No comments about Talkin' Moscow Blues: Essays About Literature, Politics, Movies & Jazz.

5 comments about The Reichmanns: Family, Faith, Fortune, and the Empire of Olympia & York.

1. Though well researched and well written, the author accepts rumour as facts, and thus published reports of personal misconduct which are totally false. It does not do justice to the tragic story of the collapse of the fortunes of a family that was world reknowed for their kindness and generosity. For those that were acquainted with the true facts, and recognize the Reichmans as the great men that they truly are, this book is a travesty.



2. For those interested in real estate development, I recommend skipping through the first half of the book and starting at page 256. From there on it is fascinating reading on the possibilities of development for those with seemingly infinite capital on hand. Paul Reichmann's passion, drive and high tolerance for risk makes for better reading than most novels.



3. As the Reichmanns anticipate another rush to the top of the heap we shall watch with amazed eyes as this family woos our imagination, yet again! As renowned as the Reichmanns have been there are still followers of scrappy success stories that do not know much about what this family, with brother and son Paul at the helm, contributed to New York City's skyline. The World Financial Center was a creation of their delicately named Olympia & York. Read this from beginning to end so that you can grasp the rise and fall and now, again, rise of this amazing family. As is usually indicative of most business minds through time, the children are not as capable as the original "originators" themselves.



4. The book discusses in great detail the Reichmann family's role both in Jewish culture over the last couple hundred years and in the real estate developement business over the last 40 or so years.

   The part I liked the best was the descriptions of 18th and 19th century Jewish life in the "oberland"(sp?) of Hungary. A lost culture, thanks not only to the Nazis but also to Jewish Emancipation.

   In a way, it is inspirational, as it shows how one family managed to integrate a healthy, traditional religious expression with philanthropy and business acumen. It also shows that you cannot understand what makes that family "tick" without understanding the rich culture and religion of orthodox jewishness.

   The greatest strength of this book, in my opinion, is that it is a _history_ of the family and its business, religious, philanthropic, and cultural dealings. It isnt the hagiography that so many business biographies in the popular press tend to be.




5. The Reichmanns
   
   The book, "The Reichmanns; Family, Faith, Fortune and The Empire of Olympia & York" by Anthony Bianco is a 668 page mind boggling tale of a family dynasty that came from nowhere and rose to one of the most wealthy families in the world in one generation. The book explains how through Paul Reichmann's insatiable drive and willingness to parlay the profit from each successful project into a much larger endeavor, their wealth exploded to over $10 billion at the peak, just before risking everything on Canary Warf on London's East End.
   
   At times it's a bit of a fight to get through the sections that are not related to business and real estate, but those sections give you a good idea about the family's morals and values and bring you closer to understanding their thinking.
   
   A memorable section is when they braved the NYC real estate slump of 1976 - 1997 and purchased eight skyscrapers from the Uris Building Corporation for $46 million down. Within a decade the package would have a value of over $3 billion.
   
   The book is packed with similar anecdotes that both inspire and encourage someone wanting to build a real estate fortune of their own.
   
   By Kevin Kingston author of, "A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate"

1 comments about Missionaries Among Miners, Migrants, & Blackfoot: The Van Tighem Brothers' Diaries, Alberta 1876-1917 (Legacies Shared).

1. College-level collections specializing in Native American or early missionary studies will welcome the scholarly Missionaries Among Miners, Migrants & Blackfoot, packed with research based on primary source material - much of it previously unpublished. Here are the transcribed diaries of brothers Leonard and Victor Van Tighem, Catholic missionaries in Alberta between 1974 and 1917.Their observations record not only their experiences but hold letters from family and associates and articles by bishops and priests of their time. An excellent acquisition for any in-depth college-level collection in Canadian or Native American history.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

1 comments about Mapping The Wilderness: The Story of David Thompson (Stories of Canada).

1. The latest in the "Stories of Canada" series, Mapping the Wilderness: The Story of David Thompson presents the amazing life story of one of Canada's greatest explorers, surveyors, and geographers. David Thompson (1770-1857) died penniless, but during his life he confronted natural hazards, harsh weather, hostile Indian tribes, and even negotiated peace with the Kootenay. He set up trading posts to compete with Americans, and single-handedly surveyed a continental area unparalleled in human history. Mapping the wilderness depicts Thompson's life in page-by-page chunks; each page features a main passage about part of Thompson's adventures, a black-and-white illustration (most of which are sketches by illustrator Chrissie Wysotski - there are no surviving portraits or photographs of Thompson himself), and a sidebar. A wonderful trailblazer's biography and glimpse of Canadian frontier history for young readers, especially recommended for elementary, middle school, and public library collections.

No comments about A Boy All Spirit: Thoreau Macdonald in the 1920s.

No comments about Medicine Man to the Inuit: A Young Doctors Adventures Among the Eskimos.

1 comments about Lord Black: The Biography.

1. A serious book on Conrad Black... After all that crap in the papers, it's good to know what's true and what's not. Here is a well writen book on a very complex man...

   I heard it's the only one of all the forthcoming books on Conrad Black with real interviews with Black himself... Nice to know.

No comments about Driving Force: The McLaughlin Family and the Age of the Car.

No comments about In the Heart of the Canadian Rockies (Mountain Classics Collection).

No comments about Kicking Against the Pricks.