HARRY TRUMAN'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE : THE TRUE STORY OF A GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
by Matthew Algeo

Six months after Harry Truman left the office of the presidency, he and his wife, Bess, decided to take a road trip. Harry bought a Chrysler New Yorker that had all of the latest gadgets. (He loved cars.) But, it had been eight years since he had been behind the wheel of one, so he needed a refresher course learning how to use power brakes and power steering.
They set off, on June 19, 1953. No press. No Secret Service. Just the two of them, traveling for three weeks, alone, hoping to be incognito.
Author Matthew Algeo meticulously details every place the Trumans went and he himself takes the same route, stays at the same hotels and eats at the same restaurants.
Trivia abounds in this book, such as: the origin of the first "mo-tel" in the world; who designed the Holiday Inn and how Irving Berlin was involved; why the Waldorf=Astoria was written with an equal sign, etc.
You will find historical information about presidents, the highway system, the automobile industry and so much more.
A tremendous read. Not to be missed.
Highly recommended.

ADA BLACKJACK : A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL IN THE ARCTIC
by Jennifer Niven

Wrangel Island was a desolate, uninhabited outpost in the Arctic. Nobody had ever been there before, let alone knew who it belonged to.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson decided that it should be colonized, for Canada, and recruited four young men to live off the land with supplies good for only six months. The parents were less than happy, but the sons all idolized Stefansson (an explorer, himself) and would do anything for him.
They were hoping to have some Eskimos join them, but they all backed out, until Ada Blackjack, a 23-year-old Inuit woman from Nome, Alaska, came along. She was their seamstress.
So, in 1921, the party of five set off on a ship and were deposited on the island.
Ada Blackjack is one hell of a story. Jennifer Niven, the author, was able to use Ada Blackjack's diaries, which had never been seen before, unpublished writings from other important characters and interviews with Ada's second son.
Loaded with history and incredible photographs, this book knocks you with a wallop.
Recommended.

LILI MARLENE : THE SOLDIERS' SONG OF WORLD WAR II
by Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller

Every night, at 9:57, a sentimental song was played on Radio Belgrade, a German military station.
It was World War II and both the Axis and Allied soldiers were totally captivated by this sweet melody. The Minister of Culture and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, banned the music from the airwaves saying that the men should be listening to spirited marches instead, while the BBC felt that the soldiers were becoming sympathetic to the enemy.
"Lili Marlene" would become the most recorded tune in the world and would garner much success to the three people who brought it to life.
Hans Leip was the lyricist. He started out being a teacher, but really preferred to write and was known, originally, as a poet. When he wrote the words as a love poem, he never intended for it to become public.
Norbert Schultze, the composer, was a pianist for a group that did quite well playing at a cabaret in Berlin. He then became a solo artist and wrote operas and soundtracks. In order to stay out of the war and not have to fight, he composed military music for Hitler's invasions.
Lale Andersen (not her real name) became the singer who introduced the song to the troops. Her voice, which was considered harsh, still mesmerized those that heard it at the end of a long day of fighting.
Lili Marlene is one terrific read. It's jam-packed with details. The two authors did a tremendous job sifting through all the documentation.
Black-and-white photographs and sketches are found in the first half of the book.
Highly recommended.

TO THE END OF THE EARTH : OUR EPIC JOURNEY TO THE NORTH POLE AND THE LEGEND OF PEARY AND HENSON
by Tom Avery

There's been quite a bit of controversy concerning U.S. Naval Commander Robert Peary over whether or not he did make it to the North Pole back in 1909. It took him thirty-seven days. Opponents have argued that his speed was impossible and there was no viable witness.
Tom Avery, a polar explorer, decided to see for himself, along with three men and one woman, if it could be done. So, in 2005, his team re-created the same journey as Peary, using the same equipment (replica wooden sleds tied with cord) and dog teams.
Along the way Avery kept a diary noting the day, the date, the temperature (always in negative degrees), miles made and miles to go.
The journey was treacherous, dangerous, brutally cold (they all suffered from frostbite in one form or another), and almost lost their lives.
The team completed 413 miles in thirty-six days and twenty-two hours, which means they beat Peary's record by four hours.
To The End of the Earth is a terrific story. It's very well-written and Avery did his homework regarding background information on Peary, plus other polar explorers.
Fourteen and a half pages of color photographs of Avery's team, the dogs, the terrain and a couple of black-and-white ones of Peary's journey are sandwiched in the middle of the book.
Right before the index can be found a complete log of Avery's adventure.
If you're looking for a way to cool off during the oppressive heat of summer, get a copy of this book. You won't be hot for long.
Highly recommended.

