The Reluctant Agent: A Compelling Story of Espionage

Customer Reviews:

an interesting book.......2005-09-04

written in plain english , easily to be understood, with interesting comments and anecdotes.
although the writer was an emiretus professor of Loughborough University, it seems that he has a child-like lightenheart.

The Victorian Scientist: The Growth of a Profession.(Book review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History

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The Victorian Scientist: The Growth of a Profession.(Book review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History
Trevor H. Levere
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 946 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Victorian Scientist: The Growth of a Profession.(Book review)
Author: Trevor H. Levere
Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Page: 393(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Victorian Scientist: the Growth of a Profession (British Library)

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The Victorian Scientist: the Growth of a Profession (British Library)
Jack Meadows
Manufacturer: British Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N64TSU

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Victorian Scientist: The Growth of a Profession.

Manufacturer: 204
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IC89VW

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IMPROVED POSTURE IN ONE WEEK

Immediately helpful. Goodbye chairs; hello squats.

Gave Me Some Great Ideas

The Posture Prescription: Top notch book!

Did the trick for me

The Posture Prescription: The Doctor's Rx for: Eliminating Back, Muscle, and Joint Pain; Achieving Optimum Strength and Mobility; Living a Lifetime of Fitness and Well-Being
Arthur Md White , and Kate Kelly
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Backache | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Musculoskeletal Diseases | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Posture, Get It Straight!

Relax Your Neck, Liberate Your Shoulders: The Ultimate Exercise Program for Tension Relief

ASIN: 0609806319
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Book Description

If you suffer from mild to chronic back or joint pain and want a drug-free way to cure and prevent it -- and build strength, endurance, and overall fitness at the same time -- there's finally a solution: It's The Posture Prescription. With his incredible, lifestyle-changing program, pioneering back surgeon Dr. Arthur White shows readers ten basic motions that can be incorporated into everyday activities, like getting into a car, talking on the phone, or reading a newspaper. The movements are simple: they include standing properly, squatting, bending from the hip, and lunging. Learn to perform each movement correctly and use them in your daily activities to:

Strengthen muscles and relieve joints
Make stagnant time active
Promote a healthy back

With no need for special equipment or workout gear or for visits to a chiropractor, surgeon, or massage or physical therapist, The Posture Prescription is the key to strength, mobility, and freedom from back pain.

Customer Reviews:

IMPROVED POSTURE IN ONE WEEK.......2007-06-14

i fell and broke my right wrist(complete break) 3 yrs ago, since then i have been in the most severe back pain, non to which i have ever known ..depression took over, when you hurt for months and months, it takes its toll.
my master bedroom is now full of physical therapy equipment. recently, i started to notice my posture, i saw a slump in shoulders and a sway back woman......in one week after i received my book, i am standing and setting straight; aware when my shoulder slump, , of my body mechanics when i stoop or bend...this is a very good book for anyone and especially those who are suffering with back pain.........Prayer is a good thing also...i highly recommend ppd.

Immediately helpful. Goodbye chairs; hello squats........2007-03-04

I've been diagnosed as having osteoarthritis in my thoracic spine. The pain appeared while driving, working on a computer, and during the tail-end of my runs.
This book is incredibly helpful for those with back pain.
You'll need to eliminate sitting at chairs to improve, but it's worth it.
The greatest thing this book has brought to me is the squat. Most yoga books ignore this pose, tragically. The great Steve Ilg is big on it, but it gets overlooked in many of the books I read.
I squat almost all day at work now, and anytime I'm on the computer at home. In between squats, I kneel. But, I will not sit in a chair unless absolutely necessary.
This book has really helped me learn about posture. Also, it made me realize that my form while running and lifting was hideous.
The exercises are easy to learn for anyone.
Also, this book was the first I had ever heard the certain yoga postures were terrible for my pain (plow & knees to ears).
This is a great book, but I would think most people will need to read more than just this one. I recommend 7 Steps to a Pain Free Life, and the two books by Sarah Keys.
If nothing else, I've learned to squat throughout the day for back pain relief.

