I AM FROM CLEVELAND AND I GREW UP WATCHING HIM COVER THE SPORTS ON CHANNEL 5 NEWS. HE ALSO HAD AN EXCELLENT SHOW CALLED QUARTERBACK CLUB COVERING EACH WEEKLY BROWNS GAME. HIS CAREER IS A GREAT ONE. I THINK HIS BOOK IS VERY INTERESTING, WELL TOLD, AND ENTERTAINING. HE HAS MADE MANY RELATIONSHIPS WITH A GREAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE SPORTS WORLD. I SALUTE KEN AND HIS GREAT CAREER.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT TELLING OF HIS CAREER AND THE EVENTS HE HAS BEEN A PART OF. A MUST READ FOR CLEVELAND AND BOSTON FANS.

Ken Coleman was the announcer for the Browns and the Indians. I enjoyed reading about Jim Brown of the Browns and other football players. I remember a lot of the ball players for the Indians. They were noted for having one of the best pitching staffs in baseball in the late 1940s and 1950s. Ken was also the announcer for the Red Sox.

Although Ken Coleman was primarily identified with the Boston Red Sox, you don't have to be a fan of the Bosox to enjoy this book. (I'm a Tigers' fan.) Ken was blessed to be a part of the Cleveland Indians, Coach Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns during the days of the great Jim Brown, Cincinnati's Big Red Machine, and two stints with the Boston Red Sox, including the Impossible Dream year of 1967 (The Year of the Yaz.) The most interesting story that I found was Ken's telling for the first time the story of the decline of Indians' pitcher, Herb Score. People attribute Score's decline to the 1957 line drive off the bat of Yankees' infielder, Gil McDougald. However, Coleman relates that Score had his ankle injured in a spring training pickup basketball game in 1958 and tried to come back too soon before his ankle had a chance to heal and ended up with a sore arm. Ken provides us with a good summation of his career and his subsequent retirement from play-by-play work. He wanted to continue on a year-by-year basis, but an excuse was given that an announcer was wanted who would insure of being there for four full years. We are all remembered by what we give to others, and Ken Coleman gave his listeners and others he came into contact with a lot to remember. The Lord doesn't permit us to know all the good we do for others, but, in time, He will reward us. Thank you, Ken, for sharing your career with us.

If you love photography or are a serious photgrapher - this book is a must. A very insightful book on photography. Coleman is at his best. You don't have to agree with him on every point, but he entices you to condsider the other side.

"A. D. Coleman . . . has long been one of our most intelligent commentators on photography. And for clear, unencumbered, jargon-free writing that assumes the intelligence of the audience, he has no equal.. Critical Focus . . . illustrates the rich understanding that Coleman has brought to the medium. . . . His short pieces burst with energy, like an Andrei Codrescu commentary, and they are equally mordant, funny, and insightful. His longer works brim with ideas and clear explication. . . . [R]equired reading for anyone who values understanding photography in contemporary culture."

-- Stephen Perloff, The Photo Review, Summer 1995

"At his best, photography critic A. D. Coleman is everything one would want. He draws not only from a wealth of knowledge about how photography is made and who makes it but also from his own extensive readings in subjects beyond photo graphy. He is a lucid thinker and an elegant writer.

"All this is evident in Coleman's new book of essays, Critical Focus. In the pieces, which first appeared in the San Francisco-based magazine Photo Metro, Coleman ruminates on the big issues and big names in photography of the last five years. In praise, Coleman's prose is transcendent; in reproof, he does not mince words. . . . One hopes that in future volumes there will be more of Coleman's dry, laconic prose. "

-- Margarett Loke, ARTnews, April 1996

We have been married for twenty-seven years. Although our children are no longer at home, my husband and I were inspired by Dr. Coleman's book. We thought an alternative title could have been "How to Have a Satisfying Marriage". He recommends taking responsibility for one's own life and not looking to a partner for completion. Although a great read, Dr. Coleman's scholarly work draws on the research of anthropologists, psychologists and scientists. This is a book for all those who wish to be fulfilled in their own lives. We give this book two thumbs up!

Imperfect Harmony is a breath of fresh air for those of us who have worked to stay married, but often staying for reasons which seem socially unacceptable. This book helped validate 20 years of my life. Dr. Coleman takes a realistic view of what is going on in contemporary society, staying married for the sake of the kids. I felt even further validated by the practical tools he offers which work to finely tune my entire family system!

Marriage is not all 'happily ever after', and when the bumpy times hit, it's good to have options. This book discusses the option of staying married through the hard times. And it's a really great read !

