1990 Books

Begin with Puppetmasters if you suspect that al Qaeda must have had help to accomplish the Sept. 11 attacks and seek examples of how U.S. intelligence agencies have manipulated terrorists.

Throughout the 70's and halfway into the 80's, the United States and right-wing factions within Italy conducted a war of terror in the name of Communism that was designed to arouse public sentiment against the Italian Communist Party. Willan documents that they did it, and how. In doing so, Puppetmasters, which was first published in 1991, reveals to the contemporary reader the ease with which the same tactics could have been used in September 2001 in order to mobilize political support for a weak U.S. president, a right-wing social agenda, and military adventures into far away lands.

The Italian experience with terrorism was astonishingly similar to what we have experienced since Sept. 11. Authorities on the peninsula found themselves blocked and hindered in their efforts to stop terrorism and then to convict terrorists once apprehended. Similarly, the failure to apprehend any accomplices to the Sept. 11 terrorists, the lack of progress on finding those who mailed anthrax letters to congress and the media, and the persistent failure to catch a sniper who terrorized the nation's political capital at the height of the 2002 congressional elections, all raise suspicions that we're not getting to the truth about the War on Terrorism. Puppetmasters may present part of the answer.

Although it details the "years of lead" during which Italy suffered through thousands of terror attacks, the book clearly has important lessons for today. It is an excellent starting point for those wishing to understand how al Qaeda could be receiving assistance from those in government to accomplish their far-flung plots.

Philip Willan analyzes remarkably and profoundly the violent activities of left- and right-wing terrorist groups in Italy in the 2nd half of the 20th century.
He unveils a monster conspiracy between the Italian secret services, the CIA, the FBI, NATO (Gladio netword), the Mafia, the Catholic Church, conservative Italian politicians and freemasonry against the left.
They created a strategy of tension designed to prevent the Italian communist party from taking power or to become a government partner (Italy was a key NATO member).

One of the main means in this strategy was the infiltration of extreme left-wing movements. After the leaders of the Red Brigades were put in prison, the movement became totally controlled by governmental intelligence services. Bombings with indiscriminate killings of innocent civilian were blamed on the left in order to discredit left-wing parties, create fear among the population and concomitantly support the right-wing parties.
The most blatant sign of the collusion of the different players involved was the kidnapping and the murder of the Italian politician Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades. Also Moro tried to forge a center-left government with the communists.
A key player in the strategy of fear was the infamous freemason lodge P2 and its venerable Master Licio Gelli, who attended as an honorary guest the inaugural ceremonies of the presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan. He was also implicated in the Lockheed bribery scandal.
The author states that American lodges were set up for every NATO base.

The main culprits in the deadly strategy were the Italian secret services. But, as the author rightly states, `they needed the endorsement of NATO and NATO's most powerful member. He stresses the 'ignoble' role of the US government: `the responsibility of what happened as a result of the strategy of tension rests with the US.'
Ultimately, this book shows the limited sovereignty of a NATO member State, which in fact was run by its secret services. The US even concocted to install a `Greek colonels regime' in Italy.

This depressing story of (in)discrimate killings and a vast number of mysterious deaths is extremely revealing for the kind of democracy we live in: `if you don't vote as we like, you will pay the price.'

This book is a must read for all supporters of real democracy.

Carlos Nino, the leading Latin-American public philosopher of the century, was also a statesman and a brave patriot. This book reflects his experience, personal contribution and analysis in relation to the unprecedented policy of truth and justice of former argentine President Alfonsin.

Carlos Nino, who passed away in 1993 is one of the authors who studied more the subject of how to trial the people who commited the most horrible violations of human rights. It's undeniable the best in the subject.

This is a most enjoyable book allowing a glimpse into the life of one of my favorite authors. It was interesting to learn about the situations that molded the life of James Herriot (Alf Wight).

-James Herriot was a country animal doctor who recanted his life into stories, which became All Creatures Great and Small and other books and audios. His son, Jim Wight, upon his father's death, composed a tribute to a man we all thought we knew in The Real James Herriot. The abridged audio version is narrated by TV's James Herriot, actor Christopher Timothy. His familiar tramping of the characters and Herriot's words makes him the perfect choice to read this veneration.

As a scholar of International Relations with specialisation in Regionalism and Globalisation I think it is a great area of interest among the contemporary scholars in this field of studies.Regionalism has been especially viewed as a threat in terms of trade relations and multilateral approach.Nevertheless it has relevance in the contemporary international relations.

I have a suggestion regarding this book.If only it had highlighted the lacunae in regional aspirations of the south asian region it would have captured the interests of the readers all the more.South asia is one region in the world where there is a constant underlying tension.It would be in the best interest of the academic world if the author ,in the revised version,highlights this perspective.Nonetheless it is a highly valuable contribution with a very relevant information.

I would just like to notify you that this book has also recently been published as a paperback.

I was a resident of HK for 3 and a half years before the handover. I remember speaking to some obnoxious Australian "journalist" at Christmas time 1996-97 who was absolutely convinced that the Chinese army was going to invade HK and that there would be a Tiananmen Square-style bloodbath. This guy had been sent from Australia to report on the build-up to the hand-over and was simply not interested in hearing any opinions that did not fit into his doomsday nonsense. At the time I was finishing off an MPhil in pol sci at HKU, but this was of no interest to our journo "expert"! I also remember watching the appaling coverage on CNN with some ridiculous American "journalist" making the most innane comments and getting it all wrong. He had obviously been flown in from the States a week before June 30 and was now "the expert" on the handover. I also remember him making continual petty digs at the British. Anyway, what I am saying is that if this book is about exposing the "instant experts" that popular journalism creates and about showing up the pathetic parachute journos (from whom most people get their info from - scary!) then it is an excellent venture and I'm going to buy it!

