I bought this book looking to develop a general historical knowledge of modern Central Asia, and to develop a basic understanding of the fabled "Great Game." Unfortunately, the book feel short of my expectations.

If you are looking for a very superficial, andectodal account of the Great Game, you should buy this book. If however, your interests are those of the historian, I would reccommend reading this book only after you have read many others in the field.

While the authors' style, which focuses on the individuals that drove the events that defined the "Great Game" is not new, even for history books, they failed in the end to give the reader a clear perspective of what happened in the Game. One was often lost amidst the many names, places, and other bits of information littered almost carelessly throughout the text. The geographical refrences, especially were very confusing, even to a person who was born in Lahore, and is fairly well acquainted with the region.

Overall, the true historian should shy away from this book. Not only is it based almost entirely on anecdotes, but it is also seemingly imbalanced in its attention to the different sub-regions of Central Asia -- devoting most of the first half of the book to Afghanistan, and the neighboring lands, and then shifting its focus in the latter half almost exclusively to Tibet. This is especially confusing, given the many happenings in Afghanistan.

As someone who knew little of the history of Central Asia and the Great Game, I found this book to be a very enjoyable introduction to the topic. The authors basically devote each chapter to a prominent event or person of the time, and then use that topic to fill in a very general history of the era. The writing style is light and anecdotal. While sometimes the sheer number of characters floating in and out of the picture can be overwhelming, I did not find the book to be bogged down in minutia, as one reviewer mentioned. I agree with many of the reviewers that the maps are insufficient to help a reader trace the course of the narrative. I also did not notice the bias against Sven Hedin and others that one reviewer mentioned. Hedin received a full chapter on his exploits, about the same as most of the main characters in the book. If you approach this book as a series of 20 or so short, light biographies on some major players of the era, and as an introduction not a deifinitive account, you should be very well pleased.

The "Great Game" (a phrase coined by Kipling and the title of the competing paperback by Peter Hopkirk) was the nineteenth-century geopolitical struggle between Russia and Britain over control of Central Asia. As the authors of this study conclude, the "Game" itself did not lead to the Apocalypse many predicted, but it did spawn an amazing series of adventures (and disasters) across Afghanistan, Uzbekhistan, Turkmenistan, Nepal, Tibet and Western China. It also gave birth to a new generation of spies, immortalized in Kipling's "Kim," who in turn spawned the next century's of Cold War spies (immortalized in M16's "Kim" Philby"). Mayer and Brysac's account of this period is a competent and erudite history. They lose a star, however, because for me this book lacks a cohesive sense of what motivated the Great Game's players, particularly the Russians, to strive to such absurd lengths and against such absurd odds to gain so little. Surely their quest was not just patriotic, but metaphysical as well? What mythical forces drove these men? The authors cannot really answer this question. This is a serious thematic omission which deprives "Tournament of Shadows" the masterwork status to which it aspires.

Let us dispense with all of the discussion of the Illuminati, real Pharonic history or any serious sense of spirituality and enlightenment. This was a book of Science Fiction that used one of the most tumultuous periods in Egyptian history as its back drop. Part Stargate, part Star Trek, part Joseph Campbell, Blair may or may not have taken the view point that Egypt was the birthplace of all cultures and sciences on the globe. Akunaton does not deserve any criticism a historical piece or anthropological discussion as it is just a piece of fairly decent science fiction. However, while the author was taking poetic license with history and Egyptian spiritual concepts, it would have been nice if there had been development along those lines in order to round out and add richness to the scope of his vision. This book needed more character development, more interpersonal interaction between the characters, more description about the interior of the space ship Aton, more description about the every day life and description of the temples and the activities there in. The reader feels like a distant observer of a not too clear photograph, with glimpses of color here and there, with an occasional flash of brilliance. This book gives one the strange feeling that it suffered from an overzealous editor out of touch with the material and subject of the book. You can't help but wonder what was cut. Still, all in all, not a bad light read.

stop getting so caught up on the differences of race people. the book is about seedling planets, stairstep evolution and elevation of mental/spiritual levels. it is fiction. if you want to diliberate racism read roots. if your mind is on the return of life to the proper course after our fall from heaven, take a copy and break its back. drum and bass on the rise.

i can see that people either love this book or hate it. i personally loved it! i just got so sucked into the story that i couldn't help but to read on. i also believe that the story has some truth in it. it ties in with the illuminati and how the aliens have integrated in human history. of course, if you believe history that is told at school, this is gibberish. highly recommended for open-minded spiritual beings. love and light

Excellent story and thoughtful characters, though they are not lovable characters, the plot was great. Then the end of the story came and it was pretty pitiful for an ending. Ms. Hightower needs to work on her character development and continue to tell the story without getting side tracked like she does. The concept of the story is great and the plot keeps you glued to the pages, but that still does not save this book.

liked it but didn't love it. good for the plane.

