Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books

Book Description

In 1980, a twenty-three-year-old student named Aaron Lansky set out to rescue the world’s abandoned Yiddish books before it was too late. Twenty-five years and one and a half million books later, he’s still in the midst of a great adventure. Filled with poignant and often laugh-out-loud tales from Lansky’s travels across the country as he collected books from older Jewish immigrants—books their own children had no use for— Outwitting History also explores brilliant Yiddish writers and enables us to see how an almost-lost culture is the bridge between the Old World and the future.

Customer Reviews:

Important story, self-important author.......2007-09-24

This desire to hang on to history and heritage is noble and necessary. Bravo to the author and his colleagues. There are things that can be expressed in Yiddish, that when translated, need twice as many English words to convey their meaning. Unfortunately, this book is incorrectly marketed as an adventure---we expect to encounter Indiana Jones! With so much built up anticipation, the reader is left with a "hmmm" instead of a "WOW!" at the end.

A Good Book About Good People.......2007-06-07

This book is the last present I bought my grandfather before he died. I walked into a small bookstore and the owner recommended it to me (you simply cannot get this kind of service from the major book chains). I must have read half the book in a day, before I sent it to him, and got to finish it only after he passed away.

I'm glad I bought this book, he loved it and so did I.

The book tells the story of a graduate student trying to rescue Yiddish books from elimination, and all the characters he meets along the way. The book is easy to read, funny, inspiring, well writing and a page turner. A story of how one man's passion triumph over the odds.

Great read.......2007-02-19

Seller sent book in excellent shape and the story is a great read on preserving history.

would have been a great 30-page essay.......2007-01-01

This is an interesting personal story about a guy doing something everyone else thought was stupid. It would have been a great 30-page essay for the Web, but in the world of commercial publishing a story needs to fit into a 5-page magazine article or be padded out to fill a 300-page book. This, then, is the padded version.

If you read between the lines of the padded version, what you learn is that this guy got books for free from people anxious to clear out their basements. Then he got Steven Spielberg to pay for the books to be digitized and got some other rich folks to give him $7 million so that he could build himself a nice office in central Massachusetts. Now he sells hardcopy reprints of these books, whose authors and publishers have all died, for $53 per copy from his Web site. It is an inspiring story of entrepreneurship perhaps, but given the digital copies and his non-profit organization's mission statement to distribute this material widely, one would rather have expected to see these books available for viewing/searching online.

It's not about the books........2006-10-26

A well-written and amazing story, and it's not about the books.

Aaron Lansky saved Yiddish literature and everything a language and a literature tells us about a people, their culture, and their experiences. Rescuing a million and a half Yiddish books was a Herculean task, but it was a means to an end. Lansky sums it up with one Hebrew word, intentionally untranslated: heneini - here I am (Abraham's response when God called to him.). Yiddish literature was on the verge of extinction, and Lansky assumed responsibility for saving it - heneini.

Read the book and whet your appetite for Yiddish literature (in translation, if necessary).

OUTWITTING HISTORY : THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A MAN WHO RESCUED A MILLION YIDDISH BOOKS

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OUTWITTING HISTORY : THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A MAN WHO RESCUED A MILLION YIDDISH BOOKS
AARON LANSKY
Manufacturer: ALGONQUIN BOOKS CHAPEL HILL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel

ASIN: 0285637525

Aaron Lansky and Saving Yiddish.(Book Review): An article from: Midstream

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Aaron Lansky and Saving Yiddish.(Book Review): An article from: Midstream
Howard I. Aronson
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000BKHMB4
Release Date: 2005-09-26

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Midstream, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1339 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Aaron Lansky and Saving Yiddish.(Book Review)
Author: Howard I. Aronson
Publication: Midstream (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Page: 25(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books--Large Print

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Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books--Large Print
Aaron Lansky
Manufacturer: Algonquin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1419322559

Product Description

This large print book is an ex library copy but it is in excellent condition with a clear plastic cover. It has several library stamps and stickers. Looks like an interesting book!

