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Customer Reviews (15)

Great Autobio
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.Mr. Crawford takes such delight in telling the many funny anecdotes and doesn't hesitate to be frank about his personal failings.His show biz career seems to have wound down in the new millenium, too bad.This along with the video The Fantastic World of Michael Crawford, are treasured mementos.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!
I have never laughed so much while reading a book in my life.Some of the stories told are hilarious.I enjoyed learning about Michael Crawford's life.If you have any interest in Michael Crawford, I advise you to get and read this book.You won't be disappointed.

Parcel arrived safely - Tied With String
Item in excellent condition and arrived on time.

A Thoroughly Entertaining and Engaging Autobiography!
Though I've not read many autobiographies, this has without a doubt been the most entertaining that I've read thus far; indeed, at times it is simply hilarious.Michael Crawford's career is meticulously chronicled from its beginnings (he started out as a child performer) through to and including the international super-stardom he achieved with his coveted role as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera.In the process, he tells of his short and disillusioning stint doing Hollywood movies in the late 60s/early 70s.He recounts the huge television success he had in Britain in the 70s with Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (and the hilarious upshot--hilarious for us, that is--of being nationally recognised as and taken for a disaster-prone half-wit!).Crawford went on to forge a name for himself in the 70s and 80s as a formidable lead in musicals (the culmination of which was, of course, his role as the Phantom).Greatest of all, though, was the tremendous honour of receiving an OBE in 1987.

Crawford, who was born in 1942, is extremely candid--even quite personal at times--as he recounts his life story, and sharing the limelight with his professional life are the many recollections he shares about his personal life.There are a great many happy and humorous memories (and even some embarrassing ones), but he doesn't hold back from sharing with us the painful memories as well--like his mother's unhappy marriage to his step-father, or the death of his beloved mother and grandmother.

What really makes this autobiography stand above the others I've read are the many humorous anecdotes that infuse Crawford's recollections of both his personal and professional life.He was a practical joker and a bit of a clown as a child--traits which he continued (thankfully!) to embrace wholeheartedly as an adult.That combined with his love for daring stunts result in some absolutely hilarious experiences that are rendered all the more enjoyable for being so engagingly told.

This 329-page hardcover has 24 pages of black-and-white photos, many of which are from Crawford's own private collection.There are photos of Crawford as a baby and as a child, photos of his mom with her first husband (who sadly died in the war after only a year of marriage), photos of his grandmother with each of her two husbands, photos of his two daughters at different stages in their lives, photos of his then-wife, and photos of Crawford--shots of him with his various co-stars or shots of him in his various productions--from the many stages in his career.Though published in 1999, Crawford ends his story in 1990, following his last appearance as the Phantom in Los Angeles.It would've been nice if he'd brought things up to date, but I suppose one cannot fault him for wanting to end his story on what has been (at least to this point in time) the apex of his career.

In conclusion, I heartily recommend this delightful autobiography to all fans of Michael Crawford.His engaging style reveals a man who is a very capable story-teller, and he certainly has no shortage of entertaining stories to tell.

Amazing!!
I have just started reading Michael Crawford's bio but must comment on the service.I ordered the book on Tuesday and was amazed to find it in my mailbox on Thursday.Never have I received such speedy service before.Thank you Ed Silver! ... Read more

Product Description
Setting out to examine how food played a determining role in the way in which creatures developed, this book goes on to explore how nutrition is now shaping the future of life on earth. It points to the links between poor nutrition and modern degenerative diseases and aims to show how European ignorance of African ecology led to the destruction of natural ecosystems and the introduction of inappropriate European farming methods to colonial Africa, and in turn to the famines of the 20th century. The book also deals with the effect of farming methods on the physiology of man's food animals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

What I have been looking for.
I have been a strong advocate of Elaine Morgan's Aquatic Ape Theory and Murray's Sea Energy.This book combines my favorite subjects, e.g., evolution, aquatic ape theory, the energy of the sea water and nutrition.It is the only one of its kind.Yet, it is out of print.I donot understand that. Evolutionist are either blind with their own theories or just getting old.I noticed that terrestrial evolutionists debunk the AAT, while the marine evolutionists tend to accept AAT.I wonder if they also recognize the influence of nutrition on evolution of homo sapiens.
Miguel Melgar

