John Noble Books

I am writing my thesis (roughly 80 pages)on Mary Stuart and I have to say that, aside from primary sources, this book was by far the most valuable contribution to my research. Guy's treatment of Mary's life is balanced, detailed, and well contextualized. It's also beautifully written, so that reading it doesn't feel like research at all. I would recommend this book to anyone researching Mary Stuart, but more impressively, to anyone with a simply recreational interest. I wish I could thank John Guy personally. Superb.

This artful and unbiased treatment of the Queen of Scots, along with Antonia Frasier's earlier work, is a must for any historial, professional or amateur, who wishes to resolve, refine or at least consider the still debated questions concerning Mary, her ability to rule, her relationships with the scottish nobility, and of course, the dynamic of her relationship with Bothwell and her guilt or innocence of the killing of Lord Darnley. As a retired prosecutor of murder cases and somewhat of an expert on conspiracy, Guy's book provided me with the evidence I would need to review a case against her. There is enough well-researched detail to satisfy the close scrutiny required in reading a work on this already broadly treated enigma.

Guy's life of Mary Queen of Scots is written in a "Just the facts, ma'am" spirit that, while not slaking my thirst for a more judgmental approach, did allow me to form my own.



The predominant tone is one of a knight gallant leaping to Mary's defense, such as in the lengths to which he goes to prove that the documents incriminating Mary in her 2nd husband Darnley's murder were forged, but to his credit he doesn't skirt over the unsavory details of her life, and in fact adds to them. But I must say, it is time for historians to discard the objective approach of the 20th century and let their belief in the supernatural once again reign, as we are once again entering supernatural times ( they all have been, really, but the devil's greatest trick -- you know the rest ).



The six-foot, redheaded Mary -- too bad Nicole Kidman didn't play this part -- was thought by almost everyone in her time to be a "witch." I'm tired of this kind of accusation being glossed over as a mere superstition of the past, that feminist theory has rendered forever outmoded. Is it perhaps the heathen present and not the religious past which is ignorant? Why did this charge follow her so doggedly?



It is clear to me, as a Christian who believes in such things, and has some experience with witches myself, that the relationship between Mary and Bothwell was indeed one that can only be described as a Satanic seduction, something that the Scottish nobles and even the populace immediately apprehended when they posted the famous drawing of the mermaid and the hare ( with, as Guy points out, phallic swords surrounding it ) all around Edinburgh. Bothwell was the Colin Farrell of his day, except murderous and unstoppably ambitious for political power, and there is no doubt that the relationship between him and Mary was based entirely on his sexual hold over her. He barely tried to conceal that he didn't even love her.



It is fascinating to think that one of Catholicism's last, best hopes before the Protestant takeover was defeated by a mesmerizing appendage, but those who can read between the lines will clearly see the evidence of its truth. And what is a witch if not a woman who lets lust drag her and her countrymen into the abyss? Bothwell, who should be remembered as one of the great hommes fatales of history, had absolute power over Mary and within months destroyed her life and her hopes. His involvement in the assassination of Darnley is much less disturbing than an anecdote Guy relates where he literally kills with a single blow one of Mary's loyal retainers -- the old man had dared to wish her good luck on a journey.



And yet even this didn't stop her from marrying him. Didn't even faze her. She persisted in her "love" for Bothwell even in the face of the unanimous disapproval of her court and of the people, until she was like a cornered rat, alone with her morbid obsession. The once-noble and cultured queen was reduced within months to a frumpy mess, her looks gone, being heckled by peasants and shouting crude obscenities at them from the roof of her castle ( Guy shows how Bothwell's vulgarity infected her ). The story ends with Bothwell and Mary being forcibly separated and pledging their eternal fidelity to each other -- which he instantly broke with a Danish woman, whose dowry he stole! This finally ended his rake's progress.



What this book made me realize is that the rivalry between Elizabeth and Mary has been entirely trumped-up. They were not rivals; Mary was nothing more than a cautionary tale for Elizabeth, who was much more evil than Mary but also much more shrewd. ( Elizabeth's real rival was the ghost of Isabella of Spain, as she, with the help of her cryptic spies, undid the effects of Isabella's glorious reign. ) The real story here, which hopefully future historians will take up, is the stunningly rapid descent of Mary into blind sexual insanity, and how it forced the last bastion of the Catholic faith in the British isles to deliver herself meekly into the hands of her enemy. Catholics treat Mary almost as a saint due to her supposed piousness in captivity; she should be considered the greatest of traitors. Would history have been entirely different if she never met Bothwell, or is a witch is a witch is a witch?

It is harder to imagine a woman history has been kinder to than Mary Queen of Scotts. She is always the tragic women, betrayed by those she loved, and executed by her cruel, vicious, and nefariosu Cousin Queen Elizabeth. Guy does little to change this classic tale, despite the fact that history doesn't match up with it. Mary Queen of Scotts knowingly married her second husband's murderer and assented to the murder of Elizabeth who kept Mary alive, albiet in a very comfortable captivity, at great risk to her own [Elizabeth's] life. I don't think Mary, Queen of Scotts is a totally unsympathetic figure; she loved bad men and was betrayed by them. She was betrayed by her half-brother the earl of Moray, and she died with great courage. That said, she is not a flawless saint, no matter how much Guy wishes to make her one. (Also he makes the errenous assumption that if the the casket letters are fake, which he convincingly shows to be forgeries, Mary is automatically vindicated from the murder of her husband. Something on which the evidence is quite inconclusive.) For a more balanced look at Both Queens, I would reccomend both Jane Dunn and Alison Plowden's duel biography. And please do not say history has not been kind to this woman.

