5 comments about "Wild Bill" Hickman and the Mormon Frontier.

1. Interestingly enough, this book was written by a lady who found out that she was related to Mr. Hickman. This is a man who was a bodyguard for both Joseph Smith as well as Brigham Young. There is the forever question, Were there Danites?" And, if so, "What were they? And, what did they do?" This is a well thought out book. Her report is mostly documentary with personal pursuasions regarding the validity of certain things said by Mr. Hickman in his autobiography. I feel as though the author has a pretty good common sense approach in applying her rearch and explaining her reasons for accepting or rejecting certain statements make by him. I read it as a companion book to "Wild Bills'" autobiography. An excellent read for me.



2. I found this book to be very informative on a factual and personal level as I am one of Hickman's descendants. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the early days of Utah.



3. Bill Hickman was one of the most interesting rogues in Mormonism. A self¬styled enforcer for the church, his career is deserving of a high-caliber biography. Unfortunately, "`Wild Bill' Hickman and the Mormon Frontier" is not of high caliber.
   
   Bill Hickman grew up in Missouri and in 1838 affiliated with the Mormon church, quickly becoming a member of the Danite vigilante group that terrorized dissidents. Migrating to Utah, Hickman continued his violent lifestyle, where his activities included, among others, guerilla operations in the 1857-1858 Mormon War. Hickman admitted to the murders of several people, suggesting that he had been taking orders from Brigham Young. When his activities became embarrassing to the church, Hickman engaged in a game of power politics, playing Mormon and government officials against each other. He was successful for a time, but his violence eventually made him persona non grata in both camps. In 1872 he published an expose, "Brigham's Destroying Angel," which implicated the Mormon leadership in his misdeeds. Hickman finally died in 1883 in obscurity near Lander, Wyoming.
   
   Hilton's book has several problems. As one example, there is a disturbing lack of documentation. She declares in the preface that footnotes "can be distracting," and that she "instead tried to provide enough information within the text to allow the reader to locate the appropriate reference in the bibliography" (p. xi). Unfortunately, locating sources is nearly impossible in many cases, especially in instances where it would be most useful.
   
   The author also fails to organize the work into a coherent form. For instance, in a chapter entitled "The RLDS in Utah," less than a full page is devoted to that subject, and the remainder is concerned with other Hickman activities not related to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
   
   But these are minor difficulties compared to central questions left perplexingly unexplored. Hilton's inability to deal with the difficult issue of what was fact and what was fancy in "Brigham's Destroying Angel," despite a promise to do so in the preface, was disappointing. Was it written out of spite? What basis in fact did it have? Additionally, and it is fundamental to considering the career of Hickman, what was his relationship to Brigham Young? Young was clearly aware of Hickman's lawlessness but still used him to carry out dangerous assignments, until Hickman's reputation became so colored that it significantly hurt the church. Hilton does not know or does not care about Young's role in murders and other felonies apparently committed by Hickman. Did Hickman carry out his activities at the direction of the church? The work is unclear on such crucial questions.
   
   "`Wild Bill' Hickman and the Mormon Frontier" is a mildly interesting book, but a full understanding of this man's career awaits additional work. Hickman remains a subject in need of a good critical biography.



4. "Wild Bill" Hickman And The Mormon Frontier is a fascinating biography of William Adams ("Wild Bill") Hickman, by his descendant, Hope A. Hilton. Wild Bill was one of the most notorious figures of the 19th century American frontier. A Mormon (who was eventually excommunicated) married ten wives under the Mormon doctrine of polygamy, and who fathered thirty-five children, served as a spy for church presidents Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and operated as a guerilla of the Utah war. All of this and much, much more, accurately depicts a colorful western figure's life is plainly presented, and makes for a fascinating look at the Old West within the context of the Mormon community in the western frontier that was to eventual form the states of Utah, Idaho, western Nevada, and northern Arizona.



