After years of focusing solely on soldier experiences of battle, historians have finally begun to examine other important aspects of the war. Of these, the prison experience has been ignored--or generalized--for far too long. Books like *Rebels at Rock Island* are important to a fuller understanding of the war and the less romanticized suffering of POWs. This and *Unlikely Allies: Fort Delaware's Prison Community in the Civil War* are excellent studies of single Northern prisons.

For an enthralling and personalized examination of one regiment's experiences in Southern prisons, look at *A Perfect Picture of Hell: Eyewitness Accounts by Civil War Prisoners from the 12th Iowa.* As a guidebook to prisons on both sides, Lonnie Speer's *Portals to Hell* is another valuable tool. McAdams joins a growing body of important Civil War prison literature. I recommend all of these books highly.

REBELS AT ROCK ISLAND is a lesson in history that has not been told in depth until Benton McAdams put into words the events that took place 136 years earlier. I live near and work in Rock Island and visit the Rock Island Arsenal often. Until I read Rebels at Rock Island, I was not aware of the details of this Civil War chapter in history that seemed to be so remote and now so close. The Confederate Cemetary maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs on the Rock Island Arsenal has always been of interest to the locals in and around the City of Rock Island. We have not had a resource to know the details of this historical landmark where 1800 Rebels are buried until Mr. McAdams pulled the documents from various sources together in a factual, yet easy-to-read book. Today this Confederate Cemetary is treated with a high level of reverence and respect to the men who took up the cause of the Confederate Flag. Prior to this book, which has given us the chilling and depressing details of the prisoner's ordeal and the extreme difficulties associated with managing a prison camp on the island, no one could artilculate the past with the present day Rock Island Arsenal. Mr. McAdams has relied on documents from various sources; one being the Rock Island Argus newspaper. The editor of the paper during the existance of the prison camp was very critical of the management of the prison. I have been able to retrieve copies of the Argus newspaper from the City of Rock Island Library which maintains much historical material available to those who may wish to read from this newspaper published during that period of time. This is a book which has interest for all who desire to learn more about the in-depth, factual events associated with a northern prison camp of the Civil War. I highly recommend the book, REBELS AT ROCK ISLAND: THE STORY OF A CIVIL WAR PRISON.

Benton McAdams does an excellent job of portraying the Civil War prison system, especially the North, in a very objective manner. His research is in-depth and is assembled in way to make the reading informative and interesting in a Shelby Foote sort of way. Mr. McAdams follows the birth, life and death of the Federal Prison at Rock Island, Illinois along the banks of the Mississippi River. This book is a must for any Civil War historian, both professional and amateur, as it hits upon topics not covered anywhere else to this level. The research includes letters, diaries, newspaper articles and Federal documents which are put together to allow the reader the feel for the day-to-day existance in the prison and surrounding area. A superior read that I liked and highly recommend.

Phil Kaufman has lived a life most of us can only dream of, and lived to write about it! Although it's hard to believe he was that close to "Sweet Connie" and didn't catch nothin'!

I first read about Phil Kaufman in the book, Hickory Wind: The Life And Times Of Gram Parsons by Ben Fong-Torres. I wanted to learn more about Phil and his friendship with Gram Parsons so I bought the book Road Mangler Deluxe. I'm glad I did. After reading his book I think he's one of the most interesting people in the music business. He's done quite a few things in his life. He's been an actor, an unsuccessful drug smuggler which lead to his time in prison, he was an executive nanny for the Rolling Stones and he's been a road manager for The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and Frank Zappa just to name a few. He still works for Emmylou Harris. He's known her since his days with Gram Parsons. He even knew Charles Manson. He first met Manson while serving time at Terminal Island prison in Califorina. Phil was there because of his previous drug bust. I think Manson's crime at this time was forgery. After both were out of prison Phil produced a record album for Charles Manson called LIE which was released in 1971. By that time Manson was back in prison because of the Tate/La Bianca murders. Road Mangler Deluxe is full of great stories about Phil Kaufman's colorful life. Gram Parsons was lucky to have Phil Kaufman as a friend. We should all be so lucky.

Comments and criticisms are welcome by the author.please contact me on rdmangler@aol.com be honest..but be gentle...thanks. road mangler deluxe(phil kaufman)

I found this novel a delightful and interesting read. The inclusion of Buddhist spirituality, an amazingly international array of characters (even a Chinese Muslim (Uighur) tavernkeeper), and emphasis on the Native American experience, make this novel deeper and more meaningful than most other novels set in the American West. Though the plot is intriguing, the novel is at its best in depicting its colorful and diverse characters (Taylor, buoyant half-Indian, with a passion for music, who pairs up with Sun moon, beautiful Tibetan nun)and settings, from a Digger Indian village to Mormon Utah. Despite its realistic depictions of the racism and violence of the period, the story remains light-hearted and humorous. Sir Richard Burton, Nile explorer and drug addict, was particularly enjoyable. It would have been more interesting if his Sufi beliefs were explored a bit further, but of course he was somewhat of a side character.

