Annual Review of Plant Biology, Vol. 54 with Online Access (Annual Review of Plant Biology)

Customer Reviews:

Florida on Horseback-Excellent!!.......2007-03-16

We use it constantly to find new trails to explore and it makes a great gift for other Florida trail riders.

Expected maps of trails, got zippo.......2005-12-17

Advertized as a "Trail Rider's Guide," this book lacks the most important information a rider could want - maps of the trails! Reading her opinion of each trail is similar to reading movie reviews by critics: you may or may not agree with them. I already found several mistakes regarding trails near where I live (there is a map for Lake Park, I have one!) I have since found that a far better directory and maps are available from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Greenways & Trails. Save your money!

Heavens to Betsy!: & Other Curious Sayings
Average customer rating:

so-so

horrible format

Basically a dictionary....

Clever, informative and entertaining

Too many sayings for which the author didnt know the origin!

Heavens to Betsy!: & Other Curious Sayings
Charles E. Funk
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Etymology | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
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Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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Thereby Hangs A Tale: Stories of Curious Word Origins

A Hog on Ice: & Other Curious Expressions

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Do Penguins Have Knees? An Imponderables Book

Why Do We Say It: The Stories Behind the Words, Expressions and Cliches We Use

ASIN: 0060513314
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Book Description

He's as mad as a hatter!

Whether it's like a bump on a log or a bat out of hell, these expressions have been around forever, but we've never really known why ... until now! Finally Dr. Funk explains more than 400 droll, colorful, and sometimes pungent expressions of everyday speech. Derived from classical sources, historic events, famous literature, frontier humor, and the frailties of humankind, each of these sayings has an interesting story behind its origin.

If you've ever wondered why when you're in a hurry you are told to hold your horses, wonder no more!

Customer Reviews:

so-so.......2005-08-10

Though the book does explain the logic behind many "curious sayings", many others are simply described without any real explanation. Not as thorough as I had hoped.

horrible format.......2003-10-18

*
the format of this book is the worst i could ever imagine.
*
the sayings aren't in alphabetical order, and in no subject category or chapters.
*
the title of the book's quotation couldn't be answered in regard to origination, after pages of writing.
*
the table of the contents is not useful. for example, "three sheets in the wind" shows page 81, so on page 81 you had to look all over the page to find it listed under a totally different listing (drunk as a fiddle). and then it STILL didn't even mention "3S2DW"'s origination.
*
another example, the first slogan is "to play cat and mouse with one" -- why in the world would that slogan be first?
*
maybe others aren't as particular as i am, but i would pass on this book. pass it on to an incinerator, that is.

Basically a dictionary...........2001-07-13

I wanted to find out why we, as a society, say such things as "knock on wood" or "in one ear and out the other". Where does that come from? Who started it? I was extremely excited to purchase this book, thinking it would not only answer my questions, but be entertaining. It was a major disappointment. I found the reading very dull. The sayings were obviously well researched, giving origins, dates, and analizations of each words meaning; yet it was more like a dictionary than a story of how the sayings came about.

This book has been sitting in my bookcase since the day I bought it waiting for a rummage sale.

Clever, informative and entertaining.......1999-11-10

An excellent source; a good evening's read. Might just learn something while being entertained.

Too many sayings for which the author didnt know the origin!.......1999-05-06

While many of the entries were interesting, too many were included for which the author admitted he could only guess, or had no idea at all of the origin. Even the title phrase, "Heavens to Betsy" was a complete mystery to the author. Why pique our interest and then disappoint us? I think the author had a good thing going with his first books and just tried to "ride the gravy train" a little too long.

Heavens to Betsy and Other Curious Sayings

Average customer rating:

Heavens to Betsy and Other Curious Sayings
Charles Earle (editor) Funk
Manufacturer: Warner Paperback Library/ Warner Books Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000J22OA8

heavens to betsy & other curious sayings

Average customer rating:

heavens to betsy & other curious sayings
charles earle funk
Manufacturer: harper&row publshers,new york
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UTHYF0

Average customer rating:

Heavens to Betsy and Other Curious Sayings: Ooga, Ooga, Hooga, Booga

Average customer rating:

Heavens to Betsy and Other Curious Sayings: Ooga, Ooga, Hooga, Booga
Charles Earle Funk
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0060017406

Average customer rating:

