Reviews (1)

Scrutinizes the lasting impact of the Nixon presidency
Compiled, organized and edited by Russ Witcher (Assistant Professor of Journalism, Tennessee Tech University), Articles, Interviews, And Book Excerpts (1976-2000) On Richard Nixon's Legacy is a series of articles drawn from magazines such as "Time," "Newsweek," "U.S. News & World Report," and others, arranged in date ranging from the late 1970's to 2000. Each article scrutinizes the lasting impact of the Nixon presidency as revealed through journalism. Essays, insights and more offer a diverse and highly recommended historical cross-study of a complex American political figure, including both his failings as well as his most notable achievements. ... Read more

Book Description

Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon are two of the most important and controversial figures of the twentieth century. Although fame came to them in very different ways, they rose from very similar backgrounds of poverty to seek the American Dream. These two remarkable men both had to face falls from grace, but while Nixon rebounded from Watergate to regain a reputation as a distinguished elder statesman, Elvis was destroyed by the pressures of fame, only to have his image restored after his death. Here, for the first time, the remarkable parallels in their lives are examined, balanced on the point of their historic December 21, 1970, meeting. Their similarities and differences as American icons are analyzed, and numerous photographs, including all those taken during their meeting, are included. Together, the stories of these two men form part of the essence of American culture. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Truth is stranger than fiction!
This book tells of two men who made history , One in politics and the other of course in music, Both lives of these two men who met are explored into great detail with some simarlarites ??

You will have to buy the book to understand that one ? This is a factual account of then President Nixon and Elvis Presley meeting not once but twice to discuss the direction of America?

Enjoy!

This is a fun book!
Although my mom wrote this book, don't take my review as biased. It is just a really good book! Anyone who wants to know more about Elvis and Nixon should read this book. Although I am not much of a non-fiction reader, I found this book to be informative, enlightening, and a little bit amusing. The reason I say "amusing" is because picturing either of these so-call "distiguished" men doing the things described in this book is enough to give anyone a good chuckle. This book is a quick read, has great information, and is very well put together. The whole experiance of reading this book is fun!

A lot of Nixon in an Elvis-book
This book by Connie Kirchberg and Marc Hendrickx examines thelives of two Americans fulfilling the so-called AmericanDream.

Both made it from rags to riches. There are a lot of similarities in the way these two persons made it to the top, but of course also differences. This book handles both. By writing the biographies of these two people who briefly met in December 1970, the authors try to paint a picture of two lives which seem to have a lot more in common then expected. For us, more familiar with Elvis than with Nixon, there were some interesting eye-openers on the last one. Although we couldn't get rid of the idea that some of the comparisons are a bit sought for. More interesting than the exact comparisons between the two man making it to the top in their own field (becoming 'The King' and the president of the USA), are the differences after making it to the top and what happened then.

As we all know Elvis made it to the top and lost his spot at the top because of the addictions that led to his death. The last couple of years only his loyal fans kept him 'on top' by still buying his records and going to his shows (even if they were not the quality they once had).

We also know the story of Richard Nixon, making it to the top of the (Capitol) Hill and tumbling down on the other side as a result of the 'Watergate' scandal. Both persons made a 'comeback', and we're not referring to the TV special with the same name. But there are differences. Nixon became a 'respected elder statesman' and was rehabilitated in the eyes of the general public. He lived to enjoy that. Elvis' rehabilitation came after his death. There are three moments most people remember what they were doing when it happened: the first man on the moon, the shooting of Kennedy and the death of Elvis, this does say something on the man and his achievements. Unfortunately he wasn't able to enjoy it.

