An ok read...I guess

I have read this book as part of the trilogy, "Dracula Lives!", which also includes Tremayne's other novels "The Revenge of Dracula" and "Dracula, My Love".

The basis of this story is, that the author obtained a manuscript at a London street market (of which, this novel is a supposed transcript), that turned out to have been written by no-lesser a personality than Prof. Abraham Van Helsing himself (a prominent character in Bram Stoker's novel, "Dracula".).

That manuscript, in turn, is a translation of a memoir by Mircea, the son of Vlad Dracula, and his encounter with his family in what is present-day Romania.

What then follows is basically a retread of Jonathan Harker's journey to Transylvania and other scenes from Bram Stoker's book, but set over four hundred years previous. There is even a Van Helsing substitute, in the form of Brother John; a Cornish monk.

Tremayne includes quite a bit of research into the text, which kind of detracts from the story itself, as these bits of information seems a bit forced.
Despite the amount of work that has clearly gone into the research, there are a couple of errors I have spotted. Take, for example, the term "mesmerise" (more commonly known as "hypnotise" these days) is used. The term was named after Anton Mesmer, renowned for the skill in the EIGHTEENTH century, and, ironically enough, the term "vampire" itself, which also didn't enter popular usuage until the aforementioned era.

On the plus side, the story moved along at a fast pace, and I really liked the scene with Brother John and Mircea (or "Michelino" as he is known to himself and others) are trapped inside a bedroom in Castle Dracula with a vampire woman on the other side of the door, trying to get in.
The origins of Dracula's vampirism is also given an inventive, occultish twist.

In the end, though, I'd only really recommend this book for the die-hard vampire fan, or, just for an entertaining, albeit fairly forgettable, read for others.

the goggle eyed pirates

i enjoyed this book i have the whole series of 15 phantom books thanks to amazon. the book was very good reading in the phantom series,these books are not all by the same author. all in all i was very pleased with the book also the whole transaction though ammazon makes it easy to finnally get these books,it would take you a liftime to try and find these books at an old bookstores.

The 'Bible' of Green Bay Packer History

Would you like to consider yourself a serious historian of the Green Bay Packers and the NFL? If so, then `The History of The Green Bay Packers: The Lambeau Years, Part One' by Larry D. Names is a "must read." This thorough biography of the early years of the most unique franchise in the NFL leaves no stone unturned, and dispels many of the myths and uncovers many unknown facts about the Packers during their formative years.

This book is the first in a series of four and covers the first fourteen years of Curly Lambeau's tenure with the team, from 1919 to 1932.

Many readers may be shocked and may even disbelieve some of what has been disclosed in this chronicle. For example: Contrary to what most have always believed to be fact, Curly Lambeau was not the founder of the team or even the team's first head coach. And believe it or not, the city of Green Bay and most of its citizens did not care about the Packers in the early years. The team almost died not just once but several times.

Each chapter of the book covers one season and is in chronological order. Any important off-the-field events, such as personnel changes on the executive board, are covered. Also, a brief description is provided for each game of that particular season. Historical firsts, such as the first live radio broadcast, are chronicled along the way.

Most impressive is how thorough the book is. Obviously, Names spent many hours painstakingly researching for this endeavor and it shows. Since the book was first published in 1987 (this book review was written in 2004), `The History of The Green Bay Packers' series has emerged as the authority on the subject. The series has been referenced in several other books that have followed, including David Zimmerman's `Curly Lambeau: The Man Behind The Mystique' and John Maxymuk's `Packers by the Numbers: Jersey Numbers and the Players Who Wore Them.' Also, the October 28, 2001 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a front-page (sports section) story stating that Joe Hoeffel, and not Curly Lambeau, was the Packers' first head coach. That newspaper article stated that "of the several books written about the Packers' history, only a collection by Larry Names mentioned Hoeffel."

In closing, this is a history book. If you are not particularly interested in the history of the Green Bay Packers or the history of the NFL, then this is not a book for you. Many of the men who formed the team and many of the players that were on those teams during the early years that are chronicled in this book are men that the casual fan - or even the diehard fan for that matter - will not recognize. But if you consider yourself a true Packer historian, or if you would like to know the real story of how the Green Bay Packers came into being; then `The History of The Green Bay Packers: The Lambeau Years, Part One' is the book for you.

oh dear

This is one of the most poorly-written books I have ever read on the Packers, the NFL, or football.

History of the Green Bay Packers

If you are looking for a book that will let you know specific facts about the early days of the packers, then this is the book for you. It will tell you about many different players and how the Packers got to where they are today. It explains the tuff times that the packers went through as well as the good times the packers had. This is a great story about the Packers. I advise you to read this book if you are interested in the packers.

Product Description

black & white illustrations by many arts edpapers black no dj cover tan stained colored illustration on front coverblack printing spine worn pages firm edges dark