3 comments about The Mothman's Photographer II: Meetings With Remarkable Witnesses Touched by Paranormal Phenomena, UFOs, and the Prophecies of West Virginia's Infamous Mothman.

1. This book is not only full of Mothy goodness, but much more.
   
   Andy Colvin shows there is much more going on with Mothman than just the sightings of the creature. There are endless synchronicities and connections with other paranormal subjects, as well as fringe science such as mind control.
   
   Honestly I think you could take the research in this book and make a great conspiracy/paranormal thriller film from it.
   
   You get so much with this book -- interviews with Andy and dozens of other interesting people that have something to add to the Mothman tale. There are witnesses and esoteric legends like John Keel adding their two cents.
   
   I would think this is required reading not only for those interested in Mothman, but anyone interested in the paranormal, ufos and/or conspiracy.
   
   Two thumbs up for Andy!



2. Last night, I finished reading Andy Colvin's book, The Mothman's Photographer II. This is one of those books that is essential reading for those of you fascinated with Mothman.
   
   Somewhat appropriately, and like the Mothman mystery itself, the book is full of all sorts of twists and turns, dark and disturbing scenarios, contains as many questions as it does answers, and definitely defies convention.
   
   The book basically tells the very personal story of Colvin's interest in, and obsession with, the Mothman; something that began in his childhood in the sixties when he and his friends constructed a "shrine" to the Mothman - and after which strange and bizarre things began happening to Colvin, to his family, and to those around him.
   
   In many ways, Colvin's book is more mind-bending than John Keel's The Mothman Prophecies. But this is a good thing: rather than simply go over old ground, and recount the original story, Colvin describes for us how the Mothman personally affected, manipulated, and possibly guided, his own life experiences, right through to the present day.
   
   And it's written in an appropriately unconventional style too: via interviews, transcripts, personal comments and thoughts, and more.
   
   For those who view Mothman as purely a crypto-zoological puzzle, you'll find yourselves at odds with Colvin, who places the creature in a very different category.
   
   Essentially, Colvin views the Mothman as being akin to the Garuda - the majestic bird-like entity of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. Colvin's view is that the presence of the Mothman at the Point Pleasant, West Virginia bridge-collapse of 1967 (as described in Keel's book) was not in any way sinister.
   
   Rather, Colvin sees the Mothman/Garuda as being basically a benign entity, and one that surfaces from its strange realm of existence at times of peril and strife, and when things are distinctly ill with the world. Part-helper, part-guide, it's inextricably linked with us - but generally for the better, Colvin believes.
   
   But it's also a creature whose presence should not be taken lightly - nor should the fact that the creature's presence at Point Pleasant may have been tied in with a whole host of other activity, including classified government projects in the fields of mind-manipulations and psychotronics, synchronicities, the Men in Black, dark and tragic prophecies, the world of big-business, the military-industrial complex, and much more.
   
   The Mothman's Photographer II is a fantastically strange trip into a world without rules, where just about anything goes, and where convention is thrown out of the window. But it works - and it works very well.
   
   If you read the book, you are likely going to come away with a new view (or, at the very least, a modified view) of Mothman, thanks to a man who had the vision and guts to follow his instinct and present his data, ideas, theories and thoughts to those willing to listen.
   
   And, given the fact that it seems the nature of Colvin's life was almost pre-destined from the day he first immersed himself in the world of the Mothman, perhaps he was meant to write the book. And perhaps we're all meant to read it. If so, Colvin has done us a great service in providing a book that is unique, unusual, riveting reading, and beyond thought-provoking.
   
   Read and prepare to have your mind blown, bent, reorganized and, if you get the message, elevated, too.



3. Andrew Colvin has put together an amazing, detailed, and compendious book on sightings of the Mothman, or Garuda, whose visage Colvin has apparently captured on film--but which also touches on the Rockefellers, the Manson Family, The Philadelphia Experiment, Union Carbide, and strange 1967 premonitions of the destruction of the World Trade Center.
   