Heavens to Betsy! and other curious sayings
Charles Earle Funk
Manufacturer: HarperPerennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEYMGU

Average customer rating:

Heavens To Betsy & Other Curious Sayings
Charles Funk
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEBLK0

Average customer rating:

HEAVENS TO BETSY! And Other Curious Sayings
Charles Earle Funk
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEXVOO

Average customer rating:

Heavens To Betsy! And Other Curious Sayings
Charles Earle; With illustrations by Funk, Tom Funk
Manufacturer: Harper-perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K0EZHY

Set 2 A Hog on Ice and Other Curious Expressions & Heavens to Betsy! and Other Curious Sayings

Average customer rating:

Set 2 A Hog on Ice and Other Curious Expressions & Heavens to Betsy! and Other Curious Sayings
Charles Earle Funk
Manufacturer: Harper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JJKZSY

Product Description

Set of two (2) titles by Charles Earle Funk : A Hog on Ice and Other Curious Expressions - the origin and development of th epungent and coloful phrases we all use. And Heavens to Betsy! and Other Curious Sayings - how more than 400 colorful and familiar expressions originated and developed.

Superman in Action Comics: Featuring the Complete Covers of the First 25 Years (Tiny Folio)
Average customer rating:

a great reference

Book is too small to capture the true cover art

A "Must Have" for any comic art fan!

Superman in Action Comics: Featuring the Complete Covers of the First 25 Years (Tiny Folio)
Mark Waid
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Superman Chronicles, Vol. 3

ASIN: 1558595953

Customer Reviews:

a great reference.......2006-07-10

This is a great addition to the collection of any Superman fan. This book provides clear images of the first 300 covers of Action comics, many of which are copies from the famous Mile High collection. You can tell which comic books are Mile Highs because they have the distinctive Mile High coding on the top of the comic books.

I don't know of any other book that provides a picture of every single cover, except Gerber's Photojournal Guide to Comics. While this book is not very large (about 4" by 4") has much larger images of the covers than Gerber's book.

It is handy to be able to see those covers at a glance, without having to pull those comics out of my collection. It also includes a summary of the artist for each cover shown. I would like to thank Mark Waid for putting this book together, so that people can appreciate those truly beautiful covers.

Book is too small to capture the true cover art.......2003-11-05

I was very disapointed after receiving this book. I have an extensive Superman book collection and looked forward to this item. I purchased it online and did not realize how small the book actually is (approximately 3" x 4"). The size does not do justice to the cover art work.

A "Must Have" for any comic art fan!.......2000-12-30

This book gives you each of the Superman covers. The second twenty five years are a little more polished and better than the first twenty five. The artistic simplicty and style of the times are apparent in this volume. A more innocent time; where comics did not attempt to recreate Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" with each passing month. The "Death of Superman" story did little more than make the character into a darker version. I'm glad the "All American" Superman is back though. His current stories reflect the classic character we all know and love.

Product Description

This one time cattle herder is now a popular guard dog. When properly trained it can become a loyal home companion. This book describes the Rottweiler origins and covers all aspects of care, feeding, and training. Instructs pet owners on health care, proper feeding and housing, and other facts important to owners and their pets. The book has high quality full-color photos and line drawings.

Customer Reviews:

Seen One, Ya Seen 'em All.......2006-12-11

Unlike the high praise I have for the German Shepherd Dog Handbook and the American Pit Bull Terrier handbook, this one has nothing that makes it stand out from other books of the same breed. The author also focuses 90% of the pages to general dog care, not Rottweiler specific information. That means you could find 90% of this books information in a book about any large and dominant breed, a book on dogs in general, or even in some dog encyclopedias. And you could find ALL OF IT in any other Rottweiler book. Now, that's not such a bad thing if you don't have any books on general dog care and want one with a Rottie twist but it is a VERY BAD thing if you're comming to this book as a student of the Rottweiler breed and hoping to learn something you don't already know! I reccomend the Rottweiler book in the "Happy Healthy Pet" series over this. While a lot of it is a reiteration of general dog care too, the Rottie specific information left me more satasfied as it goes deeper into the essence and history of this breed.

