Pg… 8 The Big Picture: Praised souvenirs of summer; a shower of bombs, and two years in Bosnia; a dogged rescue effort. LIFE Unfolds: Rock 'n roll is here to stay–at least in Cleveland.

Pg… 22 Portrait: Even in a year when baseball tried to self–destruct Cal Ripken just keeps going and going and going.

Pg… 24 LIFE Goes To…: Others may rely on four–wheel–drive, but this Texas rancher still employs real horsepower to round up his herd.

Pg… 30 Almanac: A first lady star turn; a president's favorite yarn; and a rendezvous in the loo with Mick and Tina.

Pg… 36 LIFE Special: Detect illnesses, improve your mental health and stimulate creativity: Experts reveal how you can benefit from the power of dreams.

Pg… 50 The Way We Live: Gil, 16, and a violent South Bronx boyhood in the family plagued by AIDS. Now he's written a book. Will it help him overcome his past?

Pg… 60 Discovery: Creatures as old as the dinosaurs in door, but their home borders on extinction. Predicting the frail future of an alligator whole.

Pg… 68 Face to Face: "When my nutty uncle went to Hollywood to watch them make a movie of his life, he brought only a suitcase full of plastic bags." Writer–nephew Franz Lidz's log of an unlikely adventure.

Pg… 76 Journey: A LIFE exclusive… the painted glories of an ancient graves, newly uncovered by archaeologists in Sicily.

Pg… 82 Camera at Work: Using a novel stop action technique, a photographer joins the circus.

Pg… 87 Pictures to the Editor:

Pg… 88 Just One More. : Cover photograph by Josef Astor