I thoroughly enjoyed John Guy's biography of Mary Queen of Scots. The only flaws are that Guy insists that Mary's prayers before death were for a public show of her Catholicism. I don't think so - people about to die don't act that way. Also, he says that when Mary was kidnapped and raped by Bothwell, she must have enjoyed it because she did not cry for help. Sorry, but studies of rape victims have shown that even today women are afraid to go to the police. In those days, a woman was heavily stigmatized when violated against her will. But other than those flaws, this biography is a work of profound scholarship, depicting the details of Mary's daily life as I have never before read anywhere else. Guy also shows that Mary was a clever and even a savvy politician, as clever as Elizabeth her rival, although she fell through treachery and one lost battle. Very sad but very enlightening. Recommended.

In the final pages of A Great and Noble Scheme, John Mack Faragher observes that Americans are notoriously ignorant about the story of the 18th century displacement and dispossession of the Acadians. Based on personal experience, I would agree. I confess that I managed to get a BA and MA at an elite American university without coming across an academic treatment of the Acadian story. I've been teaching for 16 years at a top flight American high school, and the Acadian tragedy has never been part of the curriculum.

Faragher's book offers a compelling narrative of a people, living on the border between the French and British colonies in America, who realized early on that they had little interest in the global conflict that might make them temporarily part of one empire and then subjects of another. All they wanted was to farm and be let alone. (Faragher provides a wonderful ethnographic description of the Acadian cultural world that was largely destroyed).

There is something comic about Faragher's descriptions of the interchanges between the Acadians and the governors sent by Britain to rule them. Repeatedly, the crown required that the Acadians take an oath of loyalty. Repeatedly, the Acadians offered the following response: we are happy to pledge obedience to the king, but with the understanding that we will not take up arms in the case of warfare between the British, the French, and their respective Indian allies. As Faragher explains it, the successive British officers were puzzled, annoyed, and angered by this response for about half a century, but couldn't figure out what to do about it. The British needed a local population to economically support their fortifications, they didn't want the Acadians to move to territories of their French adversaries, and New England was interested in trade with the Acadians. For several decades, local British commanders would report that the Acadians were insolent, but then accommodate themselves to Acadian declarations of neutrality.

The "Great and Noble Scheme" was the horrific plot to resolve what might be called "the Acadian problem." It is hard to read Faragher's vivid description of the exile of the Acadians without thinking of the more familiar story of Jews being herded on to trains and sent for resettlement in Poland. The men were arrested, the women and children forced to report, and then crammed onto ships in numbers that could not be accommodated. Families were divided, and died of disease and malnutrition on the journey; they were abused and imprisoned when they arrived in the various American colonies that did not want them. This may not have been a plot to purposely murder the Acadians, but half the Acadian population died in the process, and Faragher explains that it was a carefully planned early version of "ethnic cleansing." He makes the case that this narrative belongs in American, and not just Canadian history (after all it was largely plotted by New Englanders seeking fertile lands for settlement). One can imagine this case study considered alongside other American incidents of removal and dispossession: the Trail of Tears and the internment of Japanese-Americans. It might make for an interesting comparison because race was not an issue in the Acadian case. This is a superb documentation of the Acadian story. Faragher makes the argument that their exile deserves a more prominent place in the historical narrative of early America.

This is a real 5-star book. I was amazed at the level of research, and the abundance of primary sources quoted. A very thorough explanation of the Acadian tale. I wish all popular history books were this good.

For those interested in Louisiana Acadians, I would recommend reading this in conjunction with Carl Brasseaux's books; they pick up the story where Faragher's leaves off. I hope to find a similar book about the northern Acadians. If any other reviewers know of one, please add it to your review.

A Great and Noble Scheme is a scholarly and incisive disertation. It is an extremely detailed history of the trials of our Acadian forefathers. I have studied the Acadian history for many years and read countless readings. Nothing I have read approaches all the information in this excellent text. It is an excellent source of information to get a thorough understanding of a little known tragedy about our American-Canadian history. I urge anybody seriously researching Acadian history to read this fine work.

The tragedy of the Acadians is indeed terrible and the savage ways used to disperse them and deprive them of their lifestyle is beyond morality. But why is this ascribed to 'American history' and why does the author claim it was the first 'American' ethnic-cleansing? The Acadians did not live in the land that became the United States of America. They lived in a land that became part of Canada. THe story of the Acadians is very much a Canadian story and if it isn't Canadian than it is a part of English history.

It seems like this book set out to slander America and to tar America with a negative brush, rahter than to lay the blame where it deserves to be layed, at the foot of the English colonialists. Americans had nothing to do with what was done to the Canadians and the fact that the author sets out to write a piece of propoganda to slander a country that didn't exist and insult the national heritage of a people, the Americans, who lived elsewhere, is both sad and immoral in itself.

