Kim (Five Stars)

I've admired Kipling's poetry but have never read any of his stories... until now. I was fortunate to have a copy of Kim fall into my hands, a 1962 Heritage Press Edition complete with slipcase. In pristine condition, I had to find a bookmark out of fear I would ruin the book with dog-earing.

 And what a book. Kim is the orphaned son of British parents, making his way in the world during the time of the Empire. Living by his wits he can pass for Hindu or Muslim as needs be, and knows all the beggar tricks of surviving on the streets. When he comes across a Tibetan Lama who is on a spiritual quest he decides to travel with him, showing him the wonders of the train and dealing with the many people on the Trunk Road. Kipling paints a picture of the peoples and cultures of India that is fascinating. In this particular edition the illustrations are wonderful and really do complement the story. This is a great book, if you can find it.

Cinebox vs Scopitone (Four Stars)

I loved Scopitones the first time I ever saw them, back on the Higgins Boys and Gruber on the Comedy Channel. These cheaply-made musical programs made for a stand-up machine (normally found in a bar) gave you a chance to see your favorite performers singing their greatest hits. Well, if your favorite performer was a "B" act. And if they happened to do a Scopitone film of the song you wanted to hear AND see.

Later I discovered that Scopitone wasn't simply a French export to the United States but that there were British Scopitones as well, and Italian ones done in Cinebox. I could find little information on Cinebox but later I did manage to get VHS tapes and DVDs of non-US films. I came to appreciate Tiny Yong, Joi Lansing, Eden Kane, Johnny B. Great and the Kessler Sisters. But still I didn't feel like I knew the whole story.

NOW I have the full story. This book lays out the relationship between the Scopitone and Cinebox systems. It also provides some insight, for instance the fact that the technology used by both systems was developed and used during WWII to train pilots in navigation. That the Mafia unsuccessfully tried to import Cinebox into the U.S. How Debbie Reynolds was involved in finding talent for U.S. Scopitones. And finally, the problems that led to the end of Cinebox and Scopitone. And that some of the machines ended up being rebuilt as peep shows.

And if that wasn't enough, the book has a list of all the known Scopitone/Cinebox films! Many of these are available on YouTube, IF you know what you're looking for.

On the downside: There are some typos in the English text, including the listing of Tiny Yong as "Tiny Young." Also, the listing of films is by country (ies) and year group,  so if you are looking for a specific song but aren't sure if it was produced by Cinebox or Scopitone or when it was done it can be a little frustrating. Still, the book is lavishly illustrated with both color and BW photographs and advertising graphics. There is a lot of emphasis on Italian Cinebox films but that is understandable and Scopitone is still well-represented. Definitely something for the fan of the films!

Biafra Genocide (Four Stars)

If taken as a synopsis of the Biafra War this book is not bad. It includes a chronology of events related to the war, some discussion of the personalities involved and the conduct of the war. It includes many excellent photos and some maps which makes the action understandable. Mr. Venter, who was there at the time and who has written many excellent books on Africa, has done a good job of making the tragedy of Biafra more understandable to the average reader. The book covers the use of mercenaries by both sides, the food airlift operation into Biafra (and, in passing, the arms being flown in as well) and military operations. Certainly a good introduction to the topic.

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.

The Poison Belt (three stars)

While I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes I found Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's sci-fi novel The Poison Belt to be a bit wanting. In it, a Professor Challenger discovers that all life on Earth will be destroyed by, as near as I can understand it, a pocket of gas in the ether. He has several friends come to his home with oxygen tanks so they can essentially watch the world end together. The Heritage Press edition includes some interesting illustrations but they really don't add much to the story in my opinion. Still, the book is relatively short and not bad for the period it was written.

The Secret World (Four Stars)

Originally written in the 1950s, this book is nonetheless a great look at the KGB as it was organized back then and how communist secret police organizations work in general. Not only does it provide a step-by-step example of how cases against Soviet citizens were built but it also has hard-to-find information on how the Kremlin Guard, the personal security arm of the KGB, worked to both protect the leadership and keep the Center (Moscow) secure. Deriabin's personal story of how he wound up going from conscript to politruk to KGB officer is instructive and eye-opening. His escape from the Soviet Zone in Vienna and subsequent death warrant are almost an anticlimax.

This is the book you want if you are looking to write a spy novel set in the 1950s!

Brittany 1944 (Five Stars)

Following the Normandy breakout the U.S. Army was sent racing towards Brittany to seize the German-held ports of Lorent, Saint Nazaire and Brest. This would simultaniously deprive the Kreigsmarine of U-boat bases and provide the Allies with badly-needed supply bases. This book looks at the effort to take on the German Army and Navy, the help provided by the French Resistance in the province and the backwater that the area became following Patton's all-out armored race to the Rhine. Often books about the Normandy Campaign and the Cobra breakout give scant mention of the fight in Brittany... a fight which because of changing priorities allowed the Nazis to maintain a grip on the Channel Islands and several of the ports right up until Germany's surrender in May 1945.


As always, a well-written book well-illustrated with maps, original artwork and photographs. A good addition to anyone's WWII library.

May Day in Magadan (Four Stars)

Ivan Duvakin is a victim of circumstance. Previously caught up in a scandal while working security in Moscow he now finds himself Magadan, a former center for the regional slave labor camps of the Gulag. Duvakin has been given a cushy job in Agitprop in the isolated town, which is literally in the middle of nowhere. And yet, because of a chance encounter at the airport he finds himself in the middle of a new plot that threatens to spin out of control and consume everything around it... including him.


Olcott's writing doesn't sugar-coat life under communism and the picture he paints of Magadan in the early 1980s, and the operations of the Militia and the KGB, certainly rings true. In a society where the signed "confession" replaces trials, can anyone expect justice?