Expansion Books

This book is filled with photographs of wonderful intriguing old buildings, and unlike many photograph-intensive books, it also provides great historical content.

Starting with Dallas' early beginnings, it follows the growth of the different neighborhoods and explains the roles of businesses, natural resources, and the spread of railroads. Much of the content addresses the major real estate transactions and how land became subdivided among families, business partners, etc. There are maps showing the early layout of streets. There are stories about how many buildings were constructed, with special attention given to architectural details. In the downtown area, some of the finest buildings mingled with the most infamous. For example, the area around what is now the "West End," used to be Frogtown--one of the most notorious red light districts.

Along the way, the book highlights the lives and contributions of many early residents--such as Robert S. Munger and Captain William H. Gaston--whose surnames are now the names of major Dallas streets.

The influence of different ethnic and religious groups is also addressed. One example was the establishment of La Reunion Colony by European immigrants who wanted to create a Utopian society. When La Reunion failed, many of the settlers moved to East Dallas in the 1850s, rather than return to Europe, and this area of East Dallas was later called 'Swiss Avenue" in deference to them.

Another movement was that of newly freed slaves at the end of the Civil War. Many freedman began settling in the area around an old rural black cemetary, which was eventually called Freedmantown. Other black communities developed around areas that provided greater employment opportunities. One of these areas was Deep Ellum, where many black-owned businesses operated in the 1920s.

North Dallas began to grow as the southern part became increasingly industrial. Such was the case of The Cedars. The Cedars was an 'exclusive' address until the railroad lines began surrounding the region and the area became very industrialized. The final straw was the fouling of Mill Creek. Many of the wealthier residents moved north toward Highland Park and Swiss Avenue.

This book is organized into several major sections based primarily on the different areas of Dallas. I would have liked to have seen better organization. The material is very interesting but there is much to wade through, and the use of minor headings to organize the material would have helped greatly. The photographs throughout the book are well-documented. In many cases, there is not only a brief history and details of the building's location, but also a follow-up on what later happened to the building.

HOWEVER, if you approach this book like I did, and first run through each of the photos, studying the buildings and reading their descriptions--then, prepare for a terrible sense of LOSS. Because the vast majority of these buildings no longer exist, and the enormity of it will become more apparent as you try to search through the photos, looking for that rare building that might be still standing. Read their descriptions and you'll find that most of them were torn down to build parking lots, highways, sub-standard apartment complexes--or simply razed 'for commercial purposes.' You may get an overwhelming sense of how Dallas has demolished much of its history in return for quick commercial expansion.

I needed a guided meditation CD ASAP - a friend was coming over & we were going to try some guided meditation for the first time.

The local bookstore didn't have any of the meditation CDs that were recommnended to me, so I bought this one, not expecting much.

Well, my friend came over, we looked at the contents & decided to only listen to first part & skip the end part about chakras because it sounded weird.

I still don't know exactly what chakras are, but we ended up listening to the whole CD because it was so relaxing. I think the speaker's voice is lovely - she is from South Africa and has the most beautiful accent!! I could listen to her talk about anything.

I felt like I was transformed into a different world after listening to the CD for several minutes - almost like I was drifting off to sleep but wasn't asleep. I am now addicted to this CD & am going to listen to it again in a few minutes before bed!

I work full-time and am also going to law school part-time. It sounds crazy but ever since I have been listening to this CD (almost every day for the past week), I have more energy & seem to need less sleep.

Anyway, I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to clear their mind & relax - the background music is subtle & her voice is very soothing.

Ok, I've never actually read this book. But David K. Brown is my sociology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. I find his lectures fascinating and am sure that this book is just as intriguing. He has lectured on credentialism, and has shown vast knowledge of the subject. I plan to read this book as soon as I have the time. I would recommend this book to anyone just by having listened to Dr. Brown.

Bought this for our 15 yr old son for Christmas, we've been playing Descent for a year. Love this expansion - it definitely evens out the game for both sides, not just heroes bashing creatures but the overlord has a few more tricks up his sleeve. Our son has some social issues so this game has been great in making him think about group success, not just what he wants.