This book doesn't suggest martyrdom (actually, it discusses the times when leaving a marriage can be the best option). Rather, it empowers us with techniques for change, methods of coping, and new ways of looking at relationships that can lead to greater marital harmony and personal happiness. I'd even suggest this wonderful book as a wedding gift, because the techniques discussed are helpful in building and maintaining strong marriages.

Kudos to Dr. Joshua Coleman for taking on this controversial topic.

"Well-known for his succinct essays and a knowledge of photography that spans nearly the whole history of it, Coleman writes in a casual, familiar style that engages the reader by informing yet never condescending. His essays are filled with facts, anecdotes and witticisms on Polaroid, Kodak, famous and long-dead artists, even a story on 'chocolate photography.' But, unlike intellectual diatribes that ramble on, seemingly in tongues, with recurrent lapses into other languages and esoteric terms, Coleman remains far from that style. . . . [T]he effect Coleman produces is like that of an old friendship. He is comfortable and honest with his audience, he shares reference points if not opinions with them. [H]is rapport with his audience is key to maintaining a warm, trusting correspondence. . . . Coleman's essays from a decade ago, like some Dickensian phantom, shake their head at our current state, showing us how little we have changed through the eighties, how much worse things have become. They seem to have known all along that things would deteriorate, and, glancing at their watch, know that time is running out."

-- Elva Ramirez, Photo Metro, Volume 14, Issue 138, May l996

"A. D. Coleman's Light Readings (1979) has long been a classic of the genre, and is now joined by two further collections: Tarnished Silver, including texts and lectures from 1979 to 1989, and Critical Focus, which covers the last few years to 1993. . . . Coleman is an intelligent, well-informed and often maliciously witty observer. . . . Not that it's possible, or even desirable, to agree with all of Coleman's opinions. . . . Never mind; it is never less than a pleasure even to disagree with the erudite Mr. Coleman."

-- John Stathatos, European Photography (Germany), Fall/Winter 1996

"Even if you read these essays when they first appeared . . . , it is very useful to have them here as a meta-review of an important transition period in the history of photography practice and criticism. . . . Coleman's writing -- open, rather folksy, but with a vocabulary that keeps the dictionary close, and full of references to other art forms -- [is] an antidote to the turgid critiques of his contemporaries . . . Another element of Coleman's criticism that I appreciate is his readiness to draw his examples from the works of obscure as well as famous photographers. . . . I was able to track down [Pierre] Molinier's work, which was new to me, and it has added insights to my long attempts to figure out Hans Bellmer's disturbing photographs of recombinant dolls. Coleman's inclusiveness, combined with his recent extensive explorations of both new and historical European photography . . . has the intended effect of breaking down the notion of an immutable canon of photo-based art. And this, in turn, helps Coleman's readers begin their escape -- it is a long way out -- from whatever corner of taste they may have been written into, Bernard Berensen-style, by Stieglitz, Newhall and Szarkowski. . . . His essays serve as a reality check, even a null set, for those of us in museums and universities."

-- Rod Slemmons, Blackflash (Canada), Fall 1996

What can I say,this is just simply a beautiful collection of poems. Sometimes I go outside, read one and just sink into the loveliness of the wild around me. These poems just really are beautiful. Highly recommended

From The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:

With this graceful book, Coleman and Masheris offer children the best reason to cherish both nature and poetry--for the sheer beauty of it. Coleman's twenty-one poems open with an invitation.

"Bicycle Trip

A poem
is like an
unplanned
trip by bicycle.
The wind of Words
blows in your ears.
Jack-in-the-pulpits.
Lady Slippers
become the handlebars.
You begin to understand
fireplugs shining in the sun,
the wild toss of bachelor buttons.
The limits of the street change, shrink--
two lane highways, a country road.
Then with an unexpected lurch
thought turns into a side dirt path
where stones and pine straw lie
and hickories grow, shaggy and gray.
A lake opens, a mountain roars.
Surprised, you're part of the landscape.

The movement of short lines to long reflects an gradually widening view, both visually and imaginatively, and the illustration that envelopes the poem also extends it across the page into a delicately tinted jungle if wildflowers. Various animals, plants, and habitats figure in the poems and pictures that follow, all bearing a close complementary relationship to one another and to the reader. This is a book that poetry buffs will want to linger over and that readers new to poetry will find alluring.

This collection of poems by Mary Ann Coleman is wonderful. She has a special way of making the simplest detail in nature awe-inspiring. The illustrations are stunning! I highly recommend it to children and adults alike.

Be careful what you order on the Net! Lauren's grandmother Allie has ordered a chess tutor program for Lauren from a company called Checkmate. The idea is to improve Lauren's chess against Josh. Both Josh and Lauren are members of the Internet Detectives. Lauren lives in Toronto and Josh lives in Portsmouth with other members Rob and Tamsyn.

