Reviews (4)

Another Hauser Winner and A Great Ali Perspective
Another Hauser Winner and A Great Ali Perspective

After the epilogue I read the Fight Chronology, glanced at the index and acknowledgements and realized I was done. I closed the book and felt sad that my time being spent with Ali was over for today. I flipped the book over and there he was on the cover. Older than I remembered, but still handsome and still a twinkle in his eye.

I don't know how Hauser always seems to do it, he always seems to make me forget about the world around me and just become part of his writing.

This is a great book - if you've read other Ali books or if his is your first - it's a great, easy book that simply shows you different perspectives on the GREATEST Of All Time - Muhammad Ali.

I laughed out loud a lot and got all teary eyed at times as well.

Great book - Great photos - Very hard to find - one of those you'll have to buy used on Amazon or find on eBay - do yourself a favor - find it and spend an afternoon with it.

good book
I think the book is excellent, after all I happened to be in the book with muhammed ali, as one of his fans. I think its on page 42. we're in a cadillac surrounding him.

wonderful pictorial of the champ
This book is a wonderful pictorial of Ali's life and times, triumphs and defeats, both personal and professional. A must for any fan of Ali or the triumph of spirit over surroundings.

The book shows Ali to be what he is,The greatest of all time
From the pictures to the text, Hauser shows Ali in all his greatness. The pictures are captivating and the text allows the reader to experience what Ali has to offer. "In Perspective" allows everyone from the common sports fan all the way to the boxing expert the chance to step into the life of Muhammed Ali. ... Read more

Book Description

For many years Hannah Arendt (1906Ð1975) has been the object ofintense debate. After her bitter critiques of Zionism, which seemed to nullifyher early involvement with that movement, and her extremely controversialEichmann in Jerusalem (1963), Arendt became virtually a taboo figure in Israeliand Jewish circles. Challenging the "curse" of her own title, Hannah Arendt inJerusalem carries the scholarly investigation of this much-discussed writer tothe very place where her ideas have been most conspicuously ignored. Sometimessympathetically, sometimes critically, these distinguished contributorsreexamine crucial aspects of Arendt's life and thought: her complex identity asa German Jew; her commitment to and critique of Zionism and the state of Israel;her works on "totalitarianism," Nazism, and the Eichmann trial; her relationshipto key twentieth-century intellectuals; her intimate and tense connections toGerman culture; and her reworkings of political thought and philosophy in thelight of the experience of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A prophecy of the Israel/Palestine conflict
Hannah Arendt's reputation in Israel (according to this book) has suffered the consequences of her controversial views, but these are now becoming more openly discussed, witness the conference on her thought at the source of this book. This set of essays is a highly useful (and balanced) treatment of the 'banality of evil' controversy, and much else, including Arendt's prophetic cassandra warnings about what was to come in the hopeless muddle of the Israel/Palestine conflict. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Fairy Queen
I must agree with the other reviewers, and say this a wonderful book. The text is limited, but the photographs make it well worth your while. In all there are 123 illustrations, 108 of them in color, and each is more beautiful than the former.

The photographs focus mainly on the small details of Marie Antoinette's rooms, rather than the entire room itself. It is all those small details that made her style so exquisite.

Represented here are her private apartments at Versailles, the Petit Trianon her little stone treasure, the Hamlet she created so that she could pretend to be a simple county girl, the opulent boudoir at the chateau de Fontainbleau, and the simple yet elegant laiterie at Rambouillet.

Like the former reviewer, I was disappointed in the lack of focus on the interior of the Petit Trianon (there is only an antique postcard depicting her bedroom there), but I think that was my only disappointment. I especially enjoyed the section on her boudior at Fontainebleau, which is Marie Antoinette at her grandest.

Overall, it is a delectable little book that you should enjoy for years to come. After all, those places lucky enough to have been stamped by her unique taste are as timeless as the great lady herself.

An absolutely beautiful book!
A combination of book and little jewel box! A visually stunning book, it captures in its photos and drawings the magnificence of French court life during the reign of King Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette had such exquisite taste and the author conveys this admirably. A definite keeper!

Open the cover and journey to Antoinette's Versailles
As the author of a novel and an award-winning website dedicated to the tragic and dazzling queen, I am a bonafide Marie Antoinette fanatic. For years now, I have read every scrap of paper ever written about Marie Antoinette. I am thrilled to learn new things (like that she drank hot chocolate made with orange water to soothe her sore throat or that she once flicked bread crumbs across the table at Louis XVI). Too, I have been to Petite Trianon and Le Hameau. I have wandered the paths and rolling hills, I have fingered the woodwork in her private rooms.

This beautiful and interesting book is like taking a trip to Versailles (but far less expensive and minus the crowds). The photographs are breath taking, the writing is entertaining.

This book is eye-candy for anyone who appreciates 18th century France, architecture or gardening. It is a MUST OWN book for anyone even remotely interested in My Queen....

