Books

  1. The Underground Man

    The Underground Man


  2. Trial and Retribution

    Trial and Retribution


  3. The Calcutta Chromosome

    The Calcutta Chromosome


  4. The Trouble with Single Women

    The Trouble with Single Women


  5. Thrill!

    Thrill!


  6. Underworld

    Underworld


  7. On Wings of Eagles

    On Wings of Eagles


  8. Dragon's Winter

    Dragon's Winter


  9. Plots and Errors

    Plots and Errors


  10. The Courtship Gift

    The Courtship Gift


  11. Eager to Please

    Eager to Please


  12. The Company: A Novel of the CIA

    The Company: A Novel of the CIA


  13. When Dreams Travel

    When Dreams Travel


  14. Why Don't You Stop Talking: Stories

    Why Don't You Stop Talking: Stories


  15. Like Normal People

    Like Normal People


  16. Lilies That Fester (A Sheila Malory Mystery)

    Lilies That Fester (A Sheila Malory Mystery)


  17. Last Seen Wearing (Pan Classic Crime S.)

    Last Seen Wearing (Pan Classic Crime S.)


  18. The History Man

    The History Man


  19. Observatory Mansions

    Observatory Mansions


  20. Wicked Peace

    Wicked Peace


  21. Selling Out

    Selling Out


  22. The Idea of Perfection

    The Idea of Perfection


  23. The Abomination

    The Abomination


  24. Plainsong

    Plainsong


  25. Written on Glass

    Written on Glass


The Underground Man (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Relevant and incisive
  • PRETTY MUCH THE BEST
  • It was the Front Page of The New York Times Book Review
  • The sins of the fathers.
  • good but not great
The Underground Man (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
Ross Macdonald
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:
  1. The Far Side of the Dollar (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
  2. The Goodbye Look
  3. The Chill
  4. Sleeping Beauty
  5. The Galton Case (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

ASIN: 0679768084
Release Date: 1996-11-26

Book Description

As a mysterious fire rages through an affluent community in Southern California, Lew Archer tracks a missing--and possibly kidnapped--child and uncovers and entire secret history of wayward parents, wounded offspring, and murder. Along with its merciless suspense, The Underground Man possesses a moral vision as complex as that of a classic Greek tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Relevant and incisive.......2006-05-17

The book's narrator, private detective Lew Archer, is hired to find young Ronald Broadhurst, who has been kidnapped by his father and a younger woman. Of course the plot soon thickens, and Archer finds himself investigating murder, theft and conspiracies galore. A devastating forest fire rages throughout the book, just outside the margin of the action, but near enough to the story to create a consistent backdrop of urgency and fear.

A hurried reader of Ross Macdonald's novel might mistake it for a relatively straightforward detective story, albeit a well-written one. However, this book is strikingly different from many others of the genre. Rather than highlighting action or intrigue, the book chooses to focus on human relationships and the ravages caused by divorce and greed.

Though the plot moves slowly in parts, Macdonald's surprisingly trenchant commentary on devastated relationships and societal decay is as vibrant and relevant today as it was 30 years ago.


5 out of 5 stars PRETTY MUCH THE BEST.......2006-03-22

Though he's generally listed third in the triumvirate--Dashiell Hammett (The Father); Raymond Chandler (The Son); and Ross MacDonald (The Holy Ghost)--Mr. MacDonald is more properly recognized as the greatest of the private eye authors. Hammett's one great novel, The Maltese Falcon, and the equally great film version, along with his precedence in time (1939), are undeniable, and Chandler was likewise fortunate enough to have Humphrey Bogart put his imprint on Phillip Marlowe, but neither sustained a series of novels at the steady high quality of the Lew Archer books. In fact, Hammett and Chandler tailed off rather badly at the end of their careers, whereas the final few Archer mysteries scaled heights that not only transcended the genre but make them necessary reading for anyone hoping to understand the "malaise" that afflicted America in the 1970s. The Underground Man, published in 1971, may well be the best of MacDonald's oeuvre, which would make it pretty much the best p.i. book ever written. Hard to argue it isn't at least one of the pinnacles.