5. Wild Bill Hickman and the Mormon Fronter is an action-packed biography of the author's grandfather that puts together the life of one of Utah's living legends. Not much has been written about Bill Hickman in book-length form. Though a direct descendant of the subject of the book, Hope Hilton remains detached and avoids the glorification syndrome so often seen with family history writing. Bill Hickman led a colorful life, a life that many would consider to be the antithesis of the ideals which are espoused by the Mormon church. Hilton maintained that Hickman "killed more men than he saved." In this biography one learns that Brigham Young may have been responsible for ordering some of the killings allegedly perpetrated by Hickman. Hilton obtained much of her information from Hickman's autobiography Brigham's Destroying Angel, which Hickman wrote following his apostasy from the Mormon church. Therefore, much of his material might be questionable, as his autobiography was written during bitter times. The author takes the reader through every major phase of Hickman's life, from the east to the west coast, and finally ending with Hickman's death, couched in relative obscurity. I would recommend this book to all those who enjoy a touch of rebellion and excitement.

5 comments about A Charge to Keep.

1. I've never seen another book that gets mostly just 1-star or 5-star ratings. That's how it manages the 3-star average. Don't bother reading the reviews. They depend only the political views of the writer, and not really on the book at all.
   
   However, it's worth noting that by far most of the bad grammar and spelling in the reviews are from the voters who gave the book 5 stars. I can't imagine that that has ever happened with another book.



2. This book was written during the pivotal time in Bush's life between serving as Governor of Texas and choosing to run for the U.S. Presidency.
   
   Without checking his facts or follow-through, the book fairly outlines several topics both personal and political where Bush feels passionately. In one sense the book is a fairly candid insight into the man -- I would say that his presidence is fairly consistent with the outline in this book -- and in another it's a fairly cozy memoir covering his daughters, his ownership of the Texas Rangers, his drinking and his courtship and marriage with his wife.
   
   In another sense there is very little balance between Bush the successful leader and Bush the mistaken official. Almost every report here gives off only positive vibes. He speaks of learning here and there and moving on from his mistakes but in retrospect perhaps the whole book was an outline of what to expect of him as president -- results, devotion and faith-enriched judgment.
   
   It's a history without a lot of pith meriting a read only because it is the man himself talking. Here and there he tells his side of things as only he can attest, but usually we're treated only to Bush's unflinching optimism and hand-wringing anecdotes of his rosy results.
   
   If it weren't for the source, this book is not one to remember.



3. first of all...you stupid libs down here spraying your political rants and insane lies...go critique a michael more rag will you!
   
   Some made the point this book doesn't give any new insights in the political mind of the president, and that's true, but it does a great job painting a picture of the man george W. Bush and his outlook on life...written before his defeating of enviromental cry-baby al gore the book talks about Bush as a father, husband, friend, neighbour...a side we don't see very often anymore after he took back the white house.
   
   The book helps people remember Bush is human like every-one else...we learn a bit about his character and what's important to him. We read about the things that matter to him, the things libs refer too when they call him dumb, like loving the outdoors, being part of a comunity, working for your money (that's the #1 liberal 'no!no!'), raising your kids right,...
   
   if you're a liberal, don't bother...this book won't help you "get it"...you don't have the IQ to "get it". If your interested in what bush is like in normal life, how he became the man (not the politician) he is today...read this book as an introduction to the life of the greatest president the world ever had safe for R.Reagan.



4. If I had read this before the 2000 election. I would have learned that Americans want a leader that posseses honesty, compassion, morals, and the courage of his convictions. I should have at least pretended to posses some of these qualities. Bush stole Florida in 2000 and Ohio in '04, if you don't believe me just ask John Kerry. And where did I come up with that stupid imaginary lockbox stuff anyway?



5. I recently saw someone reading this book which I had never heard of before so I looked it up on Amazon. This tome was so moving and uplifting it brought tears to my eyes. Okay, I admit it wasn't the book itself but the reviews. And they weren't tears of joy or hope but tears of hysterical laughter. There were three categories - each engrossing in it's own way: the honest critique, which universally panned the book as as hackneyed as the author himself (and his co-writer, apologist, Hughes); the spoof, which embellished on Bush's phony life making him a Nobel Laureate and corporate magnate; and the honest, heartfelt descriptions that prove that no matter how incompetent, corrupt and morally bankrupt a person is, there's still that percentage of the population who believe he's a good, sincere, visionary leader. With the fortune of hindsight, the latter group stands out though. If you haven't read this book but still want to after reading this and other reviews (unless your looking for a laugh) then God... er, invisible man in the sky help us all!