GREAT DETAIL. GRIPS THE READER FROM CHAPTER ONE. YOU WILL NOT PUT THIS ONE DOWN UNTIL YOU ARE ON THE LAST PAGE. THEN, YOU WILL RUN OUT TO GET COPIES OF HER OTHER BOOKS. WILL WE EVER SEE KEETON AGAIN? I KEEP SENDING LYNN MESSAGES TO BRING HIM BACK.

Cade Merrill's cousin Heather Donahue was part of a student project to document a legend of the Blair Witch. After her disappearence, Cade had moved to the tiny town of Blair, Maryland to uncover the legend. He meets a young girl by the name of Lee Harper who seems to be just as interested as he in the myth. When weird and unworldly things start to happen, Cade begins to question all the information he has gathered. Is Lee really the Blair Witches Daughter? Or is she being pulled in to the abiss of the Blair Witch, and can Cade help her? I read a book from the Blair Witch Files called "The Witches Daughter." This book was very realistic in describing the events of the legend of the Blair Witch. I read another book in this seriese, and the way the author writes is amazing. Even in the dedications he is always living the myth. He dedicates his books to those who are lost or who die in the Black Forest. It really leaves you wondering weather or not this is actually fiction. I think compared to other books, this one is just as good if not better then most. The suspension in the end is very tense. The beginning starts out kind of slow, but if you hang on until the middle, then it's all worth the wait. If you are someone who loves action, horror, and suspense, and is willing to wait a little while for it, then this is definately a book for you. If you are someone whom is impatient and can't wait for action, you might have a little trouble with this one.

I thought Blair Witch Files: The Dark Room was alot better than this book. Cade Merill barely has a part in The Witch's Daughter, which is disappointing since he is the one trying to uncover the legend. The books ending is also disappointing, resolving things easily and quickly - not as professionally as The Dark Room did - but somehow still leaving thoughts to the imagination. That said, The Witch's Daughter is a page-turner. You want to read it, you're interested in the plot and the characters are all descripted accurately, giving you a good measure of what they look like and how they feel. The best part of this book is Lee Irwin-Papert's diary, which is chilling to the bone and the most intriguing part. Cade Merill deserves a pat on the back for his great mythology work in this one, and even though - I've said it once, I'll say it again - The Dark Room is better, his first shot at the Blair Witch files is still one to be cherished.

In this fiction/horror/action/mystery book called The Blair Witch Files : The Witches Daughter a teenager named Justin Petit went to the Springfield State Hospital in Sykesville, Maryland to visit his grandfather Harper Kemp, who had fallen down the steps in front of his house. Harper Kemp asked Justin for his help, his help to survive. His grandfather blamed his fall on something that had happened in his past. He told him the horrible story about how, when he was a boy, he and his friends at the Oak bridge Home For Boys pushed around and teased what they thought was a frail boy named Lee Irwin and the strange deaths that had happened to the bullies. Lee Irwin was different from the other boys and was very weak. So that meant that it was easy for the other boys to abuse him. Lee had a secret that they would soon find out. Justin, while in the hospital, also meet a volunteer from the hospital named Leslie Wolf. He would soon find out that Leslie played a bigger role in his grandfather Kemp's story then he ever imagined. This book gave a lot of hints about the characters and the strange occurrences that you don't realize until you've finished the book. Then it all comes together. It was packed with action and suspense with a dark quality that not many books pull off.

In a musical version of The Planet of the Apes on the Simpsons, Troy McClure sings, "I hate every ape I see from chimpan A to chimpanze, No you'll never make a monkey out of me." Later in the song, however, after discovering that he was on earth after all, he laments, "Well you really made a monkey out of me!" Now how does this tie in with the Gatemaker? I read every last page of this book. I really should have stopped about 250 pages in, when I figured out the entire story. The beginning of the book took too long to develop. The plot twists where marked quite well, pages in advance actually. It was like driving down the interstate, in Nebraska, with a brand new map. Even a child can do it. However, this was supposed to be an "international thriller," a genre which lends itself to plot twists and turns which come upon you out of nowhere. The author gave too many clues too early, giving away the entire plot. He also rushed the plot along, revealed charater secrets usually saved for the climax and turned a climax of what could have been a treacherous mountain pass, with twists and turns everywhere, to a pleasent country road on a lazy afternoon. I felt cheated. The characters were not as well developed as I would have wished, nor did you really care it they lived or died. Although the idea was good, and the use of a heroine was interesting, the execution was not there. I did not feel my normal high when I finished this book. Instead, I felt stupid for not putting it down much, much earlier. Philip Shelby, you really made a monkey out of me!

