Illustrated Life of Michael Collins

Although Collins (1890-1922) was the leader of the Irish Free State when he was assassinated, there are relatively few photographs of him available because, as director of IRA intelligence and the inventor of urban guerrilla warfare, he was wary of being photographed when the British were offering 10,000 (the equivalent of $50,000 in today's economy) for his apprehension. Connolly, who wrote an award-winning 1989 TV documentary on Collins, The Shadow of Bealnablath, and has helped the production team of the new Neil Jordan film, Michael Collins, with Liam Neeson in the title role, here compiles 100 extraordinary photos of the father of the modern Irish Republic, found in archives in Ireland and England. There is a candid shot of him and Eamon de Valera laughing; pictures of Collins entering No. 10 Downing Street during the treaty negotiations in 1921 that reveal his raw energy; and a blurry, frightening photo of him being surprised by a photographer and reaching for his gun. There are also pictures of him as head of state, mingling and joking with the people, and three photos of his dead body. The text adds insight into how Collins waged his campaign for Irish independence. There are significant comments from Vinnie Byrne, one of Collins's ""12 Apostles""-his own private assassination squad-on the events of ""Bloody Sunday"" 1920 when Collins had the entire British Secret Service in Dublin gunned down. A book that admirers of Collins will cherish. (Dec.)