The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero

The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero
Average customer rating:

Really 4.75 Stars - Fabulous Book

Harry Houdini : The Man, The Myth, The Spy, The Secret Service Agent

spooky

Comprehensive and Fascinating

Serious and complete

The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero
William Kalush , and Larry Sloman
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743272072

Book Description

Handcuff King. Escape Artist. International Superstar. Since his death eighty years ago, Harry Houdini's life has been chronicled in books, in film, and on television. Now, in this groundbreaking biography, renowned magic expert William Kalush and best-selling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the myth. Drawing from millions of pages of research, they describe in vivid detail the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats, his secret life as a spy, and a pernicious plot to subvert his legacy.

After years of struggling on the dime museum circuit, Harry Houdini got a break that put him on the front page of a Chicago newspaper. He never looked back. Soon Houdini was performing for royalty, commanding vast sums, and exploring the new power of Hollywood to expand on his legend.

At a time when spy agencies frequently co-opted amateurs, Houdini went to London and developed a relationship with a man who would run MI-5. For the next several years, the world's most famous magician traveled to Germany and Russia and routinely reported his findings.

After World War I was successfully concluded, Houdini embarked on a battle of his own. He created a group of disguised field operatives to infiltrate the seamy world of fake spirit mediums. In doing so, Houdini triggered the wrath of fanatical Spiritualists, led by the esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Death threats became an everyday occurrence, but the group would pose an even greater danger to Houdini's legacy.

Rigorously researched, and as exciting as a good thriller, The Secret Life of Houdini traces the arc of the master magician's life from desperate poverty to worldwide legend, initiating the reader along the way into the arcane world of professional magic. In this remarkable book, Kalush and Sloman decode a life based on deception, providing an intimate and riveting portrayal of Houdini, the man and the legend.

Customer Reviews:

Really 4.75 Stars - Fabulous Book.......2007-10-04

This book is fantastic on so many levels. One doesn't even have to like magic to appreciate this book, but it sure helps. The authors have done a wonderful job of painting the social scene, class hierarchy and the world at large during this time period. In the true style of a Houdini dichotomy, while there's not much new we learn, we learn so much that's new.

The book heavily follows Houdini's involvement with the spiritualist movement, in particular, a Boston spiritualist named Margery.

I can not recommend this book highly enough.

Harry Houdini : The Man, The Myth, The Spy, The Secret Service Agent.......2007-05-18

Harry Houdini : The Man, The Myth, The Spy, The Secret Service Agent

A lot of people love reading about Harry Houdini the magician, the Handcuff King the escape artist but did you know that he was a spy & a Secret Service agent? I can prove it with one book & a few well versed words here. The book I am talking about is one I am just over half way through & it is entitled "The Secret Life of Houdini : The Making of a Superhero."

This book is awesome & I encourage everyone to read it and enjoy the story of Harry Houdini from beginning to end. It tells about the man, the myth, the spy, the Secret Service agent who was a performer who made the world love him & his shows & continually conquered his every demon, including his own self loathing while continually re-creating himself for the world at large.

Yes this book still fits into this world of the wide web that is the internet. The book is all about how all of Harry Houdini's having been a major instigator in World War I in the propaganda & success of America while Harry Houdini, or some may know him better as Ehrich Weiss, a Jewish man who changed his identity to fit better into the world and to better sell himself to the world as an entertainer at large for War World I in the rise of Germany the first time it came to power.

The fact that the book is from archival data and letters both from & to Harry Houdini is what makes this book so intriguing. Please feel free to enjoy the book & I would love to hear anyone else's opinion & thoughts on this subject. A lot of people do not know that the Secret Service was a spy agency at one time and was connected to the spy world like the C.I.A., N.S.A., D.I.A. & the rest of the alphabet Intelligent Agencies.

Harry Houdini taught our American Dough Boys how to escape from handcuffs, being tied in ropes, & how to escape from torpedoed ships by being on stage in an ampitheater & having actually being a teacher of the American military.

spooky.......2007-04-26

Good book but Harry was given something to drink by a woman that slowly killed him.

Comprehensive and Fascinating.......2007-04-18

What a fascinating and readable story. The addition of conjectured dialogue, authentic letters, and numerous thoughtfully placed photographs gives this mammoth biography the feel of both a novel and an A&E special.

It is near impossible to condense this book into a review, but I will say what beguiled me the most was the concept of how the extent and grandeur of Houdini's worldwide fame--in his own lifetime--was conceived and flawlessly executed by his own will and brilliance in an age of no television and no Internet.

The thoroughness of the book is what makes it impressive. It's also what makes it hard to finish. For the length of the book, I can't see how the authors could have made it more exciting, but I can't help thinking that some of the details could have been cut out for the sanity of the reader. I would liken it to the most interesting textbook I've ever read.

Serious and complete.......2007-04-15

This is a very serious and complete biography. I bought this expecting something more for the masses, lots of rumor and sensationalism. In fact, it's a very thoughtful book, with lots of detail and very little speculation, presenting many of the lesser known aspects of Houdini's life, including his campaign against spiritualism and fraudulent mediums, and his extraordinary physical prowess. Not everything was a trick. Many things he accomplished by sheer force of will. Houdini was clearly much more multidimensional than portrayed in movies and popular references. The book also includes many details on the culture and other celebrities of the time; the extensive information on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was especially interesting. I give it 4 stars only for the fact that there are no footnotes or references. I understand that the authors chose to put those on their Web site, but they're much less useful separated from the book they document.

Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape

Average customer rating:

Run, Jack, Run
Jack of Fables
Won Over
Simply brilliant; from a master of the form!
Jack is Back

Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape
Bill Willingham , and Matthew Sturges
Manufacturer: Vertigo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fables Vol. 9: Sons of Empire
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ASIN: 1401212220

Book Description

Stepping out of Bill Willingham's acclaimed Vertigoseries FABLES, the charming and insufferable Jack of Tales is thecenter of attention once again, this time in his very own ongoing title. Inthis first collection, Jack is thrown into a prison-like "retirement"community for wayward Fables, where he discovers a sinister plot toeliminate all traces of magic from the Mundane World. Written by Willingham and Matthew Sturges, THE (NEARLY) GREAT ESCAPEfeatures art by Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy as well as painted covers byJames Jean and a special sketchbook section by Akins.

Customer Reviews:

Run, Jack, Run.......2007-04-13

Bill Willingham's "Fables" series has already taken some of the world's best-loved characters in a new and thoroughly modern direction. Now, Jack of the Tales -- a.k.a. Jack the Giant-Killer, Jack Horner, Jack Frost, John Trick and Jack B. Nimble -- has broken with the fold (OK, he was banished) and is out on his own. It doesn't take him long at all before he's tossed unwillingly into the Golden Boughs Retirement Community, where the dread Scissorman keeps story characters captive until they fade from the collective subconscious and lose their power.

On the bright side, the revolutionary and homicidal maniac Goldilocks is there, not at all dead as previously believed, and without Baby Bear to sate her, she's willing to get kinky with Jack. (There's nothing explicit, but this isn't a book for youngsters.) But Jack wants to escape the inescapable, and with the help of Humpty Dumpty, a handful of fairies, a large flock of birds and an elderly Sambo, he just might do it.

Anyone who enjoys the "Fables" series will love this. And since everyone should enjoy "Fables," you might as well pick up your copy now.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

Jack of Fables.......2007-04-10

Jack of Fables gets his own spin-off series! I have to admit, at first, I was sort of like, why? But, now I understand. It's because Jack kicks butt! In case you don't know, Jack also goes by Jack of the Beanstalk, Jack B. Horner, Jack of the Tales, and apparently Jack Frost in colder climates.

When we last saw Jack in the Fables comics, he had become a huge player in the Hollywood scene, with fame, money and lots of girls, only to have it all taken away from him by the sheriff of Fabletown, The Beast (from Beauty and the Beast, of course). Left to fend for himself, we meet up with Jack as he walks along a highway with the million dollars Beast let him keep. Suddenly he is picked up with a strange woman and two bagmen (men who are, well, bags, it's weird I know) and taken to a place called The Golden Boughs Retirement community. There he finds Goldilocks (missing from the Fables comics for awhile as well) and other various and sundry fable characters many of whom are very obscure. Someone did their research! Among them are Mother Goose, the Pathetic Fallacy, and a quick little guy called Sam. There are also cameos by Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Toto, and many others.

There Jack meets a rather nefarious guy called Mr. Revise who runs The Golden Boughs. Mr. Revise's mission is, apparently, imprison fairy tales until the world at large forgets about them, making them less magical. Mr. Revise's sinister intent is to do away with them and rid the world of magic forever

As I said before, I was surprised when they decided to spin-off Jack. Now that I can see where the story is going, I totally understand. This series looks to be completely separate from the Fables universe (no Adversary, none of the regulars from that comic) and has a great story going. The parallels to our own world and the issues we face with censorship are expertly addressed in the story arc with Mr. Revise and the Golden Boughs. I can't wait to see where Bill Willingham and crew go with this in the next part of the series.

And, as always, the art was simply amazing, especially James Jean's beautiful covers. And, I would advise catching up on the Fables comics, not because this can't stand alone because I think it really can, but because they are just so fantastic they need to be read too!

Won Over.......2007-04-06

Although I adore the Fables series, when I first saw that Jack had his own series, I wasn't interested because Jack is my least favorite character.

However, I wanted something to fill the void between the release of Vol. 9 (in June!), so I turned to Jack...and loved it. Even though I continue to dislike Jack, the plot is quick and fun, and the supporting characters intriguing enough to draw me into this new series.

Simply brilliant; from a master of the form!.......2007-03-26

If there was still the least doubt that Bill Willingham was a masterful writer in the pantheon of comic book genius along with Alan Moore, Kurt Busiek, Linda Medley, and Neil Gaiman, this book surely dispels it. Wit, erudition (absolutely spot-on research on often obscure characters --- loved seeing Little Black Sambo again!), and fast-paced engaging storytelling abound.

Toward the middle of the collection, when we find out how Dorothy really has felt about Toto all these years, well, this writer was still trying to compose himself and stop rolling on the floor in spasm of laughter a good forty-five minutes later. Absolutely delicious.

As with the other FABLES stories, these are not for the young. Rather, Willingham brings these wickedly flawed characters back to the shady and earthy sexiness and violence from which they originally sprang, before they were tidied up for Victorian and 20th century nurseries. Ironically, this is one of Willingham's themes throughout the FABLES tales (which are all also wonderful and highly recommended).

Jack is Back.......2007-03-15

After the comparatively benign and very romantic Wolves, this spin-off from Fables features the incorrigible Jack plus that decidedly nasty character 'Goldilocks', plus what qualifies as an 'evil conspiracy'--against the folks we have come to like and Fabletown as a whole-- giving this set of tales a decidedly nasty character. I love nasty conspiracies. Won't tell you how this one ends, but for one thing: it ain't over until it's over.

I mean, I knew Goldy wasn't killed by Snow White, despite the axe buried deeply in her skull, blood sloshing all over the place, plus the truck that collected her on the windshield and the plunge into the river. Goldilocks is hard to kill, because...

Well, I'm sure Bill Willingham has read Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes and had Dahl's delinquent B&E girl in mind when he characterized Fables's Goldilocks. Because she is just about what you'd expect from the more grown-up young lady described by Roald Dahl as "Goldilocks, that little toad, That nosey thieving little louse, [who] Comes sneaking in your empty house...". But, of course, a 'Fable' survives partially on its popularity with the common folk, and Goldilocks is, after all, very popular.

