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The only TRULY good comic strip still being printed
Yet another grest Garfield masterpiece!
Funny! A great book in all Circumstances!

Date coverage
Nermal makes his debuet!
Garfield Rules!

Date Coverage
The Best I've Read
20 years and still going strong!

Open your mind to possibilities
This is the best book on spirit guides I have read to date.
A hands-on guide to your guides in spirit

The Most Beautiful Feeling in The WorldThe story starts out with the giant Black Jack being executed, and then procedes to tell the story of a poor good-natured youngster who finds himself in this terrifying scoundral's strange company. The strange thing is that for some reason, this terrible man finds that he likes the young lad, and won't let him go.
When the boy finds himself suddenly and strangely abandoned by the giant after starting (and ending) his search for an escaped lunatic young girl, he folows the road till he finds (and joins) a traveling carnival. The that's where our story begins.
As Black Jack struggles with his fear of lunatics (can you believe it?) and growing admiration for his young friend, Tolly (the young fellow) gains maturity and learns about life as he helps the poor lunatic (her name's Belle) regain her sanity. It's really engaging, because all the characters are so very HUMAN, and as Tolly continually tries to help the girl while at the same time keeping her from getting to close (she loves him you know) he starts to find that he cares for her too.
When Belle becomes convinced that she really is insane and has herself commited, and Tolly can't get the people imprisoning her to let him see her (despite his growing love for her), and Black Jack won't let anything get in the way of his friend's happiness... Well, let's just say it makes for one of the greatest climaxes I've ever seen in a book (especially when you consider the world is ending at the same time).
What really addicted me to this book was one thing. Love. When I read the passages about how Tolly and Belle found their feelings for each other grow, it gave me a simply wonderful feeling. The author of this book has managed to perfectly describe the feeling of being in love. I haven't felt this way while reading a book in a long time. This feeling the book gave me grew stronger and stronger as it progressed, but the very, very end made it shoot to the sky. Because what Belle kept describing in her wild rants of insanity turned out not to be mere dreams after all, but visions of a future more wonderful than she could have imagined.
If anything I have said connected with you in any way, READ THIS BOOK.
One of the best adventure stories ever
Definitive Leon GarfieldThe plot, such as it can be described, concerns a young boy named Tolly who inadvertently revives a notorious murderer who has just been hanged in the village gallows. The criminal, a fearsome giant nick-named Black Jack, promptly coerces Tolly into a life of crime, very much against the will of the decently noble young man.
Thereafter the novel builds steam as Jack and Tolly meet up with an escaped asylum inmate, join a carinval troupe, encounter various eccentrics and villians and finally witness the end of the world (well, sort off). The final thunder-bolt of an ending is almost unbearingly suspenseful and leaves the reader breathless.
As always, the fun of Garfield's writing is his ability to stack surprise after surprise without loosing credibilty. Despite the crazy goings-on , Garfield always makes his characters seem like real people and their development over the course of the book is complex and moving. If you enjoy intriguing stories with superb dialogue and wild plot twists, don't hesitate to buy "Black Jack". If you like this novel I also recommend Garfield's "The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris" (which introduces one of his finest literary creations, best friends Bostock and Harris) and "John Diamond".
Every serious reader (and especially writers!) owe it to themselves to discover the genius of Leon Garfield, and "Black Jack" is a great place to start.


A President, a Vice-President and two SenatorsAckerman, at his best, is a good storyteller. Like a tug-of-war unfolding, he tells of the immense and bitter rivalry between Blaine and Conkling, with Garfield siding with the former and Arthur the latter. The real power in the post-Civil War years lay in the hands of the Congress and while this book is centered around Garfield, it's really more about the "play" that went on among these four men. And always looming in the background was former president, Ulysses S. Grant.
It is amazing to think that so much of a president's time could have been spent dealing with office-seekers, but Garfield's short administration was largely about that (and his trying to please both factions of the Republican party....the Half-Breeds, led by Blaine and the Stalwarts, led by Conkling.) Garfield's assassination was, indeed, about as darkly political as an event can get.
The author occasionally slips into being too enamored of his subject although what I've read about Garfield in other books leads me to believe he was a decent enough man. Unfortunately, because of his short tenure in the White House most historians don't bother rating him with our other presidents.
There are a couple of minor factual errors in the book (Arthur died twenty months after leaving office, not seven) but Ackerman is good at the few conclusions he draws, most notably the passage of the 1883 Civil Service Act. He reminds us that this was not a time of great men in our nation's political history, but rather a time of pettiness, accompanied by large egos. I couldn't help but think that the same thing is occurring in the Washington D.C. of 2003.
One has to wonder what would have happened if Garfield had lived. Visiting the president's enormous memorial and burial site in Cleveland, Garfield's large presence is felt. Kenneth Ackerman's book is an important addition to our presidential history, wonderfully told, and I highly recommend it.
Dark Horse sheds new light on a political assassinationCongrats to the author! Keep 'em coming!
Fascinating Political History"The Dark Horse," as the subtitle indicates, tells the tragic tale of President James A. Garfield, who was the surprise Republican nominee in 1880 and won a razor thin victory that Novemeber. Garfield had not desired the Presidency, and was only beginning to become comfortable in the office when he was felled by an assasssin's bullet four months into his term. He died a slow, agonizing death, and in the process became a martyred hero to the country.
Ackerman argues that Garflied's killing, remembered (if at all) for being perpetrated by a "disappointed office seeker" was a residual effect of the wars going on within the Republican Party between two competing factions: the Stalwarts and the Half Breeds. Though the Stalwarts, led by irascible New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, were not directly complicit in Garfield's murder, their strident rhetoric helped set the political climate that made it possible.
Ackerman tells his story in great detail (the narrative portion of the book runs to well over 400 pages). The is a decent illustrations section and a number of helpful charts for the reader. Overall, this is an excellently well written book that will appeal most strongly to American History and politics buffs.


awesome
Dilbert Corporate Shuffle: Card Game
Hours of fun!

Fun way to learn historyGuiteau was basically a loser in life and had even served time in jail. He was constantly skipping out on creditors and and he showed signs of mental illness. He was dillusional and thought that Garfield would apppoint him to an ambassadorship. He literally stalked both Garfield and Secretary of State Blaine in an attempt to secure the appointment. When it was not forthcoming, he stalked Garfield (this was in the days before the secret service) until he had the opportunity to shoot the President.
The wound caused a rupture in an artery but an aneurism sealed off the opening so he did not bleed to death. Garfield lingered for many weeks until the aneurism ultimately ruptured and Garfield died. The location of the bullet had not been located and the aneurism had gone untreated. Today, Garfield's condition would have almost certainly been diagnosed through an MRI and he may have survived delicate surgery which would have saved his life.
In reading history, we generally get a line or two about Garfield being assasinated by a "disappointed office seeker." It was enjoyable to learn more about this event, particularly in such an unusual literary format.
A true eye-opener....Geary's wonderfully cartoony art is reminiscent of claymation; it gives a true illusion of depth and form. He is truly one of the underrated geniuses of the Comic art form. His meticulous research gives us many interesting facts, such as The President being allowed to walk around Washington D.C. unescorted (No Secret Service yet), Abraham Lincoln's son's association with Garfield, and too many others to count. Do yourself a favor- read the book!!
Excellent introduction to this little-remembered event

Great photography
Gar Wood Boats: Classics of a Golden Era
An Excellent Portrayal of Classic Boating

Great to read on a Sunday morning.
GARFIELD RULES!
garfield is the cat