   With transcripts of his interviews by the excellent Keith Hansen ("Vyzygoth") framing the work, Colvin weaves a fascinating tapestry of synchronicity, anomaly, and unexplained occurrence. There are transcripts also of talks by Grey Barker and John Keel, and of Colvin's own television program, The Mothman's Photograper, with annotations and asides by Colvin throughout. There is much, much more, though.
   
   The Garuda has been legendary throughout human history as a harbinger and a protector--an inspirer of prophetic visions. That this legend would manifest itself to Americans in the 21st century is, in Colvin's view, some cause for alarm--and comfort. Alarm, because its appearance usually foretokens disaster; comfort, because those visited are forewarned and forearmed. Colvin's friends and family in and around Mound, West Virginia speak eloquently of their visitations.
   
   My recommendation is that you unplug the phone, toss aside the iPod, shoot the television and spend a weekend delving into this most fascinating book.

No comments about The Shipwrecked Men (Penguin Great Journeys).

4 comments about The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty: Wilderness Guide, Pilot, and Conservationist.

1. Reading this book will bring back many memories for anyone who knew
   Clarence either first hand or by reputation. For others who simply have experienced Adirondack adventures, it may inspire a sense of awe that one man could accomplish so much.



2. Let me begin with my biggest complaint regarding this book: No map of the Adirondack Park. Although this book purports to be the biography of Clarence Petty, it is a sketchy bio at best with the principal focus on the creation of this wilderness area in upper New York State. And yet, although this book constantly gives names of places and sections of the Park, not one map to help the reader better understand the forces at work here. I subtract two rating stars right off the top for this oversight. There is a map, a sketch actually, of a few square miles of the area in which Clarence grew up and currently lives. This brings me to my second complaint. Throughout the book, author Christopher Angus states that Clarence lived/lives in Coreys. But, if you look at the sketch in the book and then go to other resources, you find out that that is not true. Clarence's home is on Coreys Road. The hamlet of Coreys is another place entirely, approximately 20 miles to the north, and Coreys Road goes nowhere near Coreys. The book is pretty much a straightforward, simple and unstylistic narrative with appropriate quotes from individuals and other printed sources. One big bonus: Terrific photographs of the people involved in their natural setting. Yet, when I was done with the book, I had the sensation that I knew more than was necessary about the politics of the park, and precious little about Mr. Petty. Of course, his life revolved to such a great extent around the Adirondacks, that both had to be included. But, there is so much more to Clarence. For instance, no other place on earth inspired him to the extent these mountains did, except Alaska. We are told that he made more than half a dozen trips there, but only one is given any exposure, and then only cursorily. I would have liked to learn more about the other trips and what he found there that so moved him. We are told that he was an active letter writer promoting his thoughts on the environment. We get pieces of a letter or two, but not enough to give us an impression of the man. Several well-chosen letters in their entirety would have helped here. We are told he was often on the opposite side of environmental arguments with his older brother Bill, but there's very little evidence given to support that. More comments by both brothers on these debates would have been interesting and thought provoking. Further, except for environmental topics, we get precious little of the philosophy of this Adirondack original who is still driving at 99, who stopped giving pilot instructions at 94, who, for most of the year, lives by himself in the middle of this wilderness. I would have thought the author would have at least asked this man, who is only months away from becoming a centenarian, to what does he attribute his long, vigorous life? Good genes; an exceptionally active body and mind; a special diet; not smoking; not drinking? Or on that one occasion when he chose to imbibe, what thoughts and sensations flooded his mind? What lessons has he learned from life that he wants to impart to those coming after him? Clarence Petty is a remarkable human being, a pioneering environmentalist, activist, and aviator. You'll get the flavor of this man from this book, but not his essence. We need the "Bam!"