Goldi was the one who shot Snow White in the head, but fortunately the latter also is very popular, and therefore survived for long enough to have Bigby Wolf's odd little cubs. Here we have one of the great antitheses of these stories. On one side the selfish, murderous Goldie, who led a bloody rebellion at 'The Farm', and turned out to be the worst of self-serving cynical ideological agitators in the stories. On the other a less-than angelic tough-chick Snow White, the right hand and executive mayor of 'Fabletown', who ran the show for centuries, before this thing with the cubs happened.

A similar contrast exists between Jack and Bigby Wolf. Jack is the charming cad, whose only interest is himself. Period. He isn't quite as nasty as the late Bluebeard, but take away the wife-killing fetish of the latter, the two are damn close. Whatever Jack does is for Jack's benefit. Egomania as a driving motive for action, ethics and everything else is fascinating. It isn't 'evil' per se--or maybe it is more evil than the 'evil' that's recognizable as such. I'm still pondering that one.

Contrast him to Bigby Wolf, a man who spent most of his life as a giant wolf--and still spends the occasional stretches of quality-time in that condition. At one time he was a creature of simple appetites, which went to killing whatever came his way. His father was the emotionally-distant 'North Wind', whom Bigby once describes as 'truly evil'. Bigby's animal nature was transformed and he was redeemed into becoming a human being through the intervention of Snow White, whose scent he could never forget since the first time he caught a whiff of her. Ever since then his life has been, in one way or the other, about her. Redemption by love and all that--ultimately for both of them, because Snow has her issues, too; all of which are called 'Prince Charming' or connected to that particular cad.

No such redemption for Jack, who is a true psychopath and therefore unredeemable. Same goes for Goldilocks, and so the story of Jack of Fables and the conspiracy plays out. As usual, cool stuff; this one on the nasty side.

Average customer rating:

A Must for McQueen Fans
The Real Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen: The Last Mile
Fantastic!
BITCH"EN

Steve McQueen The Last Mile
Barbara McQueen , and Marshall Terrill
Manufacturer: Dalton Watson Fine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1854432265

Product Description

This is a Signed - Limited Edition book which comes with a 45 minute CD of Steve McQueen reviewing his scripts for the movie Tom Horn. This book covers Steve McQueen's final 3 1/2 years up to and including his untimely death from Cancer. Includes around 400 Color and Black & White Photos taken by Barbara McQueen.

Customer Reviews:

A Must for McQueen Fans.......2007-03-10

Wow, the photographs are beautiful and highly personal. It's like seeing a private photo album from this marriage. Plus the text is informative and revealing. I'm so glad this part of Steve's life is now so well documented.

It goes perfectly on my coffee table.

The Real Steve McQueen.......2007-03-10

Intimate, touching, insightful, sometimes hilarious passages into the life of The King of Cool, Steve McQueen. We live in such a visual, media oriented world that we tend to get preconceived notions of who movie stars are, based on what we see. The world saw Steve McQueen as the ultimate man- handsome, macho, cool, someone they could spend their hard-earned bucks on back in the day and get their money's worth at the theater. Barbara McQueen, his widow, saw the real Steve McQueen. She got to know Steve, the family man; Steve, the man who loved the great outdoors and his morning constitutional; Steve, the great mashed potato guru, airplane and motorcycle enthusiast. "The Last Mile" shows how little we all knew of his kindness and philanthropy; how little we knew of his yearning for happiness and how he ultimately found it. The photos in this book will enchant you, leave you wanting more. One of my favorites is one where Barbara embraces Steve from behind. That photo alone is worth the book to me. Beautiful model, handsome superstar, real people worn out from what life has dealt them. You can see it in their faces. It makes me sigh everytime I see it because there's not one person I know who hasn't been to that point and had nothing left but an embrace. You will love this book and you will want more. I guarantee you.

Steve McQueen: The Last Mile.......2007-03-10

This book takes you into the very intimate and private world of Steve McQueen between 1977 and 1980.

Consisting of approximately 150 color photos (most of which were taken by his wife Barbara McQueen) and accompanied by Barbara's recollections of their time together.

Unlike some other photobooks where you sense you are watching the star pose, this book shows you the absolutely unguarded and relaxed side of the man as he goes about his daily life, talking to friends, tinkering on his bikes, dozing in an armchair or washing down the pavement outside his airplane hanger.

These are the sort of photos you would usually never see of a movie star - Steve in the morning before he has showered, looking drowsily over a hot mug of coffee, househunting in Montana with Barbara, or lying asleep on the living room floor with his pet dog lying on top of him.

You really feel like you have stepped into Steve and Barbara's house, it is that personal.

The text accompaniment is also very entertaining and educational as Barbara shares her memories of how Steve wooed her, the initial problems he had to overcome in winning her parents approval of the relationship, his personal lessons to her on how to dismantle and rebuild a motorcycle (sadly unsuccessful) or a gun (successful), how he came to propose, and many other intimate and fun moments. Overall it takes you through their entire relationship and serves as something of an autobiography in itself.

All these photos are beautifully presented in a high gloss large coffee table book format.

Released with the first limited edition run of the book is a 45 minute audio CD of Steve verbally working through the script of the film "Tom Horn". It is fascinating to hear him talk about his vision of the film, rework the script and plan his character. You get a real sense of the epic film he wanted Tom Horn to be (but was denied due to the studio slashing the budget), and you realise just how insightful he was with film and acting. The amount of thought he puts into his role should forever dispel the notion that he just played himself on film.

Steve McQueen - The Last Mile is a very special book and no fans collection will be complete without it.