Canadians and the English should take responsibility for what was done to the Acadians rather than blaming others. This books faulty analogies and attempts to pretend that the Acadians were living a social utopia full of multi-culturalism and diversity is a further perversion of history. There was no such thing as multi-culturalism or 'diversity' theories in those days.

Seth J. Frantzman

John Mack Faragher examines the colonization of Nova Scotia by French peasants in the seventeenth century and how their occupation of this strategically important peninsula eventually resulted in their forced expulsion by the British military -- an event that Faragher regards as an instance of "ethnic cleansing," if not outright genocide.

Faragher delves deep into colonial archives to locate obscure source material that brings to life a people who were at best semi-literate. He does so by drawing on government correspondence (between colonial administrators and government officials in London and Paris), on the personal diaries of British soldiers, on the memoirs of French missionaries, and on letters written by the few literate Acadians, among other sources.

More than previous writers, Faragher stresses the intimate relationship between the Acadians and the local Micmac Indians, with whom the Acadians intermarried much more frequently than thought originally.

He also emphasizes the leading role played by New England "Yankees" in carrying out the expulsion, showing that the event was hardly a purely British operation.

He traces the Acadians' repeated efforts to secure their New World homeland by swearing an conditional oath of allegiance to the British crown -- allegiance in exchange for wartime neutrality. To do otherwise, Faragher repeatedly notes, would have been for the Acadians to invite attack from the French military and their Indian allies . . . as did indeed happen at the village of Beaubassin, when Indians under French command burned the village in an event that mirrors the "burn-the-village-to-save-it" mentality of the Vietnam War (my comparison, not Faragher's).

The book is heavily documented, complete with detailed endnotes and bibliography; and despite the academic trappings it reads like a swashbuckling novel.

As a professional historian, I highly recommend this book to scholars and laypersons alike.

Facisnating book, especially the ancient history and the posibility of Columbus knowing more about the New World than we may think (pp.72-76). However, there are some glaring errors. Like when the author blames the destruction of the Alexandria Library on "Christian mobs." Sorry, that's a myth. Then he blames Middle Age ignorance on Christians. Newsflash, the Renaissance didn't just appear out of nowhere. The Middle Ages is where universities began and monks preserved and passed on knowledge. Nor did everyone think Earth was flat, nor does the Bible say so. Nor were the Arabs the savior of Europe. Sure they did pass on some ancient literature, but who advanced and who stayed mired in the Middle Ages? If you can get past these flaws, this is a great book. See also: The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success

Besides giving you a lot of information this book is also very well written. It feels like in the beginning of the book we have one big white sheet of paper and we have to get our pencils out and start drawing. The first chapters give us some sense about how Europe looked but with the chapters on the Travels of Discovery (Cook for example) we can draw more lines of the coastal areas. When in the 18th century entire countries are mapped the map becomes clearer and clearer. With the coming of computers the pencil lines could now be drawn with black ink.

Even for those not really interested in the History of Maps this book is amazing. It is also a book on mathmetics, history and astronomy.

Maps are my hobby and I've read a lot about them, but this book is definitely the best so far. It goes beyond the history of mapmaking that we usually get, maps that show what we can see: landscapes, roads, borders, sea/land, rivers etc. In the latter chapters he also writes about the tech advances in radar and even mapping from space. Up to Mars even. It goes to show that even though we know where a mountain or city is on a map, it's a much broader subject than you might think of beforehand.

This book is a history of map making, and hence a history of the world. Starting with the earliest known maps in Iraq in -2300 BCE, both the history of discovery of the world and the cartographic principles are traced. For those of us that were taught that Columbus discovered the world is round, the calculation of the earths diameter in 300 BC shows this was widely known. Ptolemy's first cartographic principles are presented. Past the middle ages and their mythical maps, we are introduced to Mercator's projection, a measurement of degrees, and John Harrison's lifetime quest for measuring longitude (readers of this will enjoy Dava Sobel's book Longitude). Three chapters are devoted to the mapping of America (there is more than just Lewis and Clark).

The final two parts of the book discuss some of the newer mapping techniques including aerial and radar mapping; geologic and seismic mapping, Antarctica, and Oceanic sea floor. Although large expanses, some of these area have just been mapped in the 20th century. The final part discusses Global Position Systems, and mapping of the moon, mars, and the cosmos. For those of us working with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) this book provides a nice antidote to thinking that mapping starting with the computer.

The book is well illustrated, but some of the pictures could really have improved with a little color. The book does really well at presenting a background of the people involved, and realizing their own personal quests. Some of the underlying cartographic principles are also presented.

I love giving people books as gifts. Last year, I gave this book to my father for Christmas. He seemed to really enjoy it, and this year he gave it back to me to read. Lucky me!



As you can tell from the title, this book is a general history of mapmaking. The subject matter didn't exactly jump off of the page and slap me in the face when I sat down to read it, but Wilford has a very even writing style that kept me very interested in the subject matter.



