Hollywood's Other Blacklist: Union Struggles in the Studio System

Customer Reviews:

good raw material --- good stories ---- not great analysis.......2004-01-06

Untold and almost lost history of labor battles in Hollywood in the 30's and 40's. Good solid information, lots of facts, but not really strung together as well as one would like. It's the raw story of the Industry, and the way it used the Mob to keep out the Communists, while decent progressives got smeared, smashed, and squeezed out cause caught in middle. Which is already more analysis than the book offers....if you're willing to take the raw material and analyze for yourself, it's worth giving it a read.

Hollywood's Buried Labor History.......1998-03-30

This is the only book in print that tells the dramatic story of the Hollywood labor wars of the 30's and 40's--the mob takeover of IATSE, the rank and file who fought back, and the blacklisting of up to 1000 studio workers, making IATSE members the major victims of the Hollywood Blacklist. Buried history at it's best!

Hollywood's Other Blacklist; Union Struggles in the Studio System. (book reviews): An article from: Cineaste

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Hollywood's Other Blacklist; Union Struggles in the Studio System. (book reviews): An article from: Cineaste
J. David Slocum
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00096Q78O
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on June 22, 1996. The length of the article is 847 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Hollywood's Other Blacklist; Union Struggles in the Studio System. (book reviews)
Author: J. David Slocum
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 1996
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: v22 Issue: n3 Page: p56(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Hollywood's Other Blacklist: Union Struggles in the Studio System

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Hollywood's Other Blacklist: Union Struggles in the Studio System
Gene Mailes Mike Nielsen
Manufacturer: British Film Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O54VRY

Book Description

Relive one of the most magical times in history, a time that saw profound cultural and spiritual change throughout the world, but nowhere more than in the San Francisco Bay of the mid to late 1960's. Author and photographer Gene Anthony was there, capturing every moment, every poem, every song, and every embrace on film. This photographic tour gets you up close and personal with musicians like Jim Morrison, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. It takes you inside the volatile demonstrations at the heart of the anti-war movement, the women's rights movement, the struggle for civil rights. From the Fillmore, to the Human Be-in, to the Trips Festival, Anthony has created a collection of work that captures the feeling of these once in a lifetime events. With over 300 personal and passionate photographs, this book is a visual tour through the freedom, hopes, and beliefs that defined an era and changed the world.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific look at the magic.......2006-11-11

Gene Anthony's new book MAGIC OF THE SIXTIES is a terrific collection of his photographs, which with few exceptions were taken in and around San Francisco during that tumultuous decade. He certainly must have been out and about to have gotten all these, with photos from an incredible variety of venues including rock concerts, appeal parties, nude parties, the human be-in, the magic bus, office of "The San Francisco Oracle," apartment of poster artist Satty, activities of the Diggers, and much more. The epicenter of all this was the famous Height-Ashbury district. Other similar photo collections from the Sixties that I've seen do not have nearly the variety or organization into many topics that MAGIC OF THE SIXTIES has. Some famous faces Anthony captured include those of Grace Slick, Jimi Hendrix, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Bill Graham, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, and particularly famous images of George and Linda Harrison. The generous text is also by Anthony, and it's true that it is overly idealistic, yet the occasional launch into hyperbole (such as the excerpt quoted by Publisher's Weekly above) is rare, since most of the text is helpfully descriptive. Also, it's not all positive, as with the chapter on the Free Clinic, which he points out was focused on helping people with drug problems. I'm glad this book does focus on the idealism of the Sixties' counterculture in promoting love, peace, environmental protection, non-materialism, and the like, with the close of the book being especially apt:

"Now, as perhaps never in the years since the Sixties, we need to look back for solutions to present problems. We need to shake off our cloaks of powerlessness and apathy. The Sixties seem particularly fit for the task. It was magic, and it all really happened!"

