King George II and Queen Caroline

Book Description

The king's coronation draws near, and a dance of intrigue and desire begins . . .

A Dance of Scandal

The notorious Queen Caroline, caught between broken dreams and a devious husband out to ruin her, may harbor a stunning secret: a hidden heir to the throne.

A Dance of Seduction

Amelia Fredericks, adopted as an infant by the mercurial but good-hearted queen, is now her most trusted companion. And yet . . . there are rumors. Is Amelia truly the orphaned daughter of a commoner -- or the secret daughter of the king himself?

A Dance of Danger

That's the question that haunts Perry Shepherd, Earl of Brentwood. Dispatched to spy on the queen, he has lost his heart to the lovely, loyal Amelia. But does the woman he adores belong to him alone . . . or to all of England?

Customer Reviews:

Shall We Dance?.......2005-08-23

To prevent the unwanted Princess Caroline from becoming the Queen of England, Sir Willfred orders his wastrel nephew to spy out some bit of gossip that could be used to unseat her. To do so, he is to get close to her lady's companion, Amelia Fredricks. Unfortunately, in one sense, he is as seduced as Amelia and finds himself falling for her. This makes his mission much less attractive, but how will Amelia take the news that he intends to betray her beloved mistress? What is Amelia's secret past?

*** With interconnecting plots woven together, there is a certain quirkly charm that infuses this story. Though there is some mystery left unsolved, it is handled deftly so that the reader never feels the nag of dangling threads. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

well, I liked it..........2005-05-08

I wonder if I read the same novel that the previous two reviewers did? Because I found Kasey Michaels' "Shall We Dance?" to be a rather witty and humorous read, and actually liked it a lot better than quite a few of her previous Regency-era romance novels! I suppose that this does prove the adage right: there's no accounting for (personal) taste.

George III of England is (finally) dead, and the corpulent, dissolute, spendthrift and much despised Prince of Wales is soon be crowned king -- something that the Prince has dreamed of and longed for for a very long time. Unfortunately, for the Prince, this much looked forward to turn of events is quite marred because of the realisation that his much hated wife, Princess Caroline of Brunswick, would be entitled to be crowned Queen of England as well. The Prince cannot bear this and has instructed his government to find a way for him to divorce Princess Caroline. The Tory (Conservative) government, quite tired of the blowzy and coarse Princess of Wales and her scandalous ways eagerly cooperate, particularly as a newly divorced King would be able to marry again and father another heir (Princess Charlotte, the Prince and Princess' Caroline's only child, had died in childbirth some time back). In order to ferret out some outrageous scandal concerning Princess Caroline, Sir Willard Humphrey, retired Minister of the Admiralty, has decided to coerce his nephew, Perry Shepherd, the Earl of Brentwood, into helping the government. The plan is for Perry to seduce the Princess' young companion, Miss Amelia Fredericks, into revealing a "naughty" tidbit or two about the Princess that would effective ruin her in the eyes of all her many supporters. A dangerous man, who had done some rather unpleasant things for his country during the Peninsula Wars, Perry is nevertheless appalled at the lengths that his uncle and the government are prepared to go in order to satisfy their Prince in order to stay in power. And Perry is resolved to contain whatever excesses his uncle and his cronies are capable of unleashing by pretending to do their bidding. A resolve that becomes all the more palatable once he meets Miss Amelia Fredericks, and recognises in her a heart so steadfast and loyal and true, that it is almost a balm to his much jaded soul. Determined to protect the Princess and his Amelia, Perry nevertheless quickly realises how doubly risky his plan is -- for what should happen if Amelia were to learn of his connection to Sir Willard? Will he be able to stomach losing the woman he has fallen deeply in love with for the sake of duty?

