“It is a sad commentary on the brutish times we live in that the use of deadly substances as a means of homicide is virtually unheard of. Instead of the quiet dignity of an effective poison, those with homicidal intent seem to impulsively reach for a gun, knife or club. All these crude instruments leave no doubt as to the cause of death… from the crude inorganic (i.e., mineral-based) poisons which get so many people a one-way ticket to the Big House, to the much more subtle and difficult-to-detect organic poisons, we will explore the methods used by artists skilled in the craft to avoid detection.”

Publisher: Loompanics
Paperback: 122 pages
Illustrated

Perhaps David Lee Roth said it best: “Found out the simple life ain’t so simple.” To bring it off successfully requires, for most people, a philosophical transformation as well as a wealth of acquired know-how. This book is a paean to the joys, struggles and potential pitfalls of the simplifying process as well as a how-to manual full of practical advice. Its authors are neither ideological gurus nor ascetics, but rather a likable and creative couple who decided to give living for the present a try.
Wanda Urbanska and Frank Levering had as good a shot at L.A.’s (and most of America’s) vision of success and happiness as anyone: He was a screenwriter who’d had a film produced, and she was an editor at a major newspaper. This story begins when Levering’s Quaker family’s heavily indebted apple orchard (in southwestern Virginia, 12 miles north of the original Mayberry, R.F.D.) is finally facing collapse, and his father’s health seems in peril. The authors admit they are “secretly and utterly miserable with our own lives,” and make the decision to quit the life they know and the dreams of glamor and material splendor they have nurtured since college.
The book chronicles the most difficult struggle they faced: to recast their dreams, to find joy in hard work and the beauty of everyday life close to nature, neighbors and community, rather than hoping that the deferred fulfillment of the rat race and “making things happen” would someday pay off. They take the reader through their painful, humorous and ultimately successful transition, along the way introducing others who have made it, from a lesbian couple living outside the cash economy to the co-founders of Habitat for Humanity, who gave away their hard-earned millions and devoted their lives to building affordable housing in poor neighborhoods. MH

Publisher: Penguin
Paperback: 272 pages

Just what every red-blooded American needs—a handbook for snitches—as if society doesn't have enough busybodies, stool pigeons, double-crossers, liars and traitors already. But for those who have to squeal, this is required reading. Find out what information is valuable: how to get it, and how to sell it. Learn to negotiate with the police, how cops treat their informers, and how to keep from being finked out by someone else (just about an impossibility these days.) There are chapters on who informs and their motives and compensations, sting operations, company spies, criminal, civilian and prison informers, cops and how they think, becoming an informer and protecting yourself against stoolies. What can happen to informers when they fail or are caught snitching? Learn about the IRS “Turn In A Friend Program.” This book is the ultimate in modern-day American police-state culture. Turn in a friend today before they turn you in tomorrow! MC

Publisher: Loompanics
Paperback: 145 pages

A state-by-state listing of sources of public records for the investigative reporter or private eye. More than just a collection of addresses and phone numbers, the information given is very complete and includes fees, turnaround time, what restrictions there may be, and what to expect if access is made by phone or fax as opposed to a personal visit. This book will save the serious researcher phone-call money and legwork. TC

Publisher: Paladin
Paperback: 339 pages

Real gone goods for real gone ninjas. This massive volume (it weighs 2 pounds) starts off with updated advice on being a technological ninja (poisons, shooting knives, etc.), then explodes into a surveillance superbook. It's a where-to-get-it surveillance-gear catalog, complete with field test data and warnings as to what's legal or not in the USA. Also covers defensive driving, computer security, lie-detector countermeasures, surreptitious infrared audio monitoring, laser communications, secure phones, infrared photography, ID tricks and tons more 007-level concerns. Plus chapters on customizing your handgun, snap-shooting techniques, bulletproof clothing etc. The Sears catalog of the spy world. GR

Publisher: Paladin
Paperback: 520 pages
Illustrated

“Make war on machines, and in particular the sterile machines of corporate death and the robots that guard them. The duty of a revolutionary is to make love, and that means staying alive and free. That doesn’t allow for cop-outs. Smoking dope and hanging up Che’s picture is no more a commitment than drinking milk and collecting postage stamps.” Both an amazingly time-warped radical period piece and a still-usable nuts-and-bolts urban-guerrilla, underground survival manual. While some of Abbie’s leads seem a little far-fetched (i.e., scarfing free food at bar mitzvahs while on the lam), the International Yippie Currency Exchange for burning vending machines still applies. Definitely the finest writing on the subject of riots from the well-equipped rioter’s point of view (trashing the pigs in their own trough, MAAAN!!). SS

Publisher: Four Walls Eight Windows
Paperback: 308 pages
Illustrated

Deals with gun-fighting for police under actual stress situations. Includes chapters on the principles of stress and techniques for coping with it. Discusses body positioning, proper ways to hold weapons, drawing and reholstering weapons, weak-hand shooting, kneeling, point shooting, sitting and prone- position shooting as well as StressFire reloading of revolvers and automatics. Shows how much handgun training a gun owner really needs. MC

Publisher: Police Bookshelf
Paperback: 150 pages
Illustrated

An illustrative primer that briefly covers the basic planning, procedures, gear and execution of a typical strong-arm holdup, followed by a detailed test-case scenario based on the robbery of a nightclub owner at a night depository. Lists the most common areas of failure and how to avoid them. Self-scored test included. HJ

Publisher: Loompanics
Paperback: 50 pages
Illustrated

A compact and efficient volume containing survival tips for deserts, tropical or polar regions and at sea culled from the U.S. Special Forces, the Canadian Air Force, the Italian Alpine Troops, the Navy Seals, the Russian Spetsnaz, the French Foreign Legion and other elite forces. Discusses such topics as improvising shelter, tools and clothing; tracking water, vegetable and mammalian food sources; expediting rescue; and avoiding dangerous situations. Crammed with all kinds of interesting tips, from building signal fires and boot care to avalanche etiquette and the proper procedures for emergency amputation, it is recommended for any traveler, worldly or otherwise. SK

Publisher: Stackpole
Paperback: 256 pages
Illustrated

“Step-by-step illustrations that guide the novice and hobbyist to successful taxidermy.” Start with a bird, it’s the easiest, while fish are the hardest to do. Sharks are impossible. Snakes have to be chloroformed or frozen alive. Urethane mannequin forms are easy to use. Skinning an animal’s head takes a couple of hours, so give yourself time. Test a knife’s edge by skinning a chicken. Chapters include: “Basic Mounts,“ “Big Game Head Mounts,” “Novelties,” “Rugs,’’ “Tricks With Antlers and Horns,” “Lifelike Snakes,” “The Taxidermy Knife” and “Dare to be Different.” With a listing of suppliers and tips from the pros. GR

Publisher: Stoeger
Paperback: 224 pages
Illustrated