Posts

TO RESCUE THE AMERICAN SPIRIT - Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower.

Image
  TO RESCUE THE AMERICAN SPIRIT Teddy Roosevelt and the Birth of a Superpower By Bret Baier with Catherine Whitney Mariner Books 357 pgs   There are few people who would argue that among all of America’s presidents, there was none as flamboyant and larger than life than Theodore Roosevelt. From his youth as a sickly child, to his years maturing in the rugged West to his boisterous days in the Spanish American War with the Rough Riders; culminating with the building of the Panama Canal, Teddy Roosevelt stepped onto the stage of history and commanded it.  Naturally there have been dozens of detailed biographies of the man, not counting all his papers. Roosevelt was dedicated writer and kept a journal all his life. What sets this book apart is how Baier makes the argument that Roosevelt altered the course of the entire nation, propelling it into its role as the premier superpower in the world. Somehow Roosevelt understood the qualities of the American spirt, it’s...
Post a Comment
Read more

52 WEEKS - 52 SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVELS

Image
  52 WEEKS – 52 SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVELS Edited by Paul Bishop Genius Book Publishing 359 pgs   Even since his creation by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes has captured the imagination of thousands, perhaps millions, of readers and over the decades his popularity has only continued to grow. Editor Bishop, himself a Holmes devotee, sets about collecting a year’s worth of essays by today’s new pulp writers, each focusing on a particular Holmes pastiche he or she has come to love.  The range of these titles, some multi-book series, is wide indeed. From books starring Holmes to others focusing on his supporting cast such as brother Mycroft Holmes or his alluring lady Irene Adler. In each essay, the writers not only introduce us to the books, but also add fascinating tidbits concerning the authors’ approach and reasons for writing such iconic characters.  Scattered among these essays are five “intermissions” detailing related aspects of bringing Holmes an...
Post a Comment
Read more

WILD BILL

Image
  WILD BILL By Tom Clavin St. Martin’s Paperbacks 347 pgs   We’ve always been fascinated by the legendary western hero, Wild Bill Hickok. From the days of the black and white television series starring Guy Madison, to tons of Hollywood films ending Keith Carradine’s portrayal on the HBO series “Deadwood.” Along the way we’ve picked up a few biographies, but none more complete and authentic than Tom Clavin’s “Wild Bill.” Clavin is a dedicated western historian and in this book he paints the picture of the real James Butler Hickok from his youth on the frontier to his days in the Union Cavalry during the Civil War. Then there are his exploits on the frontier with such companions and Buffalo Bill Cody and encounters with George Armstrong Custer and so many others.  Clavin takes special care in eviscerating false myths that have survived Hickok’s death at the hands the cowardly Jack McCall. Most prominently the falsehood that he was romantically involved with the ...
Post a Comment
Read more