A lovely tribute to a royal lifestyle...
A lovely look into the private world of the French queen, but I was disappointed to find so little attention paid to the interiors of the Petit Trianon. The author claims that since Marie Antoinette made so few changes to these rooms, the reader would experience her touch more readily via the Hamlet, heavily featured within the book's pages. I disagree...the Petit Trianon does indeed bear the Queen's stamp, particularly her bedchamber, which is simple yet exquisite. The "moving mirrors" which can obscure the windows of the bedchamber were, to her contemporaries, and in truth all of Paris , absolutely representative of the Queen's taste. It may be that these mirrors, like the mechanism in the dining room which allows the table to be raised up from the kitchen below so servants are never seen (condusive to clandestine trists), date from the time of Louis XV. Regardless, the "room of the moving mirrors", to this reader, exclaims "Marie Antoinette!". I urge any reader of this review, when in France, to tour the jewel box that is the Petit Trianon. In conjunction with the Hamlet, one can get a true feel for the informal lifestyle Marie Antoinette so strived for when staying there. However, overall, the book is such a nice addition to any collection dealing with the Queen's life, or 18th century French architecture and decor that I highly recommend it. I did find an error as the author claims Marie Antoinette called her eldest son her "chou d'amour".

Indeed, Marie Antoinette gave her son this charming pet name, but it was to her youngest boy, Louis-Charles, the Duc de Normandie and future Louis XVII (who would never rule)not Louis-Joseph, who died around the time the Estates-General convened, right before the revolution. The book's argument as to how influential and innovative Marie Antoinette actually was to the decorative arts at the end of that century is not to my mind adequately summed up. Personally, I don't think an answer to that question much matters. Marie Antoinette, through pure force of personality, and the influence of her high position, defined a lifestyle, very much in tune with the American "pursuit of happiness". In this she succeeded admirably. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume addresses the established reputation of the Education of Henry Adams as a classic work of American autobiography and a canonical work of American literature. Examining the Education in terms of early twentieth-century American attitudes toward education, gender, U.S. foreign policy, and historiography, these essays add considerably to our understanding of the Education as an expression of its time.This is a remarkably coherent volume that explains in original ways the continuing importance of the Education of Henry Adams as literature and history. ... Read more

Book Description

Setting the World Ablaze is the story of the American Revolution and of the three Founders who played crucial roles in winning the War of Independence and creating a new nation: George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Braiding three strands into one rich narrative, John Ferling brings these American icons down from their pedestals to show them as men of flesh and blood, and in doing so gives us a new understanding of the passion and uncertainty of the struggle to form a new nation. A leading historian of the Revolutionary era, Ferling draws upon an unsurpassed command of the primary sources and a talent for swiftly moving narrative to give us intimate views of each of these men. He shows us both the overarching historical picture of the era and a gripping sense of how these men encountered the challenges that faced them. We see Washington, containing a profound anger at British injustice within an austere demeanor; Adams, far from home, struggling with severe illness and French duplicity in his crucial negotiations in Paris; and Jefferson, distracted and indecisive, confronting uncertainties about his future in politics. John Adams, in particular, emerges from the narrative as the most under-appreciated hero of the Revolution, while Jefferson is revealed as the most overrated, yet most eloquent, of the Founders. Setting the World Ablaze shows in dramatic detail how these conservative men--successful members of the colonial elite--were transformed into radical revolutionaries. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Incendiaries of Freedom
So many books have already been published about the American Revolution as well as about Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Ferling brilliantly analyzes all three towering figures within a specific historical context, to be sure, but also in terms of each other. He creates and then explores a matrix of juxtapositions between and among them, comparing and contrasting all three in relation to each other but also in relation to the historical context on which each had such a profound impact. What Ferling has created is both a history book of panoramic scope and a trilogy of interrelated (and to some extent interdependent) biographies. It is so well-written that I often thought I was reading a novel.

Since childhood, I have viewed certain books as "magic carpets." I include Ferling's book among them. It transported me back more than 200 years and deposited me amidst the brave and brilliant men who were about to set the world "ablaze" with their incendiary passion for an independence soon to be declared and eventually to be achieved. Ferling guides his reader through this highly combustible process. Of special interest to me is Ferling's presentation of Adams (characterized as the "Bulwark" of the American Revolution), a founding father not always mentioned in the same breath with Washington and Jefferson. With all due respect to Jefferson's accomplishments, Ferling concludes the final chapter with this observation: "To the end, he was incapable of accepting the reality of his culpability in the perpetuation and expansion of African slavery and the danger it now posed to the achievements of the American Revolution." And then in the Epilogue, Ferling asserts that the Revolutionary generation "was indeed fortunate to have had Washington and Adams as its greatest stewards and shepherds."

If you have a keen interest in the War for Independence and, especially, in those who led the new nation through and beyond that war, there is this magic carpet I know about....

Awesome and such a pleasure - Am Hist made FUN
Ferling writes in a very enjoyable and easy style, and in a comparative way that captivates. He skips from each former President to the next during similar periods and experiences in each's life - a style that I found a pleasure to read...Surely a tenured history professor and professional scholar knows better than an "avid reader." At any rate, I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it. One comes away with plenty of knowledge on our first three Presidents, but after reading only one book. Most importantly, the book is an accurate and thrilling look into the lives of three people who shaped our nation during its conception and infancy.

