1990 Books

I am so happy I bought this book, it was worth the time and money. I have it now on my living room coffee table, everyone who looks through it is spellbound. Thanks!

DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND is a lap-heavy, huge tome of the creative photographs of Nan Goldin, many of which have never before been published. Goldin is know throughout the museums of the world as a photographer who knows no barriers for her subject matter: AIDS victims, mental patients, transvestites, poor families, rural landscapes, constructed still lifes - these are but a few of the categories studied and captured by Goldin. For this full color volume Goldin selected the layout and the progression of sections, making the flow of the book even more fascinating; the book is one where she is both artist and curator and the result is a powerhouse of statement.

For devotees of Nan Goldin's work, this book is a must. And for viewers marginally approaching photography as an art form then look no further. A magnum opus of the work of one of America's more significant contemporary artists.

No other word for it except MAGNIFICENT!!!

Alan Clark was only a moderately successful politician, but he ranks with Harold Nicolson as one of the best British political diarists this century. Clark was a wealthy (but not aristocratic) Tory MP under Margaret Thatcher (whose ankles he praises) rising to Minsister of State for Defence Procurement frustatingly short of the Cabinet. His diaries record his hopes, fears, lusts, successes and failures (including memorably the occasion when he addressed Parliament when drunk). His account of Thatcher's fall is gripping. You need a good grasp of British politics in the 80's to understand all the nuances, but anyone can enjoy this candid record. Sadly his recent death may deprive us of volume 2.

Alan Clark comes across as a bastard, but a stylish one at that. There is none of the self-serving drivel that even the best autobiographies normally serve up. Instead, you get raw, mostly unedited thoughts straight from the mind of the author. Of course only an English aristocrat would have the nerve to have diaries of such a nature published and not give a damn about what others think. Therein lies the charm of this enormously entertaining book.

This is funnier than "Yes Minister" and is a memoir of a real minister. Very incisive comments by Clark, critical of many, praising others. Makes a cabinet minister of pedigree and lineage look like a real person, showing the great difficulty of an elected official in changing the course of the "ship of state". It really appears that this is a private memoir now made public - seems totally fresh and honest. A very good read.

This book had me gripped - I finished it in 3 days. If you no little about the corporate world, industrial espionage, and the world of 'security consultants', this is a fantastic eye-opener.

I can vouch that at least one of the 'players' as Martyn calls them, was described down to a tee. A very accurate portrayal.

Thoroughly researched account of paranoia and dirty business practices used by BA against Richard Branson and Virgin Airlines from smear and innuendo through poaching passengers in the airports to impersonating Virgin staff. Extremely unsettling expose of the British Establishment uniting with vested interests to do down the underdog led this writer to vow never to travel with BA again: one of the main plotters is now running the company. Reads like a thriller, and additional material for the paperback version detailing a campaign of vilification and vandalism against a member of the public and an unholy alliance between BA and Heathrow police force almost beggars belief - and should cast a long shadow over the close relationship between American Airlines and BA. Essential reading for everyone in business and every airline passanger. First-rate investigative journalism

A horrendous expose of blatent efforts to quash the competition on the part of both British Airways and American Airlines, headed by several of Britain's establishment figures, several of who "retired" shortly after book publication. But, as one would think only happening in fiction, one of the main players rose to the top again, and is currently the major player. The most alarming aftermath is that this book was suddenly "out of print" very shortly after publication, not only in the US, but in the UK and Europe. I was loaned a copy by an aviation colleague (who received it as a gift from a Londoner), read it and immediately tried to purchase it three years ago. Am still trying. Could it only be a coincidence that during all the political machinations by both BA and AA to join forces, there were no copies of this book available to the public? One of the many horrifying aspects of this book is the way one company can get into the computer system of another in order to cause havoc.

Photographer Sandra Dyas has been documenting Iowa City's music scene since 1987. Down to the River: Portraits of Iowa Musicians features sixty of her black-and-white photographs of musicians in and around the city, at live music venues and elsewhere. A brief forward by Chris Offutt and a very small amount of text by the photographer complement this gallery, but the pages are primarily devoted to the pictures themselves, capturing the intensity of music and performance in the moment. A companion audio CD with eighteen tracks of Iowa's greatest singers and songwriters (including Dave Moore, Greg Brown, Bo Ramsey, David Zollo, and Pieta Brown) is included in this stunning visual presentation.

Down to the River deserves a special place on the coffee table. With an 18-track CD, poetic foreword and remarkable photography collection, Down to the River is a rare find. Dyas' photographs capture moments throughout twenty years of live music venues in Iowa and are brought to life through the music on the accompanying CD.