"Shall We Dance?" starts off strong -- Perry's sardonic wit really makes for a very entertaining read. Also adding to the entertaining faction was the humorous manner in which the author presents the very many eccentric and colourful characters who have all marshaled their resources in order to either help or hinder the Princess. It is true, however, that things do sag a little somewhere in the middle; likewise the romance between Perry and Amelia, which starts out strong, but which also takes a back seat to the intrigue subplot -- who is out to poison the Princess, and who is behind the attempt? However, the realistic and stark manner in which Kasey Michaels presents the Princess' plight, together with the sympathetic manner in which she presents Amelia -- her dreams and her desires -- plus the witty manner in which she presents the stalwart manner in which Perry tries to do the right thing and protect Amelia and the Princess, made reading "Shall We Dance?" a rather enjoyable and witty read. Kasey Michaels does a good job of using in a real historical event as a backdrop to her romance subplot. And I enjoyed her portrayal of the much beleaguered but the utterly tasteless Princess Caroline. So that in spite of the fact that things got a little rushed here and there, "Shall We Dance?" still turned out to be a good read.

So boring it is painful.......2005-05-05

Rarely have I read a more boring regency. Perry Shepard, the Earl of Brentwood, was some sort of spy during the Napoleon war, is crazy gorgeous. Plain Jane Amelia F. is his new "spy" target via his Uncle's orders to get gossip on Queen Caroline to enable Prinny's divorce. First of all, the Uncle is a jerk and why Perry, who is wealthy in his own right would not just tell him to take a hike I do not know...Amelia, while being attracted to Perry, is just boring. She is not interesting at all. Why someone like Perry even be attracted to her is a mystery. She might or might not be the Queen's daughter there-by the heir to the thone instead of Victoria. Now, all of us know our history so it is really not a mystery. Amelia is an orphan who the Queen took in as a babe. Question to wonder is what would happen to Amelia when the Queen died. She was not employed by the Royal Family, would have no money, references, so what is she thinking she would do? The "mystery" of the box goes on too long also. All in all, not a believable romance and the story dragged on to long.

Not worth reading.......2005-04-02

The plot had great potential, but the anachronistic and flippant speaking style and attitudes of the characters marred what might have been a good read. I love books with humor and wit, but a historical novel shouldn't go so very far away from the period.

entertaining Regency romance .......2005-02-27

In 1820 the King is dead and George IV inherits the throne. However, George wants to rid himself of his estrange wife Princess Caroline before his coronation insisting she does not deserve to be queen. Caroline has returned to England after several years on the continent in exile planning to sit on the throne whether her spouse wants her or not.

The retired Minister of the Admiralty Sir Willard Humphrey orders his worthless nephew Perry Shepherd to use the undercover skills he learned during the Napoleonic wars to find dirt to discredit Caroline. To gain entry, Willard suggests Perry use loyal princess follower Amelia Fredericks, one of Caroline's orphans. If Perry fails to perform his duty for his king, Willard says he will enlist odious Jarrett Rolin who will do anything to regain his lost status amidst the Ton. Reluctantly, feeling like it is the less of two evils, Perry leaves his hedonistic pastime behind to uncover regal scandal. Instead he falls in love with his ticket but worries how his beloved will react to his treachery of using her to get at her cherished Princess.

This entertaining Regency romance in many ways is more a political historical tale than a love story. Readers obtain a taste of the Whig-Tory rivalry accentuated by who the support the king or the wannabe queen. The enticing romance enhances the competition for power as Kasey Michaels provides a refreshing look at the machinations and skirmishes between the Regent and his wife as well as the two political parties prior to the coronation.

Harriet Klausner

Queen in Waiting (The Georgian Saga Series, Vol. 2)

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Fun with the Hanoverians
Don't wait to Read This Book!
Woman in the Middle

Queen in Waiting (The Georgian Saga Series, Vol. 2)
Jean Plaidy
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0399131019

Customer Reviews:

Fun with the Hanoverians.......2007-02-12

Queen in Waiting, published originally in 1967, is the story of Caroline of Ansbach, wife to the future George II, before she became queen.

This book starts out rather gloomily, with Caroline's spiritless mother, Eleanor, making a disastrous second marriage that nearly results in her being poisoned. Fortunately, smallpox saves Eleanor by widowing her a second time, and with Eleanor's decline and death soon following, the story switches to the much more interesting figure of Caroline herself. We follow Caroline into her marriage with George Augustus, whose father is destined to become King George I of England. In what would apparently become a Hanoverian family tradition, George I and George Augustus hate each other heartily, and their jockeying for power once the family moves from Hanover to England forms most of the plot of the novel.

