Most Popular Books by Mark Hoffman

Howlin’ Wolf was a musical giant in every way. He stood six foot three, weighed almost three hundred pounds, wore size sixteen shoes, and poured out his darkest sorrows onstage in a voice like a raging chainsaw. Half a century after his first hits, his sound still terrifies and inspires. Born Chester Burnett in 1910, the Wolf survived a grim childhood and hardscrabble youth as a sharecropper in Mississippi. He began his career playing and singing with the first Delta blues stars for two decades in perilous juke joints. He was present at the birth of rock ’n’ roll in Memphis, where Sam Phillips–who also discovered Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis–called Wolf his “greatest discovery.” He helped develop the sound of electric blues and vied with rival Muddy Waters for the title of king of Chicago blues. He ended his career performing and recording with the world’s most famous rock stars. His passion for music kept him performing–despite devastating physical problems–right up to his death in 1976. There’s never been a comprehensive biography of the Wolf until now. Moanin’ at Midnight is full of startling information about his mysterious early years, surprising and entertaining stories about his decades at the top, and never-before-seen photographs. It strips away all the myths to reveal–at long last–the real-life triumphs and tragedies of this blues titan.

An important and little-known chapter of Michigan's Civil War history, drawn from the letters, diaries, and regimental records of the First Michigan Engineers and Mechanics regiment. As volunteer engineers for the Union army, the First Michigan Engineers and Mechanics regiment was made up of skilled artisans, craftsmen, railroad men, and engineers whose behind-the-scenes work was crucial to the Union victory. Charged with maintaining the Union supply line in the western theater, the engineers constructed and repaired a staggering number of bridges, blockhouses, fortifications, railroads, and telegraph lines to keep the Union army functioning in the aftermath of battle. "My Brave Mechanics" traces the history of this little-known unit, revealing their substantial engineering accomplishments as well as their combat experience. Although they were charged primarily with engineering work, the regiment also saw substantial direct combat action. Confederate guerillas and bushwackers bent on disrupting vital communication and supply lines routinely disregarded the usual rules of warfare to target the engineers. They struck quickly, and sometimes at night, exploiting the isolation and vulnerability of the workmen, who, unlike regular infantrymen, were almost never dug-in and ready for an attack. Yet despite the odds against them, the Michigan engineers are recognized for several key accomplishments, including their work in keeping the railroad open south from Union supply depots in Louisville, the relief of the Union forces in Chattanooga, and destruction of rebel railroads during Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas. The regiment's senior officers also held important posts within the Union military organization in the west and were instrumental in developing a coherent policy for the use of captured rebel railroads and infrastructure. Historian Mark Hoffman offers readers a detailed account of the Michigan engineers from a wealth of sources, including letters, diaries, regimental papers, communications and orders from the military establishment, period newspapers, and postwar accounts. As little has been written about Union volunteer engineers in the western theater, their unique history will undoubtedly be fascinating reading for Civil War buffs, local historians, and those interested in the history of American military engineering.

Written by two consultants who have spent more than 30 years developing applications and managing project life cycles, this book is about real-world application development. It focuses on a world where not every program gets into production without a bug, the scope of projects change with the winds, projects run overtime and over budget, and users that couldn't care less about the new application being forced on them by I/S. in short, where Murphy's Law prevails. The authors cover all aspects of the application development process. In the process, they not only give you good techniques for real- world application development management, they also include charts, work sheets, and checklists that will help you manage your projects.

Lolek is a celebration of the childhood of Pope John Paul II.

The Poisoning of the POTUS is a political thriller in which three patriotic Americans-an FBI agent, a teacher, and a scientist-are recruited by former government officials in a dangerous plot to assassinate the president of the United States, a president who has suspended civil rights and is moving the nation toward a fascist dictatorship. To avoid civil unrest, the three must make the president's death seem natural.

This is a book about the Kingdom of God. Ever since Jesus came to Earth, this Kingdom with its power and supply has been powerfully working through those who have understood it. It has not only transformed whole nations and continents but has changed the lives and futures of millions of people who have dared to believe and fully enter it.But this is also the story of one city - and the story of its people who are witnessing the Kingdom of God, then transforming their community. What you learn in this book will allow you to transform your city as well.

The Beer of Dreams is an entheogen-fueled romp twenty years in the making. From the most implausible channeling of ancient Egyptian priests by 20th Century "psychic-delic" researchers, through Victorian-era 'Egyptomania,' The Beer of Dreams then pushes back to the Egyptian Mystery revivalism of the Renaissance, and finally comes to rest in the entheogen-rich promised land of Hellenized and Ancient Egypt.

A collection of newspaper articles concerning Mark Hoffman.