3. I have to say that I'm impressed with Clarence Petty's life. It almost makes me wish I was born in the Adirondacks around the turn of the century. Most people don't have lives much less the great life he has. It's a good story and the best part is that it's all true.



4. Any biography that states in its title "extraordinary...journey" has a great deal to live up to. This is especially true if the person is only regionally known. However, the life of Clarence Petty is nothing short of amazing and his life story confirms him as a living legend.

   Author Christopher Angus ("Reflections From Canoe Country: Paddling the Water of the Adirondacks and Canada") has taken on the voluminous task of writing the life story of a man who was bred, worked and still lives in the Adirondack Park. Clarence Petty was born to a poor backwoods wilderness guide and lived his life in countless professions all in the name of the environment.

   This is not a mundane tale of a "Dudley Doright". The reader soon discovers that Mr. Petty grew from being a well respected wilderness guide into a Federal and State conservationist, all the while honing his skills as a first class aviationist. Between these two professions Mr. Petty traveled the world. From dangerous missions over the Pacific in World War II to environmental works over Alaska and the Adirondack mountains, Clarence Petty moved forward to serve and protect the environment in which he lives. Also worth noting are the staggering number of conservancy organizations to which Mr. Petty belongs and contributes. There are few Presidents, Governors or other noteworthy politicians that Clarence Petty has not met in the last several decades. It is interesting to note that his viewpoint of politicians is adamantly level headed but not without strong opinion.

   If the reader is not familiar with some of the colorful Adirondack legends of the past century, there are some pleasant surprises. His family personally knew all of them and the truth behind most. These tales are woven through the upbringing of Clarence Petty and serve as a time table to his growth. Exciting stories from mountain and river mappings to political controversies over the Adirondack Park fill the saga of Clarence Petty. The reader can not help but wonder what keeps a man like this going so stealthily for so long. His story is impressive.

   People like Clarence Petty seem to be put on this earth at a time they are needed most. His influence and hard work to save the qualities of the Adirondack wilderness through the most crucial era of its' existence is inspiring. Mr. Petty's story is told in an unsentimental, yet moving manner.

   The foreword is written by Dr. Anne LaBastille, a close friend of Clarence Petty and author of the "Woodswoman" series, as well as environmental gems like, "Mama Poc" and "Jaguar Totem". Her latest book, "Woodswoman IIII" has just been released.

No comments about To the Arctic by Canoe 1819-1821: The Journal and Paintings of Robert Hood, Midshipman With Franklin.

1 comments about Exploring with Lewis and Clark: The 1804 Journal of Charles Floyd.

1. Strongly recommended for academic library collections as an American History primary resource, Exploring With Lewis And Clark: The 1804 Journal Of Charles Floyd presents a journal of expeditionary writings by Sergeant Charles Floyd, one of the first three men enlisted in Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. Born in 1782, Floyd kept a precise diary of the expedition, yet he sadly succumbed to a ruptured appendix and became the only member to die during this epic journey of discovery, losing his life near present-day Sioux City. Exploring with Lewis and Clark photographically reproduces the pages Floyd wrote in his own handwriting, a typeface transcript for easy reading, extensive historical and context notes, and a thoughtfully informative introduction. Skillfully edited by James Holmberg and illustrated with a handful of photographs and artwork, Exploring With Lewis And Clark is a superbly presented primary source of American history, and an impressive contribution to the study of the Lewis & Clark expedition that is not to be missed.

1 comments about Finding the North Pole.

1. This is a facsimile copy of a very common 1909 "book" cheaply produced in 1909 and rushed to market to cash in on the sensation of the Cook hoax. In fact, the facsimile method shows up in some broken text but mostly in the poor photo quality. I have scanned and restored (digitally) many photos from the (1909) original so I know they can be made into decent prints. However, when this arrived I could tell that the publisher spent no time or effort restoring images - they are simply washed out facsimiles.

