History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Inner Sky: How to Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life

Average customer rating:

Great .....no spectacular book to have in your astrology library~
A Great Book
Highly recommended
The best beginner astrology book
A Very Useful & Methodological Approach to Understanding Astrology

The Inner Sky: How to Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life
Steven Forrest
Manufacturer: Astro Communications Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0935127046

Book Description

Dynamic new astrology! The author's treatment in this introductory text is noteworthy for its compassion, humor and common sense. All of the basics are covered - planets, signs, houses and aspects - emphasizing how they reflect the rich complexity of life. Steven teaches the reader how to be fluent in the language of astrology, rather than merely following rote methods of interpretation. The stars are only the beginning; here is your complete guide to the universe of potential within each of us.

Customer Reviews:

Great .....no spectacular book to have in your astrology library~.......2007-03-19

Basic fundamentals.....and you think you know them.....but still, as I'm reading....I'm learning more and more.

A Great Book.......2006-11-09

I knew nothing about astrology before this book. Nothing about signs, planets and houses. Now I know what I bought this book for: read my own birthchart.
The author explains everithing you need to understand and read the informations in a birthchart.
Besides this, the author uses a very easy language and style.
The best thing in this book is that you don't get confused. The author teaches you a sistematic way, step-by-step, to read a birthchart and not to be a "fortune teller".

Highly recommended.......2006-04-01

The Inner Sky is the best book I have found on learning how to read and interpret birth charts on your own. It doesn't contain already written interpretations, instead it teaches you step by step what each planet and sign represents and shows you how to put it together and form your own interpretation, and it is so basic and do-able! I recommend this as the starter book for anyone wanting to learn to read birth charts - hands down!

The best beginner astrology book.......2006-03-26

Steven Forrest introduces what he calls evolutionary astrology. The main idea is that astrology is not fortune telling. It is a tool to happy and fulfilling life. The horoscope is a map to follow to achieve your highest potential. I have used astrology for years, and believe this is the only way to use it. Nothing in the chart is good or bad, it is there only to point the way.
The book is written in a poetic, easy to understand style. It takes the reader thru the process of reading natal charts, step by step. You will not be able to be a professional astrologer after reading this book, but if you spend enough time and energy reading charts with the tools provided in the book, you'll be well on the way.
I just love this book!

A Very Useful & Methodological Approach to Understanding Astrology.......2005-09-02

As someone who has been interested in understanding various concepts in astrology, I have often been displeased with the amount of information overload that is all too often given in typical "cookbook"-type astrology books. Many astrology books provide lengthy lists of descriptions that explain the meaning of when particular planets appear in specific signs or houses in an individual's birthchart, as well as some information about aspects between planets. Unfortunately, too many of these "cookbook"-type astrology books don't provide sufficient (or any) explanations as to how to synthesize the information from the numerous lists into a concise and unconfused birthchart interpretation, or how to recognize which features in a birthchart are more important than others.

Thankfully, this is not the case with Steven Forrest's 1988 book "The Inner Sky: How To Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life". In his book, Mr. Forrest provides an elegant set of guidelines that enable novice students of astrology to grasp what the most important features in a birthchart are so that a concise synthesis of the lengthy amount of information contained within it can be effectively navigated and understood without falling prey to information overload. (In my opinion, information overload is probably the single largest impasse that most students of astrology face when attempting to interpret a birthchart.) Mr. Forrest advises that to begin a birthchart interpretation, an individual should only focus initially on three key features: the sun, moon and the ascendant; which is what he refers to as the "primal triad". By using the archetypes of the signs in which the sun, moon and ascendant occur, a basic understanding as a starting point for developing a more comprehensive interpretation of a birthchart can be more easily remembered as more features of the birthchart are slowly and methodically taken into consideration. This includes something that no "cookbook"-type astrology book that I had previously read effectively addresses: how to understand a planet's position in a sign and house taken together. The next step that Mr. Forrest suggests is to then consider whether the birthchart in question has any hemispheric emphasis by observing how many planets are contained within each birthchart hemisphere. Then, one of the most beneficial descriptions (in my opinion) that Mr. Forrest describes in the book comes into play: identifying the focalizers. Focalizers are those planets within a birthchart other than the sun and moon that should be given greater emphasis (or priority) in interpretation. No "cookbook"-type astrology book that I had previously read had ever provided a clear way to identity which planets in a birthchart should be regarded as the most important. This alone makes "The Inner Sky" stand out as an extremely useful resource. Other guidelines that Mr. Forrest suggests should follow understanding the primal triad, the hemispheres and the focalizers include understanding the moon's nodes and looking for common themes among everything that has been studied thus far. Mr. Forrest also addresses how to resolve seemingly irresolvable conflicting bits within a birthchart because his approach to interpreting a birthchart involves psychology, not fortune telling; and is commonly referred to as evolutionary astrology.

Before Mr. Forrest discusses the interpretive techniques that I listed above, he begins "The Inner Sky" with some basics in his first part of the book that he names "The Territory", which contains three chapters. The second part, named "Words", contains four chapters where he gives vivid and extremely useful understandings of the individual signs, planets and houses. The third and final part, named "Sentences", contains five chapters and is where Mr. Forrest explains the guidelines as I mentioned in the previous paragraph and then proceeds to give a well-written interpretation example.

Consequently, with its 12 chapters, four appendices, comprehensive glossary, index and wonderful writing, I rate Steven Forrest's book "The Inner Sky: How To Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding a methodological approach to interpreting astrological birthcharts. In my opinion, this is probably the best book to read first to begin a study of astrology.

Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt

Average customer rating:

Open Your Minds and Hearts
Making Schwaller de Lubicz understandable
Confusing
Homage to DeLubic z
Excellent scholarship.

Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt
John Anthony West
Manufacturer: Quest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Egypt | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0835606910

Book Description

Revised edition of a modern classic challenging all that has been accepted as dogma about ancient Egypt.