5 comments about The Company She Keeps.

1. I Loved this book.I generly don't like Mafia type books but this had everything.It tells the story of Georgia Durante's very exciting life.Good times and bad.It is well written and the words just flow off of the page.Once I picked it up I could not put it down. This is a must read for True Crime readers as well as those who like survivor stories.
   Ms.Durante has had one heck of a life and shares all with the reader.She holds nothing back.She went from model to mob wife and through it all shows what a strong,survivor type women is like.She will inspire you!
   One of my favorite books to date.



2. I found Georgia's story most compelling, as I imagine any woman who had experienced abuse would. I also liked that it shows the "mob" for what they truly are, and not the glamorized version we often see on TV and in the movies. I'll look forward to reading the two new chapters in the latest release of the book, and to seeing the movie that is bound to eventually be made from this story sprinkled with all the elements that sell, beauty, famous people, violence and family dynamics.



3. Georgia has written a compelling story about her life experiences, from the highs of being a beautiful young model, through the lows of involvement with organized crime and an unhappy (and dangerous) marriage, and overcoming the odds to achieve success and happiness through her stunt driving enterprise. It is an eminently readable book and a riveting story of a strong and remarkable woman. I enjoyed it so much I gave copies to several members of my family.



4. This book has inspired so many women! I have interviewed Georgia on my radio show many times, and every time we get call after call from women, thanking her for telling her story. It's raw and honest. It's told as if she were sitting down for coffee with us and sharing the horrors she experienced in her life. If you want a read that gives you insight into the mob world, a read that traces an emotional abuse story that isn't so unfamiliar and one that will give you hope in your own life... The Company She Keeps is just that book.
   --Pam Atherton
   www.ACloserLookRadio.com



5. Georgia Durante's The Company She Keeps grabs you from page one and drags you kicking and screaming through an astonishing series of incredible, but shockingly true, episodes torn from the fabric of her own action packed life. From her earliest days, Georgia's dynamic personality, appearance of vulnerable innocence, and intrinsic allure endeared her to "The Mob" -- even more attractive was "Georgie Girl's" almost supernatural abilities behind the wheel -- a talent that serves her well today as the #1 stunt driver in Hollywood. When you read this book, which you certainly MUST, I assure you that you will wonder how she "got away" with writing it without being "whacked" -- I personally interviewed Georgia and she told me that she was more concerned with CIA reprisals because of the book's revelations about the CIA's link to the Mob. For a true story that is engrossing, scary, and in the final analysis, uplifting and inspiring, you can't find a better book that Durante's The Company She Keeps. It is available in paperback, hardback, kindle, and audio. If you want to hear my interview with Ms. Durante, you can listen to it anytime on the player at http://outlawcrime.com
   I think this book is fantastic, and every fan of true crime should own it.
   Burl Barer

5 comments about P.G.T. Beauregard: Napoleon in Gray (Southern Biography Series).

1. I bought this Williams bio of Beauregard some years ago but never read it until after my wife and I took a vacation to Charleston, SC. While exploring the city on foot, we came across a monument to Beauregard where the inscription from "a grateful people" thanked him for successfully protecting their city from Union occupation. This struck me as warm words for someone who is unfavorably caricatured by most Civil War writers. Once back home, I made a point to read it right away.
   
   Everyone who is well read on the Civil War knows the outline and most of the important details of Beauregard's record as a C.S.A. general. I don't think Williams surprises us much in that area. However, I did learn from Williams something about Beauregard's service in Mexico that I believe explains a lot.
   
   While Scott and his general officers wanted to take Mexico City from the south, Beauregard thought a western approach, via Chapultepec, to be the correct action. Beauregard's winning over of Scott and his staff to Beauregard's own plan, and the subsequent success of that plan undoubtedly gave impetus to the delusions of grandeur and outlandish strategic ideas for which Beauregard is so well known in the Civil War.



2. This was originally published in 1955, so it is somewhat dated. However, this is nonetheless a very nice biography of Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, one of the small handful of "Full Generals" in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
   
   He was a complex, perplexing, and talented person. His pride led him to end up wasting a lot of time (and burning bridges) that accomplished little. For instance, his feud with President Jefferson Davis. He grew up admiring Napoleon (he was Creole, and spoke French for the first part of his life), and often developed battle plans during the Civil War that were Napoleonic in scope--and probably utterly impractical.
   
