THE LAST GREATEST MAGICIAN IN THE WORLD : HOWARD THURSTON VERSUS HOUDINI & THE BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN WIZARDS
by Jim Steinmeyer
"I wouldn't deceive you for the world" was a sentence that was uttered by Howard Thurston at every one of his magic performances. What the audiences saw were so complex and spectacular that they were left spellbound and completely mystified.
Thurston was a contemporary of Harry Houdini but their accomplishments were quite different. Houdini was known as an escape artist and Thurston was an illusionist. Their personalites were also disparate. Houdini was brazen and overbearing and Thurston was a true showman with a mellifluous speaking voice, who charmed both children and adults and was much more refined (at least on stage).
Thurston started his career in vaudeville performing card tricks. He soon left it behind because he wanted to expand his act and make it into one incredible extravaganza with all kinds of apparatus and multiple costumes.
For thirty years he toured all over Europe and the United States. The public couldn't get enough of him. When Hollywood started making films (a different kind of magic) that was the beginning of the end.
The Last Greatest Magician in the World is a fascinating story of a man who is considered legendary to the magicians today but virtually unknown to the rest of us. The author is no slouch in this department as he is a designer of magic illusion and has quite a portfolio. (You can read about him on www.jimsteinmeyer.com.) He describes how the illusions were performed and what went on backstage with the preparations in building everything.
You are introduced to scores of other magicians, in the book, and the rivalry that went on amongst them all.
There are some great black-and-white photographs of Thurston doing his magic, his family and fellow magicians that gives you a true flavor of the past.
A great read.
Recommended.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
THE WITNESS HOUSE : NAZIS AND HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS SHARING A VILLA DURING THE NUREMBERG TRIALS
by Christiane Kohl
When the Nuremberg trials were about to begin, in 1945, the people who were testifying needed a place to stay. The Americans requisitioned a house (the owner and her son had to sleep in the basement) and supplied all of the food. Due to the tenuous and strained circumstances (Germans high up in the hierachy and former Holocaust survivors) somebody had to come in and manage the household. Countess Ingeborg Kalnoky took the task and was able to keep everything running smoothly even though the tension was extreme.
Some people stayed for a couple of days, while others stayed for weeks. When they left, they signed a visitor's book. There were soldiers posted outside the villa. A few of the guests were under house arrest and not allowed to leave the premises. One such man was Rudolf Diels, who was the former head of the Gestapo. (All of the women found him quite charming.) Journalists, lawyers, resistance members, Goring's private secretary, Hitler's personal photographer and the Messerschmidt airplane constructor were just some of the fascinating folks that resided at the house.
I have read plenty of books on the Holocaust but I've never seen a story quite like this one before. How everyone lived together in close circumstances under one roof and were civil to one another is amazing in itself.
The author, who is German, found out about the "witness house" from her parents' boarder (he had been an interpreter during the trials) and was shown the visitors' book with all kinds of comments. She became intrigued and wanted to know more and by doing quite a bit of research was able to create a tale that almost seems more like fiction than fact.
The Witness House is quite a book. There are some great photographs of the guests, the villa, the Countess, the courtroom, Himmler, Goring, etc.
A very good and different read.
Recommended.
by Christiane Kohl
When the Nuremberg trials were about to begin, in 1945, the people who were testifying needed a place to stay. The Americans requisitioned a house (the owner and her son had to sleep in the basement) and supplied all of the food. Due to the tenuous and strained circumstances (Germans high up in the hierachy and former Holocaust survivors) somebody had to come in and manage the household. Countess Ingeborg Kalnoky took the task and was able to keep everything running smoothly even though the tension was extreme.
Some people stayed for a couple of days, while others stayed for weeks. When they left, they signed a visitor's book. There were soldiers posted outside the villa. A few of the guests were under house arrest and not allowed to leave the premises. One such man was Rudolf Diels, who was the former head of the Gestapo. (All of the women found him quite charming.) Journalists, lawyers, resistance members, Goring's private secretary, Hitler's personal photographer and the Messerschmidt airplane constructor were just some of the fascinating folks that resided at the house.
I have read plenty of books on the Holocaust but I've never seen a story quite like this one before. How everyone lived together in close circumstances under one roof and were civil to one another is amazing in itself.