An easy, relaxing read.
This brief (300 pages) history of the American Revolution, as seen through the actions of Adams, Jefferson, and Washington, is a thoroughly enjoyable, pool side type of read. Granted, it is a superficial history of the Revolution, but provides an interesting perspective of the motivations, interactions, and rather different personalities of the three founding fathers. Mr. Ferling's work does seem to be at times rather colored in favor of Washington and Adams, which might be expected, as he has written biographies of our first and second presidents. He makes some rather interesting comments about Jefferson's personality; comments which come close to a psychoanalysis of our third president. Overall, if you are searching for a history of the revolution, this work is not for you. If you are ready for a relaxing narrative of the revolution, and the actions of these three individuals, you will not be disappointed.

Poor Perspective for a History Professor
As an avid reader of the American Revolution, I had heard great things about this book. Unfortunately, it was terribly disappointing. Ferling spends too much time raising Adams to god-like status, in an apparent attempt to continue his sole rehabilitation of Adams' place in our history (see Ferling's other writings). In short, it's a shame that an author that is a history professor spends so much time in the present analyzing what Washington or Jefferson should have done instead of telling us what they did keeping in mind the time period and atmosphere of the late 18th century. If you are looking for a critical analysis of our Founding Fathers, this book is for you. However, if you are looking for, heaven forbid, a book about history, skip this one.

Incredible History
This is the finest book I have read about the Revolution. Ferling is the best at making pure history great. He doesn't engage in phsycho stuff unless he has to. He is very sophisticated and somewhat difficult in the sense his vocabulary is amazing.

He admires washington. He presents the great soilder with a few faults. He makes a god out of Adams and a Demon out of Jefferson.

Great book!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"Interesting Historical Novelty"
I have read lots of Augustine's works, and I am an avid reader of church history. In reading through his letters I have become more aquianted with Augustine and the spiritual and political aspects of his time. Its almost as if you are placed back in history as the story unfolds. There's not any other kind of reading in the world. ... Read more

Book Description

In addition to being an uncompromising defender of liberty,esteemed diplomat, and successor to George Washington, John Adams was apassionate and prolific writer. Adams biographer John Patrick Diggins gathers animpressive variety of his works in this compact, original volume, includingparts of his diary and autobiography, and selections from his richcorrespondence with this wife, Abigail, Thomas Jefferson, and others. ThePortable John Adams also features his most important political works: "ADissertation on Canon and Feudal Law," "Thoughts on Government," "A Defense ofConstitutions," "Novanglus," and "Discources in Davila." There is no finerintroduction to the protean genius of this seminal American philosopher. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (15)

Well Written...Slightly Dry/Repetitive at Some Points
Madame Lever has a good sense of style and confidence when it comes to her writing of Marie Antoinette's biography. I have not looked into the actual accuracy of the dates and events that occurred, but instead read the book to acquire some background knowledge about the Queen. However, I'd be interested to know why the family tree shows the son of a duke being two years older than his father. :)

The book reads like a soap opera, without too much emphasis on the political background of Marie Antoinette and Louis the Sixteenth, and more emphasis on the dirty little details of their private lives. However, there seemed to be too much repetition involved in discussing the Queen's affair with Swedish count Axel Fersen, and in these points, the book could become dry and only worth skimming. I also found myself confused at the switching of names between Princess Marie Therese and Madame Royale from chapter to chapter, when they were in fact the same person.

The ending was beautiful, sophisticated, and simple. I appreciated the epilogue, because I found myself interested in what happened to the (few) survivors of the French Revolution. The cover was well done also, and is a beautiful work overall. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in a biography about scandalous royalty. :)

The Widow Capet in biography
Partway through this well-written biography of Marie Antoinette, you realize that you'd rather be reading the biography of her powerful mother, Maria-Theresa, Empress of Austria. The book opens with an excellent mini-bio of Marie Antoinette's politically-savvy mother, who succeeded her father as empress of the eastern empire and who, in addition to making 16 or so children, spent a good deal of her time marrying them off to political advantage, whether or not the match was one that would bring personal happiness to her children. Indeed, some of the princes and kings were duds.

Marie Antoinette was not in herself a terribly interesting person. Her life reads like the life of any celebrity, surrounded by lovers, sycophants who enjoyed a fabulous lifestyle. Marie ensconced herself at The Trianon, dispensing with court dress and court manners to live a luxurious and peaceful life. Sadly, the ferment of the French Revolution swirled around this somewhat simple queen, and she paid a price that must have, in the end, surprised her. The story of their belated attempt to escape France, and the indifference of other crowned heads of Europe (relatives) to their plight is pathetic.

This biography is dry at times--perhaps due to the fact that it's the surrounding history, persons and events that make Marie Antoinette interesting, not the queen in herself.