Caroline is an intelligent, shrewd opportunist who is quick to take advantage of George I's unattractive personality by ingratiating herself with the people. Though George I succeeds in getting control of some of Caroline's children, Caroline is no victim like her mother; the fight never goes out of her. I also liked George Augustus's mother-in-law, Sophia, who is pleased when George Augustus takes up with an English mistress: "It should improve his English," she tells the furious Caroline. Sophia is one of several cheerfully cynical characters here.

There are some repetitive moments; we're reminded way too often that George I has locked up his wife because of her love affair.

Amusingly, once the Hanoverians move to England, Plaidy reminds us of their heavy German accents by having the Prince and Princess of Wales speak sentences such as these: "Ve vill think of something, my tearest." This usually works well enough, but it tends to undermine Plaidy's more dramatic moments.

All in all, though, this novel left me looking forward to more dysfunctional family fun with its sequel, Caroline, the Queen.

Don't wait to Read This Book!.......2003-12-01

Caroline had a sad and confusing childhood with her mother and brother. Eventually, she meets Sophia Charlotte and they become best friends. Sophia Charlotte introduces Caroline to the world of learning, in which Caroline quickly becomes involved. Caroline also becomes a friend with Sophia, who has a very good chance of becoming the next ruler of England. Caroline is convinced to marry George, Sophia's grandson. Around this same time, Sophia Charlotte dies, leaving Caroline desolate. Caroline eventually bears many children, and is smart enough to know how to deal with her husband properly. Her father-in-law is also created King of England, since Sophia recently died. Caroline was smart enough to learn English, so she and her husband or loved much more than the king in England. The king has his revenge, though. Their son is made to live in Germany, and their younger children are sent to live with the king. Somehow, Caroline and George live through the reign, and are crowned King and Queen.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Caroline is an admirable woman that I would be proud to have my friend (if she were alive). Plaidy brings her to life so vividly, I feel like I know her.

Woman in the Middle.......1998-11-28

The survival of the British monarchy as a popular institution owes a lot to its queens who were, more often than not, more intelligent than their husbands. Caroline of Ansbach is such a queen. Well-educated and from one of the poorer German principalities, Caroline married into the boorish House of Hanover. It isn't long before she discovered she's caught between a loathsome, vindictive father-in-law, George I, and her not-too-bright and domineering husband, the future George II.

The House of Hanover, newly ascended to the English throne, would not have survived on the personal popularity of its kings. It took the cleverness of Caroline coupled with that of Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister, to keep things in balance. Jean Plaidy tells the tale of the reign of George I through the personal trauma of this most remarkable of English Queens.

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Superb Plaidy Masterpiece!

All in the Family

Caroline, the Queen (Georgian Saga, Vol 3)
Jean Plaidy , and Victoria Holt
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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PERDITA'S PRINCE (Plaidy, Jean, Georgian Saga, Bk. 6.)

Indiscretions of the Queen: (#8) (The Georgian Saga, Vol 6)

The Prince and the Quakeress

Victoria in the Wings

Queen in Waiting (The Georgian Saga Series, Vol. 2)

ASIN: 039913123X

Customer Reviews:

Superb Plaidy Masterpiece!.......2003-10-12

George I has finally died, and George II is proclaimed King and Caroline of Ansbach, his wife, is the Queen. Much to their dismay, almost all of the jewels were given away to the former king's mistresses. In fact, they had to have jewels loaned to them for the coronation ceremony!

Throughout their reign, they bring England back to where is should be, mostly through Caroline and Walpole, the Prime Minister. Caroline hides her illness from her husband and the world. Eventually, when is must be known, the world mourns and her husband declares, "No one is fit to buckle her shoe!"

Jean Plaidy is one of my favorite authors, and whenever I find a book of hers, I get very excited. Not only are they wonderful to read, but they are unfortunately difficult to find. This one is superb, as all the rest of them are, and is an excellent choice.

