history

This is not a story of a bloodthirsty hunting fiend frenzied with the unquenchable lust to pull the trigger and spread carnage. Jim Corbett was a true hunter, sportsman and role model. He was commissioned by the government of India to go and kill man eating tigers and leopards that were running havoc amount the inhabitants of the small villages in remote jungles. Some of these beasts had over 100 recorded human kills. When Mr. Corbett was in the jungle hunting them, these man-eaters were often also hunting him. This was a day when rifles were very limited in their killing power, unlike the sophisticated weapons of today.

Man-eaters of Kumaon contains such spine tingling suspense as a time that the author spent the night in a tree by himself well within reach of the man-eater he was tracking. Other times he would make the final approach of a tiger alone with no help or support. Most of his kills were at less than 50 yards. Some were less than 50 feet!

These stories seemed so spectacular when I first read them I chalked it up to a man with an over active imagination. I started researching Mr. Corbett and reading any articles that I could find on him. To my surprise I found quite the opposite to be the fact. People that knew him well and went with him in the jungles all say that he toned the stories down because he thought if he told the whole truth no one would believe him!!

After I read the book, my wife who does not even hunt consumed it in a single day (which means the house turned into a mess). As soon as she finished, my 15-year-old son started on it and finished it one day later. This is a true classic about a true hero, the kind of which we are sadly lacking in today's world.

Like many other reviewers, I read "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" many years ago, in junior high school (1951) to be exact. Corbett's book is truly unique in that it is not only a story of high adventure, hunting man-eating tigers in northern India, but it also places the reader in an era that is little-understood today: post-Victorian colonial India.
Just as fascinating as the tracking and killing of the tigers are Corbett's descriptions of the devastation of the poor Indian hill people wrought by tigers who preyed upon them. It is clear that he had respect for the helpless villagers who desperately sought his help as well as for the tigers which he was forced to kill. His writing also expresses a profound love for India.
One correction I must point out is that the hunts in this book took place in the northern hill country and forests, not in the "jungle." Jim Corbett was a keen observer of his surroundings, its wildlife, and its people. It is a window into an era that is now gone.
Hunting tigers is a dangerous game-- extremely so for man-eating tigers which have no fear of man. Alone, on foot, and armed with a double "express" rifle with only iron sights (no telescopic sights here!), the odds are stacked in favor of the tiger. To hunt a tiger once is to place one's self in grave danger but to do it again and again and again....? That takes incredible courage.
If you have never read this book, try it. It gives you a better look at hunting tigers than the old Stewart Granger movie "Harry Black and the Tiger."

After reading this book I have so much respect for Jim Corbett. He truly was a gentleman and a big-hearted at that. He had so much respect for the native people he lived with. Throughout his stories he gives credits for others and never to himself. Although he hunted all alone and on foot, he never claimed himself to be the "Greate white hunter". The stories are so interesting, feels like you are with him all the time. He has even inspired me thru this book. Its worth LOT more than its price. He was such a nice gentleman, he always cared for the victims of man-eaters. Time and again he shows his concerns. He makes sure he thanks them. He talks about their courage but never once writes about his courage. He is one big-hearted gentleman just like his tigers.

If you read but one WWII submarine memoir, be it this one. Far from a dispassionate account of the exploits of a successful submarine skipper, with Thunder Below, you are there. I've read many a book about submarines; but Fluckey's lively and coherent style makes it much easier to understand life aboard a WWII sub. Most other books, O'Kane's for example, I'd recommend for students of history or submarine warfare. Not this one. Anyone who likes a good tale, be it fiction or non-fiction, could like this one. And it's not just his account he presents either; it's also richly filled with accounts from the Japanese, other American subs, and an illegal diary kept by one of his crewman. So a balanced, all around perspective is given that is lacking in other memoirs. Fluckey's presentation of an American wolf pack attack that decimated a Japanese convoy unknowingly filled with Allied POW's (and some of their subsequent rescue) is one of the most moving stories I've ever read.

