As I continue to insert cartooning into my reading material. I thought it would be easy to do this, but it is tough. I have a history of Andy Jackson and indians book I’m reading and want to keep reading. It’s tough enough to add fiction. Cartoon fiction is even tougher. But I really need to take in more cartooning collections.

Shazam!: The Greatest Stories Ever Told VOL 01 by Bill Parker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A mostly great collection of the comic book stories of Captain Marvel. This collection begins with the earliest story by C.C. Beck in 1940 to 1998. This also chronicles the deterioration of the comic book industry. The stories start off as light good guy vs. bad guy and transform into a muddled soap opera. I cared about the earlier stories and couldn’t care less about the later, despite all of the bleeding heart mess.

So, I would not define these as “the Greatest Stories” or even the “Greatest” mediocre ones. The first half of the stories fit the title.

The incredible work of C.C. Beck is the best reason to pick up this volume. He had so much fun with his stories. From crazy creatures of the past to talking worms and tigers. Today there is some weird idea that all of this must be explained, as if explanations make any of it more real. It’s just fun and fun is hard to find these days.

Bottom line: i half recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.



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Preacher’s Quest by William W. Johnstone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another tale of Preacher leading a group of Easterners west. This one much better plotted than most. There are all sorts of incidents that get in the way of the path Preacher is taking throughout the book and many well written exciting encounters. Otherwise, the dialogue is standard. As usual the characters are the greatest strength in the book. The settings are lightly covered and atmosphere well done.

Bottom line: i recommend this book: 7 out of ten points.



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The Seminole Wars: America’s Longest Indian Conflict by John Missall

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Still another coverage of the Seminole Indian Wars. This one takes the tale and approaches it with a more objective view. unfortunately weigh down with P.C. mess. Also, the nasty fingerprints of editor Gary Mormino can be found in this.

This is an easier to digest history as the authors better connect events than others have done that I’ve read. There’s also a welcome relation of war events and what is going on otherwise in the U.S. and world.

Problems are early on and could lose readers. There are the constant references to “whites”. “Whites”? What the hell are “whites”? The author seek to ball all of any skin color of lightness (whatever that is) into something they called “white”. This goes on throughout the book. They mean Americans, but refuse to use the term and don’t explain why. Is this a Mormino edit? Does sound like his kind of inanity.

There’s another line of “…religious fervor, speculative greed and racism” involving the Americans continuing historical man’s efforts to conquer. They write this as if it was only an American ideal. Worse they never throughout the book recognize the “…religious fervor, speculative greed and racism” were exactly the issues the indians had, too. There’s a line against “nationalism” involving the Americans. Yet, that is, also, exactly what the indians sought, too. This last is the stuff of Mormino, who refuses to recognize that “…religious fervor, speculative greed and racism” is what drove the Spanish conquistadors…to ultimate evil violent ends.

There’s much good of the book, outside of treading old territory. The objective views are very helpful. The grave exceptions being the addition of the temporary viewpoints of the time of the writing that will change and change again.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 5 out of ten points.



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Henry S. Sanford: Diplomacy And Business In Nineteenth Century America by Joseph A. Fry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A very thorough writing of the activities of Henry Sanford during his professional life. The book is broken up into sections of time and then those are broken up in other sections of activities. Since a direct time line is not followed and many pages of activities over lap with other activities, it can be hard to follow all Sanford was going through collectively at the time. Especially in that some much he injected himself into went wrong time and time again.

The writing is good, but could have a bit of flare throughout. This is straight history. No photos or images. There is an impressive comprehensive bibliography, footnotes and very good index.

I did discover a few errors in the book. Specifically involving the development of the City of Sanford, the encounter with Jacob Summerlin and the Democrat-Republican-Independent battle in Florida Sanfrod was involved with. Those errors do have to make me wonder about the accuracy of the rest of the book.

Bottom line: i recommend this book: 8 out of ten points.



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The Last Man Club by Ellery Queen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Two dynamite mysteries in one volume. Each could be figured out -IF you pay attention. Both very well written. I’m not nutty about the later works of the duo behind the name.These two are better written and plotted. Especially the first over the second.

These two also have the better writing of the standard characters of Queen, Inspector Queen, Nikki, etc. The Queen writing duo at their best.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.



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Everyone But Thee and Me by Ogden Nash

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


aAnotgher wonderful colelction of poetic ditties. Favorites are ‘All’s Noel that ends Noel’, ‘The Miraculous Countdown’, ‘The Kipper’, ‘All Quiet Along the Potomac, Except the Letter G’ and ‘Shall we Dance?’.

This collection is not 100% excellent.There are a few clunkers here. But all is sure a lot of fun to read!

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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Florida Politics In The Gilded Age, 1877 1893 by Edward C. Williamson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A terrific and balanced study of Florida politics before 1877 and just after 1893. Unlike others I find slanted to the Democrat party, especially those recently written, this gives both sides and fills in perplexing gaps left in other books I’ve ready that just doesn’t want to write about anything good done by Republicans. This books writes as bad of Republicans as Democrats depending on the situation.