Author of Book is so-so writer.
While the book itself isn't bad, in fact it's informative, the problem is that it's somewhat informative, it's missing a few details, and it seems that the author of the book should've done more research for the book on the life of this tragic Queen. I recommend reading the book on the life of Marie Antoinette written by Antonia Fraser. She doesn't skimp on the details!

The title IS CORRECT!!
The reader who claims the title is wrong DOES NOT KNOW French History. Marie Antoinette, Reine de France et Navarre WAS THE LAST Queen of France. Marie Amelie, wife of King Louis Philippe I was titled Queen of the French. Her husband was NEVER TITLED King of France but King of the French. That title difference separated the Bourbon Monarchy from the Orleans Monarchy.

Factcheckers please note!
One cannot believe much in a book with an incorrect title. Marie Antoinette was not the last queen of France. That distinction was held by the wife of Louis-Philippe, Marie-Amelie 1782-1866, queen of France 1830-1848. Try instead the biography by Antonia Fraser being published in the US in Sept. 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Slightly obsolete, but still a classic.
If I were reviewing this book when it was brand new at the end of the sixties, I would have had to give it five stars. The only reason that I am demoting it by a star is that it is slightly out of date. New archaeological data and new historical insights call for an updated edition of this great book. I wrote the chief author and editor of this book, Geoffrey Ashe, to congratulate and praise him for all his wonderful work on this subject. I especially praised his _The Discovery of King Arthur_ which was released in 1985 (I gave that one a five star review). I told him that since he had completely revolutionized the subject with that one, even great books like _Quest for Arthur's Britain_ and _Arthur's Britain_ by Leslie Alcock (I gave that one a four star review), who wrote some of the chapters of _Quest for Arthur's Britain_, now need to be updated a bit. I was extremely fortunate to get a reply from Mr. Ashe, who acknowledged that while these books were state-of-the-art when they first came out, they are now out of date in some ways. For example, some of the chronological data could stand to be updated; more and more data continues to come to light shifting certain events and figures back a bit; Arthur for example is now believed to have flourished about a generation earlier than was once thought. This beautifully illustrated book serves several functions: it gives an overview of the evolution of the Arthurian legend; there's a chapter on the end of Roman Britain; there are several chapters by great archaeologists (Phil Rhatz, C. A. Raleigh Radford, and Leslie Alcock) whose ground-breaking (excuse the pun) discoveries have greatly illuminated our understanding of the Arthurian age (5th and 6th centuries); and there is a good chapter on everyday life in the Arthurian age (food, fashion, etc.). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The best translation of St. Augustine's Confessions
Let me put it this way, and I quote another translator of this book, "You have not read 'Confessions' until you have read the Sheed translation." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A splendid portrait of St. Augustine as teacher of the Faith
Review of Augustine and the Catechumenate William Harmless Augustine and the Catechumenate (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1995). 406 pages with charts, index and bibliography. $34.95. St. Augustine: priest, bishop, theologian, doctor of the church, polemicist, apolo-gist, scholar-and catechist. Augustine is respected and loved by the Christian church for his many roles, but his role as a catechist has been the least well known, until now. Wil-liam Harmless has provided us with a magnificent portrait of Augustine the catechist. Harmless wrote this book to assist the Roman Catholic Church's Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The RCIA was launched in 1972 by the Vatican thus "reversing a thousand years of initiatory practice and attitude" (p. 1). Harmless' operating assumption is that "if the Church has found itself increasingly renewed by the wisdom and richness of these ancient rituals and their underlying pastoral vision, then the Church might find itself similarly renewed by our gleaning the best from ancient styles of catechesis" (p. 25). The RCIA has been used with great effectiveness in many Roman Catholic parishes. It is basically an adoption of the early church's classic catechumenate process, as that process reached a high point in the fourth century. Harmless sets out to investigate one example of the ancient catechumenate: the catechumenate of St. Augustine of Hippo. The reason for this is simple. Augustine wrote a number of treatises on the subject of catechesis and the catechumenate; he is the only pa-tristic author from whom we have samples of each of the four stages of the ancient catechumenate; there are excellent critical editions of Augustine's works, both in the origi-nal language and in English; and finally, Harmless notes that within the past sixty years there have been many archeological and textual discoveries that offer much detailed infor-mation about Augustine and his Church in Hippo. Harmless organizes his book in a clear and orderly fashion, something that can not always be said of scholars' books. In addition to the book's excellent organization, Harm-less' writing style is very engaging. This book was a delight to read. This reviewer found it hard to put down, so interesting is Harmless' narrative descriptions of Augustine as preacher, catechist, exegete, pastor and church leader. Throughout the book Harmless of-fers direct quotes from Augustine's sermons, a major source of our knowledge of Augustine's catechetical method and content. His translation of Augustine's sermons is vivid, as was Augustine in the original. Harmless recounts how the congregation in Augustine's day was often swept up by the Bishop's masterful rhetoric, applauding, weeping, cheering or shouting out Bible verses as Augustine preached. Harmless' book will both complement and supplement other treatments of Augustine in English. Definitive studies include Van der Meer's Augustine the Bishop; Brown's Augustine of Hippo and Bonner's St. Augustine of Hippo . For the best, and most complete, translation of Augustine's sermons into English we have The Works of Saint Augustine (New City Press, 1995). In this collection of Augustine's sermons, translator Edmund Hill has captured the vividness of Augustine's oratory and relies on the best manuscripts available, and includes copius notes. Eventually, the project hopes to make available, for the first time, Augustine's complete writings in English. Those who know Augustine only through the Victorian English of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers collection will be delighted by the New City Press edition of Augustine's works. Harmless traces Augustine's own catechetical experience under Ambrose of Milan and then takes a look at how Augustine approached each phrase of the classic catechumenate model: evangelization, catechumenate, candidate for Baptism (Lenten catechesis), and then post-Baptismal catechesis. In each section, Harmless masterfully il-lustrates how Augustine pulled out all the stops in his efforts to reach each catechumen. He especially focuses on Augustine the master orator, indicating how Augustine both used and ignored the classic rules of rhetoric in his catechetical work. For Augustine, reaching both the head and the heart was the goal, neither whipping up hearers into mindless emotional frenzy nor boring them to death with encyclopedic lectures on theological facts. Harmless does not gloss over the challenges faced by Augustine, or paint this as some sort of utopian era for the church. He makes it clear that Augustine grew frustrated with his congregations. Writing about the catechetical task, Augustine once rehearsed the catechumen's vices: "Those depraved persons who in mobs fill the churches in a bodily sense only: . . . drunkards, covetous, extortioners, gamblers, adulterers, fornicators, lov-ers of shows, wearers of idolatrous charms, soothsayers, astrologers, or diviners employ-ing vain and unholy arts" (p. 133). This was not a "pure church" - as if there ever was such a thing. Since we are not Donatists, we should not try to locate perfection in this fallen order either, or else we will become either self-righteous hypocrites or despairing pessi-mists. Harmless' shows us how one Christian theologian and teacher struggled with the all too human qualities of his congregation and continued to strive for uncompromising excel-lence in service of the Gospel. William Harmless has provided a true gem to the Christian church. He offers a very organized description of Augustine's catechetical work, in the process helping us to under-stand even more this great doctor of the church and how his genius for rhetoric was com-bined with his passion for teaching the Faith. Augustine would be pleased not only with what Harmless has to say, but how he has said it, and so will Harmless' readers. Paul T. McCain St. Louis, Missouri October 29, 1996 ... Read more

