Working Class Mystic: A Spirtual Biography of George Harrison (Four Stars)

This was a great book about George Harrison, the Beatle who sought more than the empty life of a pop star or the philanthropic projects many people would have established if they had the resources Harrison had access to. George Harrison wanted to understand the meaning of life and he sought it out in Hinduism and the mysticisim of the East. Tillery is able to make the reader understand the path that Harrison chose.

Friar Park: A Pictorial History (Five Stars)

Awesome book! This uses period photographs and artwork to show the reader some of the great features of the park and its buildings. If you are interested in George Harrison or even just got a kick out of some of his photos and videos shot on the grounds you should get this book.

Trump: the Complete Collection (Five Stars)

This book provodes a history of Harvey Kurtzman's first attempt to publish his own humor magazine. Originally called X, Trump employed artists from Mad Magazine, giving them an opportunity to do work that was far more impressive in the fill-color format and high-grade reproductions used in the new magazine. Unfortunately for Kurtzman the cost of Trump was too high, even with Playboy magazine footing the bill. Too far ahead of its time, Trump only published two issues. The book includes the two full issues which went to press, as well as artwork from pieces planned out for #3.

A Strange Engine of War: The "Winans" Steam Gun and the Civil War in Maryland (Four Stars)

I would have bet money that you couldn't get an entire book out of the invention known as the Winans Steam Gun but John W. Lamb proved me wrong. Mentioned in several Civil War books as an oddity, the steam gun never saw combat with either side. The machine held much promise for its ability to sling 2-ounce projectiles (about the weight of a minie ball used in rifle muskets) at the rate of a modern machine gun. With that being said, the machine had drawbacks... for instance, its unmistakable appearance on a potential battlefield and some difficulty in changing azimuth and elevation settings.




Much of the book is taken up with the people who actually invented, built and demonstrated it and the odyssey of the prototype, from the mysterious goings-on in Baltimore to an attempted clandestine trip to deliver it to Harper's Ferry (within striking distance of the Rebels) to its delivery by the Union Army to Fort Monroe. Nothing seems straightforward in this story but Lamb does his best to straighten it all out. Includes contemporary images of the machine as well as places and persons involved with it.

I review almost exclusively history books (with rare exceptions). I will eagerly review any book having to do with antiaircraft or air defense. I am also interested in books on Africa, but again, mostly the history of the continent, especially in the 20th Century. Get in touch with me for more information. Most of my book reviews are also on Goodreads and Amazon.

A Rebel War Clerk's Diary VOL I (three stars)

Interesting book. Jones worked in the War Department and had access or interaction at least with many of the military and civilian players of the Confederate government. Written as a transcription of Jones's diary entries, it gives the reader a better feel as to how disconnected the central government of the CSA was from the distant fronts and even from Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Rumors and poor intelligence abound in this book and Jones's opinion of events such as the Emancipation Proclamation and the detrimental effect it would have on the North and the positive effect it would have on the South were way off. You also get the impression that the man wasn't a fan of people of Jewish faith either. Nevertheless, a good primary source in many things.

How NOT To Write a Novel (Five Stars)

Hilarious look at novel-writing that covers everything from authors who transplant 21st century attitudes to historical novels (who knew the Vikings could also be feminists?) to evil characters who are evil, not because of what they do but because of who they are ("Burt was an evil used car salesman... but I repeat myself") to characters who know each other 30 seconds and start telling each other wildly inappropriate information ("Well, you know I would drink but I'm a total teetotaler because of my father's alcoholism." "That's nothing. My mother gave atom bomb secrets to the Soviet Union and was executed for it.") this book is a fun read even if you DON'T plan to write that novel!