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A century ago, New Yorkers, hungry for mountain air, good food, and a Jewish environment combined with an American way of leisure, began to develop a resort area unique in the world. By the 1950s, this summer Eden of bungalow colonies, summer camps, and over 900 hotels had attracted over a million people a year. This was the Jewish Catskills of Sullivan and Ulster Counties. Born to a small hotel-owning family who worked for decades in hotels after losing their own, Phil Brown tells a story of the many elements of this magical environment. His own waiter's tales, his mother's culinary exploits as a chef, and his father's jobs as maitre d' and coffee shop operator offer a backdrop to the vital life of Catskills summers."Catskill Culture" recounts the life of guests, staff, resort owners, entertainers, and local residents through the author's memories and archival research and the memories of 120 others. The Catskills resorts shaped American Jewish culture, enabling Jews to become more American while at the same time introducing the American public to immigrant Jewish culture. Catskills entertainment provided the nation with a rich supply of comedians, musicians, and singers.Legions of young men and women used the Catskills as a springboard to successful careers and marriages.A decline for the resort area beginning in the 1970s has led to many changes.Today most of the hotels and bungalow colonies are gone or in ruins, while other communities, notably those of the Hasidim, have appeared. The author includes an appendix listing over 900 hotels he has been able to document and invites readers to contact him with additional entries. Phil Brown, Professor of Sociology, Brown University, is co-founder of the Catskills Institute and the editor of "In The Catskills: A Century of the Jewish Experience in The Mountains". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nostalgia
Recollection of times spent with my family were brought back to life. Having married into the Siegel family that owned several hotels in the Swan Lake area, including the Commodore and the hotel my inlaws sold to theDinnersteins; and the author having worked at the Commodore brought backmany years of my youth. There is nothing so gratifying as to have someonewrite of part of your life, and this is What Mr. Brown has done. To go backeven further, I remember playing with a small four piece"orchestra" at a place in Monticello, called Skliars - that was64 years ago. What wonderful memories!.

A warm, detailed account of a special place, special time.
I was born and raised in the Catskills, grew up on a chicken farm, and worked in resort hotels during my teens. I always thought this was a very special experience, and now Phil Brown's book brings it back with wonderfuldetail and confirms my feelings about how special it all was. This book isnot only about Catskills culture; it is also about Catskills economics, andexplains quite vividly how hard people worked to make the Catskillsexperience enjoyable for those who came for the summer. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by Thomson Gale on December 7, 2005. The length of the article is 1113 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A new support system.(Sports)(New Oregon assistants Phil Brown and Selena Ho are learning about coaching in the Pac-10 on the go)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: December 7, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: B1

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on June 1, 2005. The length of the article is 814 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Australian, ex-player round out UO coaching staff.(Sports)(Phil Brown and Selena Ho will join Bev Smith as she works to fill in the gaps on the women's basketball team)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: June 1, 2005
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: b1

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Dimebag Darrell, Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown, Vinnie Paul, Terry Glaze, Tommy D. Bradford. Excerpt:Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as "Diamond Darrell" , "Dimebag Darrell" , "Dimebag" or simply "Dime" (August 20, 1966 December 8, 2004) was an American guitarist , best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan . He also performed in the southern rock band Rebel Meets Rebel . Abbott frequently appeared in guitar magazines and in readers' polls, and wrote a long-running Guitar World magazine column, which was compiled into the book, Riffer Madness . He was praised for his tone and was included in "The 50 Greatest Tones of All Time" by Guitar Player magazine. Remembered for his amiable nature and rapport with fans, Abbott was described by Allmusic as "one of the most influential stylists in modern metal." On December 8, 2004, Abbott was murdered on stage during a Damageplan performance at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio . Biography Early years Darrell Abbott was born to Carolyn and Jerry Abbott , a country musician and producer. He took up guitar when he was 16, and his first guitar was a Hondo Les Paul he got with a small amp, winning a series of local guitar competitions, where in one he was awarded his first Dean ML . Coincidentally, his father had bought him a cherryburst finish Dean ML standard the morning before the competition, so he only had a few hours of playing time on it. Eventually, Abbott was barred from competing in guitar competitions because he gave the other contestants no chance to win. These contest prizes, including his first Randall amplifier, started a long-term relationship with the brands. Pantera and Damageplan Abbott formed Pantera in 1981 with his brother Vinnie Paul on drums. The band began in a glam me... ... Read more