Gave Me Some Great Ideas.......2005-11-26

This book gave me the great idea to work/read while standing up - the top of my dresser is just the right height for that & I'm surprised at how easy and comfortable it is. The premise of the book is that exercise can be incorporated into your everyday routine, once you develop certain habits, and does not have to involve a big disruptive trip to the gym.

I got this book because my posture leaves something to be desired much of the time & I know that this was a contributing factor to my getting a serious, debilitating repetitive strain injury. However, I was surprised to see that this book is geared especially towards people with back problems since this is not indicated in the title.

I only have mild back problems, but in my research I learned about a book that many people consider to be a miracle for severe back pain and that is John Sarno's THE MINDBODY PRESCRIPTION. Another book, the one which saved me from my repetitive strain injury, is also said to resolve different forms of back pain and that is Clair Davie's THE TRIGGER POINT THERAPY WORKBOOK.

Both of these books offer radical (though quite different) paradigms that people with back problems claim to have been tremendously helped by. (Though I warn you John Sarno's theories are pretty hard to believe at first and I wouldn't have taken them seriously were it not for the testimonies of many many people). As far as trigger points go, you can also take a look at the "theracane" website to learn more or just do a general search on the internet.

In any case, fixing posture & maintaining spinal health is essential to well-being and should be a critical part of any healing or preventative process. In The Posture Prescription, Arthur White offers a very sound and even innovative message about how to do so. All in all, this is a book that gave me some very good, common-sense ideas that are EASY to do, and natural.

The Posture Prescription: Top notch book!.......2005-08-31

Very easy read for a non-fiction book and very good information. It made me very conscious of how my posture was creating my back problems. I recommend it highly.

Did the trick for me.......2005-01-01

Everybody probably has different needs but this book absolutely did it for me. I had neck and upper back pain for 2 and a half years and it was so bad I took ibuprofen every single day for that period and was worried I was going to suffer long-term medication consequences. I saw two chiropractors and a top notch physical therapist, all of whom, combined, were only able to make a small difference in the management of the pain. I started doing the exercises in this book in August of 2004 and by September the pain was about 10% of what it used to be. It's now January 2005 and I have occassional flare-ups, most of which can be managed through a brief run-through of the exercises. After taking ibuprofen every day for 2 and half years straight, I am happy to report that in the past five months I have taken it about 5 or 6 times.

The exercises are pretty basic and very easy to do and I'm not sure they would help everybody but they sure helped me. I highly recommend this book. Even if it doesn't work for you, I think it's well worth $10 to find out.

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Buy the Book for the Kitch, not the Kitchen

Retro Baking: 100 Classic Contest Winners Updated for Today (Retro Series)
Maureen Fischer
Manufacturer: Collectors Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Desserts | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1888054956

Book Description

Everyone seems to think their grandma bakes the best biscuits on the block, but are they prizewinners? Ever wonder how to perfect that county fair, blue-ribbon apple pie? Wonder no more. The results are in—and RETRO BAKING is the winner! One hundred of America's favorite baked goods are presented in their nostalgic glory, with vintage illustrations to match, in this latest Retro series book. Everything from tarts to dinner rolls has been selected for its universal deliciousness and award-winning appeal. Inspired by company sponsored contests and small-town bake-offs, these scrumptious recipes are tested, tasted, and time-honored. Your next attempt at three-layer frosted greatness is sure to turn out perfectly with the help of decades of baking experience. So dig out the apron, dust off the oven mitt, and discover your prizewinning potential!

Customer Reviews:

Buy the Book for the Kitch, not the Kitchen.......2005-01-28

`Retro Baking' by Maureen Fischer, a food columnist and editor at `women's' magazines has also been a judge at many traditional recipe contests. And, the recipes in this book are advertised, per the subtitle, to be winning recipes at these food contests, updated `for today'.

