From Hiroshima With Love: The Allied Military Governor's Remarkable Story of the Rebuilding of Japan's Business and Industry After Wwii

Customer Reviews:

Unique!.......2004-11-13

This personal, behind-the-scenes account of the occupation of Japan is the only book I've come across on this subject in spite of my interest in WWII history. I found it to be educational and fascinating.

Disappointed - book implies martial infidelty is OK........1999-10-18

I was looking forward to a book about Hiroshima. Although it did talk a little about Hiroshima, it is mostly a story about Ray's father (Wally) and his "adventures" in Japan after World War II. It seems the main purpose of this book is to show how "smart" his father was. This may be true but I was deeply disappointed that this "smart" father didn't care more about his wife and marriage vows. I guess my biggest disappointment is the somewhat cavalier way the infidelity is treated; as if there was really nothing wrong with it. Any respect I had for Wally went out the window as the story progressed and he eventually simply dumps his wife for his Japanese girlfriend. It is too bad Ray (the author) didn't see this as a more serious matter and acknowledge it as one of Wally's weaknesses instead of tacitly accepting it. Although that was my biggest problem with the book, I also thought there was too much made of Wally's "accomplishments." It seems that Wally was really just trying to keep a job while having a heck of a good time with his new girlfriend and other Japanese friends. Too bad the book didn't talk more about Hiroshima and how it came back after the devastation of the A-bomb.

Tells the human side of History...the years 1945-1970........1998-12-04

As Author, I tried to tell the human side of History...the years 1945 to 1970 when a few Americans helped channel the energy, brains and enthusiam of the Japanese people for Japan to emerge from the ashes of World War II as a strong Democratic country and valuable asset to the free world. I am convinced now that it was made possible by three things: Truth, Love and Freedom. From Hiroshima With Love (25 years in the making from the detailed diaries and documents of my father) reads like a novel, detailing history through the eyes of one American Navy Commander turned businessman who fell in love with the country and one special woman and stayed 27 years to help. I found the book has been a hit with everyone who has read it; particularly Veterans of WWII, historians, business people and Asian-Americans. It tells how to build relationships; understand the Japanese; and do business with them. The quarter-century of history of which Americans should be most proud.

Book Description

Sophus Lie (1842-1899) is without doubt one of Norway's greatest scientific talents. His mathematical works have made him famous around the world no less than Niels Henrik Abel. The terms Lie groups and Lie algebra are today part of the standard mathematical vocabulary.
In his comprehensive biography the author Arild Stubhaug let us come close to both the person Sophus Lie and his time. We follow him through childhood at the vicarage in Nordfjordeid, his growing up in Moss, school and studying in Christiania, travelling in Europe and his contacts with the leading mathematicians of his time. The academic and scientific career brought Lie from Christiania to Leipzig as professor, before the attempt to call him back to Norway, when she stood on the threshhold to national sovereignty, was successful.

Customer Reviews:

Mathematical Reviews' reference.......2007-09-27

Stubhaug/Daly contribution is welcome indeed. Here is information for finding the other book that Mathematical Reviews review of Stubhaug/Daly calls a "definitive history of the mathematical theory" and like Stubhaug/Daly "(a blessing to) the study of the history of Lie groups":

Thomas Hawkins, "Emergence of The Theory of Lie Groups: An Essay in the History of Mathematics 1869-1926", ISBN 0-387-98963-3, Springer, 2000.

Hawkins' history has sections on the contributions of Sophus Lie, Wilhelm Killing, Elie Cartan, and Hermann Weyl.

Felix Klein and Sophus Lie: Evolution of the Idea of Symmetry in the Nineteenth Century

Average customer rating:

A great history of geometry and groups in the 19th century

Felix Klein and Sophus Lie: Evolution of the Idea of Symmetry in the Nineteenth Century
I. M. Yaglom
Manufacturer: Birkhauser
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0817633162

Customer Reviews:

A great history of geometry and groups in the 19th century.......2000-10-15

Starting with Galois and his contribution to the evolving subject of group theory Yaglom gives a beautiful account of the lives and works of the major players in the development of the subject in the nineteenth century: Jordan, who was a teacher of Lie and Klein in Paris and their adventures during the Franco-Prussian War. Monge and Poncelet developing projective geometry as well as Bolyai, Gauss and Lobachevsky and their discovery of hyperbolic geometry. Riemann's contributions and the development of modern linear Algebra by Grassmann, Cayley and Hamilton are described in detail. The last two chapters are devoted to Lie's development of Lie Algebras and his construction of the geometry from a continuous group and Klein's Erlanger Programm unifying the different approaches to geometry by emphasizing automorphism groups. These last pages are definitely the climax of the book.