   The biography does a nice job of laying out his early life and beginning to identify some of the personality traits that would be significant later on. His army career is well detailed, from West Point, to his engineering duties, to his important role in the Mexican War (he was one of a group of young officers, including Robert E. Lee, who were General Winfield Scott's eyes and ears).
   
   Then, his role in the Civil War. The book does a nice job of chronicling some of his major successes--his leadership of the defense of Charleston, his key role in preventing Benjamin Butler and, later, Ulysses Grant from easily taking Petersburg. But there is also his ambiguous legacy from First Manassas (he was the operational commander and deserves credit, but his poorly configured orders, his wild-eyes strategic ideas, etc. raise one's eye brows), to Shiloh (an impractical attack plan), etc.
   
   Thus, there were some great successes (Petersburg and Charleston), some ambiguous successes (First Manassas), a losing battle (Shiloh), and lots of political warfare with his government and other military officials.
   
   His lot after the Civil War? He did well! The book does a nice job of describing his later career.
   
   All in all, despite its age, this is a fair biography of a complex person. It is pretty critical of him at some points, but gives credit where it is obviously due. If interested in this fascinating figure, this is not a bad starting point. . . .



3. ..........but dull is not one of them. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard remains one one of the South's most controversial Generals, either a genius or simply one more mediocre officer in a long line. But, either way, Beauregard had STYLE. He remains, along with Lee and Forrest, the most recognizable Confederate Officer. In fact, he was a sharp, and tough, combat officer, never defeated in battle. No one questions the Creole's intellect; let no one question his courage, either.
   
   Beauregard is, in some ways the Civil War's comic relief...witness his continuing attempt, two years into the war, to collect on a claim for travel back from West Point just prior to the war. I have made the same statement about Judah Benjamin, and there are parallels: Louisiana background, a French Catholic and a Jew, outsiders in a land run by British Anglicans. The two most financially successful Confederates after the war, Beauregard and Benjamin refused to stay defeated. They had STYLE, you see.
   
   PGT Beauregard came from a successful family, did well at West Point [second in his class, as was Lee], and was assigned to the Engineers, the reward for academic success. The war in Mexico soon followed, where Lieutenant Beauregard, along with Captains Robert E. Lee and Joe Johnston, helped pave General Scott's way into Mexico City. After Mexico...Charleston, where his bar-excavator made the harbor usable, and his native New Orleans, where his engineering skill made possible the building of a Customshouse, which he ran for seven years. Appointed Suprintendent at West Point, he lasted a week, relieved because of his obvious Southern sympathy in the coming conflict [this is the origin of the travel claim mentioned above].
   
   Came the war....Beauregard served the whole way, East and West...the firing on Fort Sumter, hero of First Manassas...then, exile. Beauregard, like Joe Johnston, ran up against the high-strung temper of Jefferson Davis. One of Davis' profound weaknesses was an inability to work with people he did not like, and the Confederacy suffered. Unjustly blamed for the "lost opportunity" of Shiloh [as we should have listened to Longstreet at Gettysburg, we should have listened to Beauregard at Shiloh], the General was sent to run the defense of Charleston [the Yankees never did take the harbor], and later assisted with Lee's defense of Petersburg, and Hardee's evacuation of Savannah. Thru it all, the Creole dreamed big dreams of ultimate conquest. Some were impractical, but...obviously what we did didn't work.
   
   Someone once said of General Longstreet that he really died April 9, 1865, though his heart continued to beat another 40 years. Where Longstreet became an apostate for writing that the South needed to build a bridge and get over it, Beauregard didn't write, he simply crossed the bridge to wealth, power, and position in the New South. He was criticized for getting rich, but he had a family to support. Whatever his faults, he loved his family [another parallel with Benjamin, but where Benjamin went to England to get rich, Beauregard stayed in Louisiana]. Beauregard wrote his memoirs, but in an unusual twist on the usual procedure, he had a ghost writer take credit. He made money building railroads, and a ton of money with the Louisiana Lottery. The chapter on the Lottery is hilarious, and worth the price of the book. The powers behind the Lottery wanted a Confederate General to be the figurehead boss, and Beauregard, along with Jubal Early, was glad to take their money.
   