Written by the Barb's skipper, Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey, recounting the Barb's 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th War Patrols. From the beggining to the end Fluckey's writing style grips you. This was the first Submarine novel that I have read and after reading his book I feel like I could talk the talk, but only Fluckey could walk the walk. His tactics were well thought and he wasn't afraid of testing new technologies, which is what the 12th (his Graduation) Patrol was all about. He added some great maps at the beginning of each chapter that give the reader a picture of where he is and where he sinks ships. The appendixes have great bare facts about the Patrols, the Barb's crew and a copy of the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). You won't be sorry for buying this book; after you read it I think you would agree, the story of the Barb, her skipper and her couragious crew NEEDS to be made into a movie!

This is my favorite military history book! And the only submarine book that I can read from cover to cover. I've tried others but they just don't seem as captivating. I first read this book in 1996 and I've read it at least 8 times since then. I'm amazed by the story telling ability of Admiral Fluckey. The story is exciting but still conveys the dangers of being in a sub, especially during wartime. And Admiral Fluckey seems to be a truly modest man because instead of making a big deal out of his own achievments, he makes a simple statement of the crew's achievements. He writes well and the story definitely keeps a readers attention. A must read for everyone.

I hope that someone does make a movie out of this book! It would make an awesome movie!

In our urban civilisation reaching thousands of years into history, not one definitive work has chronicled the workings of cities, one of mankind's greatest achievements, as well as Jane Jacobs' landmark 1961 saga of the travails and tribulations of the American city.

The epic spans eras- from the foundations of the Garden City movement in the late 19th century to Jacobs' contemporary 1961. Through this time period she describes how the loathing of urbanism by planners and their subsequent divorce from the realm of public opinion gave rise to the forces of suburbanisation and destruction battering American cities of the mid-20th century. This lays the fundamental groundwork for Jacobs' criticism of contemporary planning methods, especially in her home of New York. Jacobs emanates thoughtful analysis on what works and what does not in regards to the massive projects envisaged and in many cases wrought upon the cityscape.

But perhaps the heart of the book are the chapters in which Jacobs describes how a city works at its most ideal. She chooses only the most exemplary neighbourhoods, those which persevere and spite statistical analysis despite the conventional wisdom of planners. Her own Greenwich Village serves as the book's centrepiece, but Boston's North End and Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square are also featured prominently. Jacobs' arguments for the necessity of density, history, and, above all, diversity in all forms (architectural, street, human, retail, age) are as poignant as they are eloquent. Those pragmatists not immediately taken to heart by Jacobs' paen to urbanity take solace in her intimate and empirical knowledge of economics. Indeed, what makes Jacobs' book so revolutionary is that it does not follow from knowledge handed down by established theory or intellectualism, but from experience, observation, and wisdom, the foundation for her usurpment and subversion of the fallacious atrocities being waged against America's cities.

Liberal at some points, libertarian at others, Jacobs' work must be comprehended not as a work of political ideology but of scientific method. Her opinions are based on but one bias- an innate love for the city. And all who wish to truly understand it in all its objectivity- its trials, mistakes, and triumphs, and her premonitions for our future, are urged to read this. For "Death and Life" is not merely historical perspective on a fleeting problem, but truly a prophecy as well.

One of the most insightful and thought provoking books I have ever read. Jane Jacobs' classic work on the functioning of cities, though published in 1961, offers a fresh look at our cities and how we choose to live.

Ms. Jacobs' insights grow out of two factors which combine make this an outstanding book. First, she approaches cities as living beings. True, cities are made of bricks and mortar but over time buildings, streets and neighborhoods change in response to the people who live and work in them. Secondly, she bases her conclusions on empirical experience. The author doesn't sit in some ivory tower, theorize how people should live and then expect people's actions to fit those theories. Rather, she observes daily life and from there draws her conclusions.

One item that hit closest to home for me was the book's examination of the effects of public housing. Growing up and living in the Chicago area I knew firsthand that the "projects" were not a desirable place to live. Built at the same time that The Death and Life of Great American Cities was published, Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes were promoted as an improvement to the community. Complete with large parcels of land allocated for parks and bulldozing what were considered "slums" the view at the time was that these projects would improve the vitality of the neighborhood. But, as Ms. Jacobs rightly observed back in 1961, instead of promoting community, projects such as these only set the scene for isolation and fear.