Having grown up in Iowa myself, I have a special affinity to Dyas' book. While the music represents a quality and style representative of Iowa, the collection as a whole transcends a relationship to a particular location and becomes a portrait of a lifestyle, an experience. Dyas captures a peace, freedom and oneness that radiates from live music venues through her candid portraits of musicians.

The CD features an array of talented artists with genres blending country, rock 'n' roll and the blues. I had no previous knowledge of any of the artists featured, but immediately connected with Pieta Brown whose soft, bluesy style made me feel as though I had been transported to an outdoor summer festival and become part of a crowd listening to the music. I also enjoyed Greg Brown's "Poor Back Slider," David Zollo's "Parnell" and Kelly Pardekooper's "Not in Iowa."

Down to the River honors the relationship between various art forms, and the beauty that occurs when a photographer uses her craft to capture the talent of a musician. With its blend of writing, photography and music, Dyas has created a remarkable collection.

this book brings back all of my best memories from living in iowa city. the pictures are so personal that i almost feel like i am still there... dancing with angie at gabes, singing the songs and never wanting it to end!

...usted necesita a este libro.Mientras el imperialismo yanqui hace una guerra criminal ( marzo 2003 ) en el Medio Oriente que achicará a la Guerra del Golfo de 1991, este libro es tan necesario hoy como fue durante la guerra previa. Los dirigentes de la revolución cubana, dentro de la Organización de Naciones Unidas y afuera, plantearon entonces y plantean hoy que los objetivos verdaderas en la guerra anterior son los mismos que en la guerra de hoy: una conquista colonial de uno de los países de mayores recursos petroleros de la Tierra. Escucha a estas voces y no a las de los políticos, sobre todo las estadounidenses, que sirven los capitalistas petroleros, ni Bush ni sus aliados del Partido Demócrata. Lea y entienda que es la tarea del pueblo irakí derrocar a la dictadura de Saddam Hussein y sus generales; y aprenda que la lucha del pueblo irakí en contra el imperialismo yanqui y forma parte de la lucha unida de los pueblos de Asia, África y América Latina echar el dominio de los países imperialistas de Europa, Norteamérica y Japón. ¡Lea estas palabras y únase a la lucha en contra las guerras imperialistas y a la lucha por la autodeterminación de los oprimidos del mundo!

With US Imperialism preparing a war in the Middle East that will dwarf the Gulf War discussed here, this book is needed just as much as it was needed during the Gulf War. The leaders of the Cuban revolution in the UN and beyond pointed out then, and point out today that the real objectives of imperialism in this war are nothing less than a colonial conquest of the one of the richest oil countries on Earth. Listen to these voices, not the lies of Emron-paid-for-my-campaign Bush when you consider what the coming war is all about. Listen to these voices and understand that no matter how bad the regime in Iraq is, the struggle of the Iraqi people is part of the struggle of all the peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America to throw off the economic and political domination of the imperialist countries of Europe, North America, and Japan. Read these words and join the struggle against imperialist war and for the self-determination of the oppressed of the Earth!

En sus propias palabras --el enfrentamiento entre el gobierno revolucionario de Cuba y los imperialistas de EEUU y sus aliados en plena carrera guerrerista. Documentos de augusto, septiembre y octubre de 1990, mientras EEUU preparaba la guerra sangrienta contra Iraq.

En 9 capítulos, el libro presenta textos de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas y declaraciones hechas por el representante cubano, Ricardo Alarcón, y el presidente cubano Fidel Castro. Explican con datos y argumentos detallados porque Cuba se opuso a los planes de EEUU y sus aliados.

¿Quiere entender las razones por las guerras libradas por EEUU en todos los rincones del mundo?
¿Quiere entender el papel de la ONU en el mundo de hoy?
¿Quiere saber más de la crisis económica y social del mundo hoy en día --y cómo luchar para cambiarlo?

Entonces, ¡lea este libro y compártelo con sus amigas y amigos!

A new, updated edition of this book is available from RFF Press / Resources for the Future. Its title is: "Managing Natural Wealth: Environment and Development in Malaysia"

This path-breaking book applies rigorous and invaluable economic analysis to major natural resource and environmental policy issues in Malaysia under the New Economic Policy decades of the 1970s and 1980s-a period of profound socio-economic changes, rapid depletion of natural resources, and the emergence of serious air and water pollution problems.

It examines the interrelationship among natural resources, environmental quality, and economic development. This scholarly work addresses, from an economic perspective, a broad set of natural resource and environmental issues in Malaysia and places it in a historical context.

This book would be of particular interest to resource and environmental economists, and development economists, i.e. anyone seeking a thorough understanding of the economic underpinnings of natural resource and environmental management policy in fast-growing, resource-abundant Malaysia. It represents a reference volume to facilitate further research on Malaysian natural resource and environmental policy issues.