   Used but original edition of "Finding The North Pole" are so common they just about drop out trees if you look on the used market or even ebay, so I can't fathom why this was put back in print. There can't be much demand for it as it was a hastily assembled venture of sensational and inaccurate information. The publisher simply couldn't wait to rush something to print in 1909 when Cook tried to claim he had miraculously reached the Pole before the Peary expedition. Shortly after publication, in fact, Cook was run out of town when his "data" was called a "childish attempt at cheating" by the scientists who examined it.

   Mark Twain said that "A lie can travel halfway around the world in the time it takes the truth to put on its shoes". This book was a perfect testament to that clever observation in 1909. One wonders why the lie has to be put back on the market 90 years later. Maybe not everyone reads Twain?

   This reprint is probably useful to researchers who want to appreciate what misinformation was presented to the "man on the street" during the brief 1909 "polar controversy" without contracting mildew from an original.

No comments about Hashish: A Smuggler's Tale (Penguin Classics).

5 comments about South: The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurance.

1. SOUTH: THE LAST ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION
   
   Here is a list of equipment that Sir Ernest Shackleton did NOT have for his memorable Endurance expedition: GPS location finders; radio ; RADAR, SONAR; computerized navigation; professional medical care; thermal clothes; MRE'S (Meals Ready To Eat), double steel hull; air and logistical support, public relations agents; marketing proposals; lawyers.
   Shacketon's crew navigated with a sextant; traversed the icecap with dog sleds instead of ski-doos, and ate canned herring, tinned meat, pemmican, biscuits and occasional seals.
   
   What he did have was an old ship, a strong crew, an incredible work ethic, classic British stoicism and unerring sense of the right thing to do.
   
   His book reads like a Robert Louis Stevenson or H.G. Welles story, but it is the unvarnished truth. His matter -of -fact account is brilliantly illustrated by Frank Hurley's dramatic black & white photos of The Endurance encapsulated in ice, its masts and spars dripping frozen water like the maritime apparition in Melville's "Benito Cereno."
   I seriously doubt whether a modern expedition equipped with all the bells and whistles and sponsored with corporate money could duplicate what Shackleton's Endurance accomplished under the most adverse circumstances imaginable.
   Because the Endurance expedition occurred in 1914-15 at the start of World World War I
   Shackleton's accomplishment was largely overshadowed, and the Antarctic was all but forgotten until the `fifties and `sixties when its scientific and strategic value was rediscovered.
   Now, as the Antarctic ice cap melts from global warming, one wonders at Shackleton's accomplishment.



2. After more than a year of seeing pretty much nothing but ice and snow, and living in, at times, sub-zero temperatures, Sir Ernest Shackleton writes about his camp's current conditions; "Drifts four feet deep covered everything, and we had to be continually digging up our scanty stock of meat to prevent its being lost altogether... On this day, and for the next two or three also, it was impossible to do anything but get right inside one's frozen sleeping bag to try and get warm. Too cold to read or sew, we had to keep our hands well inside, and pass the time in conversation with each other." He's so matter-of-fact... no fluff here. He just tells it like it is. I love that about this book. The conditions worsen by leaps and bounds as the story continues, but I'll leave that for you to explore on your own. Anyway, the first few chapters are very informative regarding how the expedition was planned, where they were headed, how they got there, etc... for me, it started a little slow, but I understand why the writer wanted to include this information. So, then you get into the "meaty" survival stuff... and is it ever so fascinating. And for me, it's especially fascinating because it doesn't seem to be sugar-coated, as so many writers are proned to do when telling their story. In fiction, I don't mind so much the way a writer gives you every detail, written ever so eloquently, but when it comes to true stories... especially survival stories, I personally just want to hear the straight talk. A GREAT SURVIVAL STORY AND PERFECTLY WRITTEN for this reader.