Customer Reviews:

Open Your Minds and Hearts.......2007-08-01

I just finished reading this book and found it fascinating, informative, and intriguing. I feel that any lay person, as well as a seasoned scientist, can learn something very profound from this book. I did not find it difficult to read at all, but that may be because I already have an interest in learning more about Egypt and other paths of esotericism, higher knowledge, and higher consciousness. I don't think anyone can dispute that Egypt, as well as other ancient cultures, possessed a knowledge that far surpasses our own on so many different levels. For one thing they were able to finance huge projects (try to get any one society/civilizaton today to fund a pyramid; even a small one like Menkaure's). For the second thing, they were able to organize themselves in such a way that devotion to higher thought was the primary motivating factor in their expression of monumental building and encoding secret/sacred knowledge into symbols. These are the salient, yet subtle points made by Mr. West. Wouldn't it be nice if more of us 'moderns' could be like that? Anyone who has seen hieroglyphics has to know that it cannot be interpreted into our language (how we communicate thought) verbatum, nor into our current thought patterns. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that it takes a symbolist view to be able to make sense of them, and that may require breaking away from established patterns of thought; civilization started in Greece; modern science is the be-all-end-all marvel; the Sphinx looks like the statue they call Cheperen, etc., to enable the messages to pour into your heart. This is one of the things that comes through in this book.

This book, Serpent in the Sky, is a great introduction into, not only Schwaller deLubicz' work, but is in its own right a step toward helping one recognize that there might be something to be gained by reforming our thought patterns and exploring other subject matter such as harmonics, proportions & volume; and incorporating these concepts into our everyday living experience. I don't know anything about these things at this time, but I am inspired by this book to want to learn more. I barely got through geometry in school (decades ago-smile), but I may now be able to absorb more of it now that I see that it has a real/spiritual purpose. How about you? Would you challenge yourself by first trying to investigate the concepts outlined in this book and then have the heart to move onto Schwaller's The Temple in Man? Do you think you can be taken to a higher level of consciousness?

If you think you are a layperson, don't be discouraged from your quest for higher knowledge by listening to the comments of those who assume that laypeople cannot learn from this book and Schwaller's. You can learn anything you want to and Serpent in the Sky might be just the thing to help you step onto the road to higher spiritual development. If you have already stepped onto that road, then you know that it is not easy or quick to get to where you'd like to be. Mr. West has an impeccable style of writing, a flare for clarity and humor (because he's not in denial), and anyone with a reasonable amount of education can enjoy this book and be inspired by it. If you don't know a word used in the book, pull out your dictionary. Not well versed in geometry? Get your hands on a self-study book or a tutor. That's part of how spirit works through us and our guides to give us more illumination. We have to do the work ourselves and you'll know if someone is a guide sent from The Most High or from somewhere else.

Open your mind and your heart! (smile) See for yourself. See you in Egypt in late 2008.

Making Schwaller de Lubicz understandable.......2006-09-27

If you prescibe to conventional views about Egyptology don't buy this book. However, if you believe that science does not have the story of our origins and Egypt quite right, then this book will open your eyes.

The writing style is accessible, not too technical, and not too etheric. The work of Schwaller de Lubicz is presented, along with JAWs owns metaphors, in a way to help you understand that Egyptian culture and architecture was much deeper than archeologists think.

JAW is most famous pointing to geologic weathering analysis of the Sphinx show that it is at least 10,000 years old. The book stays rooted in science enough to keep the discerning reader interested. There is also a hint of the civilization that pre-dates Egypt (?Atlantis) which will also keep the alternate reader interested. All-in-all a very good and balanced book.

Also recommended is 'Temple of the Cosmos' by Jeremy Naydler.

Confusing.......2006-09-01

The book is an attempt to make accessible to the layman the findings of Schwaller de Lubicz (1887-1961), a self-taught French Egyptologist with a strong mystical bend who claimed among other things that Egyptian civilization is much older than mainstream archeologist believe and that it was based on esotericism.
The book is abundantly illustrated with black and white photographs and drawings and every page has a wealth of quotes from the most diverse writers. In fact, these quotes make up about a third of the contents.
"Serpent in the Sky" could be described as a kind of short encyclopedia on Egyptian civilization but seen from an esoteric point of view. All aspects of ancient Egypt are covered, from temple architecture to the meaning of hieroglyphics. And of course, there is a chapter on the Sphinx, explaining that it is much older than most experts think.
The big trouble with this book is that it simply fails to give the reader a coherent and substantial idea not only of Schwaller de Lubicz's views but also of its topic. In typical fashion, the writer will start discussing a topic, make a few remarks which sound profound (but are not always intelligible)and then move to something else. What one gets in the end is bits of information on many topics, but one doesn't really to come to a full understanding and appreciation of what the author is talking about. One suspects that Mr.Anthony West hasn't really digested the obscure teachings of his French master.
So, while this book may stimulate your interest for a different interpretation of what ancient Egypt was all about, you certainly won't find here the answers you are looking for.
It is true, as another reviewer has noted, that the author, in expounding his "heretical" interpretation of Egypt,shows himself to be thoroughly critical not only of conventional Egyptology, but also of Western science and the modern worldview in general. As I thoroughly agree with most of his condemnatory pronouncements, I wasn't bothered by this anti-modern stance. In fact, many of his remarks are quite to the point. In my opinion, this is a positive aspect of the book.
But the fact remains that after reading this book I still don't understand the civilization of Egypt and the teachings of Schwaller de Lubicz regarding it. Sometimes it is better not to know anything about a topic than to have incomplete and unclarified notions about it.
I am sorry to say that this book leaves one in a state of complete confusion about Egyptian metaphysics and civilization.

Homage to DeLubic z.......2006-07-14

This is West's attempt to present some of the philosophies of DeLubicz from his perception of them. West presents the theories, assumptions, conclusions and epiphanies of DeLubicz with his own radical approach to the subject matter. Encompassing a wide range of subjects West does not presume to attest to an expert status in all subjects but presents his view point of the DeLubicz material in a highly readable manner. Although quite technical in some areas it serves only to stimulate the reader to investigate further. Read with an open mind and shelving all preconcieved notions of tightly held dogma and turf wars from the differing scientific departments West's book asks us to open our minds to an entirely different thought pattern concerning what we know or think we know about the Egyptians. Whether we believe or not West presents ideas considered fringe by established thought but those five per cent of fringe thinkers are what kicks our minds out of the rut and stimulates our intellectual need to know and understand.