All of this only occupies the first half of the book, the second half consists of extensive notes to the former, intended to help the reader deepen her understanding of the subject in a second reading.

Average customer rating:

Good Book

Nice try, but please try again -- with an index

This is the real thing

Doesn't stand on its own, but an excellent read nevertheless

Major Contribution to Knowledge of World Food. Outstanding

The Glorious Foods of Greece: Traditional Recipes from the Islands, Cities, and Villages
Diane Kochilas
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Greek | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Food Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Food Sciences | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Meze: Small Plates to Savor and Share from the Mediterranean Table

The Food and Wine of Greece: More Than 300 Classic and Modern Dishes from the Mainland and Islands

The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean

The Complete Book of Greek Cooking

The Greek Vegetarian: More Than 100 Recipes Inspired by the Traditional Dishes and Flavors of Greece

ASIN: 0688154573
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Moussaka, grilled fish, and feta salad with olives--that's it for Greek food, right? Wrong, as abundantly proved by Diane Kochilas's masterful The Glorious Foods of Greece. For over 10 years, Kochilas investigated the vast wealth of Greek cooking, traveling to its islands, cities, mountains, and villages and talking to cooks, bakers, fisherman, farmers, and cheese makers. She listened astutely, and the result is not only hundreds of authentic recipes, but a definitive culinary guide.

Following an introduction in which Kochilas details, among other fascinating information, the nature of each region's cuisine (Rooumali and Epirus are shepherds' domains, she writes, "where the reigning food is pita, as in savory pie, hundreds of them...."), she then offers chapter-by-chapter observations with straightforward recipes. These range from mezze (appetizers) and soups to breads, main dishes, sweets, and drinks. From the olive country of Peloponnesus, for example, readers are offered the likes of Roast Leg of Lamb with Wine, Garlic, Allspice, and Cheese. The Italian-influenced Ionian islands provide Chicken Stewed in Fragrant Tomato Sauce with Thick Pasta, among other dishes. Snd from Macedonia and Thrace come such fare as Roasted Potato Salad with Hot Pepper and Mint, and Leek and Yogurt Pie.

Throughout, Kochilas also provides interesting sidebars (The Sardines of Lesvos, for example, profiles this local treasure known for its sweetness), ingredient sketches, and preparation suggestions. A section that explores cooking techniques and a useful source list concludes the book, which is a tribute to a widely undiscovered cuisine and the author's steady yet exuberant powers of investigation. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

The Glorious Foods of Greece is the magnum opus of Greek cuisine, the first book that takes the reader on a long and fascinating journey beyond the familiar Greece of blue-and-white postcard images and ubiquitous grilled fish and moussaka into the country's many different regions, where local customs and foodways have remaained intact for eons.

The journey is both personal and inviting. Diane Kochilas spent nearly a decade crisscrossing Greece's Pristine mountains, mainland, and islands, visiting cooks, bakers, farmers, shepherds, fishermen, artisan producers of cheeses, charcuterie, olives, olive oil, and more, in order to document the country's formidable culinary traditions. The result is a paean to the hitherto uncharted glories of local Greek cooking and regional lore that takes you from mountain villages to urban tables to seaside tavernas and island gardens.

In beautiful prose and with more than four hundred unusual recipes -- many of them never before recorded -- invites us to a Greece few visitors ever get to see. Along the way she serves up feast after feast of food, history, and culture from a land where the three have been intertwined since time immemorial.

In an informed introduction, she sets the historic framework of the cuisine, so that we clearly see the differences among the earthy mountain cookery, the sparse, ingenious island table, and the sophisticated aromaticcooking traditions of the Greeks in diaspora. In each chapter she takes stock of the local pantry and cooking customs. From the olive-laden Peloponnesos, she brings us such unusual dishes as One-Pot Chicken Simmered with Artichokes and served with Tomato-Egg-Lemon Sauce and Vine Leaves Stuffed with Salt Cod. From the Venetian-influenced Ionian islands, she offers up such delights asPastry-Cloaked Pasta from Corfu filled with cheese and charcuterie and delicious Bread Pudding from Ithaca with zabaglione. Her mainland recipes, as well as those that hail from Greece's impenetrable northwestern mountains, offer an enticing array of dozens of delicious savory pies, unusual greens dishes, and succulent meat preparations such as Lamb with Garlic and Cheese Baked in Paper. In Macedonia she documents the complex, perfumed, urbane cuisine that defines that region. In the Aegean islands, she serves up a wonderful repertory of exotic yet simple foods, reminding us how accessible -- and healthful -- is the Greek fegional table.