Fantastic!.......2007-03-10

A fantastic book on the last years of legend Steve McQueen! Great job by Barbara McQueen and Marshall Terrill! Touching moments! Great photos!

BITCH"EN.......2007-03-08

Just recieved "the Last Mile" in the mail. The photos and text are outstanding !! The book could have been twice as big. Great job Barbara and Marshall!!

The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World

Average customer rating:

Why immigration is good for America
Budapest as the incubator of Greatness
Hungarians love their salami and their Magyars
OK, but...
Budapest's loss is the world's gain...

The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World
Kati Marton
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Eastern | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743261151

Book Description

In this ground-breaking book, acclaimed author Kati Marton brings to life an unknown chapter of World War II: the tale of nine men who grew up in Budapest's brief Golden Age, then, driven from Hungary by anti-Semitism, fled to the West, especially to the United States, and changed the world. These nine men, each celebrated for individual achievements, were actually part of a unique group who grew up in a time and place that will never come again. It is Marton's extraordinary achievement to trace what for a few dazzling years was common to all of them -- the magic air of Budapest -- and show how their separate lives and careers were, in fact, all shaped by Budapest's lively café life before the darkness closed in.

Marton follows the astonishing lives of four history-changing scientists, all just one step ahead of Hitler's terror state, who helped usher in the nuclear age and the computer (Edward Teller, John von Neumann, Leo Szilard, and Eugene Wigner); two major movie myth-makers (Michael Curtiz, who directed Casablanca, and Alexander Korda, who produced The Third Man); two immortal photographers (Robert Capa and Andre Kertesz); and one seminal writer (Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon).

Marton follows these brilliant products of Budapest's Golden Age as they flee fascism in the 1920s and 1930s en route to sanctuary -- and immortality. As the scientists labor in the secret city of Los Alamos in the race to build the atom bomb, Koestler, once a communist agent imprisoned by Franco, writes the most important anticommunist novel of the century. Capa, the first photographer to go ashore on D-Day, later romances Ingrid Bergman and is acknowledged as the world's greatest war photographer before his tragic death in Vietnam. Curtiz not only gives us Casablanca, consistently voted the greatest romantic movie ever made, but also discovers Doris Day and directs James Cagney in the quintessential patriotic film, Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Ultimately, The Great Escape is an American story and an important, previously untold chapter of the tumultuous last century. Yet it is also a poignant story -- in the words of the great historian Fritz Stern, "an evocation of genius in exile . . . an instructive, moving delight." An epilogue relates the journey into exile of three members of the next generation of Budapest exiles: financier-philanthropist George Soros, Intel founder Andy Grove, and 2002 Nobel laureate in literature Imre Kertesz.

Customer Reviews:

Why immigration is good for America.......2007-09-06

Most of the nine Hungarian Jews discussed in this book emmigrated to America and made outstanding contributions to science, mathematics, information technology, and films. Hungary, during its short life of freedom, served as an incubator for intellecutual curiosity. The rise of Nazism forced these great minds to flee there native country and eventually wind up in the U.S.A. Their contributions to the U.S.A. resulted in the development of the atomic and hydrogen bombs, the computer and a branch of mathematics called game theory. The efforts of these immegrants contributed substantially to our victory over both Germany and Japan,

Budapest as the incubator of Greatness.......2007-05-31

The nine men biographied in this book all were born in pre-WWI Budapest when it was the capital of half the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They were "double" outsiders being both Jews and Hungarians, estranged from most of the rest of Central Europe and from their own homeland. After WWI and (thankfully) before the beginning of WW2, they all managed to escape. But they didn't escape from Hitler, most when they first left Budapest went to either Berlin or Vienna; they truly escaped from Admiral Horthy and his Arrow Cross, the first fascist government in Europe.

Of the nine, seven made their homes in america and two in england. In England would 'settle' Alexander Korda who was considered the 'only' British film mogul (producer of "The Third Man") who was later knighted. Also Arthur Koestler, ex-communist who would write the Stalin scathing novel "Darkness at Noon" which first brought to light the Gulag and the terror of Communism.

Four of the scientist who came to america ended up the major forces behind the 'Manhattan Project', the H-Bomb (and later design the 'Strategic Defense Initiative') and the first true computer "Eniac". Two others are responsible for many of the most famous photographs ever published (Robert Capa was known as 'the World's Greater War Photo- journalist') in Look, Life and Home & Gardens. The last man, Michael Curtiz, created the look and feel of three of the most famous american movies, "Mildred Pierce" "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and what many consider the greatest (romantic) movie ever made "Casablanca". It was Curtiz who fought with Jack Warner (and won) the battle to use Bogart and Bergman, instead of George Raft and Bette Davis.

At the end, Kati Marton (whose own family escaped from Hungary in 1956 following the abortive revolution), does a phenomenal job of bringing these nine mens lives to life. Her ending snippets about Andrew Grove (of Intel) and George Soros (who gives new meaning to the word Philanthropist) are worth the price of the book alone.

Hungarians love their salami and their Magyars.......2007-03-26

Every anti-semitic Hungarian needs to read this book.

OK, but..........2007-03-20

I found this book quite interesting although not very well written. I am also less than happy with some of choices made by the author - why these nine are featured when some of them (A. Korda, for example) are not in the same league of significance as others. Why were others ignored?
But that was all well until I read that E. Wigner never returned to Hungary late in his life and was never honored there officially. I met Wigner in Budapest in the late seventies on one of his several trips to Hungary and I know that he received numerous acknowledgments there. Among others, he was elected an Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. So I wonder, what else is inaccurate in the book?

Budapest's loss is the world's gain..........2007-03-12

Ms Marton is a wonderful writer and her subject matter is close to her heart as she is a transplanted Hungarian, like the subjects of her fascinating tale: "The Great Escape". Marton has focused on nine Hungarians,scientists, film makers and photographers, who fled their homeland because of the country's intolerance to their religion. To a man they went on to make their mark in their respective fields the common thread besides their birthplace, was their everlasting affection for Budapest as one of the subjects stated "Everything I am is because of my experience growing up in Budapest". A very fine read, as a result of the book, I have been looking into travelling to this fabled city .