Allie doesn't get her program but the Internet Detectives discover that the company is located in Perth Australia. This is good because Internet Detective Tom lives in Perth and he goes to check things out locally. He discovers that CheckMate has been raided by the police and the boss has fled out of the country.

Here's a perfect International mystery for the Internet Detectives to solve. Even their buddy Mitch in New York is involved.

Pretty cool book. But Allie never gets her program ...

The book, like the 1st one, happens around the world. In Escape Key, Rob Zanneli and Tamsyn Smith find a suit in the trash can and a buisness card and a credit card slip in the pocket of the suit. The name on the buisness card says Kelvin Moore. The credit card slip says K.M.Clark. Then, with the help of Tom Peterson, Lauren King, and Mitch Zanelli, Rob, Tamsyn, and Josh Allen find out at an internet show, during a chess game that K.M.Clark and Kelvin Moore are the same person. As soon as Josh loses to a chess grandmaster, when he says checkmate, Tamsyn speaks up and asks Kelvin Moore about his company,checKMate. The police then arrested Kelvin Moore. I don't know why.

I thought this was a great book.Rob and Tamsyn are at the airport and while they're there , they play there there own version of I Spy. They see a man who looks like a bum and then when he goes into the bathroom and changes, he comes out looking like a normal person. They find out the guy is Kevin B. Moore alias K. M. Clark and he's wanted for ripping people off. With help from their friends, Rob and Tamsyn solve the case.

This novel steps back to the begining of last century and presents a message to readers that spans over the ages."Fortress of the Heart: the Story of Anna" is a non-fiction novel that embraces the incredible journey of Anna Buchanan Coleman with such insight and clarity that the reader is sure to recognize her in a strong woman they know personally.
Coleman-Wells reached with both hands into the colorful tapestry that her mother, Anna, called life. As a result Ms. Wells constructed a masterpiece. This book could have gone several directions as far as theme. Anna Buchanan's life was chocked full of gender discrimination, racism, colorism,abuse, economic disadvantages, struggle for higher education being a minority....the list goes on.
Instead of focusing on negative circumstances that Anna endured, Shirley Coleman Wells plucked the gold thread of her mothers life to immortalize in this book as Anna's legacy...simply love. Out of bitter tears, lonliness, hurt,and abandonment sprang love that was well appreciated by Anna, like a cooling rain after a drought.
This novel, although heart wrenching and tear jerking at several points, celebrates life. The proverbial "calm after the storm" is personified in the life of Anna as a result of her strength, faith,resolution and service to others. "Fortress of the Heart" could have spanned several categories including drama, suspense, horror, romance and educatonal. But undoubtedly, after the last page is read, the reader will surely agree there is only one category that does this book justice........as a classic.

An inspirational story of how the hate of prejudice was overcome by the love of friendship. A most enlightening, thought provoking book, that touches the heart and soul. This is a must read for adults and children alike.

What a story! What heartache she went through and what trials and tribulations to have to endure as a child. Every chapter keeps you crying with her or laughing with her or yelling horray for you Anna. Everyone should read this book to find out what life can really be like with stupid prejudices and then find out how life can be without them. Should be required reading in the schools.

This fall (10/5, I believe) it will be one hundred years to the day that Moberly and Jourdain saw the Ghosts of Versailles. I expect to be there around then and if I get a chance to lurk around the Petit Trianon and see anything, I'll add to this review. I thought I'd point this out to anyone else planning to be in Paris at the time. Ghosts seem to like me, the chances are good. Watch for my next review on The Days of the French Revolution, another 5-star.

Let me start by saying I just came home from Paris where Ipicked up this book in French at Versailles and read it late everysingle night! If you want it in English, amazon.uk will special order it. I first saw this as a movie on PBS, "Mrs. Morison's Ghosts," about 20 years ago and never forgot it. At the time I didnt know if it was fiction or nonfiction and couldn't find the book because the title was different and the authors did not use their real names for the first edition. This book, published first in 1911 and many times since, was a best seller in England and France. "les Fantomes de Trianon" or "Ghosts of the Trianon" not only includes the original story, but the painstakingly detailed research the authors did to track down and authenticate everything they had seen, their three subsequent visits to Versailles, and various analyses of their experience, which amounted to stepping across a time warp. As my version points out, mankind has conquered the speed of sound and the speed of light, so why shouldn't we someday be able to break through the barrier of time? I found both the book and the movie thrilling and thought-provoking. This story has not had the publicity it deserves.