The story opens with Archer feeding peanuts to some blue jays outside his apartment--the sort of balance of nature to which MacDonald seemingly wanted him to restore the world by solving crimes. But when a little boy emerges from another apartment, followed by his mother and then by her estranged husband, Archer is plunged into their domestic quarrel and then into a series of adulteries, broken marriages, petty crimes, frauds, and murders stretching back across three generations. And, as if to demonstrate that such disordered lives must have cosmic consequences, the backdrop for the tale is a raging brushfire, fed by the Santa Ana winds, that sweeps across the scenes of the crimes and threatens to consume the whole cast. And just as mortal crime triggers natural disaster, so too does a character suggest to Archer that he serves as a similar spark to human tinder:

"You smell like trouble to me," he said.

That stopped me for a minute. He had a salesman's insight into human weakness, and he'd touched on a fact which I didn't always admit to myself--that I sometimes served as a catalyst for trouble, not unwillingly.

Of course, a forest fire burns away dead wood and allows for new growth, but Mr. MacDonald provides us little reason to believe that Archer's cases have much salutary effect.

To the extent there is some hope, Mr. MacDonald would appear to be suggesting that the confused young people of the era were not so much to blame for their problems as their parents -- that Greatest Generation that he indicts in a way that will shock readers of Tom Brokaw. Typically drawing a parallel to the environmental degradation that was imagined to be a sign of the times, he refers at one point to "a generation whose elders had been poisoned ... with a kind of moral DDT that damaged the lives of their young." that image of moral DDT is quite powerful and positions his fiction quite comfortably in the American Puritan tradition of Original Sin and Fallen Man. But his vision of American life is so pitch black by this point that it places him squarely in the 1970s. History students trying to imagine how that decade could have ended in Jimmy Carter's hand-wringing could hardly do better than read Ross MacDonald to get a sense of how bleak the mood was at the time.

At any rate, Lew Archer is a first-rate guide through this darkness, lonely and vulnerable in ways that most modern private eye novelists have abandoned. This forces him to be more passive than his super-heroic successors, but also means that he's affected by the tragedies he plums in ways that they never are. And so, when the novel ends with the rains finally having come and a human touch as moving as Bill Murray taking Scarlett Johansson's foot in Lost in Translation, we may not get closure, but we do feel that some semblance of order has been restored. In 1971 that may have been as much as most folks hoped for.

5 out of 5 stars It was the Front Page of The New York Times Book Review.......2005-11-02

All you need to know about this fine Ross Macdonald novel is that
John Leonard put the review of The Underground Man on the front
page of The New York Times Book Review in 1971.
That was unheard of for a mystery.

Suddenly, everyone discovered Ross Macdonald. He truly is the successor
to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. And much more psychologically
sophisticated. Besides this book, his best may be The Chill and The Zebra Striped Hearse.

4 out of 5 stars The sins of the fathers........2005-08-14

The multiple ramifications of long held family secrets that fester and repeat themselves permeate The Underground Man and give it its backbone. As a ferocious wildfire engulfs the eastern outskirts of the oceanside community of Santa Teresa, California, author Ross Macdonald leads us through a complex maze of dysfunctional relationships involving members of three intertwined families.

The narration is provided by hardboiled PI Lew Archer as he seeks to return Ronald Broadhurst, a six year old kidnap victim, to the arms of his frantic mother. Of course, as with all Ross Macdonald novels, the case at hand only represents the tip of the iceberg. Archer, ever the tenacious investigator, finds that a series of unhappy events ocurring in the distant past has culminated in little Ronny's abduction.

Fast paced and compelling, the narrative of The Underground Man is artfully written. Macdonald employs countless descriptive phrases that are deliciously original and extremely....well, descriptive. The dialogue is engaging and authentic sounding. And the many characters are sketched out in a way that gives them a realistic feel. As for the plot, it's an intricate one. Ross Macdonald novels are never otherwise. Artful, challenging and satisfying, The Underground Man is an excellent example of Macdonald's best work.

