As a child, I remember reading the Hardy Boys books and wishing they had more action. When the casefiles came out, I got my wish. This book has set the tone for all of the casefiles. The adventures that Frank and Joe work on can and are dangerous, and can even include death. The fact that it was Joe's girlfriend, Iola Morton, is even more symbolic since Joe is the daredevil of the duo, as well as the one who is most callous towards his relationships. This story provided a real eye-opener for Joe, as well as the reader. I sometimes wonder if Iola really is alive, since the Assassins have cloned her several times. But each time she is cloned is a good reminder to Joe and Frank about what is most important in life - and this is life itself, especially that of a friend, or even a brother. Joe's attitude change showed how personally he took Iola's death and for once, I am glad to see more emotion. A great job and a great start to a new series of adventures for Dixon's longest running children's series

Forget about all the Hardy Boys books you may have read in the past, the Casefiles open a whole new world of exciting Hardy Boys adventure!
Right off the bat, Joe's longtime girlfriend, Iola, gets blown to bits by a bomb placed in the Hardy's van!
Shortly thereafter, Frank and Joe meet the mysterious Network agent, The Gray Man, and join forces with him to track down a terrorist group called the Assassions.
Join the Hardys as they travel around the world in search of Iola's killer.

This is an awesome book that is very fast paced and pulls you in the minuet you open this spectacular book! From the first page as it tells of Iola murder to the plot of a deadly gang called the Assassins! Fenton Hardy is chief of security for the Walker Campaign! His family is threatened, Frank and Joe pursue the assassin without the knowledge of their father! As they pursue they are put in the most deadliest danger ever! Join the Hardy's as they search for Iola's murder. Almost doing themselves! This is a MUST BUY BOOK! READ! AWESOME NOTHING CAN COMPARE WITH THE HARDY BOYS !

Let me start off by saying outright that this is simply an excellent book, easily the best biography I've ever read about Franklin. Franklin to me personifies the best America has ever offered the world and displays all those qualities that we as Americans have come to treasure as part of our national character: strength, wisdom, common sense, wit and humor, industriousness,energy and compassion. What sets Franklin apart from the rest of the Founding Fathers, at least in my mind, is the sense that old Ben was "one of us", a brilliant man to be sure, but one whom you could picture having a pint in the corner pub with old friends. This book does a magnificent job in bringing Franklin to life. If only all biographies were as lively and well-written as this! Superb book, superb writing. Highly recommended for any history buff, any lover of great writing and any American who cares about this great country.

Benjamin Franklin typified the soul or virtues that most of us Americans hold dear. He rose from being a poor boy to becoming wealthy and distinguished in many fields. He extolled the virtues of the middle class, merchants, and business people over the nobility and titled gentry of Europe. He courageously called for the independence of America when many people still wanted to retain a loyalty to Great Britain. Putting on another hat, he successfully negotiated with first France and than Britain during the Revolutionary War to gain America's independence. Franklin was a successful writer and printer, an inventor, a civic-minded citizen, and a statesman.

Walter Isaacson's book is successful in portraying the wide diversity of Franklin's efforts and achievements. He also delves into Franklin's personal life which included beliefs in Deism as opposed to traditional Christianity. Franklin fathered a child out of wedlock and Isaacson explains how despite this Franklin took responsibility for his actions and did his best to raise this son.

Nevertheless, Isaacson's book is not free from criticism. It is not as interesting or well written as other books about this same period of history. For example, "John Adams" by David McCullough is far more captivating. "American Sphinx" by Joe Ellis is another book that does a good job of keeping the attention of a novice reading about the founding fathers. Finally, "Thomas Jefferson: an Intimate History" by Fawn Brodie is another fascinating account of the men who made America. One gets the idea Isaacson is so determined to cram our heads with details that the book loses some of its allure.

Books like these remind us that the founding fathers were human beings with faults and not deities. Depending on how harsh a critic one is, one could argue Franklin had few friends because he was not loyal to them. One could contend he mistreated his wife leaving her for years by herself in America while he carried on in Great Britain arguing over various colonial issues. One could say he treated his son William, unduly harshly, because he chose to side with the British instead of those in America seeking independence. One could also argue Franklin was a poor team player as a diplomat and couldn't get along with either John Adams or Mr. Lee who were also appointed to negotiate with the French.