Written in the John Grishim way, easy and fun to read.

A few things you will find about Shelby's titles:

1. His characters are more analytical than emotional. 2. There is always a super villian, a man, run by a powerful organization/person. 3. A woman who has a mentor and is the target of the villian. 4. Fast paced action with almost every form of killing imaginable included.

All in all, very entertaining. I enjoy Shelby. He keeps me up at night. His stories should be made into movies.

By the way, I liked GateKeeper more than Days of Drums.

I was first introduced to Shelby when his first book, Days of Drums was touted by People Magazine. I bought it, enjoyed it and have since purchased Shelby's books as soon as they come out. He seems to stay true to his theme of the female heroine -- sometimes naive, but never, never stupid. In his first two books, his heroine was Holland Tylo. In this one, he kept the same four letters in the first name and gives us Hollis Fremont but towards the end of the book reintroduces us to his favorite heroine, Holland Tylo, once again. Hollis Fremont has four men in her life in Gatekeeper. Unfortunately, only one of them is ethical and the other three are even beyond being unethical -- they are disreputable and devious as well. Hollis gets enmeshed with a counter-terrorist group called Omega and danger follows. Another reviewer thought this ending was predictable....I didn't. It kept me turning the pages until the end.

While Ellison's skill as a stylist is undeniable (on the level, possibly, of even Joyce or Proust), and while with INIVISIBLE MAN he may have very well written one of the ten greatest books of the 20th century, what we have in his long-awaited, highly anticipated follow-up is nothing but a "momentary glimpse" at the greatness it could have been.

One cannot help but wonder what JUNETEENTH would have been like had the original copy not burned in Ellison's legendary house fire. Would it, in fact, even have been called JUNETEENTH? Callahan says he believes this is what Ellison intended to title his multi-volume epic, but we will never know. It is merely speculation. It is an "editorial decision," as is the whole book. And therein lies the problem with the novel.

JUNETEENTH is a monumental testament to the power of friendship and editorship (Callahan and Ellison). I am not denying the bravery and dedication it had to have taken Callahan to sort through all the disparate notes, and passages of dialogue, and sections of narrative told in the bits and pieces that Ellison left behind, and then to dare to somehow put it all together in some sort of coherent form. It was a monumental task, and Callahan is to be commended. But the final result is messy, incomplete, and largely unsatisfying.

As the editor of an unfinished volume, Callahan was left with making authorial decisions on the line of narrative structure, and character development development, etc. He had to repeatedly ask himself (as editor) questions that only an author can fairly ask, and so I'm afraid the book is finally more Callahan's than Ellison's.

While there are scenes in JUNETEENTH that hint at Ellison's lyrical and haunting brilliance, the "jigsaw puzzle" effect of the storyline is finally disappointing, leaving me with a mixture of emotions--sadness that Ellison never lived to finish his great life work, and anger that JUNETEENTH, as we have it, is a novel that maybe never should have been published.

Juneteenth was a difficult, but worthwhile read. I have read "Invisible Man" and have been exposed to his prose and masterful imagery before and was somewhat prejudiced about reading "Juneteenth". However, I was not disappointed. The author very rarely slips out of Ellison's prose and carries the mood, the scenes and the language well. It is by no means an easy piece of literature to read. The story is serves as a background to the more prominent foci of the novel which are Ellison's highly descriptive and detailed scenes, the deep-rooted, backwoods southern language and the psychological escapades of a young boy. This book takes some determination to read as it takes much effort to grow accustomed to Ellison's style and I recommend reading "Invisible Man" before reading "Juneteenth". However, despite the work, I enjoyed the novel overall and at times was captivated by the wild scenes and intrigued by the thoughts of Bliss.