   This wonderful book is the only decent biography of the Creole we have; one gets the impression that Williams dislikes his subject, but he was such a great, fair, honest, balanced writer that the General's greatness shines thru. PGT could be a difficult little man, but he was also a decent man [he paid to bury General Hood and his wife and daughter in 1879, then helped with financing the care of his surviving kids], and a genius [see the article he wrote in 1866 on the need for a battlefield night vision system]. For anyone with any kind of interest in our Civil War, this is an essential study.



4. This is a very good book on a very deserving subject. Beauregard often gets overlooked, he was never as beloved as Lee or Stonewall Jackson, but he was capable, the man had a sharp mind and Lee understood this, even if Jefferson Davis did not. The book gives a fascinating look at this intriguing man, though being of Creole heritage I do wish the author had spent more time on Beauregards early life, he came from a first line Creole family and he was a top student at West Point, where he disinguished himself well. This is really the definitive book on Beauregard, highly recommended.



5. 
   The staying power of this book is made obvious in the fact that it was first published in 1955 and it is still in print today. T. Harry Williams is an excellent historian and writer, having won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography on Huey Long. He has written often on the Civil War, including two books on Abraham Lincoln. This is an important work on the "perplexing" Confederate general Beauregard, as combative with his fellow officers as he was with the enemy on the field.
   
   Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, a Creole born near New Orleans in 1818, attended West Point and was assigned to the Engineers. He served in the Mexican War, was promoted twice, and after the war was stationed in New Orleans where he made navigational improvements to the Mississippi River. He was made superintendent of West Point in 1861, but after only a month he threw his hat in with the Southern cause and joined the Confederacy, being assigned to Charleston. He ordered the firing on Ft. Sumter that began the conflict and later that year led the Confederate forces at Manassas.
   
   A hero at Bull Run, he was promoted to full general and joined Albert Johnston in Tennessee. Over the course of the war he saw action at Shiloh, the Bermuda Hundred, Petersburg, and finally in the coastal defense of South Carolina and Georgia, where he was when the war ended. After the war he was offered command of army forces in Rumania and Egypt, but decided to stay in Louisiana where he became a successful businessman as president of a Southern railroad company and adjutant general of the state. A great deal of his spare time was spent arguing in articles and books his role in the war and his criticisms of other rebel leaders. He died in 1893.
   
   Beauregard was a competent general, but prone to what we might call today "micromanaging": his war plans could become so detailed that they were almost impossible to carry out. He held Jefferson Davis in very low regard and was also highly critical of Joseph Johnston. Williams's book is very impressive and captures this strange man well. Williams believes that Beauregard might have become a superb general if given the time to develop, but the Civil War offered no such growing room. This is an excellent Civil War biography. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Washington.

1. Every year there are biographies published on the life and career of George Washington. Years pass but still no one has matched Douglas Southall Freeman for a biography on the Father of our nation. Freeman was the dean of Southern historians winning many awards (including the Pulitzer Prize) for his unsurpassed life of RE Lee in 4 volumes; Lee's Lieutenants in 3 volumes and 7 volumes on the life of Washington (he died before he completed this overwhelming project!)
   Richard Harwell abridges the work as he has also done on Freeman's volumes on Lee. Overall he has done an excellent job.
   I do wish the book had included more maps to follow the battle action.
   Many of the sections of the book will seem dry. Freeman's work
   is basically a military history as he rarely comments on the social scene in colonial and early America.
   While not williing to spend time with Freeman through his seven volumes on Washington I found this one volume work to be
   essential in my understanding of Washington.
   Washington was a man who loved duty, honor and country. He was
   honest and ambitious. Frugal Washington never gave up on American independence. He was kind and though somewhat aloof could also be there for his friends and nation when in need.
   No wonder he and Lincoln are always at the top of presidential polls.
   In this sober work of scholarship you will meet a great man and enjoy the words of a great scholar. Recommended.



2. His decades of efforts for the multi-volume biography is a gift to all fans of American History. Even though it drags in a few spots, this edited version is one of the best one volume biographies of the "Father of Our Country"



3. His decades of efforts for the multivolume biography on Washington is a gift to all fans of American history. While this summary drags in a few places, it is the best one volume biography of the "Father or Our Country" available. Particularly pleasing is the concise chronological arrangement of the materials.



