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SECRET MESSAGES

Name: SECRET MESSAGES
Author: William S. Butler
ISBN: 0-684-86998-5

CONCEALMENT, CODES, AND OTHER TYPES OF INGENIOUS COMMUNICATION

by William S. Butler & L. Douglas Keeney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2001

Not terribly scintillating, but many of the general readers for whom it’s intended will find this a useful and interesting...

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An exploration of the methodologies and social roles surrounding codes and privileged communications, from the grandiose to the minute, in peace and war.

Longtime collaborators Butler and Keeney (Day of Destiny, not reviewed, etc.) take a broad view, encapsulating in brief, easy-to-digest chapters a veritable world history of secret communication, from ancient Sparta to the Internet. Many of these topical discussions have a historical flair, incorporating the ingenuity of both obscure figures, such as 19th-century journalist and master of espionage Henri de Blowitz, and more notorious folks like Napoleon and Benedict Arnold. The authors also take their explorations into a larger cultural arena, discussing as “codes” such seemingly banal rituals as the cup-and-saucer signals utilized by the Harvey Girls (waitresses in Fred Harvey’s famed Western restaurants) or such pop crazes as the controversy surrounding the Kingsmen’s garbled rendition of “Louie, Louie.” In keeping with their previous publications on military matters, the authors also provide a brief overview of the central role of code-breaking and covert communications in recent wars. WWII gets particularly strong coverage, including a fascinating account of the Army’s recruitment of Navajo men (famed for their indecipherable language) and the story of Churchill’s pursuit, based on seemingly nonsensical transmissions, of the Nazis’ “bent-leg beam” guidance system. The substantial treatment of Vietnam is notable for a grim recounting of American POWs blinking out the message “T-O-R-T-U-R-E” in Morse code during televised interviews from the Hanoi Hilton. Finally, Butler and Keeney provide a guide to help readers develop their own simple written codes. The authors’ tone is rather bland, but their discussion is broad and informative, if at times frustratingly truncated (the section on casino scams, for example, only examines one).

Not terribly scintillating, but many of the general readers for whom it’s intended will find this a useful and interesting primer.

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2001

ISBN: 0-684-86998-5

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000

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.