Time has proven this work to be a classic. Many of her observations went against the prevailing wisdom of the era when the book was published. But now, at the dawn of the 21st century, the Robert Taylor Homes face the wrecking ball and cities everywhere are heeding the wisdom in this book as they rethink their approaches toward urban development.

This book reads like a novel rather than an ideological tome. If you think of it that way, the city is the protagonist and you feel like you're reading a bildundgsroman about this much put upon but always fascinating central character. Wow. Somebody recommended a Modern Library edition. I have to concur because this edition (paperback) is badly designed and hard to read. It's worth getting a nicer edition.

Edward O'Donnell does a wonderful job telling a complex story through tracing the actions of certain passengers aboard the General Slocum. This 1904 fire was the largest loss of life in New York City history prior to 9/11, though the story has been forgotten until now. For me, the book is a classic "can't wait to see what happens, but don't really want to see the tragic endings for so many" read.

O'Donnell also brings to light, and to life the turn-of-the-century immigrant neighborhood Little Germany that even New York City history buffs tend to be unaware of.

Beyond the history, SHIP ABLAZE was more deeply moving than I had expected: not only the varied and terrible deaths of mostly women and children, but the many acts of bravery, the search for survivors, the funerals, the community's dignity and the strength of family bonds.

The only missing element for me (beyond the footnotes which will be available online) was more information about how the Slocum families lived after the tragedy, and I hope that the author plans a sequel, perhaps about the influence of German immigrants in the NYC.

Congratulations to O'Donnell for a well-researched, well-told and moving story, and for adding to the body of great NYC history books.

Readers will never forget the Slocum.

Edward T. O'Donnell's "Ship Ablaze" is head-and-shoulders above the glut of historical disaster books lining the shelves these days. O'Donnell's well written narrative history has all of the elements that make a book like this compelling: it details a tragic and nearly forgotten event, it paints the event on the proper historical backdrop and also tells the stories of the victims in a sympathetic and unsensationalistic way.

Though it is not well remembered, the fire and sinking of the steamboat General Slocum near New York City was the city's deadliest disaster prior to September 11, 2001. Over 1000 people, mostly women and children, perished in a few horrifying minutes. What is more disturbing about the story is that the disaster was completely preventable. Had the General Slocum's fire safety equipment been properly inspected and maintained and had the crew been trainbed in fire safety, it is unlikely that there would have been any loss of life.

All of this O'Donnell describes in vivid detail. He also describes life in turn-of-the-century New York, particularly the so-called Little Germany section where the victims were from. The latter part of the book is dedicated to the legal battles that resulted in the imprisonment of the General Slocum's captain, but not the federal inspectors or boat owners who were equally responsible for the tragedy.

Overall, an outstanding work of narrative history that will appeal to history buffs as well as general readers.

This book was very good. As a desendent of German immigrants that were involved in this disaster, I grew up hearing stories handed down in bits and pieces. Many of the threads of the stories were lost to the years. There was very little available in the way of research and people whose families had lived in NY for generations had never heard of this sinking or even guessed how many lives it took and families it destroyed. As family members read this book, many questions were answered that never made sense in the bits of information handed down through the years. As the 100th anniversary of the event approaches (6/15/04)our family will remember my great grandmother who gave birth to my grandmother on the day the sinking. My grandmother has been dead 24 years but her birth on that day saved 1 immigrant family who cancelled their boat trip to help my great grandmother give birth. For many years the head of the family saved, brought my grandmother a special present on her birthday. Some of these presents were handed down along with bits and pieces of information. This book answers all and will now be handed down in our family along with gifts.

