Cagney

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If you're looking for an impersonal, gossipy, take-no-prisoners account of James Cagney's life, this is not the book for you. Author John McCabe is in love with his subject. After ghost-writing Cagney's autobiography in the 1970s, the two remained close until Cagney's death in 1986. But his bias toward the actor, whom McCabe describes as "a great artist and an even greater man," has opened many doors. In particular, it has allowed McCabe to collect an immense repository of quotations and testimonials from Cagney's friends and from the actor himself. Dipping frequently into his archive, McCabe has fashioned a book that makes for a thrilling, revelatory read. Many readers find the section devoted to the actor's impoverished childhood the most riveting, but I was just as captivated by the account of his professional career. McCabe recounts Cagney's many successes at Warner Brothers studios, his Oscar for Yankee Doodle Dandy in 1943, his tussle with the beloved S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall during the shooting of that film, his command of the Yiddish language (picked up on the streets of New York and a great help to him when negotiating with Jack Warner), his escape (just barely) from the seductions of gorgeous actress Merle Oberon, his decision to retire while still at the peak of his power, and many other wonderful stories and anecdotes. I love the section, late in the book, where the author and Cagney meet, and biography suddenly becomes autobiography. --Raphael Shargel

Book Description

John McCabe's participation in the writing of James Cagney's autobiography, the many years of friendship that followed, and an intense period of interview and discussion in preparation for a musical comedy based on Cagney's life--a show that never saw the light of day--make him Cagney's ideal biographer. And, indeed, he has written a searching chronicle of this major actor's life and career, packed with history and anecdote, and profusely illustrated.

Cagney came from a poor Irish-American New York family but once he found his métier as an actor, it was not long before he was recognized as a brilliantly energetic and powerful phenomenon. After the tremendous impact of Public Enemy--in which he notoriously pushed half a grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face--he was typecast as a gangster because of the terrifying violence that seemed to be pent up within him. Years of pitched battle with Warner Brothers finally liberated him from those roles, and he went on to star in such triumphs as the musicals Yankee Doodle Dandy (winning the 1942 Oscar for best actor) and Love Me or Leave Me. Even so, one of his greatest later roles involved a return to crime--as the psychopathic killer in the terrifying White Heat. He retired from films in 1961 after making Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three, only to return twenty years later for Ragtime.

But however much Cagney personified violence and explosive energy on the screen, in life he was a quiet, introspective, and deeply private man, a poet, painter, and environmentalist, whose marriage to his early vaudeville partner was famously loyal and happy. His story is one of the few Hollywood biographies that reflect a fulfilled life as well as a spectacular career.

Customer Reviews:

a faraway fella..........2007-01-18

this autobiography by the ghostwriter of Cagney by Cagny is a fine, loving and detailed portrait of an artist with humility, integrity and boundless talent. One of the finest autobiographies I've read. Cagney the man is so much more interesting then Cagney the actor and Cagney the actor was one hell of a talented soul. The writer makes us understand Jim Cagney so well and develop so much empathy for the man that it's like he's sitting across from you and telling his own life story.

A Yankee Doodle Dandy of a Bio!.......2006-12-10

Seen the Movies? Read this book!

A great bio of one of Filmdom's Gods.

You will learn alot about the man as actor, and human being, and about Hollywood in the Golden Age here.

Like many Leading Men of the Golden Age there was a lot of There THERE in that pretty little head of his, in the performance of his craft, and in his personal life, and we are fortunate to have had him performing on screen into is old age.

Fantastic!

Superlative actor with a beautiful mind.......2006-04-20

This biography is a great find. McCabe is a magisterial writer - he analyzes his star like a specimen under the microscope - and as film-critic he is in a class by himself: a few well-chosen words, a picked-out scene, some psychoanalysis here, an anecdote there - you will SEE what he describes.

The star of his book however is worth every trouble! In a profession that attracted so many elbow-people and phonies James Cagney remained unpretentious and helpful. His moral courage is legendary. He gave an ambulance to Americans who fought in Spain, supported the Mexican cotton worker's strike and the Scottsboro boys, was one of the founders of the SAG. No wonder he was a thorn in the sides of some people. They forced him to appear before the DIES committee. Gangsters planned to kill him...

The actor was outrageously bright and original. THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931) with the grapefruit - splash! - in Mae Clarke's face. His whining, begging-for-mercy death on the electric chair in ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) and of course YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942), his quintessential role where he was literally dancing on the wall.