From the Author..........2001-08-15

This book is the culmination of roughly two years of research, travel, and interviews with top breeders, trainers, and rescue organizations devoted to the Rottweiler in both the United States and Germany. "The Rottweiler Handbook" contains chapters on: History of the Rottweiler (did you know that German historians say that "Rottweil" was *not* named for the red tiles, but for something else?); The Rottweiler Today; The Rottweiler as a Companion; The Rottweiler's Life Stages; Choosing the Rottweiler Puppy; Adopting the Adult Rottweiler; Preparing for the New Arrival; Welcome Home; Crate Training and House-training; Grooming and Feeding; Preventive Care; Common Diseases of the Rottweiler; The Basics of a Well-behaved Rottweiler; Beyond the Basics-Getting Involved; and Useful Addresses and Literature.

The book also contains more than 100 color photographs that were taken in both the United States and Germany.

The Rottweiler handbook
Average customer rating:
The Rottweiler handbook
Joan R Klem
Manufacturer: Hoflin Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0866670947

Book Description

Emmons Fashion Magic was the first jewelry to be sold at home parties, between 1949 and 1981, preceding its sister company, Sarah Coventry. Known for its versatility and quality, Emmons jewelry is highly collectible today and deserves a place in all costume jewelry collections. 580 stunning, full-color photographs show, for the first time, the wide range of over 1,300 named designs in various materials and colors that has made Emmons fashion jewelry so popular. Here, over 1,700 jewelry items appear in groups arranged by their materials and colors, for easy identification. The markings and dating clues are discussed. Captions identify the design names, pertinent construction details, and values. Packed with details about the C. H. Stuart companies, their "showcases" (sales catalogs), and marketing via home fashion shows, this is the ultimate Emmons sourcebook and a must-have reference for all jewelry collectors.

Book Description

Knowledgeable discussion of home water systems, potential water problems, and practical, money-saving solutions.

Home Water Supply: How to Find, Filter, Store & Conserve It
Average customer rating:
Home Water Supply: How to Find, Filter, Store & Conserve It
Stu Campbell
Manufacturer: Storey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0882664034

Book Description

In this volume, 16 contributions by specialists of political and religious history of Antiquity give a precious general overview of the diffusion of Egyptian cults in the West. The first part gives a very precise survey of the diffusion of Egyptian cults in the western Roman world, while the second part of the book is devoted to special fields usually considered as subsidiary (numismatics, lychnology, gemmology), but in fact essential for a better understanding of the success of the Isiac cults in the Graeco-Roman world between 330 BC and 400 AD.

Those Damn Horse Soldiers: True Tales of the Civil War Cavalry
Average customer rating:

An Overview of Cavalry Operations: But for the CW Novice

Don't Waste Your Hard-Earned Money

Those Damn Horse Soldiers: True Tales of the Civil War Cavalry
George Walsh
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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Battle of Monroe's Crossroads and the Civil War's Final Campaign

The History Buff's Guide to Gettysburg (Key People, Places, and Events) (Key People, Places, and Events)

ASIN: 0765312700
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Book Description

Many accounts of the Civil War battles, armies, and key figures have been written over the years, but none have looked at the bloodiest war in our nation's history through the eyes of the cavalry. The horse soldiers in the Civil War are often referred to as the last of the cavaliers, men who valued their honor as much as their cause. In this sweeping saga George Walsh brings to life anew the gallant horse soldiers of the North and South, showing in dramatic detail how their raids and expeditions affected the outcome of the war and how their fortunes waxed and waned.

Customer Reviews:

An Overview of Cavalry Operations: But for the CW Novice .......2007-02-16

This is not a deep book on Civil War Cavalry operations but basically a catalogue of famous to pretty well known cavalry operations during different phases of the Civil War. What you will find are activities by notable cavalrymen such as Forrest, Stuart, Mosby, Sheridan and Morgan along with lesser known such as Grierson, Stoneman and Wheeler. But giving the author credit, he does have the fascinating Wilson-Kautz raid that is a long raid behind the Petersburg line all the way to the Staunton River Bridge (near South Boston) while being pursued from behind by Fitz Lee. However, like most chapters dedicated to the various raids, it is typically a too short capsule. The book is a pretty good primer for someone with a novice interest in the Civil War but, for the well read, experience Civil War student, the tales of the raids are limited in depth and to a degree, too familiar, telling the basic, well known story. But for the less familiar, not a bad book to start with, particularly if you have limited knowledge of the primary subjects and are looking for short renditions. The limitation of virtually any maps does make these wide traveling raids difficult to follow.