The result is a cookbook unlike any other that has ever been written on Greek cuisine, one that brims with the author's love and knowledge of her subject, a tribute to the vibrant, multifaceted continuum of Greek cooking, both highly informed and ever inviting. The Glorious Foods of Greece is an important work, one that contributes generously to the culinary literature and is sure to become the definitive book of Greek cuisine and culture for future generations of food lovers -- Greek and non-Greek alike.

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2007-05-13

I liked this book though it is quite heavy for cooking with. It is very informative about the Greek way of doing things

Nice try, but please try again -- with an index.......2006-10-26

Kochilas' "The Glorious Foods of Greece" is the most frustrating cookbook I've ever tried to use. The theme of a regional Greek cookbook is well taken. However, the utterly useless index renders the book little more than a coffee table book - without photos. And it's a shame, as the recipes themselves are quiet good, but trying to find a recipe is virtually impossible. Or, even worse - trying to find a recipe a second time - was it in the Thessaly chapter? No, no - it must have been the Cyclades chapter. No - perhaps, Epirus. The Complete Book of Greek Cooking by St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church is still the gold standard for a useful Greek cookbook filled with wonderful recipes. Except those who simply enjoy reading cookbooks cover to cover, this is not the one.

This is the real thing.......2005-02-20

I am a professional chef of Greek decent and have lived in Greece for more than half of my life. I have traveled throuout the country and have tried several of the dishes that appear in this book but until now was not able to succesfully duplicate them. I was quite excited when I came across this collection and give the author five stars for her tremendous effort of bringing them together unadulterated.

This book is exactly what it claims to be, if not more than it claims to be and most definately deserves a five star rating. As a few other reviewers have mentioned it is not a collection of Americanized versions of Mousaka and Pastitsio, but a comprehensive collection of recipes borrowed from kitchens across the country which may or may not appeal to all palates. Many of these dishes you will not find outside it's reigion of origin let alone at Kostas opa on Main Street USA. It is worth mentioning that the author has traveled accross Greece collecting these recipes, many of which have not been published before. Having said all of this if you are looking for a recipe for Mousaka, run a search on Google and you will get 100s of results but if you wish to experiment and test your pallate try this book. It is truly authentic!

Doesn't stand on its own, but an excellent read nevertheless.......2004-10-19

The down side of this book is that it essentially functions as a follow-on to Kochilas' earlier book, the Food and Wine of Greece. If you want a basic introduction to Greek cuisine, pass this one by -- it will tell you a great deal about Greek cuisine, but the basics are covered better in her earlier book.

Kochilas writes with a more mature and experienced voice than in her first book -- she's been living in Greece for much of the time since the first one was published, so she's had time to develop more experience. Thus, in the writing of this book, she's had a chance to bring out much more of the history of Greece and how its food got to be the way it is. The book is part cookbook, part travelogue, and as long as you already have a more basic book on Greek cuisine it's an excellent read. It's an expensive book, though for the monumental nature of the subject matter that's understandable.

As I said, though, it's incomplete. A lot of the basic things that fans of the Greek-American diner are used to are not here; look to her first book for the basic recipes for moussaka, spanakopitta, and other dishes famous here, because if you look in this one you will find regional varieties that may be quite good but aren't exactly what you're looking for. What you will find is stunning and varied recipes from different areas that are as different in their own ways as the cuisines of Italy or China.

If you keep all of the above in mind, this book is a worthwhile investment in conjunction with its predecessor. Highly recommended, with appropriate caveats.

Major Contribution to Knowledge of World Food. Outstanding.......2004-05-30

Diane Kochilas stands in the first rank of food writers specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, along with Mediterranean generalists Paula Wolfert, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Claudia Roden, Clifford Wright, and Joyce Goldstein; Spanish specialist Penelope Casas; Italian specialists Marcella Hazan, Giuliano Bugialli, and Lydia Bastianich; and fellow Greek specialist Agliaia Kremezi. This is Ms. Kochilas' third book on Greek food and I apologize to the author if I slight the first two in my praise of this volume, as I have not yet read or reviewed them.