All in the Family.......1998-11-29

In this book, one begins to understand the long history of scandals in the family of Britain's monarchs. Elizabeth II's 'annus horribilis' is not an isolated event but an on-going saga of sexual high jinx and jealousies that have been a part of the British royal family for centuries.

Unlike their German cousins, the British people have an equally long-standing tradition of lampooning and laughing at the follies of their monarchs. Tabloid journalism was alive and well as far back as the early days of the House of Hanover.

The long-suffering Queen Caroline does her duty to the best of her abilities-gently leading her arrogant and insecure husband, George II, into doing the right thing in spite of himself. But the need for a government, independent of the whims and follies of the monarch, is by now most evident. The evolution of power centered in the Prime Minister and Parliament, and the ability of the British people to not take their leaders too seriously, is the reason England ruled a mighty Empire while Germany floundered and fell in two world wars.

Book Description

Based on the Panizzi Lectures given in the British Library in November 2004, The Polished Cornerstones of the Temple examines the impact of women's educational projects on female reading and book collecting in the royal courts of the eighteenth century.

Because monarchs are international figures who also provide a behaviour-model for their national subjects; they make excellent case-studies for observing particular national patterns within the wider context of European written culture. The main part of the study is devoted to exploring the libraries of two queens: Caroline of Ansbach (1638-1727), wife of George II, and Elizabeth Farnese (1692-1766), wife of Philip V. By comparing and contrasting their two great collections, author Maria Luisa Lopez-Vidriero moves beyond Protestant-Catholic intellectual and religious differences and begins to define a European eighteenth-century female literary canon.

Memoirs of the court and times of King George the Second, and his consort Queen Caroline,: Including numerous private letters of the most celebrated persons ... political, religious, and literary history

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Memoirs of the court and times of King George the Second, and his consort Queen Caroline,: Including numerous private letters of the most celebrated persons ... political, religious, and literary history
A. T Thomson
Manufacturer: H. Colburn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Memoirs of the Reign of George the Second from His Accession to the Death of Queen Caroline

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Memoirs of the Reign of George the Second from His Accession to the Death of Queen Caroline
Lord Hervey [King George II] John
Manufacturer: John Murray
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KTCUN6

Book Description

Peter Hathaway Capstick first earned a name as an outdoor writer in the pages of such magazines as Guns & Ammo, Petersen's Hunting, The American Hunter, and Outdoor Life. In this, the first of a two-volume collection of his hunting, fishing, and shooting tales, you'll find twenty-four examples of his keen eye and steady hand with rifle, shotgun, bow, and typewriter.

The critically acclaimed successor to Hemingway and Robert Ruark repeatedly put himself in harm's way and writes about close scrapes with his trademark wit and dash. He tells what it's like to be in the path of an express train with Horns--the Cape buffalo; describes the heart-stopping sensation of sharing the immediate bush with several sickle-clawed lions that most certainly were prone to argue; and recounts his adventures bow-fishing for exotic species in the piranha-filled rivers of Brazil. Capstick's experiences, painfully gained (and almost lost) with the most dangerous of game, are the yardsticks against which most modern exotic and hunting adventures are gauged. The finely rendered drawings by Dino Paravano do justice to the text.

Customer Reviews:

Typical Capstick.......2001-12-04

I've enjoyed all fo his books, some are better than others. This one is full of good info and is reasonably entertaining. It's even better if your like me and say to blazes with "political correctness", whatever it's supposed to mean.

Careful, you might learn something!.......2001-08-20

Last Horizons is a departure from Capstick's usual storytelling of high danger hunting in Africa. This book consists of an archive of his articles and short stories written for Peterson's Hunting and other outdoor magazines. Though the stories are short, they are still written in Capstick's classic form and provide for excellent entertainment.

These articles not only provide a good read but are informative as well. Many people criticize Capstick for his tendency to exaggerate (I can buy into that line of thinking as well) but you canýt deny his thorough researching. I found several of the articles (ex. effectiveness of shot size) to be extremely insightful and educational. The articles on air rifles and rat hunting were entertaining and excellent lessons in ballistics and the importance of practice.