However, on the balance it is clear Franklin's virtues far outweighed his faults. This is an authoritative book about one of the most significant Americans who has ever lived.

Certain figures in American history seem to catch the imagination of the public, generation after generation and Benjamin Franklin is most assuredly one of these figures. Many biographies have been written about Mr. Franklin and Walter Isaacson has done a very commendable job with the latest entry in this series. There is not much new information to be found here but this book is very well written and an easy and fun read. The writing in my opinion is just as important as the content because if it is a dry and dull book, very few people will read it and it would therefore make little difference how much new information was available. It is also important to note that even when going over the same material, each new biographer who tackles Franklin will put different emphasis on different subjects and therefore give even the most well read Franklin fan some new ideas to think about. I did find it very interesting however, that at the end of the book Isaacson took a look at how succeeding generations have looked at Franklin, both pro and con. I am not aware of this being attempted before and it was unusually interesting.

Mr. Isaacson seems to me to be very harsh with Franklin for his family relationships. Other Franklin biographers, notably H. W. Brands offer evidence that while Mr. Franklin was indeed not the best family man in our history, he was a much better husband and father than Isaacson seems to believe. Otherwise however, Isaacson is very kind to Franklin. I get the feeling that the harsh criticism of Franklin's family life may in some way be an effort by the author to avoid being labeled as one of those biographers who falls too much in love with his subject. In fact, Isaacson goes out of his way to defend Franklin in his quarrels with John Adams and Arthur Lee. Just as he defends the good Doctor from attacks coming from later generations.

Isaacson has put together a fine book that looks at all aspects of a very complex man. The reader will be guided through Franklin's inventions, business dealings, fraternal and civic activities, his religious views, and most importantly, his huge contributions to the success of the Revolution and our present form of government. It is well worth noting that many of the delegates to the constitutional convention thought that Franklin, not Washington would be president of the convention. Indeed, it was possible that if Franklin had been younger he might just have been the first President of the United States. In the minds of his peers, Franklin's stature seems to have been just as high as the General's. Finally, it is well worth the time it takes to read this book just to see what Elbridge Gerry had to say about a large standing army. I'm sure Franklin approved.

The trauma of years in Vietnam follows an ex-marine into civilian life and ultimately results in his trial on a homicide charge. Move over Grisham. The courtroom drama that follows is enlighting as to the process and doesn't permit one to put the book down.

What I loved about this book was how it combined suspense with some really tough moral issues. In it, a Vietnam vet kills while fighting a crippling flashback, and all because he was made to believe that a girl's life was in danger. Is he guilty--or is the system that put him there to blame? This kept me up half the night and made me think, which is why I gave it 5 stars. Leib's writing draws you in immediately and keeps you hooked for the long haul. He is definately and author to watch.

A Vietnam marine vet with Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome rescues his 15 year old goddaughter from her supposed kidnappers. All I can say is Wow! I couldn't put the book down. Strange thing is, the book has a fairly dull cover and a blurb that normally wouldn't interest me at all; I can't even remember when or why I bought it; but it just goes to show, can't judge a book by it's cover.... Great great read!

After reading "Benjamin Franklin", he would be the one person -- dead or living -- who would make the most fascinating dinner guest for an evening. His list of accomplishments is practically endless: printer, writer, philosopher, postmaster general, inventor, scientist, diplomat, statesman, traveler, and conversationalist. The majority of people who are ultimately successful have a key talent in one area, focus on that talent, and rise to the top. It is so inexplicably rare to find someone of such vast talent who also excels in all his (her) talents. Benjamin Franklin was such a gifted individual and, thankfully for our nation, focused much of his energy and time into serving the public. Carl Van Doren has written an incredibly well-researched biography of one of our key founding fathers. Van Doren's style can sometimes be dry and too academic, but keep in mind that this book was initially published in 1938. Today's reader may expect a more conversational tone and faster moving story. However, Carl Van Doren's biography is heroic in its effort and the author's admiration clearly shines through for Mr. Franklin.

