Product Description
Paul Newman's irreverent cartoons have appeared in astrological magazines all over the world. This collection gathers together some of his most popular cartoons in one volume and should appeal to anyone with an interest in astrology. ... Read more

Product Description
Thirty years after the Vietnam War, three soldiers collaborate with three short stories each to create Nine From The Ninth. They served with the Ninth Infantry Division in the Mekong Delta. Rangers Bob Wallace and Paul A. Newman depict moments of joy, friendship, and surprise mixed with terror, anger and hate while serving with Co. E, 75th Inf. (Rangers).Jack Bick photographed and wrote stories about the Rangers and Infantrymen while serving as a Public Information Officer. His stories were published in the Stars and Stripes and The Octofoil, a monthly publication on the Ninth Infantry Division.

This book will make you reevaluate Vietnam and the boys who served there. It will make you appreciate the conflict of cultures, rank, and war. A book to reread, ponder and keep. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

AnImportant experience of life
I HAVE SEEN VIETNAM ONLY IN FILMS, I think that it was a hard experience, a war between unknown people and theirs not always known traditions (sometimes diffuculty for language, foods religion etc.),Nine From The Ninth Book describe with accuracy of details the reality life of Vietnam veterans. A good book with stimulating reflections, sense of honor and duty, responsability and brave hearts.

A great memoir of the war in Vietnam!
Most everyone has an impression about the Vietnam War, regardless of how little they really know about it. Unfortunately, the movies by Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July) and others provide the slanted "facts" and distorted perspective that too often define the war for the uninformed.To really understand the war you should first read accounts written by the actual participants and there is no better place to begin than the newly released memoir, NINE FROM THE NINTH.

NINE FROM THE NINTH is not a global perspective of the conflict, but it never pretends that it is. Rather, it is a collection of nine stories taken from the personal remembrances of two former US Army Rangers who served with Company E. of the 75th Infantry Rangers, and a third author, Jack Bick, who volunteered and went on combat operations with Company E as a photographer and writer.For them, combat didn't include the nightly comfort of an air conditioned Officer's Club in Saigon or the relatively safe vantage point of an aircraft 10,000 feet above the jungle. Instead the stories present the personal, close-up views of combat that can only be told by those who have "been and done", and survived.

Jack Bick, accurately observes in "Smart Charlie" that the Vietnam conflict was unique; as opposed to WWII, US leadership wasn't fighting to win, so soldiers generally, including even the elite Ranger's, lacked an overall sense of purpose....their strategic goal became to survive for 365 days, and go home!Along the way, the three authors, Jack Bick, Paul Newman, and Bob Wallace, formed bonds of friendship that outlasted the terror, anger, and hate of combat and survive thirty years later.

Bob Wallace's story of "Staff Sergeant Frost" is a revealing look inside one of the war's most legendary fighting groups, the LRRPs (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols). These six-men, self-contained, voluntary units would deploy for days at a time inside enemy controlled territory to "observe and report".Regardless if an officer was with the LRRPs, it was the senior sergeants like Frost (E-5s and E-6s) that ran the teams.Their reputations were for eating snakes and ravaging the countryside, but the profane and gritty senior noncoms made the teams work, fight, and ultimately survive.As very young soldiers they were called upon to undertake harrowing tasks that brought about sudden maturity.So brutal was the LRRP experience that lasting for three weeks on a team converted a "cherry" into a veteran!

Paul Newman's account of the "Bo Bo Canal" is a gutsy story of the fighting along "a mosquito ridden canal" that ran for 20 miles, and became a "water road" for the VC.Carrying more than 8o pounds of combat equipment the team members would sink so deeply into the mud that walking was often difficult. This uncensored tale isn't for the squeamish but accurately conveys the unavoidable brutality of warfare and how it changed the outlook of the men who survived it.

After Vietnam the three authors left military service and took with them the best and worst of their experiences in Vietnam.The same training and personal skills that helped them survive in combat ultimately helped them succeed in their later careers.Initiative, risk taking, determined individualism and community involvement were common hallmarks as each man became successful in a variety of endeavors.