As I read, I discovered that although I am very much a lover of history, I really had no idea how mapmaking progressed through history. I always took for granted the maps that were presented to me, never really understanding what was involved in the creation of them.



It's a facinating story, and learning it has deepened my understanding of history. Wilford's account of the story kept me engrossed, and all the while he was feeding me names of people and places that I really should have known more about prior to reading this book. For example, I had no idea who John Harrison was before opening this book, but now realize just how important his invention of an accurate marine clock was to the history of the world. There are gems of knowledge throughout this book, and thankfully they are presented in an entertaining way.



The only time I can say that I became a bit lost was when Wilford was discussing some of the mathematical points of mapmaking, but luckly for me he kept this discussion to a minimum. Wilford did an excellent job of presenting the history of something he seems to care very much about to the layperson. I believe that anyone who has even a passing interest in history to give this book a try. It may open your eyes to a world that you knew existed, but had no idea how it was made.

I have always been fascinated by maps, as both sources of information and representations of nature's design. I'm glad I'm not alone in that regard, and anyone with an interest in maps or mapmaking will be intrigued by this heavily informative book. Wilford takes us from the very earliest maps of ancient times and lays out in-depth histories of all the uses, effects, and technologies of maps up to the present day. The early parts of the book also tell us about the often unexpected challenges faced by mapmakers, such as drawing straight lines on the round Earth (which was later found to not be a perfect sphere anyway), projecting the round Earth onto flat maps, and the sheer enormity of the task of mapping the Earth itself. It turns out that these challenges even make many current maps inaccurate. Later chapters move into modern technologies such as radar or aerial photography, which are being used to more accurately map the Earth's landscapes, as well as the ocean floors and the surfaces of other planets. Just note that the second half of the book often slows down significantly with various technological descriptions of each new mapmaking tool or method, which may not tickle the fancy of non-scientific readers. But in any case, after this book you'll have a new appreciation for maps and their makers. [~doomsdayer520~]

I received the book in excellent condition and quite fast! Would use this company again without a doubt!

I barely give "Lonely Planet Sri Lanka" 5 stars as they have some nice color photos of different activities and areas in Sri Lanka, they also have good individual area maps though straight black and white not topographical or color as they have in "Insight Guide Sri Lanka". Basically a very nicely laid out guide with just about all the information you would hope to expect or need.

I traveled to Sri Lanka for New Year's 2004, and found the information contained to be extremely helpful. Especially the accommodation information. When I arrived to Sri Lanka, I had nothing planned - and was going to hire a driver to take me around. Finding a driver, we sat down to plan the trip, book the hotels etc... I was able to compare the prices listed in the Lonely Planet Guide with those quoted and used the book to bargain the prices down - it was great! Most of the stuff in the guide was tourist orientated - where I prefer to take the road less traveled. I definitely recommend getting this guide before you head over - and read it over a few times before getting there, it will help you out heaps!

Sri Lanka is an island of exceptional beauty -- but there is trouble in paradise. For two decades the island has been torn apart by violence between the two largest ethnic groups, Buddhist Sinhalese and Hindu Tamils. One of my most vivid memories of Colombo was a march of Buddhist monks carrying signs with political sentiments such as, "Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country." The Tamil Tigers, on their part, will probably be remembered as virtuoso suicide bombers. So much for "tolerant" Asian religions.

Most of the violence has now ceased and the traveler need not be concerned with it, although traveling by land from Colombo to Jaffna in the north one has to pass along a dirt highway lined in places with minefields. Military fortresses will also be encountered along main highways.

I'm not much of a beach fan, although that's why most tourists go to Sri Lanka. Given the ravages of the tsunami most of the beach resorts on the South and East coasts have probably been damaged. So this is an excellent time to go to Sri Lanka to see the beautiful tea estates in the cool, cloudy hill country and the Buddhist monuments near the center of the island. For the sand and sea set, some decent beach resorts near Colombo on the West coast were probably not affected by the Tsunami.

The Lonely Planet Guide sums up the many attractions of this beautiful country. As always, it includes reliable information on history and practical matters plus sidebars on interesting subjects such as birds, turtles, train schedules, and 101 uses for a coconut.

Smallchief

I used the latest edition of this book (published August 2003) while travelling around Sri Lanka for a month in November 2003. I found the information in the book to be accurate and easy to find. Like most Lonely Planet guide books its strength is detailed logistical information such as bus and train times, accommodation and opening times. The only negative point is that sometimes the historical and background information is a little vague and lacks specific dates. Still I would thoroughly recommend this book for any independent traveller in Sri Lanka. It will save you time and money and help you enjoy your holiday even more.

This book was the most inspiring book I have ever read. Christina Noble, is an astounding person, she shows such courage and determination. The book changed my life and had great effect on my career choice. The book has subtle spiritual aspects while at the same time it is gritty and honest.

If Frank McCourt thought his life in Ireland was tough, he should read about Christina Noble's life!

This is a wonderful book about triumphing over adversity, following a dream and really caring about others.

Thankyou Christina, for finding the courage to write your story. We hear so much of what the world says is "sucess", yet here is a woman who writes of true success. Taking a tradegy and turning it into a triumph. If this book does not inspire you, challenge you and propel you into action for the world's poor, nothing will.

