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GETTING THERE

Name: GETTING THERE
Author: Stephen B. Goddard
ISBN: 0-465-02639-7

THE EPIC STRUGGLE BETWEEN ROAD AND RAIL IN THE AMERICAN CENTURY

by Stephen B. Goddard ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 24, 1994

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A lively, sometimes polemical, but often persuasive look at the rise and decline of the once-mighty railroads and the ills of America's exclusive reliance on the ``highway-motor complex.'' The car and the interstate highway are today such pervasive features of the American landscape that it is difficult for Americans to realize that 100 years ago most cities and towns were linked only by often impassable dirt roads and by railroads. Because of this, attorney Goddard shows, railroads wielded enormous power and influence during the 19th century, incurring the enmity of other interests, especially farmers. At the beginning of the 20th century, the development of bicycles and automobiles created a demand for good roads. But, Goddard contends, it was during the First World War, when the flow of American war materiel overwhelmed the nation's rails, that American policy makers recognized the importance of developing a good national highway network. As a result, beginning in the 1920s, government, road builders, and automobile makers joined in promoting cars over railroads: ``By 1930, a dense network of interconnected paved roads linked every corner of America, and Detroit produced millions of cars and trucks that cut dramatically into the railroad business.'' This culminated in the Eisenhower administration's massive drive to upgrade interstate highways. After dwelling on the railroad's steep decline and the apparent total victory of cars and highways, Goddard discusses environmental and other ills that have attended the explosive growth of the highways, contending that, in order to remain competitive in a global economy, America will have to develop alternatives to cars and highways without relinquishing them: Among these might be high-speed rail lines and computer- guided urban traffic systems. A first-rate look at the history and problems of American mass transportation.

Pub Date: June 24, 1994

ISBN: 0-465-02639-7

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Basic Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.