2/28/11

I finished reading a very interesting food history book today. This book is "Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States" by Andrew Coe and is the chronicle of how today there are 40,000 Chinese restaurants across the United States. This all began in 1784 when the first Americans landed in China and were the first to eat Chinese food. From there Chinese food went from curiosity to disgust and then desire. And in 1848 Chinese immigrants came to California and brought their food with them. Chinese restaurants appeared on the West Coast and then migrated to the East Coast and were soon established throughout the United States. During that time the Chinese immigrants have had to deal with racism and culinary prejudice and today have shaped American tastes. A very interesting book about food, culture, and attitudes. I am thinking that this book should go with "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food" by Jennifer 8. Lee.

I am now reading two books "Joe Louis: Hard Times Man" by Randy Roberts and "The Keys of Egypt: The Obsession to Decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphs" by Lesley & Roy Adkins and both are compelling reads.

2/27/11

I attended this afternoon's 15th Annual Kansas Silent Film Festival and it was very enjoyable. As usual the KSFF was a delightful event. Fifteen years is so remarkable.

I finished reading "Sam Dreben: The Fighting Jew" by Art Leibson which was a very good read. The issue that I am planning to put together about soldiers-of-fortune should be very interesting.

2/26/11

Last night was the start of the 15th Annual Kansas Silent Film Festival in Topeka, Kansas at Washburn University. It's been going on for fifteen years and this year is a three day event. Most impressive!

Not feeling well I didn't go last night to the KSFF, but I went to the festival today. And at the festival I got to talk to Annette D'Agostino Lloyd about her excellent biography "Harold Lloyd: Magic In A Pair Horn-Rimmed Glasses and Other Turning Points in The Life and Career Of A Comedy Legend" which I also her to autograph. She was very nice and it turned out that I had actually met her at some of the Keaton Festivals. And the Saturday KSFF was delightful.

I also put out fifty bookmarks at the festival and fifty bookmarks at the Topeka Public Library.

I also went over to Hastings where I got two books that I am looking forward to reading. "Joe Louis: Hard Times Man" by Randy Roberts and is the biography of heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis who reigned for more than eleven years. And as an African-American in the racist United States he had to overcome so much to become the legend he was. The other book I got is "The Keys of Egypt: The Obsession to Decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphs" by Lesley & Roy Adkins and is the story of Jean-Francois Champollion, the brilliant son of an impoverished bookseller, who was obsessed with breaking the code of the ancient Egyptian texts. At sixteen years of life he decided to dedicate his life to the decipherment of hieroglyphs.

2/25/11

After reading the books I did about the history of the banana industry in Central America in the 19th and 20th century I became fascinated by the soldiers-of-fortune and recently I've been reading biographies of some of the soldiers-of-fortune. And today I have started reading about the life of Sam Dreben in "Sam Dreben: The Fighting Jew" by Art Leibson who left Russia at sixteen and immigrated to the United States . Dreben started off in the U. S. Army fighting in the Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection and after leaving the Army he became a professional soldier fighting in Central America. He then served in the U. S. Army during World War One where he was highly decorated. But after World War One his life wound down and he died due to a medical error. I'm looking forward to reading this.

2/24/11

I finished reading "Hi-Ho Steverino!: My Adventures in the Wonderful Wacky World of TV" by Steve Allen which was a very good read. Steve Allen's memoir of his career in television from the "Golden Age" until the nineties made for an excellent read and very humorous too!

2/22/11

I finished reading "Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became A Count" by Jill Jonnes which was a very good read about the history behind the World's Fair in Paris and the reason for the building of Eiffel's Tower and the fate of the tower after the end of the fair. Jonnes also chronicles Buffalo Bill's career and fate after the fair, the same with Eiffel, James Gordon Bennett, and the artists whose work appeared at that World's Fair. This book was a very interesting read as the writer made the history seem so alive. Just a very good read.

I am now reading "Hi-Ho Steverino!: My Adventures in the Wonderful Wacky World of TV" by Steve Allen in which Allen chronicles the start of his career from radio in the early forties his entry in television at the start of television. How he hosted the first Tonight Show that Johnny Carson would copy from. And his continuing career in television up to the 1990s. I am not sure if I've read this book before as I could't find any journal entries for it and I really don't remember reading it. But it is a very good read which I will put together with other memoirs of television.

2/20/11

I finished reading "My 20 Years Running the National Enquirer: The Untold Story" by Iain Calder and it is his memoir chronicling his career in journalism that started at the age of sixteen in Scotland and then moved to London where he became the head of the Enquirer's London bureau. At that time the Enquirer as a collection of glory photos of car crashes and murder victims. Calder then was move by Pope to the American office of the National Enquirer, where he and Pope transformed the tabloid and, in the process, American journalism. In Calder's career with the Enquirer he moved up to being editor-in-chief, got to know the publisher Gene Pope, and was at the Enquirer when it was making tabloid history. An interesting memoir that chronicle the changes that took National Enquirer from the newsstands to the supermarkets and changed American journalism. Just delightful.