Looking for solutions.......2004-11-04

Gene Anthony gives us a lot of personal recollections and adds to the growing volume of insight into a formative time. Some of the pictures are excellent. What I look for I found on the last page; these words: "Now, as perhaps never in the years since the sixties, we need to look back for solutions to present problems. We need to shake off our cloaks of powerlessness and apathy. The sixties seem particularly fit for the task. It was magic and it really happened!" I agree.
The inclussion of the Diggers and Morningstar is important. Here is the key: Service, sharing, compassion; one world, one love, one people. These ideas got a boost back then. They need another big boost now. My own book, "New Buffalo; Journals from a Taos Commune", offers insight also into a movement that should be huge. Let's get some farms and paint some buses and get this show back on the road! With love, Arty Kopecky

Lust, Violence, Sin, Magic: Sixty Years of Esquire Fiction

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Lust, Violence, Sin, Magic: Sixty Years of Esquire Fiction

Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0871135817

Amazing Stories: Sixty Years of the Best Science Fiction

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Amazing Stories: Sixty Years of the Best Science Fiction

Manufacturer: Random House Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0394741676

Do You Believe in Magic? Bringing the Sixties Back Home

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Do You Believe in Magic? Bringing the Sixties Back Home
Annie Gottlieb
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S608MQ

Do You Believe in Magic? Bringing the Sixties Back Home (A Fireside Book)

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A well-written eye-opener
Days of the Future Past
The best ride into the Sixties this side of [the] windowpane
The 60s in hindsight.

Do You Believe in Magic? Bringing the Sixties Back Home (A Fireside Book)
Annie Gottlieb
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Magic of the Sixties

ASIN: 0671660500

Customer Reviews:

A well-written eye-opener.......2006-10-28

I expected this book to be fun, I did not expect it to be so poignant and yes, painful. It's a roller coaster ride of memories of where the Baby Boom came from, how it manifested, where it went, and how it dissipated - the most painful chapters of all. It is a well-written eye-opener for those who weren't there, and a nostalgic journey for those who were. It would be too easy to forget - things have changed so much, and not in the idealistic ways hoped for. It's easy to see why. All our major leaders/heroes were assassinated, all our best and brightest were distracted by sex, drugs, rock and roll and the master manipulation of TV. Still, we had vision and we had hope - and Annie Gottlieb captures the basics of what might have been. She even implies it may not be too late. If only that were true.

Days of the Future Past.......2003-05-18

I read this fabulous book as we went to war with Iraq. The pages came to life and the tears flowed as I was in the midst of the Vietman peace movement, war, politics and social changes leaping off the pages in vibrant, uncensored candor as I sat in my living room listening to the news of yet another war-- the absurdity, the peace protests--greater than ever befor and WORLD WIDE-- the deception of politics and the reverberation of divine righteousness from the far right fundalmentalists. It seemed the force for change made in the 60-70's had been annulled and we fell into the old addage "History repeats itself."

As a late baby boomer riding on the tail of the comet of change,
I was delighted and remorse over reading this wonderfully crafted, personal history of the experience of "my" generation and the reflection of the outcome of all the craziness of those "first wavers" as they matured into the middle age stage of life. Now they are entering the golden age and there is an enormouse amount of work yet to be done, the purpose is still the same but the maturity of experience and reflection can help the Boomers negotiate the course with greater finess and certitude.

I am a gerontologist, received my degree in Gerontology from San Diego State University in 1996 at the age of 38. I now have a greater view on the emense power the Baby Boom Generation had in their youth and what I felt as they co-opted in the 1980 into the establishment of wealth and power. It has been my hope that this "sleeping Dragon" will wake up and arise to the task they were set out to accomplish -- preservation of the earth and humanity from the destructive forces of greed, power, religion and their ultimate "glory" in the destruction of life through war and oppression.

If you are a "Boomer" and want to get reconnected, READ THIS BOOK!! The choice still remains before us-- The Bomb or US.

The best ride into the Sixties this side of [the] windowpane.......1999-05-25

Ms. Gottleib's retrospective of the Sixties is approached in a manner that makes the reader feel as though they are an intimate part of the research stage of the book. Interview after interview with household names of the time, as well as with those of lesser notoriety, provide honest insight into a time of turmoil on almost every level of existence in the US.

If you were there and don't remember, READ IT! If you weren't there and wish you had been, READ IT! If you're just looking for an intelligent, insightful, well-researched book, READ IT! I would LOVE to have lunch with the author. . .

The 60s in hindsight........1998-08-15

Ms Gottlieb has an objective but sympathetic view of Boomers and the period known as "the 60s". She presents Boomers warts and all, but still is able to make us feel good about ourselves and our youth.