Book Description

He was born in 1767, a subject of the British Empire, and died in 1848, a citizen of the United States and a member of Congress in company with Abraham Lincoln. In his dramatic career he had known George Washington and Benjamiin Franklin, La Fayette of France, Alexander I of Russia, and Castlereagh of Great Britain. He had both collaborated and quarrelled with Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster. In his lifetime Americans had fought for and established their independence, adopted a Constitution, fought two wars with Great Britain and one with Mexico. They had expanded south to the Rio Grande and west to the Pacific. At the time of his death, Adams was seen as a living connection between the present and past of the young republic and his passing severed one of the nation's last ties with its founding generation. As son of the second president of the United States, father of the minister to the Court of St. James, and grandfather to author Henry Adams, John Quincy Adams was part of an American dynasty. In his own career as secretary of state, President, senator, and congressman, Adams was as an actor in some of the most dramatic events of the nineteenth century. In this concise biography, Lynn Hudson Parsons masterfully chronicles the life of one of America's most absorbing figures. From the day in 1778 when, as a boy, he accompanied his father on a diplomatic mission to France, to his last years as an eloquent , cantankerous opponent of this country's foreign and domestic policies, Adams was rarely detached from public affairs. And yet, this biography reveals Adams as a man never truly at home anywhere--in Washington he was stubborn and reclusive, in Europe he was a phlegmatic ideologue, a bulldog among spaniels. His story parallels America's own. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

You cheered his life after reading this book.
After reading this well written biography, I experienced the sorrows, joys, and accomplishments in the life of one of our country's greatest statesmen.

A highly recommended, easy reading bio of the 6th President
Lynn H. Parsons has written a biography that is blessedly free from 'academic speak' or the sense that he is only writing for other historians. This is definitely a biography for even the most casual lover of history. Parsons' familiarity with JQA allows him to introduce us to that prickly character as one would introduce an eccentric friend--always aware of the eccentricities but never apologizing for them. Adams (and his father) are two of the greatest of America's early statesmen and two of it's worst politicians. Parsons presents the genius and the folly and allows us to weigh our opinions--tho' its clear where Parsons' affections lie. It is hard to imagine that anyone will (or could) write a better one volume popular biography of JQA. Parsons clearly could tell us much more, but he chooses not to bog his narrative down in the kind of historical detail that glazes the eye of the casual reader. For serious historians this is a valuable book because it doesn't get lost in its own importance--the writing is direct, succinct and keeps the reader aware of the difference of the attitudes of Adams and his contemporaries to our current sensibilities. Parsons ends with a note that JQA's only monument in Washington is a small plaque in statuary hall in the Capitol. I would argue that Adams' best monument in DC is the one he would be proudest of--the Smithsonian Institution he fought so hard to help establish. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the finest book on Muhammad Ali in his prime ever published. Based on exclusive firsthand interviews and years of research, Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years celebrates the life and achievements of one of the world's greatest athletes and media icons.