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OUTWITTING HISTORY: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A MAN WHO RESCUED A MILLION YIDDISH BOOKS.
Aaron. Lansky
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RIVTBO

Customer Reviews:

Yeah, yeah, yeah..........2000-04-25

World Book 11 is very good if you are interested in new equipment. If you are looking for some fleshing out of the North American environment, it's not bad. If you want to know about the details of the "Campaign for Unity", you'll be disappointed.

Asides from a short rundown of those potentially involved, there just isn't much about this long awaited war. No estimate of the total number of units involved, their composition or their locations are given, no dates are provided. No real idea of the paths that the Coalition will use to advance are mapped out. None of the "special defences" that we've heard about, prepared by those in the Coalition's path, are discussed.

Palladium took the approach with this book that the GM will detail everything but the new equipment, OCC's, etc...

A good Book.......1999-10-26

this book is by far the best book for a north america Campaign. I remeber when you reach about 5th level, in a group of 5 or 6 the average S & D unit is a push over.... well now you will run and run and run when a S & D unit sees you.

An all around great book.......1999-08-04

insanely huge amounts of thoughtful world information, well-rounded OCCs, equipment & weapons, and adventure ideas make this book one of few "diamonds" in palladium's "rough" rifts series. has munchkin potential, however, but that can be easily curbed with the reminder that only cs officers in need get firestorm tanks (kidding..)

A must have for Rifts fans.......1999-07-10

This is one of the best rifts books ever made. A must have for Rift fan

The Coalition States Get Their Due..........1998-10-26

You either love them, or you hate them. Either way, the Coalition States of America is THE part of any Rifts game set in North America. Until this book, the New German Republic has been the undisputed high power in the dwindling human domain. Now, with new weapons, armor, tactics, and ambitions, the Coalition States flexes its human supremecist muscle with all new force. The new CS Body Armor rivals even that of Triax, and the new weapons have a destructive capability that dwarfs other North American forces. And with new power armor and robots (from the organic-looking Glitter Boy Killer to the fearsome super-SAMAS) they forces of the CS can tangle with any supernatural baddies who get in their way. The design of the new equipment has a serious "Jim Lee" feel to it, where the guns are so large you have to arch your back to carry them, and the armor suits have sleek curves and exagerrated muscular molding. I'm more of a fan of the Triax design (designed more for function and less for fear factor) but the new styles are perfect for Coalition motivation. Like them or not, you can't ignore them in your campaign any longer.

Customer Reviews:

Pay no attention to the bad reviews.......2006-09-05

This review is based on the last edition "The 70 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time," as I have yet to read the new edition. The one star reviewers clearly don't get it or the authors' sense of humor. It is fairly well researched, with every chapter having its own bibliography that lists "Major Sources" used. But, in all honesty, criticizing this book for a lack of research is like criticizing Wes Anderson's movies for not being realistic; you're missing the point entirely if you make such claims. (Anderson wrote and directed Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic, four of the funniest movies you'll ever see.)

The other big complaint is that this is simply a rehash of other works. Again, I can't help but think that those readers are simply missing the point. It was not the authors' intent to do some groundbreaking research into any of these conspiracies. Their goal was to gather all of the research that has been done, synthesize it, and present the available information in an entertaining fashion. Mission accomplished. The authors have a keen sense of just how funny all of this is, as they state in the introduction:

"Just as Henry Kissinger cracks us up every time he intones his shoot-from-the-hip opinions as if he's reading from a stone tablet, we also see a good deal of unintentional humor in the dissenting conspiratorial worldview."

The authors do not claim to believe in all of these conspiracy theories. They are merely presenting them with whatever facts are out there. The ones that have no factual basis are derided for what they are: pure bunkem. Here is a quote from the chapter "Apocalypse at a Glance", where the authors are discussing Richard W. Noone's theory that the world will end on May 5, 2000:

"Though the book jacket claims that "astonishing evidence points to worldwide disaster in our lifetime," said evidence turns out to be culled mostly from fringe scientists such as Emanuel Velikofsky, making it likely that 5/5/2000's major event will be El Torrito's Cinco de Mayo happy hour."