Don't Waste Your Hard-Earned Money.......2006-12-25

George Walsh's _hose Damn Horse Soldiers: True Tales of the Civil War Cavalry_ was just published. The book is intended to be a one-volume study of Civil War cavalry operations. As a long-time student of Civil War cavalry operations, I had high hopes for it.

Instead, what I got was EVERYTHING that I hate most about Civil War books. The book is VERY broad brushstrokes overview, attempting to cover all Civil War cavalry operations in 480 pages. It covers the period 1862-1865, and tries to cover all theaters of the war. That, by definition, means that the book cannot provide the sort of detailed examination that I would otherwise expect out of this kind of a book. The discussion of the Battle of Brandy Station covers a total of six pages. A fourteen hour long battle that was the biggest cavalry battle ever fought on the North American continent, and it gets six pages. There is no depth and no analysis. It's just a narrative. I guess that's okay, but there is absolutely no substance to the book.

The book has no bibliography. That, in and of itself, precludes it from the list of books I would ever considering purchasing. The lack of a bibliography permits the author to hide the lack of substantive research since there's no recital of what sources were reviewed. It's a cheap and very lazy way out.

I had a chance to take a look at the end notes. They're quite spare, and what notes there are cite mainly to secondary sources. More than half of them cite to secondary sources. The rest are to readily available published primary sources such as the Official Records, the Southern Historical Society Papers and other similar sources. There were no references to any unpublished manuscript material whatsoever or to any newspaper sources. Few of the published primary sources are particular rare or difficult to find. In short, it is clear that the author did almost no research of any depth, and that what research he did was shallow at best.

There is not one single map in the book. Given the fact that it addresses several dozen actions (albeit not in any depth), unless the reader is familiar with those actions on his or her own, the readder will get absolutely no guidance or assistance in understanding these events from maps. In my humble opinion, books can never have enough maps, and the failure to include them is indicative of either extreme cheapness on the part of the publisher, laziness on the part of the author, or, worse yet, a combination of the both.

Finally, there is not a single illustration anywhere in the book. Again, given the numerous personalities who pop in and out of the story along the way, being able to match up a face with the name is an extremely useful and helpful thing, but there's not a single illustration to be found. Again, that represents either chintiziness on the part of the publisher, laziness on the part of the author, or some very unpleasant combination of both.

Another thing interested me. There are five blurbs on the back of the dust jacket. Two of them pertain to other books by the same author. The other three are about this book, but none of them are by anyone known or recognized as an authority on the Civil War. One of them is by the novelist Steven Coonts, best known for writing techno-thrillers. I have never heard of the other two blurbists. That nobody know as being a Civil War expert was asked to endorse this book ought to tell you everything you need to know about it.

Save your money. Don't buy this book. If you want an overview of Civil War cavalry operations, your money will be better spent on Samuel Carter's excellent 1982 book The Last Cavaliers: Confederate and Union Cavalry in the Civil War or Stephen Z. Starr's classic three-volume set, The Union Cavalry in the Civil War.

If I could give this book no stars, I would. Since I can't, I have to give it one.

Jump, Damn It, Jump! Memoir of a Downed B-17 Pilot in World War II

Average customer rating:

Jump, Damn It, Jump! Memoir of a Downed B-17 Pilot in World War II
Edward F., Jr. Logan
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
Untold Valor: Forgotten Stories of American Bomber Crews over Europe in World War II

ASIN: 0786425725

Product Description

Soon after the United States entered World War II, American ground and air forces were on their way to the European theater of operations. Among that offensive buildup was the 15th Air Force, consisting of four-engine heavy bombersthe B-17 and B-24as well as twin-engine medium bombers and several types of fighter aircraft. The 15th was first stationed in North Africa and then in southern Italy, where pilots could strike at any military target within a 700 mile radius. After ferrying a B-17 to England with the 8th Air Force, Lt. Edward Logan was transferred to the 15th Air Force, Fifth Wing, 483rd Bomb Group, 817th Bomb Squadron in Italy. Logan and members of his unit were assigned to use American air power to destroy the German militarys manufacturing and petroleum complexes as well as its intricate transportation system. This gripping memoir gives a detailed account of Logans experiences throughout his Army Air Corps career. It outlines the progression of a determined would-be pilot through two years of training, his 1944 journey to the wars theater and advent into actual combat. While other missions are summarized, the works main focus is the authors thirty-fourth combat mission, which took place in March 1945. During this operation, his B-17 bomber sustained damage so severe that he and nine crewmen were forced to bail out over enemy territory. Aided by Slovenian partisans, Logan and his crew evaded the German troops who were searching for them and returned safely to their base. This firsthand account includes insider details, technical specifications of the B-17 bomber and previously classified information. An epilogue provides additional information on the partisans and the composition of the 15th Air Force.