This is a highly recommended book for anyone interested in real stories of the Vietnam War, and the memoirs of three men who served their country honorably, proudly and well.

The American GI's Vietnam:How It Really Was
I happen to be a good friend of one of the three authors but had never known anything about his Vietnam experience.After reading these stories, it is easier to understand why, 30 years later, it might not be something a former U.S. Army Ranger would want to talk about, even with his friends--or maybe especially with his friends.

Three men, obviously each quite different, recount recollections of their experiences.If all one knows about war -- the vast majority of us who have never seen combat -- that it is Hell, then these stories give us all we need to know about why this is really so.

The authors pull no punches, make no excuses for the surprising level of brutality.Their texts, surprisingly well-written, take us along on their hunter-killer missions, carefully planned lethal traps, sprung on the Mekong Delta's Viet Cong fighters.They are very close to each other, each life depends on the guy next in the six-man column.Some of them don't come back and we wonder now was it worth it?

But it's not all blood-and-guts fighting.(A vivid description of a beheading left me more than light-headed.) We see some very introspective reflections during the quiet moments, an occasional R&R, the usual intra-squad bitching and brawling.

Little wonder that only 365 days in a high-risk combat unit could have such a lasting effect on the participants.

History is still judging if was worth it.This modest but important addition to that assessment makes its own understated but powerful contribution.Definitely worth the price, and then some.

Much Better Than Fiction
The real Viet Nam. The people, the land, and the Americans who came from all over the U.S. for reasons even they didn't know. The authors make the war real through their own memories--three American Rangers who spend their days on Long Range Recon Patrols--dumped into Viet Cong territory to bate the enemy. The reader is right there with them, experiencing their fears, their doubts, the complexity of an uncertain war, and the simplicity of young men thrown into chaos. This book has an uncanny way of mixing the routine thoughts and actions of American boys with the terrible brutality of killing--often never knowing if the victems were really the enemy. The authors are men who went off to serve their nation in a killing field of great peril. And returned to three decades of silence before telling their stories. The best book I've read on the American soldier in Viet Nam. This is not gussied-up chest thumping--this is the story of three ordinary men forced to become warriors. You're right there with them on each page.

Must Read!!!
Nine from the Ninth:For the last four years, I have supported the Contemporary History Department at the Navy Historical Center.While our principal focus is to collect and record stories of current Naval significance, we frequently have the opportunity to interview, through the use of oral history, the men and women who participated in military events of yesterday.These interviews always provide new insights and inspiration for historians to capture the true nature of these conflicts for future generations.This book provides a rare glimpse behind the curtain of war.

While this review is not an official endorsement of the Historical Center, I found this compilation of short stories to be outstanding examples of the graphic and detailed events of battle that can only be told by those who served their country in the trenches of war.Thirty years after their tour of duty, the detail of combat is still very fresh in their mind.They provide an amazing account of the smell, taste, color, fear, tragedy, humor, friendships, camaraderie, explosion and horror of war.For those of us who have never been face to face with killing and dying while serving their country, this book is a must read.

I am grateful for your heroic service to our nation and applaud your efforts in capturing these stories for the benefit of all.I hope that this book provides both encouragement and a template to all of the other unsung heroes of America's wars to share their story. ... Read more

Product Description
When physicist Doctor Phillip Solar's experimental nuclear power caused him to absorb a dangerous amount of atomic radiation, the scientist miraculously survived only to find that he had gained incredible powers over matter and energy. Now, Solar must isolate himself from others to avoid exposing them to the same harmful and deadly radiation that endows him with his extraordinary gifts. Working alone in a lead-lined laboratory at the heart of Atom Valley, Doctor Solar searches for a way to become normal again. But when danger and disaster threaten the innocent, Solar leaps into action as The Man of the Atom! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

2nd archive of this unusual Gold Key "superhero"
This is the second of 4 volumes reprinting Gold Key Comics unusual superhero comics.