I vastly enjoyed this book. The author, Frank Leonard, takes the reader on a trip, both inner and outer, from San Francisco, his home, to visit his son in Mexico. The book has some interesting and raw autobiographical bits, as the author comes to grasp where he is presently in life.The reader sees how one big part of Frank's life has ended, and the new(and present) one takes shape. The narrative of the trip is solid. I felt like I was on the back of the bike at times.
Frank hits some wonderful insights on life throughout the book. I had trouble putting it down. His style of writing is easy to follow. This ties in with me first philosophical book in my life, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
Keep a lookout for this author. He has a lot more to say.

This is a fantastic resource for helping students gain a better understanding of times in which these presidents served. I would highly recommend this to anyone old or young with an interest in this period of US history. Also a GREAT teaching aid!

Great historic photos and maps throughout!

In addition to the great chapter on "Mountain Man as Explorer" is a whole section on the Pictorial Record, with seperate chapters on The Artists, The Mapmakers, and The Photographers.

This little book is very well done and not a "cure for insomnia" (as Mark Twain wrote about a certain religious text in his book, __Roughing It__).

This review has been removed since amazon now has the back cover text as part of the product.

If Christopher Bell�s �Portugal and the Quest for the Indies� is written as popular history, in an adventurous style, and if C.R. Boxer�s masterpiece, �The Portuguese Seaborne Empire� excels in synthesis and displays a breathtaking grasp of world history, then Diffie and Winius have produced a 435 page �history by the numbers�---a methodical, step-by-step story of how Portugal began to explore the Atlantic coasts of Africa, how it outmaneuvered its rivals, settled Madeira and the Azores, and developed a system of trade and control that lasted over a century before succumbing to more powerful, better organized rivals and to the consequences of a small nation�s being overextended. Puncturing the various balloons of myth and legend, the authors� down-to-earth, but highly detailed approach to the history of Portuguese exploration and penetration of the trading world of the Indian Ocean and the Far East is an extremely useful and interesting volume, probably required reading for students in the field. FOUNDATIONS OF THE PORTUGUESE EMPIRE sticks to the period 1415-1580, at which later date, Portugal entered into a sixty year period of absorption by Spain. (Note: the title as listed on Amazon is incorrect.)

The strong point about this book is the documentation, so useful for further research or inquiry. Footnotes have been placed at the bottom of the page, not in the text, thereby allowing smooth reading for people like me, who are unlikely to need to know the exact sources. There are some good maps and a section of illustrations. Not only are the voyages and battles in the East covered, but the authors also keep track of what was going on back in Portugal; the royal follies, the intrigues and battles with Spain, the rivalries among the Italian city states, the fruitless attempt to conquer Morocco, and the energetic trade with the Flemish ports to the north. We learn how the Portuguese got their information and see how, though mercantile reasons seemed to be by far the strongest motivation for their exploits, they often made huge sacrifices for reasons of faith too. From Ethiopia to Japan, from Persia to the Moluccas, soldiers, traders, and priests spent their lives in the quest for riches and in (mostly vain) efforts to save souls. The authors point out that the Portuguese domination of trade in the Indian Ocean during the period under discussion was no accident. Rather, it was the result of a geopolitical plan to strangle Muslim trade, and control trade routes through strategically placed forts (Sofala, Mombasa, Ormuz, Goa, Malacca, etc.) and a strong fleet. Rivalries among Portuguese commanders in the East, as well as the Portuguese king�s distrust of his far-flung lieutenants, led to many a disaster, but time and time again, Portuguese naval power and unbelievable bellicosity overcame huge odds. The last chapter of the book, entitled �The Balance Sheet�, tries to decide whether the whole thing paid off---if in fact, aside from individual fortunes made, Portugal benefitted from its explorations and conquests.

The weakest point in FOUNDATIONS OF THE PORTUGUESE EMPIRE is that the authors seem far more comfortable and authoritative when dealing with Europe, with the Portuguese side of the story. When, on a few occasions, they attempt to describe Asian societies, their explanations are weak. Some errors creep in. They hardly mention any African societies at all�the Africans are acted upon, never actors. For an extremely thorough story of Portuguese methods of expansion and economic domination, however, I would recommend Diffie and Winius� work to every interested reader.

From Pioneer to Poet includes each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. For each sign there are thoughtful quotations prefacing the chapters. Historical figures are written about in relation to the zodiacal sign under which they were born including their ascendents and sun and moon signs. For those interested in Astrology this is an informative book. It is richly descriptive but not overly so. I have it on my bookshelf.