Dr Jeffrey R. Vincent is a Fellow at the Harvard Institute for International Development. Formerly director of the Centre for Environmental Studies at Malaysia's Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Dr Rozali Mohamed Ali is currently executive director of Commerce Asset Holdings Berhad.

The book does a fine job of compiling evidence and results. The book is clearly written and organized. The book is a welcome additon to the study of Malaysia and to study of environment and development in general. The fisheries section, the sector I know from first-hand experience, is well done and includes original material.

Caroline Evans has written an important book that explores the work of cutting-edge designers of the 1990s such as Martin Margiela, Hussein Chalayan, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Viktor & Rolf. The book's subtitle - "Spectacle, Modernity and Deathliness" - sums up the author's focus on the underside of fashion. Evans acknowledges that much of the fashion featured in this book was "economically negligible", arguing that its cultural import is of greater significance. She explores how designers of the 90s consciously or unconsciously explored the dark history of the 20th century through their work, with death, trauma, cruelty, and horror as recurring themes.

Where is this all leading? The conclusions are doom-laden but fascinating. British designers, with their focus on "gothic fashion", may represent the ghost or shadow of rational American designers. Creatively, Evans posits a bleak future for fashion "doomed to ricochet between modernist experimentation and dark despair." In a memorable line, Evans writes: "Now, more than ever, everything new and beautiful seems to arrive already haunted by its own demise." The financial insecurity of many of these designers in their early days may have fuelled their creativity. They were, as designer and teacher Fabio Piras put it, "fashion desperadoes". This book is full of illuminating insights that put fashion design at the core of our culture, expressing our deepest concerns.

Outstandingly researched, beautifully illustrated, and thrillingly authoritative, Fashion at the Edge may prove to be the definitive book on the generation of designers from London and Antwerp who came to prominence in the 1990s.

Caroline Evans deserves some applause for attempting to explain the dark elements of today's fashion. She acknowledges and defines this thread of darkness which weaves itself through fashion. Schizophrenic fashion, if you will. However, I disagree somewhat with her theory of explanation. I would have liked to see a spiritual argument as well. How can anyone discuss death without such a discussion? Today's media is filled with horror and violence, especially in the movies. Even some crimes mimic the sickness portrayed in the media -- that of pornography and violence. This dark element extends to mainstream movies and television, where death and darkness are themes. Many movies and books are criticized by religious groups as being against God. And of course, history if filled with war and violence. Yet the "New Look", created after World War II, was clearly a turn away from the depravities of war. So why is today different? It seems that we live in a spiritually darker world, and it's only natural that designers would be affected by this darkness. Evans also points out that designers tend to revisit the past in creating new designs. My personal opinion is that the designers are only gathering ideas from decades past, and absorbing the culture of today. As history repeats itself, in a lot of ways fashion also repeats itself. Anyways, Caroline Evans makes a good effort to analyze todays' fashion, and puts her argument on the table. It deserves a lot more discussion.

The photographs, stories of design history and research in this book are phenonmenal. This is a great book to inspire, shock and mesmerize. It is my most recent favorite in my costume research collection.

Prior to the publication of this book there were important gaps and inaccuracies in our understanding of the battles for the Falkland Islands. Were Argentinian ground troops cowardly slackards? Were their officers self-serving and tactically incompetent? Was a British officer attempting negotiation under a white flag at Goose Green intentionally fired upon? Was the Argentinian Air Force commanded by a political bureaucrat? The surprising answer to all these question is No, and in a careful and touchingly human review of the activities and decisions of Argentinian forces Middlebrook reveals the tragic gap that developed between Argentinian political leaders and the troops and officers given the difficult task of defending the islands without adequate support as winter closed in. The junta's colossal mistake of assuming the UK would not fight for the Falklands led to the isolation, suffering, and defeat of the occupation forces and, while ultimately setting the stage for democracy in Argentina, seared a painful wound into the soul of a country already conscious of past failures. Middlebrook's access to Argentinian commanders, troops, and families helps reveal the complex social and political landscape of a country which still sees the "Malvinas" in terms of classical European colonialism. It also reveals the operational planning and situational understanding of air and land commanders at critical points in the conflict.