4 out of 5 stars good but not great.......2005-01-03

I came to this novel with very high hopes, having heard that it was a classic of the genre. From that perspective, I was a little disappointed. I felt that symbolism was a little heavy-handed; the book's attempt to be "literary" weighed it down a bit. Nevertheless, it is certainly a good book.
This is Burning Man: The Rise of a New American Underground
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • I tought I burned lots of men until I read Burning Man!
  • a must read if you want to know more about the history of BM
  • The story of a truly unique American arts festival
  • This book ruined Burning Man!
  • The best BM book ever, and guide to networking subcultures
This is Burning Man: The Rise of a New American Underground
Brian Doherty
Manufacturer: Benbella Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:
  1. Burning Man Festival (Special Edition)
  2. AfterBurn: Reflections on Burning Man (Counterculture Series)
  3. Desert to Dream: A Decade of Burning Man Photography
  4. Drama in the Desert: The Sights and Sounds of Burning Man
  5. Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock

ASIN: 1932100865

Book Description

A provocative look at the extraordinary annual Burning Man festival—held each year before Labor Day, and drawing thousands of people from all walks of life to the forbidding Black Rock Desert in Nevada—spotlights the radically self-reliant and vibrantly creative community that gathers for a week-long stay that culminates in the burning of a symbolic wooden man. The glamorous and anarchic aspects of the makeshift city—ideas that are at once ingenious and unimaginable in normal society—include a three-story temple composed of discarded dinosaur puzzle pieces, a giant flame-spewing metal-lotus flower, and a glowing white whale sailing over the starry desert sky. The magnificent spirit of a festival where money and spectators are not allowed is captured here, bringing a piece of the whimsical, strange, and enlightened energy to those who've never participated as well as to veterans wishing to reminisce.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I tought I burned lots of men until I read Burning Man!.......2007-01-12

I just finished reading the day that John Law sued the other founders over the name. So what we they call it now?
For someone who would like to but cannot attend Burning Man it is fun to read. I did not go to Woodstock either. (Too pregnant.)
The book really is an underground networker's dream.

5 out of 5 stars a must read if you want to know more about the history of BM.......2007-01-11

No one can tell the whole story, but to date no written account is out there to equal to this masterful work.

5 out of 5 stars The story of a truly unique American arts festival.......2006-01-03

Burning Man is the arts/creativity/freedom/whatever festival held every September in the Nevada desert.

It started in 1980s San Francisco, in part as a reaction to Ronald Reagan's America. A man named Larry Harvey and some friends gathered on a San Francisco nude beach to burn a wooden effigy of a man (for no especially good reason). The event was "adopted" by various California punk and arts groups, like the L.A. Cacophony Society, and soon grew too big for the nude beach. A home was found deep in the Nevada desert, miles from the nearest civilization.

It is a huge, empty, desolate place, described by one person as living inside an ashtray. The wind blows constantly, sometimes up to 100 miles an hour, and within seconds, everything and everyone is coated with the same gray dust. Permits are required from the Bureau of Land Management, the official owner of the land, and from the local county governments, not always an easy process. As the attendance at Burning Man has grown over the years, from a few hundred people to, presently, 30,000 people, changes have been needed in the organizational structure of the festival. An LLC was formed to take care of the financial recordkeeping, which, for several years in the 1990s, was loose, to say the least. An unofficial police force was formed, to peacefully resolve disputes and to supplement the actual police force, there to keep things from getting too out of hand. Actual zoning has taken place, including the laying out of streets.

At Burning Man, self-reliance is expected by all participants, which includes bringing your own water. Everyone is expected to participate in some sort of art project; spectators are discouraged. "Art" does not mean a painting that is hung on a wall, but some sort of large, interactive creation that people can touch and feel, usually involving fire.

For those with any sort of familiarity about Burning Man, this book does a fine job at getting behind the scenes. For those who have never heard of it, read this story of a truly unique American arts festival. Either way, this is very much recommended.

5 out of 5 stars This book ruined Burning Man!.......2004-12-03

I went to Burning Man for the first time after reading this book and it was exactly like the author said! It ruined the surprise and I went there totally prepared. He must be stopped from spreading such accurate, detailed descriptions of this mysterious event.