Frommer's Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes by Train, Bus or Car

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Helps you figure out where you'd like to go
Disappointing
Wonderful Day Trips !!!!
great resource
very good

Frommer's Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes by Train, Bus or Car
Stephen Brewer
Manufacturer: Frommer's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471747017

Book Description

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

This invaluable guide contains all the information you need to get to and around some of the most popular destinations in England. Using London as a base, you can explore the college towns of Oxford and Cambridge; go on rambling walks or bike rides through the English countryside; or experience the mystery of Stonehenge, each in only a day!

We give you all the information you need to plan your day trip, from train schedules to parking information and the best places to pick up picnic supplies or enjoy a more leisurely meal. Detailed maps and suggested itineraries for each destination guarantee that you'll see as much as possible without feeling rushed. And if there's so much to do that we think you might want to extend your trip, we give you the scoop on the best places to stay, from budget B&Bs to luxury hotels. Also included are savvy insider tips, historical information, and special "finds" that most tourists and tour groups miss.

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Customer Reviews:

Helps you figure out where you'd like to go.......2007-09-24

If you're wanting to plan a trip outside the city, this guide helps orient you to all the options. While I didn't use the suggestions on Hotels (too short a list)...it did help me decide where I wanted to go. If you've already decided on a destination, this book won't be that helpful.

Disappointing.......2007-01-18

I visit England frequently. I have an earlier edition of this book which I find to be very useful, even now. The new version leaves out a lot of the good places that were in the old book and it lacks credibility. I have a hard time taking any of it seriously when it tells me that an English pint is 16 ounces. Anyone who is serious about English beer knows that an English pint is 20 ounces.

Wonderful Day Trips !!!!.......2007-01-06

If you are looking for day trips outside of London, this book is great!!! Gives you everything you need to know.I would highly recommend it!

great resource.......2006-11-07

I studied this book trying to decide which day trips we should do. I loved the handy chart comparing the sites. It is very specific and helpful.

very good.......2006-08-12

Only 25 out trips; however there is a lot of information about them including when they are open and how to get there even by public transportation. It also notes how long it takes to get there and how long you have to walk from a train station. Maps of the 25 places are included, which look quite thorough. I plan to use it the next time I am in London early next year.

The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness

Average customer rating:

So sweet, simple and direct.
Very practical, accessible and well-written....
Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness
A Beautiful, Heart-Opening Short Read
Simple Wisdom to Clear Your Head

The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness
Pema Chodron
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570628726
Release Date: 2001-08-21

Book Description

This book is about saying yes to life in all its manifestationsâembracing the potent mixture of joy, suffering, brilliance, and confusion that characterizes the human experience. Pema ChÃ¶drÃ¶n shows us the profound value of our situation of "no escape" from the ups and downs of life.

Customer Reviews:

So sweet, simple and direct........2007-09-16

I have an edition of this book that I picked up about 15 years ago. I keep returning to this book year after year and have never tired of it. It has survived many purges of my spiritual library over the years. This book is sweet, easy to understand, and helpful. It defines a meditation practice that is easy to apply to one's daily activities. It is helping me relate more gently to the world and my life and is helpful in learning to awaken to the spaciousness and freedom that are ever present.

Very practical, accessible and well-written...........2007-06-09

This is one of my favorite books by Pema Chodron. It not only does a very good job of describing the essence of Buddhism, but it goes beyond that in making Tibetan Buddhism more understandable and relevant to a Western audience without deveating from the tradition. In short, it contains the heart of the teachings of the Vajrayana. A nice complimentary book if you are interested in going deeper into Tibetan Buddhism is Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. These books compliment each other and the latter puts all of the Buddhist traditions in historical context. Huston Smith's essay in The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions or Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. You get more bang for your buck with the former Huston Smith book, however.

The fundamental teaching of the Buddha involves the following realizations: 1) Life is suffering; 2) The cause of suffering is selfish desire; 3) To get rid of selfish desire, follow the eightfold path. The essence of the eightfold path is a moral life grounded in a strong loving-kindness practice (A Mahayana emphasis, but true of all schools). This book provides precisely that -- a path of loving-kindness that any person could follow and apply to their life. When asked what religion the Dalai was, he once said... "my religion is loving-kindess." While the Dalai Lama didn't officially endorse the book that I know of, certainly it is written in keeping with this spirit.

This book covers a LOT of ground in short volume of about 108 pages. It looks at the existential situation of not being able to escape our life and the human condition which is characterized by suffering. The Buddha said as his last words, "be a lamp unto yourselves." I believe the intent here was that no super mommy or daddy in the sky is going to come down and save you from the human condition. You must look deeply to see the truth and this will liberate you from samsara or the cycle of suffering. In this book, Pema Chodron describes the Buddha's teachings and more importantly practices to help you to arrive at a place of loving-kindness and equanimity.

What I most like about this book is that she keeps things simple. She also describes Tonglen practice and other forms of meditation and habits of thought that cultivate a mind that is not locked in conditioned thinking. Krishnamurti once said, "seeing the truth deeply is what liberates, not your efforts to be free." A corallary to this might be... yes... but what limits how deeply you can see is your depth of compassion for others, but primarily for yourself. This book is a manual about how to cultivate a loving-kindness that allows you to penetrate the insufficiency of living for things like money, sex, power and status. It is a good read for anyone.