Gold Key (an imprint of Western Publications, thru its subsidiary "K.K. Publications) was an overall strange comic book company. Most of its products were licensed titles (tv shows, Disney, Walter Lantz, Tarzan, etc). It did do some original stuff (Magnus, Brothers of the Spear, Dr Spektor, Tragg, Dagar), including Doctor Solar. But, as usually, they did them different. All the adventure titles had full painted covers. They really didn't do any straight superheroes. Doctor Solar was probably the closest, but even then he was different. First off, Solar is his real name, "Man of the Atom" is his superhero name.

The first volume reprinted the first 7 issues, which set down this character and his stories.This volume continues with the next 7.By and large, the stories continue with the theme.Doctor Solar (I never notice a first name being given), became the Man of the Atom (his superhero identity) in the first issue, and later adopting his all-red suit (which has the purpose of both hiding his identity and protecting people from his radiation.The only people who know are Dr Clarkson, the head of Atom Valley and Dr Gail Sanders, a sort-of/would-be love interest.The main villain, who doesn't appear in each issue, is the mysterious evil genius Nuro.Nuro has an organization, tho its not clear his motivation.A new character added is Aral Uzbek, Nuro's lieutenant. We also see more and more that Nuro has his own organization (like a Bond villian).

Stories are a mix of those caused by Nuro's schemes, and those coming from other sources.In all, Solar has to figure out how to use his powers to deal with the issue.

In an interesting 2-parter, Solar is made a giant in dealing with one menace.In working to reduce his size, he loses his memory, and is tricked to work for Nuro, who claims his name is "Mota" (atom spelled backwards, but ALSO the initials for "Man of the Atom").Solar figures things out and breaks free of his control. ... Read more

Product Description
This is currently the #1 best-selling fund-raising book inAmerica. Because of heavy demand, there may be some delays in shipping(up to 3 or 4 weeks depending on publisher supply).Amazon.com willnotify you regarding the status of your order if there is a delay inshipment.

Corporate philanthropy is on its way out.A new conceptcalled "corporate social investing"-which requires that everycommitment of money and/or product/equipment/land which a companymakes must have a significant business reason-is taking its place. Thetransition has implications to every business and nonprofitorganization in America. This book provides the strategic plan formaking the transition to corporate social investing. By following thepractical steps described here, businesses and nonprofits can forgecreative alliances that can boost corporate profits while at the sametime providing added resources for schools, colleges, culturalorganizations, civic groups, and other important charities.

Weeden's breakthrough plan, based on his innovative concept ofcorporate social investing, has the potential to dramatically changethe way businesses and nonprofits interact. If widely implemented, itcould substantially increase corporate support for nonprofits, turningthe tide against cutbacks, offering profound benefits to businesses,and revitalizing the essential services nonprofits provide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Highly Recommended!
Curt Weeden tells corporations that social investing through charitable contributions can help society, and can be good business. Then he explains why, and how. This detailed guide explains ways to get the most out of each philanthropic investment, benefiting the non-profit organization and the company's reputation, employee motivation and bottom line. Weeden provides only a few examples of companies that have engaged in corporate social investing, but the introductions by Paul Newman and Peter Lynch are more hands-on because both are active in philanthropy. The book focuses on instructions for setting up your firm's social investing system. Suggestions cover choosing a non-profit recipient, figuring tax benefits, and other nuts-and-bolts issues. The book is oriented to CEOs and top corporate managers, though we at getAbstract also recommend it to academics, stockholders and fundraisers. If you are considering social investing, this is a good guide. And if you're not, it'll explain why you should. (Note: Tax matters discussed are

A perfect book for our phony society
Today corporate America has joined the sanctimonious trend in our society under the "giving back" theme.I imagine what a breath of fresh air it would be to hear the following candid statement from a corporate CEO or Board Chairman after refusing to kowtow to political correctness:

"We sell a quality product that our customers value.We have provided our employees with the means of supporting themselves with dignity, good wages, benefits, and a good working environment. We have worked hard to create wealth for our investors who after all are people with varying needs and means - and not all of them fantastically wealthy.We pay our share of taxes.In summary we already gave back to the community!As for giving to charity - any of our investors has the right to give in any way or amount (time or money) to any organization he or she sees fit.They don't need us to make that decision for them."