Spanning Ali's life from the 1960s to today, The Glory Years covers Ali's meteoric rise to fame and his ability to amaze and amuse in and out of the ring.

Features stunning pictures from the lenses of some of the world's most famous photographers including Neil Leifer, Flip Schulke, Sonia Katchian, and Peter Angelo-Simon—many of them previously unpublished.

• Based on scores of interviews with the champ in his prime. Also featuring many interviews with Ali's family, friends, trainers, and opponents.
• Includes over 300 magnificent photographs, many rare and previously unpublished
• Complete photographic record of every single professional Muhammad Ali fight from 1960-1981
• Printed with a stunning silvertone process

"When a man says 'I cannot,' he has made a suggestion to himself. He has weakened his power of accomplishing that which otherwise could have been accomplished."
—Muhammad Ali

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee..."
—Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years celebrates the life and career of the most famous and revered champion in sports. With meticulously researched text and over 300 pages of spectacular photographs—many of them never before published—The Glory Years offers a unique portrait of Ali's meteoric rise to fame, both as champion boxer and media icon.

Based on exclusive, first-hand interviews with Ali in his prime. together with months of research interviewing family, friends, his entourage, and opponents, The Glory Years reveals not just Ali the boxer and celebrity, but Ali the man. The authors benefited from unprecedented access to Ali and his key personnel at the height of his career, unthinkable by today's standards.

A foreword by author and ex-boxing champion Jose Torres, along with a final chapter bringing the Ali story into the present, place Ali's extraordinary life into a wider perspective way beyond the sporting arena.

With hundreds of stunning photographs, many printed with a unique silvertone process, The Glory Years is a visual feast and a glorious celebration of a truly electrifying personality, Muhammad Ali. ... Read more

Book Description

Allen Ginsberg, Lionel and Diana Trilling, Hanna Arendt, Norman Mailer, and Lillian Hellman -among the other things these writers and intellectuals all had in common is Norman Podhoretz.With them Podhoretz was part of "The Family," as the core group of New York intellectuals of the 50s and 60s came to be known.And in Ex-Friends, he has written the intellectual equivalent of a family history- a sparkling chronicle of affection and jealousy, generosity and betrayal, breakdowns and reconciliations, and ultimately of dysfunctions impossible to cure.

Ex-Friends is filled with brilliant portraits of some of the cultural icons who defined our time.Yet anyone who has followed Norman Podhoretz's career as a writer and editor and above all one of the leading controversialists of our time will expect more than just another fond memoir of literary alliances and quarrels, brilliant talk and bruised egos.Indeed, while Ex-Friends has some of the elements of apersonal diary, it is also a journal de combat describing the intellectual and social turbulence of the 60s and 70s and showing how the literary living room was transformed into a political battleground where the meaning of America was fought night by night.Against this backdrop, Podhoretz tells how he left The Family and undertook a trailblazing journey from radical to conservative, a journey that helped redefine America's intellectual landscape in the last quarter of the 20th century and caused his old friends to become ex-friends. If there is a nostalgia in Ex-Friends, it is not only for lost friendships but also for a time of wit, erudition, and passionate argumentation.Norman Podhoretz bodies forth a world when people still believed that what they thought and wrote and said could change the world. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Unique in Perspective
The book is interesting in that it deals with famous members of mid-century intelligencia, but it also explores the nuances of political thought happening among members of the left in that time period. Also interesting is the fact that Podhoretz had his falling out with people sometimes for reasons other than his right-wing conversion in the 1970s and 1980s.

The book is quite good at explaining the subtle differences in opinion among left-wing American intellectuals of the time. Almost everyone had trifled with Communism or fellow travelerism, but out of that start grew many different points of view that Norman and his Ex-Friends would argue about again and again. Being philosophical writers, they would tend to explore many different avenues from one another. It's a wonder that any two writers remain life-long friends.

I grew less interested in these characters as the book progressed though. The pattern gave me the "heard it once, heard it a thousand times" feeling. By Hannah Arendt, I was tired from a long journey. But not because Mr. Podhoretz isn't a fine writer, he most certainly is. Only, I'll be ready for another subject matter from him next time around.