The author, who is German, found out about the "witness house" from her parents' boarder (he had been an interpreter during the trials) and was shown the visitors' book with all kinds of comments. She became intrigued and wanted to know more and by doing quite a bit of research was able to create a tale that almost seems more like fiction than fact.
The Witness House is quite a book. There are some great photographs of the guests, the villa, the Countess, the courtroom, Himmler, Goring, etc.
A very good and different read.
Recommended.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
THE ENVOY : THE EPIC RESCUE OF THE LAST JEWS OF EUROPE IN THE DESPERATE CLOSING MONTHS OF WORLD WAR II
by Alex Kershaw
Hungary was the last country, in 1944, where Adolf Eichmann planned to finish off his duty by sending the rest of the Jews to extermination camps. In just a couple of months, Eichmann had already deported half a million people to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. Before he could carry it out though, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest to rescue the Jews that remained. He issued "Schutzpasses" (safe passage passes) and was able to save thousands this way. Wallenberg defied Eichmann, the other Nazis and the violent Arrow Cross and risked his own life for the safety of others. When the war was finally over, Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets and disappeared into the gulag.
Eichmann fled and headed towards Austria. Eventually, he was captured by American soldiers who had no idea that they were holding a mass murderer (he used a false name) and was shunted around for two years in various POW camps. He escaped in 1947, got a passport and went to Argentina. Many years later, after much hunting and investigation, Eichmann was brought to Israel for trial. Justice was finally achieved.
Wallenberg was never found. His parents spent years trying to find him writing letters to Stalin and other leaders. Nobody really knows what happened to him except the Soviets and they're mum on that fact.
The Envoy is a terrific, riveting story of two men, one who was quite evil (although he said that he was only following orders) and another who had incredible courage and in the eyes of the survivors, a tremendous hero.
I have read many books on the Holocaust and about these two particular men. There's new information here (some quite startling) that I've never seen before. Alex Kershaw brings everything together, quite smoothly, from all of his sources (both documentation and interviews) for one exciting read.
Highly recommended.
by Alex Kershaw
Hungary was the last country, in 1944, where Adolf Eichmann planned to finish off his duty by sending the rest of the Jews to extermination camps. In just a couple of months, Eichmann had already deported half a million people to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. Before he could carry it out though, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest to rescue the Jews that remained. He issued "Schutzpasses" (safe passage passes) and was able to save thousands this way. Wallenberg defied Eichmann, the other Nazis and the violent Arrow Cross and risked his own life for the safety of others. When the war was finally over, Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets and disappeared into the gulag.
Eichmann fled and headed towards Austria. Eventually, he was captured by American soldiers who had no idea that they were holding a mass murderer (he used a false name) and was shunted around for two years in various POW camps. He escaped in 1947, got a passport and went to Argentina. Many years later, after much hunting and investigation, Eichmann was brought to Israel for trial. Justice was finally achieved.
Wallenberg was never found. His parents spent years trying to find him writing letters to Stalin and other leaders. Nobody really knows what happened to him except the Soviets and they're mum on that fact.
The Envoy is a terrific, riveting story of two men, one who was quite evil (although he said that he was only following orders) and another who had incredible courage and in the eyes of the survivors, a tremendous hero.
I have read many books on the Holocaust and about these two particular men. There's new information here (some quite startling) that I've never seen before. Alex Kershaw brings everything together, quite smoothly, from all of his sources (both documentation and interviews) for one exciting read.
Highly recommended.
Friday, February 4, 2011
AMERICAN ROSE : A NATION LAID BARE : THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GYPSY ROSE LEE
by Karen Abbott
She was born with the name Ellen June but then when her sister was born, a few years later, the names were switched. When Mama Rose laid eyes on her newest child with those big, beautiful blue eyes and curls in abundance, she named her June (she would always be a baby in her mother's eyes). The eldest daughter would be named Rose Louise.
The two girls spent their childhood performing on the stage doing vaudeville. Baby June could do everything: sing, dance, act. Louise was the complete opposite. (She was creative, though, and made all of the costumes.)
Rose wanted everything for her children. She worked them to the bone (mostly June). Her tantrums with directors, producers and the like became legendary. With her daughters, she could either be loving or a raving lunatic. Eventually, June had a nervous breakdown (at the age of twelve) and two years later, she left the act and eloped.