Even the conspiracies that do have some factual basis are treated in tounge-in-cheek fashion. Take this quote from the "October Surprise" chapter:

"Soon the list of attendees was bulging, like the roster at a Shriners' convention. Everyone and his CIA handler had been at the Paris rendezvous, it seemed. Most claimed that French and Israeli intelligence operatives were also on hand to shepherd the clandestine deal and presumably enjoy a buffet style luncheon."

If you don't find those quotes even mildly amusing, then you probably won't enjoy this book. Personally, I love the authors' sense of humor and the fact that they don't take any of this too seriously. That being said, there are some very intriguing chapters here, most notably "The Man Who Got Too Close," about Danny Casolaro, a man whom I had never heard of before. His murder/suicide (it was ruled a suicide but seems more like a murder to this reader) raises some serious questions about just what kind of information he had gathered.

If you believe all of these conspiracy theories, then yes, you are a sucker. But if you're one of those people who thinks there is no such thing as a conspiracy, then you are also a sucker. As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The key is being able to sort the information from the dis-information. This book will help you see what the truth really is, and you'll have a good time doing it.

Pay no attention to the "poorly researched" bad reviews. This is a great read and is well worth the price of admission. I highly recommended this book to anyone who finds the subject matter intriguing and/or entertaining. Just be sure to take it for what it is; an equal parts light hearted and serious look into the world of conspiracy.

No credibility, insufficient supporting.......2005-09-02

I found this book atrocious. It consists of a few pages ( <10) per alleged conspiracy, most of which is vague, unverified, unfulfilling and, at best, slightly informative. Each section is a repackaging of prior speculations, which the authors do not investigate, and to which they add little insight.

Some of it is outright discredited (e.g., the fictional invisible ship!) and some of it is outdated (e.g., the latest Roswell declassifications are not mentioned).

The authors method is to merely repeat others' comments regardless of whether they are reliable, and pass them off without chalenge. Hence, the book does not impart much real knowledge to the reader, even though it seems like it was meant to.

Also, there was little citation, and most of it is old. Looks like the authors did not update the 70 or 60 that were in the original. shoddy!

Should be called the Bible of Conspiracy Theories..........2005-04-04

I am very pleased with this collection of conspiracy theories. From LSD experiments on US soldiers, to stolen software that tracks your latest Walmart purchase, and bloodless suicides this book tackles them all with intelligence and wit. I would recommend it to all who feel that something is amiss in the top levels of government and the mass media. Be you liberal or conservative; lines of freedom are being crossed, and we have been and are being fed sugar coated half truths or flat out lies by the ones we elect to protect us. Who Really controls them?

funny, funny wingnuts!.......2005-02-28

I love to read the whiny babbling of the wingnuts who see "leftist bias" in everything. I guess anyone who is slightly to the left of J. Edgar Hoover or Joe McCarthy is a gosh-darn commie and/or terrorist.

Perhaps if Republicans didn't engage in so much illegal, unethical, un-American activity on behalf of fascism, they wouldn't take up so much space in a book like this. The wingnut concept of "fair and balanced" is a bit like someone saying, "Enough about Ted Bundy's serial murdering - let's talk about how charming he was."

At any rate, I LOVED "60 Greatest Conspiracies..." etc., and now that they're up to 80, I guess it's time for an update. And at the rate that lil' Georgie Bush is going, I'm sure there will be enough material for "90..." in a year or two.

The best overview of the conspiracy mindset out there.......2005-01-31

I started reading this book back when it was only 50 conspiracy theories and a 4 second appearance on The X Files pretty much sold out the first printing in 3 days. The authors do a wonderful job of sorting through the wild eyed, feverish conspiracy writings and crafting excellent, detailed, knowledgeable overviews. They clearly approach each topic with a healthy degree of skepticism and humor. I mean some of these ideas are so freaky if you don't have a sense of humor, you'd want to beat some of these conspiracy idiots with a hardbound copy of the Illuminatus! trilogy. But they never let their skepticism get in the way of a good story, shall we say.