5 out of 5 stars The best BM book ever, and guide to networking subcultures.......2004-10-23

This is by far the best book on Burning Man to come out for those interested in the history, economy, politics and detailed life stories behind the event. I hear that there are more detailed studies of the event coming out in the next year or two. I hope this book inspires more people, especially academicians, to keep thinking about this global cultural phenomenon seriously.

What I found especially useful about this book is that the stories therein constitute a case history for subcultural networking and community building. If you are interested in building synaptic networks between subcultures, this book could be a powerful guide.

This book illustrates the power of synchronicity and simple friendship. If Larry Harvey and Mary Graubarger had not come to San Francisco, had Larry not met Mary at Baker Beach, had the Cacophony Society not discovered Harvey's beach burn, would any of this have happened?

Though much of what came together may have been accident (or destiny), it is clear from the book that Larry Harvey is a true subcultural Faustian (in Howard Bloom's [Global Brain] sense). Without Harvey's leadership, and subtle and intuitive grasp of the nascent unconscious symbolic substratum that he had uncovered, the spiderweb of networks and relationships that followed his work probably would never have developed into anything close to the Burning Man we know and love. In short, it takes leadership and luck to build community.

This book is more than a book about Burning Man. It is a manual to building communities of cultural creatives everywhere.
The Underground Man
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Wow
  • Great Book form my old mate
  • a charming story of an aging aristocrat losing his marbles..
  • Such an oddly charming character
  • good writing..
The Underground Man
Mick Jackson
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140274375

Amazon.com

Mick Jackson makes films. It's no surprise, then, that his first novel, The Underground Man, should be so economically told, the action evoking a mise en scène. The novel takes the form of journal entries interspersed with eyewitness accounts from servants and neighbors. The "Underground Man" portrayed in the novel, William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott, the Duke of Portland and a resident of Nottinghamshire, England, is mightily eccentric; the man was real (1800-1879), as was his eccentricity. Historical fact: the Duke commissioned eight tunnels on his estate. Present-day fact: if you walk the estate today, you see the skylights--2' in diameter and 4" thick. But why did he build them?

In the last few days of the Duke's life, eccentricity burgeons; madness follows. The reader learns that his odd view of the world was shaped by early tragedy, the full truth of which is withheld until the last few pages.

The Underground Man is that most delectable blend of fact and fiction, one in which the intriguing details of a real life are richly explored through imagination.

Book Description

William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott was a singularly eccentric man. What sets him apart from other eccentrics is the fact that he had the wealth to indulge his mania to the fullest. Mick Jackson became fascinated by the stories that surrounded his memory--the Duke died in 1879--and began to embroider them with fictional ideas of Jacksons own, and with the tales that local people had passed on to him. Some of the characters names in this book are genuine, as is much of the geography, and indeed some of the most bizarre details. The actual narrative is, however, pure invention, filled not only with the tale of the Duke but also the excitement and discoveries of the age in which he lived, and the mysteries that we may still discover.

This is a curiously moving and often hilarious portrait of the remarkable fifth Duke of Portland, who indulged his fantasies to the fullest and built a vast network of tunnels beneath his estate from which he could secretly escape to the world beyond.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wow.......2006-08-18

"The Underground Man" is the best book I've read all year! I don't know much about the real Duke of Portland or how historically accurate the book is, but as a character study, it is superb. It may not be for everyone--there are a few passages that might upset the very squeamish--but for those who like their fiction a bit "offbeat," it should be quite satisfying.

Although the story is rather sad, the author's sense of humor helps mitigate the more tragic elements of the Duke's life. The part where he has stomach pain and tries to discover what is wrong is one of the funniest passages I've ever encountered in a book. I also enjoyed the bit about the "essence of beef," given to the Duke by a friend to help with his stomach troubles.

The historical details impart a vivid sense of life and science in the 1800's, and the personal details make the very strange Duke seem very real.

Outstanding!

5 out of 5 stars Great Book form my old mate.......2005-10-06

Mick is an old classmate of mine from Dartington College...
,and reading this is like being with him again...For, he , his wit, charm, brilliance are all here in this treasure of a book.
Reading it is like an incredible journey he dares you to take with him...and most important of all is that old Jackson humour...giggling between the lines of nearly every page...
I strongly urge you to read this book...you will not be disapointed......(can I have me twenty quid now mate?)