I have started reading an other book by a writer that I really admire. When I read "Conquering Gotham" by Jill Jonnes the story of how the Penn Railroad was able to enter New York City with their railroad by building a tunnel under the Hudson River from New Jersey, which was a truly monumental feat and then building the original and grand Penn Station is a breathtaking read. But then when she writes about when the classic Penn Station was torn down, a true tragedy, was so heartbreaking. An incredible read. And then I read her book "Empires of Light" the unbelievable saga of the "War of of the Electric Currents"in which Thomas Edison (of DC current) took on Nikola Telsa and George Westinghouse (of AC current) to prove that AC was dangerous was just as captivating. And now I am reading her book "Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became A Count" which is a chronicle of the Paris Exposition that heralded the century of technology that was to come and those colorful characters at the World's Fair. Thus far a captivating read!

2/18/11

I am now reading "My 20 Years Running The National Enquirer: The Untold Story" by Iain Calder which is his memoir of his career in journalism from the age of sixteen in Scotland to his career with the National Enquirer from running the London bureau to coming to America as editor and then editor-in-chief to change The National Enquirer into the most popular tabloid in the United States that would change journalism. This is a very fascinating read as have been the other books I've been reading about the tabloids and The National Enquirer in the past few months.

I started reading The National Enquirer way back in the early seventies and I continued reading it for about twenty years until I lost interest in it. It seems that the time I lost interest in the Enquirer was when Gene Pope, the publisher, died. But for those years it was an interesting read.

2/16/11

I finished reading an excellent biography about one of the greatest silent film comedians in cinema history. And unlike many entertainers he held onto his money and kept his fortune. And this biography, "Harold Lloyd: Magic In A Pair Horn-Rimmed Glasses and Other Turning Points in The Life and Career Of A Comedy Legend" by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd, chronicled his humble beginnings in Nebraska to the career in Hollywood where he started off as a "Tramp-clone" to becoming the classic "Glass Man." An excellent biography and a delight to read.

2/14/11

I finished reading "Inka Dinka Doo: The Life of Jimmy Durante" by Jhan Robbins and it was a very good read. I just could not put down this book. His life was not only tragic but also very enlightening on who he conquered his pain.

I am now reading "Harold Lloyd: Magic In A Pair Horn-Rimmed Glasses and Other Turning Points in The Life and Career Of A Comedy Legend" by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd that is starting off as a very good read.

2/13/11

I went up to KCMO today and went over to Prospero Books on west 39th Street. While there I put out fifty bookmarks and bought a book.

The book I bought is "Inka Dinka Doo: The Life of Jimmy Durante" by Jhan Robbins the biography of the all-around entertainer. Jimmy Durnate grew up in the Lower East Side of New York City in what was considered to be the worst slum in America at the beginning of the 20th century. He escaped the poverty by becoming a ragtime piano player in sporting houses and taverns, and then moved into working and then managing speakeasies, to writing humorous songs, to becoming a comedian who performed in burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway, the movies, radio, and then television. Just an amazing story. And I am now reading this biography. I was very surprised to find this book and am very delighted to be reading it.

2/12/11

I finished reading two books and both were very good reads.

I finished reading "The Barnstormer and The Lady: Aviation Legends Walter and Olive Ann Beech" by Dennis Farney the biography of Walter and Olive Beech that chronicles their legendary work in the field of aviation and how the two were pioneers in aviation and how important they both were to the advancement of aviation in the United States. A must needed biography of two amazing pioneers.

I also finished reading "The Man Who Deciphered Linear B: The Story of Michael Ventris" by Andrew Robinson and is the story of Michael Ventris who took on the task of deciphering Linear B that had baffled many including Arthur Evans who believed he had discovered the palace of King Minos. This biography chronicles the life of Ventris and the steps that he took to reveal Linear B. A well written biography.

2/11/11

I finished reading "The Story of Ernie Pyle" by Lee G. Miller which was a very good read about a roving journalist who chronicled the life of Americans during the Great Depression and then chronicled World War II from the view of the GIs' who fought from Africa to Europe in his articles that were widely read . Pyle then went to the Pacific Theater where a sniper took his life. This biography not only chronicles the life of the journalist but also the life of the man and how his life became so extraordinary. It was a very good read and learned much about Ernie Pyle from the writer who was Pyle's boss and friend.

2/10/11

Thanks, again, to Wired.com I have found out about a multimedia conference which is taking place at the end of this month in California. TED 2011 to which I am sending one hundred bookmarks. I think that this is a good decision as it will allow more people to know about Bookview. Think outside the box!