Sixty centuries of health and physick;: The progress of ideas from primitive magic to modern medicine,

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Sixty centuries of health and physick;: The progress of ideas from primitive magic to modern medicine,
S. G. Blaxland Stubbs
Manufacturer: S. Low, Marston & Co., Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006ALJ4A

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To Cartooning...: Sixty Years of Magic
Jud Hurd
Manufacturer: Profiles Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Trapped in the Sixties (Take Ten: Chillers)

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Trapped in the Sixties (Take Ten: Chillers)
Susannah Brin
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1586590545

The magic decade: A street-level glimpse of Seattle during the mutinous sixties

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The magic decade: A street-level glimpse of Seattle during the mutinous sixties
Milo Johnstone
Manufacturer: Johnstone & Durham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Magic of the Sixties
Photographer-Gene Anthony
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GXAGO6

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A Gathering Darkness

A Gathering Darkness: The Coming of War to the Far East and the Pacific, - (Total War:New Perspectives on World War II, 3)
Haruo Tohmatsu , and H. P. Willmott
Manufacturer: S R Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
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General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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The War with Japan: The Period of Balance, May 1942-October 1943 (Total War Series, Number 1)

Unconditional Defeat: Japan, America, and the End of World War II (Total War, No. 2)

Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

From Mahan to Pearl Harbor: The Imperial Japanese Navy and the United States

In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army (Studies in War, Society, and the Militar)

ASIN: 0842051538

Book Description

The United States' involvement in World War II began with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. But for Japan, the conflict began at a much earlier date. This book focuses on Japan and the events in its military history leading up to and including Pearl Harbor. Unique in its perspective, A Gathering Darkness shows how historical events in the 1920s and 1930s steered the country into war with America and its allies. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Customer Reviews:

A Gathering Darkness.......2006-02-25

For many years I have relentlessly studied the history of the pre-war years in China and Japan. Like author Tohmatsu, I agree that the Pacific War (in which I participated) began long before Pearl Harbor. My interest has always been in the years between 1914 and 1937, partcularly the Mukden Incident in 1931,and A Gathering Darkness provided me with information I had not previously come across. The book is well written and, though some sections were not as interesting for me as others, it was overall, an excellent book. To completely understand the Pacific War this book is necessary.

The Gathering Darkness (Harlequin Presents, No 1221)

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The Gathering Darkness (Harlequin Presents, No 1221)
Patricia Wilson
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0373112211

A Darkness Gathering (AD&D Fantasy Roleplaying, Monstrous Arcana)

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Old-style AD&D module, slightly more depth
Toadkiller Dawgs says "Yawn. Mind flayers deserve better."
Suprisingly Great
Linear story disguised as module written in tournament style
A tough urban adventure for a smart, resourceful party.

A Darkness Gathering (AD&D Fantasy Roleplaying, Monstrous Arcana)
Bruce R. Cordell
Manufacturer: TSR Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Masters of Eternal Night (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/Monstrous Arcana Accessory)

ASIN: 0786912081

Customer Reviews:

Old-style AD&D module, slightly more depth.......2000-01-15

I confess. I have not played this module. But the adventure does read like an old-style AD&D adventure, and even goes as far as to refer to itself as a "module," a term that I understood was on the outs, being as it didn't sound very adventurous.

Unlike most of the old modules, however, the middle chapters of this adventure can be played in any order. This gives the players a little flexibility as to how they complete the adventure, and at the DM's option, they need not find ALL the clues before the evil mastermind reveals himself (I'm not quite sure why the party would want to bust up the city guard anyway).

There's a great deal of license a DM can take with this adventure, fitting it into his game world as needed. The NPCs are also easily changed to suit the DM's game. The strange thing I noticed was that ALL the NPCs were human. I guess the city of Stormport [or your preferred city] is not as cosmopolitan as some other places in AD&D.

I don't have as much time to design my AD&D games as I used to, so the resurgence of premade adventures is a boon to me. I've always found the Mind Flayers interesting, but was never able to use them successfully in a game. This and its companion guide, The Illithiad, are a great help in this matter.

Toadkiller Dawgs says "Yawn. Mind flayers deserve better.".......2000-01-12

A Darkness Gathering is first in a trilogy of modules that deal with an illithid plan to enslave the PC's world. The fairly short (32pp) introductory installment is divided into 8 chapters that don't necessarily have to be run in order, but can be run by the DM as dictated by the direction of the PC's investigation.