Like many other readers who read this book, I couldn't help myself reading it until I've finished. The story is full of love and at the same time, sadness. The childhood of Christina was really poor, homeless, being abused, lack of love..... However, she didn't give up, she kept on working to achieve her goal/dream -- help the street children in Vietnam. Even though there're lots of problems for her to solve, her experience gave her strengths to over come all these obstacles. Finally, she succeeded, thousands of children in Vietnam got help from her, She's no longer lonely and desperate but enjoying her life surrounded by love. I'd recommend this book to readers who're interested in biography or those who've been suffering from failure or poor life, you may learn a lot after reading it.

I had to choose a book for a school Book oral review and I was stuck. I couldn't find a good book to read so I asked my teacher and she recommended this book to read and It truly is the Best Book Ever.

It tells a story of great suffering. Christina as a young child lost her mother at the age of 10 and had an alcoholic Father. She was forced onto the streets when her Mother died and her father couldn't look after her and her sisters and brothers. They were sent to different Orphanages and were told that their siblings were dead. Christina went to live with an uncle and an aunt but was sexually abused by the man many times. So too was her younger sister Philomena. She left there and live d ina burrow in a Park where she grew up. She ate card board and drank water from puddles. While she was out obne night she was gang raped by 4 men and fell pregnant soon after.

She left for a new life to England where her brother wa. Her suffering was not to end there. She entered into a very violent marriage where she was repeatedly beaten. She was overworked and was sick. She left her greek husband Mario. She had a dream about going to Vietnam and helping the street children of vietnam because she too was a street child.

She told her second gusband of her dream and soon she left for Vietnam. Although she had nothing, she had alot to give to the street children of Vietnam. She has built shelters and Medical Centres. She couldn't have done enough.

think Christina is a very brave and courageous woman and I congratulate her on an excellent Biography and I applaud her.

a must read to people wh0 like true stories.

And this book answered it for me. It says "TRIBOELECTRICITY Static electricy produced as a result of friction." Not a half bad answer.

This dictionary is perfect and adds great additional support for university students. Simply put the book is a very good one to have. Especially if you are a Physics student.

If you are interested in nineteenth century physics, this may be a useful book. However, for college level physics, I would recommend Wikipedia over it.

Have a PhD in math but now I'm ready to sign up for physics 100. Lets see if I pass?!

This dictionary is great. I highly recommend it. I found that when I am reading science magazines and I don't understand a concept I can just look any concept up in the book and it explains it in a way that I can easily understand. This is a good economical choice it you decide to get your own copy.

I found this in a used book store, read part of it, was instantly captured, and bought it. The authors describe with great clarity the causes of ice ages and the evidence that lead us to find out about them, beginning with the time before Milankovitch and ending with the present. Personally, I would have liked to read on.

This is very small book - this fact is easy to miss on Amazon.
It is not popular science - this is only about how Ice Age theary was discovered with big portion of scientist's biographies - but practically no factual information at all.
I expected book about Ice Ages - not how they were discovered, so I was dissapointed.

The authors do a very good job of explaining the evidence for ice ages and how the earth is currently in an inter-glacial stage within the overall ice age of the planet. The book discusses theories regarding the causes of the ice age from the movement of continents towards the poles as well as slight variations in the orbit of the earth around the sun that occur over time at regular intervals.

Though none of us reviewing the book will live to see a return to a glaciation phase in the ice age, it is interesting to note that we are well on our way towards the period when glaciation will occur again. The shortened growing season of such a period could spell disaster for our descendents.

I was deeply impressed with how much interesting and relevant information the authors were able to provide in a short little book. If you have a cross-country flight and you are looking for a really interesting book to read, this is one I highly recommend.

This little book by husband and wife team John and Mary Gribbin is a model of lucidity in scientific exposition. At first glance, it appears to be written for children, but it is an excellent introduction to the topic of Ice Ages and geologic history for ages ten to adult. Given all the talk about global warming, what a shock to learn that we are currently living in an Ice Age! I know it sounds crazy, but read the book! The Gribbins have written other science related books, and I plan to read some of them.

When I first saw and bought Ice Age by John and Mary Gribbin, I thought that I'd give it to the school library straight away - it looked like a good little book that a high school student would be able to handle. Yesterday, I needed a short book to read, so I pulled it off the shelf. Ice Age is a very pleasant surprise. John and Mary Gribbin, a powerhouse science writing duo, have given us a nice, little essay on how we discovered the ice ages in the first place and how we discovered the main cause of those ice ages. This would be a great little book for someone to read before they took on one of the more difficult tomes on ice ages or climate change. I recommend this book to any one looking for a brief background on the history of the science surrounding the ice ages.

At one time, perhaps when few were able to travel, this book would have been a gem. If you enjoy detailed descriptions, incredibly well written, you will enjoy this book. But for me, I will just continue to revere John Muir for the inspirational human he was!

