Welcome to our July 2003 non-fiction book and biography
reviews archive. Non-Fiction stimulates, entertains, and enlightens. We work hard to find
non-fiction books - biographies, science books, art books, etc. to review each month that we feel are
worth your time and your hard-earned dollars. We hope you'll enjoy this backissue of our July 2003
non-fiction book reviews.
This is the inside scoop about Broadway productions and it is a fascinating tale. Cy Fruer was born to be in show business. Just not as a horn player, which is where he started. He was gifted with his horn, but his real skills lay elsewhere. He played with bands and traveled around the country until he finally he moved to California. There he
worked as a film composer, although he knew this was not the best job for him.
Always a theater buff, Cy became involved in the production of "Where's Charlie" which starred Ray Bolger of "Wizard of Oz" fame. This show ran on Broadway for four year. From here he moved to the great Broadway musical called "Guys and Dolls." Now he found a huge success with staged productions of "Can-Can," and the dramatic hit musical "How to Succeed In Show Business Without Really Trying." And the wonderful production of "Cabaret." Freuer produced and worked with the most famous of Broadway shows and performers. In this book he tells of all about the problems of producing and gathering the best talent for his shows, and all along the way he talks about some of inner relations between the major talents, and the problems with scripts and putting together a hit - which he did again and again and again and again.
What a great non-fiction book! Who could resist this insider's look at Broadway written by such a legend?
This handsome book has more than 250 illustrations. It documents the preservation and history of 437 mural that exist in the public schools located in Chicago. There are essays by the artists, historians, curators and others who were close to the projects and some who were involved with the original programs.
Murals are considered to be the basic art for people. What you see is a large, one-of-a-kind representation of historic relevance. Murals have long been considered at the lower rung of art, and as such they were neglected and forgotten. F.D.R's New Deal programs from The Great Depression-era meant new life for the mural and for the first time in American history, the government gave direct support to the arts.
A mural is almost always overwhelming. It is a large painting on a wall that could be inside or outside, even on a ceiling. It is made with oils or sometimes painted into the walls, and often with colored tiles. The subjects can be political statements of grievances or historical reference. Usually it is filled with everyday people depicting everyday life in times past as well as today.
Murals are not always pretty, but they are always a piece of art to be appreciated for their history. This non-fiction book is filled with pictures and information about each of the murals that are considered historic and protected in the city of Chicago.
When they were first invented, pipe organs were thought to be as complex and intricate as a clock. This book introduces the readers to the master builders that produced the great pipe organs of the world. They invented ingenious ways of using electricity that would work with the instruments and make them sound like a whole orchestra. Famous players of this magnificent instrument are introduced, and their unique talents explored. A major movement came about many years ago to restore the great organs of America to the clarity and precision. But the public lost interest, and even today, great organs are rare. They are beginning to make a comeback, and you can hear them perform in concert halls and churches across America. The whole history is great story. There are black-and-white illustrations throughout this absorbing book.
Craig Whitney is (not surprisingly) an amateur organ player himself. He brings his extensive background as an international reporter for The New York Times. He is currently based in New York.
When this author writes about death, she says it doesn't have to be boring, and then she proceeds to amaze us describing some of the useful information we obtain from cadavers. Medical research can benefit from many of our "used" parts. She goes on to list the uses from teaching medical students to life-saving transplants. The history of the anatomy lab and the work they do is covered. There was a time when a stolen body could bring the thief a good living. Grave-robbing thieves could make about $1000.00 a year in the mid-1800's. Cadavers can be used for crash test dummies. The author tells us about bodies being used to study weapons, plane crashes and the forensics of body disposal.
Roach writes a very interesting account of the world of the dead, but you better have a strong stomach for some of the information imparted in this book. She also shows us a bent for the dark humor associated with death and dying. Roach is a resident of San Francisco and a contributor to many well-known magazines including The New York Times,
Discover, and Reader's Digest.
This history gives the reader a different perspective on Presidential duffers.
Golf has been a favorite method of exercise and relaxation for the Leader of
the Free World since Dwight Eisenhower was elected in 1952. This is a collection of stories to cluck over as we laugh at the gaffs of the men who hold that exhulted office.
Don Van Natta is an investigative reporter for The New York Times and has received many honors. He is a 100+ golfer himself, so he has sympathy for the Presidential Putters. Van Natta takes his readers along on a variety of entertaining stories telling us about the golf habits of the Presidents. I especially enjoyed the story of the round of golf that he played with Bill Clinton. This is all very readable and an amusing way to look at the
characters of some of our Presidents.