Excellent scholarship........2006-01-26

I whole-heartedly agree evolution is nonsense. And I also agree the dating of the sphinx and pyramids are in error. In support of West's book, I point out that the constellations they represent did not exist until 10,000 B.C. The three pyramids represent the constellation Orion and the Sphinx represents the constellation Leo. These constellations as depicted in these famous Eygptian megaliths were created by people who witnessed them; namely, people who existed 10,000 B.C. Therefore, the history books are all wrong, including the Princeton and Harvard and Yale so-called scholars who have a hard time swallowing these facts.

However, I disagree with the author's confidence in astrology. Moreover, I disagree but understand his assertion that the Golden ratio isn't a number but is a function.

The Golden ratio is an irrational number. The author seems to imply that irrational numbers are functions, not numbers. What does he mean? I mean, I kind of get what he means, but he leaves you hangin'.

First of all, the ancient Greeks thought a number is that which can be constructed with a square and compass. However, the Greeks also didn't like numbers like the square root of two and denominated such numbers as "irrational." Descartes sheds light on this topic on page 2 of his book "Geometry."

From a half circle in which Descartes inscribes some triangles, Descartes arrives at three equations (all pythagorean): c^2 = a^2 + b^2; d^2 = 1^2 + b^2; (a + 1)^2 = c^2 + d^2. Substituting the second equation into the third he gets a^2 + 2a + 1 = c^2 + 1^2 + b^2. Then, using the first equation, we substitute a^2 + b^2. Thus, a^2 + 2a + 1 = a^2 + b^2 + 1^2 + b^2. Thus, 2a = 2b^2 or a = b^2 or b = /a (square root of "a").

Thus, according to Descartes, one can theoretically construct an irrational number with square and compass. Thus, if one defines an irrational number as a function, as Anthony West does, namely that b = /a, it doesn't remove the fact that it can be constructed by square and compass. Thus, although Greeks didn't like irrational numbers, according to their own definition of number numbers like the sqaure root of two are numbers. Why Anthony West wants to define numbers in such a narrow way, I don't know. He ends up like the Greeks who got in conundrums because of their rigid definitions. The natural numbers (.i.e, 1,2,3,4,5. . .) are constructable by square and compass. Why should we not broaden our definition of number to include something other than the natural numbers? Narrowing one's defnition of number gets us into semantic disputes that get us nowhere.

Finally, why do P.h.D.'s at Ivy League colleges insist on dating the pyramids and sphinx more recently rather than 10,000 B.C.? Because, dating them at 10,000 B.C. trashes the Ice Age myth.

The Changing Sky: A Practical Guide to Predictive Astrology

Average customer rating:

The best intermediate astrology book
A Methodological Approach to Understanding Predictive Astrology
No better book for predictive astrology
Recommended elaboration of astrology's structure

The Changing Sky: A Practical Guide to Predictive Astrology
Steven Forrest
Manufacturer: ACS Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0935127674

Book Description

Steven Forrest, author of the award-winning and critically acclaimed book on basic astrology, The Inner Sky, sequels that outstanding work with this dynamic text on predictive astrology. Here you will find a brief review of the astrological basics (planets, houses, signs and aspects) and then the heart of the book -

Transits - the current positions of the planets in the sky compared to one's birth chart. Outer planets are discussed in terms of their "Teacher" or "Trickster" potentials. Also addressed is the cycle of the houses and the tasks represented by each.

Progressions - a day symbolically equated to a year in one's life. Thorough explanations of progressed Moon through the houses and signs, and changing angles (Midheaven and Ascendant) are presented.

The Art of Synthesis - how to put it all together.

Also includes an appendix with valuable information on how to look up transits and calculate secondary progressions.

This practical guide to predictive astrology shows the reader how to make better life choices, with a focus on personal freedom and responsibility.

Customer Reviews:

The best intermediate astrology book.......2006-03-09

For a book on intermediate astrology, this one is the best. It covers a lot of material in an easy-to-understand way. It also makes an excellent reference book.

Among Forrest's many strengths, he is a master of 'synthesis', the art of putting together various astrological pieces to create a coherent story about what is going on. His approach, which focuses on the questions life is asking you versus what you are going to passively experience, is brilliant, and successfully bridges between an individual's inner and outer worlds.

I have been teaching astrology for many years, and this is the book I use to introduce my students to timing and forecasting. I wish more astrology books were of this high quality.

A Methodological Approach to Understanding Predictive Astrology.......2005-10-10

I have been interested in understanding astrology for a long time, but my experience in finding books that don't overload me with too much often-contradictory information has been difficult. This is often because too many books about astrology are nothing more than "cookbooks" that list large amounts of information in lengthy lists intended to help the reader interpret the meanings of when particular planets appear in specific signs or houses in an individual's birthchart. Sometimes, they will include similar interpretations about aspects between planets in the birthchart. Less often, they might include interpretations about transiting planets, but usually nothing about progressing planets. What results too often from these astrology "cookbooks" is confusion for readers because few of these "cookbooks" describe how to identify what the important significant parts of a birthchart are or how to synthesize the information into a meaningful whole. Without such an understanding, it becomes impossible to tackle the more difficult concepts of predictive astrology.