Nutritional Factors Challenge Species
A species must have the proper nutrition to thrive, if nutrition changes the species must adapt.Better adapted mutations survive and the species is changed. For other challenges the nutritional support for the adapting mutation must be present.For instance, man must have developed his big brain while he had access to omega 3 fatty acids ---most likely near a lake or the ocean.Today,the IQ in UK is decliningto lack of proper nutrition ... Read more

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Michael and Natasha is both an astonishing love story and an illuminating look at the last glorious days of the Romanovs and the brutal revolution that ended their reign. Based on private diaries, letters, and documents long hidden in the Soviet archives, it sheds light on an extraordinary tale of enduring love and ultimate tragedy that, until now, has never been told.

He was the Grand Duke Michael Aleksandrovich, the tall, dashing brother of Tsar Nicholas II. She was Nathalie Wulfert, a beautiful, elegant, intelligent, divorced commoner, and the wife of a Guards officer under Michael's command. Everything was wrong...yet for Grand Duke Michael, it was love at first sight-an obsession that would lead to disgrace, humiliation, and exile.

Much of Michael and Natasha's story is told in their own words, through hundreds of hitherto unpublished letters. Here they reveal their passion, their joy, and their despair as they are banished from their own country, bathed in scandal in the courts of Europe, and forced to suffer cruel separation. But more than a love story, Michael and Natasha is a historical drama played out against the elegant background of a bygone age and a world at war. It is a spell-binding account of Michael's return to Russia, his reputation as a war hero, the downfall of Nicholas II, the strange and short reign of Grand Duke Michael, and the cruel and tragic end of one of the most colorful eras in world history.

Customer Reviews (19)

Engaging History, Just Enough Gossip
This well-written biography of Tsar Nicholas II's brother Michael and his wife (a Russian version of Mrs. Simpson, to be sure!) is engaging and informative.The fact is that both Michael and Natasha were, except for the accidents of history, rather unremarkable people, but it's just those accidents that make their story fascinating, at least for those of us who have a particular interest in the end of Tsarist Russia and the fate of those caught up in the Revolution.Some good photographs, as well.

Enjoyable; very readable dual biography
What I liked about MICHAEL AND NATASHA is that this biography is chock full of previously undisclosed details about the life of Michael, brother of Nicholas II, and Michael's extended family.Michael's childhood as the youngest Romanov son is throughly covered; his life as a spoiled young officer, and his loves before he met Natasha, who he clung to as tenaciously as Edward VIII clung to Wallis Simpson...with somewhat the same results!

Just about everything the reviewer John Cofield said is true:Michael and Natasha were probably selfish, somewhat shallow people, and yet, there is something touching about their story, and I think that's because they did love each other (even if that love went through some weird phases, given Natasha's need to flirt and to always be the apple of other men's eyes).Also, their lives both ended tragically.Michael's assassination was vicious and was a real blow for Natasha, who ended up penniless and alone.Then their son George died very young; a double blow for Natasha.

However, in one respect, I have to disagree with Mr. Cofield:Michael was unable, by virtue of his temperament, to provide consistent help to Nicholas II.Michael was, alternatively, spoiled; weak; pleasure-loving and prone to sudden falling in and out of love, not completely unlike his dead cousin, the Duke of Clarence.Nor was he given the trainingor education to overcome these character flaws.For that, the fault must lie with his indulgent parents, Alexander III and particularly Marie Fedorovna, who frankly seems to have been a hopeless sort of mother.

As much as Nicholas could have used help with his burdens, his needy and possessive wife Alexandra would probably always have prevented a closer relationship between the brothers, even if there hadn't been the seductive Natasha to come between them.Nicholas was pretty much a damned figure from the word go, in any case.The more one reads about Nicholas II, the more you see that nothing went right for this man!He came to the throne too soon; he married the wrong woman, and he was terminally stubborn, unable to change his view that autocracy was the only way of government for Russia.He was also, toward the very end, too resigned and apathetic, leaving everything to the "will of God", rather than actively trying to save his reign and his life.

As for the quality of the authors' writing, I liked it; the tempo is good, it's backed by solid research, and the reader gets a real flavor for life in the Imperial Russian family and extended family members.I recommend this.

