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| A Maritime Commission Victory Ship during WWII. |
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THEY GO TO SEA--The Story of an
American Merchant Ship and the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II
Size: 5-1/2"x8-1/2"
305 Pages
14 Illustrations
Bibliography
A FIRST NOVEL, this maritime tale brings to life the
courage of our American merchant seamen and Naval Armed Guard gun crews on convoy duty to England. The narrative describes
in harrowing detail the torpedoing of merchant ships by the German U-boats and how the fatal toll of 1
out of 26 American seafarers was effected. This is the highest ratio of men killed in battle,
more than all the Armed Services combined.
Hard cover: $20.00 plus s/h - HURRY!
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SYNOPSIS
Underage for the Navy, young Ken Mason, impressionable and adventurous,
enlists in the United States Maritime Service and undergoes radio operator training during the summer after graduating from
high school.
For the past year and currently, Nazi U-boats in a feeding frenzy are sinking dozens of ships
up and down the US East Coast and far out to sea. Ken, whose father is a New York admiralty lawyer, has, in his father's words
"run away to sea," survives a convoy run across the Atlantic to England. He ships out again upon his return to New
York.
As the assemblage of ships disappears over the eastern horizon on its way to England, Ken Mason and
his shipmates must now face the U-boat menace in the bloody North Atlantic Ocean. This time his ship, however, damaged during
a storm, must drop out of the convoy, and return to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for repairs. But, forebodingly, the newly
launched SS Orion Victory is not alone. She is being stalked by U-218, in the deadly periscope crosshairs of
a soon-to-be submarine ace, Kapitänleutnant Walther Starken, better known to the U.S. Navy's COMEASTSEAFRON
as "Iron Cross Wally."
--------------------------------
Review by a columnist of a local newspaper:
"They Go
To Sea is not just another war story about a war that took place long ago, but an engaging novel about the lives of these
men, their loves, their families. It is enjoyable reading. Don't miss out on owning your personal hand-signed
copy! Buy it today!"
|
| World War II American Poster |
"They go to sea,
and back to sea, and back to sea again, until one wonders how it is possible to face the continued expectation of death or
long chances of survival. Those who have suffered the most seem the most anxious to get back to sea."
--January
1943 U.S. Government Report on Convoy Fatigue
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| World War II American Poster |
Comparison of Merchant Marine Casualty Rate to Other Services
Merchant Marine: Serving 243,000, War Dead 9,497, Per Cent 3.90, Ratio 1 in 26
Marine Corps: Serving 669,108, War
Dead 19,733, Per Cent 2.94, Ratio 1 in 34
Army: Serving 11,268,000, War Dead 234,874, Per Cent 2.08, Ratio 1 in 48
Navy: Serving 4,183,466, War Dead 36,958, Per Cent 0.88, Ratio 1 in 114
Coast Guard: Serving 242,093, War Dead 574,
Per Cent 0.24, Ratio 1 in 421
Total: Serving 16,576,667, War Dead 295,790, Per Cent 1.78, Ratio 1 in 56
(Note:
Figures and graph copyrighted US Maritime Service Veterans at www.USMM.org)
|
| World War II British Poster |
Prime Minister Winston Churchill:
"Wonderful exertions
have been made by our Navy and our Air Force...and, need I say, by the officers and men of the Merchant Navy, who go out in
all weathers and in the teeth of all dangers to fight for love of their native land for a cause they comprehend and serve."
A Sailor Serving in a Royal Canadian Navy Corvette:
"We had great respect for the merchant
seamen. I think they were underestimated, especially now by the British public today, because they talk about the Battle
of Britain. Granted the pilots did a marvelous, marvelous job, but when you stop and think, how did they get the fuel
across to fly those planes, it was the merchant seamen. And, honestly, I think they're the bravest men out, the
Merchant Navy.
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| World War II British Poster |
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| Maritime Commission T-2 tanker with crated planes on deck. |
| What Allied Seamen Faced At Sea: |
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| Armament on Deck of a U-boat |
Kriegsmarine Admiral Karl Dönitz's Famous Four
Imperatives For Sea Warfare:
1. All attempts to rescue members of ships that have been sunk, including
attempts to pick up swimmers, or to place food and water, will cease. The rescue of survivors contradicts the elementary
necessity of war for the destruction of enemy boats and their crew.
2. The order for the capture of captains
and chief engineers remain in force.
3. Survivors may only be rescued when interrogation may be of value
to the U-boat.
4. Be severe. Remember that in his bombing attacks on German cities the enemy has no
regard for women and children.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
"The men of
our American Merchant Marine have pushed through despite the perils of the submarine, the dive-bomber, and the surface raider.
They have returned voluntarily to their jobs at sea again and again, because they realized that the lifelines to our battlefronts
would be broken if they did not carry out their vital part in this global war."