Attention is now drawn to Louise. She didn't have any talent, wasn't terribly attractive, was overweight, but she did have long legs and the gift of gab. All Rose cared about was making money so she scouted around for someplace that would make her daughter a star. Vaudeville was pretty much dead and the only other option was burlesque. Enter "Gypsy Rose Lee."
What an amazing story! It took author Karen Abbott three years to write (one of her interviews was with Louise's sister June Havoc two years before she died).
All I ever knew about Gypsy Rose Lee was the musical that I saw as a child with Ethel Merman playing the mother's role. (The show was based on Gypsy's memoir and most of that stuff was invented.) A young girl with no talent reinvented herself to become the biggest star that America had ever seen. She hid behind this persona and it totally enveloped her.
The book captures the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, vaudeville, the Great Depression, the seedier side of life, and a whole cast of characters: Fanny Brice, Jimmy Walker, Fiorello LaGuardia, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, et al.
Running parallel to this cultural history, Abbott delves into the four Minsky brothers who brought burlesque to the people.
Spectacular pictures are scattered throughout the book and takes you back to that era.
It was quite a life and the writing transports you there. Meticulous research and nuanced details makes for an exciting read.
Highly recommended.
by Karen Abbott
She was born with the name Ellen June but then when her sister was born, a few years later, the names were switched. When Mama Rose laid eyes on her newest child with those big, beautiful blue eyes and curls in abundance, she named her June (she would always be a baby in her mother's eyes). The eldest daughter would be named Rose Louise.
The two girls spent their childhood performing on the stage doing vaudeville. Baby June could do everything: sing, dance, act. Louise was the complete opposite. (She was creative, though, and made all of the costumes.)
Rose wanted everything for her children. She worked them to the bone (mostly June). Her tantrums with directors, producers and the like became legendary. With her daughters, she could either be loving or a raving lunatic. Eventually, June had a nervous breakdown (at the age of twelve) and two years later, she left the act and eloped.
Attention is now drawn to Louise. She didn't have any talent, wasn't terribly attractive, was overweight, but she did have long legs and the gift of gab. All Rose cared about was making money so she scouted around for someplace that would make her daughter a star. Vaudeville was pretty much dead and the only other option was burlesque. Enter "Gypsy Rose Lee."
What an amazing story! It took author Karen Abbott three years to write (one of her interviews was with Louise's sister June Havoc two years before she died).
All I ever knew about Gypsy Rose Lee was the musical that I saw as a child with Ethel Merman playing the mother's role. (The show was based on Gypsy's memoir and most of that stuff was invented.) A young girl with no talent reinvented herself to become the biggest star that America had ever seen. She hid behind this persona and it totally enveloped her.
The book captures the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, vaudeville, the Great Depression, the seedier side of life, and a whole cast of characters: Fanny Brice, Jimmy Walker, Fiorello LaGuardia, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, et al.
Running parallel to this cultural history, Abbott delves into the four Minsky brothers who brought burlesque to the people.
Spectacular pictures are scattered throughout the book and takes you back to that era.
It was quite a life and the writing transports you there. Meticulous research and nuanced details makes for an exciting read.
Highly recommended.
Friday, January 28, 2011
THE MEMORY PALACE : A MEMOIR
by Mira Bartok
Norma Herr was destined for Carnegie Hall. She was a child prodigy of the piano. By the age of nineteen, she was struck with schizophrenia and Chopin was erased by madness. Norma loved her two daughters but her mental state made her, more and more, impossible to be around (she had a fear of them being raped, kidnapped, or murdered and would incessantly say that to them). No father was around (he had left when the children were quite young).
When the girls went to college, their mother's badgering did not cease. Norma would call at any time, show up at their residences or jobs and threaten sucide if they did not return home to her.
Finally, when it all became just too unbearable, Mira and her sister Rachel severed contact with their mother and changed their names to harbor their safety. (Mira's first name had been Myra and Rachel became Natalia.)
Seventeen years later, the daughters reconcile with their mother who is dying.
What a magnificent story! Mira Bartok writes in such lyrical prose. It's absolutely gorgeous. She is an artist and at the beginning of each chapter, Mira has painted an object that has to do with some aspect of the text. From Chapter 3 to the end are diary entries written by her mother. You see the brilliance with lucid moments and you also see the craziness.