This book is not typical Capstick and probably not for everyone. True, some of the information is outdated but if you are an avid hunter you will find this collection both informative and valuable. It reminded me of sitting there listening to an old man telling stories learned by years of experience and trialý mixed in with several well spun yarns. The pig sticking story had to have been written sitting around a campfire. Good stuff!

GOOD COLLECTION OF CAPSTICK STORIES.......2000-02-25

This is an anthology (collection) of old Capstick magazine articles spanning a couple of decades, mostly hunting stories but some fishing stories and a few adventure stories thrown in. My favorites were the stories of the kali elephant herd, shooting down dragon flies with a BB machine gun and the backyard safari. Classic Capstick and well worth the read. Many of the stories I have read over and over again.

Capstick on tpoics besides big game.......1999-05-25

The diary of a hunt for fire breathing dragon (complete with references to the appropriate hard to get license, season, gear and limited hunting area) in the last chapter is worth the price of the book for anyone who loves Capstick's writing. Other chapters deal with Air rifles, fishing, rat hunting in New Jersey, et al. This is not as chock full of big game excitement as Capstick's other works. But over all still a good read.

"Better than the movies, this is the real deal first hand.".......1999-01-26

Capstick provides a glimpse into a world most of us will ever know! He shares his daily events of which sometimes seem unreal. Africa has deservedly earned its reputation of one of the most dangerous of continents...even for those who have hunted it's creatures for 40 years! Highly recommended for hunters, shooters, or any animal rights activist who believe these are defenseless animals.

Last Horizons: Hunting, Fishing & Shooting on Five Continents

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Last Horizons: Hunting, Fishing & Shooting on Five Continents
Peter Capstick
Manufacturer: The Derrydale Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000VAB3IW

Last Horizons: Hunting, Fishing, and Shooting on the Five Continents

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Last Horizons: Hunting, Fishing, and Shooting on the Five Continents
Peter Hathaway Capstick
Manufacturer: St Martins Mass Market Paper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTS8KQ

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Last Horizons: Hunting, Fishing, and Shooting on the Five Continents
Peter Hathaway Capstick
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTC3VQ

Book Description

A chilling insight into cults and their leaders worldwide. From Charles Manson's 'family' of the late 1960s to the horrific Ten Commandments of God Killings in Uganda in March 2000, seemingly deluded and brainwashed followers of cults and their megalomaniac leaders have been responsible for many of history's most shocking killings. Jack Sargeant has compiled twelve essays featuring cults about whom very little has previously been written, such as the Russian castration sect and the Japanese Aum doomsday cult that leaked sarin gas into Tokoyo's subways.

Customer Reviews:

underground pituitary .......2006-01-29

"Jack Sargeant set up the drug fetus's DNA bomb mass of flesh-module in the underground pituitary of the abolition world." - Kenji Siratori, author of Blood Electric

Mind Control and Murder.......2004-06-23

"Death Cult" is part of the Crime Series published by Virgin Books. This volume is edited by Jack Sargeant, who also provides an excellent introduction to the materials contained within. The rest of the books are research papers written by many different people - each covering the history of a murderous cult. One of the best thing about this book is that it covers murderous cults outside the US/UK also (e.g. Kali's Thugs in India and Moslem Assassins) and thus giving us a very good study of this phenomenon in human history. Other chapters include studies of Jonestown, Manson Family and the Aum Supreme Truth of Japan.

Murder and Mayhem.......2003-08-27

If you are interested in the Psychology of Murder and whys and hows of Death Cults, this is the book for you. This detailed book provides the reader with mountains of information and intricate detail on some the most infamous cults in human history. A must have for all interested in cult history.

Book Description

Compiled from hundreds of interviews with survivors of the Silent Screen era, this is the most intimate and most realistic novel ever written about sex, murder, blackmail, and degradation in early Hollywood.

It's based on the loose-lipped gossip that was articulated within the drunken dinner parties of 1920s-era Hollywood. Many of the stories were committed to memory by some of the listeners, and recited, years later, to celebrity interviewer Darwin Porter.

Are all of the anecdotes in this info-novel true? Only the participants in those long-ago power struggles will ever really know. But if you believe, like Truman Capote, that "the artful presentation of gossip will become the literature of the 21st century," then this is a highly irreverent and juicy read."