A thumping good read!
I have read several books on the Romanovs.This is one of the best so far.The story is heartbreaking.When the man you love is born with a job and expectations he's not allowed to have choice or freedom.What is worse is the rotten treatment and rejection he received from those who are supposed to love him.I would recommend this book highly.

Star Crossed Lovers - A Wonderful Biography!
I have read many books about the Romanov family over the years. Rosemary and Donald Crawford's "Michael and Natasha : The Life And Love Of Michael II, The Last Of The Romanov Tsars" is one of the best - certainly the most riveting. Although very well researched, documented and indexed, the book reads like a wonderful novel. It is an extraordinarily moving love story and gives the reader a bird's eye view into the lives of the Romanovs and the fall of their dynasty.

Grand Duke Michael, was the dashing youngest brother of the last Tsar of Russia. The book chronicles Michael's early life, giving a detailed account of his relationship with his family. He became involved with Natalia, (or Natasha) Cheremetevskaya, a commoner, while he was serving in the imperial army. She was 26, quite beautiful, and captured Michael's heart during their first dance. Natasha was twice divorced and was widely dismissed as a scheming social climber. Michael's romantic courtship of Natasha, their extremely close relationship, morganatic marriage and banishment from Russia is all documented here, along with observations by friends, family and actual letters. There are also never-before-seen photographs. Apparently Grand Duchess Olga, Michael's sister, not only knew Natasha, but evidently was a friend. Some of the unusual photographs in the book document this friendship. After the couple married, Olga turned her back on them. When Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, and abdicated for his young son, Michael was offered the throne, but he refused the opportunity to rule Russia because society and the Russian people would never have accepted his wife. There exists the possibility that if Michael had accepted the crown, there may have never been a Bolshevik Revolution.

One of the most fascinating books on the period that I have read. It is a powerful and tragic story and I highly recommend it.
JANA

Deserves more recognition
I absolutely loved this book. Although the story is terribly tragic and sad in the end, this is the best love story I have ever read. Bravo to the Crawfords for writing this book because it's a story that needed and deserved to be written about. I too fell in love with Misha and Nastaha while reading the book and I cried at what happened to them in the end. They were doomed right from the start but it was all worth it, in my opinion. Even though this book has been out for almost seven years now, it amazes, and kind of saddens me that there is still little recognition and knowledge about these two extraodinary people. There definitely should be more.Nevermind the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Michael and Natasha were the real-life Romeo and Juliet and they paid a greater price for their love, and lives, then the Windsors did. It's kind of unfair too. Everyone knows about Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, but what about Michael II and Nathalie Brasova? They gave up just as much in order to be together, were also banished and were just as disgraced and humiliated by society, maybe even more. And in my opinion, Michael and Natasha are much more intriguing and fascinating then David and Wallis. It was clear that the Duke of Windsor loved Wallis very much and was deeply in love with her, but her love for him didn't appear to equal to his and her loyalty to him was questionable. In Michael and Natasha's case, they both loved each other wholeheartedly, were madly in love with each other and were both very loyal to each other. They and their story deserves to be more recognized and noted in the world. If only I was a screenwriter, and knew how to go about writing the script for the story, so I could bring this fascinating story to the screen so then the whole world would finally know the love story of G.D Michael Aleksandrovich of Russia and Nathalie Brasova. Or at least know how to get a film company to produce such a film. Maybe it will one day, I hope. The middle part of the book however, when David Crawford took over, did get a bit boring, when the war and revolution started. But through and through, it was a compelling and fascinating story. The tragedy of the story though was that Michael and Natasha were the right people in the wrong place at the wrong time. ... Read more

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This textbook outlines the factors that every student must assess for a proper understanding of the period, from the attitudes of the aristocracy and the role of state religion to the function of political institutions. This second edition also contains a new introduction and an updated bibliography. ... Read more

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The first comprehensive study in over 100 years, cataloging the issues of each coiner in the period 280-31 B. C. and describing and dating them as accurately as the evidence permits. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best book available on Roman Republican Coinage.
This book reviews the socioeconomic times and coinage of the Roman Republic. It provides valuable information relating to the identification and documentation (including pictures of the vast majority of known cointypes)of coins of this period. If you are trying to identify an unknowncoin, this would be the first and best pictorial source, and is also ascolarly work dedicated to showing the whole picture, from historicalaccounts to mintage figures and die types. ... Read more