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics: The Manipulation of Public Opinion in America

Average customer rating:

Needs a Major Updating

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics: The Manipulation of Public Opinion in America
Michael Wheeler
Manufacturer: Dell Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0440351219

Customer Reviews:

Needs a Major Updating.......2006-10-26

A book that discusses the general problems of poll taking. Some pollsters are captured by the organizations that hire them and hesitant to deliver bad news. Some pollsters also want to present polling as an exact science, when the questionaires can often be slanted, and left leaning or right leaning pollsters with agendas can be hired to obtain the expected results. At what point is a pollster reporting the findings and at what point is it manipulationing public opinion. When the polls are dead wrong, the author cites many examples of the excuses given by the pollsters and the wiggle room pollsters depend on to maintain their integrity.
This is a dated book, mainly of politics in the Vietnam War era, and has a specific appeal to older Boston voters. The book really neeeds a sequel. Has the science of poll taking become more accurate? Are exit polls the solution? The general message of this book is that people should put as much faith on election polls and with the weather. forecasts.

This Damn House:: My Subcontract with America

Average customer rating:

Must read is you are doing any renovation
Read this before buying that cute "Fixer-Upper"

This Damn House:: My Subcontract with America
Margo Kaufman
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Clara: The Story of the Pug Who Ruled my Life
1-800-Am-I-Nuts
Pug Hill

ASIN: 0679428402
Release Date: 1996-02-27

Book Description

Rising satirical star Margo Kaufman portrays the mind-numbing, absurdist hilarity of home renovation in a cautionary tale that does for architects what The Hot Zone did for viruses, as a young couple tries to make their dream home become a reality.

Customer Reviews:

Must read is you are doing any renovation.......2000-12-17

My husband and I just got the first estimate from a contrator for a complete renovation of our kitchen. After the shock wore off, I decided my husband has to read this book. (I've read it before.) I was saddened that it is out of print. This is one of the best books I've read about dealing with home renovation ever. It will give you way more practical information about how not to lose your mind during a renovation than almost any home repair book I've read. I hope it goes back into print.

Read this before buying that cute "Fixer-Upper".......1997-08-26

If you are shopping for a house, or considering a renovation this book is the perfect Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware). Picture your dream house knee deep in McDonald's wrapper as your contractor explains why they are 6 months behind schedule. This Damn House will be able to provide laughter through your tears of frustration in dealing with the demons of home repair. The perfect housewarming gift. Anyone that has owned a house can tell you Kaufman speaks the truth, but makes it a whole lot less painfu

Those Damn Yankees: The Secret Life of America's Greatest Franchise

Average customer rating:

Wholly without a point
quell the nausea
Love it or hate it/love them or hate them
Bitter, even if skillful in style
Bitter, even if skillful in style

Those Damn Yankees: The Secret Life of America's Greatest Franchise
Dean Chadwin
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

History | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 1859842836

Amazon.com

Chadwin, himself a New Yorker, may need to travel the streets of his city more cautiously. While he presents a thorough, well-considered assessment of the history and current status of baseball's most venerable institution, Chadwin can't seem to find much good in the team's past or present; from the fans (chiefly the "Bleacher Creatures"--the cheap-seat-inhabiting zealots described here as homophobic, obnoxious, and insensitive) to the owner (Now that's a new idea: criticizing George Steinbrenner!) to beloved manager Joe Torre and the players themselves, he spares virtually no one in his criticism of the team.