Customer Reviews:

Low-grade RPS that got published.......2007-09-06

If anyone is familiar with the fanfiction genre, RPS is "Real Person Slash" - a story written by someone who wants to have famous guys (or gals) getting it on with each other. Sometimes the author wishes to become part of the story (called "self-insert") and so an original character has sex with famous people. There are fics aplenty out there about some dazzled fangirl making it with Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp or the entire cast of Lord of the Rings. There's also fics about Eric Bana and Brad Pitt finding true love on the set of "Troy" or Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert being more than just reporting buddies. This is what Darwin Porter's written, only it's about the stud stable of Silent Hollywood.

Now I'm not blaming Porter for wanting to scribble out his little fantasies or the fantasies of this Stanley Mills Haggart who served as his muse. Crikey, I did the same thing when I was 16 and hormonal. My character romped through the beds of Hollywood and German WWI aces with as much aplomb and shamlessness as Porter's Durango Jones. Alas, she was a girl and therefore my little effort apparently has no chance of getting published. Is the title pool of gay lit really so small that this doorstopper is a welcome addition to the genre?

Yet this was a hilarious read simply because the book was full of crap. Aimee Semple McPherson's Angelus Temple wasn't dedicated until 1923. It was not a beacon of Pentecostal excess in late 1918 the way Porter has written it. Still, I overlooked egregious historical errors like that just because it was so hilariously awful.

If you're an MST3K fan and don't mind reading badly-written gay porn, this book isn't a total waste of time. I recommend reading it in doses because the unimaginative prose becomes extremely tedious after a dozen pages. (ETA: And the "voices" of all the characters are pretty much the same. The men have one personality and voice, and ditto for the women.)

And it's inspired me! I'm off to write a story about Lon Chaney and Erich von Stroheim doing it in the backseat of a Stutz Bearcat while Wallace Beery and Ronald Colman 69 it on the roof. It can't lose! It's Literary Gold!

ETA: Ah, I've discovered that Blood Moon Productions/Georgia Literary Assc. is basically a vanity press for Porter and Danforth Prince. Now it makes sense why this book saw the light of day. I believe it's possible to write good erotic fiction using these real-life people, however this isn't anywhere close to it.

Salacious, gossipy, interesting........2007-06-22

So is it fiction? Is it Non Fiction? Is it hearsay and gossip? After completing this lengthy tome I'm still not sure. The sex lives and quirks of most of Hollywood's silent era power players male and female but mostly male are revealed in exquisite and somewhat salacious detail in this tale of one 'Durango Jones' as he attempts and succeeds in becoming the "most notorious faggot" in all of Hollywood. What starts off as an interesting novel in part one unfortunately becomes rather boring as it progressed with each 'sexual encounter' revealed in detail. However it remains a page turner as you cant wait to see which star is going to be outed next.

the "BEST" or....?????.......2007-01-26

.. though i have to admit that the graphic details overstays its welcome...

Still it is full of interest because it succeeds in portraying young Hollywood....

The photos are all ace:-)))

There are errors concerning the real-life-stars(I pretty much suspect that Valentino didn`t possess such a vocabulary that he is given credit for here), but on the whole - the best semi-autobiography(hehehe) I have read:-) What does drag down is that it is filled with rumours and legends that have eventually been denied(an example is the murder of Novarro and how he was found....)

Another major error is the account on Swedish actor Lars Hanson. He starred with Garbo in Gøsta Berlings Saga 1924 and Die Freudlose Strasse 1925... The author is well-reseached, but fails painfully on the Hanson subject since he died i 1965 - not in the 20s in a carcrash and had a wife¨- Karin Molander... Also, Garbo called Mauritz Stiller "Moje" and never possessed the language expressed in this book...
The author will also never have a lawsuit since his real-life characters are long gone... He never attemps a "scandal" with stars who are still with us...

But if u give away to the world of imagination and let the author carry you were he wants you.... (with a little dash of rememberance that this IS a fictional account), it is highly enjoyable... (though I suspect a character like Durango Jones never would have succeeded in Hollywood as long as he did...)