This book is a booth in `comfort food central'. It does not contain many of the comfort food classics, even those classics which are baked such as macaroni and cheese and meat loaf, but it makes up for these with lots of other casserole recipes straight from the darkest 1950s, in the freedom which followed the lifting of World War II rationing and before the great influx of foreign food influences spearheaded by Julia Child, Alice Waters, pizza shops, Hispanic immigrations, and Asian immigrations from Southeast Asia.

For a list price of about $17, we get:

Breads and Rolls - 17 recipes, primarily breakfast breads and variations on white bread with cheese.
Savory Bakery - 15 recipes of casseroles with veal, chicken, salmon, bacon, and beef.
Cookies - 20 recipes with lots of peanut butter and a nice assortment of press, drop, and roll cookies.
Cakes - 19 recipes with several uncommon recipes and a few old standards such as chocolate cake.
Pies - 15 recipes with lots of apple and other fruit pies and custard pies.
Other Desserts - 15 recipes with cobblers, crumbles, upside down cakes.

106 decent recipes for $17 is not too bad as most cookbooks go, if the recipes fit your needs and produce good results. I believe these recipes will produce good results if you are already an accomplished cook and baker. The instructions are typical of the kind of recipes you will find in a church fundraising cookbook. Among other things, it means that lots of things are inexact and there are lots of inconsistencies from one recipe to the next. For example, yeast is sometimes specified as `one packet' and sometimes as `2 ¼ teaspoons', even though these mean exactly the same thing. All yeast is `fast acting', but sometimes it is bloomed with warm water and sometimes it is dumped into the other ingredients as you would do with `instant yeast'. The temperature of the yeast blooming water is never more precise than `warm'. My point is that an experienced cook would take all of these things in stride, but an inexperienced cook may be tripped up by, for example, making the water too hot and kill the yeast. Other imprecision's are seen in not specifying the cut of meat to be used in many recipes. Probably the worst of the instructions are in heating meat. One instruction tells us to saute until tender. Sautéing will never tenderize meat. As it becomes more thoroughly cooked, it will become firmer to the touch. Another very odd instruction has us browning a pork chop on one side, flipping it over, and going off to spend 15 minutes to prepare a relish with no instructions to take the poor chop off the heat to prevent it from drying out.

But then again, you will not buy this book to learn how to cook or bake. For that task, there are excellent alternatives, my favorite light but thorough ones being Wayne Harley Brachman's `American Desserts' and Judith Fertig's `All American Desserts'. For savory baking, check out Jim Villas' `Crazy for Casseroles'. All three books are high on comfort and high on sound cooking instruction.

The illustrations in this volume really tell the story that this book is about memories of the fifties. I am simply amazed that the book designers have been able to collect so many kitchy illustrations. While these are great to look at, they can be very misleading when it comes to figuring out the associated recipe. The picture on the page with the lemon pie recipe shows a lemon meringue pie, yet there is no trace of meringue in the recipe. Oops.

I will give the author / editor a fair amount of credit for using almost exclusively fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, in spite of illustrations showing canned fruit pie fillings, the recipes use fresh fruits. There is a fair representation of canned soups in some recipes, but nothing overbearing.

The biggest surprise in the book is that there is not a single credit given to the people who came up with these recipes either with the recipe, in acknowledgments, or in a credits or bibliography page. There is not even a reference to where these recipes may have been published. While this book is a `fluff piece', part of a whole series of retro themed books, this does not excuse it, in my mind for either claiming to be something it is not, or failing to provide credit if it is in fact a compilation of contest winning recipes.

These recipes will work if you are an experienced cook and will be very successful at clogging your arteries even if you are not an experienced cook. If you are in love with instant nostalgia, buy this book. Otherwise, check out Wayne Harley Brachman's books on `American Desserts' and `Retro Desserts'.

Book Description

The pet rabbit population of the United States is well over ten million...and rapidly multiplying! Carrying less risk of diseases for their human companions than do domestic dogs or cats, rabbits are gentle, responsive, amenable, cuddly, clever, intelligent, and inexpensive. In sum, they're ideal pets and they deserve the best of human attention. Veterinarian surgeon David Taylor reveals how to care for your rabbit, including an overview of the hare's origins in Spain, identifying features of the various breeds, their behavior and biology, finding the right rabbit for you, good housing for longevity, and looking out for signs of illness. Interspersed throughout are "Did You Know?" sidebars featuring little-known facts about our beloved furry friends. 96 pages (all in color), 5 7/8 x 8 1/4.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Handbook!.......2004-03-26

Definitely recommended...