This books is very honest about the plight of former slaves and the quicksand created by Democrats working to return to the days pre-Civil War. Which they were mostly successful doing.

This also includes a very good bibliography, footnotes and index. Something else something else those earlier books I’ve read leave out or are slight of.

The writing, though, is like others expecting the reader to know of people and issues before reading. That is a draw back for the history novice. This is also another history that, as it nears conclusion,the writer gets very loose with names and places and could be confusing to the reader.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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Rattlesnake Valley by J.A. Johnstone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A fine tale with a few finer twists that makes a good book. There are troubles, though.

One of those troubles is that this tale has been told a number of times within the various Johnstone Clan series. This one,as others, has a different ending, but much of the mechanics of the book are very closely repeated. Of the ones I remember, this one is one of the better re-tellings by the Johnstone Clan.

The tale is of a bad guy with land wanting more land of an uncle with a daughter and there still another Johnstone attempt to “tree” a town. As I understand,in American western history, there were a few efforts to take over a town and none succeeded. In the Johnstone many series of books, I believe I’ve read a good 2 dozen. This one has a more than one alteration to the details of the story that is more of a surprise due to expecting a complete repeat of other Johnstone novels.

There are also a number of inconsistencies with earlier ‘Loner’ novels. Also time frame issues involving the series where years turn into months turn into years.

Botoom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.



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Before Selma: The Harry T. Moore Story by Florence Alexander

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


How the heck did author Alexander get a PhD if this is an example of how she approaches anything? What a disaster. Following three excellent books of Florida history, I stumbled into this mess in the stack. Unlike Alexander, who wants to present popular ideas than substantiated facts, I will back up my problems with this slight volume.

First and foremost is the vast inaccurate history presented. She starts with assuming the subject, Harry Moore, came from Africa and states that as fact. In that not all dark skinned people came from any one part or at all from Africa the assumption is further aggravated a few pages later as she uses the word “assumed” herself involving where his grandparents came!!! Augghhh!!!

But, wait! It gets worse!! Much, much worse!!! Throughout the entire volume Fort Mose is spelled as Fort Moses. Fort Moses!????!!! How the hell did that happen??? Quite clear she never went there, though there is a claim she did.

She entirely botches the history of dark skinned people and the Spanish conquistadors by, apparently, only referencing volumes involving Gary Mormino, the Florida revisionist “historian”. A tiny, tiny amount of real research would have had her discover the documents that refute the silliness she helps get repeated.

She writes of the Democrats working to undermine dark skinned people and then doesn’t note the irony of Moore then working to boost the very party that did that and was fueling the Klu Klux Klan. Of course, that has always been part of the speculation that Moore was working with the Democrat party as he undermined the NAACP and the party he helped create. Leading to the possibility that any of those could have also been responsible for the bombing. None of this is presented or questioned.

Her best effort is writing of Sheriff Willis McCall. Pretty clear she read ‘Devil in the Grove’ before this and repeated much of what she read there. She should have read of the other subjects I noted, including much, much more about Moore.

This goes on and on and on. And the book is only 84 pages long!!!! A third are a scattering of documents that were just stuck in with out explanation. And the rest is self promotion.

Beyond that, the writing is nearly juvenile. If I was in the position, I would question Alexander’s PhD. She could redeem herself by producing a serious book about this serious subject. Otherwise, there are now volumes covering this history and go to those, not this.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 1 out of 10 stars.



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Manatees: Our Vanishing Mermaids by M. Timothy O’Keefe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tim O’Keefe’s ‘Manatees: Our Vanishing Mermaids’ is an excellent overview of our Florida manatee. Covering history, food, reproduction, locations, etc. This is a simple over view.There is nothing extensive included. Perfect for anyone who just wants to understand what all the hub bub is about the manatee.

A good part of the book includes O’Keefe’s excellent photography. Though, all, except the cover, are black and white.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.



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Four Centuries of Florida Ranching by George H. Dacy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was published in 1940 before two significant happenings took place. One was World War II which led to the other, the Florida Legislature in the 1950s aiding realtors and builders by raising property taxes of land not available for residential construction for all of the former WWII military wanting to move to Florida. Both undermined the cattle industry that, author, Dacy could not have foreseen.

So Dacy lays out the history and conditions of the Florida cattle industry through 400 years and writes of only success in the future. Most of his focus is the 50 years prior to 1940. That 50 years saw a cattle industry in Florida take off like a rocket with few sputs and sputters.

With that in mind Dacy’s overall chronicle is the best written with an enormous amount of details that i’ve read. I love Joe Akerman’s books of Florida’s cattle industry, but his are much more exhaustive into vast information. Dacy’s is more concise and focused full of wonderful details and insights.

The book is broken into chapters. The problem is that the chapters are not all logical with Considerable space is used about the tick problem left without conclusion as the legal battles continued after publication of the book.

Dacy is also a very good writer. This book has a lot of life in many parts.

Bottom line:I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.



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