Considering food writing as a whole, not just the Mediterranean, this is easily one of the best essays of a country's cuisine I have seen. The only volume which I have read and reviewed which may be better is Diana Kennedy's `From My Mexican Kitchen', although the two books take a different route to excellence.

The very first impression is the design of the cover, typeface, and book layout that sets the stage for the feeling that this is an important book. It has the kind of restrained design I typically attribute to cookbooks published by Knopf, but which other publishers have done well. The next impression is that Ms. Kochilas has done everything that I missed from Ms. Kremezi's recent book `The Foods of the Greek Islands'. While the latter volume did a good job on recipes, it did not dedicate itself to informing it's readers in a clear, lucid manner on what it was which distinguished the cuisines of the Greek Islands from one another, from the mainland, and from the Mediterranean in general. Ms. Kochilas does this with skill and insight. The first sign of this serious analysis of her subject is the superior map of Greece with the various island groups identified and icons representing major food product sources placed on the map. This is an easy attention to detail. The next aspect is the organization of the book into the various geographic regions. These are The Peloponnesos, The Ionian Islands, Roumeli, Epirus, Thessaly, Macedonia and Thrace, The Islands of the Northeastern Aegean, The Cyclades, The Dodecanese, Crete, and Athens. As Ms. Kremezi mentions in her book but does not detail with any analytical understanding, there are significant differences between, for example, the relatively poor Dodecanese and the agriculturally rich islands of the northeastern Aegean such as Lesbos.

Ms. Kochilas has artfully combined the analytical insight and presentation of Nancy Harmon Jenkins with the deft personal warmth of Paula Wolfert in discussing her sources of specific recipes. The only adverse effect of Ms. Kochilas' approach is that the book may not fit some readers' expectations to find a volume with the approach of Julia Child, which is heavy on culinary wisdom and recipe and light on exposition. Ms. Kochilas addresses this concern when she says that this volume may not cover many of the architypical Greek dishes, as she has already presented them in one of her two earlier volumes. When references to classics such as moussaka are appropriate, she even gives references to her earlier works if you are looking for that recipe. Another compliment to this book is Ms. Kochilas most recent book on Mezes that is lighter on the analytical approach and heavy on great recipes for these tasty bites.

The other side of the coin is that by not spending a lot of space on well-known classics, Ms. Kochilas and her editors have made space for more recipes on pastries and breads, one of my favorite topics. I have made several of the breads in the book and have found them uniformly excellent. One should also not get the impression from my comparison to Julia Child's works that this book is all exposition and no cooking. The opposite is true. The final chapter on the basics of Greek cooking gives great insights into some of the most important skills in the Greek kitchen. In keeping with a concentration on pastry and baking, this section opens with two different recipes for Phyllo. The first is a traditional homemade dough and the second is a recipe for the style of phyllo made in Macedonia. For the purists, there are even variations to the basic recipe given for the Ionian islands, Roumeli, Afrato, and Epirus.

One of the most interesting discoveries in this final chapter is the story of trahana. To my novice eye, it is a pasta with some similarities to couscous and some similarities to gnocchi. Ms. Kochilas greatly expands Paula Wolfert's brief discussions of the subject with several recipes in the geographical chapters to round out her fascinating summary discussion. I am especially grateful for the paragraph on grating tomatoes. Other books on Greek cuisine give brief descriptions, but Ms. Kochilas tells us enough to give us confidence that this improbable technique actually works.

I have only touched the surface of the great richness in this book. I can hope to whet your appetite for more by quoting from the chapter on Crete where the author

`had come to witness this yearly winter ritual (brewing raki, similar to grappa, from the residuals of the local wine grapes) as well as other things in Crete, from the island's mythic, heart-saving diet, exemplar of simplicity and variety, to its seemingly limitless flora - over half the twelve thousand indigenous plants in Europe are found on Minos's island. ... The island is at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia, the real and mythic cradle of the Mediterranean'.

Exciting words for someone who thrilled to tales of Hercules, Theseus, and Achilles as a boy.

Highly recommended addition to any culinary library, especially for those interested in regional cuisines.

