"A Blazing Gilded Age" is the epic story of a volatile nation burning with ambition, yet bleeding with injustice. It was a time of profound change; boldly transforming from an agrarian backwater into an industrial powerhouse. Center stage in this turbulent saga, are the Wozniaks; a poor coal mining family struggling to achieve the elusive American dream. Confronted by the evil ways of their ruthless and depraved boss, Archibald Desmond Huxley, the Wozniak family is thrust into utter turmoil, thus igniting a blazing journey of revenge and survival. During the Wozniaks' quest, the lavish lifestyle of Huxley and his fellow titans, including J.P. Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain and others, are woven into the story line, thus painting a broad and vivid canvas of 19th century America. Springing to life are legendary figures and historic events that accurately depict an era boiling with bravado, innovation and astounding progress, yet blistering with corporate greed, class warfare, and political corruption. After many unexpected twists of fate (some fortuitous and others heartbreaking), the Wozniaks emerge victorious, thus finally achieving the American dream, yet not without scars. Both powerful and poignant, "A Blazing Gilded Age" serves as an entertaining and enlightening read of how and why America has gone astray, and why it became a world leader. While on a personal level, it imparts the harrowing, yet triumphant, tale of a family's struggle to survive in an age that, in many ways, was as dark and rough as coal, and, at times, could be as blazing as Hell.

"Liszt's Dante Symphony" is a thrilling tale of murder and covert spy rings amid the turbulent rise of Bismarck's Prussia, thus leading to Hitler's infernal Third Reich. Following the lives of a student of Liszt's, named Angelo Di Purezza, and his son, the reader is taken on a journey of suspense that cascades over two generations. During those years Europe would experience numerous revolutions, the unification of Italy, and witness two World Wars that would feature ghastly chemical weapons, atomic bombs, and insidious poison gas called Zyklon-B. Franz Liszt is joined by a huge cast of historical characters, including Napoleon III, Pope Pius IX, Rossini, Saint-Saens, Gustave Dore, Victor Hugo, Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler and many others. The tale is an exciting amalgamation of history, politics, religion, music, the fine arts, secret codes, murder, suspense, sacrifices, and even romance.

Liszt's Dante Symphony is a thrilling tale of murder and covert spy rings amid the turbulent rise of Bismarck's Prussia, thus leading to Hitler's brutal Third Reich. Following the lives of a student of Liszt's, Angelo Di Purezza, and his son, the reader is taken on a journey of suspense that cascades over two generations. During those years Europe would experience numerous revolutions and witness two World Wars that would feature ghastly chemical weapons, atomic bombs, and deadly poison gas called Zyklon-B. Franz Liszt is joined by a huge cast of historical characters, including Napoleon III, Pope Pius IX, Rossini, Saint-Saens, Gustave Dore, Victor Hugo, Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler and many others. The tale is an exciting amalgamation of history, politics, religion, music, the fine arts, secret codes, murder, suspense, sacrifices, and yes, even romance.

The Winds of Time is a compelling and insightful analysis of the titanic figures that truly shaped Western civilization. Unlike most accounts nowadays that sugarcoat history Rich DiSilvio posits a thought-provoking analysis that is as blunt and challenging as it is refreshing and enlightening. Many facets of history are reinvestigated in searing detail often with striking results. As the author says, "'The Winds of Time' can sometimes be like turpentine, it may be harsh, but it seeks to reveal the truth by washing away the many layers of distortions by countless scribes, propagandists and revisionists who have done well in colorizing history." DiSilvio sagaciously dissects the lives, achievements, and blunders of Caesar, Augustus, Constantine, Jesus, Dante, Da Vinci, Queen Elizabeth, Darwin, Hitler, FDR, Reagan and many more for the direct benefit of modern Americans, as many of the challenges of the past are relevant today. A must read for any American that appreciates an unsugarcoated approach to viewing life or assessing the provocative people that risked life and limb to truly shape our world. NOTE: The Master Edition was created for readers that prefer pure history, as the semi-fictional narrative vignettes in the first edition have been replaced with nonfictional content. Likewise, more photos and illustrations have been added.