennedy's previously unknown career. This book is laviously illustrated (many photos heretofor unpublished)and revels both Edgar's professional and family side. It's an easy yet scholarly read that does much to fill in an area of Hollywood's past, few film bffs are aware of. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in actors (Particulally Edgar), who worked in Silents and Sound, and with most of Hollywood's greatest stars. Edgar Kennedy, Master of the Slow Burn should be on any film buff's reference bookshelf.
EDGAR KENNEDY; MASTER OF THE SLOW BURN.......2005-11-06
Magnificent! Edgar Kennedy was one of the greatest character players in motion picture history and Bill Cassara writes a warm and loving salute to this truly nice gentleman, of his family, his work and the affection people had for him - I highly recommend this book! - Shorty Caruso
Splendid life story of a great comedian who was also a warm human being.......2005-10-20
This book is a wondrously researched, beautifully told life story of Edgar Kennedy, the beloved comedian who is remembered for having been a Mack Sennett Keystone Cop, later foil to Hal Roach stars (Laurel & Hardy, Charley Chase, Our Gang), and later still as the star of the fondly recalled "Average Man" two-reel comedy series at RKO. Author Bill Cassara has done Edgar proud, including as much detail and as many rare photographs as possible in this handsome-looking softcover edition. Mr. Cassara had access to the memories and collections of the Kennedy family, making this a definitive biography as well as a delightful examination at some of Edgar's most memorable film roles. The book is a labor of love that never loses its keen insight into the philosophy of a favorite comedian who also happened to be a very nice guy in private life. By all means get this book for yourself and remember the holidays are fast approaching, this book will make a very nice Christmas present for any film buff who ever enjoyed Edgar Kennedy battling against a world that seemed to always conspire against him.
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Kennedy of Cape York
Edgar Beale
Manufacturer: Rigby
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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Book Description
The history of one of the most admired (Bobby Kennedy) and one of the most reviled (J. Edgar Hoover) are entwined with that of Joseph Kennedy. This triumvirate was marked by conflict, betrayal and a strange Shakespearean familial bond. Set against the ongoing context of Joe Kennedy’s behind-the-scenes manipulation of key players in Congress, organized crime, and his own family, major players are revealed such as Roy Cohn, Martin Luther King, Marilyn Monroe, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.
Customer Reviews:
Too Speculative.......2007-07-28
Just finished this book. Interesting reading, but I think the author just puts out every rumor and innuendo ever uttered by anyone, hoping something sticks. The chapter on Oswald and the assassination has bits and pieces of every single weirdo-conspiracy theory around. The author even gives the totally discredited Jim Garrison way too much credibility. That alone should tell one where the author is coming from.
Still, the book makes for interesting reading, at least it balances out that awful Salon Kennedy book, which tries to reinstate the ridiculous "Kennedys-as-virgin-heros-fighting-the-evil-shadow-government" thesis. Two books, which if you average them out, gives you a reasonable assessment of the Kennedys.
Make time to read this book.......2007-07-16
Burton Hersh has given us a challenge. For many it will require a paradigm shift in their assessments of the Kennedy clan and Bobby's place in history. The faint of heart, like reviewer, Peter Marshall, may not get through its graphic details. Indeed, it seems clear that Marshall never got up to chapter 6 and somehow he missed the painstaking detail of Hersh's excellent documentation in more than 67 pages of "Source Notes." Indeed, the work reveals a high level of historical scholarship brushed across the pages with the passion of a journalist. But this is not a historical novel. It is about the substance, raw data, of a critical period in America's history. This book will help us better understand who we are and just how fragile our democracy remains. N.B. (I also know the author personally, which has not disqualified me from being a critical and appreciative reader.)
The Dark Side of Camelot.......2007-06-28
The New Frontier was led by men of vision and intelligence. But as Hersh points out in this page turner, the guys in the boiler room were as corrupt and conflicted as they could be. More so than any book I have yet read on the subject, "Bobby and J. Edgar" lays out how the Kennedy administration, the CIA, the mob, the FBI, and the Cuban exiles closely interacted. The missions were to fight organized crime, to fight communism. We are left to decide for ourselves if this machine ultimately turned on the Kennedy brothers, but the players, their motivations, and their means, are nicely laid out by Hersch.
What I found remarkable about the book was its density. Facts upon new facts pulled me to the next page, all annotated in his extensive notes section. Yes, not all of them may be true (and God, I hope the Giancana/Marilyn Monroe story is one of them), but the overall picture holds: The Kennedys fearlessly attacked the same power structures they at other times relied on. These malignant power structures cooperated with one another, usually without the Kennedy's knowledge or approval. The Kennedy's efforts to control this beast was probably their fatal mistake
A little too Unbelieveable.......2007-06-09
I will have to disagree with all the reviews. I'm half way through the book, and it still hasn't gotten to the core of the title which is the relationship between Hoover and RFK.
There are some fairly stunning accusations made, along with plenty of innuendo and opinions that are not backed up with solid research.
RFK running around in dresses or being gay strikes me as a little incredible, and all the talk of RFK, JFK etc having secret meetings with known gangsters is a little too much to swallow.
The qauthor throws out some fairly strong zingers and it appears to be too much like opinion or barbs than factual statenments.
I really wanted to get a solid book with research on the relationship, but this does not appear to be it.
It bounces all over the place with stories and anecdotes about a cats of characters, but precious little about RFK and Hoover.