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Read about the largest mammal ever to walk on land, about a tiger with teeth longer than your hand, and about a horse the size of a dog!

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415 pages ... Read more

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Chapters: Geoff Horsfield, Greg Abbott, Anthony Lloyd, Aron Wilford, Phil Hughes, David Brown, Robbie Painter, Steve Sanders, James Stansfield, Jeremy Illingworth, Gerry Lightowler, James Hanson, Marc Thompson, Scott Mcniven, Chris Bolder, Liam Needham, Neil Grayston, Simon Trevitt, Dave Merris, Jason Blunt, Wayne Heseltine, Linton Brown, Ollie Heald, Mark Stuart, Paul Gartland, Charlie Twissell. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 93. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Geoffrey Malcolm "Geoff" Horsfield (born 1 November 1973) is an English former professional footballer, now football coach. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a striker. He was a "strong and forceful" player, able to hold the ball up in order to bring other players into the game. Horsfield made his Football League debut with Scarborough as a teenager. Released by the club, he returned to part-time football with Halifax Town, Guiseley and Witton Albion, before a second spell at Halifax saw him help the club regain their Football League status. He moved on to Fulham, with whom he achieved promotion to the First Division, before joining Birmingham City for a club record fee. He played in the final of the 2001 League Cup with Birmingham, and the following season helped them reach the Premier League. After a short period at Wigan Athletic in 2003, he joined West Bromwich Albion, with whom he again won promotion to the Premier League. In 2006, he moved to Sheffield United, but much of his time there was spent on loan to other clubs, namely Leeds United, Leicester City and Scunthorpe United. Horsfield announced his retirement from football in 2008 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, but after successful treatment he resumed his career, signing a six-month contract for Lincoln City in ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2807278 ... Read more

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Chapters: Guiseley A.f.c. Players, Geoff Horsfield, Greg Abbott, Anthony Lloyd, Aron Wilford, Phil Hughes, David Brown, Robbie Painter, Steve Sanders, James Stansfield, Jeremy Illingworth, Gerry Lightowler, James Hanson, Marc Thompson, Scott Mcniven, Chris Bolder, Liam Needham, Neil Grayston, Simon Trevitt, Dave Merris, Jason Blunt, Wayne Heseltine, Linton Brown, Ollie Heald, Mark Stuart, Paul Gartland, Charlie Twissell. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 89. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Geoffrey Malcolm "Geoff" Horsfield (born 1 November 1973) is an English former professional footballer, now football coach. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a striker. He currently at Port Vale as the assistant manager. He was a "strong and forceful" player, able to hold the ball up in order to bring other players into the game. Horsfield made his Football League debut with Scarborough as a teenager. Released by the club, he returned to part-time football with Halifax Town, Guiseley and Witton Albion, before a second spell at Halifax saw him help the club regain their Football League status. He moved on to Fulham, with whom he achieved promotion to the First Division, before joining Birmingham City for a club record fee. He played in the final of the 2001 League Cup with Birmingham, and the following season helped them reach the Premier League. After a short period at Wigan Athletic in 2003, he joined West Bromwich Albion, with whom he again won promotion to the Premier League. In 2006, he moved to Sheffield United, but much of his time there was spent on loan to other clubs, namely Leeds United, Leicester City and Scunthorpe United. Horsfield announced his retirement from football in 2008 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, but after successful treat...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2807278 ... Read more