General Douglas MacArthur:
"I wish to commend to you the valor of the merchant seamen participating with us in the liberation of the
Philippines. With us they have shared the heaviest enemy fire. On this island I have ordered them off their ships
and into foxholes when their ships became untenable targets of attack. At our side they have suffered in bloodshed and
in death. The caliber of efficiency and the courage they displayed in their part of the invasion of the Philippines
marked their conduct throughout the entire campaign in the southwest Pacific area. They have contributed tremendously
to our success. I hold no branch in higher esteem than the Merchant Marine."
Historian John Keegan:
The 30,000 men of the British Merchant Navy who fell victim to the U-boats between 1939 and 1945...[and]...their
American, Dutch, Norwegian or Greek fellow mariners...stood nevertheless between the Wehrmacht and the domination
of the world.
|
| World War II Poster |
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| Author with Chief Abbot Gyoshu Oi (extreme left) and other priests and monks of Kencho Ji, Kamakura. |
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THE LAST OF ALL DESIRE--Being the Story of a Search for Zen
Size: 5-1/2"x8-1/2"
344 Pages
28 Illustrations
Bibliography
THIS REMARKABLE SECOND NOVEL recounts the fated attraction of an American seaman and a beautiful Japanese girl, whose
lives--and fortunes--are greatly influenced by their Zen Master. What advice does he give them in how to deal with her
forthcoming marriage to her deceased father's chosen groom, though she is desperately in love with Ken Mason, newly thrust
into her life, as he is with her, the ethereal young woman who is called Lily Blossom Kane?
Hard cover: $20.00 plus s/h - HURRY! ONLY 2 COPIES LEFT!
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s/h - End of inventory sale price!
--------------------------------
SYNOPSIS
Searching for the meaning of life is itself another way of life. And no matter how hard we try,
we won’t realize our true purpose until the very end. The road to destiny begins as the author tells a compelling story
of culture, personality and love with the release of his critically-acclaimed novel.
The Last of all Desire is a fictional account of the author's chance stumbling upon a small
solitary Buddhist temple on a hill in Sasebo, Japan, on a hot August afternoon. The book continues the story of Ken Mason,
who sails the Seven Seas in a state of disquietude. After surviving from the destruction of his ship during World War II,
Ken embarks on a search that his late mother described as his destiny. Three years later, he reaches the end of his quest
and arrives at the port city of Ryumachi on Kyushu Island, Japan. Its harbor has the ominously jagged shape of a dragon's
mouth. As he saunters down the gangway Ken has no idea what awaits him in that creature's fiery lair...except a slight foreboding
that he has passed the point of no return. Is Ken doomed? Only time will tell.
With its compelling plot, detailed setting, and interesting cast of characters, The
Last of all Desire is essentially a tireless search for life’s meaning expressed through the views of the protagonist,
Ken Mason. Along the way, the book brings to its readers an in-depth focus on Zen Buddhism, the conflict between love of family
and traditions, the culture and norms of Japan, and the complications of the power of love.
--------------------------------
Lily Blossom Kane's father, aristocratic Admiral Kantaro Kane and her two naval
officer brothers were killed in the war, leaving her the sole provider for her grieving mother who has gone quietly mad.
The forlorn young woman is in the process of converting from her native Shinto religion to Buddhism to find some
surcease from their pain. She is presently studying under the aged reclusive priest in the neglected temple perched
high on a hill, overlooking the town of Ryumachi, on the island of Kyushu. The time is immediately post-war under the
United States Army of Occupation in Japan. She is carrying a book, the contents of which describe some fearful antics
of the ancient Zen masters.
Excerpt from Chapter
One:
Months ago convinced that she was safe from rape by the foreign barbarians
(as the newspapers had warned the populace), Lily Blossom had abandoned the guise of a street urchin and had dressed in bright
kimono. The 'rikisha ride along Festival Drive, indulged in purely for relaxation and enjoyment, after leaving the chauffeured
Ford at City Hall, was a visual delight. She wore a fresh yellow yukata--a light, airy summer kimono--and waved happily
to her many school friends who recognized her. Boisterous enemy soldiers from the occupying Army, whom she hardly noticed,
drove their mammoth olive-green military trucks along the earthen streets, sending up clouds of dust; and though they noticed
her and whistled short, strange tunes, no one approached her.
She climbed the stone steps, then
turned into the dirt path that led farther up to Tombo Ji. At the tea table, she placed the Mumonkan, a Zen
textbook she had been carrying, on top of a cloth-bound sutra--The Lankavatara, she saw.
"I've studied this for what seems an eternity, Honorable Grandfather, but I still can't penetrate its core. I'm
afraid you'll cut off my finger, punch me in the mouth, or hit me over the head with that stick. I give up. Here,
take it back."