The "giving back to the community" phoniness implies that while running a business you are obviously taking from others- you are a drag on society at large and need to give back to equalize things - Karl Marx couldn't have come up with a better slogan.

A Must-Read for Nonprofits
Nonprofit organizations, particularly grassroots agencies, would do well to absorb the lessons in Corporate Social Investing which demystify and challenge corporate giving policies.We've found it much more enjoyablethan most business texts, and we found ourselves laughing at some of CurtWeeden's analogies on more than one occasion.

A must read for nonprofit and business leaders!
This book lays out an easy to use approach for corporations and nonprofitswho work together to get the most out of corporate contribution programs.

Working in a national nonprofit heading up the communications departmentwith our corporate members, I have seen first hand the need for a road mapin uncharted territory. This book provides just that to anyone interestedin the field.

This is NOT just a business book -- it is a book that everynonprofit leader should be reading.This book could really make adifference in the way businesses and nonprofits work together. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1947, Jesse Marsh - an artist who would inspire generations of comics creators and earn the esteem of professional peers such as industry legends Russ Manning and Alex Toth - won over millions of readers with his four-color vision of Edgar Rice Burroughs' beloved character Tarzan. To the delight of his readers, Marsh would continue to draw Tarzan comics for the following nineteen years. But his passion for Burroughs' creations wasn't limited to the legendary writer's jungle lord, and in the early 1950s he teamed up with prolific comics writer Paul S. Newman to breath life into another of Burroughs' beloved heroes: the courageous adventurer John Carter of Mars! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It took me back 65 years.
Excellent book to remind you of what you enjoyed as a kid.I gave it to my grand kids to introduce them to Edgar Rice Burroughs. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is comprehensive in scope making it valuable for general linguists as well as Africanists.Basic description is accompanied throughout by historical notes, thus making the book interesting to general historical linguists.The author of this long-awaited book is regarded as the world's foremost authority on the Hausa language. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Most impressive
I have many grammars, but this one is the most impressive work I've ever seen.It is a encyclopedic reference grammar rather than a grammar used for teaching a language.The scope and thoroughness is like nothing I've ever seen before.There should be such grammars for every language. ... Read more

Product Description
This illustrated history or fear, from prehistoric terror of ancestral spirits to dread of alien kidnapping, traces the many strands of fear, exploring the ways we have dealt with it through ritual, religion, literature and social control.Newman's historical treatment draws on examples from archaeology, art history, literature and history, and he looks at contemporary attempts to deal with fundamental fears through self-help, cult movements and the Internet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A History of Fear
This interesting book looks at the origins offear and terror and places it in the context of human history and how these have manifested themselves through the ages.

The author shows that since fear is one of mankind's basest and most primordial emotions, it can exert great influence on not only an individual basis, but on entire societies and civilizations.Fear can be used as a political tool to control the masses, as the Church did during the Middle Ages to combat the encroaching Muslims as well as "dangerous" heretical sects like the Cathars.Later, during the Renaissance, fear had people convinced that Europe was being plagued by witches and demons.Many of our oldest myths and legends regarding werewolves and vampires, etc, can be traced back to our simple human fears of death and dying, fears of the unknown wilderness and it inhabitants...perhaps even simply, our fear of the dark and the unknown and dangerous mysteries it contains.Thus, we give these fears a familiar face to better confront them.

Fear and terror are irrational and, left unchecked, can override even our greatest reason.This book provides an intriguing insight into these often misunderstood and powerful forces.

a riveting read
I did not think such a simple thing as fear had so many reverberations and meanings until I read Paul Newman's book and thought about it. I did not realise how many small fears may hide one large fear. What this book did was help me penetrate the various disguises of nightmare and panic, the different hobgoblins and ghosts one shares and runs from down the centuries. I was truly enlightened by this study which has so many varied aspects.