Of course, this book was difficult to read at times. Anyone who has read Invisible Man had to expect that. Nonetheless, there is a complicated genius that emerges in Ellison's life-work the same way Joyce's Ulysses rewards those who make it to the end. I tried reading this book at the beach, which was a mistake. I was more successful finishing it at home with a serious outlook, an overstuffed chair and long sittings. Whatever you do, don't quit in the middle.

Ellison captures the ambiguity of racial and ethnic heritage in the identities of individual characters. While the large racial drama has played out through our country's history, individual players have lived in their own unique spaces within the play. Hickman and Bliss are exquisitely drawn examples.

Sales Dogs is a great book. It should the first book you read if considering being in sales. The books shows how salespeople are very similar to dogs. (Not to be taken literaly) The pit bull being the aggressive yes or no type. The chihuahua knows all the facts he gives you fact after fact after fact and you just cant say no. The golden retriever is best for customer service because he is committed to being the nicest. The basset hound is the type you rely on for trustworthiness and reliability and the poodle is best for marketing because the person is dressed the best and looks the best. Sales Dogs is a great book for starting in sales and it is humorous as well. You will enjoy it.

This is a wonderful new book written as part of the new Rich Dad's Advisors series. Robert Kiyosaki has asked some of his closest friends to write books on their areas of expertise. Blair Singer stepped forward to contribute his take on salsemenship.

'Sales Dogs' is pretty straightfoward. It's a series of comparisons between different types of sales people and different breeds of dogs.

Have you ever seen the movie 'Glengary Glen Ross'?? I kept thinking of those characters as I read this book. There's the fierce Pit Bull (Alec Baldwin) who moves in quickly for the kill. There's the old fashioned, loveable Bassett Hound (Jack Lemmon)... who gently walks up to you and nudges your leg and then there's the ultra smooth talking, highly polished french poodle (Al Pachino).

I loved this book. It makes some really great comparisions between man's best friend.. and man's (occasional) worst enemy. If you are in the pursuit of financial literacy, I highly recommend this one, with any or all of the other 'rich dad' books.

As a sales manager I am always looking for books that will not only help me but more importantly help my employees. Sales Dogs is perfect for this. I purchased it at an airport bookstore and was nearly finished with it by the time I landed at my destination. It kept me engrossed and was very easy to read. The comparison of various breeds of dogs to different sales styles was quite creative and helped keep the material lite and enjoyable while at the same time educational. This book is perfect for the young sales rep with under 5 years experiance. It will help them identify what sales style fits them best rather than trying to be something they are not. Sales Dogs also will help them understand the importance of stretching beyond their own sales style and adopting some of the positive traits of the other "breeds" of sales reps, even if it takes them outside of their comfort zone. I manage a group of 12 inside sales reps selling office equipment for a forutne 500 company. All of my reps have less than 5 years experience in sales so I will be purchasing 12 more copies of Sales Dogs. For the more experienced sales professional, this book is still very enjoyable and offers some helpful insights, however, if you've been in the sales game for a long time (and your still at it) you've probably already figured out, the hard way, what style works best for you. I only wish I had had this book when I started out, it might have saved me considerable time and frustration.

Not a novelization but more like a scrapbook of articles, emails, etc. regarding the characters in BW2, it does offer some insight on the muddled plot of the movie and the characters, but the problem is that it's not nearly enough! Many questions are still to be resolved regarding the Blair Witch herself and her powers. And nothing is said about the Wiccan girl character that in the movie "communes" with the Blair Witch. The best part of the book is the inclusion of an alleged pulp magazine story which mentions the Book of Shadows (which was nowhere to be seen in the movie by the way). In short, interesting but lacking somewhat.

This book is a companion piece to the second Blair Witch movie. It gives some more information left out of the film. It becomes a little annoying at times because like the movie, it never has a definite answer. Like THE BLAIR WITCH DOSSIER, this is really a further investigation into what happened. It reads like a special episode of UNSOLVED MYSTERIES. Only at the end when it reprints an old story that reads like a SHERLOCK HOLMES story does it become weak.

While the "BW2" movie will probably never gain the same affection in the hearts of the public in the same way as it has with Blair Witch fanatics, this book should help push it a tad more in that direction by explaining a thing or two. Like the previous bestselling "Blair Witch Dossier", it is full of "real" newspaper clippings, evidence, etc. which are both fun to browse through and essential reading for diving even further into the film itself.

One of the things I love about both books is that D. A. Stern really develops the characters and allows them to all truly shine. He's really having a blast here, and you can just imagine him putting all this together while giggling to himself and thinking, "Man, is this FUN or WHAT?" I only wish I could have had such an opportunity myself to create something like this for someone.