Everything she said had been recounted in the book. Lily Blossom did
not intend to become another victim.
Ojiisan nodded and let the zenroku lay where it was.
Lily Blossom added, "I'm sure I'll understand Buddhism some day, but I'm just as sure it'll
be a lifetime before I begin to understand Zen. Or your honorable self. Forgive me, Ojiisan."
He nodded again. "I'm thirsty. Would you make some tea, Yurime-chan?"
She rose quickly. "How thoughtless of me! Immediately, Master."
When she
returned and he sipped from his cup, he could not control a happy grin from spreading across his features.
"Ah," he said, "so. But I see that you do understand Zen."
A slight--very slight--glimmer of understanding came to her, and a sudden laugh erupted from her shiny pink mouth.
"Blessed Ojiisan, I should have known you were up to your old tricks again!"
REVIEWS OF THE LAST OF ALL DESIRE "David
Arturi obviously has an intimate knowledge of Japan...about history, customs, atmosphere, daily living... He writes very well
indeed, and fascinatingly." --Dan Wickenden, Editor, Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc. Publishers, New York, N.Y.
"This book truly is
a labor of love, meticulously written, and surely something the author has cared about deeply." --Eleanor
S. Rawson, Executive Editor, David McKay Company, Inc. Publishers, New York, N.Y.
"Mr. Arturi is quite skilled in his character studies, and by playing out strong feelings
against fixed social patterns he creates many interesting textual qualities throughout. The first problem I detected...the
Zen student is asked, apparently, to believe in a paradox: he must study, yet his books are called worthless in teaching him
what he needs to know. The author handles these episodes very charmingly and knowingly." --Lambert
Wilson, A Complete Literary Service, New York, N.Y.
"We've found the book delightful, and its content compelling. Thanks for this novel, which has proved to be an
especially enjoyable reading experience." --Scott Meredith (Original) Literary Agency, Inc.
New York, N.Y.
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| Juniper Tree Planted in Kencho Ji From Seeds Carried From China By Rankei Doryu, 1253 A.D. |
| The 750th Anniversary of the Founding of Kencho Ji |
|
| In center: Gyoshu's son Rev. Etsuo (r.), grandson Rev. Hirofumi (l.), and some family members. 2003 |
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| Perfection |
|
| Dai Butsu Amidabha |
Sign posted at the entrance to Kotoku-in Ji, on which ground sits the famous bronze statue of Dai Butsu (Amidabha),
the Great Buddha of Kamakura, Japan:
STRANGER, WHOSOEVER
THOU ART and whatsoever be thy creed, when thou enterest this sanctuary remember thou treadest upon ground hallowed
by the worship of ages. This is the temple of Buddha and the gate of the eternal and should therefore be entered with reverence. When a wise man hears the law,
his mind is at rest. --Buddha
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|
| Civil War Memorial Arch in Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY. |
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THE BELVEDERES OF BROOKLYN--
A Family's Attempt to Conquer the 1930s
Size: 6"x9"
340 Pages
22 Illustrations
THE AUTHOR'S THIRD OPUS is a stirring Italian-American novel that
is bold and honest in its treatment of detailing the years of America's Great Depression. It is also a virtual guided
tour through the wonders of the architecture and history of the former Dutch town of Breukelen, then becoming the City of
Brooklyn, and eventually one of the five boroughs of the City of New York. The entire story, based on some true incidents,
is, however, a fictional memoir, a stunning roman à clef, passionate in its themes, yet thought provoking,
engrossing, and volcanic.
Hard cover: $20.00 plus s/h - HURRY! ONLY 8 COPIES LEFT!
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---------------------------------------------- SYNOPSIS
The author, a loyal and loving Brooklynite, has written a novel celebrating the borough of his
birth, from the in depth descriptions of the Grand Army Plaza and the Battle of Long Island (in Brooklyn) in Prospect Park
to the Battle at Jamaica Pass, near present day Aqueduct racetrack; from the limestone mansions lining once-prestigious Bushwick
Avenue to the weekly amateur hours in the RKO Bushwick and Loew's Gates theaters on Broadway.
So
exact is his documentation of historical fact and events that the novel could properly be called a masterful example of roman
á clef, the definition of which we all know to mean that the writer bases his story on empiricism behind a veil of
fiction. But, in this author's case, the creativity flows more from his heart than from his intellect. The result
is a stunning emotional journey from childhood into adulthood, and one that helps us empathize with the bewilderment of the
four children of the title, including their bitterly socialistic father and vengeance-seeking stepmother who has sworn to
a vendetta in Little Italy. The story invokes the heartache of innocence lost--of dashed hopes--of abandonment--of dreams
destroyed.