As many of you read these reviews will note, OTHER personal reviews written here use this book to somehow VERIFY that "regular" (sic) Germans DID NOT KNOW THE HOLOCAUST was occurring; citing that the book verifies that Germany's professional soldiers of jewish ancestry (sic) DID NOT KNOW of the camps and the genocide that was occurring. It appears that many of the reviewers here are "revisionists", because the book DOES NOT support the notion that Germans and German soldiers of jewish faith background did not know of the atrocities. This book cites example after example, as well as indepth commentary, that ALL of these German Warriors of "Jewish" background all fought in order to keep their families, loved ones, wives, children, parents, grandparents, etc., OUT OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP. Over and over the interviews revealed that these soldiers had that "extra" drive to STAY ALIVE in order to prevent the shipping of their families to the concentration camps. In the book, interviews, notes, and commentary reflect that these soldiers feared that if Germany were victorious they, along with their families, would be sent to the "ovens" and/ or labor camps to die. On another "alternative" website of book reviews this book is cited as further evidence that the German people, as well as avowed Nazis, DID NOT KNOW OF THE HOLOCAUST! They cite this book as "evidence", as do many on this review, that Germany's professional soldiers who were "jewish" (quarter to 'full' blooded, as if Jewishness were a "race", another falsity)DID NOT know of the holocaust and would not have participated in fighting for Germany.

Dr. Rigg completed a revolutionary work that changes everything what we have been taught about W.W.II, life in Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust. Nobody would argue that inhumane Nuremberg Laws created by Hitler and his associates eventually caused many atrocities against Jews in Europe. However,150,000 Jewish soldiers in Wehrmacht is a shocking figure. It would rather represent a rule than an exemption. Of course, many people heard about Luftwaffe Field Marshal Erhard Milch being a half-Jew,

due to publications in "Der Stuermer". The chief editor Julius Streicher made Milch a target of his vicious anti-Semitic publications.
Jewish ancestry of Reinhard Heydrich was widely discussed even among top Nazi and SS officials. The story of Colonel (Major at that time) Ernst Bloch, who was able to rescue Lubavitcher Rabbi Schneersohn should not be compared to the story of Oscar Schindler. Colonel Bloch rescued the religious leader of Hassidic community without having any personal gain. Some sources point out that he contacted SS Reichsfuehrer Himmler, not Admiral Canaris, to secure safe transfer of Schneersohn to Netherlands.
However those facts had been always considered as isolated episodes of war and practically were never mentioned. One should consider that the figure of 150,000 served in Wehrmacht, SS, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine represent only male Jewish or Mischlinge of the age 18-45 or the top officers who were a little older.
Dr. Rigg was able to contact and interview in person about 400 people almost fifty years after the
war ended. Taking into consideration that most of Jewish soldiers probably died within last fifty years, the
number of 150,000 appears to be accurate. Their personal testimonies shed more light on what was happening in reality in Nazi Germany.
I believe that Dr. Rigg's work must be used by every person who is studying or teaching History of WWII to provide more accurate presentation of the subject.

For anyone wishing to understand the confusion of Nazi Germany, this book by Rigg is a must read. The work is the end of a ten year project, one that began pretty much by happenstance as Rigg was working on a Yale University grad thesis. It wasn't long before he was on the trail of some important data. To learn that many in the Nazi ranks had Jewish blood is to sense the problem of identification. Who was and who was not worthy to fight for the Reich? As Rigg points out, there were many exceptions to the rule; even Hitler allowed some Jews into the ranks, especially when these were good soldiers. In many cases men were not aware of their Jewish roots and were culled from the ranks when their background became known. Some lied to stay in the forces; some were shot! Rigg's book gives additional insights as to the thinking that ran rampant in 1930's Germany.
The book includes a chapter in which he cites comments by a few German Jews who survived the war in the Nazi forces. "Why," he asked, "didn't you stand up for the right." One 75% Jewish officer said: "Ideology had made us inhuman." In addition to the text, the book includes over 100 pages of footnotes as well as an extensive bibiliography, a valuable tool for any student of WW-II.