If you are interested in a somewhat different Western perspective or something to contrast these writings with then try A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. This book by Jack Kornfield emphasizes an earlier Buddhist tradition namely the Theravada (Way of the Elders). Mahayana Buddhism was an outgrowth of these teachings and Tibetan Buddism (Vajrayana) a further extension and elaboration. Jack Kornfield is a Western psychologist who spent a number of years in Thailand as a Buddhist monk and his perspective is accessible, entertaining, practical and complimentary to this book. If you are looking for a more integrative read that relates to Western Psychology directly try Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation. This is a more difficult read, but extremely worthwhile. There are other recommendations on my listmania lists of this is your area of interest.

Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness.......2007-01-12

Fabulous book. Chapters are different talks given during a retreat. Insightful, down-to-earth as usual for her writing.

A Beautiful, Heart-Opening Short Read.......2006-11-30

This is my favorite Pema Chödrön book for the time being. As always with her material, I am grateful to digest the basic, raw, charming manner in which she conveys some traditional, (quite frankly) sometimes otherwise dry teachings. With her writing and guidance, they are anything but (dry). This book really hits on the necessity of removing our armor, getting out of our comfort zone (no matter what that is), finding out where our personal edge is and lets us to leap from there; to play in the eye of the storm. Even the chapter on tonglen seems more encouraging and compassionate than her other works that I've read, all of which I tremendously enjoyed. This is a tender, bravery-promoting little book that I appreciate rereading whenever I feel a bit numb or scared or too comfortable.

Simple Wisdom to Clear Your Head.......2006-08-13

This is a wonderful set of short lectures that Pema Chodron gave to a group of meditation students that stayed for a month at the Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia where she is a resident teacher. The lectures are to the point, deal with anger, addiction, fear, joy, and all the many problems we are faced with not only daily, but constatly in our minds, whether we are aware of them or not. She gives techniques to understand what it is that fills our minds and often poisons our hearts, how to label them so that ultimately we may move past these problems with compassion, understanding and ultimately help put ourselves at ease. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in meditation and/or are suffering from anger, addiction (to anything- shopping, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, love, etc...), or just seek more interpersonal peace.

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Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini
Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini
Okay
For Magicians Of All Ages!
A 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Older Readers

Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini
Sid Fleischman
Manufacturer: Greenwillow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060850949
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Book Description

Who was this man who could walk through brick walls and, with a snap of his fingers, vanish elephants? In these pages you will meet the astonishing Houdini—magician, ghost chaser, daredevil, pioneer aviator, and king of escape artists. No jail cell or straitjacket could hold him! He shucked off handcuffs as easily as gloves.

In this fresh, witty biography of the most famous bamboozler since Merlin, Sid Fleischman, a former professional magician, enriches his warm homage with insider information and unmaskings. Did Houdini really pick the jailhouse lock to let a fellow circus performer escape? Were his secrets really buried with him? Was he a bum magician, as some rivals claimed? How did he manage to be born in two cities, in two countries, on two continents at the same instant?

Here are the stories of how a knockabout kid named Ehrich Weiss, the son of an impoverished rabbi, presto-changoed himself into the legendary Harry Houdini. Here, too, are rare photographs never before seen by the general reader!

Customer Reviews:

Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini.......2007-08-06

Harry Houdini's showmanship made him a standout among magicians. Author Sid Fleischman uses the same technique to stand out in the crowded field of Houdini biographies. Escape! captures readers with its flamboyant vocabulary, humor, insider understanding, wonderful photographs with excellent captions and a clearly stated theme which shapes the details of an exciting life. Fleischman organizes this rags-to-riches tale around Houdini's shameless vanity that supported his "megaphone self-promotion" of his self-made legend: sharing that Houdini doctored facts and photographs. Fleischman analyzes Houdini's family relationships, evaluates his career and lasting fame, and explains them to youngsters as part human flaw, part the need to escape anti-Semitism, and part the drive to trump all competitors and fakes. The self-taught Houdini never had a magic lesson. Loyalty to fellow magicians keeps author-magician Fleischman from revealing Houdini's methods, although his bibliography includes books that tell all.
Hungarian Jewish immigrant Ehrich Weiss, searching for a way to financially aid his poor family, finds vaudeville and his stage name, The Great Houdini. Ironically, Houdini later unmasks his youthful idol and name inspiration, Robert-Houdin. This biography dramatically recounts what Houdini got out of: handcuffs, milk cans, straight jackets, jail cells, frozen rivers and coffins. It also spotlights what he got into: airplanes and first-flight records; entertaining troops during World War I; supporting the sons of rabbis, who like himself, performed on the stage; movies; the Encyclopaedia Britannica; the Library of Congress and a crusade bashing phony spiritualists.
Fleishman's rich, intimate account is possible from two special boosts to normal biographical research. He had access to material published privately for magicians and he knew Houdini's widow, Bess, who gave him information and photographs. From the clever table of contents to the sad postmortem, this book overflows with fun facts delivered by out of the ordinary colorful language proving reading can be magic. A treat for readers age 9 - adult.

Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini.......2007-05-31

The book was an interesting read. It showed how exciting Houdini actually was. It was well written and even though it's nonfiction, it was exciting. This information was well-done enough so I could use it for a sixth grade report.

Okay.......2007-05-05

This book wasn't my favorite biography, a couple of the photographs were kind of strange, like when a woman has ghost essence coming out of her ear and the "What-is-it?" monster. The story was pretty good, although I had to go back a couple of times and re-read the sentence to understand what it was really saying. I found out some interesting Houdini facts that I never had known before, such as his real name was Ehrich Weiss. He also didn't know his birth date. I might recommend this to others, although I don't really know.

For Magicians Of All Ages!.......2007-03-13

I bought this book for a Valentine's present for my husband, who has been doing magic tricks and illusions since he was a young boy. He has always been fascinated by the Great Houdini, so when I saw this book, I took a chance. We have both enjoyed this book tremendously. It is written in very nice, simple language, with large print, and wonderful never-seen before photos. I would highly recommend this little magical gem!