Everything about this book kis great. Awesome and *original* story line, interesting historical facts, and wild adventure. This is the first book I've ever read by Blevins, and now I can't wait to order his other books, pronto. If you like historically based novels and unique :-) story lines, this is the book for you.

This book is a first person account of a perilous journey taken across the wild west. What makes this book unique is the company the teller keeps. A half breed of unknown origins is the teller, and he is in the company of a Tibetan nun whom he has fallen in love with, and a spy for the British--who's secretly practicing a 'heathen' religion! If you like westerns...try this one! It's a western with a twist!

"Rock Dreams" perfectly captures the synapses between fantasy and reality that give R&R its emotional appeal. It is a tribute to the overwhelming power of the music that two non-Americans have so perfectly, obsessively captured the quintessence of R&R and its pull on American and British hearts and minds. Peelaert brilliantly juxtaposes American and British images--for example, putting Gene Vincent in a "teddy boy" bar. In other parts, he uncannily captures American iconography--the teenager's bedroom that accompanies the image of Fabian is absolutely, perfectly 1959. These are just a few examples; the book abounds in others, using contemporary images and photos in creative, dream/reality settings, often with stunning details. Nik Cohn's text is just the right accompaniment, an admixture of fact, supposition and poetry. Unforgettable.

This is wonderful. The illustrations and the captions complement each other so well. I loved the depiction of Dylan. Best of all is the description of the brilliant Del Shannon: 'Del Shannon may have looked and sounded like a lumberjack but he cracked like a sodajerk. He was incessantly on thr run, broke and alone and his trueloves all betrayed him. In the naked city there was an eternal thunderstorm and his teardrops mingled with the rain.' Wonderful!

I found this book in my father's collection back in the 70's before I was even a teenager. Each Icon of rock, soul, pop, country from the 50s to the early 70s is painted perfectly by Guy Peellaert inhabiting their own imaginary world. Such as The Beach Boys on the beach, the Drifters under the boardwalk, Otis, sitting at the dock of the bay, The Beatles being chased down Liverpool backstreets. Nik Cohn adds succint passages that captures the essence of our early rock heroes. Pouring over this book as a kid, kick started a life long love of rock 'n' roll. From Elvis to Oasis it all makes sense now, having attended the Peellaert and Cohn college of rock dreams. Highly recommended for all music and art lovers.

This excellent book HAS been revised, but it is now called "VH1 Rock Stars Encyclopedia". It is a 1999 edition written by the same authors of Billboard's "Rock Movers & Shakers", Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton. ............ Get it!

I totally agree with statement. I'm also in the same boat. Had the revision in my hand many of times, but never bought it, being it was only 2-3 years. A lot of bands of the 60s and 70s didn't make the book (i.e. Foghat, Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush, Robin Trower, and Spooky Tooth which was previously stated). My book looks like its been run over by a freight train, and I need a new one. Let's get the book revised soon please!

This is with out a doubt THE greatest rock & roll encylopedia ever written. My copy is from 1989 and I once saw an up-dated version from 91-92 (unfortunately didn't buy it). Have been on the lookout for a newer version ever since so I was highly depressed to see that Amazon.com has it listed as out of print. All rock fans should bombard the authors/printers with requests to publish an updated version.

I didn't really love music untill Rock and Roll was invented. I went to all the Alan Freed Rock and Roll Shows, to the Apollo, and the Murray The K shows. I am an old baby boomer, and no books that I know of are more complete and accurate the Norm N Nite's Rock N' Roll The Solid Gold Years, and the other two that followed it up. If you love rock and roll you got to have those books. I wish they would reprint them, because the condition my coppies are in is not great. The books are so great that I would buy new reprints because I have used my original quantities so much, they could be in better condition.

I bought this book way back when it first came out and also have the 2nd edition (encompasses the 60's).

I read that the price for a used copy is $30.00....WELL, I wouldn't sell mine for $300.

Over the years, it has been my most used book in my possession.

I wish I had a copy on CD....

I rate this volume and the 2nd edition 5 Stars ONLY because there is nothing higher....

For anyone who lived through the early beginnings of Rock N Roll, the 50's and 60's this book is a goldmine. It lists by artists most all of their charted records and some others that might not have made the charts but that were essential to the development of Rock N Roll.

It contains many photos, facts about the artists, months & years that the songs were released and the record labels.