Ray Barcia.

4 out of 5 stars a charming story of an aging aristocrat losing his marbles.........2004-12-15

'The Underground Man' is a most unusual story. Apparently loosely based on a real person, it is about an aging aristocrat in Victorian England who slowly progresses/regresses from being an eccentric (likes to build many tunnels under his massive estate) to a real cuckoo (becomes delusional, and begins to engage into nasty mischief). And he seems to be obsessed with his (real? imagined?) failing health. His staff, while seeming unerringly loyal, struggle to keep up with him.

While all this might sound a bit dull, the book is salvaged by some very sweet and compassionate writing. The dottering old coot is all alone and sad. The reader cannot help but care for him, much like his close servants. I was hoping that someone would come and offer true comfort to the old man. I will let future readers discover as to whether this actually happens.


Bottom line: a sweet, sad story of aging and loneliness. Depressing? No. Recommended? Yes.

5 out of 5 stars Such an oddly charming character.......2004-11-01

I had no clue what this book was when I bought it...but I'm so glad I did! The Duke is one of the most oddly charming characters I've ever encountered in literature. He referred to the events in his life and his actions in such a way that almost felt detached...almost. I got the impression that he did understand his thoughts, emotional reactions and behavior were strange but also knew who he was an accepted it.

While the ending is tragic, I felt it gave a truly understanding look into a person with serious mental problems who was still able to live a fulfilling life.

4 out of 5 stars good writing.........2003-08-17

it certainly is a good writing... simple yet smooth, full of curious metaphors -- just like the duke himself ---.. very well-written.
However, i couldn't really figure out what the author's driving at. the mystery + the duke's ruminations, his adventures, and the title... everything seemed to have its own agenda, not really unifying under one central theme. (correct me if i'm wrong..I was wondering what the author was trying to say the whole time i was reading the book..(while admiring his writing...)
I thought this was going to be about tunnels -- the underground man? --- but they are only small part of the novel.... so, although i did enjoy the book for the writing, i couldn't really grasp the story...
Secrets of a Back Alley ID Man: Fake ID Construction Techniques of the Underground
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Doesn't really tell you much
  • Excellent book, but not quite modern enough
  • Informative, Interesting Tome Delivers The Goods
  • A Good Resource
  • It's about time
Secrets of a Back Alley ID Man: Fake ID Construction Techniques of the Underground
Charrett Charrett , and Sheldon Charrett
Manufacturer: Paladin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:
  1. How to Be Invisible: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Personal Privacy, Your Assets, and Your Life (Revised Edition)
  2. The Modern Identity Changer: How to Create a New Identity for Privacy and Personal Freedom
  3. Cover Your Tracks Without Changing Your Identity: How to Disappear Until You WANT to Be Found
  4. How to Make Driver's Licenses and Other Id on Your Home Computer
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ASIN: 1581602685

Book Description

Find out how crafty counterfeiters stay one step ahead of the bureaucrats and security professionals and readily replicate driver's licenses, birth certificates and other supposedly "secure" identity documents. In Secrets of a Back-Alley ID Man, Sheldon Charrett (The Modern Identity Changer and Identity, Privacy, and Personal Freedom) will show you the most effective "new school" and "old-school" techniques for new IDs, as well as poor man's tricks for those on a tight budget; the latest printers, scanners, cameras, software and other equipment used to forge IDs; groundbreaking research in hologram reproduction; simple and quick methods for producing do-it-yourself templates for licenses and official seals; ways to make composite IDs using a standard 35mm camera; and the availability of ready-made IDs on the Internet and other sources. Plus, for the first time ever in print, are precise instructions on how metallic holograms and repetitive lettering are done at home. Also included are difficult-to-find driver's licenses backs, which are nonexistent on the Internet and ignored in other ID books.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Doesn't really tell you much.......2007-03-09

So the book isn't ALL bad. It does describe how to go about producing a lot of this stuff. But most if not all of the methods are impossible. "Sorry I can't tell you where to get (&^%&^%) because then everyone would go there but you need it" and sales so you buy his other stuff
there were entire sections that just said
"I already describe how to do this in my other book" wow that helps a lot maybe i'll buy that one too.
Also the majority of the stuff is badly outdated. He tells you how to make a Main license with a 35mm camera and a typewriter.