A great pro of the book is that describing the lives of these two people from birth we also get a lot of information on Elvis parents, something which isn't seen in too many books and a nice extra for Elvis fans to complete their 'picture' of Elvis' entire life. Another nice feature of the book is the appendix in which a lot of documents and pictures surrounding the Presley - Nixon meeting are presented...Our conclusion:

'Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream' is an interesting book since it goes into the backgrounds of the lives of two men we all know, the 'American Dream' is the red line used to tell the stories of these two people. These backgrounds add some interesting views on the youth of Elvis dealing with a lot of rumours surrounding his upbringing. Besides that, the view from which this book is written is different from other Presley-books which makes it also interesting. For those like us, primary interested in Elvis, we must mention there's a lot of 'Nixon' in this book about Elvis' life and achievements, but we admit to be narrow-minded...

Astounding parallels between the lives of Nixon and Presley
This book gave me a great amount of insight into the lives of both Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon which I did not know before reading. The lives of Presley and Nixon, from their upbringing to their metoric rise to fame and success, had many surprising, unseen parallels which this book explained very well. The way the book is written, comparing the lives of Presley and Nixon as they grew and evolved, really illustrated to me how similar the course of events which lead to their rise and fall were to each others. This book is an interesting read as well as a thoroughly researched text which I would recommend to not only the Elvis or Nixon buff, but any person who wants insight into the climate of the late twentieth century ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Richard M. Nixon
Well researched and presented, in a somewhat interesting style, the details of Nixon's life . Book includes an index, further reading, internet sites and a timeline - useful for students engaged in a research assignment. Good black and white illustrations and recommended reading for students from the 7th grade up, as well as for the techers. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Jack Nicklaus comes alive in this great biography.
Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer who ever lived and this book tells everything about him. I especially like the comparisons with the rest of the great golfers and the author's insight into Jack the family man.

Tom Shaw should take a mulligan with this book
For me, the best thing about this gawd-awful little book is the fact that I borrowed it from the library. Had I wasted so much as a ball marker I would have felt ripped off.

Was this a quick hack job? Or what? The author, Mark Shaw, is apparently a successful writer. I wondered, reading "Nicklaus", if this book was a rush job, the Domino's of biography. If you don't know anything about Nicklaus and you don't know anything about golf (not the sort of reader Shaw intended for the book I presume) you still need only stay awake, if you can, to notice the sloppiness.

One example out of many, from p. 243: "By the time he reached the seventh hole, Nicklaus had collected four more birdies, coming at four, five, six and seven." Trust me. When Nicklaus "reached" the seventh hole he had not yet birdied it.

As I say, this is only one example of many. Even more annoying is Shaw's inability to note contradictions within the text. In two consecutive

paragraphs, p. 175, Shaw quotes Nicklaus on the subject of pressure. In the first paragraph Nicklaus says: "There are not degrees of nervousness. I'm as nervous over a $5 bet as over a tournament prize." In the very next paragraph Nicklaus says: "I don't get nervous unless I'm in a major and in a position to win."

I suspect the first quote was from early in Nicklaus' career and the second quote from much later in his career. But who knows? There are no footnotes so how can you tell? The various contradictions in this book, back to back or separated by many pages (e.g. Nicklaus takes golf advice from no one/Nicklaus was always good at taking advice or Nicklaus hates the limelight/Nicklaus loves the limelight) might have been interesting to explore. But Shaw doesn't seem to even notice. It's like he's got a pile of quotes and shoves them all into the pot indiscriminately.

On top of all this Shaw is, simply, a terrible writer. A minor irritant is that he seems not to be a 'word person', committing such sins as confusing 'regiment' with 'regimen.' The big problem is that he strains too hard to write like a good writer. Instead of making it look easy Mark Shaw makes it look hard.

A sand wedge becomes "the club Gene Sarazen invented." Wait - let me pick a page at random for another example. Here we are, p. 233: "Somehow, through pure resolve and fighting spirit, Nicklaus dislodged his ball from its nasty spot and sped it towards the green." Did his publisher lay off all its editors?

On a more general level, if this book has anything new of any significance I couldn't find it. And I couldn't find the point of the odd way he organized the book, as Shaw mysteriously returns to bits and pieces of Nicklaus' outstanding 1972 season. Plain old chronology still hits the spot.