Some say this is Muir's finest work. As the only other Muir book I've read (at this writing) is Travels in Alaska, I cannot comment on this, other than to say that I enjoyed this book a great deal.
From almost any vantage point in California, whether near or on a distant horizon, there are mountains. A fact not lost on Muir, whose sense of wonder and love of life endear him to his readers.
"God's glacial-mills grind slowly, but they have been kept in motion long enough in California to grind sufficient soil for a glorious abundance of life ... In so wild and so beautiful a region [was spent my day], every sight and sound inspiring, leading one far out of himself, yet feeding and building up his individuality."
Muir was the consummate man in nature. Anyone who is indifferent to Muir's writing may simply be indifferent to wonderment itself. I have no doubt that if Muir were placed in a room with the great kings and generals and tycoons and empire builders of history, he would appear singularly as a man among men. Unimpressed with their pomp and bluster over rotting empire, he might soon command more attention than they, and many would be happily listening to Muir in spite of their self importance. Why? He would have the most interesting insights, offered poetically and in a most humble and charming way. ... (in fact Muir was sought out by the great politicians and philosophers of his day).
If you like mountains, if you like California, if you like trees and glacier-fed streams, you will like this book.

As a Birder, I spend a lot of time travelling outdoors.I also have a large collection of Bird and Nature books and spend a great amount of time in them.For pure enjoyment;I found this one of the finest.Muir was as one of America,s greatest partakers in and writers of Nature and Enviroment and was in every way as much a giant as the Sequois and Mountains he wrore about.I read this Classic a short time before I visited Yosemite National Park and having done so,encreased my enjoyment and appreciation immeasurably.
After many years of reading,I have come to the conclusion ,that I tend to like books about people I would liked to have known,or to spend some time with.What an experience it would have been to have known and travelled with Muir. While that is impossible;at least we have his writings and can dream.

muir describes the sierras with detail and love. he is one of the few authors who is content just to be in and describe a landscape. and what a description!. he describes the evolution of glaciaral lakes to the hights of mount ritter and the migrations of deer and native peoples. a great book i recoment it to anyone who loves the outdoors.

The question is not whether Muir is a terrific writer-but how he got that way, and secondarily, why it is important. The Mountains of California was his first book, published in 1894, and was an instant success. This book contains not just some of the best nature writing, but for its vividness, immediacy and vision some of the best writing in English in any genre. Modern Library's edition is quite special with its introduction to Muir by Bill McKibbon and about 50 illustrations, though I wished there were better maps for following the footsteps of Muir's many great narratives among the fabulous natural wonders of the Sierra.

Muir succeeds in his writing in ways that Emerson and Thoreau fall short. Emerson's nature is an internal construct, almost a habit of mind. Thoreau conveys something of the immediacy of Muir in selected writing (and he, like Muir, actually immerses himself in nature itself), but his writings and especially his journals seem chaotic at times and lack a unifying vision.

Muir, on the other hand, always draws the reader forward from one vision to another, each one more fantastic than the previous.

My favorite passages are his descent into the Merced Glacier (in "the Glaciers"), and his description of being on the high slopes during a major windstorm when he climbs a swaying pine to get an even better look. His description of the Giant Sequoia is a work of great subtlety and richness--I seriously doubt you will find a more enchanting description of the two California Species of Sequoia anywhere.

This work abounds with rich and sensuous passages that are descriptions of actual experiences in over a decade of exploring, mostly alone, in the high Sierras. The strength of Muir's writing is based on the depth of his emotional experience of nature-his very personal relationship to the whole and many specific animals, trees and features of the landscape. You would say that it's mystical except for the fact that it's very sensual and very concrete. Muir employs religious language though he never becomes ethereal or abstract as Emerson sometimes does. The reader is always right in the immediate moment of the present listening to Muir's voice. And that suggests another reason why this writing is great. Muir's Scottish heritage (he was born in Dunbar Scotland in 1838) has provided him with a rich, luxurious and slightly exotic vocabulary for describing all the natural wonders that he sees, feels, and hears. It's a voice like no other in American writing.

Of course, the reason it is important is because of what Muir spawned through his vision and experience-he was the true creator of the conservation movement leading to modern environmentalism. I should say that this work is all luxurious description and scientific discussion and rarely becomes didactic or preachy-as modern environmental writers sometimes do. It is not fashionable to think that one person of vision can create so much;but it's hard to conclude otherwise about Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, after reading this work.

Absolutely deplorable people doing rather hardhearted things. Loved it! Couldn't stop reading it once I had scanned the first couple of lines. What's not to love about a cast of 18th century rogues and lowlifes? I just wish I could see this actually performed-- seems like it'd be extremely entertaining to watch.

Life is a jest; and all things show it, I thought so once; but now I know it. - John Gay's epitaph As we sit here, nearly 300 years removed from the debut of The Beggar's Opera, it's hard to recapture the effect that it had on the England of 1728. So look at it this way, John Gay was the Sex Pistols of his day and The Beggar's Opera hit London like Never Mind the Bollocks....