Some fans are astonished that the average filmgoer remembers Cagney less well than say, Tracy or Bogart. He was forty-three-years old and at the zenith of his creative powers when he won his oscar. The audience idolized him. The following years should have been the best of his career, the years of harvest. They certainly were for Tracy (who worked with Hepburn) and Bogart (who worked with Bacall). Cagney's filmography before his sensational comeback as epileptic, mother-dominated gangster in WHITE HEAT (1949) However shows a gap. It was not only the war (he entertained troups in England). He was also tired of his "gangster-image" - and who could blame him? He left Warner Bros. with the declared intention to make "art".

As a result he made just four films when he could have made twenty, two of them ambitious but costly Art-House films. JOHNNY COME LATELY (1943) raised eyebrows. THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE (1948) lost half a million dollars. He spent years paying back the banks, a task not made easier by the fact that his subsequent films were sabotaged by ignorance and malice in high places. COME FILL THE CUP (1951), the story of an alcoholic who is nursed back to health by an African-American friend could have been great. Producer Jack Warner insisted on a white actor and a gangster-story...Nearly everything good that Cagney made during those years landed on the cutting-room-floor...

Insiders can probably appreciate the degree of his professional risk-taking - this is why artists, critics and film-buffs esteem him so highly - but the average filmgoer prefers stars with "legendary" affairs and reliable filmographies to a star who never caused a scandal and threw his career casually away for his art...They don't know what they're missing! Cagney kept to himself in private - painted, wrote poetry, sailed - and freezed his most agonizing emotions in his heart - no wonder, in view of the burden imposed on him early in life! (Cagney grew up in New York's "meaner" streets, with a father who was so sick from alcohol that he had fits. He worked from childhood and dropped out of college to help finance not only his mother and his little sister, but the college-education of his three brothers!). But he found a vent: His roles! Cagney's "real life" is not buried in the yellowed pages of old tabloids. It's right here, on screen! His performances are matchless in their immediacy, inventiveness and originality. No other star from the "golden era" is so "modern".

Incredible, but this admirable biography alienated some readers. One reviewer was so disappointed that the actor failed to live up to his public image that he circulated trumped-up charges: That the actor was not a "real man" (People who think that crime is cool will consider Cagney a very unsatisfactory hero. A pity, since he is exactly the shining example they need). That he treated his children "like cattle" (What an idea! Since he could not have children of his own, he adopted two children from an orphanage. True, to lodge them in a separate house was odd, but he played with them, read to them, gave them valuable property. He was often absent, but his wife stayed at home. Should he have given up his job?). And his little slip with Merle Oberon! Take it easy - he was not the pursuer but the pursued, he said "no" late, but not too late...I liked him even more after reading this hilarious anecdote. He was a man of flesh & blood & virtue is easy when nobody comes (even the bible prefers remorseful sinners to hypocrites!).

To discover James Cagney is like hitting the jackpot in the cineastic lottery. Every lover of classic films should have this book on his (or her) shelf. But you will become spoiled: It's lonely at the top...

Jimmy, say it ain't so!.......2003-05-02

I have loved Cagney for years, and would have prefered not to know all the bubble bursting details brought out in this story. His early years, telling of his family of origin and bowery boy childhood was fascinating. I should have stopped reading there. When he marries the strong willed Billie early on, he is not the powerhouse man of his movies. She becomes an obstacle between his family and their adoptive children. If this is not disappointing enough, you will also plow through excessive analysis of every character Cagney ever played. I've seen most of those movies, haven't you? Having to imply deeper content to pure entertainment is a bore. If you love the magic of Cagney's film charisma, skip this read. Your Jimmy will be gone.

John McCabe delivers James Cagney!!!.......2002-12-27

John McCabe really brought Cagney to life for me. It was a total pleasure reading about the actor/artist. I was always a fan but John McCabe really did a great service to Cagney fans with this one.

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a faraway fella...
interesting, but not enlightening
Cagney by Cagney : I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Wonderful Book!!!!!
Absolutely wonderful!!!

Cagney by Cagney
James Cagney
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385520263
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Customer Reviews:

a faraway fella... .......2007-01-10

James Cagney writes like he acts..you walk in the scene...you look the other actor in the eye and you tell him the truth....a rich portrait of e legend and the incredible down to earth qualities that made him into a star and legend..

interesting, but not enlightening.......2006-03-27

Cagney By Cagney seems to be narrated in such an honest and unpretentious voice that I was surprised to learn that it was ghostwritten but the ghostwriter did a decent job, in terms of tone at least.

The book is at its best when Cagney is talking of his impoverished childhood, the text really comes alive with his many anecdotes and memories. Once he gets to Hollywood though he seems to quickly tire of the movies he made and is disparaging of the scripts of nearly all of his films.