Unless and until a professional biographer, with plenty of time to read what he has written comes along, if you want to know about Nicklaus you should read his own books, starting with the 1968 "Golf - The Greatest Game of All." When Nicklaus refused to cooperate with this project was he just lucky?

This is one of the finest biographies I have ever read.
Mark Shaw has done a superb job in describing the greatest golfer who ever lived. Filled with little known information and exciting anecdotes, the book chronicles the life and times of Nicklaus as never before. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good Argument against Syphilis Myth
As Bataille said somewhere, 'Nietzsche's madness is one of the most horrifying challenges to the whole mindset of the West in this century' or something like that ... yep, one day the rug will be rolled back and we will laugh at ourselves for falling for the trite and too-neat myth of Nietzsche the Syphilitic. Prof. Crawford's book goes a long way to dethroning this myth, and assembles many key factoids and quotes. Although, she then looses the reins a tad and sails off into some inane theory that he was then faking it! Egads. Truly, we have sunk far far far from our shaman fire-gazing ancestors who let the holy spirit tear off the roof of their mind every night, and toss them into the vast oblivion. Meher Baba's work with the Masts is probably the key information that prof. Crawford needs to correct some of the excesses of this book. Otherwise, a step in the right direction, ... i.e. closer to the cliff!!! ... Read more

Book Description

A concise summary of Nietzsche's life and thought, this book is considered by many as the ablest short summary of the subject. ... Read more

Book Description

Nietzsche has long been recognized and acclaimed as a thinker who transcends disciplinary categories.Although much has been written of him as a forerunner of existentialism, Freudian psychology, and modern linguistics, no modern study had been devoted to one of his lifelong preoccupations: his poetry.This book--the first to bring together the poems in English--restores them to their proper central position in the Nietzsche canon.Begun in early youth and composed and revised until the onset of his insanity in 1899, the poems reflect his own imperative that "the philosopher should recognize that which is necessary and the artist should create it."

In The Poetry of Friedrich Nietzsche Grundlehner examines 30 major poems and in so doing draws allusions and references to 220 juvenilia, songs, epigrams, dithyrambs, and verse fragments found throughout Nietzsche's writing.Arranged chronologically according to the various stages of Nietzsche's life and philosophical development, these not only bear testimony to the many changes in his environment and thinking, but from a rich background to his prose writings.

Excerpt:

"Toward New Seas" (1882)

Toward that place--is my will.And I trust

Henceforth myself and my grip.

Open lies the sea, my

Genose ship heads into the blue.

Everything is shining new and newer for me.

Noon sleeps upon space and time--:

Only your eye--monstrously,

Stare at me, Infinity! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Facts on poems and philosophy to match
If you would like to read a book about Nietzsche and Columbus, POX / GENIUS, MADNESS AND THE MYSTERIES OF SYPHILIS by Deborah Hayden is more exciting than this one. The first chapter of that book is about Christopher Columbus, chapter 8 on Beethoven, chapter 12 on Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln, chapter 15 on Vincent van Gogh, chapter 16 on Friedrich Nietzsche, and chapter 20 on Adolf Hitler. Anyone who reads it is sure to be astounded at how close Columbus, Nietzsche, and Hitler could be considered as possessing symptoms of the same disease.

THE POETRY OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE by Philip Grundlehner has a chapter on "New Lands," in which a poem about Columbus is a major topic. Nietzsche vaguely associated Columbus with sickness "In late November of 1881, for example, he wrote: `Here in Genoa I am proud and happy--quite a "Doria magnate"--Or a Columbus? . . . I need space--a great wide, unknown, unexplored world; otherwise I shall get sick of it all.' " (p. 120). Back in Germany on September 9, 1882, he wrote to Franz Overbeck, "Everything that lies before me is new, and it will not be long before I catch sight also of the terrifying face of my more distant life task." (p. 129). Two versions of the poem, "The New Columbus" from 1882 are translated on page 137, and the final three-stanza version of 1884 on page 138. Columbus sometimes had trouble walking, but it is not clear how much Nietzsche actually knew about how disabled he was when Nietzsche wrote:

Let us stand firm on our feet!
Never can we go back!
Look forward: from far away
One death, one fame, one happiness greet us! (p. 138).