The scenario starts in cliched fashion with the PCs summoned to meet an acquaintance in a local tavern over a mysterious danger of unknown import. The acquaintance never shows, instead the PCs can pick up various plot and sub-plot lines by interacting with the other tavern patrons. This story matrix style of bringing the PCs into the adventure is interesting, but the execution suffers somewhat since the eventual connections between the various sub-plots are much less imaginative and generally of the lead-by-the-nose style of DMing. More than one chapter ends with the PCs finding a less than subtle note that says something like "Bring brains to Thieves' Guild" and the finale has the PCs discovering that they've been manipulated by a unknown entity that will continue to puppet them through the next two installments. The other elements of the plot and NPCs are pretty much stock material with usual suspects including the local thieves' guild, a lengthy sewer crawl, a corrupt watch captain and an odd cult that seems to be brainwashing the locals.

The writing is a bit too self-serious with literary quotes and chapter headings like "Chapter the Second, wherein the DM learns the module's background....". The overall tone of the scenario is appropriate with a definite slant toward Ravenloft or Call of Cthulhu horror with a bit of illithid-inspired science fiction thrown in. A Darkness Gathering doesn't require the use of psionics, but the conversion to a non-psionic campaign will require some work and a little of the flavor of the adventure will be lost. It also looks like the Illithid Monstrous Arcana would be a very useful item to have, though it isn't required.

The only really distinguishing feature of this product is the use of illithid adversaries, which many people, myself included, think are very cool. While the presentation could have been a lot better, the price is reasonable even though the entire module won't require more than a couple of game sessions. It is a recommended buy if you like using mind flayers, but don't expect much more than a rather run-of-the-mill story.

Suprisingly Great.......1999-08-27

Again, having just read the previous comments from a reader in Tennessee, I have to wonder if we're reading the same modules. Everything about A Darkness Gathering is wonderfully great, including the way it manages to weave together 4 sub-adventures that can be played in any order (how un-linear can you get?). Better yet, the players' exploits in one sub-adventure affects the play of the others: A "haunted" sewer, a thief-infested warehouse, a wizard's tower, and a secret illithid Cyst are well rendered, and better yet, really well written. Really, this module is one of TSR's better offerings, ever, especially when brought together when Master's of Eternal Night and Dawn of the Overmind. I would be seriously interested in how this module could have been made any better, and that's why I give it 5 stars, the best!

Linear story disguised as module written in tournament style.......1999-07-08

I must disagree with Michael Varhola's gushing review of this module. But then my palm isn't being greased by TSR or Cordell. I read the entire travesty of an adventure. It's a not an adventure, it's a prolouge. Linear as heck, no getting of the set path. Characters move in a straight line from one encounter to the next. I really wish TSR would find some people who could write adventures that AREN'T in a tournament format. Give the players some freedom of choice for once. Stop treating us like little kids who must be led around by the hand(nose). While we're at it, TSR should stop churning out these politically correct, sanitized, lumps of pablum marketed as adventures.

A tough urban adventure for a smart, resourceful party........1998-06-15

A Darkness Gathering flings four to six adventurers of levels 7-9 into the midst of a plot being launched by the menacing, predatory mindflayers. This module is the first in a trilogy that supports The Illithiad, a Monstrous Arcana supplement that provides comprehensive background information on the mindflayers and their evil culture. A fairly compact adventure (32 pages), it can be played independently or as a prelude to its sequels.

Action is set in the city of Stormport, where corruption runs rampant, people disappear without a trace every day, and a dark cult seeks to convert new believers. Rumors persist of a creature with a taste for human flesh who stalks alleyways, and winter retains its grip on the city, refusing the allow the onset of spring. It would appear the illithids, the mindflayers, are using Stormport as a base from which to once again attempt to enslave humanity, in a plot that if unstopped will lead to eternal winter and darkness.

This tough, city-based adventure includes some dungeon delving (maps include a handful of urban buildings, a small but convoluted natural cavern, and a sewer system), but the emphasis is on investigation and discovery. Throughout the adventure, however, the players face the menace of powerful foes (including a new one, the Phthisic, an extremely dangerous creature formed from the minds of those it preys upon). The adventure is divided into five sections, four mini-adventures (any of which can be used as a "hook" to involve the player characters), and a climactic battle in the lair of the illithid overlord in Stormport.