This remarkable, scholarly, and readable book brings the reader face-to-face with what seems an impossible life. The usual picture we get in school is intriguing, but here we meet a man whose range is staggering. Franklin the young, self-educated adventurer, writer, apprentice. Franklin the printer, entrepreneur, community activist. Franklin the pioneering scientist, delegate, historical visionary. Franklin the publisher, the spy, the sometimes invisible hand steering the birth of the modern republic. The inventor of a musical instrument that Mozart and others composed for. The outrageous wit who shocked Abigail and John Adams. Franklin the friend, free-thinker, and moralist. Creator of the stove, the lightning rod, the watertight compartment for ships' hulls. The first to understand how weather systems move, and ocean currents, and continents. Designer of roadways to connect the colonies and then the nation. Richly incorporating excerpts of Franklin's own voluminous writing, Van Doren's account is clearly factual, yet appropriately awed and inspired by a man "unsurpassed . . . in the range of his gifts or the important to which he put them."

"Benjamin Franklin" is a wonderfully written biography of perhaps the greatest American who ever lived. Author Carl Van Doren presents a rich and detailed portrait of Franklin - printer, writer, philosopher, scientist, inventor, politician, statesman, and one of the founding fathers of the United States of America.

By tracing the major influences on Franklin, and the key events of his life, Van Doren presents this self-educated genius as the apotheosis of the 18th century "Enlightened" man. Imbued with an insatiable intellectual appetite, a keen scientific mind, a high sense of morality, and a fervent patriotism, he was shrewd, wise, witty, and always confident in his own limitless abilities. The author describes in detail the great events of Franklin's life - his youth and young adulthood as a printer and writer of Poor Richard's Almamack; the philosopher, scientist and inventor of note; Postmaster General for Pennsylvania, and later for all the colonies; representative of the American colonies to Great Britain at the time of the American Revolution; signer of the Declaration of Independence; U.S. Ambassador to France after the Revolution; and signer of the U.S. Constitution.

As good a biography as this is, "Benjamin Franklin" is also outstanding history. Van Doren skillfully "paints" Franklin's portrait against the backdrop of the tremendous social ferment, scientific awakening, and tumultuous political events which occurred during the second half of the 18th century. I gained not only a fuller understanding of Franklin's life and great genius, but also a greater appreciation of the times in which he lived.

"Benjamin Franklin" is written with grace, clarity and obviously great scholarship. Winner of the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for biography, it is a brilliant masterpiece - one of the best biographies of any person I've ever read!

The handbook is an excellent source for technical data, there is information in this book that I never dreamed I would want to know. By only criticism is there is so much information that sometimes it takes me hours to find the data I was looking for, and I am very unproductive. I still love this book but I was wondering if there was a CD-ROM version of this reference book.

I bought my first copy of Machinery's Handbook as a drafter in 1968. In the thirty-one years since then, I've grown thru the designer-to-engineer curve and the editors have done much to augment and expand the content and scope of this book. The Handbook is still the single most important - nay, vital - text at my engineering workstation. Now that the text is available in electronic (CD-ROM) format, I impatiently await the arrival of my copy - I just love computers, don't you? Now I'll be able to grab all that information without even reaching for the shelf! Guess I'll have to find some other exercise for my pects, lats, triceps...

For a French guy, it's amazing all the stuff you can learn with this book. English technical terms and also mechanical and tooling history. I work in a tool maker company as mechanical engineer and this book is very helpfull for me.

This review concerns the revised 1962 edition. Counterfeit money is being circulated throughout Bayport and Frank and Joe try to track down the culprits. While not as good as the original edition, this book is still interesting and exciting, with plenty of action. Read the original edition if you can, but if not the revised edition should not disappoint you.

Hi my name is Ryan.The Secret of the Old Mill is a really good book.In the story Frank and Joe descover conterfeit $20 dollar bills and a company called Eleckton is making them.The hardys drive over in the Queen and Frank and Joe descover a secret door.Will Frank and Joe solve the conterfeit mystery? Read the book to find out.I recomend this book for people who like stories with a lot of excitement.

My favorite Hardy Boys book is the Secret of the Old Mill. I loved the part when Ken Blake fell into the river and Frank and Joe jumped into the river to save Ken Blake. I also loved the part when Frank, Joe, and Chet were in the Sleuth and Frank pulled the wires from the engine to stop the boat. I think that the Secret of the Old Mill is the best Hardy Boys book I have read.