Here is a book to page through over and over again. Inside are the stories of 1000 people that are or used to be famous. Some of them are infamous. People are listed in sections that cover sports, world leaders, writers and scientists. In all, there are ten chapters. Just paging through the chapter titles like "World Leaders" you will find a short biography of people like Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) and Catherine the Great (1729-1796).
The famous names are separated by subjects like "Military Leaders" or "Kings and Queens." All the subjects are listed chronologically. There is a very brief history of each entrant along with a picture of the person and sometimes the places that are add to your knowledge. "Artists," "Musicians," "Dancers" and "Architects" are separate sections to look through. "Movie Stars," "Famous names in sports," "Scientists" are just a few of the categories. This is a splendid book.
Pull up a cool drink - Coca-Cola, of course! This is a beautiful compendium that is both entertaining and an informative account of this world-famous icon of American taste and culture. The artwork in this book is nothing short of incredible. The old posters and ads bring back memories of events and places that at one time enticed you and your family to buy a Coke on a hot day at the park or zoo. The sun shining on a fair or carnival made for gorgeous advertising.
There is nothing more thirst-quenching that an ice-cold bottle of Coca-Cola. So here is the stunning new book that will take you through the history of this icon of the 20th Century.
This is the whole and complete story of the legendary Atlanta-based company. Aside from the handsome advertising, you will also enjoy learning about the legal battles the company faced, as well as the history of the first vending machines. The demand for this beverage were mighty and this company built up a history that is an American legend.
From the wonderful calendars to the colorful magazine ads, collectors are still clamoring for every item that carries the logo of Coca-Cola. Do you remember all of those pretty girls that appeared on the tin trays and wall posters? They are all reproduced here along with the factual history that you can enjoy.
There are 350 full color pages of inspiring mosaics here showing you skills that you might learn. Many of the subjects are from famous artists, for example; Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe that was designed for a kitchen, or a Cezanne installed with mosaics in a bathroom. The author is an internationally known mosaic artist who starts us out with a history of this type of artwork. She will teach the reader how to frame a mirror with a colorful abstract or decorate a flowerpot that is a piece of art with a mosaic theme design. Designs for your garden are really enticing.
I like this book because I did some mosaic work in my garden, and always called it my "keep-busy-work" because it calmed me down and excited me as my own Aztec Calendar emerged in all it's colorful beauty. There are pictures of furniture and filled in empty spots in a home that are enhanced by a little artwork with tiles.
This book is perfect for any aspiring artist who might delight to working in bright colored glass tiles to create their own masterpiece.
For every fan of the brilliant pianist called Jelly
Roll Morton, this book is a real treat. It is one of best biographies I have ever read.
This is the tale of the man who was one of the creators of the foundation of jazz.
Jelly Roll Morton was born in New Orleans in 1890. He was named Ferdinand Joseph Lamonthe. He had a large family and grew up to be a virtuoso piano player. He was given lessons and learned to read music. He found his own music in the streets of his own city and he never turned back. In his lifetime, Jelly Roll was among the first musicians of his time to write down the music he created. He wrote such wonders as "Kansas City Stomp" and "The Pearls". To his fans there is no one who could accomplish the magic timing and chords of that music.
Yes, Jelly Roll was among the first of the musicians to have his creations printed as sheet music, which meant he was among the first to actually get paid for his work. Throughout his life he recorded and produced some of the finest jazz music. As he became famous, he was invited to the Library of Congress to just sit, play and talk about his life and times. These tapes are his legacy to the world.
His life was filled with music and friends. When times were good, Jelly Roll dressed in expensive clothes and spent a lot of money. He had a diamond put into one of his front teeth, which was a means of saving for a rainy day in the early 20th Century. As so often
happened to Black artists, he tied up with a producer for his music that cheated and robbed him for many years.
Through all of this history, which had its good times and sad times, this book is a wonder of information to bring to life the legend that was Jelly Roll Morton.
This collection of ideas for your home from Family Fun magazine is just plain a gem to own. There are hundreds of projects to use for any room in your house. Great decorating ideas are included to kid's room, bedrooms and all over the house. Crafts galore for home and garden as well.
The information in the uniquely-bound book could keep you and your whole family busy for a long time. When you complete one of the clearly-explained projects, you will be overjoyed at your handiwork.