4. Harwell does a good job of pulling together and redacting DS Freeman's epic VII Volume (actually VI - he died before publishing the 7th) account of George Washington's life. I often find myself wishing he would annotate, at least on a chapter basis, which volumes of the larger work he is pulling his info from.

   A basic understanding of the extreme hardships early Americans (Colonists) went through can be gathered through this book, and this understanding should be required basic knowledge in all schools. The birth of this nation, was founded on some of the most remarkable physically, financially, emotionally and seemingly impossible acheivements by a few who had the courage to see the delivery through. Freeman captured these trials and victories in marvelous detail.




5. Multiple reviewers of other Washington biographies recommended this abridgement over the book they were reviewing. I am a reader, as claimed above, but I have NOT read ANY Washington biography. I still thought the above information might be helpful to other seekers.

5 comments about By Their Works: Profiles of Men of Faith Who Made a Difference.

1. . . . "coffee table" style book which should grace the home of any member of the Knights of Columbus.
   
   "By Their Works" profiles (by decade) members of the Knights of Columbus who, by their actions and by their faith, made a difference in the world around them. The people profiled include prominent sports figures (Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi) and political leaders (John F. Kennedy, Sargent Shriver) but also (and more importantly) men like the Mexican Martyrs, military chaplains, 9-11 heroes, and ordinary, everyday Catholics who go about their work quietly and faithfully without seeking fame or recognition.
   
   I strongly endorse this book.
   
   David Zampino
   Proud Knight of Columbus



2. By Their Works: Profiles of Men of Faith Who Made a DifferenceShipment was fast. I did have trouble with the first order in trying to correct it I inadvertantly ordered a second copy which I decided to keep since the first one was intended for a gift.



3. Excellent set of biographies of men who belonged to Knights of Columbus.
   Well worth cost and purchase.



4. This is a most inspiring photo album of men who one would never have thought were Knights of Columbus. All of them shared a very special dedication to life, family, and the Church, so it is not surprising that they would be Knights. Yet it was quite a Who's Who in the history of the Knights of Columbus. A must have for every Knight.



5. I was amazed at the breadth of experiences related in this book - from the humblest of circumstances to a president of the United States. "By Their Works" provides a refreshing perspective: one of men who looked beyond themselves to a greater good or a greater human need. The people profiled are all members of a fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus, which provides the common thread. The narratives are all unique however. The stories of the military chaplains, who risked their lives to comfort or minister to fallen soldiers, were particularly inspiring. I found the story of Ted van der Zalm very humbling. He mortgaged his home to buy a well-digging rig and drove his family from Ontario to Guatemala to give people in that country access to potable water. My favorite profile though was that of Harry McKillop, who made a "second career" of finding and freeing American POWs in Southeast Asia. He eventually expanded his efforts to liberating political prisoners in such places as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. This book gives countless examples of heroic and simple acts of charity. It is an easy read, cleanly digested in about 65 chapters. It's a book that will make you want to make a difference, rather than just marveling at how others have done so.

No comments about Buffalo Bill's America.

5 comments about Chrysler: The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius (Automotive History and Personalities).

1. If you are an automotive historian, you like what you read in this book. WPC was an integral part of the formation of the auto industry and the reader will recognize many figures mentioned in the book. A must read for Mopar and Chrysler historical fans. WPC was an amazing well rounded engineer, marketer, and industry leader...not many had all the qualities he had to build a car company...



2. 
   This biography of Walter Chrysler is proof that sometimes less might be better. As Curcio says of his subject, "His progress took time, and was nothing if not methodical." The book indeed is methodical, and at times overweight with superfluous information. Scenes, especially during his early years, seem embellished and overdrawn - sometimes making for interesting anecdotes, but making this reader wonder when the main story would continue. Also for entire chapters Curcio seems to be using Chrysler's autobiography, LIFE OF AN AMERICAN WORKMAN, as his main (only?) source.
   