Cagney litters the book with selections of his poetry which, while not terrible, is not at home here and the reader gets annoyed each time another one turns up.

The revelation, if there is one, is Cagney's passionate ecological message which comes out in the later chapters and is quite thought provoking. His explanation as to how we turned from a socialist/liberal to a conservative is not.

Good fun, a tad bitter and jaded, but an interesting view of his life.

Cagney by Cagney : I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2003-09-10

I could not put this book down! I read it in a day! I recently rediscovered this book, and boy am I glad that I did. I love the passages about his early childhood they were so vibrant so full of life. His loving relationship with his mother and siblings. There were many funny stories like the one about the Eastside Kids and Bogart. There were also many touching stories. Especially the one about his mom's death. Reading this book also reminded me that not only was he a good tough guy, but he was a great song and dance man too!! Cagney by Cagney is reccommended to anyone who loves James Cagney. He was definitely one of a kind.

A Wonderful Book!!!!!.......1999-04-06

Iam a big James Cagney fan!!!! I got this book when it first came out and read it in about a week!!!!! I still have it in my collection of books on Mr. Cagney. He wonderfully goes through his childhood. His love of his family and how much he loved his mother. A very gentle man, who showed such a mean side on the screen, goes to show what a great actor he was!!!! To learn he painted and was a fine poet too was interesting. Reading of his career and how he looked at acting as just a job, nothing more. There is humor too, that Mr. Cagney always had and expresses very much so in his book!!!!! Iam glad I got it back in 1976, but for all Cagney fans, if your able to find this book, it is a must read. Very enjoyable!!!!!

Absolutely wonderful!!!.......1998-06-28

Fascinating insights into the man who captured Americas heart. I've had this book since it was published the first time...it's yellowed with age, but worth reading again...and again. THIS is the book he wanted to reveal himself in and I think this is the only book about his life that really counts.

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Cagney: A biography
Michael Freedland
Manufacturer: Stein and Day
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 081281715X

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City Boys: Cagney, Bogart, Garfield
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Often presented as a gangster, newspaper reporter, or private eye, the "city boy" seemed the quintessential product of urban America, although he was more a model for his audience than a mirror of social actuality. While blending the stories of the professional and political lives of Cagney, Bogart, and Garfield into one fascinating narrative, Robert Sklar probes the cultural forces that produced this vivid cultural icon and examines its power over masculine self-definition. Often presented as a gangster, newspaper reporter, or private eye, the "city boy" seemed the quintessential product of urban America, although he was more a model for his audience than a mirror of social actuality. While blending the stories of the professional and political lives of Cagney, Bogart, and Garfield into one fascinating narrative, Robert Sklar probes the cultural forces that produced this vivid cultural icon and examines its power over masculine self-definition.

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Cagney: The Actor As Auteur (Quality Paperbooks Series)

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Cagney: The Actor As Auteur (Quality Paperbooks Series)
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Not a Biography! Not really.
Long-winded and Incomprehensible

James Cagney: A Celebration
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Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
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Book Description

The study of James Cagney's screen persona is far more than a profile of a great beloved star. It is a meditation on over a half-century of social history. From Cagney's early days to such successes as Yankee Doodle Dandy, Schickel follows the star's spectacular career. A great dancer who became a great actor, James Cagney could play George M. Cohan or Public Enemy No. 1 with equal ease and conviction. This book explains how. (Richard Schickel is chief cinema critic of Time Magazine.)

Customer Reviews:

Not a Biography! Not really........2005-01-22

Richard Schickel published this book in 1985, a few years after making a documentary about James Cagney that was released around the time of the actor's last theatrical feature, "Ragtime." Schickel interviewed Cagney for the documentary as "Ragtime" was being filmed in 1980, and he based this book on that and other conversations with the actor late in Cagney's life.

Although this long essay contains a great deal of information about Cagney's life and film career, Schickel did not set out to write a conventional biography. His main topic is the development of Cagney's screen persona, the "tough guy" character that Cagney (and Warner Brothers) created, played, and refined in more than sixty film roles. Schickel is interested in the way that this cinematic character reflected many of the country's social concerns during the 1930s, Cagney's first decade in the movies, and after. He traces that development from the actor's first major starring role in "The Public Enemy" (1931) through his last major gangster role in "White Heat" (1949). He also shows how that persona emerged, or was altered, in other Cagney films, notably "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942), for which Cagney received his only Academy Award. Schickel notes that Cagney was a little ahead of his time when, in 1943, he left Warner Brothers and established his own production company (and made a rather undistinguished string of pictures); and he traces how Cagney's character fared in the late 1940s and 1950s, a time that saw Cagney's star fade until his "retirement" in 1961. The actor came out of retirement in 1980 to appear in "Ragtime" in a small but crucial role; his last film was a rather dreary TV movie made in 1984, by which time Cagney was so frail his lines had to be dubbed by another actor doing a Cagney imitation.