Recently I read Steven Forrest's 1983 book "The Inner Sky: How To Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life". In this book, Mr. Forrest provided an elegant set of guidelines that enable novice students of astrology to grasp what the most important features in a birthchart are so that a concise synthesis of the lengthy amount of information contained within it can be effectively navigated and understood without falling prey to information overload. Being greatly inspired by this book, I decided to read Mr. Forrest's next book, "The Changing Sky: A Practical Guide to Predictive Astrology", which was first published in 1986. As in the "The Inner Sky", Mr. Forrest provides a definitive set of guidelines in "The Changing Sky" that are highly beneficial. In order to gain any meaningful information from predictive astrology, both transiting and progressing planets must be compared to an individual's birthchart. As the birthchart is a snapshot of the sky when a person is born, transits are the actual locations of the planets at a time later in the individual's life. Hence, transiting planets make aspects with the locations that the planets were in at the time of an individual's birth. These transiting aspects can mark significant events that most people experience (such as the first Saturn return at about the age of 30 or a transmitting outer planet making a conjunction with a natal Ascendant, Midheaven, Sun or Moon, for example). Understanding progressions is a bit more difficult than transits because (1) there are multiple progression techniques used by astrologers and (2) progressions don't necessarily relate directly to actual locations of planets. Progressions are created by astrologers using a symbolic time frame of reference. The most common progression technique that astrologers use (and is what Mr. Forrest explains very well in "The Changing Sky") is called "secondary progressions". In secondary progressions, the movements that the planets experience in one day relate to one year's life for an individual based upon that individual's birth time. In this way, as the slow-moving outer planets can influence people for years at a time, in progressions, the fast-moving inner planets slow down and have similar influences that can affect people for years at a time. This is actually one of the key factors used in predictive astrology: the longer a transiting or progressing planet can aspect with a significant natal planet, Ascendant or Midheaven in an individual's birthchart, the greater the impact that a transiting or progressing planet can have. This concept helps to form the basis for the four "nets" that Mr. Forrest describes in the eleventh chapter of "The Changing Sky". By understanding how long a particular planet can transit or progress through an aspect with the birthchart (as well as knowing which transmitting/progressing planets are the most important), particular transits and progressions can be divided into different nets that represent different levels of importance, either over long periods of time or shorter periods. A progressing planet changing signs and/or houses may also be significant. Fast-moving transiting inner planets may act as triggers within the larger scheme of the longer-lasting transits and progressions.

Mr. Forrest separated the 13 chapters contained within "The Changing Sky" into five parts. The first part (two chapters) focuses on the "root prediction", which is the birthchart. The second part (four chapters) focuses on transmits and includes discussions of the teacher & trickster sides of the outer planets, as well as the meanings of the transiting inner planets. The third part (three chapters) is an overview of progressions and includes the teacher & trickster sides of the inner planets, except the Moon, which still moves too quickly when progressed. Instead, an entire chapter (Chapter 9) is used to describe the progressed moon's meaning in signs and houses in a "cookbook" style. The fourth part (one chapter) is a "cookbook"-style description of all the possible aspects that the progressed inner planets (except the Moon), Midheaven and Ascendant make with all of the natal planets, natal Midheaven and natal Ascendant. Mr. Forrest's inclusion of this "cookbook"-style information is highly beneficial since I have never seen any other "cookbook"-style book ever include any progressed planet information. The fifth and final part (three chapters) is a synthesis of all of the information in the previous four parts and includes an interesting astrological analysis of the life of Vincent Van Gogh.

Overall, I rate Steven Forrest's book "The Changing Sky: A Practical Guide to Predictive Astrology" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding a methodological approach to predictive astrology. In my opinion, this book and Mr. Forrest's earlier book, "The Inner Sky: How To Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life", are probably the best first books to read to begin a study of astrology. I also recommend that you read "The Inner Sky" before reading "The Changing Sky" to gain the most benefit from both books.

No better book for predictive astrology.......2003-03-27

I'm a practicing astrologer and have published several astrology articles. I still refer to this book regularly and recommend it--and Forrest's other books--to anyone interested in learning about astrology. Aside from his hands-down expertise in astrology, Forrest is a hell of a good writer and an excellent psychologist--what more could you ask for when you're trying to understand how astrological cycles affect real people in real life?

Recommended elaboration of astrology's structure.......1998-04-13

Well above-average introduction to prediction and progression in astrology, for the reader with some grasp of the basics of planets and signs (such as reading Forrest's "The Inner Sky")--but not a great deal of background. A well-written introduction to what astrology is really about, from quite an intelligent and down-to-earth point of view. It will take you several dimensions beyond the paper's astrology column, into a striking synchronous parallel to human psychology.

Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building

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"So Tall It Will Scrape the Sky"
Loaded with color illustrations which bring to life the builder's experience

Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building
Deborah Hopkinson
Manufacturer: Schwartz & Wade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375836101
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Book Description

The acclaimed team that brought readers the IRA Children’s Book Award—winning Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt is back with a riveting brick-by-brick account of how one of the most amazing accomplishments in American architecture came to be. It’s 1930 and times are tough for Pop and his son. But look! On the corner of 34th Street and 5th Avenue, a building straight and simple as a pencil is being built in record time. Hundreds of men are leveling, shoveling, hauling. They’re hoisting 60,000 tons of steal, stacking 10 million bricks, eating lunch in the clouds. And when they cut ribbon and the crowds rush in, the boy and his father will be among the first to zoom up to the top of the tallest building in the world and see all of Manhattan spread at their feet.

Customer Reviews:

"So Tall It Will Scrape the Sky".......2007-07-11

In Depression-era New York City, dreams collide with reality. Our unnamed young narrator's father has just lost his job, and so the boy must wander the harsh, cold streets of Manhattan, looking for firewood. However, one day near 34th and 5th streets, he sees a dream unfold, as 3,000 men construct a symbol of triumph and tenacity: the 102-story Empire Stae Building.

The book is magnificent: Powerful images, poetic language, and construction scenes and details merge into a dramatic tale that's both historic and personal. The boy (and sometimes his father) joins other New Yorkers who look in awe at the evolving building. Ms. Hopkinson uses facts and simple, strong words in her descriptions: We see men sinking "210 massive steel columns" 55-feet into the ground, building "a steel forest" that "can bear the full weight of this giant-to-be: 365,000 tons." Flatbeds carry steel beams "from the fiery furnaces of Pittsburgh" through the streets, looking "river surging through the concrete canyons of Manhattan." While strong and almost terse, the writing is somehow concommitantly lyrical. The story teems with action ("hoisting, swinging, spinning") and facts that will fascinate any young reader (and most adults as well).

Two-page action sequences set within the story slow down time so that one can appreciate the danger, the men's skill, and the scope of the project. We see four men (there are no female workers--accurate as far as I know), working as a team to rivet steel girders together: The "Heater Man" tosses hot metal to "the Catcher," who fits it into the girder hole steadied by the "Bucker-up," finally hammered into place by "the Gunman." For adults, it's is a testosterone kick; kids will enjoy the heroism and the sheer grandeur of the construction leading to the finished tower.