PROVENANCE : HOW A CON MAN AND A FORGER REWROTE THE HISTORY OF MODERN ART
by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo

It was the biggest art fraud of the twentieth century. Two hundred new paintings were created in the styles of Giacometti, Nicholson, Braques, Matisse, Chagall, et al, and passed off as originals.
The forger was John Myatt, a single father, struggling for money. He was coerced by a psychopathic con artist, John Drewe, a man with a mellifluous voice who charmed and manipulated everyone around him.
For almost a decade, from 1986 to 1994, these works fooled countless dealers, collectors and auctioneers all over the world.
Even today, many of the fakes still hang in large galleries and famous museums.
Unfortunately, the archives are a bit messy because they were altered to reflect the "genuineness" of the bogus pieces.
Salisbury and Sujo have written a rip-roaring story. A fast-paced page-turner with such fantastic details that you're almost disappointed when you come to the end.
A true masterpiece. The book is, in itself, a brilliant work of art.
Very highly recommended.

THE DEVIL'S TICKETS : A NIGHT OF BRIDGE, A FATAL HAND, AND A NEW AMERICAN AGE
by Gary M. Pomerantz

Contract bridge was a huge craze during the 1920s in America. Four people sat together at a small table, composed mainly of couples, spending hours with their partners hoping to score the greatest number of points to win the game.
Ely Culbertson was the perfect man (in his eyes) to promote bridge and built a phenomenal empire. He wrote books, lectured and was even on the radio. His favorite partner was his own wife, Josephine. Culbertson knew that, sometimes, the relationship between husbands and wives would be stretched or explode due to miscommunication.
Myrtle and Jack Bennett sat down one night, in 1929, to play bridge with another married couple. Passions became inflamed. Myrtle called Jack a "bum bridge player," he slapped her across her face in front of their friends and started to walk out the door. Within seconds, Jack was shot by Myrtle with his pistol and that was the end of him.
The Devil's Tickets is a mesmerizing tale. There are two parallel stories going on at the same time. The author does a terrific job in introducing each character and effortlessly weaves everything together.
If you want to know how to play contract bridge, you can find it at the end of the book along with a glossary.
It's written extremely well and is just a delight to read.
Recommended.

PORTRAIT : THE LIFE OF THOMAS EAKINS
by William S. McFeely

It was not until twelve years after his death that Thomas Eakins finally received the recognition that he so deserved. The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired a huge amount of his paintings donated by Susan MacDowell Eakins, the largest gift a museum had ever received on one artist.
Growing up in the nineteenth century, Thomas was a true Renaissance man. He excelled at everything he put his mind to. Central High School, in Philadelphia, known as the "People's College," put that talent to work. He was fascinated with anatomy, medicine, mechanical engineering and of course drawing and gave the valedictory address at his graduation.
Eakins went off to Paris and then later, Spain, to study art. His fluency in seven languages made him easily fit in.
He returned to Philadelphia and eventually became a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
In Portrait William S. McFeely delves into homosexuality (depicted in Eakins' most famous work Swimming); depression (inherited from his mother); relationships among his wife, Thoreau, Walt Whitman, his family; the pervasive sadness that Eakins' portraits seemed to portray.
There are black-and-white drawings, photographs and sixteen pages of color plates.
In three of his paintings, Thomas Eakins is in the artwork: Max Schmitt in a Single Scull, Swimming, and The Gross Clinic.
Well-researched (the author is a historian and wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning Grant) and revealing, the book is an important work of a true realist.
Recommended.