This quick reference guide is well-laid out and has quite a bit of useful (as well as interesting) information.

Not only do you get a lot of information that is easy to understand, but the photos are fantastic as well!

Average customer rating:
Professional Machine Quilting: The Complete Guide to Running a Successful Quilting Business
Carol A. Thelen
Manufacturer: Martingale and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1564775097

Book Description

Ready to turn your hobby into a business? Want to improve your existing quilting business? This resource is packed with proven ideas! Expanding on a subject touched on in her first book, Long-Arm Machine Quilting, Carol A. Thelen shares her own successful step-by-step plan.

• Launch a home-based business with information on start-up costs, taxes, financing, advertising, and much more

• Discover the best ways to organize studio space, develop a quilting style, and schedule client time

• Get business forms, product resources, and dozens of useful tips to use in a home business

Customer Reviews:

A MUST READ for first time clematis growers & clematarians........2004-06-06

Thorough and interesting explanation of this outstanding Clematis genus. User friendly terminology, clearly defining all aspects of the Clematis Viticellas. A chapter on Clematis cultivars; a chapter on cultivation details what easy plants these are to crow; A chapter containing a full discussion of displayed Clematis Viticella sets forth excellent examples and achievable ideal supports, climbing techniques and placement with various hosts. Seasonal details are excellent. The history, interesting details, comparisons to other Clematis as well as the pertinent footnotes makes for great reading. The photographs of garden growing plants are good and reflect invaluable advice on the use of colours.
I find this book to be the most informative of the Clematis books whether new at growing this vine or an experienced grower. It will be kept close at hand

Great Disappointment.......2001-06-07

I was amazed when I received the book. So many out of focus photographs. many of the photos were so bad that one would not be able to identify the plant unless you knew it. Why would a publishing company allow such poor quality to slip through their quality control department. Did Mr Howells not reveiw this book prior to final production.

The photographic quality certainly for me, had a very negative impact on quite good informative documentation.Not a worthwhile buy as far as I am concerned.

Trouble focusing.......2001-01-17

This book had promise. The author did a fine job of presenting this wonderful family of plants, but the photography was the worst I have ever seen in a published work. I quit counting the out-of-focus pictures just a short way into the book, and they already numbered 20. I skimmed ahead, and sure enough, there were more. Many more.

Truly incredible...

I very rarely return a book, but this one is going back.

A must-read of Clematis lovers!.......2000-07-13

Of the 20 or so books that I have on Clematis, this is one of my favorites because it explores a kind of Clematis about which most gardeners have limited knowledge: the so-called smaller-flowered types (although many are not so small) that are not susceptible to clematis wilt, the scourge of the large-flowered varieties. The common viticellas are listed alphabetically, with colour photogragraphs of the the buds and the foliage as well as of the flowers, for easier identification. An appealing feature is that there are numerous plates showing similar coloured flowers side-by-side for reference and easy comparison. This book opens up a whole new world of Clematis growing.

Book Description

What's going on in America? Caught in the Crossfire offers an original and compelling vision of the forces changing the ways people live their lives, through the unique lens of America's children. Grossberg reveals how the United States has been gradually shifting from a society that celebrates childhood into one that is hostile to and afraid of its own children. Today kids are often seen as a threat to our social and moral values. Grossberg gathers evidence from the media, schools, courts, medicine, economics, and family life.

Caught in the Crossfire locates this alteration in an original understanding of the struggles transforming contemporary America and of the choices Americans face about their future. He documents the relations between economic ideologies and economic realities and explores both the 'culture wars' and the political culture of the nation. Grossberg argues that all of these developments, including those involving the state of kids, only make sense as integral parts of a larger struggle to redefine America's uniqueness and to develop a new sense of itself as a modern society.