If you ask me, don't buy it.

4 out of 5 stars Excellent book, but not quite modern enough.......2005-10-27

I really did like this book, it does have a wealth of information which can be APPLIED to more modern techniques, and generally just gets you thinking in different directions as a book like this should. But given todays climate and the fact that every state has improved security tremendously around IDs and ID cards and even birth certificates, unless you want to try your hand with a laminated Maine ID and or birth certificate printed on improper paper (and probably end up in jail), this may not be the best resource to follow word for word any longer. I didnt like the fact that he barely delved into the new world of teslin and pvc credit card hologramed high quality state IDs (if at all actually) as I feel that you would have to in a book of this nature today, but overall there are some worth while "ideas" in this book that have helped me get a bit better in the real world. Id recommend, but with a bit of caution depending on what your planning on doing, or not doing (*wink*).

5 out of 5 stars Informative, Interesting Tome Delivers The Goods.......2005-03-28

I just finished reading this book, and I loved it! I must admit I was skeptical before I ordered because we have all been scammed at one time or another. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had NOT been ripped off this time! This book lives up to the hype and does not disappoint the reader. The knowledge of the author is complete on the subjects discussed, detailed instruction is given, and (most importantly!) common pitfalls are exposed. I found myself exclaiming out loud "Wow, THAT little tidbit alone is worth the cost of this book." about six or seven time throughout my reading. I also would like to add that if you are interested in this kind of thing, this book is a great learning tool, a good place to start. Thanks Sheldon, for a well written, (often hilarious) informative, eye-opening book.

5 out of 5 stars A Good Resource.......2003-05-28

This is an excellent book for someone wanting to delve into id replication, and techniques. The author is very knowledgeable on the topic he discusses in this book. From start to finish, it leaves you with a very clear understanding of the methods used to create a means of identification. Fair warning, and as he states in the book, it isn't meant for someone attempting to purchase or obtain alcohol. The book does not go into detail on every state, better yet, it focuses on information that will actually help you make an id. Full of resources and techniques, this book is an EXCELLENT guide for someone with the incentive of making an id.

5 out of 5 stars It's about time.......2001-10-25

Finally. A novelty ID construction book that deals with the meat of ID construction. Refreshingly, two chapters WERE NOT dedicated to lamination. I think we all know how to laminate.

MUCH ATTENTION was paid to creating holograms (something we actually need to learn).

The research was obvoiusly thorough and comprehensive. The author does not take credit for ideas that aren't his. All his sources are properly credited (though usually anonymously by request of the source). But, hey, it shows CLASS.

VERY REFRESHING slant for a genre that has of late been falling into the trap of selling titles. This book as REAL SUBSTANCE.

An excellent reference source for anybody interested in this art. Also great for writers who need to research underworld maneuvers for their "villain" characters.

Thank you, Mr. Charrett!!!!
Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • An amazing, inspiring life, and an exciting read as well
  • An inspiring and exciting story
Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust
E. Thomas Wood , and Stanisław M. Jankowski
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  1. Story of a Secret State
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ASIN: 0471018562

Book Description

The story of a man who risked life and limb to expose the atrocities of the Holocaust to the world

"I had the feeling from the moment I saw Karski that he carried secret, invisible wounds in him...I saw he was fighting back the memories."–– Elie Wiesel

"A significant account of personal heroism—not only dramatic as a story but also a compelling moral message regarding the human condition . . . a superb read."–– Zbigniew Brezinski

NOW IN PAPER!

Working for the Polish Underground, Jan Karski witnessed first hand the horrors of the Holocaust. Surviving Soviet captivity and Gestapo torture, he escaped Poland in 1942 and embarked on a heroic crusade to give Allied leaders his eye witness report of Nazi extermination of European Jews. Karski is the first definitive account of the little-known episode—one of the earliest documentations of atrocities to reach the west and perhaps the most significant warning of the genocide to come. Karski's story introduces vital new insights about the Polish Underground, and about the Allies' reaction to the Holocaust.