Prior to the publication of this book there were important gaps and inaccuracies in our understanding of the battles for the Falkland Islands. Did Argentinian troops intentionally fire upon a British officer attempting negotiation under a white flag at Goose Green? Were Royal Marines successful in their ambush of Argentinian armored vehicles during the initial invasion? Was the Argentinian Air Force commanded by a fanatical maniac out to establish his service as the dominant domestic political force? The surprising answer to all these question is No, and in a careful and touchingly human review of the activities and decisions of Argentinian forces Middlebrook reveals the tragic gap that developed between Argentinian political leaders and the troops and officers given the difficult task of defending the islands without adequate support as winter closed in. The junta's colossal mistake of assuming the UK would not fight for the Falklands led to the isolation, suffering, and defeat of the occupation forces and, while ultimately setting the stage for democracy in Argentina, seared a painful wound into the soul of a country already carrying conscious of past failures. Middlebrook's access to Argentinian commanders, troops, and families helps reveal the complex social and political landscape of a country which still sees the "Malvinas" in terms of classical European colonialism. It also reveals the operational planning and situational understanding of air and land commanders at critical points in the conflict. Students of this subject will recognize the author as a highly accomplished battle historian.

Martin Middlebrook has once again shown why he is one of the best British authors covering military history. His masterful account of the Falklands, 'Operation Corporate' now has a companion volume, this time covering the war from the Argentinian point of view. The book is well told and is a delight to read and only one of very few covering this war from the 'other side'. You really have to give it to the pilots flying their aircraft against the Britsh Fleet, they had guts, they knew what they were in for but continued with their mission. This is a great story, if you can get a copy do so, you wont be disappointed!

People are still stumbling upon the exciting hobby of collecting vintage movie posters. Tony Nourmand has created dozens of movie poster books that are sure to help you learn about these rare collectibles. His books cover the most important posters for each decade and also focus on certain genres of film like SCI FI and HORROR and film historian favorites like ALFRED HITCHCOCK and JAMES BOND. His photographs are top notch and his eye for selecting the most interesting images for our favorite classi films is extraordinary. Buy one and you will surely be back to check out his other books too.

No solamente la musica fue victima de la cultura POP, sino tambien el cine y es en este libro con los posters mas relevantes de le época en donde el arte POP se ve a la perfeccion. Desde los poster clasicos hasta lo posters mas extraños. Ya que esta recopilacion no solamente tiene los artes que conocimos pegados en los carteles del cine, sino que ademas contiene artes muy extraños. Destaca la recopilacion de artes de las cintas de David Cronenberg. Muy REcomendable.

This is by far the greatest collection of the essential movies of the decade series. The 80's created blockbusters like The Terminator, Friday the 13th, Poltergeist, Fletch, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Rainman, The Breakfast Club, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Beverly Hills Cop, Robo Cop and Rambo to name but a few. They're all inside just begging to go up on your wall and be admired along with heaps of others.

You could either keep this intact as a collection of posters in a book to show and discuss with friends, or cut the book up and actually have a vast number of posters up on your wall. This book is about a third the size of your standard film poster and most movies are full page colour. Any of them would look great up on the wall. If there's a better poster collection out there then it must be really good as this is sensational!

In our time of displeasure at government bureacracies, in a climate of cynicism and lost hopes, this story stands out and provides a light for us to follow. Although the suffering of the people of Burundi is brutal and truly sickening to the soul, the story of their plight and rise to move forward is heartening. Senator Krueger and his family displayed admiral courage in a theatre of true terror and life-threatening dramas. How many of us would have stood up to speak for the downtrodden when it meant our own lives were at risk...and those of our family?

This is more than an adventure story. It is a tale of the moral standards that can matter in the world, when the structure of civilized peoples is crumbling. We must learn from this and heed the wisdom of one of the last clear voices from the political estate left in the United States. Senator Krueger's appeal for peace and reconciliation is the call for action we must all heed or find ourselves caught in the disruption of our own alienated society.


Rick Tobin
Host of "The Road to Ready"
President/CEO
TAO Emergency Mangement Consulting

This book is well written and is very thorough. A must read for those interested in the realpolitik and history of Burundi and the internal conflict between Tutsi's and Hutus in the central African country. This book also provides great detail about the role and responsibilities of an Ambassador working on behalf of the United States and the ideological differences held within the State Department about the proper role the United States should play in Burundi.

This book is both harrowing and inspiring. Ambassador Krueger details how a dictator with an army used violence on his own countrymen to subvert a nascent democracy. Krueger's struggle to gain international attention for the genocide-in-progress reveals flaws in various national & international institutions -- flaws that still require scrutiny and improvement today. Mrs. Krueger's chapters vividly make the point that foreign service a family matter. Both authors provide moving portraits of individuals who worked in their own quiet or overt ways to stop the genocide; the ordinary-extraordinary courage of these people reminds one of Paul Rusesabagina's story. The Kruegers' conclusions about how a nation can move forward after genocide and autocracy offer hope for Burundi and much matter for thought for other areas of the world.