Absolutely fascinating account of the Arab Revolt of World War I, and of the Mind of one of its orchestrators (that being TE Lawrence). I don't know much about WWI or II history but I'd recommend this as a great place to start. It has all the elements of a great war story -- strategies, battles, troop movements, intra-battling amongst Arab tribes, Arab history and culture, plus Lawrence's inner conflict about his knowledge that the Brits were merely using the Arabs as a pawn in the greater scheme of WWI. The relevance to modern times is staggering -- if we had not made the horrible mistakes we did then (not giving the Arabs the indepence they worked so hard for), the world would certainly be a better place today. Also, this book is beautifully written and contains absolutely wonderful descriptions of the Arabian terrain. My only criticism is that Lawrence tends sometimes to get a little too abstract and pontifical, but that's okay. Excellent work of literature in the form of a non-fiction memoir.

It's difficult to describe the experience of reading The Seven Pillars. It is by turns beautiful and ugly. It is military history. It is a subjective view provided by a man very much of his time. It is an apology and an excuse for the necessities of war. It is a portrait of a tribe that Lawrence came to respect and even love. It is a travel book about life in the desert at the time of writing. It is inevitably a mix of fact and history and fiction and probably at least a little bit of wishful thinking.

It's a pretty amazing book to read.

A few notes:

Before you read the book, do some quick background reading on the history that's involved. This will help avoid confustion.

Be prepared for a long read! It's not only a long book, it's an extremely dense book. The choppiness and frequent changes in tone make it hard to put on the reading cruise control.

Read it as a product of its time. Lawrence was a fascinating man, but not without his prejudices or faults.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is fascinating from cover to cover. The book is on some levels Lawrence's study of himself as much as a history of the battles in which he was involved. He writes, "Any protestation of the truth from me was called modesty, self-depreciation. It always irritated me, this silly confusion of shyness, which was conduct, with modesty, which was a point of view... I was not modest, but ashamed of my awkwardness, of my physical envelope, of my solitary unlikeness which made me no companion, but an acquaintance, complete, angular, uncomfortable, as a crystal." This type of introspection is most uncommon in a military man.

Not a squeamish soldier, Lawrence was once forced into a situation in which he executed a murderer, and on another occasion he authorized "take no prisoners" after the Turks conducted one of their numerous brutal atrocities. But there were some things even Lawrence recognized as boundaries of civilized behavior best not transgressed. In the final chapters he explains why he thought better of his initial inclination to kill several petty warlords who were participating in and would in the future likely betray the Arab Revolt -- he did not want to teach his Arab followers that "precautionary murder" was a legitimate part of political struggle. One is left wondering what he would have to say about today's politicians who promote "preemptive defense" as a legitimate strategy and standing policy. At least Lawrence's terminology was far more honest and direct.

A Yankee Century may at first glance seem like a special interest book, and it will indeed appeal particularly to Yankee fans. However, because of their sheer dominance--it really was their century--the history of the Yankees is to a unique extent a history of baseball in general. Where 100 years of a team like the Reds would inevitably have vast dry patches, we all know and rooted vigorously for or against the Yankees of many different eras. Thus while there are delights in store for the fanatic--like the fact that Babe Ruth by himself had more homeruns (60) in 1927 than the 2nd place team (the A's with 56) or that when Grover Cleveland Alexander had his legendary confrontation with Tony Lazzeri, the Yankee was just 22 years old, just a kid really--no one who follows the game will have trouble finding material here that interests them. Mr. Frommer has included copious illustrations and the book is broken up into a wide variety of sections, from quizzes to profiles to statistics. This makes the book very accessible and, in the best sense, putdownable. It's a book that you want to delve into a bit at a time and to skip around in, rather than to read in one sitting. It's like a king-size Whitman Sampler.

This N' That with Tony Mack:
BLACK ATHLETE SPORTS NETWORK

BOOK REVIEW: A YANKEE CENTURY\\
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BRISTOL, CONN---Earlier this year, you may have read a book review I wrote on the historic relationship between Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson. That book was penned by noted baseball writer and historian Harvey Frommer.

Prof. Frommer has since come out with another historic baseball book, this time about the sport's most celebrated franchise.

Frommer, who authored "The New York Yankee Encloypedia", has now penned "A Yankee Century: A Celebration of the First 100 Years of Baseball's Greatest Team".