The Godfather Meets Camelot-Burton Hersh's Masterpiece.......2007-05-11
Were "Bobby and J. Edgar" a movie, it would be described as "The Godfather Meets Camelot." Reading it is like going to the movies, except it's all true. Burton Hersh's brilliantly sourced masterpiece, the product of over five years of research, shocks on almost every page with its revelations of how power really works in America. The duel between two powerful personalities, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and F.B.I. Director, J. Edgar Hoover, is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the history of the country. The incredible cast of characters, Joe Kennedy, Bobby and Jack Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, mobsters Johnny Rosselli, Carlos Marcello and Sam Giancana, Marilyn Monroe, Judith Campbell Exner, Joseph McCarthy, Lyndon Johnson and J. Edgar Hoover, are all portrayed as the real people they were. Joe Kennedy is a driven,, mob connected power broker, but also a loving father, while J. Edgar Hoover is revealed as a surprising defender of civil liberties. I defy anyone who picks this book up to put it down. If it isn't a huge bestseller, I will be amazed.
Book Description
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), son of itinerant actors, holds a secure place in the firmament of history as America's first master of suspense. Displaying scant interest in native scenes or materials, Edgar Allan Poe seems the most un-American of American writers during the era of literary nationalism; yet he was at the same time a pragmatic magazinist, fully engaged in popular culture and intensely concerned with the "republic of letters" in the United States. This Historical Guide contains an introduction that considers the tensions between Poe's "otherworldly" settings and his historically marked representations of violence, as well as a capsule biography situating Poe in his historical context. The subsequent essays in this book cover such topics as Poe and the American Publishing Industry, Poe's Sensationalism, his relationships to gender constructions, and Poe and American Privacy. The volume also includes a bibliographic essay, a chronology of Poe's life, a bibliography, illustrations, and an index.
Customer Reviews:
Great, analytical book on Hoover (and JFK/ RFK).......2006-01-08
Mark North's "Act Of Treason" is a great, albeit dry, book on Hoover (and JFK/ RFK), making great use of contemporary news accounts and so forth. This is a nice companion volume to R. Andrew Kiel's outstanding book on Hoover, along with Anthony Summer's masterpiece "Official and Confidential." Get this!
P.S. Who he thinks may be J. Edgar Hoover in his photo section is actually Secret Service agent Stewart G. "Stu" Stout, Jr.
Vince Palamara
Secret Service expert, History Channel, author of 2 books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.
The Final Chapter on the JFK Assassination.......2000-06-21
This book is one of the most important books that I have read on the JFK assassination - and I have read over a dozen since 1964. It is the "final chapter" as it provides the "big picture" answer.
It uses the information that came out since the 1970s. The Congressional Investigation in 1977 resulted in a number of books afterwards.
If you read Curt Gentry's "J. Edgar Hoover, The Man and the Myth" you would know that Hoover had been filing false expense reports for decades, and built up a small fortune. (He stayed at hotels and ate at restaurants for free, then collected expenses as if he had paid.) If he ever left office, he would have been convicted for fraud, and died in jail. He had no other option but to die in office, since he could not (or would not) get a "get out of jail free" card. (The Watergate Burglary came apart when one of the burglars did not get this, as promised.)
You should know that this GOOJF card is not just an invented scene in the movie "Clear and Present Danger". Back in the 1940s the four-star General who headed the CIA went to President Truman with a complaint about an assignment: it clearly crossed the line into a felony. But Harry just wrote out a signed but undated full Presidential Pardon! Read the biography of Allen Dulles, "Gentleman Spy" for more details.
And LBJ's crony was implicated in various frauds, some of which were said to be in complicity with organized crime. LBJ was likely to be dumped as vice-president, and would also face prosecution, disgrace, and jail.
Mark North has collected a number of letters that passed between LBJ and JEH. Surely no one would expect either of them to put their plans in writing?
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Poe, Death, and the Life of Writing
J. Gerald Kennedy
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0300037732 |
Books:
- The Natural Vision Improvement Kit
- The Nature of Consciousness : The Structure of Reality: Theory of Everything Equation Revealed : Scientific Verification and Proof of Logic God Is
- The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization
- The New Media Reader
- The People and Process of Film and Video Production: From Low Budget to High Budget
- The Return of the Native (Cover to Cover Classics)
- The Sense and Sensibility: Screenplay & Diaries : Bringing Jane Austen's Novel to Film
- The Sixties
- The Wise Guy Cookbook: My Favorite Recipes From My Life as a Goodfella to Cooking on the Run
- The Wizard of Oz and Other Narcissists: Coping with the One-Way Relationship in Work, Love, and Family
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- World of Shakespeare: The Complete Plays and Sonnets of William Shakespeare
- The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers
- Reservation Road
- Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
- Stagecoach: Rare Views Of The Old West, 1849-1915
- The Old Man and The Sea
- The Long Patrol: A Tale from Redwall
- To Make the Earth Bear Fruit: Essays on Fertility, Work and Gender in Highland Bolivia
- Oportunidades En Tempos De Globalizacao
- Business & Corporate Aviation Management : On Demand Air Travel
Ruth Hall and Other Writings (American Woman Writers Series)
Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination
The House of the Seven Gables (Norton Critical Edition)
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life (Penguin Classics)
Moby-Dick or, The Whale (Penguin Classics)