Ex-Friends: An expose of the lunacy of the Left
Norman Podhoretz's Ex-Friends is a fascinating look into the Culture Wars that have rumbled across our intellectual landscape for the past 50 or 60 years. Podhoretz has been in the trenches throughout, though his alliances changed radically as he came to see, with more and more acuity, the destructiveness of leftist thought. He reveals a great deal about the characters he called friends--and then ex-friends--as he made his own journey from the left to the right. "Rigid ideologue" he may be, but only someone reading this book with the "left side" of his brain would claim that the subjects of his study are enlightened and tolerant. How else to explain the vitriolic attacks on Podhoretz for having honest questions about the motives and tactics of the liberal establishment? Is Norman Podhoretz a "paranoid little bigot" as one (no doubt open minded) reviewer claims? Only if love of country and the desire to see true democracy flourish are malignant ideas. As it stands, Ex-Friends is a brilliant expose of the lunacy of the left, an often thinly veiled totalitarianism passing itself off as progressivism. (The chapters on Ginsberg and Mailer are sufficient to illustrate this point.) Podhoretz's contribution to this discussion is invaluable, and only a recalcitrant liberal would call it "amusing garbage." I only hope, Mr. Podhoretz, that there is more where this came from.

Give me a break
Norman Mailer, Hannah Arendt, and Ginsberg are famous and respected names. I didn't even know there was a Norman Podhoretz until I saw his name mentioned in several of Gore Vidal's essays in his mid-90s essay collection. For someone of my generation (early 30s) Podhoretz is a non-entity.

Norman who?
I read this book because I had heard the name "Norman Podhoretz" bruited about in the odd book review here and there. He is, or at any rate was, the editor of a journal called "Commentary", which I have only ever heard of in the context of the Woody Allen joke: "I heard that 'Commentary' and 'Dissent' have merged, and now they're called 'Dysentery'". It seems that the author once knew some people who are now way more famous than him, and he wants to tell us all about how he believes they went wrong.

It is not easy for a non-American reader to care more than two shakes of a lamb's tail about what this apparently well-known person thinks. He starts the book with what he obviously regards as a priceless witticism ("If I want to drop names, I just list my ex-friends"). If I had fallen out with the likes of Lillian Hellmann, Norman Mailer and Allen Ginsberg, I would be inclined to think that there was something wrong with me, but... He goes on to quote some not-terribly-interesting gossip about various writers, and seems to feel that he has said something extraordinarily important and significant by doing so. Who is this guy? What, exactly, is the sum total of his contribution to human joyfulness? I've never heard of him, outside the context of the odd book review (of somebody else's work), and I still don't understand why a presumably solvent publisher sees fit to print his dull grumbling about people who are obviously more talented than him.

What is this book for? I am as much a fan of literary chat as the next person, but this book is almost entirely about the private whinges of somebody I've never heard of. It doesn't tell me anything about American cultural life, except that the author is not interested in the subject. He's not even funny. Can somebody explain how this thing got published?

AN INTELLECTUAL IN THE REAL WORLD
Born in 1930, Norman Podhoretz was one of the youngest members of New York's legendary "The Family". This group of intellectuals was extremely influential in literature, art, philosophy, and politics.

Mr. Podhoretz has written several books which cover most of the fascinating occurrences and turns in his life. EX-FRIENDS deals with some of the famous people he broke with as his beliefs evolved while events in the 20th century turned old political labels and beliefs upside down.

Superb writing by the author makes what could have been a dry, self-serving book into a riveting, easy to follow page-turner. Not at all what one would expect from an "intellectual". ... Read more

Book Description

The administration of John Adams was a period of rapid change, internal discord, and the continual threat of war. Few of the nation's chief executives have been subjected to such immediate and ever-present danger of foreign involvement and national destruction, to such bitter animosities and serious cleavages within their administrations, or to such constant need for decision making as was John Adams. In the face of such adversity Adams successfully pursued a policy of neutrality and consiliation and, in so doing, provided time for the country to grow strong and to prosper. Yet, despite the seriousness of the country's problems and the contributions of his administration, he is seldom designated as one of the great American presidents.

In this volume, Ralph Adams Brown presents a new evaluation of John Adams and of his four years in the presidency. The portrait drawn by Adams's enemies disappears and the second president emerges as a world citizen whose insight, judgment, and perseverance held the young nation together in a critical period. Brown focuses closely on the most significant aspect of Adams's presidency, foreign affairs. He examines the country's increasing concern with matters of defense and Adams's successful efforts to evade foreign entanglements.

Describing the vicious personal attacks to which Adams was subjected, and the devious and disloyal maneuvers of his cabinet members, Brown traces Adams's difficulties with Timothy Pickering, James McHenry, Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Alexander Hamilton, and others. He documents Adams's steadfastness to his ideals and principles, despite the hostility, exaggerated accusations, and perfidy that surrounded him.