Since Italian opera had first come to London in 1705, it had dominated the British stage. Replete with ornate sets, elaborate costumes, unintelligible plots and imported sopranos and castrati, it was less art than event. Audiences attended to share in the spectacle, as chariots swooped through the air & romantic tales unfolded on stage. Into this artificial world, Gay unleashed an opera about the scum of London society, set in taverns and thieves' dens. He tells the story of Peachum, a fence with a lucrative sideline in informing on fellow criminals. His daughter Polly has secretly married MacHeath, a highwayman. Now Peachum and his "wife" fear that MacHeath will inform on them & inherit their loot when they are hanged. After berating Polly for marrying, & not having sense enough to live out of wedlock, they decide to turn MacHeath in, before he can turn them in. As Peachum prepares his daughter for this turn of events he tells her: "The comfortable estate of widowhood, is the only hope that keeps up a wife's spirits. Where is the woman who would scruple to be a wife, if she had it in her power to be a widow whenever she pleased?" However, to the Peachum's disgust, Polly is actually in love with MacHeath and so, to her great surprise, are several other women, including Lucy Lockit who helps him to escape from prison. So, the stage is set for a madcap farce. Mix in a satiric look at the corrupt administration of justice, some political jabs at the political master of the day, Sir Robert Walpole and songs like the following:

A fox may steal your hens, sir A whore your health and pence, sir, Your daughter rob your chest, sir Your wife may steal your rest, sir, A thief your goods and plate. But this is all but picking, With rest, pence, chest and chicken; It ever was decreed, sir, If lawyer's hand is fee'd, sir, He steals your whole estate.

and you've got Gay's recipe for what quickly became the most popular play of the 18th Century, fathering myriad imitations including Brecht's Threepenny Opera. A delicious romp. GRADE: A

From its first performance, January 29, 1728, The Beggar's Opera was an absolute success. In that period a box office hit might be continued for four or five nights. Remarkably, The Beggar's Opera ran sixty-two nights in London, and was produced nearly every year thereafter to 1886. Its popularity quickly spread to Wales and Scotland, France and Germany, and even to the New England colonies (and became a favorite of George Washington).

A London revival in 1920 ran 1,463 performances. A Beggar's Opera Club had membership limited to those that had seen at least 40 performances. Bertholt Brecht's twentieth century version, Three Penny Opera, was immensely successful too. A jazzy rendition of one of Brecht's songs, Mack the Knife, became Number One on the Hit Parade in the early 1960s.

John Gay's innovative musical appealed to the masses with its rollicking, rowdy, English lyrics overlain on old, sentimental melodies. Formal, highly structured, Italian opera was shoved aside by this novel musical form.

The cast was equally original, being comprised of cutthroats, pickpockets, thieves, streetwalkers, highwaymen, and a corrupt jailer. Polly Peachum, the sweet, trusting daughter of the roguish Peachum, was the only honest character in the play. Miss Lavina Fenton, perhaps the best theatrical singer of her day, became immensely popular for her role as Polly and at end of the run - the sixty-two performances - she married the Duke of Bolton and retired from acting.

The audience was quick to associate Newgate Prison with Whitehall; the deceitful, avaricious Peachum (Polly's father) with Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister; Macheath's band of rogues (Jemmy Twitcher, Crook-Fingered Jack, Nimming Ned, etc.) with aristocratic courtiers, and Macheath's women of the streets (Mrs. Coaxer, Dolly Trull, Mrs. Vixen, Molly Brazen, etc.) with ladies of high society.

This short three-act play has some forty-five scenes, almost all with musical interludes. Gay holds this myriad of scenes together through nearly continuous action, more akin to a modern film than to the conventional eighteenth century play.

The Penguin Classics edition (titled The Beggar's Opera, as might be expected), edited by Brian Loughrey and T. O. Treadwell, is quite good and not difficult to find.

Another good choice (and my favorite) is The Beggar's Opera published by Barron's Educational Series, edited by Benjamin Griffith, and illustrated by Keogh with full page ink-line drawings of the key characters. The lengthy, three part introduction - the playwright, the play, and the staging - is quite helpful. The initial musical notes are presented along with the lyrics.

The Beggar's Opera, Regents Restoration Drama Series, Nebraska University Press, 1969 may be more suitable for English majors as it offers a scholarly introduction by Edgar V. Roberts. An extensive appendix, some 140 pages, is a compilation of the music of The Beggar's Opera with keyboard accompaniments, edited by Edward Smith.

The Beggar's Opera and Companion Pieces, Crofts Classics, 1966, edited by C. F. Burgess is particularly valuable - and somewhat unique - for including Gay's enjoyable poem Trivia (subtitled The Art of Walking the Streets of London), other poems (Newgate's Garland, 'Twas When the Seas Were Roaring, Sweet William's Farewell, Molly Mog, An Epistle to a Lady, and The Hare and Many Friends), and extracts from various letters. A possible drawback may be the absence of musical scores in the text, although the lyrics are embedded within the play itself.