2/9/11

Although I am reading "The Story of Ernie Pyle" by Lee G. Miller, I have also started reading "The Barnstormer and The Lady: Aviation Legends Walter and Olive Ann Beech" by Dennis Farney which tells the story of Walter and Olive Beech who first met at the Wichita aircraft manufacturing company TravelAir where he was one of the owners and sellers of the planes produced and she was his secretary. After they married, and at the height of the Great Depression, they started Beech Aircraft Corp. that would become the leaders of producing planes that would prove to be legendary. And how, after Walter Beech's death, she took over running the company that became a major corporation, transformed Wichita into "Aircraft Capitol of the World," and transformed aviation. An excellent biography of two aviation pioneers.

2/8/11

I finished reading "The Money: The Battle for Howard Hughes's Billions" by James R. Phelan & Lewis Chester. Which was the amazing chronicle the mysterious life of Howard Hughes and how he was controlled by his mental and physical illness and by his keeper and the fight over his billions after his death and the twists and turns throughout this complicated story. A truly fascinating story and is totally engrossing.

I am now reading "The Story of Ernie Pyle" by Lee G. Miller a biography of the journalist whose achieved fame in the thirties by traveling through the United States writing a column about what he saw and experienced. And during World War II, before his untimely death in the Pacific Theater, wrote about the GIs' and their lives in combat. Ernie Pyle was a well loved reporter and Lee G. Miller, as his editor and friend knew him very well and has written a very good biography which I am enjoying reading.

2/6/11

After spending time cutting out bookmarks I decided to get out and so I went over to Half Price Books and I found some very interesting books

"The Man Who Deciphered Linear B: The Story of Michael Ventris" by Andrew Robinson and is the story of the short life Michael Ventris who cracked the code of Linear B. Back in 1900 was one of the great archaeological finds and it was made in Crete. Arthur Evans discovered what he believed was the palace of King Minos. In the find were clay tablets with a mysterious script written on them--Linear B. Evans and others became obsessed with the decoding of this text. In 1952 Michael Ventris, a complex and private figure, did that. Looks to be a great read.

"The Money: The Battle for Howard Hughes's Billions" by James R. Phelan & Lewis Chester and chronicles the amazing story of Howard Hughes and his billions. After his mysterious death began the most bizarre story of what happened after that. How Hughes's addictions and illnesses, both mental and physical, not only led to his death but brought about a group of handlers that were determined to control Hughes and after his death his money. The kooks that came out the woodwork with wills and other claims to Hughes's billions. And Will Lummis, a cousin of Howard Hughes, who wanted to make things right and expose those who did the harm.

I am now reading "The Money: The Battle for Howard Hughes's Billions" by James R. Phelan & Lewis Chester and it a very fascinating read. I remember when Hughes died in 1976, but I didn't know how complex the fight for Hughes's billions was. I have reviewed two other books about Howard Hughes and plan to put this book with them for a very interesting issue.

2/5/11

I have cut out eight hundred bookmarks which I have stuffed into eight envelopes which will be going out to eight conventions in March 2011. Now all I need to do is send them out. Should be neat.

2/3/11

I found eight conventions taking place next month (Wild West Con 2011, IAFA 32, FOGcon, Madicon 20, LunaCon 2011, Affie Con 42, MidSouthCon 29, and Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition) so I have put together for each convention packets of 100 bookmarks each. Which I will send ou very soon. I am very pleased about this.

I finished reading a book today. This was "Walker: The True Story of the First American Invasion of Nicaragua" by Albert Z. Carr and it is the biography of adventurer William Walker. He was a doctor and newspaper publisher who, five years before the Civil War led 58 freebooters to Nicaragus and waged war and began president of the country. His goal was for a mighty America that stretched from sea to sea. But two years later he was brought down by the business interests of Cornelius Vanderbilt and wound up being executed by a Honduran firing squad. William Walker was one of the first American freebooters to see Central America as a place to be exploited. After reading "The Banana Men" I am just fascinated by this mostly forgotten history. And this biography of William Walker was an excellent read.

2/1/11

Way back in my childhood I collected comic books and baseball cards, as did my friends. We traded them and played with them. Eventually my baseball card collecting stopped although the comic book collecting continued. Then in the eighties when I was attending conventions and working out a comic book store I watched as baseball cards and comic books become an "investment ." Something to pin your retirement on or to pay for your child's education. I watched as the both became more expensive to own and speculators pushed hobbyists out. And then in the nineties it all went bust.

I finished reading a book today that chronicles one of the Holy Grails of baseball collecting and the market of collecting that became madness. This book is "The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and The True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card" by Michael O'Keeffe & Teri Thompson and it is the story of the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card that is considered to be the sought-after collectable baseball card in the world. This two million dollars card has not only bought the collectors, but the speculators, the counterfeiters, and the people who profit from what used to be a pastime for kids. A very fascinating read that brought back memories of the comic book world.

(c) copyright 2011 by William Tienken