I don't want to give away too much, I'll just list one detail which won't give away any secrets: an excellent example of how this volume doesn't merely "present" the characters but actually adds to their personalities is on pages that are supposed to be Kim Diamond's "Tour Questionnaire" that she filled out when signing up for The Blair Witch Hunt (you recall her, the cool Goth chic psychic). For the following choices, here's how she answered:

EMAIL: gothgrrl@coolmail.com (NOTE: Yes, it's fake. -C.C.)
OCCUPATION: Genius

SLEEPING BAGS AND TENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL TO ALL OVERNIGHT TOUR GUESTS AT A NOMINAL COST: YOU CAN SUPPLY YOUR OWN, IF DESIRED.
[ ] I PLAN TO BRING MY OWN CAMPING GEAR
I NEED TO RENT A
[ ] SLEEPING BAG
[ ] TENT
(She leaves the above choices blank, and instead writes here "What's a tent?")

MEALS ARE INCLUDED IN THE COST OF YOUR TRIP. PLEASE LIST ANY SPECIAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS IN THE SPACE BELOW:
(She writes "Beer".)

ANY OTHER COMMENTS?
(She answers, "What do we hunt with? Should I bring a gun?")

You get the idea. The book is filled with such personality details which really make it all the more believable and make you really want to believe that these characters are *real people* as opposed to mere cyphers set up in a spook film.

And now that I look at it, I can't help wondering what the actual actors think of it, especially since this is all using their real names just as with the first movie. I get the impression that they must get a kick out of it all and joke about it quite a bit (I can just see them asking friends, "Do I look particularly DEAD to you this morning?").

Whether you enjoyed "BW2" as much as I did or were confused enough to the point that you simply want some answers, check this one out. You'll dig it immensely.

Oh, and I do want to mention one last thing. A big one.

Again without giving away anything, I do want to clarify something for the cynics of the film concerning the biggest major gripe they've had regarding the movie: yes, you WILL find out within these pages exactly what "The Book of Shadows" is. But that's all I'll reveal. Buy it and you'll see.

But in the meantime, I'll be cheerfully singing, "I know something you don't knnnnoooow......" ;)

It's quite hilarious, what people will believe. I do not see why people contradict the DNA evidence and the fact that Anna Anderson didn't look at all like the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna. It's quite pathetic, this woman, a psychopath who grew into her role as the "lost grand duchess". There needs to be a better memoriam to the girl, not the crazy woman who said she was she. It's absolutely laughable.

Lovell's work is clearly inferior to Peter Kurth's on the same subject. While Kurth relied on archival material, Lovell apparently preferred to focus on more bizarre aspects of the Anastasia claimant's story - in this case, the possibility that Nicholas and Alexandra had a 5th daughter. The fact that there is no evidence of this does not stop the late Mr. Lovell.

This book is bound to disappoint both the supporters of Mrs. Manahan and those who accept the DNA evidence that she was not Anastasia. For the former, Lovell brings up matters and associations her supporters would have rather not seen published. For those who do accept the scientific evidence, this is a rather sad tale of a woman who wanted to be someone else.

Every little girl and teenager who is and was a history
lover can not help but be drawn in by the tale of the
youngest Grand Duchess and her possible escape. Lovell
however, tends to ramble in his book, when he could have
gotten to the point much quicker. He portrays her
as a semi nut case who went through so much trama she could
barely remember to brush her hair let alone her name.
DNA has supposedly proven that she was a polish factory
worker but there are still too many unanswered questions for
romantics like me to be satisfied. Why did the autopsy on
Anna Anderson reveal she had a child but the polish factory
worker never did? Did the autopsy also show the extensive
bone damage to her face as a young girl? How can you get a
scar exactly like that of a Russian bayonet in a explosion? (What are the odds) How come on Olga's death bed in Canada she
keep repeating, "my niece, what have I done to my niece".
All I know is DNA can say what ever I want it to, if it is my
lab and under my control. If everyone is so positive that
all were killed in the cellar why won't they allow
DNA testing and comparisons on the remains of others claiming
to be Romanovs, like Heino Tamov and his family.
With the laws in Russia as they are, they have a lot to lose.
If someone could prove they were a from the family of the
last CZAR then they have to give everything they confiscated
back. Pretty scary for them.