A Darkness Gathering is a challenging urban adventure for a tough, intelligent, resourceful party.

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The Chronicles of Amacia: The Gathering Darkness
Robert Downing
Manufacturer: Outskirts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1598002937

Book Description

What if your life held the key to the future of humanity? The Chronicles of Amacia: The Gathering Darkness begins the tale of Hannibal Smith, an eccentric archeologist with a very dark past he is trying to forget. Hannibal searches for most his life to find the lost lands of Amacia. When he finally locates it, his best friend Harry Clint is enlisted to go with him to explore the lost land. However, Harry and his family become unwitting targets of dark powers in the highest levels of power who will stop at nothing to stop Hannibal from reaching his goal.finding the lands of Amacia. Hannibal secures Harry's family at his latest research site.the legendary Temple of Tiamat.a place of highly advanced ancient technology he found in his search for Amacia. With the assistance of two alien cats he rescued with some of the technology in the Temple, Hannibal and Harry set out to reach the entrance to Amacia. Will they reach it?

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The Gathering Darkness
Thomas Gallagher
Manufacturer: Popular Giant
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TZ51H8

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The gathering darkness
Thomas Michael Gallagher
Manufacturer: Bobbs-Merrill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007E8BNW

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The Gathering Darkness

Manufacturer: POPULAR GIANT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000B8AVFK

Average customer rating:

Oustanding!
I LOVE IT!!!!!
EXCELLENT!
readable and believable
Great book!!!

Secrets of the Gathering Darkness
Barbara Scott , and Carrie Younce
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Mystery | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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Sedona Storm

ASIN: 0785277765

Customer Reviews:

Oustanding!.......2005-01-29

This book was amazing. I've always been interested in Spirtual Warfare and both of these authors are great at depicting the Spirtual Battles all around us. I couldn't put this one down nor Sedona Storm the one before it. Does anyone know when the third one is coming out though, I've been trying to find it and I've had no luck. If you do know something about it, e-mail at peanutbuttercreme16@hotmail.com Thanks

I LOVE IT!!!!!.......1999-09-22

This book is the best book I've read in a long time(besides Sedona Storm)! I love it and hope everyone else who reads it feels the same.

EXCELLENT!.......1999-07-31

This book was filled with action and kept the images right before my eyes. I found myself praising God with the angels, praying with the saints and rebuking the enemy at every hand. This (and Sedona Storm) should be a movie!

I was also surprised but glad to see in the author notes that someone else had "experienced" Eckankar. That acknowledgement by Barbara Scott helped me know that what I'd gone through in those years really happened. Thank you for your truthfulness and thanks to Thomas Nelson for publishing both books.

God bless and I hope the sequel is out very, very soon.

readable and believable.......1999-07-22

Thoroughly enjoyable! Leaves you anxious for the promised sequel....A great writing team that moves the story at a fast understandable pace. (When is the next book due?)

Great book!!!.......1999-03-12

I really liked the first book, Sedona storm, so that is why I decided to read this one, and I can tell you that I was not disappointed. The only thing that I would suggest is that you read Sedona storm first before you read this one, otherwise it's like reading the end of the book and then reading the first part :). But they are both very well done.

A Gathering Darkness: The Coming of War to the Far East and the Pacific, 1921-1942.(Book Review): An article from: Pacific Affairs

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A Gathering Darkness: The Coming of War to the Far East and the Pacific, 1921-1942.(Book Review): An article from: Pacific Affairs
Jeff Alexander
Manufacturer: University of British Columbia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000ALV9P4
Release Date: 2005-07-25

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by University of British Columbia on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 682 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A Gathering Darkness: The Coming of War to the Far East and the Pacific, 1921-1942.(Book Review)
Author: Jeff Alexander
Publication: Pacific Affairs (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: University of British Columbia
Volume: 78 Issue: 1 Page: 145(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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The gathering storm: The coming showdown between light and darkness and how to prepare for it

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The gathering storm: The coming showdown between light and darkness and how to prepare for it
Russell Willingham
Manufacturer: Harbinger Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

"Create Killer Websites Using the Power of Modern JavaScript" DHTML Utopia is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial that will show you how to make your websites more slick, dynamic, and usable.