One of the early versions of "The New Columbus" was sent to Lou "as part of a dedication of a copy of THE GAY SCIENCE `to my dear Lou.' " (p. 136). Each version starts with a warning. "Since the adventurer's fidelity must be to his spirit rather than to another person, a selfishness results that forbids any sharing relationship. Nietzsche identifies this characteristic as a part of the Genoese heritage when he states in THE GAY SCIENCE that the people of this area are `overgrown with magnificent, insatiable lust for possessions and spoils.' " (p. 139). Grundlehner thinks that the use of the plural "we" and "us" in the last stanza is meant to include Lou. "A probable explanation for this paradox lies in the confidence that Nietzsche gained in Lou Salome as an intimate who could accept the insecurities and dangers of the unknown and therefore participate in his vision." (p. 139). That interpretation is more gentle than the idea that Nietzsche would be bound in chains and brought back to Spain, as Columbus was in 1499, for exceeding his authority by executing Spaniards "for insurrection against Columbus's rule," as in the book, POX. The officially available information about the health of Columbus was not available "until de Ybarra compiled it in 1894, [which] allowed later syphilologists to see a pattern of syphilis in Columbus's history." (POX, p. 11). Whatever Nietzsche knew would have been by rumor, but the history of the Pox that was widely known included an epidemic in Naples, particularly among a French army which conquered it for a week in 1495, when the Pox became known as "Morbus Gallicus." (POX, p. 18).

Chapter 8 of THE POETRY OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE is called "Poetry as Pretension." (pp. 147-165). The last line of the first stanza of "To Goethe" in the Appendix to THE GAY SCIENCE, as translated by Walter Kaufmann in 1974, was:

poetic pretension.

So it is not surprising to find the poem "To Goethe" discussed on pages 150-157. The surprise is that the translation is so literal that it does not retain the poetic quality of Nietzsche's German or Kaufmann's English. Instead,

is a poetic trick . . .

Walter Kaufmann might be assuming that anyone who had proceeded that far in THE GAY SCIENCE was familiar with all the terms that philosophers, poets, and great minds on the order of Goethe and Nietzsche could use without being misunderstood. My confusion was greatest on Kaufmann's use of the word, "ineluctable," where THE POETRY OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE uses "deceitful" and, in its translation of the concluding "Chorus Mysticus" of Goethe's "Faust," "inaccessible." (p. 151). The best rhyme in the final stanza, of "the ruling force" with "the eternally fooling force" in Kaufmann, lacks "force" in THE POETRY OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, and the other rhyme in that stanza disappears completely with the use of a literal "being and appearance" instead of "false and true." You might learn a lot from this book, but people who are more interested in poetry than philosophy might be able to maintain the common prejudice that philosophers do not make very good poets. But if you don't like to read much German, consider how likely it is that some of the German poetry in this book is top-notch, and can be compared to Goethe, as on pages 150-151.

First book ever on Nietzsche's poetry. A brilliant first!
His is an extradinary book, especially for an American writingabout German poetry. Mr. Grundlehner should write it (poetry andliterature)--not write about it. He writes with style and grace, and his potential is there for the reader to behold. A must read. Even Nietzsche would be proud. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document, covering the life and work of Richard M(ilhous) Nixon, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thomson Gale. The length of the entry is 4810 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description