Average customer rating:
The Glorious Foods of Greece: Traditional Recipes From the Islands, Cities, and Villages
Diane Kochilas
Manufacturer: Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N5ZVY2

Book Description

Using Hops, the Complete Guide to Hops for the Craft Brewer is the only book on hops with an emphasis on how they are used in brewing, and the only book on hops geared to the homebrewer and microbrewer. Subjects include: Hop Variety Data Sheets, Hop History, Bitter Hopping, Late Hopping, Dry Hopping, Buying and Storing Hops, Beer Style Hopping Guidelines, Hop Substitutions, Growing Your Own Hops and much more. Hops are one of the most important ingredients in your beer and Using Hops will become one of the most important references in your brewing library.

Customer Reviews:

Great reference, but a bit outdated.......2000-03-12

This is a great starter reference on hops. It has descriptions, uses, tips about buying hops, what to look for, and even tips on growing your own hops.

My only problem with this reference is that it is now a bit outdated, as many new types of hops have been introduced since this book was released. These are, of course, not covered. I am hoping the author will release an updated version.

A great reference on using hops for home brewing........1999-11-19

While this book is educational and should be read from cover to cover, most brewers will probably use it more often as a reference work. It has comprehensive descriptions and substitutions for most hop varieties. We reach for it every time we brew.

Customer Reviews:

Good for hunting beginners........1998-08-25

How To Train Your Own Gun Dog is useful for beginners, and probably less so for experienced hunters. It provides good guidance on which breeds are appropriate for each type of game. It also has a clear timeline for training progress.

It may try to do too much in one book. For example, it includes separate sections for pointing dogs, spaniels, and retrievers. If you do not yet have a dog, this info is helpful. Otherwise, about half of the book is not pertinent to you.

Average customer rating:
How to Train Your Own Gun Dog

Manufacturer: Howell Book House, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Training | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000I9RHLI

Average customer rating:
How To Train Your Own Gun Dog -
Charles S. Goodall -
Manufacturer: Howell Publishing -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Training | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000QS6884

Average customer rating:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR OWN GUN DOG.
C. Goodall
Manufacturer: Howell Book House, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WPK20Q

Average customer rating:
Once Upon a Season (Nine Appliqued and Pieced Quilts, Celebrating every Season.)
Becky Goldsmith & Linda Jenkins
Manufacturer: Piece O' Cake Designs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWGSY6

Average customer rating:
Intriguing Masdevallias
Jo Kelleher
Manufacturer: Amer Orchid Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9994115103

Average customer rating:
Intriguing Masdevallias: Cool Growing Orchids
Jo Kelleher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WHXY9A

Book Description

A perfect book for new moms or anyone who cares for young children -- with hundreds of tips for nurturing, caring, loving, and having fun with babies. Includes everything from recipes for herbal baby balm, to tips for helping a baby sleep, to infant massage techniques.

Customer Reviews:

Nice little, easy-to-read title for new moms!.......2000-06-01

New moms don't have a whole lot of time to read generally. That's why this book makes a great present for the new mom in your life; it's full of short, simple ideas and recipes that she can absorb while baby nurses or in between loads of laundry. It's also a good for choice for those mom friends of yours who just don't like to read all that much. I have friends who have piles of childcare manuals they've never even cracked! This one is filled with wonderful, little tidbits on everything from prenatal massage to dealing with cradle cap to making your own powders and sunscreens for a newborn. Best of all, the suggestions are all natural and simple.

Average customer rating:

50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Baby
Karyn Siegel-Maier
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MC12XU

Book Description

The definitive book on the music of British glam-rock icons The Smiths.

One of the seminal groups of the Eighties, The Smiths' career was as brilliant as it was brief. Here, drawing on interviews with band members, producers, and colleagues, Simon Goddard presents a chronological survey of the group's musical evolution, from their first demos in 1982 to their final studio session five years on. Investigating the stories behind the songs, he also offers an analysis of each track's concert life. Granted unprecedented access to The Smiths' studio archives and to the private collection of outtakes and rehearsals retained by drummer Mike Joyce, the author looks at unreleased materials as well as the lost songs and alternative versions that have remained secret until now. This updated edition also includes interviews with guitarist Johnny Marr and producer John Porter as well as stills of the band.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging and Edifying..........2003-08-18

This mammoth undertaking called, The Songs that Saved Your Life is an ultra-detailed extremely meticulous look into the production of virtually every Smiths song in existence. It's simultaneously fascinating and annoyingly detailed.