The book is very attractive for a reader who, like me, did follow the handover of Hong Kong to Communist China by being on the spot. I was one of the reporter mentioned in the book. This work, edited by Alan Knight and Yoshiko Nakano is also due to Barry Lowe, not mentioned on the book cover and who was actually the real motor behind its publication. This is a study on how journalists should not report a complex string of facts and events unfolding under their eyes without adeguate preparation. In few words it speaks against "parachute journalism". During the handover all the televisions and newspapers of the World sent people here to report on facts which they could hardly grasp, because they were too complex, too fast and all interconnected. Most of these parachute journalists ended up interviewing each other and consulting the few residents newsmen. Once a mistake was broadcasted or printed by one of them it was automatically taken up by all and it became the official truth, even if the truth was exactly the contrary. All the awful limitations of the TV are clearly exposed: moving images are good to discribe something spectacular and simple. But for something like the handover the real picture could have been given only by an "old china hand" with a philosophic mind and open eyes. The television created a lot of historical distorsions. It makes a good reading this book and can teach a lot on how not to report facts and news, more than how to report them. Angelo Paratico

I had the privilege of reading Prof McClintock's book BEFORE I realized she was a professor at my school, and I am really glad to have had access to both. The book was really indepth, and Cynthia was able to get awesome interviews that very few other people have ever gotten.

This is one of the finer books I have read on insurgent organizations and their backgrounds/motivations. Cynthia McClintock concentrates on comparing and contrasting these two groups, along with addressing similar groups, to give the reader a deeper understanding of an insurgency. The FMLN is now part of the political process, as they wished to be (as brought out in the book), in El Salvador. However, Sendero Luminoso is still trying to overthrow the Peruvian government without wishing to be a part of the process (also brought out in the book). This book, to include its tremendous bibliography, is an excellent reference resource.

This book provides excellent detail for an great car trip in France. His recommendation to stay in the Rue Cler area of Paris was perfect. I also enjoyed the many small villages that were suggested.

The French are wonderful...all you need is this book and two weeks off!

We used this guide last year on a trip through France, Belgium and the Netherlands and found it to be indispensable. Since this was our first trip to Europe, we were very nervous about making train and hotel reservations on our own. Rick's book made it a breeze. It was also very accurate on hotel and restaurant prices. Overall the book made our trip much more enjoyable and I have recommended it to a number of people.

A virtual open-house tour of outstanding wines and outstanding winemakers in France. More than an introduction to many little-known but estimable wines, this passionate guide dwells on the fascinating people behind every bottle. Especially good on the lesser known regions, like Languedoc Roussillon. An absolutely wonderful way to plunge into France. We've given it a starring role among the guidebooks we leave for people who rent our house there.

if you want to travel in the french vineyards and buy the most originals wines : get this book !

Excellent book. I raced in the 1998 Dyea to Dawson wilderness ultra-marathon. John does a very good job of describing the race and the Klondike Gold rush of 1898.


Jerry S. Dixon

River Time: Racing The Ghosts Of The Klondike Rush is a chronicle of a Canadian backcountry adventure undertaken by John Firth and his nephew in their determination to travel the miles of rugged ground traversed by so many thousands of others back in the days of the Yukon Gold Rush. Combining historical record and modern-day adventure, as an uncle and nephew retrace the steps their grandfather blazed during the Klondike Rush of 1897-98, River Time is a breathtaking journey that stunningly portrays beautiful natural scenery, the rough hardships of nature, and reflects upon the reality of fierce human competition then and now. An absorbing travelogue, the next most vivid thing to embarking upon a Klondike gold rush recreation oneself.

This bok is a revelation of the landscaped sculptured garden by an " abstract expressionist"

I felt that this book is not only a beautiful book on art and gardens to own, but qualifies as an "Everyday Reference" for our Architecture office. The photographs by Becky Cohen, 2000 Alfred Eisenstaedt Award winner, were reason enough to give this gorgeous book as gifts to friends as well as other Associates in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Design. The images she took relay the purposefulness and soulfulness of the design of the gardens, which in turn, connects and inspires the Designer in their own field, whatever it might be. As a reference book to Designers, the book surpasses it's own purpose to show the incredible Getty Gardens and to view the dialogue between Weschler and Irwin, which at times, I'm sorry to say, can be dull and stupid sounding. However, the compositions and textures of the photographs are just too stunning to harbor that opinion of the dialogue for very long. In the book, you feel you might realize that Cohen's immensely thoughtful compositions of the garden photographs are a better art itself than of the artistic gardens. Again and again, with every page, they follow one after the other to reveal a new thought, not just about gardens or a particular spectacular plant or flower, but about how you see them. It inspires a desire to see them for yourself, as she does, to open an intimate experience with nature. Each image impresses that the two dimensional beauty you see in front of you might be part trickery. The "real" gardens couldn't have that much beauty! But, of course, when you visit the gardens, they do. Cohen is merely brilliant at capturing it. As you find the last of the images at the end of the book, it reminds me of the wonder you feel when you see anything beautful for the first time, it sort of makes you hold your breath and makes your heart skip a bit.