By the way, I've hung out in the gardens of Versailles on two occasions so far, and both times there were repairs in the area of the Petit Trianon, so I wasn't able to see if I could duplicate their experience. If I ever do, I'll let you all know!

A thorough and absorbing re-examination of the curious story of two proper English ladies - Miss Moberly and Miss Jordaine - who went for a stroll one hot summer day in 1900 and came back convinced that they had traveled through time and seen Marie Antoinette. This is one of the world's great, unresolved ghost stories, and this slim volume does a very in-depth examination of exactly what these ladies may have seen and exactly how their story has been dealt with down through the decades. Thought provoking and very satisfying for the reader of true life ghost stories. I literally searched for this book for years and finally finding it was well worth my long, long anticipation. Highly recommended.

Legend is a wonderfully enjoyable story that will give you tears from every possible mood you can be in. Why it is listed in Amazon with Loren D. Estleman's name first is beyond me, he did not put this book together. I think it was Robert J. Randisi. At any rate, in my opinion all of the authors put in their best work. A book to be read again.

Another great anthology from some of the best western writers ever, and this is just a beginning. We can look forward to more great fiction from the new Western Writers of America anthology to be released next year. Great news for the genre! Meanwhile, read LEGEND!

I just recently finished Legend and throughly enjoyed it. I admit that I read "most" of the part about Speaks first love. Overall this was a very enjoyable western that kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. I have already passed it on to my neighbors father who enjoys westerns.

This book is one of the very best BattleTech novels I've read. It combines a nice balance of "palace intrigue" and guns-blazing action.

We follow the strategies of the Steel Wolf clan's commander, Torrent, who is trying to take over the planet for his clan. Also, the conflict is heated further by the meddlings of a kind of private army called the "Swordsworn." These Swordsworn pretend to be defending the Republic, but they have a hidden agenda that is self-serving, and a raw grab for power. Then last, there is the planet's native government, trying to defend against these factions.

All these intrigues explode into conflict, and they result in hot action at a number of points in the book. But as in many of these books, bullets alone cannot solve the problem. Raul and the planet's defenders have to unravel the skein of entangled betrayals and loyalties. In the end, strategy and craftiness by Raul and his friends prevail where bullets alone have failed.

Another fascinating character is Tassa Kay, a beautiful and mysterious woman who flirts with Raul repeatedly. She is also a master mechwarrior. Her Ruyken mech is a fascinating ride for a fascinating pilot. Bring her back in future novels, please!

The book's protagonist, Raul, is a kind of futuristic "Horatio Alger" -- the poor "loser" who makes good and prevails. Raul is a failure who has "washed out" from military cadet training. But with the onset of a war, and because of several extraordinary happenings, he winds up piloting one of the planet's few battlemechs. And piloting it very well-- turns out that Raul is a "natural" -- a gifted mechwarrior.

Every aspect of this book deserves praise. The descriptions, the characters -- who seem sympathetic and real -- and the plotting. As for the "Dark Age" setting of the current battletech books-- I am still groping to understand it, but am willing to give it a chance. I do wish the editors would include more graphics such as drawings or maps. The maps that are supplied seem wrong somehow. One cannot find some of the very planets that are key to the story. Are these old graphics that were dragged out of someone's drawer, rather than commission new graphics?

There are some "dumb" errors in dates. Some of the chapter heading dates substitute "May" for "March," which is what they should read. There are a few other inconsistencies or errors of detail that suggest the copy editing is pretty thin at the publisher's. However, these books are not Shakespeare-- they are intended to meet a popular demand and probably go through the publishing cycle pretty rapidly. So we can live with it.

Some of us have read a number of Loren L. Coleman novels during the years that BattleTech novels have been coming out. We have seen him go from a green rookie writer toward greater experience. At this point, he is really getting good. Keep it up, Mr. Coleman!

All in all, folks, purchase of this book is money well spent.

Patrick J. Callahan

I do have to say that I was one of many who groaned about Loren L. Coleman writing this book but I was definitely and pleasantly surprised.

Great story and great characters! I love the idea of the not-so-great pilot redeeming himself and becoming a hero. Many of the BT novels told stories of gifted pilots who just needed a chance to hone or test their skills and prove to everyone that blah, blah, blah... I definitely prefer the story of the underdog as opposed to some mechwarrior prodigy like Kai Allard Laio or Morgan Hasek Davion.

Like I said, great story with some awesome characters (look for Tassa Kay to show up later). Also to Loren L. Coleman, great job with the Classic Battletech site. It is definitely appreciated.

I found this book to be a great starting point for the new Mech warrior: Dark Ages. I hope the books will continue this trend.