1994 Christmas List, http://www.rasmusen.org/_amazon/xmas94.htm

• 1. The Civil War: Fort Sumter to Perryville, by Shelby Foote, 1958. $31.50. The hard part of writing a massive three-volume history of the Civil War is how to make battles endlessly interesting. Mr. Foote succeeds.

• 2. Oh Phooey, also known as ``O Pshaw'' or ``Blackout''. A card game in the bridge family with simple rules, but subtle play.

• 3. Miller Reserve Amber Ale. It is not so much that this is good beer as that it is good beer made by a U.S. mass producer. This is actually better than Heineken (if I may compare an ale with a lager).

• 4. Capturing the Culture : Film, Art, and Politics, by Richard Grenier, 1991. Movie reviews, many from Commentary , that go to the politics and worldview of their makers and viewers.

• 5. Folding fans. Being in Kyushu in record summer heat showed us why samurai carried fans. Modern man, dressed in jacket and tie, can find these low-tech devices useful too.

• 6. Galactic Effectuator , by Jack Vance, 1980. If you haven't read Mr. Vance's science fiction, you are in for a treat.

• 7. Cracker Barrel restaurants. They are not just dependable, but excellent Interstate food.

• 8. Post Captain , by Patrick O'Brien, 1972. $10.36.Fascinating in plot, character, color, and vocabulary, and there are 14 more books in the series, so it's worth the sampling cost.

• 9. A Conflict of Visions , by Thomas Sowell, 1987. $9.56. The dichotomy between unconstrained (perfectionist) and constrained (economistical) visions of the world is surprisingly powerful.

• 10. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein , 1948. $13.49. What would have happened had the mad scientist actually succeeded in transplanting Costello's brain into the monster's body?