A Dreadful Experience
This was interesting, in that it explained that fear had a kind of beginning. I did not realise about Pan and I had not thought before that fear was a primary element in controlling people nor that ghosts themselves can be used as a way of curtailing violent tendencies in individuals. Things like the vampire myth were placed in an historical context, so that you learned why certain fears sprang up when, and what was the root sensation behind vampires and hobgoblins. There was a lot of witty writing in the book which I thoroughly enjoyed, too.

The Roots of Panic
I was fascinated by this book because it shows how out fears change down the centuries. We start out by being afraid of many things - spiders, wolves and ghosts - and then gradually our curiosity about them grows. In this book we learn about how ghost stories were used as a form of social control, to make people confer money to monasteries, how panic and end of the world cults were used to whip people into a furore of flagellation and bodily abuse, about Pan and the ancient roots of terror, about vampires, werewolves and alien beings. We learn how fear and fascination are inmixed and about how the twentieth century showed a burgeoning of strange obsessions and desires. I did enjoy this book - found it scholarly and racy at the same time - and I am going to give it the highest mark.

Fear & Dread through Reading!!!
Although definitely a promising topic, this "history of terror" falls a long way short of its potential. While the author has draw on a vast number of diverse sources, the resulting work fails in maintaining any central theme and at times left me wondering about the relevance of the title to the work. ... Read more

Product Description
The Man of the Atom is mankind's only hope! In a series of catastrophic events like nothing ever witnessed Doctor Solar struggles to save humanity from giant death machines, nuclear annihilation, lava monsters, and robot scorpions! Back in time, Solar relives the incredible events that made him The Man of the Atom! Solar smashes mind-monsters that come to life! A million Solars battle microscopic aliens from outer space!Don't miss the strangest, most fantastic adventures of the atomic age!Amazon.com Review
Here's a real cold-war comic.Doctor Solar is a scientist working at an atomic laboratory when an accident in an atomic pile converts his body to atomic energy.But instead of dying, he becomes the Man of the Atom, endowed with incredible powers of flight, speed, and more, even though it prevents him from ever leading a normal life with Gail, his object of affection.Originally published by Gold Key in 1966-1968, issues 15-22 find our hero traveling through time to prevent a doomsday bomb, fighting microbe invaders from outer space, and battling archvillain Nuro and his cybernoid henchman Orun. Also complicating matters is the arrival of Gail's nephew Hamilton, who suspects Doctor Solar's secret identity. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The third volume of this reprint of Gold Key's "superhero" title
This is the third archive volume of Gold Key Comics' strange atomic superhero.

Gold Key (an imprint of Western Publications, thru its subsidiary "K.K. Publications) was an overall strange comic book company.Most of its products were licensed titles (tv shows, Disney, Walter Lantz, Tarzan, etc).It did do some original stuff (Magnus, Brothers of the Spear, Dr Spektor, Tragg, Dagar), including Doctor Solar.But, as usually, they did them different.All the adventure titles had full painted covers.They really didn't do any straight superheroes.Doctor Solar was probably the closest, but even then he was different.First off, Solar is his real name, "Man of the Atom" is his superhero name.

With all of these stories, his true foe is the mysterious Nuro.His main henchman is Uzbek, but in this volume, Nuro has a new favorite: the android Orun (who seems to be a copy in some respects to an android seen in the first volume).Orun soon supplants Uzbek, to the point that Uzbek betrays Nuro and his killed for his troubles.Nuro is an interesting, James Bond-style villian.Is he working for some world power (doesn't appear so)?In #16, his men are decked out in interesting uniforms, but we no longer see these uniforms in subsequent issues.