A 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Older Readers.......2007-01-29

Biographies can be dull and plodding, but this one is just the opposite. Partly because of the nature of the subject - the fascinating magician, illusionist, and escape artist Harry Houdini - and partly because of the bright prose of the author, this biography is engaging, humorous, and a pleasure to read. It is full of colorful language like prestidigitator, bamboozler, razzmatazz, razzle-dazzle, ragamuffin, derring-do, braggadocio, boondocks, bunkum, and blunderbuss. It is also infused with the showman's Jewish side, recalling Houdini's birth as Ehrich Weiss to an impoverished but scholarly rabbi in a Budapest ghetto, his self-invention and brashness as an immigrant, the effects of anti-Semitism, and his lifelong love of learning. According to the author, Jews are significant in the history of magic. Along the way we get a history lesson in vaudeville and other popular entertainments in turn of the century America and Europe. We also see Houdini as quite the overachiever; in addition to his legendary feats, he was an author, editor, pilot, and collector of magician memorabilia. REVIEWED BY SUSAN BERSON (DENVER, CO)

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Jack's Run Book Review
Jack's Run
A Book Thats Gonna Make You "Run"Away With It
Boring
Makenna's Review

Jack's Run
Roland Smith
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1423104072
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Customer Reviews:

Jack's Run Book Review.......2007-02-15

The type of reader that would enjoy this book the most would be people who like adventure and people who like being tricked. I think that the protagonist is the type of person who doesn't mind getting into trouble. The antagonist is the type of person who doesn't care about anybody else but himself. This book has a lot of adventure. One you start reading this book you cannot put it down.

Jack's Run.......2006-12-17

I think that this book was one of the best books I have ever read! It all starts when Alonzo Aznar is arrested and taken to jail and then he sends his brother out to capture Jack and Joanne after she was on a TV show. Then, "snake eyes" takes them down to a bunker were they stay. That is were Jack thinks of a clever plan to lock snake eyes in the bathroom, steal her keys and then escape! But then, Alonzo's brother finds "snake eyes" and gets her out but by then, Jack and Joanne have already found a hiding spot. She comes in and finds Joanne but didn't find Jack. Then, Jack tries to get onto the roof and slips! This book is a great, action packed book. I would suggest it to anyone! If you're looking for a book that won't make you fall asleep then this is the book for you!

A Book Thats Gonna Make You "Run"Away With It.......2006-12-03

I rated this book wrong, it deserves ten stars! It was better than the 1st book! There is tons of action and unexpected twists in this story. Its "on the edge of your seat action" as movie critics call it. Which makes an a-w-esome book!!!!!!!!

Boring.......2006-05-01

This is a very short criticism.
Nothing in the book is interesting. By the end I already knew what was going to happen.
I know I am not alone with this review because my whole class read it, and even the teacher coudn't wait to get rid of it.

Don't get me wrong though; the first book was decent.

Makenna's Review.......2006-02-11

This is the sequal to Jack's Run. It's a really good and interesting book. It's about Alonzo Aznar finding out the Osborne's identity once again because Joanne(Christine Greene)did an audition to a show called America's Next Superstar and made it all the way through and was interviewed and on the news the next day, by that night they, Jack and Joanne, were on a plane to Medoza, Argentina. They were held hostage by Snake Eyes and Raphael, Alonzo's brother. Their parents find out what happened and went to rescue them in Argentina with an old friend Sam Sebesta but you'll have to read the book to find out what happens to the Osborne family after Jack's parents get to Mendoza with Sam. I really don't like to read and when I have to I'm really picky about what I do read and I couldn't put this book down I read it in two days. It's a Great book!

Average customer rating:

time to remember history
great book
The Optimistic Jew
Book
A Social Psychology Explaining Totalitarian Movements

Escape from Freedom
Erich Fromm
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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The Art of Loving
The Sane Society
The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness
Man for Himself: An Inquiry Into the Psychology of Ethics
To Have or to Be?

ASIN: 0805031499

Book Description

If humanity cannot live with the dangers and responsibilities inherent in freedom, it will probably turn to authoritarianism. This is the central idea of Escape from Freedom, a landmark work by one of the most distinguished thinkers of our time, and a book that is as timely now as when first published in 1941. Few books have thrown such light upon the forces that shape modern society or penetrated so deeply into the causes of authoritarian systems. If the rise of democracy set some people free, at the same time it gave birth to a society in which the individual feels alienated and dehumanized. Using the insights of psychoanalysis as probing agents, Fromm's work analyzes the illness of contemporary civilization as witnessed by its willingness to submit to totalitarian rule.

Customer Reviews:

time to remember history.......2007-10-11

I bought this book trying to undestand the last events in Russia. There is no mirror situation between Germany in 30-s of the last century and the current situation in Russia. However, there is the same conclusion. If you are not ready to take a responsibility for your own freedom, you will lost it.

great book.......2007-09-26

Erich Fromm is perhaps the most brilliant psychoanalyst period. I have read two other books by him, and am again amazed by his ability to create a unifying and extemely broad theory on how escape from objective external control (ie religious organizations) leaves us feeling alone and powerless; our lives become seemingly meaningless. Erich Fromm should be read by anyone who is deeply interested in the social sciences (I'm a psychology major) or even anyone interested in knowing themselves better as he is able to reveal many of our faults to us. Fromm may have been a humanist, but he writes in a style that is as demanding of our change as it is understanding of our faults.