Customer Reviews:

An Extraordinary Critique of Politics, Economics, and Culture.......2006-08-25

"Caught in the Crossfire" is a contemporary critique of the current political climate of the United States. Grossberg situates his argument in what seems to be the collective and growing dissatisfaction with our children, e.g. the "war" against kids. The first third of the text addresses how kids have been treated in the past three decades both literally and figuratively, with emphasis upon the latter. It is certainly no secret that children (especially teenagers) are misrepresented often in the media, leading to the demonization and criminalization of our youth. One need not search very far to find glorifying examples of this, take for instance the current status quo on rap music.

Nevertheless, Grossberg provides a compelling argument to the contrary, arguing that the current claims about the behavior of our kids are not only misleading, but also blatantly false. His claims are supported with rich data, including but not limited to media documents, government surveys and criminal data. Grossberg even goes so far as to purport that kids rather are very much like the generations that preceded them. Before reading this text one might be at odds with such a statement, as it seems to fly in the face of conventional wisdom, but wading through his presentation of the data one would be hard pressed to not only consider the statement very compelling, if not downright correct.

Much of the blame concerning the deterioration of kids is placed upon faltering parents, racism, capitalism, the current "family crisis", and of course the media. Grossberg addresses all of the aforementioned. Although the brunt of the blame does not rest squarely upon one or the other, the current rhetoric espoused by political factions on both the right and the left can be largely attributed to a compliant and complacent news media. Grossberg provides us with a plethora of factoids that refute current and widely held assumptions, beliefs, and myths about kids. For instance, a child is three to four times more likely to be struck by lightning than to be a victim of violence in school (p. 41). Nevertheless, he is quick to note that we cannot merely blame the media (as many do) but opt for a more sensible approach, one that would factor the media into the general equation concerning our understanding of kids.

Grossberg proceeds to connect the misrepresentation of the youth crisis to broader struggles and changes that have defined America (and modernity) for at least the past quarter century. The dialogue that follows contributes to a social commentary concerning politics in an entirely new and unique perspective. In the second third of the text Grossberg presents a stifling critique of politics, castigating both the right and the left (few scholars are capable of doing this well and with rigor). Perhaps some might criticize Grossberg for being too "in the middle" but this would simply be missing the point. Besides, he openly admits his preference for left politics (which makes his critique all the more damning), as he remarks that "[c]ritisim can be offered in a spirit of solidarity [and] I write from a desire to forge a more effective left politics" (page 160).

The final third of the book addresses what Grossberg calls the coming American modernity. Modernity is typically understood as a historical period characterized by 19th and 20th century world of science, nation-states, political democracy, capitalism, urbanization, mass literacy, mass media, mass culture, rationality and individualism. Grossberg divides American history into three centuries, each he argues characterized by their different realizations of modernity to discuss the creation and development of American democracy, capitalism, and politics. He argues, among other things, that we are in "the midst of the unsettling of one modernity and the emergence of another" (page 217). It is here Grossberg argues that a space is provided for a restructuring of politics, economics, and culture, whereby we can forge a move toward a more compromising political discourse; as the political climate has quickly deteriorated into an all out war between the right and left, characterized by the absence of rationality (a tenet of modernity) in contemporary political debates and commentary. This perspective is exemplified in the idea that campaigning is constant and ubiquitous, as the goal of politicians it seems is merely to stay in office.

So what do you ask does this have to do with our kids? "Kids' unique relation to time and history in the second modernity made them the most potent symbol of possibility and hope. Childhood and youth became the essence of imagination, the affirmation that there are always alternatives and that resistance to any one future is always possible. Kids remind us that we can always change directions" (page 308). The war against our kids then destroys the possibility of imagining change for the future and even perhaps destroys the possibility of a future. This text is a call for communication, an open dialogue, as "communication is the opening of possibility" (page 317). Communication then fosters the ability to transform our society to a more egalitarian and livable environment, one that would be suitable and enjoyable for the majority of people.