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Chapters: Robert Plant, Simon Brown, Bob Roberts, Phil Lynott, Cat Deeley, Jack Jones, Steve Lynex, Madeleine Carroll, Robert Spear Hudson, Paul Birch, Ivor Linton, Scott Colcombe, Justin Richards, K. K. Downing, Billy Bassett, George Holden, Phil Parkes, Brian Walden, Tom White, Dean Smith, Simon Darby, Stuart Brock, George Woodhall, Johnny Vincent, Bobby Shinton, Richard O'kelly, Billy Smith, Bill Bidmead, George Hadley, George Bell, Lee Jenkins, Micky Evans, Giles Toogood, Lindley Jenkins, Abe Jones, Jr., Joe Reader, Jesse Pennington, Reuben Farley, John Glover, Jim Roach, Robert Hodgson, Fred Roberts, Charlie Perry, Tom Pearson, Gary Bull, Keith Bowker, John Paddock, Ezra Horton, Jeremy Peace, Ezra Holmes, Billy Richards, Lee Woodley, Al Atkins, Chippy Simmons, Fred Bunn, Arthur Loach, Billy Lee, Bert Millard, Fred Everiss, Harry Green, Leslie Wilcox, Stan Edwards, Louis Ford, Robert Edwin Phillips, Brian Whitehouse, George Timmins, Leonard Boot, Thomas Hunt, Anne Aston, Edward Stephenson, John Nock. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 222. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948), is an English rock singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Plant was born in West Bromwich to parents Robert C. and Annie C. (Cane) Plant, but grew up in Halesowen, formerly in Worcestershire, now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. Plant gained an interest in singing at a young age. When I was a kid I used to hide behind the curtains at home at Christmas and I used to try and be Elvi...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=100405 ... Read more

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Chapters: Raitis Ivanāns, Garrett Burnett, Jay Mazur, Phil Esposito, Jeff Brown. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Raitis Ivanns (born January 3, 1979) is a Latvian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ivanns is known as an enforcer in the NHL. Ivanans with the Los Angeles KingsIn 1997, Ivanns came over to North America and played for the Flint Generals. In 2005, he made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens, accumulating 9 penalty minutes in 4 games. He got into a fight in his first game, against the Ottawa Senators, with Zdeno Chára, and sustained a broken orbital bone due to a late punch after he was down. On July 13, 2006, he signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Ivanns scored his first NHL goal against Marty Turco the Dallas Stars on October 12, 2006. On March 18, 2007, he re-signed one-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings a one-way contract. On January 29, 2008, Ivanns signed a two-year contract extension with the Kings. ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=3436482 ... Read more

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Manolito De La Cruz knew he was dangerously close to turning into a vampire. The last thing he expected after being called back to his Carpathian homeland by Prince Mikhail was to catch the scent of his destined lifemate in MaryAnn Delaney. MaryAnn is human, but she knows all too well the overwhelmingly aggressive instincts of Carpathian males. And they’re not exactly the kind of men she’d prefer to be bound to for life.

A dedicated counselor for battered women, MaryAnn has a fulfilling life with no room for someone like Manolito, born and bred in the Carpathian Mountains, a law unto himself. But when MaryAnn agrees to go to South America to offer guidance to a brutalized young woman, she has no idea of the trap that awaits her in the sweltering thick of the jungle. She has been lured there by Manolito himself, who has seductive plans for the unaware, irresistibly human female.

Once there, she will be his. Once his, she never will be released. He is her lover, her predator, her lifemate. She is his dark possession…
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Customer Reviews (133)

so-so
These books are good, just extremely repititous.they basically give the backstory over and over in each book.

Not her best
This was the first one in her series that I could not fully read. I skipped most of the book reading just enough to catch the plot. It was almost like she had a deadline and threw this book together last minute. The most upsetting part is she introduced a new "breed" of supernatural and could have really done so much more with that alone. Really disappointed! If you are new to Feehan and going to read a Carpathian novel for the first time, please do not start with this one!! If you are a fan, do yourself a favor an look to others you have not read.