Though many of Chadwin's critiques ring true, the same complaints could be made of countless other top athletic teams, in baseball and elsewhere. Still, he does acknowledge that professional sports are a business rather than a microcosm of society (as so many of us, particularly sportswriters, want to believe); Yankees fans, it must be said, are particularly savvy in this regard: "Within the Yankee Nation ... fans embrace a 'Just Win, Baby' belief system because they know that the game contains no unique moral dimension that elevates it above other human endeavors." No matter what, Americans--and, most importantly, New Yorkers--will continue to love them. --Leah Ball

Book Description

This paperback edition of Dean Chadwin's widely-discussed book has been expanded to include the Yankee's World Series appearance in the 1999 season. The New York Yankees have won twenty-five championships, more than any other American professional sports franchise. The team's rich history includes a color bar, the towering home runs and bottomless appetites of Babe Ruth, the early and intensely lamented death of Lou Gehrig, frequent labor disputes between players and owners, and the free verse of Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto. The 1999 season has emerged as one of the franchise's most memorable both on and off the field. As the squad raced through an all-time record for victories to win the World Series, observers wondered whether the club's stadium would return to its wandering ways of a century ago. The Yankees abandoned Baltimore in 1902. After seventy-five years in the Bronx, Yankee management are now pursuing a move to Manhattan or the suburbs that could tap into millions of public dollars. Those Damn Yankees is a riveting and unconventional foray into the murky underworld of baseball, from the incipient sexual desire of young girls visiting the Derek Jeter on-line fansite to the boozy macho heart of the Yankee Nation in the now-endangered bleachers. In compelling asides, Dean Chadwin looks at issues such as baseball's cult of memory, numerology in sport and society, the emergence of an anti-competitive baseball league of haves and have-nots, and a sporting cartel's exploitation of inter-city economic warfare.

Customer Reviews:

Wholly without a point.......2004-05-03

It's hard to find anything to like about this book.

Not surprising, as author Dean Chadwin finds it hard to find something to like about, well, anything.

Chadwin's book is puzzling. While most works of non-fiction have a point - chronicling an era or person or event, informing about a topic, or editorializing on an issue - Chadwin seems to have forged ahead with little point outside the notion that the Yankees are not only the Great Evil of baseball, but one of the great evils of the world. If he could have pinned the first World War on the Yankees, he would have.

Space is allotted for diatribes on racism (the Yankees, you'll note, are a racist organization), homophobia (the Yankees have a special something that draws homophobes to the team, it seems), bad business (the Yankees are Enron and Standard Oil rolled into one) and New York politics (no, we're unsure how this is relevant to the team allegedly being chronicled, but darnit, Rudy is a bad guy). Chadwin makes it a point to tell us Steinbrenner is a bad guy (really?), that Yankee players are all tainted (they were, after all, Yankees), that most bad people around baseball can be traced back to the Yankees (he will bend over backwards to link bad behavior and the team), and that the so-called "bleacher creatures" represent Yankee fans as a whole (a bunch of loathsome, homophobic, racist drunkards, if Chadwin's book is to be believed).

Make no mistake, the author can write. His prose never bores, the pacing is good, and he can turn a phrase. Those looking for a tome that will help reinforce their Yankee hatred will relish in this book. It's certainly well put together.

For most readers, especially those looking for a good book about baseball or the New York Yankees, this will be a book you'll want to skip. It's about neither. It's about the author's politics.

Dean Chadwin's book isn't to be skipped because its target is the cherished New York Yankees - have at them, I say - it's to be skipped because it's little more than a lengthy rant without a point by a bitter man.

At least, that's how it reads. Once. Because it's not worth reading twice.

quell the nausea.......2001-11-04

I've argued this point too often to defend it again here; let me just state it : Men are conservative. One result of this political bias is that, for the most part, sports coverage tends to be fairly conservative too. Sure, sports writers and fans may moan about player salaries and big market teams, giving themselves a faint patina of egalitarianism, but as a general rule, don't begrudge them the money much, and, for all the lip service given to competitive balance, are never happier than when great teams come along. Take Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls for example; you never heard a peep about the gazillion dollars that Michael made or about the fact that no one else had any shot at the title. Those years, during which the NBA hit its all time peak in popularity, will be remembered for the dominance of not merely one team, but one player.

Likewise, in those years where the NFL is truly competitive and small market teams have a shot at the Super Bowl, no one watches the games. The Rams vs. the Titans may have been a nice story, but no one followed it. Meanwhile, on most other issues, fans and journalists are positively reactionary. The trend towards old style ballparks, classic uniforms, and more traditional rules are all manifestations of a core belief that most sports were better forty years ago than they are today.