This book really deserves 4 1/2 stars but I'm nice so that's why I gave it 5 stars. This book always has a twist or turn. It starts off that Frank and Joe are assigned by Chief Collig to find out why their's trouble in Shantytown which is a town of shacks( wooden broken down houses). So then there's a bank robbery and then their best friends Biff and Chet are kidnapped. They meet Alf at Shantytown. It's action pace with danger at every turn. One minute they jump overboard a ship to helping their friend after he fractures his ankle sliding down a steep hill. They have to trust their instincts in this suspenseful mystery. Can't say more or I'll reveal the end. Read The Great Airport Mystery( Hardy Boys #9) or The House on the Cliff( Hardy Boys #2). Also read the Harry Potter series. This book was a very suspenseful book. It's very adventurious and a very good book.

These books are absolutely delightful on audio tape. I grew up reading all the Nancy Drew books but, true to stereotype, never read any of The Hardy Boys. As the mother of two little boys (first and third grade) I began exploring these in our read-aloud time every evening. The boys LOVE them but the whole series (50+ books) is a bit more than I want read as an adult and a daunting quantity of material even for very advanced readers so I was delighted to come across these audio tapes. Bill Irwin does an excellent job of reading the books, treating their slightly dated language and manners with complete respect. The tapes are unabridged although still only two tapes long. My only gripe is the wait for the series as the publisher appears to be releasing only two books every six months or so!

It a great boook! I recommened it to everyone who loves The Hardy Boys like me! It was a great book piled with mysetery and suspence.

Jack Cray, the American assassin sent deep into Germany during the The Third Reich's final days, is the focus point of this gripping WWII thriller. There is romance, and action, and suspense abounding. Though several of the plot twists can be forseen by regular readers of this genre, it does not make the story any less fascinating in the telling. If you liked Daniel Silva's The Unlikely Spy or John Lee's The Ninth Man, you will enjoy this exciting tale of an indomitable American's spy mission to infiltrate the German high command. This page-turner is peopled with just the right mix of sinister Nazis who are always just a breath away from capturing the good guys who are working to save the free world. It was also interesting to read the unsettling descriptions of German civilan life during the closing days of the war, to see how the Nazi's war machine had so adversely affected the average German's life in so many ways. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWII spy thrillers. A good one.

Why did it take me so long to find this author? Five Past Midnight is another great World War II novel, that zooms in at a fast pace, on a central hero in the American Rangers. He receives support for his mission from several other unexpected and atypical heroes. As a student of history, particularly military history, I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I learned more about Nazi Germany, at the same time that I raced along with the main hero on his mission. I felt like I was there with him all the way, and glad that I was not the one doing the mission. James Bond has nothing on CPT Jack Cray, but unlike Bond, Cray has the personal problems that go with his type of work. In my mind, this makes Cray more like the real heroes we see in the American military all the time. Being an Army Reservist, I admit to a prejudice in favor of people who serve their country, even if I did start as a draftee.

This was the first Thayer book that I read, in paperback, and I enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought in hardback, so I can reread it for years to come. I now have 11 more Thayer books to look forward to reading. Find his books fast, before everyone else discovers how good Thayer is, because his older books will start to disappear when they do.

Five Past Midnight is an extremely suspenseful and dramatic fictional story about the Nazi powerhouse in World War II. The author, James Thayer, draws a captivating picture of what might have happened had Adolf Hitler's assassination attempt been successful. The American assassin, Jack Cray, escapes a POW camp and takes the reader on a journey of clever sniper tactics and cold- blooded killing, and he will not stop until he completes his mission. Cray gets aid from a few important characters along the way. Katrina von Tornitz is a young and widowed spy for the allies, adding a perfect dose of romantic spin to the tale. Otto Dietrich is brought back into the world after being imprisoned by the Gestapo to track down the well-known and feared American killer, adding suspense to the story. Thayer makes the characters very real. I could almost hear their voices while reading. The way he described Hitler through the characters emotions and thoughts was remarkable. The bunker scene, where Hitler was residing toward the end of the book, was particularly amazing. I recommend the book to any one with a taste for suspense, and those who enjoy history or war related topics.