This study of Nietzsche's ideas interweaves the relevant actions in his life to present a philosophical biography. The major premise of the work is that only such an historical presentation can lead to an understanding of the person Nietzsche who was a philosopher. Nietzsche's published works are analyzed chronologically and his unpublished notes, letters, and secondary materials are used to shed light on his life and works. Nietzsche's philosophic quest is the center of focus. Contents: The Path to Maturity; The Transition; Philosopher in Development; Joy and Love; The Creation of Free Spirit; Explaining His Gospel; The Final Rush; Conclusions; Epilogue; Appendix; Biography; Index. ... Read more

Book Description

While his influence remains controversial, there is little dispute regarding the enormous influence and continuing relevance of Frederich Nietzsche. To the popular mind, Nietzsche is best-knownas the iconoclastic philosopher of 'nihilism' who proclaimed "God is dead", and erected the "Superman" as the meaning and goal of life. Nietzsche is also commonly identified as the thinker who went "beyond good and evil" in the name of a "transvaluation of all values", culminating in an affirmation of the "will to power" and "eternal recurrence". Such associations are predictable insofar as the vast majority of what has been written about Nietzsche revolves around these doctrines, which are generally taken to constitute the essence of his thought. Yet two-thirds of Nietzsche's finished works contain no direct references to these doctrines. Rejecting the prevalent view that Nietzsche's early writings are significant only in relation to his 'mature' philosophy, Quentin Taylor has written the first full-length study of Nietzsche's early philosophy. Drawing on a diffuse body of writings, Dr Taylor adeptly reconstructs the principal tenets of Nietzsche's early thought with an emphasis on its positive and constructive dimensions. As such, this study fills a sizeable gap in the literature on Nietzsche and represents a seminal contribution to a more balanced and accurate understanding of his philosophy. DR QUENTIN P. TAYLOR is an independent scholar who received his Ph.D in political science from the University of Missouri. He has also written extensively on Plato, Machiavelli, and The Federalist Papers. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This Book's a Joke!
Shoddy speculative fiction from one of America's worst crime writers.

Ridiculous Retread
This book is largely a reprint of Nash's wildly implausible 1970 book, Dillinger: Dead or Alive?, though coauthor Ron Offen is left out of the credits this time. The "evidence" for Dillinger's survival as presented in Nash's first book was based mainly on erroneous notations in Dillinger's long missing autopsy report and has been largely rebutted by more serious Dillinger researchers, notably Girardin and Helmer in Dillinger: The Untold Story. New "evidence" introduced by Nash in The Dillinger Dossier consists mostly of the revelations of "Blackie" Audett, an obscure ex-con and author of a volume of tall tales entitled Rap Sheet. Audett, now deceased, claimed to have known every major outlaw of the 30s, to have been involved in nearly every crime of the period, and to have aided John Dillinger in his permanent escape from justice. This alleged eyewitness to the Kansas City Massacre, who was in Leavenworth at the time, seems to have found a willing dupe in Nash but Audett's word doesn't hold a candle to the three known sets of postmortem fingerprints taken from the dead man by the FBI. While scarred by acid, the prints remained easily identifiable as Dillinger's. This book originally came with a mail order offer of Nash's taped interviews of Audett. It seems that few, if any, who ordered the tape ever received it and at least some got a refund check, with no further explanation. The late Joe Pinkston, author of Dillinger, A Short and Violent Life, owner of the John Dillinger Historical Museum and himself a trained lie detector examiner, once suggested to this reviewer that possibly Nash, or his publisher, realized that the tape could be tested with a PSE (Psychological Stress Evaluator) which would indicate Audett was lying, and removed the tape offer for this reason. At any rate, The Dillinger Dossier, like most of Nash's books, is one best avoided by serious historians but perfect for conspiracy freaks and anyone who appreciates a good joke.

A Great Chunk of Americana
This book (an expanded and updated version of Nash's earlier "Dillinger: Dead or Alive") tells a fascinating tale and (as is always the case with Nash) tells it well. Was John Dillinger really gunned down at the Biograph Theatre in July, 1934, or was the dead man a double set up to take the fall? At first, the idea that Dillinger might have survived the Biograph shooting for several decades seems right up there with alien abductions, but Nash makes an excellent case. And with what we now know about Hoover's FBI, the idea that the Bureau would have covered up the debacle for decades to avoid criticism is hardly shocking -- in fact, it's pretty hard to believe that Hoover would *not* have covered it up.

