ESCAPE FROM THE AMAZON!
SERENDIPITY SEEMS to occur whenever I search for a particular book—and find another that I completely forgot I had. So it is with the wonderful humor of Alex Atkinson and … Continue reading
HARRY A. FRANCK: PRINCE OF VAGABONDS
IF ANYONE ever earned the title “Prince of Vagabonds,” it was Harry A. Franck. A trip around the world sans cash? Sure. Through Germany immediately after World War I? Yep. … Continue reading
OP SHAKESPEARE
WE RECOGNIZE the sounds of Shakespearean English, that regal, full and slightly plummy resonance of the language. But this is modern theatrical English; it’s not the language as she was … Continue reading
TOM McCAHILL
THERE HAVE been lots of automotive journalists over the years, but Tom McCahill was one of a kind. He more or less invented the U.S. road test and certainly enriched … Continue reading
MOLLS, SPIVS AND GOODY TWO-SHOES
A BOOK on slang may seem like a contradiction in terms. Slang is ephemeral; books are lasting, or used to be thought so. On the other hand, historical slang is … Continue reading
COPLAND AND CULTURE
COMPOSER AARON Copland had a profound effect on American culture—and vice versa. Yesterday I shared mini reviews of some of my favorite Copland music (www.wp.me/p2ETap-1wz). Today, it’s a book review. … Continue reading
MY FAVORITE COPLAND
AARON COPLAND is the most American of American classical composers. I celebrate him here with several mini reviews of music I love. Tomorrow, I recommend a most artful book on … Continue reading
VINTAGE PARIS, BERLIN & HOLLYWOOD
WHAT WONDERFUL times they must have been: the vintage years of Paris, Berlin and Hollywood. Following World War I and even into the Great Depression of the 1930s, these three … Continue reading
MINUTES OF KNOWLEDGE
WE’RE USED to sound bites, minutely clear and succinct, satisfying despite their brevity. Curiously, there have also been literary counterparts. And, wouldn’t you know, I have a modest collection of … Continue reading
JUST JOKING AROUND
MARK TWAIN said, “Man is the only animal that laughs, or needs to.” Once our ancestors evolved open-ended thinking, they followed with a hard-wired sense of humor. And if you’d … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 