From the Archive – 11/09/05

Taking a cue from Jason’s music listings, and a more direct theft from my friend and semi-retired colleague Bruce Williams’ excellent site, here’s a list of books that I’m currently picking at as time allows. Having been sick for the last two weeks (or, as my friend Jim Hogan put it in Junior High School, serving as the captain of the Federation Starship Sinasal Infectious) I’ve actually started to catch up on my reading.

So, without further adon’t, here they are, in no particular order:

James Bond – The Man and His World, by Henry Chancellor. So far, easily the best, most detailed, and most readable "inside story" behind Fleming’s books. If you’ve read them, and have already made your way through Andrew Lycett’s hefty bio, then this has already shown itself to be a must read. If your only exposure to James Bond has been the movies, then you have no idea what you’re missing. Grab a copy of Casino Royale (before they quite possibly ruin it as the next movie) and dive in.

Chasing Lewis and Clark Across America, by Ron Lowery. Ron’s photos are breathtaking, and his story fascinating. I’ve chatted with Ron in person briefly on just two occasions, but the book makes me feel like we’re old friends. If anyone wants to better understand why I fly, you can learn a lot from this book. If you want to see what I want the scenery to look like in Flight Sim 2026, buy it.

Lost In Space: The Fall of NASA and the Dream of a New Space Age, by Greg Klerkx. The book I wish I’d written about 7 years ago when I first met my friends Erik Lindbergh, Gregg Maryniak, and Peter Diamandis and started ardently supporting their X-Prize Foundation. The book helps set the stage and supports my belief that NASA should make way for people like Diamandis and Burt Rutan, people that I believe are the Galt and Rearden of the new Space Age.

Gentlemen of Adventure, by Ernest K. Gann. An aviation classic, by a true master. Rereading some of his every few years is revisiting an old friend.

Winners, Losers, and Microsoft, by Stan Liebowitz and Stephen Margolis. The most rational, even-handed, and, perhaps most importantly, calmest analysis of Microsoft and the antitrust troubles. If you hate this, then by all means don’t visit my friend Nicholas Provenzo’s site – you’ll hate that even more.

Success on the Step: Flying with Kenmore Air, by Marin Faure. I actually just finished this one, but it remains by the bedside for last minute reperusal. An excellent and fast read that tells the remarkable (and heretofore remarkably quiet) story of Bob Munro and his amazing seaplane airline, right here in our backyard.

Serenity – the Official Visual Companion, by Joss Whedon. I was a late convert to the world of Browncoats, but I got hooked, and hooked big. If you saw the series but somehow missed the movie, buy the DVD and cross your fingers for a sequel.

Frank Miller – The Interviews, by the Comics Journal Library. Fascinating insight into the mind of one of the men who turned comic books into literature by remembering that sometimes long-term franchises are long-term for a reason, and re-embracing your roots can be wildly successful.