A fascinating glimpse into the HO-scale world.
A model-railroader explains his obsession.
Former Grand Prix racer and sportscaster Posey was four years old in 1948, when his father brought home a Lionel train set for Christmas. Along with many other boys of his age and era, he gradually supplemented that beginner set with buildings, specialized cars and equipment, and a failed early attempt at a layout (a complete miniature setting for the trains to run through). Puberty led to other pursuits, and it wasn't until the author had a son of his own that he returned to his childhood hobby, this time with HO-scale trains, smaller but more realistic than the Lionels of his youth. Discovering that there were entire books devoted to railroading, he began to dream of creating a layout worthy of coverage in Model Railroader, the hobbyists’ bible. Sixteen years later, with the help of several professionals, Posey’s layout was complete. Along the way, he learned a great deal, not just about model trains, but about what makes his fellow hobbyists tick. As with any obsession, model trains bring out strong opinions; railroaders are divided between those who strive for utter realism and those whose layouts are a form of artistic expression. The one may center on a particular day of operation of an actual train line, each event occurring with stopwatch precision. The other might build a miniature city, complete down to the trash in the back seat of a parked car. Posey visits a number of famous layouts, each a revelation of the hold railroading exerts on its devotees. It is an overwhelmingly male obsession, and its demographic has inexorably crept up toward retirement age. With genuine charm and affection, Posey portrays the railroaders, their layouts, and the passion that drives them.
A fascinating glimpse into the HO-scale world.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2004
ISBN: 1-4000-6178-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2004
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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