Schickel also is interested in Cagney's reluctance to talk about his film career in creative terms (save for a handful of fondly remembered films, such as "Yankee Doodle Dandy"). Cagney seems to have placed very little value on the work he did in the 1930s, on the character he created, perhaps because Cagney's "tough guy" was so at odds with the real man. Like many actors, Cagney did not intellectualize about what he did on the screen; his art was instinctual, visceral, not cerebral. To Cagney, he was lucky song-and-dance man who found a relatively easy way to make a very good living when he was in his early 30s. With few exceptions, each role he played was "just a job" to Cagney, no matter how much those roles enthralled and thrilled his admirers.

One might say that this book is less about Cagney and more about Schickel's own reaction to Cagney's screen persona and career. It's definitely more a work of criticism than biography or history. (There is, however, enough biographical information here to provide a good introduction to Cagney for those who know little or nothing about his career. There are also many good photos.) But for those who admire Cagney's work, Schickel has written a valuable assessment of just why this exceptional actor -- and quiet, gentle man offscreen -- was, and is, such a treasure to American cinema.

Long-winded and Incomprehensible.......2001-08-31

This book was terribly long-winded! This was not about the man Cagney. I felt like I was reading some engineering book. The language was usually incomprehensible and boring. Instead of talking about Cagney (which I assumed this book was about) the actor, he went into the psychological and philosophical aspects of Cagney's acting and the way the public responded to this in the golden movie age. In other words, if you are looking for a decent biography about James Cagney, I do not suggest this book. The only redeeming quality that this book possesses is the group of pictures. Looking for something a little more revealing about the man James Cagney, try to get your hands on "Cagney by Cagney", the autobiography. (Although it is his autobiography, Mr. Cagney seems to be uncomfortable speaking about himself). I have purchased a copy of John McCabe's (close friend of J. Cagney) biography titled "Cagney". I'll be writing a review as soon as I finish reading this particular book.

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Betty Carter's lifelong influence on the music world is unparalleled. Her contributions to music as a jazz singer, composer, arranger, and teacher have fostered a generation of musicians and fans.
This book looks at Betty Carter's contribution to the music world and delves behind the scenes to show Carter's growth as a businesswoman who took charge of her career.
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100 Winning Duplicate Tips: For the Improving Tournament Player (Master Bridge Series)
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Many players are frustrated by an apparent inability to score well at duplicate pairs. In this revised edition of his popular book, Ron Klinger shows you how to do it. There are five sections covering constructive bidding, competitive bidding, opening leads, declarer play, and defence, and they are full of well-chosen example hands and sound advice.

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Awesome book for beginning to intermediate players
WANT TO READ THIS BOOK
Follow these tips to winning bridge
Practical, very useful advise!

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The new edition of this outstanding book contains some new tips which reflect the changes in the game since its original publication sixteen years ago. Learning from bitter experience at the bridge table is a slow, painful, and often costly business. The 100 winning tips are designed to cover specific and everyday situations in bidding, play, and defence, and they provide a painless substitute for experience.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome book for beginning to intermediate players.......2001-09-15

This is an excellent book that tries to improve ALL aspects of your game. In bite-sized tips, your game is gradually taken to another level. I especially liked the sections on Declarer play and Defense, with the section on Opening Leads being the best feature of the book. As most players know "Lead Trumps when in doubt" is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. However, I was not sure when I SHOULD lead trumps. The feature of this book in my opinion is clearly laying out when trumps should be lead.

These tips include most of the basics like Third Hand High, Rule of 11, as well as a lot more tips that are not as well known. The sequel to this book (50 More Tips ..), while also good, is not as useful for beginning players.

WANT TO READ THIS BOOK.......1999-07-04

I'LL LET YOU KNO

Follow these tips to winning bridge.......1999-02-11

This is a great "bathroom book;" read one or two tip each time you are in there. If you follow the tips in this book, you will end up on top much more often than on the losing end.

I read the tips on leading one night before a bridge tournament event. The next day I was on lead 20 plus times; in each case I made either the killing lead, or the least costly lead (we ended up 6th overall!).

I can think or no book that will help your game faster than this book.