This book is part of the American Presidency Series. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Displays John Adams as he really was, a great president
All U.S. presidents must confront and solve problems, some more unique than others. There are a few whose difficulties are unprecedented and will never recur again. John Adams was such a president and his effectiveness as a chief executive is often underestimated. When he took the oath of office, the nation was still young and in many ways not yet a nation. Regional differences, which sixty years later would explode into civil war, were powerful and could have led to a similar event during his administration. The governmental structure was idealistic, novel and untested. There were many who felt that it was unworkable, and with minimal communication infrastructure, it was difficult for the central government to project its' power quickly and effectively.
The framers of this government were highly talented, ambitious men, who were now faced with the task of governing. As history has shown us so many times, the talented revolutionary is often mediocre at governing. Political parties began to form and like all births, involved a great deal of fits and starts. George Washington commanded such respect that no one could reasonably hope to challenge his authority, and yet he was wore down by the political battles. Succeeding such a towering figure would have been difficult for anyone. Europe was also currently engaged in a general war as a consequence of the revolution in France, and there were strong forces driving the United States towards involvement.
Into this horrendous mix of conflicting forces, John Adams became president. There is no question that the crises he faced rank in the top five of all presidents. Forced to face and solve these problems, he performed admirably. There is no more telling measures of his success in that he angered many in both parties and one of his strongest enemies, Thomas Jefferson, continued his policies when he succeeded Adams.
Brown does an outstanding job of describing these circumstances, for without this knowledge it is impossible to understand how successful Adams was. He also describes many of the details of John Adams' relationship with his wife Abigail. Although the times dictated that women play secondary roles in society, it is clear that many women wielded substantial power behind the scenes, if only to provide the strength for her husband to do what was right. After reading this book, you cannot help but be impressed with the power and intelligence of Abigail Adams, one of the most talented first spouses that this country has ever had.
This book serves a necessary and overdue purpose. It shows John Adams as more than just an adequate successor to Washington, but as a president who stood firm and always placed the interests of the nation first. He was a great man, showing that many of the men who made the American revolution were also, and perhaps even more skilled, at making and executing a government. I will forever be in awe of their political genius. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While still a teenager, Cassius Clay approached trainer Angelo Dundee and asked for the chance to spar with one of his professional boxers. The 17-year-old entered the ring with Willie Pastrano and quickly outboxed him. Clay went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Rome. Three months later, Clay moved to Miami to train with Dundee.

Flip Schulke was an up-and-coming photographer on assignment with Sports Illustrated and Life. He went to Miami to cover this upstart boxer. Shulke took to Clay immediately: "I fell in love with the guy the minute I met him. He was so much fun." The result was a series of photographs taken over three extended periods. Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend includes dozens of these photos of the young Clay--including the famous underwater shots first published in Life. Shulke captures the boyish Clay and his bright, broad smile as well as his serious shift to the Muslim faith and his name change to Muhammad Ali. He also sheds light on the pervasive racism Ali endured: though he had won a medal for the United States, he was not allowed to try on a shirt in a Miami department store. ("Once in a while, [Blacks] could try a jacket on because they can slip that on over a shirt. But a shirt's against your skin.") The accompanying text by Matt Schudel features lengthy reminiscences from Schulke about his encounters with Ali. A warm and fitting tribute to The Greatest. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Cassius Clay A Rising Star
LOVE Muhammad Ali - always have - didn't know alot about the young 19 year old Cassius Clay. The boy who becomes the man who is Muhammad Ali - This book tells some interesting stories about Cassius - I'm not sure why I'm suprised, or how I seperated the two in my mind...I mean...they are the same person...and you can see how Cassius is Muhammad - think to when you were 19 and imagine if your greatest qualities grew and become better etc -

Anyway - the book is really good - not 5 star, but 4 - I would have liked MANY more pictures of Cassius and more stories too - I was left wanting more - which is normally a good thing - but here it felt somewhat incomplete

Don't missunderstand - I would buy this again and buy it as gift for folks - if you don't have it - get it - it will make you smile

Muhammad, How We Still Admire You
If you are a fan of Muhammad Ali or sports photography, you'll find this book a joy to read. The book focuses on Flip Schulke's black and white photographs of Ali that were taken on a few occasions from the early to mid-1960s. Flip's comments about the photos and Ali provide rare glimpses into Ali's early penchant for showmanship and the racial prejudice that affected his views. If you admire Ali for his impact in the boxing, social and political arenas, this book will bring tremendous joy to your heart.

Everyone should have this book on their mantle !
This is a book that's hard to put down. Just when you've thought you had read all you can read about Ali, a book like this comes along. The pictures make you feel as if as though you were there yourself. This was one of the best gifts I've ever received. I plan to pass this treasure on to many for Christmas.

You'll keep going back
I received this book as a gift and I find myself going back to it over and over. Like going back to a museum time and again to look at a favorite work of art. The photographs of Clay/Ali are so personal and so beautiful. Odd as it sounds, I feel grateful that Mr. Schulke has shared these photographs with me, with everyone lucky enough to discover them. I came to Amazon just now to order this book for a friend and found myself moved to write these few words. There's something about the book and about the story of Clay/Ali that wants to be shared.

Maybe the most perfect example of an athlete who ever lived
This book is worth the price for the pictures of 19 year old Ali alone. I have been an Ali fan since I was 12, and I have never seen these pictures before! Ali was 19, and made up a story about how he worked out in a swimming pool, so that the photographer would take underwater photos. They are incredible. So is the fact that, even though he had already won a gold medal, he wasn't allowed to try on clothes in a Miami department store because he was black.There are pictures of him running 5 miles to the gym in his dress pants and work boots, because he didn't have gym clothes! I can't stop looking at these pictures, and I can't believe how brave he was and how hard he had to work. ... Read more