Through art, writing, travel (Italy, Norway, Israel), the harrowing memories of living with insanity are revealed.
The book is honest, powerful and disturbing. Don't miss it.
Very highly recommended.
by Mira Bartok
Norma Herr was destined for Carnegie Hall. She was a child prodigy of the piano. By the age of nineteen, she was struck with schizophrenia and Chopin was erased by madness. Norma loved her two daughters but her mental state made her, more and more, impossible to be around (she had a fear of them being raped, kidnapped, or murdered and would incessantly say that to them). No father was around (he had left when the children were quite young).
When the girls went to college, their mother's badgering did not cease. Norma would call at any time, show up at their residences or jobs and threaten sucide if they did not return home to her.
Finally, when it all became just too unbearable, Mira and her sister Rachel severed contact with their mother and changed their names to harbor their safety. (Mira's first name had been Myra and Rachel became Natalia.)
Seventeen years later, the daughters reconcile with their mother who is dying.
What a magnificent story! Mira Bartok writes in such lyrical prose. It's absolutely gorgeous. She is an artist and at the beginning of each chapter, Mira has painted an object that has to do with some aspect of the text. From Chapter 3 to the end are diary entries written by her mother. You see the brilliance with lucid moments and you also see the craziness.
Through art, writing, travel (Italy, Norway, Israel), the harrowing memories of living with insanity are revealed.
The book is honest, powerful and disturbing. Don't miss it.
Very highly recommended.
Monday, January 24, 2011
THE DISCOVERY OF JEANNE BARET : A STORY OF SCIENCE, THE HIGH SEAS, AND THE FIRST WOMAN TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE GLOBE
by Glynis Ridley
Herb women, through the centuries, have possessed an infinite knowledge of the curative powers of plants. Many educated men were unwilling to learn from them (call it pride) even though male botanists, druggists, and physicians relied on the supply of herbs to keep them in business. One botanist, the eminent Philibert Commerson would intentionally seek out local herb women due to his endless passion of flora. (He would acquire a medical degree but then would leave the profession and immerse himself totally in the field of plants much to his father's distress.)
In 1765, Commerson was asked to join an expedition which would be known as the first French circumnavigation of the world. As he would be collecting a vast array of resources, he would need an assistant.
Jeanne Baret, a twenty-six-year-old herb woman who had met Commerson, worked and lived with him (she became his mistress), wanted to join the voyage. Women were not allowed so she disguised herself as a young teenage boy and joined the crew of 330 men.
How a poor working-class woman survived amongst suspicious crewmates (a pistol always at her side) with some real interesting characters aboard the ship makes for one hell of a story. She, more than Commerson, would contribute more to botany than he would even though, as a woman, those findings would be dismissed or written out of history. A newly discovered notebook written in Baret's own handwriting has proven that she was a scientist in her own right. (One of her discoveries would be the bougainvillea which was named after the commander of the ship.)
Through scrupulous research author Glynis Ridley has pulled a virtual unknown botanist from the original journals of French naval officers and published works to the forefront.
Truly the first woman to sail around the world, Baret had an incredible amount of courage, strength and stamina to persevere through all kinds of trials.
A great read.
Recommended.
by Glynis Ridley
Herb women, through the centuries, have possessed an infinite knowledge of the curative powers of plants. Many educated men were unwilling to learn from them (call it pride) even though male botanists, druggists, and physicians relied on the supply of herbs to keep them in business. One botanist, the eminent Philibert Commerson would intentionally seek out local herb women due to his endless passion of flora. (He would acquire a medical degree but then would leave the profession and immerse himself totally in the field of plants much to his father's distress.)
In 1765, Commerson was asked to join an expedition which would be known as the first French circumnavigation of the world. As he would be collecting a vast array of resources, he would need an assistant.
Jeanne Baret, a twenty-six-year-old herb woman who had met Commerson, worked and lived with him (she became his mistress), wanted to join the voyage. Women were not allowed so she disguised herself as a young teenage boy and joined the crew of 330 men.