Making these projects with your kids is the best use of this book. Storage spaces and workspaces are included that could change attitudes about doing homework or picking up clothes. Everything is very clearly explained. You can find a list of what you need for a project and in the index you can locate where to buy the materials.
Until legislation was passed that would protect historic sites and buildings, the nation's Capital lost an scandalous amount of irreplaceable architecture. Destruction in the name of progress wrought havoc in D.C., especially after World War II. This huge book is a
collection of the depth of those loses. This is the second edition of this title. The first edition chronicled 252 of these historic structures and was printed some five years ago. This book gives a clear call for Americans to do something to protect our history. Fortunately there has been a rising awareness of this history and this has resulted in the passage of the Historic District and Historic Landmark Protection Act in 1978.
This splendid work is a visual delight and includes eighteen more treasures that have been lost. Among them are the "Rhodes Tavern" and the "Valley View." The book is huge and heavy is filled with photographs of the architecture of Washington D.C. and brings the author's preservation tour up to date for us all.
Collector's Books are THE experts in the business and their books
that are filled with information for collectors in each of these
categories. Once you have decided that you want to become a collector,
you probably have been bitten by the bug and your life will never be the
same. From now on it will be filled with going to specialty shows and
living on eBay to find the things that you have fallen in
love with. Trust me, I know. I am a collector and have been for a long
time. I am still thrilled to find a new-old piece of whatever for my
collection.
So what we have in these books are guides to a variety of the
most popular items that people collect. In the SHEET MUSIC book you will find an
alphabetical listing of sheet music titles, along with some terrific pictures
of the enchanting front covers. There is no fooling around with a lot of information.
There is just enough to know that one of your pieces is listed and what
it is worth on the market. The secret of this great book is that it is
fun to page through because it is filled with remnants from your memories and mine.
Jane Wood has given us a mass of black and white
pictures of postcards with some glossy color pages to enjoy. The picture
tells it all, so the price is printed just below. These are only
approximated values, but you have the magic guide to collecting the popular form
of ephemera.
OLD MAGAZINES' information is all new to me. I
just started looking for some of these treasures on paper, and I am delighted that Mr. Clear
has given me a jumping-off place for values. Once again, this is a
delightful book to page through. The glossy pages are green and the
photography of old magazine covers are in color. The valuations
are right-on from what I have been checking in various places online.
These three are new updates, but the publisher has
given us books on just about everything you could think of to collect. I
notice that they are looking for knowledgeable authors who have large
collections and might want to do a book themselves, so look inside the books!
Fifty years of experience from the famous magazine SCREEN WORLD has resulted in this encyclopedia that answers any question you could think up if you were to interview one of these people. If you are a true fan of film you will enjoy owning this monster-sized book. Included in this encyclopedia is every screen actor of note since the Silent Film era. Every listing contains a picture in black and white of the actor. These photos are
from the archives of the Screen World. A brief biography is included, and then a listing of the vital statistics for that actor. The filmography of each entry is comprehensive. While many of the entries are about the most famous, there is a lot of attention to those troupers who generally get neglected in the history of movies.
All the names are listed in alphabetical order and you should be aware that the term, "actor" refers to both male and female performers.
The price is reasonable enough for the enormous amount of information that is included. Yes, this is a very big book. It is heavy to pick up and it is filled with the kind of information any fan would love to be able to put their hands on when the curiosity overtakes them.
Washington D.C. has a great ensemble of museums and monuments on the National Mall. It's a history lesson just touring these sites. Goodall is fascinated with the private side of the city of Washington, D.C. So in this book, we go on a tour where we learn about the
collection of apartment houses where many of the famous dwell. Early landmarks in this category are the subjects of this book. Black and white pictures of some of the most fascinating old and new buildings take you back into the history of the city.
Maps help put your tour in perspective and the information about the history of each of the selected sites is filled with the names and the times of early D.C. luminaries.
The author brings us right up to date as he includes the current crop of palatial apartments. One of the delights that are included is the blueprints of the buildings and the interiors of the apartments. Each site has a history that is well-covered in
an eminently entertaining manner.
Be sure to visit us again next month when we'll
review more entertaining and enlightening non-fiction books. Our
non-fiction book reviews are written by our Editor, Richard L. Trethewey.
Rainbo Electronic Reviews' non-fiction book reviews are published monthly. Back issues of our
reviews are available from the Rainbo Reviews Backissues Archive.
We're proud to announce that the reviews archive is now searchable by category so you can find great non-fiction books we've reviewed in the past.
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