The book, The Mississippi by David Brinkley and Stephen Ambrose, is the story of our country's great expansion west through the vision of President Thomas Jefferson to the present. The Mississippi has played a great part of America's history from Spanish and French ownership to the Civil War and the many successful writers born near the great river such as Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), T.S. Elliot to the tamed American Bald Eagle that flies over many sports and public events while the National Anthem plays. This book is remarkable history travelog up the 2500+ miles with trivia along the way. Enjoy!  Get this Book!

I'm not entirely sure why I read this book, but it was morbidly fascinating: the story of one man's use - and abuse - of books. It is also a the "life story" of a private library: how it was created, and what happened to it. Author Ryback refers frequently to Walter Benjamin, a German-Jewish literary critic and avid book collector, who believed that libraries preserve their creators. "Hitler's Private Library" explores that idea in a fascinating way.  Get this book!