I grew up during the 50's and was there when it all happened, so for anyone interested in collecting music from that period, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book

This book is like William Burroughs meets Jim Morrison ! If you're into that genre , do yourself a favor and buy this book . You will not be dissapointed . It is chock full of Dark Poetry and short stories , Mostly covering the reality of prison life and drug dependency . This book is not "sugar coated" , It is the Real Deal written by a guy who's been through as much personal hell as one could take .

Steve Fisher gave himself A lethal injection of heroin and cocaine Febuary 7th 1993 at the age of 37 . It's a shame because this book left me wanting more .

Steve Fisher's short stories are perhaps the most abrasive, meloncholy, and realistic portrayals of prison life I've ever read. He does not sugar-coat or romanticize the sadness of his own drug abuse or the realities of time spent behind bars. He conveys the lonliness of it all until you feel the sadness deep down. That's not a bad thing. And Fisher's poetry...the sweetness of his words for last love Cherry...show the reader Fisher's final years were not all filled with darkness. This is a brilliant little book.

Rock Salt and Glissandos is one of those books you're not quite sure of when you first read the title. But, after thumbing through the pages and reading a couple of paragraphs one realizes that this writing stands along side William Burroughs, Charles Bukowski and Denis Johnson as some of the best writing of our time.
Steve Fisher took the advice of his mentors well. Fisher tells us his truth about the life he knew- prison life. Raw, gritty and beautifully powerful, these stories and poems will stay with you long after you set the book down. It's a shame Steve Fisher is gone, as we won't get another chance to see where this beautiful mind could have taken us.
This book brings us the body of Fishers work, collected together for the first time by publisher and editor Jim Camp of Synaethesia Press.
Like I said, Do yourself a favor- buy yourself this book.

Joe Hilton and Greg Moore's Rock N Roll Treasures provides a selection of rock memorabilia from posters and autographed photos to guitars, games, magazines and more. An excellent music reference for collectors.

For anyone interested in the history of Rock 'n Roll --- and all its various manifestations --- this is truly a fun book to have. Page after page of full-color images, from all eras or rock's history, depicting the gamut of memorabilia that was produced to promote everyone from the Beatles to the Banana Splits! What is most remarkable about this book, and what makes it indispensable, are the many photos which document items that have never been pictured in any other memorabilia guide. Paging through this book is a mind-boggling, dizzying 'adventure.' I love it. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!

A real beauty of a book to whet the appetite of any rock and roll enthusiast. Great nostalgia piece. Features over 1,300 full color large, sharp photos of every type of rock and roll collectible. Provides info on valuing the items, grading them, buying them, selling them and protecting them. Topics range from the Beatles and Elvis to the Bee Gees and New Kids on the Block. Estimated values are provided. A MUST for everyone interested in this topic. Well worth the price.

This book has been such a blessing to me as a wife. It presents numerous ways to strengthen your marriage without making you feel like you have to follow a certain formula, and, most importantly, without making you feel overwhelmed. It explains the importance of treating your spouse as you would treat a friend, how to handle conflicts, and how to really listen to your spouse. The ideas in the book can be put into effect immediately, with just the little things of everyday life.
The best aspect of this book is that it's not written in a condescending, clinical, tone. The authors share their own mistakes and mishaps through marriage, as well as stories that others have gone through. You can laugh with these stories, take their advice, and even be grateful for the person your spouse is. All said, it's a wonderfully uplifting and encouraging book.

This book contains superb practical advice. It is the Time Life Handyman book on marriage, and emphasizes fundamental common-sense ways to be a good spouse and make your partner feel loved and valued every day. It is a refreshing antidote to the childish culture of self-indulgence that populates our media, schools, and pop-psychology literature.

Being married is hard and the authors know it. This is practical advice on how to put your marriage on the track to success. It is written from a Christian perspective, but is applicable for married people of any faith. Whether you are thinking of getting married or have been married for years, this book offers scenarios and thoughful discussion questions at the end of each chapter that is like having your own marriage counselor! It can strengthen weak marriages and make good marriages great. Get this book!

I am 15. I've been a Christian for 11 years. I've read my Bible every day of my life, and God never ceases to speak to me, even when I don't understand some of what I'm reading. I picked up The Rock and God totally rocked my world!! I understand EVERYTHING and it's so relevant to me!! I definitely recommend this!!

This book shines like a lighthouse on a dark night. Young people can be helped in making good decisions if they follow the clearly organized topics. WWJD? Becomes "Now I know what is the right thing to do in my life." Helps young adults to live in the world and not be of it. Also, I regularly read the KJV and when meaning seems muddled I can rely on this version for clear and accurate information.

For years it seems the NIV "The Student Bible" has dominated the landscape of Bibles for students. "The Rock" is-without a doubt-the new standard. The readability of the New Living Translation coupled with the excellent commentary and helps makes this the Bible of choice for my Student Ministry.