Our Picks Reviews - Page 29

Take a trip to “The Rock,” the windswept island off the San Francisco coast that was home to one of America’s most notorious prisons from 1934 to 1963. This collection of more than 200 rare black-and-white photos depicts guards, prisoners, wardens, cellblocks and the once-thriving civilian life that sprang up outside the forbidding, virtually escape-proof walls. You’ll be fascinated by this glimpse into the evolution and transformation of a storied American landmark with more than one tale to tell—military fortress, federal penitentiary and, finally, national park.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Babe Ruths’ bat… A plaster casting of Bob Feller’s fabled fastball grip… Cy Young’s glove. Elegant color photos of these and other iconic displays of legendary baseball memorabilia, all enshrined at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., make this classy collection almost as good as being there in person—with the notable exception being the mouth-watering spread of a mustard-splashed ballpark hot dog…for which there simply is no substitute.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Time-Life combed through the Motown library for this assemblage of 150 classic tunes that helped define a style, a time and a place—the Motor City—in songs like “Tracks of My Tears,” “Heat Wave” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” A bonus DVD features a collection of performance clips of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and The Four Tops from TV’s Ed Sullivan Show. For music lovers who remember how Motown’s soulful, pop-polished mini-masterpieces brought radios vibrantly to life throughout the ’60s and ’70s, this comprehensive Collection is bountiful reminder of the musical dynasty that put Detroit on the musical map.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Dashingly handsome, convertible-driving Joe Mannix (Mike Connors) is a rough-and-tumble gumshoe unafraid of dirtying up his crisp white dress shirts in this popular TV series from 1967. Cool as a cucumber even when being hit, stabbed, knocked out, shot at or taking some other kind of all-in-the-line-of-work punishment in these 24 episodes, Mannix was a detective who always solved the crime his way—much to the consternation of his bosses, who wanted him to play less by his instincts and more by the books. DVD extras include commentary and interviews with Connors and co-star Joseph Campanella.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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For two decades, the “Bathroom Readers Institute” has been cranking out easy-to-pick-up, hard-to-put-down collections of trivia, fun facts, stats and anecdotes perfect for browsing anywhere, anytime—including quick trips to the bathroom. Now it’s batter-up for the subject of baseball. Whether you’re a Little Leaguer or a Hall of Famer, you’ll cheer as this spunky, pint-size compendium merrily rounds the bases…then sprints across the outfield, runs into the stands and rummages through the clubhouse!
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Comic book fans will be glued to their TV screens with this collection of live-action movies bringing classic Marvel Comics crime fighters to cinematic life. Ben Affleck is the blind martial-arts superhero Daredevil (2003), Jennifer Garner wipes up bad guys as Elektra (2005) and an all-star young-Hollywood cast—including Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, Jessica Alba and Halle Berry—rocks as the multi-powered X-Men and Fantastic Four in five different big-screen adaptations. Bonus materials include a reproduction of two X-Men comic books from yesteryear, an extra disc of animated Fantastic Four adventures, another disc of digital comics, and hours of commentary and featurettes.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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You don’t have to be kosher to enjoy this all-star assemblage of Jewish entertainers singing traditional Jewish songs, a collection of 13 tunes ranging from faithful to funny. Performers include Jason Alexander from TV’s Seinfeld, pop superstar Barbra Streisand, movie funnyman Adam Sandler, David Letterman’s bandleader Paul Shaffer, pop crooner Neil Sedaka and composer Marvin Hamlisch. Whether recalling the ribald humor of the Catskills or the reverence of a Sabbath dinner table, this Songbook is a heartfelt celebration of a colorful culture that has long preserved, expressed and identified itself through music.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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See the pretty birdie outside your window? Now you can not only identify it, but hear exactly what it sounds like. Each regional edition of this innovative, interactive guidebook features a touch-activated electronic sound module with the corresponding chirps, coos, shrieks, whistles, honks, hoots, chirps and other calls of 75 feathered friends that call North America home. Close your eyes, push a button and you’ll swear you’re perched on a tree branch.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Nascar
By Brian Tarcy
Softcover, 188 pages ($14.95)

NASCAR For Dummies
By Mark Martin with Beth Tuschak
Softcover, 316 pages ($21.99)

You like the speed, the sound and the sights, but you’re not quite as geared up as you’d like when the small talk turns to NASCAR? Then buckle up for these two crash courses: everything you want—and need—to know about drivers, cars, teams, tracks, race strategies, pit stops, rules, controversies and, of course, the history and heritage of the one of America’s top spectator sports. Either book will have you talking shop in no time.
Neil Pond, American Profile

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“Driving a race car is like dancing with a chainsaw.” “You win some, lose some and wreck some.” “God created bumpers…and bumpers were made for bumping.” These words of racetrack wisdom and more than 400 other jabs, jibes, retorts and other remarks from Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and other NASCAR stars create a crisp, colorful cross-section of observations on jinxes, fans, family, money, stereotypes and other aspects of their fast-lane lives.
Neil Pond, American Profile

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