At first glance, you might say that "The Trumps" is another well-written biography of the highly successful Trump patriachs. And while
some of the content is fair and accurate, it is quite obvious that for the most part, the book was written by a third-rate novelist with a
first-rate agenda. The negative tone she sets of the Trumps, sometimes blaring, others not; and particularly of Donald, is proof that she
can only envy the great success each has had. She takes every oppurtunity to spin that, without government subsidies, none of these
would have ever achieved greatness. The book was indeed, an interesting read, but if you can't stand the envious musings of a not-so well
known author who lives to bash those who have accomplished anything, steer clear. I was able to handle it because I enjoy controversy.
Throughout the tome, the writer provides misrepresentations of various documented facts, including even mistitling well-known
executives! Clearly, a segment of the American public does not like "The Donald"; typically because they are phonies who hate all
successful people. However, unlike this book, Trump's three titles were all #1 bestsellers. There's a reason -- they're better written and
more exciting! It's time that people like the author of this book realize that Donald Trump is nothing more than a savvy businessman
playing to the interests of his special niche; the ultra wealthy, just as this book plays to its author's class -- those repulsed by anyone who
could achieve success independently.

At first glance, you might say that "The Trumps" is another well-written biography of the highly successful Trump patriachs. And while some of the content is fair and accurate, it is quite obvious that for the most part, the book was written by a third-rate novelist with a first-rate agenda. The negative tone she sets of the Trumps, sometimes blaring, others not; and particularly of Donald, is proof that she can only envy the great success each has had. She takes every oppurtunity to spin that, without government subsidies, none of these would have ever achieved greatness. The book was indeed, an interesting read, but if you can't stand the envious musings of a not-so well known author who lives to bash those who have accomplished anything, steer clear. I was able to handle it because I enjoy controversy. Throughout the tome, the writer provides misrepresentations of various documented facts, including even mistitling well-known executives! Clearly, a segment of the American public does not like "The Donald"; typically because they are phonies who hate all successful people. However, unlike this book, Trump's three titles were all #1 bestsellers. There's a reason -- they're better written and more exciting! It's time that people like the author of this book realize that Donald Trump is nothing more than a savvy businessman playing to the interests of his special niche; the ultra wealthy, just as this book plays to its author's class -- those repulsed by anyone who could achieve success independently.

The first generation you will read about was never allowed to reach its conclusion, due to an unfortunate early death. The second and third generations of this grandfather, father, and son trio are much longer. The second generation too has recently come to a close after a very long and successful life, in excess of 93 years, and the verdict on the third is still evolving. There is no question where the business acumen was at its greatest, the talent rested with Mr. Fred Trump, the second of the three men, and his story is the one of substance. The grandfather never had a chance to play out what likely would have been a very successful life, but during the time he was a businessman he was creative, bold, and gutsy as any pioneer.

Donald Trump is certainly the most well known, for marketing himself is a large part of whom he is and what he does. He is a man who can only speak in superlatives about anything he is involved in, even if some grand and prominent project bears his name and little else. The name on a building has very little to do with who owns it, who paid for it, or who made it happen. Donald Trump's primary business is Donald Trump. His flair for promotion and obsession with how he is perceived has become his career. There is no question he has had his successful projects, but the question of would they ever have happened without his father is a legitimate one. And he probably would have had much more success and a much larger fortune had he stuck to the business he knew, developing real estate. He got sidetracked with buying an airline, paying absurd prices for casinos that still are far from trophy properties, and while he may have benefited, the holders of stock and various bond issues have not.

Fred Trump is the man you would have given your money to and slept soundly at night. He was an astute man of business, he was self-made, and he spent no time promoting who he was. In this manner he was like many other long time major developers in the NYC area that developed massive amounts of real estate and fortunes to match without having any interest in the world knowing what they were worth.

Forbes Magazine often documents the calls they receive from Donald Trump complaining about where he is listed on their richest people list. This is not something his father or grandfather ever would have contemplated, nor would they brag to anyone listening how they increased their net worth by failing to honor financial commitments. In the end his charismatic style allowed him to get financial institutions so grossly over invested in his view of the world that he could never be allowed to go bankrupt, as the lenders could not afford it.

His predecessors in the family rate much higher on substance, and the newest Mr. Trump rates highly on style. But for all of the perceived satisfaction he would have the public believes he enjoys, in the end the author portrays a man that craves publicity to the detriment of his personal life. Squiring around beautiful women makes for nice pictures, but he and it and getting a bit old.