This book was extraordinary and is highly recommended. It was very thought provoking, stimulating, and very intellectually rewarding and will no doubt change the ways in which you approach politics and the social world.

Average customer rating:
E.W. Cooke, R.A., F.R.S. 1811-1880: The Life & Works
John Munday
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MU9AWM

Customer Reviews:

heartbreaking tale that needed to be told.......2007-05-28

We know it happened; many of us have read books by others on the same subject--and yet it is hard to believe what went on. People gassed and tossed into ovens (even though some weren't even completely dead...) Then you've got your so-called Dr. Mengele who performed castrations on patients (male as well as female) without anesthetics. It goes on. It's gut-churning, but needs to be read. Because if we don't read about what happened, and if we don't see films about it--not only to honor all the innocent who were murdered (six million of the Jewish faith, and another six million non-Jewish), but as a reminder to remain vigil, keep alert...because you've got wannabe little Hitler jerks all over the place who'd love to do a re-peat of what their sorry and confused, not to mention mentally imbalanced "hero" set out to accomplish back in the 1940s--and, thankfully failed.

Makes you wonder what Olga Lengyel's life was like after she survived her ordeal. How do you go on, knowing that your husband, your two kids and both of your parents were senselessly slaughtered? How was she able to endure?

I read somewhere that she died a few years back. Not much else about her on the internet.
All I can say is read the book--and pass it on to someone else.

R.I.P.

No Nonsense, Articulate and to the point, historical view of Auschwitz.......2007-03-29

An accurate reference of the history of one persons life and the atrocity of the Nazi, Auschwitz death camp. One can only hope that this book remains in the public eye so that this kind of history is never repeated. We need to pass on this kind of information to future generations.

I have read several other books in reference to the Holocaust and what is different about this book is the matter of fact way the author dealt with the issues. I am not in any way critical of this author or her method of writing.(She did a wonderful job) I am simply saying that she does stay with the issues at hand and does not offer much in regard to a personal reflection of herself or her family.(She does respect the medical aspect of confidentiality) From the standpoint of a person who obviously was educated and cared for the well being of mankind, this had to be a difficult task for this author, to write this book. Consequently from a historical and reference standpoint this book tells the story and succeeds in relating to the reader the atrocities of Auschwitz. This is a must read for anyone who values life and questions the evil capabilities of mankind. A follow-up to this book would be to read: Auschwitz by Dr. Miklos Nyiszli. These two books and the authors will pretty much sum up the difference in professionals, their conduct in difficult situations, and the story of death at Auschwitz.

Completely Haunting.......2005-10-18

I actually stumbled upon this book because it was referenced in "A Death in Vienna" by Daniel Silva (his fictional spy novels involving a character Gabriel Allon mostly had a holocaust theme). After reading Five Chimneys there was no question in my mind why Albert Einstein praised this book as such an important work. Olga Lengyel's horrific and heartwrenching tale filled me in on so much I did not know about the Nazi death camps - including the fact that many people who were neither Jews nor minorities were sent there "just because." The book was very emotionally draining (especially when Lengyel talks about what happened to pregnant women and the babies they delivered) but the book left me completely changed. The unimaginable courage and hope that Lengyel and other prisoners conveyed was a tribute to the human spirit.

In our daily quest to get more money, drive a bigger car, buy a better house - we forget the reality of how little we really need to be human beings. This book will be required reading for my children when they are older. I am completely humbled and grateful to Ms. Lengyel for her ability to replicate such painful experiences into this book.