Similar in varying degrees of intensity and poignancy to John Steinbeck's Grapes
of Wrath and Pietro Di Donato's Christ in Concrete, this tale of the struggling Belvederes depicts the challenges
confronting Italian-American immigrants struggling to overcome the odds placed before them to survive during the Depression
years of the 1930s. Remember:
The scaffolds are not safe,
for
the rich must ever profit more.
--Pietro Di Donato,
Christ in Concrete, 1939
The central character Adrian, a recently graduated parochial school boy shamelessly seduced by a beautiful widow neighbor,
develops into a tragic figure yet is elevated through classical and historical allusions in this coming of age novel.
He and his siblings have their American dreams, but, before attaining them, they have to wrestle with individual fears and
uncertainties.
That each of the Belvederes accomplishes their journey fulfilled, however,
must be a testament of human aspirations visualized then verbalized and gained. These separate pursuits are destined
to become factual for them--just as man is destined to progress toward fulfillment himself. --------------------------------
Following is a review by Dr. Patricia Wellington who is a retired English professor and freelance writer.
March
2, 2007
The Belvederes
of Brooklyn is David Arturi's tribute to the Brooklyn of his youth in the Depression-era 1930s. It is part memoir,
part fiction, but with few exceptions, he declines to tell us which is which. Though there's a huge cast of characters
representing a cross section of Brooklynites, two families dominate--the wealthy Vandermeers and the poor, blighted Belvederes.
Early
in the novel hedonistic widow Maureen Vandermeer, who preys on young boys her children's ages, has fixated on the younger
Belvedere son, Adrian, who bears a striking resemblance to the Roman Antinous, who was deified in his lifetime for his celebrated,
breathtaking beauty.
Interestingly, the history of the Belvedere
family mirrors Arturi's own as he tells us in "About the Author." Marius Belvedere leaves Italy for America
hoping to find a better life. But his wife Anna develops an inoperable brain tumor for which medical science at the
time offers little treatment.
At her deathbed, she asks her
older son, Rick, to get the family out of the city to a place of fresh air--perhaps the mountains. He is thwarted in
his mission, however, when Marius loses his job and is forced to put the four children--Paula, Rick, Adrian, and Linda--in
Catholic orphanages. Blaming America for his wife's death, he returns to Italy.
Six years later, Marius returns to America to claim his abandoned children. He has recently married Claudia,
an Italian-American New Yorker. By then, they feel little loyalty toward him and plot their escapes from Brooklyn.
Arturi's Brooklyn is a sexy place, a sort of an X-rated A Tree
Grows in Brooklyn, full of fondling, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," and explicit sex acts.
Even the architecture, according to the author, encourages carnality: "She
met him in the vestibule, which is Brooklyn's secret sex chamber. Amorous adventures take place in there at night, from
a hesitant first kiss between pre-teens and the culmination of stand-up copulation. The tiled vestibule at midnight
was an erotic sanctuary securely locked between two doors."
Those
familiar with Brooklyn should delight in the many place names, yesteryear's close-knit neighborhoods of candy stores and parks,
nostalgic memorabilia, side trips in history, and well-placed old photographs corresponding to the content.
--------------------------------
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| The Madragone Head of Antinous 130 A.D. Marble. Louvre. Height 37". |
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| Roman Emperor P. Aelius Hadrianus 117-138 A.D. Patron of Antinous |
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| Congestion at Prospect Park Boat House, Brooklyn NY 1945 |
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| Coney Island's Famous Wonder Wheel, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1940s |
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| Crowded Coney Island, est. 1,000,000 bathers, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1940s |
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From the Author:
Any resemblance between
the lives of the siblings mentioned earlier and the four Belvedere children in this fictional memoir is coincidental
only to the extent that a great deal of the depicted events must be attributed to the writer's lively imagination.
However, true episodes portrayed are not merely coincidental. They are, well, true.
When World War II swept
across the globe, the author enlisted in the Navy after graduating high school. Upon being discharged, he pursued his
career in maritime radiotelegraphy by going to sea in the U.S. Merchant Marine for more than four decades. And, as you
will see below, by visiting more than 100 countries and places where, in discussions with innumerable persons of various official
positions and dispositions, would return home to New York in shock and awe at the world's complexity.
What
you will read in this novel are factual and fictional episodes from his life in Brooklyn. It is just this method of
interpreting those life-altering events and one's reactions to them that prompted the writer to use a new phrase, Realistic
Fiction Writing in the 21st Century, that appears on this web site.
Stand upright, speak thy thought, declare
The Truth thou hast, that all may share
Be bold, proclaim
it everywhere.
They only live who dare.
--Editorial Masthead
of DAWN, Karachi, Pakistan's English language daily newpaper. .
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