How a poor working-class woman survived amongst suspicious crewmates (a pistol always at her side) with some real interesting characters aboard the ship makes for one hell of a story. She, more than Commerson, would contribute more to botany than he would even though, as a woman, those findings would be dismissed or written out of history. A newly discovered notebook written in Baret's own handwriting has proven that she was a scientist in her own right. (One of her discoveries would be the bougainvillea which was named after the commander of the ship.)
Through scrupulous research author Glynis Ridley has pulled a virtual unknown botanist from the original journals of French naval officers and published works to the forefront.
Truly the first woman to sail around the world, Baret had an incredible amount of courage, strength and stamina to persevere through all kinds of trials.
A great read.
Recommended.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
THE SECRET OF CHANEL NO. 5 : THE INTIMATE HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS PERFUME
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Within the fragance industry, it's known as le monstre: the monster. For ninety-one years, this particular perfume has had a life of its own. Considered to be the world's most seductive scent and bought by millions, Chanel No. 5 is known as the most famous and successful perfume ever created. The brilliant, flawed woman who created it would be unbelievably wealthy until the end of her life.
Gabrielle Chanel grew up as an orphan (her mother had died of tuberculosis) in a convent for girls. It was not a happy time for her, but it would define her future. Here, in Aubazine, France is where she learned to sew, where her keen scent took root (smells of cleanliness and flowers abounded), and where numbers were mystical to her (numerology was embedded in the ancient architecture).
At the age of eighteen, Gabrielle left the small village for the big city of Moulins (near Paris) and began work as a shopgirl and seamstress. She started meeting men who took her out to the cabarets which were pretty provocative. Gabrielle loved the shows so much that she decided to make a career of it herself. Her famous nickname, Coco, would be coined at this time. Soon enough, Coco Chanel would meet the first of many lovers (most supported her financially) who let her open up her own shop making hats and ten years later this less than astute businesswoman would launch Chanel No. 5.
What a terrific story! It's hard to believe that a perfume could be so interesting, but in Mazzeo's deft writing, you can't stop reading. Why the number five was used, how the scent was determined, where the specific elements were to be found, who made the formula and several pages discussing the chemistry of fragrance molecules called aldehydes keeps your eyes fixated on the pages.
While the perfume was exemplary, Coco Chanel was embroiled in controversies. During WWII, she had a Nazi lover and was accused of being a collaborator (Coco was a virulent anti-Semite). How ironic that she would sign away her rights to two Jewish brothers (Les Parfums Chanel) so that the perfume could be marketed in America and elsewhere.
A great tale that is not to be missed.
Highly recommended.
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Within the fragance industry, it's known as le monstre: the monster. For ninety-one years, this particular perfume has had a life of its own. Considered to be the world's most seductive scent and bought by millions, Chanel No. 5 is known as the most famous and successful perfume ever created. The brilliant, flawed woman who created it would be unbelievably wealthy until the end of her life.
Gabrielle Chanel grew up as an orphan (her mother had died of tuberculosis) in a convent for girls. It was not a happy time for her, but it would define her future. Here, in Aubazine, France is where she learned to sew, where her keen scent took root (smells of cleanliness and flowers abounded), and where numbers were mystical to her (numerology was embedded in the ancient architecture).
At the age of eighteen, Gabrielle left the small village for the big city of Moulins (near Paris) and began work as a shopgirl and seamstress. She started meeting men who took her out to the cabarets which were pretty provocative. Gabrielle loved the shows so much that she decided to make a career of it herself. Her famous nickname, Coco, would be coined at this time. Soon enough, Coco Chanel would meet the first of many lovers (most supported her financially) who let her open up her own shop making hats and ten years later this less than astute businesswoman would launch Chanel No. 5.
What a terrific story! It's hard to believe that a perfume could be so interesting, but in Mazzeo's deft writing, you can't stop reading. Why the number five was used, how the scent was determined, where the specific elements were to be found, who made the formula and several pages discussing the chemistry of fragrance molecules called aldehydes keeps your eyes fixated on the pages.
While the perfume was exemplary, Coco Chanel was embroiled in controversies. During WWII, she had a Nazi lover and was accused of being a collaborator (Coco was a virulent anti-Semite). How ironic that she would sign away her rights to two Jewish brothers (Les Parfums Chanel) so that the perfume could be marketed in America and elsewhere.
A great tale that is not to be missed.
Highly recommended.
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