Add dynamic interactivity to your website with DHTML by combining the power of JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets(CSS), and the Document Object Model (DOM) to achieve bulletproof, accessible, standards-compliant, and aesthetically pleasing results that work on all browsers.

Build fancy DHTML effects that can be instantly reused in any project
Learn to code accessible JavaScript that won't trouble older browsers
Make search engine friendly, multi-level, drop-down navigation menus
Create usable forms that auto-complete, just like "Google Suggest"
Build dynamic web applications using remote scripting techniques/Ajax

Customer Reviews:

Good Book With Very Clean Code.......2006-11-10

I agree with most reviews for DHTML Utopia; the book is middle level, leaving beginners in the dust but pros wanting more. It is, however, well written and contains very good code and coding standards. If you are not completely new to JavaScript and DOM scripting, but would like to learn more and make sure your code is up to today's standards, then this book is for you. If you are very familiar with web scripting and/or have been writing your own unobtrusive client side code then go with a more detailed book.

Great book, but hard to read hence hard to learn.......2006-08-10

This book has a lot of great stuff but you have to have the patience to sit down and read it line by line. Can't scan through the book and hope to learn something. Even need to type in the script and try it yourself. Some of the most important ideas the author just covered in two sentences. It does teach a lot of useful stuff but it is absolutely not a beginner's book. Save me from my job interview.

Complicated but definately worth reading.......2006-04-12

(this was originally published on www.last-child.com)

This is a difficult book to read for non-javascript programmers. If you are more comfortable with HTML and CSS, I'd recommend reading Jeremy Keith's DOM Scripting first. Keith explains the theories behind this book.

That said, I did learn enough from DHTML Utopia to not look like a complete idiot during my job interview with Yahoo. This book is filled with project examples for you to follow along with. I will say that I tried several of the examples and had mixed results. I visited the book's web site to get updated code.

If you've already worked with Javascript, this is a great book to have on the shelf. If you are a rookie, start with Jeremy Keith and follow up with DHTML Utopia.

Definitely NOT a book for beginners.......2006-03-12

As a developer with no prior JavaScript experience, I've been very disappointed with this book. In the Introduction section, the author says "Some experience with JavaScript might also be useful, but it is by no means critical" (Page VIII) which isn't true.

Throughout the book, the author will keep assuming (implicitly) that you already have a good programming background (he uses a more complex logic in his code),and will leave many things unexplained or explained too late. This alone will easily guarantee frustration. NO BOOK EVER frustrated me that much.

Another issue is that the book uses some very complicated examples with complex logic. Unlike other decent coding books, instead of starting with simple functional examples and developing them\it as you read a chapter, the author uses one big example and "tries" to explain it part by part throughout the chapter. This might force you to "memorize" the script(s) since they contain too much code to understand (which is not the point). To make sure if the examples of the book suit you or not, download the free sample chapters from Sitepoint.com and check the "table highlight" example at the end of chapter 3. That's how most of the examples will be presented. (with more code of course)

Now don't get me wrong, the topics covered in this book are great, but it seems that the only people who will really appreciate it are those who already have a good background in JavaScript (logic,functions,methods...etc) NOT beginners like myself. So if you're trying to learn JavaScript\DOM, then go find a better book (such as "DOM scripting").

Avoid this like the plague.......2006-02-21

This is without doubt the worst book on DHTML/Javascript that I've ever read. The author tries to be cute, funny and authorative but ends up just plain painful. The examples are over-long and artificial, and would be difficult to incorporate into a real world application. The author peppers the book with snazzy shots like "It's the modern way!" but rarely explains the benefits of the methodology he's pushing, and glosses over any shortcomings.
For instance, in discussing regular expressions he provides a simple expression for a telephone number, then points out that it's seriously flawed. But it's "suitable for our discussion" so onward we press, and a correct solution is never provided. Bad luck if you were after such a beast. (Footnotes abound - often just URLs to now broken links - so you have to wonder why he couldn't have provided the solution at the bottom of the page.) The part on Ajax is a joke - he just plugs in an out-of-date version of the Sarissa library and never scratches below the surface.
Beware.

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