Not only does Frommer give an oral history of the Pinstripes, but there are several rare photos of Yankee greats past and present.

From Babe Ruth to Derek Jeter, Lou Gehrig to Reggie Jackson, and all those in between, "A Yankee Century" is keepsake dream for fans of the Bronx Bombers and a nightmare for Yankee haters all over.

Even though this review is being written by a lifelong Met fan, I found this to be a very entertaining read.

One of the things that was enjoyable about the book is how Frommer has separate "Yankee Stories" on the well-known and lesser known ex-Yankees.

A humble Chris Chambliss talks about coming over from the lowly Cleveland Indians in a 1975 and then winning the pennant with a dramatic homer in the 1976 ALCS against the Royals.

Frommer also writes about the plight of Elston Howard, the first Black to play for the Yankees. His struggles on and off the field are chronicled along with a review of his very understated career as a player and coach.

The breathtaking and sometimes tumulous career of Reggie Jackson in pinstripes is also well chronicled. "Mr. October" had one of the greatest moments in Yankee history when he hit three homers in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

At the time, it gave the Yanks their first World Series title in 13 seasons and he would help them go back to the next season.

Among some of the other African American players that are featured in Prof. Frommer's book are Jeter, current third base coach and ex-captain Willie Randolph, Bernie Williams, and Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.

The book also includes a comprehensive trivia quiz, quotes, anecdotes, and other entertaining features for all baseball fans, Yankee or otherwise.

If you know a true Yankee fan, it's a great addition to their library.

If you know a true Yankee hater, this will be a best way to start an arguement.

In the northeast, the winter of 2003-2004 will be remembered as one of the snowiest, iciest, coldest and dreariest in recent memory. A YANKEE CENTURY was the perfect cure for those miserable days. Filled with the baseball history that took place on the sun-drenched field of Yankee Stadium, Harvey Frommer has provided us Yankee [and most baseball] fans with a warm nostalgia and a good feeling for the springs and summers to come.

With equal parts statistics and anecdote, the book is a well-balanced exploration into the most successful sports franchise in history. Peppered with wonderful photos (some that I had never seen before), this 400+ page book moves swiftly. The writing is respectful without becoming sentimental. And Paul O'Neill, who I will always remember as our favorite water-cooler kicking hothead, proves to be a sensitive and articulate commentator. Congratulations to both writers.

A YANKEE CENTURY is a great exploration into the Bronx Bombers, and by extension, to the history of 20th century baseball itself.

This is without doubt one of the finest works to come out of the NS years in Germany. It provides, in particular, great insight into the conduct of the German people toward the Jews, both good and bad. Klemperer's description of his flight from Dresden posing as an Aryan following the bombing is fascinating, both for its capturing the horrors of war for civilians and for description of the suffering of the German people at the end of the war, a perspective often lost in the history of the period.

One of the best things I have ever read -- highly recommended even if one is not a student of the Holocaust and the Nazi era. A truly amazing tale of what human beings can endure when they are forced to.

As a Jewish American born after World War 2 with no knowledge of any family members who lived in Europe during the holocaust I have nonetheless always been fascinated with those times. As a college student I worked in a resort hotel where I met German Jewish survivors. To this day what struck me most was what one such survivor told me when I asked him what he remembered of his childhood in Germany. He told me it was just like being in America. German cities were modernized. Jewish people participated in civic life with small attention paid to their heritage unless they wished otherwise. Victor Klemperer's book "I Will Bear Witness," underscores what I had been told by that survivor. Life in Germany before January, 1933 was not, for Jews, particularly distinguishable from life for non-Jews. In fact, one might argue that the kinds of insidious prejudice rampant in the United States in the first half of this century were more virulent than that experienced in pre-Nazi Germany. The beauty of this book is how Professor Klemperer bears witness to the slow but relentless descent into hell by people who did not perceive themselves different from their countrymen. His descriptions of the day to day activities of paying taxes, arguing with the bureacracy over one's pension, and seeking out rationed foods bring to life the experience of those times. I must admit that I, like most Jewish Americans of my generation, view a Jewish person professing Protestantism somewhat uncharitably. And yet, the professor's consistent adherance to a world view in which one's ethnic background does not determine one's fate is quite palatable. Yet the fatal attraction of German culture, in this case, becomes the downfall of many German Jewish citizen. Perhaps we learn through this book and others like it that powerful forces of demagoguery once unleased may render even the most apparently "enlightened" society into a middle ages horror.