   Some judicious editing and trimming also would have been beneficial: included is a 50-page chapter on the early history of the automobile, for example, that goes on way too long to little effect. There are also some doubtful assumptions made, such as in this opening sentence of the chapter on the Chrysler Building in NYC: "Everyone knows that the Chrysler Building contains seventy-seven stories that rise to the height of 1,046 feet, 4.75 inches." Really? (And I thought it was 4.85 inches.) That chapter, by the way, after that dubious first sentence, happens to be, I think, the best in the book, and finds Curcio writing at his best.
   
   Also quite interesting and informative was the chapter on Chrysler's difficulties with streamlining and his famous airflow car. Curcio, who is described on the book's back cover as being a "long-time car enthusiast," is at his happiest writing about the technical intricacies of automotive engineering, and anyone sharing that interest will be delighted with much of this book. But for someone interested in a well-rounded, focused biography of the man who transformed the Willys-Overland and Maxwell-Chambers motor companies into the automotive empire known as the Chrysler Corporation, might feel a bit overwhelmed by the mountains of information, some not very relevant, needed to wade through before reaching the end of this book.



3. A great book! The author is big on automotive history, so you will know more about the industry and the people that formed it. Walter Chrysler just seems to be the man he tells the story around. I have found interest in other people from this time frame to read about too from this book.



4. Having read extensively in the past about both Ford Motor Company and General Motors, I was very interested in getting to know the other member of the "Big Three" (sadly, today we can only talk about the remaining two after Chrysler's incompetent Bob Eaton surrendered the company to Daimler Benz).

   Although the book is centered in Walter P. Chrysler the author finds it hard not to get carried away by much more imposing personalities in the early automotive business, mainly Henry Ford and William C. Durant (founder of GM). They are mentioned 52 and 53 times respectively.

   Both Ford and Durant are much more interesting personalities than Chrysler himself and if not for anything else, the book is worth the read just to get to know Mr. Durant. The reason he is much less known today than his other two competitors is that he resisted the temptation to change General Motors name to Durant Motors (he could have done it but decided the GM trademark was too valuable), later in his life he did found a company called Durant Motors but it didn't survive long. If there is an epic to be told about the automotive industry in the USA it is Durant's: he founded General Motors, was ousted from the company, founded Chevrolet, bought his way back to GM control, was ousted again, founded Durant Motors, lost everything after the crash of 1929 and if not for the monetary help his friends (including Walter Chrysler) gave him at the end of his life he would have lived his last days in abject poverty.

   Walter Chrysler actually made his reputation and original fortune working for William Durant at General Motors' Buick division and after he quit the corporation eventually assembled the Chrysler Corporation (mainly from Maxwell Motors and the Dodge Brothers enterprises). It was a great accomplishment in itself as he started very late (too late thought many) to matter much, and yet he climbed to the third place in sales and eventually to the second place (outranking Ford Motor from 1936 to 1951). Sure, GM (through Alfred Sloan leadership) outclassed both of them and by such a wide margin that (until very recent times) there was absolutely no comparison between the leader and the other two.

   An interesting fact mentioned in the book is that the Chrysler Building at New York was NOT built by the Chrysler Corporation, but by Walter Chrysler himself so he could give it to his children. At the time it was completed, it was the tallest building in the world.

   The scope of Curcio's book is very wide and you end learning many things from the first years of automotive history. In other words, it is much more than Walter Chrysler's biography. I fully recommend it.




5. Chrysler : The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius is an entertaining, engaging biography of a man and his times. So much more than a dry biography of one of the major figures of the automotive industry, this book by Vincent Curcio provides fascinating insight into American industrial life in the late 19th and early 20th century.

   Walter Chrysler was the quintessential "working man," a railroad (and later automobile industry) mechanic by trade who first mastered himself, then proceeded to lead others in the burgeoning automobile industry. His early years in the railroad industry and his transition from mechanic to leader are nicely chronicled along with the development of American transportation history. Mr. Curcio lucidly explains the evolution of modern manufacturing and the integral parts played by seemingly (taken on their own) inconsequential methods and practices.