Gripping tale of the Holocaust!.......2005-06-22

Olga Lengyel has written the most graphic, horrifying look at the holocaust I have read.
Olga was an uppermiddle class wife with a degree in the medical sciences. She was married to a doctor who was arrested by the Germans. She felt it was best to stay with her husband and was lulled by the Germans into thinking that she would be fine if she accompanied him. So she, her parents and children followed her husband only to discover that they were not to join him but were sent to a concentration camp.
At the camp an unwitting Olga made the mistake of telling the Germans her son was under 12. Though he was large and could pass for over 12, Olga thought he would be treated in a lenient manner due to his age. Little did she know older and young people were almost immediately put to death. If the loss of her parents, her children and not knowing what had happened to her husband were not enough Olga had to endure the mental and physical trials of the camp.
Those who were not put to death were put to work in the most menial tasks under the most horrible conditions.
Olga leaves nothing to the imagination. Here you will find the most graphic details of mans inhumanity to man. Naked roll calls while shivering for hours exposed to the elements, being examined everywhere when entering the camp, having all body hair clipped off, using the same bucket to eliminate in and eat from, the sex at the camp, the cruelness of the officers and of fellow campmates who were trying to save themselves, the things some women would do for a crust of bread, the smell of the camp, the beatings....Olga spares no detail.
It is not for the weak of stomach. You will feel the despair and wonder how man could ever be so cruel and pray that this never ever happens again.

"It must never be allowed to happen again!".......2005-06-02

Olga Lengyel's story is extraordinarily heartbreaking and powerful, but I think the book would have been even more effective and much easier to read if she had told her entire story from beginning to end in order instead of jumping around so much.

That small complaint aside this book should still be mandatory reading by anybody who has at least a little bit of humanity in them. Be warned though, Olga does not sugarcoat anything. I had to stop reading on more than one occasion cause I felt sick or thought I was going to cry.

Also read "The Painted Bird" by Jerzy Kosinski.

Average customer rating:

AN AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR REMEMBERS...
hell on earth
An account of a woman who lead her family to Auschwitz

Five Chimneys, the Story of Auschwitz
Olga Lengyel
Manufacturer: Howard Fertig
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Holocaust | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

AN AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR REMEMBERS..........2005-02-24

This is the story of a woman who spent about seven months in Auschwitz and survived to tell the tale. She wrote this book shortly after her ordeal, while her horrific experience was still fresh in her mind. It was definitely a mind numbing, life changing experience, as it saw the loss of her entire family, her parents, her children, and her husband. It should be noted that none of them, including Olga, were Jews.

Olga Lengyel lived an upper-middle class existence in Transylvania, in the capital city of Cluj. Her husband, Dr. Miklos Lengyel, was a Berlin trained medical doctor and the director of a private hospital that he had built shortly before the onset of World War II. Olga had also studied medicine and was qualified to be a surgical assistant. She and her husband had two young sons. They were all surviving the war as best they could, with Germans an occupying force. They even had a German soldier billeted with them for a time.

Olga had begun to hear disturbing things about what the Germans were doing in occupied territories, but had discounted it. She felt that Germany, a country that had contributed so much culturally to the world, could not be culpable of some of the atrocities of which she was hearing. She felt the stories that she was hearing were too fantastical to be believable. Then her husband came under the cross-hairs of the Nazis, accused of having his hospital boycott pharmaceuticals made by the German Bayer Company. This was the beginning of the end for the Lengyel family. Shortly thereafter in May of 1944, he was ordered to be deported to Germany.

When Olga heard this, she insisted on accompanying her husband, as she thought that he would be put to work in a German hospital. She naively asked the Nazis if she could accompany her husband, and they had no objection. When her parents heard, they insisted on going with them, which meant that Olga's young sons would also be going. Once they got to the train station and saw that they were all to board a cattle car with ninety-six other people, they knew that their nightmare was just beginning. Their destination was Birkenau-Auschwitz.

Olga recounts the horrors that awaited her family there. Hers is a testament to the brutality of the Nazi regime towards Jews and non-Jews alike. In it Olga chronicles her first hand observations of Dr, Joseph Mengele and his passion for twins and dwarfs, as well as his mad scientist medical experiments. She recalls her run ins with the "blonde angel", the exceptionally beautiful and sadistic Nazi, Irma Griese. She talks about the selections that were made, which determined who lived and who died. She makes it clear that the Jews were targeted, first and foremost, for extermination. She recounts the utter depravity with which the inmates of the camp were treated, creating a veritable hell on earth.