Although the city is not as dirty-looking, nor the people as poor as one might expect, there's still a Depression-based realism that doesn't sanitize the workers' hard lives. In one of her best lines, Ms. Hopkinson writes that while each man works as fast as possible, he does so knowing that hundreds down below him would "take his place over his spot in a flash. Yet knowing that the quicker he finishes, the sooner he'll be back in line himself, waiting and desparate for work." There's a subtle but unmistakeable contrast between the gleaming building--and the hard-working but generally vigorous men working on the gleaming building, and those hundreds below them. Another wonderful two-page spread shows the building reaching skyward between June and November. culminating in an illustration of 15 men astride the building's top in March 1931, proud and even gleeful, but also tired.

James E. Ransome's pictures are uniformly spectacular, and it culminates in his noil painting of the Empire State Building at dawn, majestically overlooking the island and beyond, towering over everything else. WE also see the golden placque of the building inside the lobby, the apprehension of the boy and his dad as they ride the elevator to the top, the father's hope ("If we can do this, we can do anything") and one last nighttime view as they head back home, their heads and hearts uplifted ("Look, Pop, we can see it from here.").

'Sky Boys' concludes with some facts about the building and the making of the book, including an acknowledgement to the EMpire State Building Archive at Columbia for the endpaper photographs of workers in dangerous positions. Certainly one of the top 20 books I've read this year, the dramatic words and pictures ensure that this wil be a favorite at home or school.

Note: A good companion book is "Pop's Bridge," a fictionalized history of peril and comraderie while building the Golden Gate Bridge.

Loaded with color illustrations which bring to life the builder's experience.......2006-04-11

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Empire State Building's construction is Sky Boys: How They Built The Empire State Building. While vintage black and white photos from the era greet the eye on the inside and back cover pages, the book is loaded with color illustrations which bring to life the builder's experience. The journey to Depression-era Manhattan and a boy who watches its construction brings the promise, hope and allure of the Empire State Building to life.

Red Sky at Morning: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

Average customer rating:

Farolitos and chamisa
An All-Time Coming of Age Story
Wonderful Read
My copy is literally falling apart, I've read it so much.
For Some Books you should be able to give 10 Stars

Red Sky at Morning: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
Richard Bradford
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060931906

Book Description

The classic coming-of-age story set during World War II about the enduring spirit of youth and the values in life that count.

Customer Reviews:

Farolitos and chamisa.......2007-07-02

I grew up in Santa Fe, reading this book, serving Mr. Bradford coffee at Zook's Pharmacy on the Plaza. Mr. Bradford's book reassured me that my turbulent adolescence was do-able, by lighting the way.
I have not been back there in thirty years. Santa Fe has been taken over by the rich and the entitled and they have squeezed the soul out of what we knew growing up there, though there is plenty of beauty and spirit left to be sucked dry by the commercial people. But if you want to know the siren song of Santa Fe, read this book. Sagrado is, indeed, Santa Fe. This was what it was like there even in the 1960's and 1970's.
I mean, where else could you have that unforgettable horse AND world-class opera AND the mountains AND the humility of entertaining the Native Americans by just being white people on the Plaza?
I read this book, I can smell the pine wood burning in the farolitos, and the breeze in the chamisa after the Summer afternoon cloudbursts.

An All-Time Coming of Age Story.......2007-05-06

This is a wondrous short novel. Read it if you'd like to be a teenager again. Buy an old paperback copy showing a teenage boy and girl standing facing each other with their foreheads touching--a very sweet illustration.

Sometimes the covers of books actually decline in quality with the many printings of a book. A fine example is the early cover for "Summer of Night," by Dan Simmons.Summer of Night (Aspect Fantasy) The 1991 "Warner Book" edition has a window with a cut out. Through the window you can see some boys riding their bicycles at night. When you open the book, you see a mysterious school in the background.

The later covers of "Summer of Night" were not half as mysterious or fun.

Wonderful Read.......2006-07-20

I thouroughly enjoyed this book, I do not know how I missed it for so many years. It was recommended in Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust" (which you really should buy if you are an avid reader.) I have never been dissapointed by her recommendations.

Josh, as the narrator in "Red Sky at Morning" is a 17 year old high school senior at the end of WWII. His dry wit mad me laugh right out loud several times. I loved his sensibility and humor. The cast of characters in this book reminded me of some of the characters in "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving.

This is one of my favorite reads of the year, so much so I will probably hunt down a hard cover edition for my collection.

My copy is literally falling apart, I've read it so much. .......2006-04-16

As many others have said, it's impossible to get tired of this book. My parents gave it to me when I was 18 and (again, like several others) the first time I read it I found it a little slow and disjointed. It gets better and better with every read - each time I pick up on the subtleties of a scene for the first time.

Rather than boring the reader with a bunch of obnoxious capers and hijinks, Bradford envelops you in his characters' community, and it's this day-to-day banality (which turned me off so much the first time) that really draws you into the story. Josh's adjustment to Sagrado takes time, but when it comes it's so natural and amusing that you're almost completely unprepared for the sobering conclusion of the story.

I had no idea the book was so loved until I read these reviews. There are so many special moments in the story - the big wet snowfalls that ruins Chamaco's fiesta, the horribly backward residents of La Cima, the refreshing "white trashiness" of the Cloyd sisters, even Parker Holmes tearing an elk sandwich apart with his teeth.

I wish these characters existed in real life, and I wish I could be their friend.

For Some Books you should be able to give 10 Stars.......2006-04-10

And this would be one of them. I've reread this book several times. It always makes me laugh out loud. It always makes me tear up. It always makes me hope I'll meet some folks like the characters in the book. When I am in this book, I'm "in" it and the visits are enduring and wonderful.

How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend (Sandpiper Houghton Mifflin Books)

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How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend

How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend (Sandpiper Houghton Mifflin Books)
Jerrie Oughton
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0395779383

Book Description

This retelling of a Navajo folktale explains how First Woman tried to write the laws of the land using stars in the sky, only to be thwarted by the trickster Coyote.