   While not as well known as a man (although the car and skyscraper are certainly famous), Chrysler embodied the American entrepreneurial spirit as deeply as any other leader of the auto industry. He was willing to take unusual risks, some resulting in relative failure (the Airflow), but all transforming the nature of the industry. He was not an early pioneer, first joining Buick in 1912. However, he completely understood design, engineering and manufacturing techniques. Perhaps more importantly, his ego was of a different mold. He was not afraid to accept the ideas or contributions of his employees. Chrysler made decisions perceived as unusual. For example, he built the graceful, elegant art-deco Chrysler Building, headquartering the company in New York at a time, its silhouette dominating the skyline of yesteryear. He experimented with unconventional auto designs, unafraid to introduce concepts into full production. Yet for all of this, Chrysler remained an enigma, certainly less famous than Ford or GM's myriad of leaders.

   Mr. Curcio writes in a unique style, reminiscent of biographies penned in the early 20th century. His prose is fluid, yet the use of oft-archaic language transports the reader into a different era. The book is a real pleasure and there are a number of photographs inspersed throughout the text. HOWEVER, the primary problem with the book is the lack of proper editing and documentation of research in the later chapters. For example, there are numerous typographical errors and poorly constructed sentences. The last few chapters detract from an otherwise fine narrative. One glaring inconsistency is a mention of Chrysler's conversation with Wilbur Wright in Dayton Ohio when he was developing the Chrysler Airflow. That conversation must have been "via seance" as Wilbur Wright died in 1912.

   Even with the above, I'd recommend the book from the standpoint of biography as well as overall automotive history (as well as industrial history in general).

3 comments about Man and Machine: The Best of Stephan Wilkinson.

1. This is a wonderful book. It's a collection of self-contained magazine articles originally published in 'Pilot,' 'Air & Space Smithsonian' and 'Popular Science' magazines that come together to form a greater whole. We get to look at machines that fly, and other machines from go-carts to ambulances to cruise ships. And we get to look at them through the gentle eyes of a smart literate man who doesn't miss much, a man who was the editor of Car and Driver, a man who smoothly writes about the things we wish we would have seen. We learn something about the machines; and celebrate the men that dreamt them up, made them possible and keep them running.
   
   If this book was a machine it would hum in quiet harmony, it would have no sharp edges, and it would do something better than that something had ever been done before. I think you'll enjoy being up close to see and feel the power of such a 'Man and Machine.'



2. This was a great book. Many technical stories and analysis of how things tick and the people who keep them ticking. This may be especially geared toward aircraft nuts, but it was still good for anyone interested in powered things. It even included a story on Steinway Pianos - very interesting.



3. I had borrowed this book from my local library. I liked it so much, I had to own a copy. I put Stephan Wilkinson right up with John McPhee as one of my favorite writers. If you like aircraft, boats, or cars, this book is a great read.

2 comments about The Lincoln Family Album.

1. Being a Lincoln fan, I pride myself on keeping up on the latest books that come out, and usually, one way or another, end up purchasing them. So, imagine my surprise when I visited a local bookstore, and was browsing in its impressive Lincoln section to find this jew, "The Lincoln Family Album". What, a book that I hadn't heard of?
   
   At first, I thought it was just a simple recounting of the many familiar books with Lincoln photos in it. But upon glancing inside, I realized how wrong assumptions are. The pictures in this book are from the actual Lincoln photograph album, kept through the family generation after generation, until the last surviving member of the clan died in 1985. Up until then, the book lived in secrecy, but now, in this stunning paperback, the photographs have been reproduced. Each page contains a picture, and a small vignette that describes the person in the picture, and why it would be found in the Lincoln family album.
   
   I found myself engrossed, not only in the pictures, but the information contained in each page. For some reason, the pictures came more alive to me with this information than any other picture book of Lincoln. Especially touching are the pictures of Lincoln's kids, Tad, Willie, and Robert. As proud parents would, they are well-documented in this book.
   
   If you are a devotee of Lincoln, I highly recommend this book. With an engrossing first chapter that talks about how photography was catching on just as Lincoln became President, and a wealth of knowledge of the Lincoln family, this book is sure to please you!!



2. Mark Neely has compiled a fascinating collection of the Lincoln family's pictures from their family album. What's interesting is what is NOT included in the album: not many photographs of Abraham Lincoln, perhaps the most photographed president of the 19th century. But the pictures of his children and grandchildren are especially interesting and poignant, especially those of a grandson named Abraham (Robert's son) who died at 16 but who bore an uncanny likeness to his famous grandfather. An important addition to any serious Lincoln student's library.