3. When the Antarctic explorer ship Endurance became trapped by ice in the opening days of World War I, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his companions found themselves stranded for the winter. Months later, when the ice floe that had been their "home" became unstable as spring breakup began, the party - with their ship long since broken apart - took to their three open boats, and made their way to Elephant Island. There they set up a precarious camp, where most of the group waited while Sir Ernest and a few carefully chosen companions struck out for South Georgia. That South Atlantic island, 800 miles away, was known to have year-round British inhabitants.
   
   Those are the bare facts of one of the great true adventures, a story told here by Sir Ernest himself. His dry writing style may take some slogging, at first, for contemporary (especially American) readers; but his wit is equally dry, and his descriptions vivid. I was especially interested to note the differences between the Shackleton party's attitudes and those of today. Not only is this a magnificent survival tale (NOT ONE of Shackleton's men died!); it's also a snapshot of how those quintessential English explorers of another era thought about the world they were discovering. For better or for worse, how times and attitudes have changed!



4. What an expedition! There is a lot to be learned about leadership and survival by the adventurers on this journey. If you like men against the elements, who survive by their wits and never ever give up, this is the tale for you. A great winter read.



5. Shackleton was an amazing man full of true grit and true leadership. Among the many things that stand out in his story of survival is the importance of keeping a journal. Even after many supplies and equipment were left on the ice, the men were instructed to continue to carry their journals. And what if they had not? Where would be the true story that outshines most fictional adventure stories in the minds and imaginations of many, including myself?

   If you want to read more about Antarctica, I suggest T.H. Baughman's "Before the Heroes Came."

5 comments about The Sinking of the Titanic & Great Sea Disasters: Thrilling Stories of Survivors with Photographs and Sketches.

1. I find the reviews and the editor of the corrent listed book "Sinking of the Titanic Thrilling Stories Told by Survivors" interesting. My own copy is Blue Cloth with the same type of picture on the cover only the ship is going in the direction of the spine.

   My copy is called: MEMORIAL EDITION SINKING OF THE TITANIC THRILLING STORIES TOLD BY SURVIVORS and story authored by Jay Henry Mowbray, Ph.D..,LL.D. and published by The Mintor Company, Harrisburg, Pa. Entered According to Act of Congress in the year 1912, by Geo. W. Burton, The Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington D.C., U.S.A.

   This is a very interesting likeness to my own copy and if it is as interesting to read, is excellent study of human nature.




2. My father, before retiring, was an insurance saleman. Sometime in the early '60's, (I am now 48), a customer gave him what was an original hard-copy edition of this book (published in 1912). Although the cover isn't in the greatest shape, it is still usable. It was this book and the early '50's movie, Titanic, with Barbara Stanwick and Clifton Webb, that started a 40 some year interest in the events surrounding the Titanic, before, during and after her sinking. My interest has at least remained the same or increased.

   I find that the book has many interesting black & white pictures and towards the end lists other sea disasters up until that time.

   It also has a some information on the investigation of the sinking in it.

   If for no other reason, the fact that it came out the same year as the sinking is worthy of interest.




3. I have recently come across an "Advance Copy" of Logan Marshall's original book "The Sinking Of The Titanic And Great Sea Disasters". This is before the original was completed. It also contains complete bulk order sheets in the back of the book. The book states that the material in the book may be corrected or revised in completed book. I would appreciate any info that anyone could send me on this book, I cannot seem to find out anything about it. If anyone has any info. Please email me at rickcrispen@hotmail.com Thank You!



4. I have the original printing in good shape.Would be interested in knowing its value. I couldn't put the book down when I read it. I especially liked the survivor stories.



5. I have the original"Sinking of The Titanic and other great sea disasters" written by Logan Marshall. Copywrite 1912. Can you please inform me of possibly the value or importance of my book. Im 15 years old and recieved this book as a christmas gift. I would greatly appreciate your help in return. Please let me know any information you may have at my E-mail adress: snowbunny687@icqmail.com. Thanking you in advance Truly, Tina

No comments about The Man Who Made the Monitor: A Biography of John Ericsson, Naval Engineer.