So it is a rather extraordinary thing when an author pens a sports book that can truly be described as politically radical. The Yankees are to Dean Chadwin as the Soviet Union was to Ronald Reagan--the focus of evil in the modern world. This book is a frequently funny, always splenetic, only sometimes ridiculous, tirade aimed at the racism, homophobia, exploitativeness, acquisitiveness, ignorance, intolerance, duplicity, and greed of George Steinbrenner, the fans, the athletes, baseball in general, and Rudy Guliani, and the other politicians who are so eager to spend public money to keep or lure professional franchises.

Personally, I grew up in Northern New Jersey, where there were only two kinds of people. Those who rooted for the Yankees/Giants/Rangers/Knicks were the worst kind of front running filth, the kind of people who would have remained Loyalist during the American Revolution, or, were they French (and they nearly were) would have been Vichy rather than Resistance. These people expected victory as something of a birthright, and weren't particular about how it was secured. The rest of us, though we liked to see our teams win periodically (the Mets in '69, '73, '86 seemed to have an adequate pace), actually did not peg our loyalties to championships--we stuck by our squads even at their most hopeless (and perhaps only a lifelong Nets fan can truly even comprehend the meaning of the word "hopeless."). Now I live in New England, root (as one must) for the Red Sox (though still a Met fan too) and have drunk deep at the well of Yankee hatred. So I thoroughly enjoyed the sheer venom that Chadwin spews in this book. It goes over the edge in certain places and some of his political beliefs are simply too absurd to be taken seriously, but he's right on the money about what a boondoggle all of this publicly funded stadium construction is, and the book is generally such a drastic change of pace from the glut of onanistic Yankee hagiographies we've been inundated with over the years that he deserves credit just for swimming against the hegemonic pinstriped tide.

It is necessary to loathe the Yankees. And while it is not necessary to read this book in order to summon the appropriate loathing, it certainly helps. The next time some Billy Crystal/Bob Costas type wells up when talking about how the best day of his childhood was that day at the Stadium when Mickey hit two, grab this book and turn to pretty much any page, it will surely help quell the nausea.

GRADE : C

Love it or hate it/love them or hate them.......2000-11-15

There are really only three ways to take this book. Love the Yanks = hate the book; hate the Yanks = like the book; or, prefer an opinionated, well-researched, theoretical, political, interesting, polemical treatment of baseball over the usual insipid drivel = love the book.

Bitter, even if skillful in style.......2000-10-06

The author, while clearly skillful in his use of language, yet shows an unmistakable bitterness against Giuliani and the Yankees, while presenting an unconvincing case for his convictions. I was surprised at how shallow his sentences were in content, though composed in rather sophisticated style. He has a gift with words but his thoughts are not coherent, with passions evidently more ruled by a personal contempt for the Yankees and those who rule in New York than anything genuinely factual about the team or the city's leaders. It is one thing to truly expose the faults of those who succeed; it is quite another to simply hate them because they succeeded. The former may be a public service, but the latter is nothing but petty jealousy. The latter is what I found in this disappointing book.

Bitter, even if skillful in style.......2000-10-03

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AMERICA DAMN
Dwight Davis , and Dada X
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Damn the Torpedos! The Story of America's First Admiral: David Glasgow

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Damn the Torpedos! The Story of America's First Admiral: David Glasgow
CHRISTOPHER- MARTIN
Manufacturer: See notes
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ASIN: B000RQO3T6

Damn the torpedos!: The story of America's first admiral: David Glasgow Farragut,

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Intricate reading for a non-reading early teen active male

Damn the torpedos!: The story of America's first admiral: David Glasgow Farragut,
Christopher Martin
Manufacturer: Abelard-Schuman
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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Intricate reading for a non-reading early teen active male.......1997-12-27

Chronicles the rise of young boy through heady sea-faring days of our growing nation. Young man taken from home and hearth and placed at the hands of seasoned travelers and their time honored traditions. Its a world of true responsibility, where each member of the crew is a factor in the entire ships survival.

THE EPIC DAMN POEM FROM AMERICA SINCE WORLD WAR II AND OTHER VERSES

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THE EPIC DAMN POEM FROM AMERICA SINCE WORLD WAR II AND OTHER VERSES
J. V. Nickles
Manufacturer: Self-Published
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ASIN: B000MJ5TLO

Giving More Than a Damn: A Study of Household & Individual Charitable Contributions (Nonprofit Institutions in America)

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Giving More Than a Damn: A Study of Household & Individual Charitable Contributions (Nonprofit Institutions in America)
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Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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