An interesting cliffhanger issue is the last story in the volume, where surrounded by various nations out to stop him, Nuro transfers his mind into Orun, and becomes "King Cybernoid".What is bizarre is that Nuro is almost a 'passenger' in Orun, as Orun still has his personality.

Another new character is also added toward the end of this volume: Gail's nephew, a student at MIT, whom Solar needs to distract from learning his dual identity.

Now, one thing that is annoying is that they pretty much give the same credits on all issues.HOWEVER, Frank Bolle did NOT do all the artwork.He was replaced after issue #19, so #20-23 in this volume are by Al McWilliams.So are we sure that Paul Newman did all the stories in this volume, when they credit the stories in #4 to others??This is one thing of frustration with this series is the lack of good background info on the series.

A Forgotten Gold Key Original!
I have to admit that I never read Gold Key Comics as a kid.I didn't know who Doctor Solar was until he was resurrected by Valiant Comics in the early 90's.But I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this Archive Edition published by Dark Horse Comics.This hardcover edition reprints issues 15 - 22 of the original, Gold Key Doctor Solar series from the 1960's and presents readers with a fascinating character.In his introduction, Mike Baron refers to the art of Frank Bolle as scratchy, but if you compare Bolle's art to a lot of the stuff from Marvel and DC of the same period and I think it holds up quite well.It's certainly superior to say Don Heck and some other Silver Age artists.

One thing that stands out in these tales written by Paul S. Newman is his knowledge of science, specifically physics and nuclear physics.Newman isn't Stan Lee inventing contraptions like the Ultimate Nullifier.Clearly he either had more than a working knowledge of nuclear science or at least did his homework.He may have take his plots to the fantastic, but he seemed to have built them on a solid foundation of actual science.I don't know that I've ever read comic stories from the Silver Age that had a better grasp of scientific principles.Of course, I suppose this could have worked against the book if readers found the material to be a bit over their heads, though.Throughout most of the stories in this volume Solar is plagued by his arch-nemesis Dr. Nuro, who bares more than a slight resemblance in both looks and character to Lex Luthor.

In the opening story, straight out of the cold war 1960's, a colleague of Solar is distraught over the proliferation of nuclear weapons and gives a cryptic warning about something that will happen several weeks into the future before he dies of a heart attack.Solar uses his atomic abilities to travel to the exact time in the future that the warning gave.A bomb containing radio waves goes off, intended to render the worlds missiles useless, but instead causes the worldwide stockpile to launch, eventually tearing the world apart.Solar has to now try and travel back in time to stop the man from placing the bomb.

In "War of the Suns" the worlds scientists plan to build a small, nuclear sun and put it into orbit on the opposite side of our sun in order to keep the world in sunlight all the time.The reasoning being that with the ever growing population, farmers need to be able to grow food 24 hours a day to feed the masses.However before they can launch their miniature sun, Dr. Nuro tries to beat them to it with his untested atomic sun.Soon the small sun goes off its orbit and threatens to hit the Earth unless Doctor Solar can stop it in time.

Nuro then sacrifices one of his own loyal henchman in a bizarre experiment that turns the man into a giant comprised of fiery lava named Primo!Solar has found that his own powers have decreased because his body doesn't have enough mass to hold the atomic energy.Doc has to find a way to gain mass without size and battle this new terror.In another story, Nuro uses his robot sidekick Orun to discredit Solar.The robot is given an atomic heart that boosts his powers and then puts on a costume just likes Solar's so he can wreak havoc and have Solar get all the blame.

The great thing about this book is that you need not have read the first couple of volumes to know what's going on.The stories are self-contained and usually wrapped up by the end of the issue.The other great attraction of the book is the reprinted, painted covers by artist George Wilson.Those covers always made Gold Key comics stand out and they are simply gorgeous.

Reviewed by Tim Janson
... Read more

Product Description
A guide to the history of Bath, one of Europe's most stylish resorts, from the time the Romans put it on the map as Aquae Sulis and built their majestic temple and complex of baths. The photographs and text take the reader through and around the city, highlighting the places of interest. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more