I could not put this book down! The reader is drawn into the horrible Nazi atrocities and yet the author keeps his perspective fresh and clear. Every holocaust account is a mortal tragedy but this one ranks high on the scale and should be required reading for students the world over. A beautiful, touching, and heart-breaking account!

I liked this book alot. It had good information and the pictures were great. The only thing was that some of the pictures were backwards. David's tattoo was on the wrong side in one pic and a picture of the whole band playing live is backwards too, Head and Munky are on the wrong sides and are playing with the wrong hands. There are two other pics of Head playing with the wrong hand. One pic has Jon playing the bagpipes backwards too, his HIV tattoo is supposed to be on his left arm, not the clown tearing up his skin. Other than that tiny mistake, i think the book was good and I recomend it to other Korn fans.

I love and virtually worship KoRn. This book is really good and has lots of information that even MTV can't give you. There are also TONS of really kool pictures! This book really rocks and everyone who is a KoRn fan should own it!

which book is better this one or life in the pit?

Perhaps most impressive of all of John Barth's picaresque classic is the fact that it succeeds on many levels. It is quite difficult to imagine anyone taking this novel completely seriously, however it can be read as an epic. Most likely it will be enjoyed as a brilliant satire providing most readers with innumerable passages that will have them laughing out loud. However one senses many philosophical statements and themes communicated through the characters' preposterous actions and attitudes. It was the characters, in fact, that impressed me the most about "The Sot-Weed Factor," while appearing at times ridiculous to the point of being hilarious, most readers will likely find a little bit of themselves in characters like Ebenezer Cooke, Henry Burlingame, etc. My favorite character was Ebenezer's servant whose name eludes me at this time. Barth has coined himself a "smiling nihilist" and this book is a fine example of this sentiment, though most readers will likely spend less time smiling and more time doubled over in laughter. A must-read!

If you've read the book, then you know exactly what I'm talking about and are probably doubled over in laughter just at the mention of it . . . if you haven't, well there's just one more reason to start reading this. Widely considered Barth's best novel (I'm very much a novice with him, this being only my second book so I'm no man to judge) I can easily see why it deserves such a status. A parody of historical novels, Barth writes the story in the style of that time so it seems like all those books your teachers made you read in high school, but better. The book is massive and concerns the various adventures of would-be poet Ebenezer Cooke, writer of the poem "The Sot-Weed Factor" as he becomes involved, willingly or otherwise, in more situations than any man should reasonably have to undertake. An attempts to summarize the plot are useless, it's too sprawling, people who want instant gratification will be at a loss here, this is a book you have to absorb over the course of a few days and get used to the style before it sinks in just how much fun it is. The characters play everything seriously, making the jokes (and there are plenty, with the funniest of a vulgar nature and often involving the story of Captain John Smith of Pocohantus fame) come off as utterly hilarious, but at the same time Barth manages to make you care just a little bit about them, as quirky as they are, they still come across as typically flawed human beings. Probably the best thing about the book is its sheer unpredictability, not shackled by the morals of the 16th century, anything and everything does happen, nobody is what they seem and situations shift gears so rapidly that it'll make your head spin even as you can't stop laughing. A truimph on nearly every level, this is something a lesser writer would have only managed to turn into a stale stylistic genre exercise, something to wow the kids in the creative writing workshop . . . what Barth creates here is something lasting and no matter what century it was written in or evokes, will probably wind up being timeless.

... but this and GILES GOAT-BOY are masterpieces of deconstructed Americana. The depth of Pynchon, the wit of Heller and Roth, the linguistic brilliance of, well, Barth: it's all here.