I heartily recommend this book.

Book Description

`Inch by Inch, Row by Row, Gonna Make This Garden Grow!' This picture book version of a favorite popular song charts the faithful progress of a young boy who overcomes every obstacle'rock and weeds and a hungry old crow'and makes his garden overflow with bounty. Included are the song lyrics set to music for guitar and piano.

An Alternate Selection of Children's Book-of-the-Month Club

Customer Reviews:

Seems to me you'd stop and see how beautiful they are.......2005-07-31

In 1975, folksong writer David Mallett wrote that infinitely catchy song "Inch By Inch". Children world-round have undoubtedly heard this product in one form or another. Whether it was John Denver on "The Muppet Show" (whee!) or in their preschools, "Inch By Inch" is, suffice it to say, well-known. Fast-forward to 1995 and David Mallett goes the next logical step. Whether he intended it or not, "Inch By Inch" is primarily sung to children. And when you've a catchy and popular children's song under your belt, why not make it into a picture book? Not all folksongs work as children's books (I've yet to see a well-done "Turn Turn Turn" or "Kumbiyah" though infinite books carry those songs) but "Inch By Inch" is that rare exception that when it works, WORKS!

"Inch by inch / row by row / gonna make this garden grow / All it takes is a rake and a hoe / and a piece of fertile ground". Sing along! You know the tune! Going through a variety of verses, we see a cheery child (possibly a boy, possibly a girl) doing some gardening. The kid, faithful pup in tow, hoes the ground, plants seeds, pulls weeds, and removes stones. The weeds and stones are amusingly huge, but the exaggeration works. Though black crows threaten, the crop is full and hearty. In the back of the book is the sheet music and lyrics for the original song itself.

Illustrator Ora Eitan is thus far best known for "Bunnies" books, like "Astro Bunnies" and "Cowboy Bunnies". Here, Eitan's distinctive style serves the book well. The pictures are both simplistic and mildly detailed. There's a great deal of fun at work here and it would take a hard-hearted child indeed not to want to grow something of their own after a reading. There is one picture in the book that's a little out of whack though, not to say mildly disturbing. With the lines "we are made of dreams and bones / Feel the need to grow my own / 'cause the time is close at hand" we see child and dog at the base of a treee, watering it. On this two-page vertical spread a dog, identical to the one below, flies about the top of the tree's boughs on a pair of thin green wings. Reading the words and seeing the picture you have to make one of two assumptions: either this is a dream of the dog below (who is not even remotely asleep) or the dog is dead. The dog doesn't reappear for some time after this picture which would seem to back up this theory, but at last it ends up on the final page with the kid. If Eitan's making a statement of some sort with this illustration, it's foggy at best.

Otherwise, a fine fine book. Parents adore this title, especially when they can remember the tune. Vocally gifted or tuneless as a tank, it really doesn't matter. The book's just a great little addition to anyone's garden centered storybook collection. Consider pairing it with David Small's, "The Gardener" or Crockett Johnson's, "The Carrot Seed", the next time you get a chance to do a summer storytime.

Great to Sing and Read.......2003-10-10

I reconnected with this song after hearing John Denver sing it on a recently released 'Muppet Show' DVD. It's a song that I have enjoyed sharing with my 2 year old daughter and the book brings the lyrics to life. The illustrations are beautiful and well reflect the lyrics. The book is a staple must-read for us throughout the day and is essential at bedtime (Mom, sing the garden song again!). Several children's cds have this recording by other artists, but my favorite by far is the John Denver.

a song.......2000-04-07

If you know the tune thats great, if you don't, the book willsing to you! Children will choose this book over and over for the BIGillistrations, the large print and this book is fun.