Customer Reviews:

How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend.......2000-11-02

My son is in 2nd grade and they're doing a unit on Native Americans. We read this book together and enjoyed the story as well as the beautiful illustrations. This book also lends itself to do the shadowbox project that goes along with the class studies. I enjoyed the Navajo concept of how the stars are patterned in the sky. We would recommend this book for the 7-9 year old group.

Average customer rating:

A great book
Courage of Resistance Fighters
This is a Great Book
Great book!
Good Book

Under a War-Torn Sky
L.M. Elliott
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786817534

Book Description

When Henry Forrester is shot down during a bombing run over France, the World War II pilot finds himself trapped behind enemy lines. In constant danger of discovery by German soldiers, Henry begins a remarkable journey to freedom. Relying on the kindness of strangers, Henry moves from town to town-traveling by moonlight, never asking questions, or even the names of the people who help him along the way. Throughout his journey, Henry gains an understanding of the French and their struggle; and of his own place in a war that will change the face of Europe forever.

Customer Reviews:

A great book.......2007-07-14

I had to read this book for a class. I love this book and if I teach a upper elementary classroom I would probably read this to them. I thought the first two chapters were slow, after that the descriptions were awesome and I couldn't put it down.

Courage of Resistance Fighters.......2007-07-02

Henry loves to fly. Even as a child living on a Virginia farm with his mother and his angry father, he dreamed about flying. Now he is nineteen years old and finally getting to fly, although it is not nearly as soothing as he had imagined. The problem is that Henry is flying missions out of England in World War II. He is the youngest guy in his company and is terrified every time he flies a mission over Germany.

It is one of the longest missions Henry has ever been on, and his plane is taking heavy fire from German planes. He and the men in his plane have to bail out. They parachute to the ground, perhaps miles apart from each other, and Henry is alone in a foreign country.

The first problem Henry faces is in finding out where he is. When he discovers he is in a French province controlled by the Nazis, he realizes he is in serious danger. Luckily the first man he meets is a sympathetic former schoolteacher who agrees to smuggle him into a safe place until he can recover from the injuries he received when he parachuted to the ground.

What follows is Henry's long journey to try to get home. He meets up with members of the French resistance movement, who are able to help him stay alive and move toward his eventual freedom. But he is constantly in jeopardy and falls into the hands of the Nazis more than once. During his travels, Henry comes to realize what he is capable of and he also becomes aware of the ways normal people showed extraordinary courage in helping American and British soldiers during the war.

I liked reading about what everyday citizens were able to do to help the war effort. The members of the resistance were incredibly courageous to help others without thought of their own safety.

However, there were so many times Henry was in imminent danger but then something amazing happened to save him. I understand wanting to show all of the different ways soldiers escaped to freedom, but having them all happen to the same character was a little much.

This is a Great Book.......2007-05-30

Henry Forrester, 19, is in the U.S. Air Force when he is shot down over the Nazi controlled area of East France. Henry has to escape the terrors of the Nazis.

At first, Henry meets a French school teacher tthat aides him through a part of his trek. he teacher puts a splint on Henry's broken leg, and tells him of barges that go to Neutral Switzerland. Henry hops on one of the barges but encounters a close call when he is almost discovered by a Nazi soldier.

Next, Henry meets a group of French resistance forces that help him along even more. The soldiers take him to a small family living on a farm.

Henry now has befriended a small boy that lives on a farm ownen by a family that helps downed pilots. Henry decides to barter with the boy, the boy teaches him French, and in exchange Henry teaches him English.
a group of Nazi patrollers nearly discover a sub machine gun that the family owns. Henry now has no choice but to run away from the family that he has learned to love...

Will Henry make it back to England, or will he become a P.O.W. Read this stunning thriller to find out.

I think that this is a great book, a must buy

Great book!.......2007-03-01

Do you need a book report book? This book is the perfect war story for you! This book is about a boy named Henry who gets shot down and lands in France. It's a story how he goes through the underground trying to get back home. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a book report book.

Good Book.......2007-02-15

Henry forester is the main character and/or protagonist of "Under A war-Torn Sky." Henry is trying to navigate his way through enemy occupied France to get back to allied occupied soil. This book is told in 3rd person.

Along the way he meets many giving people. One of these people is Madame, a wealthy French woman who is helping the French resistance escort allied pilots home. The Authors tone in Under a War-Torn sky" was very serious and down to earth.

I don't think the story really had a theme, except to entertain. Over all "Under A War-Torn Sky" was an exciting book. It also always has you on the edge of your seat with it's great elaboration strategies.

The Sky's the Limit: Passion and Property in Manhattan

Average customer rating:

Great Little Read
Seems like Coop Boards have more power than the IRS
The Sky's The Limit - That says it all!
Real Estate in the Big Apple
Tired Recycled Gossip and No Story

The Sky's the Limit: Passion and Property in Manhattan
Steven Gaines
Manufacturer: Hachette Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1594830398

Book Description

The bestselling author of Philistines at the Hedgerow probes the supersecret world of Manhattan luxury apartments where real estate costs the most and matters even more. Steven Gaines once again trains his sharp eye on rich people behaving badly. This time, the arena is Manhattan luxury real estate and the outlandish displays of ego, outrageous behavior, blood feuds, status hunger, and conspicuous consumption that dominate that world.

Customer Reviews:

Great Little Read.......2007-01-06

This is a great read - especially if you've never really understood what the big deal about co-ops v. condos is or even just don't know the difference. The gossipy tidbits in the middle make it interesting, yet it is still fact-filled. Steven Gaines did a great job with this work!

Seems like Coop Boards have more power than the IRS.......2006-06-24

This book was great! Another fascinating look at the New York real estate market and where there is no limit on what you'll pay for a place to live. Very interesting in how those coop boards can bring potential owners to their knees. The book was well written and provided much insight into property ownership and real estate brokers.

The Sky's The Limit - That says it all!.......2006-03-28

Gains takes you inside the history of many of the top buildings in NYC (A.K.A.- good buildings or GBs) as well as a beginning to present time chronicle of the often stuffy co-ops and the new money, free-frawl condo market. From the builders to the star brokers and super famous buyers, you get a real sense of how top end real estate shakes out in the big city.