Even if you don't buy Nash's central hypothesis, the book is a great read, full of colorful period detail. If you have any interest in Dillinger or the early history of the FBI, buy it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Will to Brevity...
No one can reasonably expect to sum up Nietzche's views and philosophy in under 100 pages. The reader should not go into this work expecting to come out understanding Nietzsche, but maybe make him a little less obscure or receive a slight bit more context in which to read Nietzsche's books. For those who have already read some Nietzsche and are left nonplussed, this tiny book may help you out as well (it did me).

The book follows Nietzsche's publications more or less in chronological order. The longest and most difficult chapter is the one on "The Birth of Tragedy." This work gets the most attention of all of Nietzsche's works, presumably because it is easier to "sum up" or encapsulate than any of his other works. For instance, the section on "The Genealogy of Morals" will leave you wondering what the book is about (in fact, reading the book itself may also have this effect - it's a tad difficult).

"Morality and its Discontents" is one of the most illuminating chapters, and will shed some light on Nietzsche's proclamation that "God is dead" which is probably his most infamous and misunderstood concept (there's also a lot more meat to it than the eternal recurrence and the Ubermensch, which Tanner points out).

Overall I agree with Tanner's assessment of Nietzsche's "Thus Spake Zarathustra." It was the first book of his I read, and I came out of the experience energized, but I had no idea why. "Zarathustra" is a passionate but potentially misleading read. It's nothing like his other works, and introduces concepts that never come up again, though they seem to be of utmost importance in the context of the book (i.e., the eternal recurrence, Ubermensch, and the will to power - at least in his published works).

The pace of Tanner's book quickens and the delineation of Nietzsche's texts becomes more and more sparse towards the final few chapters. There is very little information about Nietzsche's insanity, or Lou Salomé or even the details of his life. The book is almost completely dedicated to Nietzsche's philosophy. In fact, the book ends as abruptly as Nietzsche's own sane life must have. There's a slight feeling of "so what's next?!?" at the end of the last and shortest chapter that discusses the works of 1888 in a flash.

Nietzsche is a huge subject, and his books are thick conceptually if not physically. He was a thinker that wanted to teach us to think differently, which makes him a valuable read no matter what your stance on the views he covers. This minute book will help you peek through the keyhole of this enormous and overwhelming subject.

Lastly, Richard Wagner figures hugely in Nietzsche's work. Knowing more about Wagner will only elucidate some of Nietzsche's works and concepts. Tanner also supports this view.

Nietzsche demystified (well, sort of)
Tanner's NIETZSCHE provides as plain-spoken an account as can be managed of what the philosopher was all about, taking the reader through Nietzsche's life and work step by step. There are a few things about the book I do not like -- for instance, insufficient discussion of the abuses of Nietzsche by others, too short shrift to THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSTRA, and an unhelpful final chapter of assessment -- but its merits outweigh these several flaws. I would definitely recommend that others read this book before tackling Nietzsche's works directly.

A Helpful Overview
Tanner here provides a wonderful overview of Nietzsche's philosophy--not an easy task, since Nietzsche had no "philosophy" in the usual sense. He is an anti-philosopher philosopher. Tanner concentrates on what Nietzsche said in his published works, considering the "Will to Power" fragments suspect. He distrusts the French poststructuralist interpretations of Nietzsche, which emphasize his perspectivism. To get a good idea of this side of Nietzsche, read Alex Nehamas's "Nietzsche: Life as Literature." There is no better introduction to Nietzsche than Nietzsche himself, perhaps in "Beyond Good and Evil," but he is among the most complex of modern "philosphers," and Tanner's book is quite helpful for the novice. ... Read more