E. THOMAS WOOD (Nashville, Tennessee) is a reporter for the Tennessean in Nashville. STANISLAW M. JANKOWSKI (Cracow, Poland) is a journalist and historian. He is the leading authority on the Polish Underground.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars An amazing, inspiring life, and an exciting read as well.......2002-08-21

I first heard about Jan Karski when I read his obituary in the New York Times a few years back. After reading the obituary, I thought that this guy led an exciting and profound life, and that his life story would make a great book and/or movie (Steven Speilberg, are you listening?). That's why I'm glad I found this book.

Jan Karski was a young diplomat in Poland when the Germans invaded in 1939. Before the invasion, he seemed to be more interested in the political power struggles of the day rather than the moral and ethical quandaries of war. That soon changed after he was taken prisoner and sent to both Soviet and Nazi prison camps. He spent the war years secretly delivering messages around Europe for the Polish underground, and word of his exploits soon spread among the Allies. He was later sent to Britian and later, the United States, where he became a citizen and lived out the rest of his life.

His near-famous quest to relay the horrors of the Holocaust to the skeptical Allies is only one facet of this individual's life. The authors excelled at opening my eyes to the political infighting among various factions of the Polish resistance (politics doesn't die in wartime, it just goes underground, I learned), and they seemed to paint Karski as an individual who became more interested in working for human freedom and dignity than for carving a political legacy for himself in a postwar Poland.

Karski's days in Britain got a bit dry in the book; his wartime adventures in occupied Europe and his postwar days at Georgetown University (as the world began to recognize his contributions) held my attention the most.

As a bonus, a guide to the many characters Karski dealt with in his life is included in the appendix...a handly tool for keeping track of who's who in this book.

4 out of 5 stars An inspiring and exciting story.......2000-08-18

Jan Karski, who died in July 2000, was a larger than life hero from World War II, who tried to smuggle out information from Nazi occupied Poland to warn the rest of the world about the horrors happening to the Jewish population of his country. He was captured by the Nazis, tortured, escaped, eventually met with President Roosevelt, and truly lived an unbelievably brave and inspiring life. The story is better than any fictional thriller or Hollywood movie. You have to keep reminding yourself that what you are reading is true. It keeps your attention throughout the book, though the last couple of chapters are less exciting naturally than the rest, once the war is over. One has to wonder if there are people like Jan Karski living today...
Dostoyevsky Notes from the Underground, White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man and selections from The House of the Dead
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    Dostoyevsky Notes from the Underground, White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man and selections from The House of the Dead

    Manufacturer: Signet Classics
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback
    ASIN: 0451514424

    Product Description

    In this volume can be seen Dostoyevsky's evolving outlook on man's fate. The works presented here were written at distince periods in the authors life, at decisive moments in his groping for a political philosophy and a religious answer.
    The Underground Man
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      The Underground Man
      Ross Macdonald
      Manufacturer: Bantam Books
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: B000BD5C0Y
      Notes from Underground ; White Nights ; the Dream of a Ridiculous Man And Selections from the House of the Dead
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        Notes from Underground ; White Nights ; the Dream of a Ridiculous Man And Selections from the House of the Dead
        Fyodor (with an Afterword By Andrew R. MacAndrew) Dostoyevsky
        Manufacturer: Signet
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Mass Market Paperback
        ASIN: B000GRBUNS
        Best short stories of Dostoevsky, (293):  White Nights, The Honest Thief, The Christmas Tree and a Wedding, The Peasant Marey, Notes from the Underground, A Gentle Creature, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
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          Best short stories of Dostoevsky, (293): White Nights, The Honest Thief, The Christmas Tree and a Wedding, The Peasant Marey, Notes from the Underground, A Gentle Creature, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
          David (trans and intro) Magarshack
          Manufacturer: Modern Library New York
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000LELNQU
          The Case of the Crimson Kiss / The Saint in Pursuit / tThe Underground Man
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            The Case of the Crimson Kiss / The Saint in Pursuit / tThe Underground Man
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            Manufacturer: Walter J. Black Inc.
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

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