Interestingly, he visits the market at the turn of the twentieth century and the boom and bust cycles that created massive fortunes and whipped so many out. A super great conversation piece is that in 1903 there were pre construction condo flips going on at a frenzied pace, and how did that end... I will say that after the depression, which was a few cycles later, luxury apartments that sold for $50,000 were on the market for $500. I welcome every opportunity to be reminded of the cyclical nature of real estate.

Talk about name dropping; how's Andy Warhol, Madonna, Babe Ruth wandering the Anasonia in his bathrobe, Ron Perelman, Denis Kozlowski, Donald Trump, Jerry Seinfeld, Donna Karan, Steve Jobs, Bruce Willis, Steve Jobs, Bruce Willis, Steve Martin, Tommy Hilfiger and Henry Kravis.

Also interesting is how zip codes can often peg your social and financial status, your religion or ethnic background, or your sexual preference.

The deal driven super-brokers Dolly Lenz and Michael Shivo shed some light of what it takes to be a top producer in the super competitive NYC market.

Dolly Lenz the top producing broker, who raked in $3 billion in sales started buying studios when she was 25 years old with her husband and within a few years owned 31 studios.

Michael Shivo on what it takes to be a successful broker-at least an average IQ and a strong will to work. "I don't do drugs, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I work 18 hours a day and I don't sleep. I think sleeping is a waste of time. All of the energy that you see is from real estate."

I'm real estate investor myself that went from $0 to $25,000,000+ in holdings in less than 5 years starting with $0, only the equity in my house. I also wrote a book: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate: A True Story About the Ups And Downs from Wall Street to Real Estate Leading Up to Phenomenal Returns. It's a step by step, play by play of how my partner and I built our real estate company in a way that anyone can immolate.

Good Luck, Happy Reading.

My Blog: bloglines.com/blog/KevinKingston

Real Estate in the Big Apple.......2006-02-21

Fifth Avenue is the address against which all others are measured, according to Gaines. It is 6.5 miles long, mostly high-end retail space and skyscraper office buildings. On the 1.5 miles facing Central Park there lives the greatest consolidation of private wealth assembled in one place.

Some would say 820 Fifth Avenue was the best address - certainly its co-op board has taken a very aggressive position and repelled three billionaires, including Revlon Chief Ronald Perelman. "The Sky's the Limit" provides insights into co-op board motivations and methods, as well as those of the city's most successful real estate agents.

820 Fifth Avenue has 12 apartments (one/floor), with 7,000 square feet each. Prior residents include a former N.Y. governor, Arthur and Mrs. Murray, Alfred Sloan (former G.M. Chairman and CEO), Pierre Lorillard (tobacco magnate). Co-op applicants are required to provide detailed and certified financial statements (purportedly to ensure that they can cover any unforeseen maintenance required), and respond to a number of lifestyle questions (boards are very concerned about how their new neighbors and their families will comport themselves). The finished product can weight 5 lobs, and cost $10,000 in accounting and legal fees. Co-op boards are likely to look disfavorably on public figures (likely paparazzi disruptions), those who are single (who know what the spouse will be like; questions about attention-grabbing lifestyle), too many Jews (give me a break - I'm just the reporter here), and overly-ambitious renovation plans (long-term noise, dirt). Finally, an interview is also required - timeliness and appropriate attire are important! Gaines reports that about 5% of applicants are turned down. However, he also tells us that many boards are exclusively represented by a selected real estate agent, and one of their primary jobs is to pre-select those who are brought before them.

The original intent of the co-operative plan was to life a million immigrants out of tenement housing - eg. 20 families in sub-divided, freezing housing, sharing one toilet. Under the initial 1879 proposal groups would band together and build a fireproof house, with separate living quarters for each family. However, problems with neighbors and the practice of leasing units out for parts of the year prevented the practice from taking off - by '53 there were only 162 co-operatives, vs. 5,797 apartments in NYC. There are now over 3,500 in Manhattan and 10,000 in all five boroughs.

Condominiums developed partly to avoid co-op boards, and between 1985-1988 over 15,000 were built. At first it was thought that realtors would play little role in their sale, but events have proven that idea wrong. Gaines provides considerable detail about how several successful realtors work, and fight amongst each other.

Finally, it was also interesting to read how even New York City real estate has had its low points - eg. the latest being in the late 1970s, thanks to high-crime, high welfare numbers, and the city being on the edge of bankruptcy. Top units at that time fetched only about $250,000 - vs. today's commonplace $10+ million.

Surprisingly interesting!

Tired Recycled Gossip and No Story.......2005-12-31

I bought this book because amazon recommended it and I was very disappointed. It's a series of unconnected interviews with crass self-promoting real estate brokers, with a few boring socialites I've never heard of thrown in, for spice I think, but they're really just bland. Speaking of bland, who cares about Tommy Hilfiger and why start the book with him? I knew most of the supposedly hot celebrity tid-bits already--they're all recycled from old gossip columns. For $26.95 (okay, even for $18 plus shipping on amazon), I expect more than a 250-page clip-job. Page Six is free on the web! But worse, there's no story, no narrative to speak of, no characters you can care about. It feels as if Gaines was rushing this out, or cashing in on his last, equally disjointed but somewhat more amusing book on the Hamptons, or just phoning it in. What a waste of paper not to mention my time and money!

City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center

Average customer rating:

Satisfies a Lot Of Questions
Wait for the Paperback
The best of the bunch
The saga of the WTC from its initial conception in 1939
An excellent history of the WTC....

City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center
James Glanz , and Eric Lipton
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0805076913

Book Description

"A fascinating story . . . Those who delighted in Caro's Power Broker will relish City in the Sky." -Thomas Bender, The New York Times Book Review The World Trade Center was the biggest and brashest icon that New York has ever produced-a pair of magnificent giants that became intimately familiar around the globe. In this vivid, brilliantly researched narrative, New York Times reporters James Glanz and Eric Lipton re-create the life of the World Trade Center from its genesis in David Rockefeller's ambition to rebuild lower Manhattan to the spirited battles with local storeowners and powerful politicians who opposed it, to the bold structural engineering innovations that would later determine who lived and died in its collapse. And like David McCullough's The Great Bridge, City in the Sky is a riveting story of New York itself- of architectural daring, political maneuvering, human ambition and frailty, and a lost American icon.