What sabotages midtrough is that Durango is in center of every scandal from the late teens through the 20s... It "excells" in being over-the-top and unfortunately, in a tiresome way...

The fact that he throws the remaining copy of the film "Vampira"
right where the Titanic sunk is just too much and leaves us cold with the book...

I only flipped the pages after that one and I`m surprised if I missed anything...

A nice twist is that his teenagefriend Frank turns out to be none other than Gary Cooper a decade later...

The millennium party is a clever 1 and bring tears to the eyes)

BUT read it for the first 300 pages - those alone - make this a treat.

Updated Sunday, February 25 2007.

Like No Other Book I Have Ever Read.......2005-11-26

This book is from another planet. It is like no other book I have ever read in my life. First of all, don't be intimidated by its number of pages--almost 800--a very long read with double sided columns. It is massive. I could not put this book down and read it almost constantly over four days long into the early hours of the morning. It is a scandalous book about the early days of the silent screen era in Hollywood. If you are interested in that era, this is a must read, otherwise this is not for you and you will be sorry. It is the autobiography so to speak of a make believe character called Durango Jones a gay man who seems to be involved and present in every early Hollywood scandal. Of course the book is fiction, but most, if not all, of the incidents are true to life. Fascinating to read. Shocking to discover what went on back then, and probably still does. I highly recommend it. Great fun and entertainment. The book is so massive that my hands hurt from holding it up to read. You will be amazed to find out that some of the biggest and brightest stars were homosexual or had many, many homosexual experiences---Clark Gable, Ramon Novarro, Gary Cooper, so many, many more, and the star of them all, Rudolph Valentino. Get this book.

Early Hollywood in a Lavender Light.......2002-06-16

I'm an ardent fan of Hollywood's earliest days, and as a gay man, I always felt tugs on my heartstrings and groin-strings whenever Rudolph Valentino made eyes at me across the silent screen.

But not until I read Darwin Porter's important work on behind-the-scenes early Hollywood did I realize how earthy, how horny, and how promiscuous the pre-Talkie film industry's sex gods and goddesses really were.

Narrated by the "intensely ambitious first sexual social climber in the history of Hollywood" Porter based his book, artfully, on hundreds of interviews with aged (and in some cases, dying) bit players from the Silent Era.

Many of these interviews were compiled back in the 1960s, when they were seasoned with steamy (and sometimes downright raunchy) recitations of early Hollywood gossip that were relayed generations later by men and women who survived the slander. And thanks to their stories, generations of whitewash and saccharine, most of it deliberately misleading, and most of it produced by the film industry's publicity machines, get washed away.

Porter repackages these histories and anecdotes into a swelling good read with enough erotica to keep the sexual sophisticates intrigued, and enough meaty facts to impress the most demanding Hollywood historian.

Don't take this book lightly, and by all means, don't underestimate its cultural importance. HOLLYWOOD'S SILENT CLOSET represents an impressive contribution to our understanding of the American experience.

And be warned in advance--the material is NOT dry and dusty. It reads like a high-camp gender-inspecific romp through the boudoirs of every star who ever batted his or her eyelids at viewers across the screeen. And twinned with the humor is an overwhelming sense of the tragic endings that befell celebrities who were sometimes more famous (in their words) "than Jesus Christ himself."

For Porter's gift to Hollywood scholarship, and for his unvarnished insistence on ripping away commonly accepted veils and shrouds, I sincerely thank him for this enlightenment and liberation.

SILENT CLOSET is an amazing and startling book--One which had it been indexed for easier access to its hundreds of references to the sexy, the powerful, and the promiscuous, would probably be configured onto the shelves of university libraries across the country as an indispensable reference source.

Frankly, there's nothing like this book anywhere else on the market. And above all else--it's one heck of a lot of fun to read.