How much you'll enjoy this book ultimately depends on the depth of your fandom and your interest in the Smiths' musical production.

The Songs that Saved Your Life is engaging and edifying, however, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

This book is not for you if:
1. You're only looking for Behind the Music / E! True Hollywood Story type gossip.

2. You're only looking for lyrical interpretations of Smith songs.

3. You're more interested the big picture rather than smaller details.

Despite whatever feelings you may have for Mike Joyce, he actually writes a touching forward for the book -- mind you not as brilliant at Mick Middle's forward for Morrissey's Manchester -- but surprisingly optimistic and celebratory of the Smiths' legacy.

The book lists about 80 Smiths songs in the order of the finished studio mater tape. To say "lists" is a bit of an understatement as The Songs that Saved Your Life is more or less the Encyclopedia Brittanica of Smiths songs.

Not only does it catalog singles and B-sides, it includes detailed information on Smiths songs that have never seen the light of day by the general public. The most famous of these songs is, "A Matter of Opinion" which was uncovered by author Simon Goddard while listening to Mike Joyce's own master tapes in preparation for writing the book.

There are also a number of untitled instrumentals produced by John Porter, Grant Showbiz and Stephen Street that are detailed as well.

Each of the songs in the book lists the day & place it was recorded, who it was produced by and the format & month of the first UK release (admittedly a bit confusing from an American POV). Next comes the detailed history of the song, e.g. how the song came about, what influenced the song, musical and or lyrical drafts, anecdotes, UK chart placement, song keys, quotes from band members (including Morrissey), Rough Trade / Geoff Travis reaction and headlines and controversies.

Now just when you thought you've learned everything possible about 'Wonderful Woman' for example, there are three more sections regarding the song's life in concert, on television and on the radio. The concert information is current to Morrissey's 2002 where Moz performed several Smiths song live. It did, however, feel somewhat eerie seeing in print information about a tour that just ended a couple months ago.

What's good:

The book can be read chronologically, or out of order. Skip the songs you hate (as if you'd actually hate any Smiths song) or pick a song you lurve and read up on it. You do, however, get a better sense of continuity having read it cover to cover.

Short chapters - good for those of us with attention deficit disorder.

Extremely detailed - More than you ever really wanted to know

The Verdict: Undoubtedly Simon Goddard has created a masterpiece. By the time I got to page 250 I'm sure my IQ went up a point or two. The vast amounts of data included in the book are incredible. If you're a Smiths fan and you haven't bought this book yet. I have to ask, what are you waiting for?

Any thing is hard to find when you will not open your eyes.......2003-06-17

Being a Smiths fan I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was engrossed from start to finish.It is interesting to know how the songs were inspired and what they were about because over the years some of these fact have been vague.Detail is spent on Morrisseys lyrics aswell as as each members influence and musical style.Description on studio techniques and Johnny Marrs guitar figures are all inspiring.The author writes in a sincere
straight forward way.

The essential Smiths Fan's reference guide!!!.......2003-06-15

ROMANTIC AND SQUARE IS HIP AND AWARE
by Brier Random

NOW I KNOW HOW JOAN OF ARC FELT: I recently challenged myself to sit down with pen & paper and make a list of the truly great bands of my lifetime, bands that really made a difference in my life. After a few hours, I found myself staring at a sheet of paper with exactly one name scratched on it: "The Smiths".

I remember each step of my Smiths epiphany-- every detail of the first time I heard certain songs: Where I was, what I was wearing, how I was standing. (In the kitchen of 716 De La Vina, boot-cut corduroys and a Bauhaus t-shirt, arms folded, weight slightly shifted on my left leg for "Bigmouth Strikes Again", if you're interested.)

And if the previous paragraph means anything to you, then you should read the new book Songs That Saved Your Life by Simon Goddard. It's a thorough track-by-track examination of every Smiths song ever laid to tape. Goddard chronologically fine-tooth-combs each song's lyrical influences, recording techniques, details on alternate takes, live performance history, and band members' recollections of the songs (including the fact that the three musical Smiths, sans-Morrissey, got incredibly stoned and replaced the studio lights with red bulbs to record the epic How Soon Is Now?). Not just a Smiths-completist's wet dream, anyone who has laid in awe on the bedroom floor while The Smiths poured out of the speakers will consider this book as indispensable as the songs themselves. I literally couldn't put it down until I set it upon a stationary surface.