The Beggar's Opera by John Gay is an artful yet honest representation of London in the early 1700s. As the Editor's introduction notes, it is a political satire that brings to life the actions of such notorious figures as Jonathan Wild and Robert Walpole. In the Beggar's introduction the reader is made aware of the author's intent to mock the recent craze of the Italian Opera, which is considered by Gay to be thouroughly "unnatural." Immediately after that we are exposed to the corruption of a city offical, Peachum (whose name means "to inform against a fellow criminal"), as he is choosing which criminals should live, as they are still profitable, and who should not, as they have turned honest. Peachum's character of both an arch-criminal and law man is interesting enough in his daily dealings; add to that his daughter's recent marriage to a highwayman (who the father then plots to send to the gallows). Not to mention what happens when the highwayman runs into an old aquaintance of his, who visibly shows his earlier affection, and you have what makes to be a highly entertaining, emotional, and educational story of 18th century London. The dialogue is well written, and the only problem a modern reader might have is the operatic aspect. I suspect that the mockery of the opera is not felt as much when read but rather when performed. Note to reader: it makes it much easier to understand if you read the introduction. There you will find instances of "real" London that the playwrite is satirizing. For all lovers of period English pieces who enjoy a cynical wit.

I found this book to be a great book in explaining the details of Hitler's military tactics of WW2. This book explains how Hitler first came into WW1 and was devistated by deafeat, which later leads to is his ideas to military expansion on all fronts.
I personally thought this was a good idea to explain his WW1 experiences before you went into him gaining military power and beginning WW2.
Its a good book for people who want to get an in depth look at Hitler's triumphs and his faults as a military commander. Faults that ultimately did him in. The book covers many campiagns from all fronts and even some naval battles. Most importantly this book explains Hitlers motivations as to why he built such a massive German War Machine and created such great military propaganda.
I think this book is a must read short book for people interested in WW2. It goes over all of the War's European campiagns and tells the Allied and Axis outlook of each campiagn. The readers before me stated that Strawson thought you knew too much information already and it made it hard to clearly understand problems. This indeed confused me at times but i caught on quickly to what Strawson was trying to explain, so I overlooked this issue. All in all I would rate this book to be a five, for its descriptive pieces and narratives explaining Hitler's reflections on campiagns. This book covers all of the fronts of the war in Europe, all the way from the Blitzkrieg offensive on the west , down to the later years when Germany had deffensive positions from the east, where Russians poured into Berlin.

Well, my personal thoughts on this book were positive. This book shows how Hitler evolved into the man he later came to be due to his World War 1 experiences and how he effectively shaped the German military into a massive war machine from his ideas.
I know a whole lot about World War 2 and the German War Machine, but Strawson's book gave me a more in depth look on how Hitler came to be, and had his faults that ultimately did him in. I enjoyed reading this book, but at times I found it confusing because of my lack of knowledge in certain areas that I feel the writer expected me to already know.This was my only main prblem with this book.
This book is a very interesting book because not only does it explain how Hitler seemed to have managed a war from all fronts, but it also gives you a look at the Allied view in certain campaigns as well.The book also explains Hitler's methods of propaganda and his ideas on how to reconstruct a German Army from the ashes that the World War 1 treaties left it in. It's very descriptive on certain tactics like the Blitzkrieg offensive on the Western Front, and how later in the war Berlin fell to the Russians, and Germany was in a very defensive position.
All in all, I must say that this book was a great book on the way that it gave such descriptive pieces on the tactics of the German Army. This book is a good short book for projects and such. I gave this book five stars, I felt that I could overlook the fact that John Strawson wrote as if I knew almost everything because it was easy to catch on to what he meant in his writing anyways.

This is a great book for "amateur historians" who want to deepen their understanding of WWII, Hitler, and the German War Machine.

This review of Hitler's management of German battle campaigns during WWII is very interesting. The overriding aim of this work is to present and evaluate Hitler's prowess as a military leader.

I especially enjoyed the frequent references to the thoughts, criticisms,and concerns of the Generals who worked alongside the Fuhrer. Also found the presentation of Hitler's War Directives to be enlightening, as well as relevant to the discussion at hand.

This shorter book is a must read for anyone who has an interest in the "nuts and bolts" of WWII.

As an aside, I agree with the other reviewer who stated that the author seems to assume that the reader has a deep knowledge of the Campaigns. Yet this limitation doesn't prevent the reader from extracting a great deal of knowledge on Hitler's strengths and weaknesseses as a War Leader.

Readers are encouraged to check out the Time-Life (thin) books series on the Third Reich in WWII. Lots of great narrative and pictures on weapons,ships/Uboats,campaigns,politics,propaganda,etc. (I have no connection whatsover to that outfit....)

This book is among the best of the WWII books I have read, and I have read quite a few. As an amatuer WWII historian (hey, I'm 19, but I've done a lot of reading), I had my own thoughts about Hitler as a military commander. I saw this book on sale and bought it without hesitation and I think it is one of the best buys I have made. Strawson makes a complete analysis of every front of the European theater. He analyzes the strategy of not only Hitler, but also those of the French, British, Russian, and American army commanders. Why the strategies succeeded, and why they failed. He quotes and comments on Hitler's War Directives. All in all, a very good argument is made, and I agree with most of it. Strawson also gave me some new ideas and thoughts. My only complaint (and the only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5) is that Srawson assumes a certain level of intimacy with the historical data surrounding the War. I was familiar with most of it, but I needed some refreshment with the names and places of the less famous battles (the Balkan campaign comes to mind). But, despite this, Strawson has a very good work here, and it is a shame it is out of print.