The Norton Anthology of American literature is a great collection of the most prominent and prolific authors in this young nation's history. The Anthology covers the development of authors in the new world, from the early native American folk tales to the works of Toni Morrison and Allen Ginsberg. The anthology spans poetry and prose and gives the reader a great cross sectional view of American society and its problems. The presence of Native American, Black and Hispanic authors presents a complete line up of works of literature, presented in a pleasant chronological order and introduced by a brief and interesting description of the author's life and works. The introductory description of each author facilitates the contextual placement of the text and its comprehension. The anthology contains several novels such as "Howl", "Sula" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". The presence of these complete works makes the anthology more complete, as they are an important part of the American literary tradition. The selection of authors and of their works is a good one, but presents some flaws. Obviously not being able to include all relevant authors in the American literary tradition, the editors selected a large number of authors, and their most important works. Nonetheless several important texts seem to be missing. Texts by less prolific authors, such as the great new classic "To kill a mockingbird" are missing. Although the anthology gives the reader an introduction on the author and his works it does not stimulate sufficiently through interesting points to be discussed and questions which shed light on hidden or obscure aspects of the texts. The anthology is a great tool for any class, or for the passionate reader. It is ideal if accompanied by a class or group/club in which the texts are discussed.

To anyone seeking an encompassing overview of American literature, here is your book. This, the latest edition of the Norton Anthology, not only makes for months of good reading but also acts as a good primer for further pursuits in American letters (academic and otherwise.) Besides the countless number of excellent selections, eleven works appear in their entirety. Among them, Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Whitman's "Song of Myself," and Ginsburg's "Howl."

The anthology also contains several new additions - most notably an intriguing section of Native American trickster tales that provides an interesting counter to Chris Columbus' over-zealous ramblings. As for more contemporary writing, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of deserving writers and poets newly anthologized in this revision: Toni Morrison, Raymond Carver, and Sandra Cisneros just to name a few.

Yet what makes this anthology truly successful is the breadth and depth of the text as a whole. The selections, the organization, the well-written bits of biographical information... IT ALL FITS PERFECTLY! No doubt other readers will find this anthology as informative, provocative and enjoyable as I do. A definite keeper for my permanent collection.

The Norton anthology is the definitive collection of American literature. Its selections range from the letters of Christopher Columbus to quintessential American works like Whitman's "Song of Myself" and inherently American movements such as beat poetry. The collection offers a wide spread selection of works, some of which fall outside of your typical definition of "literature." All, however, have been important parts of our artistic tradition and provide literary examples of the coming of age of America. Literature has truly helped to define the American identity. This book is a history lesson, a journey through some of the most beautiful poetry and prose ever written and a testament to the kind of intelligent, passionate people that have formed our country.

Even if you're not interested in Eleanor Roosevelt, you will be after reading this book. Cook writes history the way it *should* be written, with an emphasis on the personality, foibles and private life of her subject. She doesn't shy away from speculating on Eleanor's relationship with Lorena Hickock or Earl Miller.

She correctly points out that for years people have denied Eleanor might have had a sexual relationship with Miller simply because he was young and handsome and she was "old" and "ugly." Absurd!

My only minor concern was that Cook seems not to fully appreciate FDR as a man, politician and icon. Her marked preference for Eleanor is obvious, which really isn't a big concern. Was FDR a jerk to cheat on Eleanor with Lucy Mercer? Probably not, since Eleanor hated intimacy with him (and told her daughter "sex is an ordeal to be borne!") and never sought to re-establish a real marriage after 1918.

Most men with FDR's looks, charm and natural exuberance would tolerate a wife who was cold as a fish in the bedroom. I don't believe Cook accepts this or attempts to understand FDR's frustration.

Eleanor Roosevelt is a truly great and grand lady, multi-faceted, highly intelligent, compassionate and gritty. Cook has done a marvelous job in exploring and explaining her early life.

Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most inspirational and influential people of the 20th century, despite her own protests to the contrary. While Ms. Cook's biography reveals many insights into Mrs. Roosevelt's private and public lives, certain of the author's own subjective opinions color what information is missing or has been destroyed regarding this wonderful first lady; these opinions are certainly open to debate. Overall, though, the book inspires all to pursue dreams, to grow throughout a lifetime, to change to fit the times and the needs of one's world. Eleanor's own education about living provides a basis from which to begin living life to the fullest. It is this hope and fortitude that Ms. Cook best captures.

Although I am a product of the 1960's and 1970's, I have lost sight of the importance and power of activism in our culture. I once had a passion to fight for the rights of others less privilieged or for those who can not fight for themselves. This book stirred in me a passion that I have long forgotten! How great a woman was Eleanor Roosevelt! How important her contribution to human rights and the survival of the American way! Blanche Weisen Cook has written an account of Eleanor Roosevelt that is moving, realistic and powerful. It has renewed my interest in political causes and the incredible need for activism. A must read for women of all generations.