Book Description

"This book is highly recommended for development professionals, as well as board members and administrators who believe that a few million can easily be raised by development personnel in their spare time."--National Society of Fund Raising Executives Journal on the 1st edition

Conducting a Successful Capital Campaign has been the definitive resource on capital campaigns for a decade. Now, in the long-awaited second edition of the best-selling guide, Kent Dove offers an updated and expanded blueprint for planning and managing a successful capital campaign. He not only gives authoritative guidance to every aspect of a capital campaign but also provides new discussions on such important topics as linking strategic planning to fundraising, conducting external market surveys, defining leadership roles, establishing a campaign and solicitation process, and more. Other enhancements include:

A dramatically expanded resource section that includes samples of a strategic plan, market surveys, case statements, financial reports, pledge forms, newsletters, program brochures, a complete volunteer kit, and a post-campaign evaluation
New chapters on technology in fundraising, leadership gifts, and developing lasting relationships with donors
Updated examples and real-world lessons from diverse organizations that have conducted their own capital campaigns
The Dove Preparedness Index (DPI), a unique measurement tool that helps organizations simply and accurately assess their readiness to embark on a capital campaign
The new Continuous Lifetime Giving Program Model, including an analytical and segmented marketing approach to its implementation
A modernized version of the 80/20 rule, addressing the size and number of gifts that are needed to conduct a successful capital campaign

Packed with checklists, formulas, and tables, Conducting a Successful Capital Campaign is sure to make difference in your capital campaign.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Basics, a must for any Board.......2007-08-09

This book provides the fundamental outline to a successful Capital Campaign. It is not a how-to and will clearly state that a seasoned professional consultant should still be considered a vital part of any effort. But, short of that, any Board of Directors should have this book as a guide to understanding the depth of their own responsibilities, how to manage a consultant, the seriousness of the effort and planning ongoing giving programs. I did not give it a 5 only because it does not spell out oversite structures for committees. William

A must have resource for a Capital Campaign.......2007-03-21

I had a copy of the first edition of this excellent book but when I enbarked on a new Capital Campaign I bought the new edition. It is a book which anyone - experience and otherwise - must have if you have to venture into capital campaigning.

Even if you been there and done that, it is excellent as a check to see if you're on track.

The updated version has looked at Capital Campaigns in the light of the changing world of philanthrophy.

In Australia, our Capital Camapigns may not be as large as some in USA but never the less are run in just the same way.

A must have reference and the best one out there as far as I'm concerned.

Capital Campaign bible..........2006-09-21

Kent Dove's book is the bible for how to do capital fund raising. I have been asked as a development officer and consultant to do it other ways, and his is the ONLY way that works. I'm buying the updated book with joy that it has been published.

The Best Guide for Plannind Major Gift Campaigns.......2005-07-21

In the short time I've had this book, I've used it extensivly to plan a forthcoming $25 million campaign in a college within a university. After 15 years of experience in major gift fund raising, I've finally found the book that includes ALMOST everything we need to launch a very successful effort. I deeply appreciate Mr. Dove's efforts to update his work and provide this useful guide.

Useful but disappointing.......2002-11-30

Although there is useful information in this book, I found it disappointing compared with the recommendations that I read.

Part 1, which is about 200 pages, is the text of the book and covers planning and implementing your campaign. Part 2 which is about 300 pages is a collection of about 35 sample documents.

I found the text, which included chapters by other authors, rambling and verbose, giving lists of functions and lists of alternatives without reaching conclusions. I skimmed this part and found little worth reading carefully. (In contrast, I just read Tony Poderis concise and excellent "Its A Great Day to Fundraise" from cover to cover.) The author attempts an academic approach, with unhelpful citations. Examples of somewhat useful items were an outline of a case statement and examples of gift charts.

Particularly weak was a chapter entitled "Technology in Fundraising" which claimed that it was about the single most important support factor in fundraising. We learn that we need a broad team to select this technology; that we need to attend user groups of the system we are considering; that we need to meet current users; that we need to test the system at our site; that the system should be easy to support; that to install the system we need leadership, time, funding, involvement, communication, expertise, testing, training, defined reports, standards, process, etc.; and on and on and on with more generalities. We are NOT told what it is reasonable to expect such a system to do, what features have proved useful, or any other specific information that someone who had actually used such a system might provided.

The sample documents, which were largely from an Indiana University campaign, struck me as examples that I would not want to follow, although I found some useful items.

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