Ms. Lengyel gives a no-holds-barred account of life at one of the most notorious concentration camps run by the Nazis. It should be noted that the five chimneys in the title of her book refers to the chimneys of the crematoriums, which towards the end of the war appeared to be burning night and day. While her chronicle might have benefited from some better or more careful editing, this is a minor criticism, as hers is a powerful voice in the arena of holocaust literature. It is a book that should be read by those who are interested in learning more about these concentration camps and about man's inhumanity to man.

hell on earth.......2003-02-20

My book was published in 1960, it does not have an ISBN #, except 885. the only book i have read about the extermination of so many Jews during Hitler's rule. A doctor, his wife and extended family are among the thousands of people rounded up, put in rail cars and taken to Auschwitz. the doctor was kept because of his medical skills, and his wife because of her valuable skills. the germans taking the gold fillings and other valuable items from their prisoners. the story is an awsome day by day account of a beautiful woman who survived and lived to tell the story of all the autrocities to herself and thousands of others. everyone should at least try to read this story, it is non-stop terrible what humans can do to others. a great book.

An account of a woman who lead her family to Auschwitz.......1998-08-24

This was the fist book I read about the Auschwitz camp. It has been four years since I read this book and I still think of this woman and her family. This daughter, wife and mother did not know that she was leading her entire family to their death and discribes the horror of her mistake very well and in full detail. The family was seperated when they arrived at the camp and all except her and her husband were executed only hours later. She and her husband lived through the camps but seperated. The majority of her experience is at Auschwitz, 5 years if I recall correctly. This book is worth the time to read.

British Chimney Sweeps: Five Centuries of Chimney Sweeping

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Fascinating account of the chimney sweep trade

British Chimney Sweeps: Five Centuries of Chimney Sweeping
Benita Cullingford
Manufacturer: New Amsterdam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Chimney Sweeps Yesterday and Today

ASIN: 1566633451

Book Description

The art and science of chimney sweeping are examined in detailed for the first time in this lively and fascinating book.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating account of the chimney sweep trade.......2001-12-21

Interesting, well-written account of what life was like as a chimney sweep and climbing boy before modern times. Ms. Cullingford brings out little-known facts about the trade, making this book an interesting read for both chimney sweeps and the general public. I highly recommend it!

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Five Chimneys
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ProductGroup: Book
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Five Hans Christian Andersen Stories: Shepherdess & Chimney Sweep, Pixie at Grover'S, Sweethearts, Tinderbox & Twelve by Coach

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Five Hans Christian Andersen Stories: Shepherdess & Chimney Sweep, Pixie at Grover'S, Sweethearts, Tinderbox & Twelve by Coach
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Book Description

Perhaps less familiar stories from HCA but many surprises as we go from the adventurous elopement of the Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep to the cunning of the soldier in the Tinder box to the difficult choice made by the Pixie to the romance between toys and last a remarkable New Year's Eve. NARRATOR: Aurora Wetzel

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The Phantom of Five Chimneys
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Sparkling Cyanide + The Secret of Chimneys + Five little Pigs. Hamlyn Crime Collection

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Sparkling Cyanide + The Secret of Chimneys + Five little Pigs. Hamlyn Crime Collection
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THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS ON THE BATTLE LINE or With The Allies in France, VINTAGE! IN RARE Color Dustjacket of Red, Black & Beige of 3 Boys on Old Fashioned Motorcycles with House Smoking Chimney Background, (BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS)

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THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS ON THE BATTLE LINE or With The Allies in France, VINTAGE! IN RARE Color Dustjacket of Red, Black & Beige of 3 Boys on Old Fashioned Motorcycles with House Smoking Chimney Background, (BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS)
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Chimneys, stoves and slaves: A preliminary 1998 report on the five-plate wall stove in the Mid-Hudson Valley, New York

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Chimneys, stoves and slaves: A preliminary 1998 report on the five-plate wall stove in the Mid-Hudson Valley, New York
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Five Chimneys: A documentation and proposal

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Five Chimneys: A documentation and proposal
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