Average customer rating:

Lulu Crow's Garden: A silly old story with brand new pictures
Lizi Boyd
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0316104191

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Birds of the World in Field and Garden
Klaus Paysan
Manufacturer: Lerner Pub Group (L)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Zoology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0822505606

Chick and Dee (Blue Birds) - Counted Cross Stitch- StitchWorld #03-108 L

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Chick and Dee (Blue Birds) - Counted Cross Stitch- StitchWorld #03-108 L
Robert Jones
Manufacturer: StitchWorld, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Pamphlet
ASIN: B000OMXTFM

Product Description

2 Full color counted cross stitch patterns for bluebirds.

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Garden Birds of the World
Michael Chinery
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead, and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HX8JTE

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Garden Birds of the World
Michael Chinery , and Maurice Pledger
Manufacturer: Dodd Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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The Last Garden
Ellis, J. DelMonte
Manufacturer: Hawkwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0955509610

Book Description

Peaceborough has a unique treasure, the wonderful garden of St. Mungo's School. Started over forty years before by teacher Percival Sweet, the garden has been tended ever since by generations of loyal pupils. Now, though, it is threatened with destruction, destined to become a car park for the local shopping mall. If it belonged to the school all would be well, but it doesn't, it belongs instead to Horace Blackwell, owner of the neighbouring Shoe Polish Factory who intends to sell the land for a deliciously huge pile of cash. And no one seems to care. Except the Garden Prefects. Led by tenacious Magnolia Roundtree they uncover a sinister plot and must fight for what is right, never giving up, not even when threatened by their fearsome head teacher Prissy Skillet. Can Magnolia and her friends do something extraordinary that will capture the attention of an indifferent world and save the day? The Last Garden is a funny, exciting and topical story pitting greed against green and men against mungos.

Average customer rating:

Charming story, told in simple verse.

A Poet's Bird Garden
Laura Nyman Montenegro
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0374360383
Release Date: 2007-09-18

Book Description

Natalie’s pet bird, Chirpie, escapes from her cage and flies outside. There’s only one thing to do: call the poets! Priyanka, Vincent, Lily, Pendleton, and Marion arrive, and come up with a plan to lure Chirpie down from the tree where she’s perched. They’ll make a poet’s bird garden, full of everything birds like most. Once the wonderful garden is complete, Natalie and the poets can’t imagine why Chirpie won’t come down to enjoy it – until Claude, the cat, reveals himself. Bad cat!

In lilting verse, Laura Nyman Montenegro tells a delightful story about thinking creatively and working together. Her warm, expressive illustrations bring the poet’s bird garden – “too lovely for words” – to life.

Customer Reviews:

Charming story, told in simple verse........2007-10-09

Inspired by Vincent van Gogh's classic painting "A Poet's Garden", A Poet's Bird Garden is a picturebook about a young girl whose pet bird Chirpie gets loose. Poets try to help her lure Chripie out of the tree by offering tasty seeds and fresh water, or doing cheerful dances, but Chripie won't come down and all other birds are staying away too! At last the girl discovers the furry feline prowler who is the real reason the birds are staying away. The expressive color illustrations add the perfect touch to this charming story, told in simple verse.

World In Your Garden, The ( Gorgeous Cover of Birds of Paradise )

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World In Your Garden, The ( Gorgeous Cover of Birds of Paradise )
Victor R. Boswell, John R. Magness, Pictorial Endpapers, foreword Melville Bell Grosvenor, Fabulous Colour Paintings by Else Bostelmann Wendell H. Camp
Manufacturer: National Geographic Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IEDNRA

The World of Insects, Stars & Planets, Trees, Amphibians & Reptiles, the Earth, Fishes, Birds, Rocks & Minerals, Mammals, Time & Timepieces, Animals with Shells, Plants Without Flowers, Flowers of the Garden

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The World of Insects, Stars & Planets, Trees, Amphibians & Reptiles, the Earth, Fishes, Birds, Rocks & Minerals, Mammals, Time & Timepieces, Animals with Shells, Plants Without Flowers, Flowers of the Garden

Manufacturer: Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000EVHL4S

Product Description

Set of 13 book 64 pages each book. 1) Insects 2) Stars & Planets 3)Trees 4) Amphibians & reptiles 5)The earth 6)Fishes 7) Birds 8) Rocks & Minerals 9) Mammals 10)Time & TImepieces 11) Animals with shells 12) Plants without flowers 13)Flowers of the Garden.

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