Good and honest.........2003-06-08

The first half of this book was I'm sad to say pretty boring but maybe that's because everyone couldn't really remember the first 2 and 1/2 years of The Smiths. I admire the author for not glossing this part up. The 2nd half really picks up with the last quater being just splendid.

Awesome band - awesome book!.......2003-03-22

If, like me, you believe that The Smiths were the greatest band that ever existed then you don't merely NEED this book, you simply CANNOT LIVE without it! There have been loads of books about The Smiths and Morrissey so far but what's great about this one is the fact that it really goes into the songs and there's so much information that's never been made public before. Not just the unreleased music and lyrics (which is fascinating) but a lot of where Morrissey borrowed lyrical ideas from and who/what inspired them. Like did you know that William It Was Really Nothing was about Billy MacKenzie of The Associates? Or that I Won't Share was about Morrissey's old friend Linder Sterling? Or that I Keep Mine Hidden was Morrissey's personal letter to Johnny Marr as the band was splitting? Well if you didn't you need to read this!

Because every song is listed in the order it was written you really get a sense of how The Smiths grew as a band and how the break up was inevitable. It really makes you want to go back and listen to the songs again and hear new things. Maybe it isn't the sort of book you'd read cover to cover, more as a reference guide, but if you love The Smiths you simply cannot afford to miss out on this. Even if you only quite like them, I think reading this book will really make you appreciate the brilliance of the songs and the lyrics and may well turn you from a partial fan into a raving Smiths maniac!

All in all Songs That Saved Your Life is an awesome book about an awesome band. Like it says on the back cover - apart from the records themselves there is nothing else you need on this subject!

Book Description

At the height of the Holocaust it was Nazi policy to preserve small groups of "privileged" Jews for possible use in exchanges with Allied-held German civilians. Held in the special "Sternlager" at Bergen-Belsen their "privilege" amounted to being kept alive rather than gassed - although 70 per cent of the internees perished before the camp's liberation, victims of disease, starvation, beatings or sheer despair.One such privileged internee - Abel Herzberg, a Dutch lawyer and writer - managed in the hell of Bergen-Belsen to keep a diary which chronicles the reality of daily existence in the camp, with its grotesquely dehumanizing conditions and the magnanimity and pettiness which they engendered. He describes the relations between inmates and the civic code of the internees.

Customer Reviews:

An Unforgettable, Inspirational Biography!.......2004-05-18

I couldn't put this book down and cried at some of the torments emotionally and physically that the author went through during his imprisonment at one of the many Nazi concentration camps. Sad, but detailed look at life in the camps.

A Unique Perspective.......2002-03-19

Between Two Streams by Abel J. Herzberg

This book is an interesting account by a Jewish man who kept a diary in Bergen-Belsen, a well-known concentration camp. Bergen-Belsen was a camp that held Jews who were to be kept for exchange for Germans abroad, so its main function was not to serve as a death camp. Abel served as a judge of sorts on a committee for Jewish justice in the camp, so he was able to give insight into the petty laws that were broken and how justice was meted out, from within the camp's Jewish community. This is not written like the usual historical documentary found in many books of its kind, and it is not exactly a personal story of entry and exit of camp life. It is written very much like you would write in your own journal, containing your feelings, disappointments, and hopes. This book is somewhat unique in that it is more about other prisoners and their behaviors, as well as offering insight concerning a desperate camp life with its boredom, struggles with the elements of harsh weather, scratching for food, and eventually seeing your family and friends drop like flies. There were penalties divvied out by the pitifully organized camp Jewish community, which was struggling to maintain a semblance of civilized life. There is not much spirituality in the diary. There are no details of beatings or other infamous atrocities that have been well documented in other writings; however, there are accounts of deaths from starvation and sickness, and descriptions of the difficulty of life among the dead. It seems that this book was not written to get your adrenalin pumping, and does not seem to display an intimate or sentimental account but is written more like a factual account. I would not recommend this as a first concentration camp book. If one is looking for action and adventure, there are many other survivor accounts that will serve better; rather, I would recommend it to the seasoned that would like a unique insight that comes from one who expects fairness in a very unfair environment. Though somewhat repetitious at times, I feel that I have acquired a valuable insight to just one more of the many faces of a most infamous time in history.

the best.......2000-03-31

this book is great,! you can lean a whole lot about thing you can't emagine. I would give it a 1ooooooooooooooooooooo star if I could!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books