The Optimistic Jew.......2007-08-31

Fromm originally wrote this work to explore the psychological reason for the success of Nazism in Germany. But the book also explores the pathologies inherent in modernity itself. Modernity introduced radical destabilizing forces into traditional economic, political and religious structures. This caused mass anxiety which resulted in people becoming subject to cults, religions and political movements that promise stability, surety and predictability. This is a wonderful insight that can explain such varied 20th century phenomena as the return to religious fundamentalism, political fanaticism, mindless admiration for pop stars etc. His interpretation of the Old Testament could serve as a wonderful antidote to Jewish and Christian inclinations towards escaping from the freedom of their own autonomous reason. This inclination is a cautionary for 'settler Zionism' and the idolotry of land that I issue in my own book "The Optimistic Jew: a Positive Vision for the Jewish People in the 21st Century".

Book.......2007-07-29

I genuinely though it was really boring. It didn't change my views on anything. I'm not a marxist, perhaps that's why I didn't enjoy the book. I felt as if I was in a classroom, while being lectured by a really boring professor (because he writes in first person)
It was very dull.

A Social Psychology Explaining Totalitarian Movements.......2006-02-28

Erich Fromm originally wrote this work in 1941 which explores the psychological reason for the success of Nazism in Germany. However that is not the only subject of the book. It also explores the pathologies in industrial democracies as well.

Modern totalitarian movements are empowered by the psychology of a society which suffers anxiety and alienation as a result of the freedom and dynamism introduced with the change in economic, political and religious structures brought by modernity.

Two escapes from freedom are possible, descent into sadist and/or masochistic perversion, or the automaton (mindless conformity).

One interesting strain of social research would be the extension of Fromm's theory to militant Islam. The same theory that Fromm postulates for the origin of destructive behavior may apply to the appeal to sucide bombing seen in the Middle East.

In the final chapter Fromm reads like a science fiction libertarian. He expounds utopian visions like Gene Roddenberry. The object being the evolution of a society that not only provides freedom from (negative freedom in Fromm's vocabulary) compulsion, but also freedom to (positive freedom) realize each individual's potential. Unfortunately, in the final five pages, Fromm extolls the virtues of Marxism. It is not unexpected. Writing in 1941, Fromm would have no idea the horrors that would be perpetrated in the name of radical egalitarianism in China, Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, all over Latin America and the continent of Africa. Marxism has been the height of chic in academia since the depression. It is like reading Carl Popper, an otherwise really smart guy, who has been seduced by radical egalitarianism.

Getting past the appeal to Marxism, Escape from Freedom is a very important book in understanding the appeal of totalitarian movements.

Art Escapes: Daily Exercises and Inspirations for Discovering Greater Creativity and Artistic Confidence

Average customer rating:

Great Leaping Off Point for a Daily Creative Practice
Got me going!
Great book for artists and amateurs
creating desire
Simplicity in Creativity

Art Escapes: Daily Exercises and Inspirations for Discovering Greater Creativity and Artistic Confidence
Dory Kanter
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1581803079

Book Description

This delightful book is designed for the many artists who are motivated to paint and draw, yet who find it difficult to fit art into their daily lives. It is especially for those artists who see art as a necessary outlet for their creativity.

Dory Kanter's inspirational instruction is perfect for both beginning and experienced artists alike. Unlike other books that simply try to motivate readers to be creative, Art Escapes gives readers fun, easy-to-execute ideas for building an "art habit." Inside, they'll find daily projects for drawing, watercolor, mixed media, collage and more. All of these projects are presented simply, yet none are simplistic. The concealed spiral binding makes using the book easy and accessible. Readers will increase their skill and creativity, as well as find the time to make a little bit of art everyday.

Customer Reviews:

Great Leaping Off Point for a Daily Creative Practice.......2007-09-20

I am a writer who uses a daily writing practice to keep my life working better and occasionally I happen upon something that could work in my "regular" writing, but more than that - I also create surprisingly cool word combinations or notice a thread to pick up and examin later.

I am beginning to dabble in the visual arts as well, so when I saw this book I simply had to pick it up. At first, I was looking at it from the Writer's standpoint... and even there it had merits.

This is almost like a guide, a mentor, to having a daily artistic practice - a way to use your daily life and experiences to create an artful life... from which more art will flow.

I love an early-on statement author Dory Kanter makes when she asserts:

"You'll never have time for art unless you claim the time."

This book shows one how to claim the time and then use it for the best use.

Excellent. Many of the reviews touch on the physical form of the book (lively, engaging writing style with adorable illustrations and lay-flat spiral binding) so beyond that, I won't say more. Let me add one thing, though - that this book is much more visually appealing, sensorially appealing - than I would have expected it to be.

Sort of like getting dessert for free that you didn't even order and because of this, magically has no calories. Yes, that about says it!

Got me going!.......2007-06-17

I love this book. It is beautifully illustrated and written. And, unlike the reviewer who felt it was limited to journals, I feel that it just made me want to be more creative generally. I started one of the exercises immediately, and I don't even have an art journal.

Great book for artists and amateurs.......2006-01-24

I am not an artist and did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Still, I am attached to this book because it is taking me on new journeys, helping me buy just the tools I need to create work in pencil, watercolor, pastel and other media. Although I have purchased other books on collages,painting and drawing, this one is my favorite.

creating desire.......2005-10-11

ms. kantor's exercises are so well explained that it just takes one read thru and you are there, getting your supplies and going at creating art. whether it be painting, sewing, writing, ms. kantor's eloquent descritions of the process of creating make you hungry for making more and not caring about the outcome but rather she makes you want to create--something that all artists' desire and she so well brings to the surface for discovery. the honesty and visual integrity of this book are fabulous.

Simplicity in Creativity.......2005-08-04

I read this book, bought my own sketchbook, and began to go through the exercises. With each exercise my own creativity was opened. I began to rely on my sketchbook for capturing my personal reflections as I went through my daily life. Eventually, I began to travel with my limited number of art supplies, as described in the book. Now wherever I go my impressions are captured. This art is private and therefore freeing. Great book! Liz Ross

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