Love this series!
Love this series! I am collecting the set as they come out in paperback. A real fun read.

Carpathian Series
I had gotten tired of reading same old same old books ..so I tried this series. It is fantastic...and jets you into a whole other realm.Very exciting! And a nice break from predictable books..

Always love Christine Feehan's books!
If you love this series, you'll like this story in the lastest of the Dark Carpathians! ... Read more

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Lara Calladine is haunted by childhood memories of being held prisoner in an ice cave and kept sane by the whispered stories told to her by her imprisoned aunts. They instilled mage and Carpathian magic deep within her and then helped her escape. She has spent years searching for the cave in hopes of finding the answers to the riddle of her past as well as finding her aunts who may have given their lives saving her.

Nicolas De La Cruz has returned to the Carpathian Mountains--his homeland--on orders from his eldest brother, Zacarias, to bring news of a conspiracy to the prince of their people. He is weary of his long existence and plans to end it away from his brothers where they will be unable to stop him once he has fulfilled his duty.
Lara and Nicolas' paths collide in an explosive adventure that rocks the Carpathian world.
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Customer Reviews (111)

coolmom
feehan rocks no matter what she writes. love these books! i would only say...write faster!

One of my fav Carpathain novels
This novel is one of my favorite Feehans. It gives a lot of movement finally on the predicament of the Carpathians fertility problems. I love the De la Cruz brothers and their extra macho attitude is exactly how South American men see their women. Which is kinda cool but for me personally I would like it for about a day or two then I would be showing my own attitude LOL, but I digress, the sub-plot is moving now we see how the Carpathians got int trouble and there are ways of fixing it. Hope is there finally and I cant wait to see how this is played out. two thumbs up from me!

Rather disappointing
This is the 19th book in Christine Feehan's successful vampire romance-series about the 'Carpathians'. The Carpathians are a species of people who live on blood (usually without killing anyone), react badly to sunlight and have supernatural powers, like shapeshifting or speaking mind to mind. Their problem is that only few woman are left and the men get more and more aggresssive over time unless they find their lifemate. If they lose control and start killing people, they turn into ruthless and brutal vampires who are hunted down by their own people.

In recent volumes, the surviving Carpathians found out that an ancient mage, Xavier, is responsible for the fact that their women have almost no children anymore and that most of those are male. That's what 'Dark Curse' is about: Xavier's great-granddaughter Lara, who was abused and mistreated by him as a child before she could escape, returns to the Carpathian mountains to find out of her fellow-prisoners are still alive. There she meets her lifemate, dominant Nicolas de la Cruz. They mate, face some problems because of her nasty childhood and her resulting fear of drinking blood, then enter Xavier's lair in an ice cave to find the other prisoners and the laboratory where he experimented on diseases that lead to miscarriages. A few fights follow and Lara saves the day by saving several pregnant Carpathians...

The book has some nice scenes, but all in all I was rather disappointed:
- Nicolas is a stereotypical Carpathian with pretty much no depth or individuality.
- The plot was less than original or inventive. It's a mixture of elements we've all seen before.
- Several problems weren't resolved convincingly (it just sort of happened).
- The rather silly spells (badly rhymed, too) went on my nerves.
- I really wish Feehan would stop adding more and more phrases in her self-made Carpathian language. It really disturbs the flow for me.

I'd say this is a rather weak entry in the series and I really hope that Feehan will return to her old form soon.

so-so
These books are good, just extremely repititous.they basically give the backstory over and over in each book.

best one of all
I've read most of the series, except for a couple I missed by accident. This is the best one yet. If you are faltering with this series I encourage you to continue and read this.
I did have a tough time swallowing the "lifemate" instant in-love thing. It seemed lazy and contrived.
I like that the author has now started to show the Carpathians as not just finding their lifemate but falling in love with them.
There is lots of drama in this book and many of the old characters.

... Read more