Fiddleback Book Giveaway for Super Ben

[Tim the Wizard]

Hello everyone,

First off, if this thread is outside the bounds of interest for our little community here, I will withdraw the post.

I am an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction, and I have amassed quite a collection over the years. In the interest of streamlining our lives a little, I have decided to give away many books that I have enjoyed and want others to enjoy as well. I encourage everyone to try to read more!

Here is how it works: If you see a book you like, I will send it to you. You agree to reimburse shipping and donate whatever amount you feel like or that you feel is fair (a penny... a dollar... more... a Fiddleback... nothing at all) and you become the proud new owner. Most of the titles will be evident from the pictures. I will post a new picture every week. All remaining books featured here that are unclaimed will be given away to local schools and libraries.

All donations after costs will be given to Super Ben and his fight against Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2
http://www.gofundme.com/Bens-Fight-against-TSC
https://m.facebook.com/HopeforSuperBen.

I would also be happy to talk about any of the books. These are all great reads :snowman:

Set 1:

Shakespeare, Tragedies is the green book that is hard to see on the top left.

Let me know if you want one from this set or if you need clarification on the titles.

Set 2:

The medical texts are in excellent condition. Have someone in your life with dreams of being a physician?

War and Peace and the Naked Ape are masked by the light.

 

[trestle]

I'm not much of a sci-fi reader but I see Hyperion noted a lot. What's it about? And The Chronicles of Asher...familiar with the title but not the content.

I like the GAW, am all for anything that promotes reading, but I don't have much interest in another copy of the Tragedies. Please feel free to post as many books as you want, I think it's a great idea for another bit of fundraising.

 

[Tim the Wizard]

Hyperion won the Hugo award for best science fiction novel in 1990. It is the start of a series that weaves together many different tales of pilgrims among the stars. It could be described as several snapshots of life that are woven together at the macro level to create a commentary on culture and technology through metaphor. There are also meditations on religion in Hyperion.

The Book of Amber is the opus of Roger Zelazny, one of the greatest voices in science fiction.

This book is volume 1 of the 10 part book of Amber. This piece of it is short and fun.

Corwyn awakes in a hospital, drugged by a mysterious antagonist. He has no memory, and escapes in a gown after some brawling. He begins to discover abilities within himself, like the power to shift between parallel dimensions, that bring back memories of his life, his family, and his destiny among the wars of the multiverse that has implications for the very fabric of reality.

The Gene Wolfe books featured here are the first two parts of the critically acclaimed Book of the New Sun, which is a classic of modern literature and one of the most important fantasy and sci-fi works of the 20th century.


Not all the books will be sci fi, although I'm a fan of the genre. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Tim the Wizard]

Set 2 is now available:

 

[Zemapeli]

What a nice gesture. The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich looks interesting, but I have more WWII history books than I can possibly get the time to read. Nice thread. Seven Years in Tibet is a great book if you are interested in a suggestion. One of my favorite books.

 

[xxwjtxx]

Awesome thread Vayu! Some phenomenal reads in there for sure!! Now I just need to pick a few that I haven't yet read :thumbup:

 

[Tim the Wizard]

No rush JT, just refer back here now and then. I have alot of books

Re: Zemapeli. Thank you for the support. The Rise and Fall is quite a work.

Don't be intimidated by the 1100+ pages of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." It reads more like a novel than a dry historical narrative and -- trust me on this -- this book is awesome.

As a reporter for CBS, William Shirer lived and worked in Germany during much of the Nazi movement. Until he left in 1940, he saw firsthand Hitler's rise to power, the consolidation of that power, and the use of that power. As a fallible human being, his prejudices may show through at times, but this is not necessarily a weakness. In today's climate of political correctness, works by historical revisionists -- that purport to show that Hitler and the Nazis weren't so bad -- are not only published, but they're even taken seriously. Perhaps our modern view of Hitler has been distorted by allied propaganda and Hitler and Goerring were fun loving and lovable guys, they say. At the extreme, some revisionists even claim that the Auschwitz death camp didn't even have gas chambers - they were added later as a tourist attraction! Yeah right.

In that sense, Shirer's book, published in 1959 is refreshing. He doesn't hold back one bit with his opinions.

Hence, Quisling is "pig-eyed", Rohm is a "pervert", Goebles is "dwarfish", Goering is "corpulent", Ribbentrop is "vain as a peacock", Brauchitsch is "unintelligent", Eva Braun has the "brain of a bird", and so forth. Such epithets may offend the sensibilities of some modern day readers, but they certainly spice up the telling of what could otherwise be a boring tale. (If you don't know who these people are, buy the book. Believe me, if you read it all the way through, you will become a formidable expert in Nazi trivia).

Because "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" was finished a mere 14 years after the fall of Nazi Germany, some facts that have come to light after its publication are necessarily missing. The premier example of this would be the breaking of the secret Nazi military codes by the British. But writing this book in 1959 also had its advantages. Many of the participants were still alive when William Shirer was doing his research. Hence, when encountering a slight inconsistency in General Franz Halder's war diary [The Chief of Staff of the High Command (the OKH)], William Shirer wrote to the old General and received "a prompt and courteous reply."

Perhaps Shirer's most vivid firsthand account of all is the several page description of the French surrender in the rail car at the forest at Compiegne:

"I look for the expression in Hitler's face. I am but fifty yards from him and see him though my glasses as though he were directly in front of me... He glances slowly around the clearing, and now, as his eyes meet ours, you grasp the depth of his hatred."

Amazing stuff.

But these personal accounts only take up a very small portion of this absolutely fantastic book. Particularly well covered was Hitler's rise to power -- a story that is not often told. The Hitler that Shirer paints during these early years is a very astute political observer who shrewdly plays the German people like a violin. He promises the people what they want, plays on their fears, and is extremely ruthless to anyone who dares to oppose him.

In later years, Hitler's political savvy falls apart. At one point Shirer calls his inner circle a "lunatic asylum". Except for very occasional bursts of brilliance, Hitler has no idea what the heck he is doing politically much less militarily and yet his fanatical followers still go along with him. Hitler's megalomania goes on overdrive until, like a Viking in a Wagner opera his body is burned in a last stand against the Russian army just blocks away from his bunker.

While making my way through "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", I can't tell you how many times I would read about a pivotal event and wonder "WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING THROUGH THESE GUYS MINDS?" I always knew the Nazi's were nuts as well as scary. This book provided all of the details I needed.

 

[Zemapeli]

Wow that was incredibly interesting. I had no idea you typed all that up for me until I was bumming around and stumbled across your reply. Thanks for the information, very interesting to read. I will buy that book when I get some time. Sounds like it is a great read. :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Tim the Wizard]

I will ship it to you for the cost of USPS priority mail plus a small donation to Super Ben of your choosing if you are still interested.