Practical, very useful advise!.......1998-02-11

One of the most useful Bridge books I have ever read. Full of useful advise for common situations, both bidding and play. Lots of practical tips packed into small space. highly recommended

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Don't waste your time

Wig out with Addison Wiggin

garbage

Can get a bit long-winded, but a good read

Less words please

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"Our long history of economic power and wealth is being eroded from within," writes Addison Wiggin, and the result will be reduced foreign investment, slow foreign demand for U.S. goods, and unfavorable currency exchange rates. A heavy debt burden, the trade deficit, and structural imbalances have created an unstable dollar bubble, and according to Wiggin, it's not a matter of if the bubble will burst, but when. That's the bad news. The good news is that hidden investment opportunities are waiting behind the weakening dollar. In The Demise of the Dollar… and Why It's Great for Your Investments Wiggin offers advice to readers looking to capitalize on this reality; specifically, he encourages investing in precious metals, tangible resources, and some select foreign markets.

Along with investment advice, Wiggin provides a brief history of government and consumer spending habits and how they have changed over the past 200 years. In clear language, he states the reasons for the dollar's decline, and provides explanations of the forces behind inflation, modern corporate accounting and adjustment schemes, the parallels between corporate failures and government policies, the implications of the national debt and deficit spending, and the distinctions between productive and consumptive debt. He also discusses how foreign countries, particularly China, are ultimately in control of the U.S.'s economic fate due to the staggering amount of credit they have extended. Wiggin is highly critical of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's policies, particularly the massive shift from production to credit that he has espoused, and calls into question his efforts to manage the dollar's value. Of course, Greenspan was not working alone--every president since Ronald Reagan has embraced his views. Written for lay readers, The Demise of the Dollar offers a practical analysis of what the "twilight of the Great Dollar Standard Era" may bring. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

As the dollar continues to weaken against other currencies, it is increasingly clear that this event will have a significant impact on investors and consumers around the world. Never before has the "reserve currency of the world" been so burdened by debt or suffered from such serious structural imbalances. The Demise of the Dollar . . . And Why It’s Great for Your Investments examines the reasons for the dollar’s current slide and offers an up-close look at the Federal Reserve’s attempts to "manage" the dollar’s value. Filled with in-depth insights, wry wit, and sound advice, this intriguing text offers an inside glimpse of the reality of today’s dollar and its impact on the world’s economies as well as readers’ personal portfolios.

Download Description

As the dollar continues to weaken against other currencies, it is increasingly clear that this event will have a significant impact on investors and consumers around the world. Never before has the ""reserve currency of the world"" been so burdened by debt or suffered from such serious structural imbalances. The Demise of the Dollar...And Why It's Great for Your Investmentsexamines the reasons for the dollar's current slide and offers an up-close look at the Federal Reserve's attempts to ""manage"" the dollar's value. Filled with in-depth insights, wry wit, and sound advice, this intriguing text offers an inside glimpse of the reality of today's dollar and its impact on the world's economies as well as readers' personal portfolios.

Customer Reviews:

Don't waste your time.......2007-09-24

Don't waste your time reading through the chapters. This author just repeats the same things over and over and ooover. Bash Greenspan, hail gold, and repeat... again and again. I have been close to throwing it out the window (or against a wall) many times, but -mistakenly- kept reading through it to the final chapter.

Save yourself the time waster. It just provides a little -very little- of economic background and then suggests to buy gold, CDs in other currencies, and short the dollar. If you really want to read it, just read chapter 8. If you're unsure, don't even buy it.

Wig out with Addison Wiggin.......2007-01-16

Though not nearly as fun to read as Empire of Debt, it's an excellent read about the current state of affairs in the US. This is a no-nonsense, un-shellacked account of the US economy and answers some of those questions we all have floating around in our heads (such as: The media and government say the economy is doing great but why does it seem like I have less money to live on each year?) If you're feeling depressed lately, you may want to put this one aside for awhile. But if you desire to learn how to profit from the current US slide, pick it up.

garbage.......2007-01-02

BS violates economics found in Rick Boettger's Deficit Lie, Economics Problem solver, 2 undergraduate crses and 2 graduate crses in econ, two graduate finance crses, and Jim Cramer's advice on investing in currencies i.e. bad idea/sure way to lose money. Finally why work to destroy America when by following the advice of real economists and other advisors you can improve America. Also tends to beat it to death.

Can get a bit long-winded, but a good read.......2006-12-03

I found this book very interesting. Even though the author can go on and on about the same points, 1 year after this book was written, most things he predicts are correct.

Gold investments are up, the dollar is down, housing is slowing, and US manufacturing continues to go overseas.

Less words please.......2006-07-05

This writing team likes to take a subject and work it into a full length book by repeating the same theme endlessly. They should have created a long magazine piece or a booklet, but as financial wizards they know where the money is. Nevertheless, this book and its subject may save you a fortune if the demise of the dollar occurs.

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