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Biography of Sean Connery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Informative biography
"Phantom: Michael Crawford Unmasked" chronicles Mr. Crawford's early career up thru 1990 and his POTO performances in LA.If you are looking for details about his early life (few are mentioned unless they deal with his career) or his more recent accomplishments, read his autobiography, "Parcel Arrived Safely, Tied with String" published in 1999.As with his autobiography, there are a number of black and white photos.Hayward cites numerous reviews of Crawford's performances and quotes the author's personal interviews or correspondence with many of Crawford's colleagues, including several well-know actors from British TV, stage and screen.There are quite a few behind the scene details about his stage and screen work.An index and chapter notes are provided at the end of the book, as well as a listing of his albums, film, stage and TV appearances(as of 1990).This book was originally published in the UK, so being a fan of British film and TV, I was familiar with many of the actors/personalities to which Hayward refers. Otherwise the average reader may have no idea who they are. Apparently there are several editions of this book, because the one I have has a different publisher [Weidenfeld and Nicholson] and pagination [ix, 196 p.] from that listed above. If you are a fan of Crawford, and can find a copy of this book, it is worth reading.

Enjoyed the book!
I learned a few things about my favorite Phantom I hadn't read elsewhere.I enjoyed it. ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1877Original Publisher: Govt. Print. Off.Subjects: Biography ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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The epic story of Grand Duke Michael, younger brother of Tsar Nicholas II, a career soldier, who defied the Romanov code to marry a commoner and divercee. Based on the letters and diaries of Michael and Natasha, only now available from former soviet archives. The love story crosses Europe in the golden age before the first world war, including a period when Michael is banished from Russia, his assets sequestered and even his mother refuses to acknowledge his bride. Welcomed back to Russia to command a regiment after the outbreak of war, Michaelfinds himself at odds with Nicholas and his irrational wife Alexandra. He is appalled at the influence of Rasputin. Later, Michael finds himself decreed Tsarduring revolution and imprisoned. Natasha escapes Russia with their son and her daughter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good buy
I had been trying to get this book in Australia for some time (second-hand) and then saw it on Amazon.As it was described as being "near new" I decided to take a chance and order it.it arrived here to me much quicker than the stated time, and it really is "near new".Shall look for plenty more on Amazon. ... Read more

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One thing which will assist in the full understanding of this story is it has several portions written to invoke each reader to become one or perhaps both of the main characters involved. It is also intended to stir empathy with each character, as it may be pertinent to the reader. There are several themes allowing an opportunity for the reader to imagine the position of each character as if that position were real, and in many cases the odds of such an occurrence are most probable, as the idea of the circumstances came from observations of everyday life and human emotions.

Although the story only involves two individuals, which happen to be a male and female, it could also very well apply to a number of conditions as wide and as open as a phantasm of the mind and illusions of make-believe. Such an event has happened in the past and will most likely occur again in the future. If you believe long enough, hard enough, real enough, it could also happen to you in A Matter of Time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

It's a Real page turner!
I couldn't put "Matter of Time" down!How Michael C. was able to get into a female's mind set is truely amazing!Stirring emotions and lots of twists and turns you don't expect!I loved it!

It's a Real Page turner!
I couldn't put this book down! As a woman, I could relate to this story... the emotions are real and very stirring. It's amazing how Michael Crawford, as a man, could get inside a female's mind so throughly! I hope there is a sequel.

Thought inducing originality
I was interested from start to finish!The main character could apply toevery woman, no matter what stage of life they are at.It was as if Ibecome part of the story, experiencing THE GIFT myself.I was keptguessing at to what turn the story would take next.I was surprised, sad,joyous and glad to have come across this original read.

