Michael Benson

"The stunning true story of the rise of Nazism in America during the 1930s and 1940s--and the fearless Jewish gangsters and crime families who joined forces to fight back...with a vengeance. With an intense cinematic style, acclaimed nonfiction crime author Michael Benson divulges the thrilling role of Jewish mobsters like Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel in stomping out the terrifying tide of Nazi sympathizers in the years leading to WWII." -- Amazon.com....

Drop the top and hit the road! Convertibles have long been one of the most popular and desired types of cars. Inside, take a road trip through convertible history, from the earliest luxury models to the hot sports cars of the 1960's and 1970's, all the way to today's glamorous and windswept vehicles. Make sure it's not raining and get ready to feel the wind in your hair! So many cars, so little time! The world of cars is packed with all shapes and...

With powerful, roaring engines, muscle cars got their name for looking like they could shoulder aside anything on the road. A true American legend, muscle cars have long appealed to a wide range of fans around the world. Inside, read how different car companies created parts of this legend, see the hottest models, and find out how muscle cars made a roaring comeback in recent years. Strap in for an awesome ride! So many cars, so little time! The world...

The chilling true story of the Spahalski brothers, who looked alike, acted alike-and killed alike ... Robert Bruce Spahalski and Stephen Spahalski were identical twins. Same hair, same eyes, same thirst for blood. Stephen was the first brother to kill-by viciously bashing in storeowner Ronald Ripley's head with a hammer. Unlike Stephen, Robert didn't stop with just one victim. With the cord of an iron, Robert strangled prostitute Morraine Armstrong...

"In Why the Grateful Dead Matter, veteran writer and lifelong Deadhead Michael Benson argues that the Grateful Dead are not simply a successful rock-and-roll band but a phenomenon central to American culture. He defends the proposition that the Grateful Dead are, in fact, a musical movement as transformative as any -ism in the artistic history of this century and the last. And a lot more fun than most. From the street festivals of Haight-Ashbury to...

Presents the solar system from the perspective of the space probes sent to explore the heavens.

It was one of the biggest crime stories of the decade-two deadly killers, desperate and on the run. After months of planning, Ricky Matt and David Sweat cut, chopped, coerced, and connived their way out of a maximum-security prison in the wilderness of upstate New York and managed to elude police for three weeks, sending the region into lockdown and keeping the entire country on edge. The media called it "a bold escape for the ages," and veteran true-crime...

The incredible true story of the most powerful brothers in Hollywood history-an wildly entertaining saga studded with glamorous stars, scandals, mobsters, murders, and one legendary blond bombshell. . . . They were the Godfathers of the Movies. Groundbreaking pioneers of the Hollywood Dream Factory, Joseph and Nicholas Schenck may not have been household names like the Warner brothers or Louis B. Mayer, but they were infinitely more powerful,...

Presents a collection of photographs depicting various sections of our solar system as well as of distant galaxies beyond the Milky Way taken by observatories around the world.