Customer Reviews:

Satisfies a Lot Of Questions.......2007-02-01

I enjoyed this book, mostly because I had many, many questions about the politics and the economics of the WTC. If that's your purpose in picking this book, you'll do fine.

However, "The Rise and Fall" certainly implies a lot of coverage of the collapse of the towers. This, while covered, is not dealt with in as thorough a manner as in many other documentaries. So, as with many things, your pleasure with the book is a function of your expectations. I liked it a lot, but, from what other reviewers say below, I can understand why others feel much less enthusiastic.

Wait for the Paperback.......2005-02-10

"City in the Sky" is a well- researched, well -documented account of the site acquisition, construction, and eventual collapse of the New York World Trade Center. (There are other WTCs). It is immediately obvious that the authors have conducted extensive interviews and research. Full disclosure: This reviewer worked at the facility for 24 years for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Most of the anecdotes retold in CIS are just as I originally heard them years ago. (With some exceptions: On Austin Tobin's first trip on the newly acquired Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, the sleeping drunk supposedly woke up long enough to bid the Executive Director "good evening" before passing out again. Also, some of the PA titles are inaccurate, though not wrong. There was one obvious leg-pull about a "mailroom worker".) CIS in really 3 stories in one: The first is the strongest: That tale encompasses the struggle to condemn the surrounding real estate, overcome local opposition and secure Governmental cooperation for the project. Those who enjoyed such works as Robert Caro's "The Power Broker" will be in their element here. The second is concerned with the actual construction of the 2 towers and satellite buildings. The authors manage to include just enough technical details to tell the story without allowing this section of CIS to become too technical. The final part deals with that tragic day we now call 9/11. This reviewer does not wish to minimize that awful event but this tale has been told better, or as well, elsewhere. One assumes its' inclusion was virtually mandatory in a 400+ page work on the Trade Center but it emerges, perhaps strangely, as the weakest section of CIS. This reviewer hopes he was mistaken when he read that some of the victims who jumped to their deaths were in fact pushed by co-workers needing window space. A major difficulty with the text is that the authors appear too inclined to blame the Port Authority for inadequate fireproofing of the towers. This may-or may NOT! -be so but this serious charge is not substantiated here. Furthermore the PA executive most of the allegations are heaped upon has been dead for some 20 years and is hardly in a position to defend himself. CIS' strength is the relating of the struggles to build the Towers in the light of another era. Those were the days of Radio Row, a vastly different New York City, the maximum power of the Rockefeller Family and what those a bit older that this reviewer fondly remember as the "good old days" at Mother PONYA. CIS is entirely worthwhile but far from urgent reading. Amazoners may wish to wait for the more moderate prices of a paperback edition. That event would warrant a 4th star.

The best of the bunch.......2004-08-05

As a child, I watched the World Trade Center go up. As an adult, I had been through the Center thousands of times and ate many a lunch in the plaza between the two beautiful towers. Although I worked only three blocks north of the WTC, I was nowhere near them on 9/11, and thank God for that. I don't think I could have been able to bear witnessing their destruction.

To fill the void, I began reading everything about the World Trade Center that I could. Eric Darton's book, "Divided We Stand", published before 9/11, was okay but I found the second-person narration and its choppy presentation too distracting. Several other books were published after the devestation, but they all seemed like rush jobs trying to cash in on the disaster. However, "City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center" by James Glanz and Eric Lipton is by far the best of the bunch. Meticulously researched without being too scholarly, the authors present a biography of the center that was filled with controversy, behind-closed-doors intrigues, political wrestling and, ultimately, the construction and engineering marvels that allowed the towers to rise. The pacing is remarkably swift but nothing is glossed over. The final quarter of the book is about 9/11 and afterward. I began this section with dread and was tempted not to read it at all. Fortunately, Glanz and Lipton handled it with incredible sensitivity.

"City in the Sky", like the towers themselves, is a remarkable collaboration: the narrative is seamless--like Burrows and Wallace's "Gotham". And, ultimately, this book is a lively and poignant tribute to the World Trade Center they must have loved.

Rocco Dormarunno,
author of "The Five Points"

The saga of the WTC from its initial conception in 1939.......2004-05-22

It is all right here. From the germ of the idea at the 1939 New York World's Fair to the design and planning of a project unlike any other in the history of mankind to the cataclysmic events of September 11, 2001. New York Times reporters James Glanz and Eric Lipton have pieced together the complete history that needed to be told. "City In The Sky" is the remarkable story of how the World Trade Center came to be. It is a riveting tale from start to finish. Learn about those who first envisioned this project way back in the late 1940's and of the considerable role politics would play in this saga over the ensuing decades. You will be introduced to Lawrence A. Wien, owner of the Empire State Building, who fought this project tooth and nail. And you'll meet one Oscar Nadel, owner of a small appliance business that would be displaced by the World Trade Center. Put yourself in his shoes and in the shoes of hundreds of other small business people who were to be evicted in the wake of this massive project.
Glanz and Lipton also devote a considerable amount of time to the struggle between the City of New York and the New York and New Jersey Port Authority for control of this enormous project.
You will learn why the WTC was located where it was and
about all of the people who made this concept a reality from the visionary David Rockerfeller to the unconventional architect Minoru Yamasaki to powerful Port Authority chairman Austin Tobin. And of course, you will read once again of the tragic events of 9/11 and see how decisions made decades earlier may have helped decide who would live and who would die on that fateful day. Were corners cut during construction? Was the fireproofing used adequate? And were the consequences of an airliner crashing into the Twin Towers ever seriously considered? So many questions. This is an important book that helps you to unravel some of the complex issues here.
Recommended.

An excellent history of the WTC...........2004-05-11

This book is an excellent history of the World Trade Center towers, from their conception in the early 1960's to their eventual destruction on 9/11/2001. This book avoids many of the political biases generally associated with this subject, and instead simply tells the story. Surprsingly, the book is a quick read, much like a novel. Highly recommended!

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