Editorial and customer review
A Matter of Time is a novel that holds the reader in suspense.Anyone who has ever found him/herself in a dead-end world, or think they maybe, will benefit from the message this novel portrays.Through the method ofovercoming this dilemma may seem hopeless, as it was for Maggie, the maincharacter, everyone has the ability to go within themselves to find aresolution.TheAuthor of this novel uses a new and unique style ofreaching the readers by involving them in the search for the gift we allsearch for in life.A very compelling reading.Premeau1@aol.com

Highly original and imaginative.
A deep exploration of emotions, presented in highly original manner ... Read more

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The Human Biology of Pastoral Populations draws together the current knowledge of the biology, population structure, and ecology of herding populations. It investigates how pastoral populations adapt to limited and variable food availability, the implications of the herding way of life for reproductive patterns, population structure and genetic diversity, and the impacts of ongoing social and ecological changes on the health and well-being of these populations. This volume will be of broad interest to scholars in anthropology, human biology, genetics, and demography. ... Read more

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This autobiography of the only severely disabled athlete to attain full ranking as a tennis pro will inspire all who read it to overcome their obstacles and realize their dreams in any field. ... Read more

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Sandi and Randi are identical twins with a two-year-old brother-Terrible Teddy. Cute little Teddy destroys their homework and gets into their things. But it's the day he mistakes one twin for the other that leads to a case of double trouble! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Neat
I thought the book was neat. The twins are cool. Teddy was a bad little kid. Read the book its cool.

A Fun Book
I read this book when I was 10 years old, I'm 21 now, and found this place to review it. I enjoyed it, and have been wondering if there were any other books about the Daniels twins. If there are, I would love to buy them. I have Double Trouble, Triple Trouble, Triple Trouble in Hollywood, and DT onVacation.

awsome!!
i love this book!i used to read it in second grade over and over, and i still read it once a year now.it's a great book and shows how annoying, yet fun being a twin can be!

This book is a wonderful story with humor and lessons.
I first read this book when I was in about the third grade. I thought it was adorable then and still do now. The girls are such likeable people and they certainly know how to have an adventure. Then there's Teddy. You haveto feel sorry for all the trouble he causes the girls, but he's just socute. I loved this story so much that I also bought several others in theseries. They were just as wonderful. Sandi and Randi are two of my favoritecharacters to share adventures with. I recommend this book to every younggirl, especially one with siblings. ... Read more

Product Description
Seasons of Grace examines the evolution of the idea of a revival of religion in its social, institutional, and intellectual contexts within the transatlantic British evangelical community. Between the later seventeenth and mid-eighteenth centuries, British evangelicals elaborated the concept of a revival of religion in terms of the transformation by grace of a community, a group of people bound together as a single moral entity by a covenant with God.Culminating with Jonathan Edwards, who described the revival of religion as the chief engine that drives redemption history, it was New Englanders who most explicitly developed the concept of revival as communal, as well as individual, conversion.During the Evangelical Revival of the mid-eighteenth century, the revival narrative came to embody this concept.This new literary genre treated a communal revival as a distinct phenomenon that possessed a morphology as recognizable as the morphology of individual conversion.Seasons of Grace explores the connections between the evangelical idea of a revival of religion and revivalistic techniques, including conversionist evangelism, passionate preaching, appeal to the affections, religious fellowship meetings, and congregational psalm and hymn singing, as they developed on both sides of the Atlantic. ... Read more

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The star of Phantom of the Opera has hand-picked each of the songs in this collection for his Atlantic Records album, ON EAGLE'S WINGS, which includes both classic and contemporary songs of inspiration. Titles include: Amazing Grace * Ave Maria * Eternal Love * The Holy City * I'll Walk with God * Joseph's Lullaby * Not Too Far from Here * Now the Day Is Over * On Eagle's Wings * Panis Angelicus * Spirit of the Living God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

On Eagles Wings
This is an amazing collection of songs. I first became acquainted with them through
the Michael Crawford album, "On Eagles Wings", and was happy to find that a sheet-music book was available.

I'm not particularly skilled on the piano, but all of the songs I've tried from this book sound fantastic, and are easy enough that I learned to play them without much trouble. Most are played at a fairly slow tempo, so it's great for someone just learning, or who has trouble reading the notes, as I do.

There are 11 songs contained in this book, and range from classic Christian to more contemporary, including one song that was written especially for Crawford, "Joseph's Lullaby", a truly gorgeous song.

The arrangements are nicely done, and as far as I can tell, are nearly note-for-note what is present on the album.

Though not quite as religious as they are inspiring and uplifting, they give you a good feeling and never fail to raise my spirits. "Now The Day Is Over","Panis Angelicus", and "The Holy City" are some favorites I play again and again.

If you are a fan of Michael Crawford, or gentle, relaxing music to sing or play, then I highly recommend this book.



... Read more