U Books

Bailey provides a compact and highly competent study of the post Atlanta campaign with Hood sparing well with Sherman initially then turning north in his great desperate gamble while Sherman marches through the heart of Georgia virtually unopposed except for Wheeler's undermanned cavalry. Bailey captures the strategy and politics very well with a big picture view of the situation. She captures the odd situation of Hood going in one direction with Sherman in the other. Hood, the great fighter seemingly moves without consultation although Beauregard is placed as the department commander by Davis, which had as much control as Johnson had of Vicksburg in that campaign. Bailey captures the desperation of Hoods movement with failed logistics, supplies and a virtual mythical expectation of troops from the TransMississippi. Bailey covers the hopes and political implications of a Lincoln re-election that is fascinating. She also details, with his movements, Sherman's desire to subjugate the south along with his views on black troops and the infamous desertion of black followers by union Jefferson C. Davis. The controversial failure to close the trap at Spring Hill is well discussed as well as the tragic battle of Franklin and the battles of Nashville where the outnumbered Confederates put up a desperate fight to total collapse redeeming General Thomas. The Nashville desciption of battle is economically told but captures the main aspects particularly recognizing the first use of black union troops in battle who fought bravely but were initially sacraficed in a desperate ill perceived frontal attack. A very well written book that gives a highly competent overview of the final campaign of Hood, Thomas, Sherman and President Davis as far as a real confederate threat in the west. In her efficient writing style, Bailey closes with a very good but brief study of the post war controversies between the generals and politicians.

Bailey's Chessboard of War is the best accounting I have read of Sherman and Hood. The book is balanced, well written and objective. Its inclusion of the participation of black soldiers and the Sherman's slave camp followers was particularly welcomed. Although Bailey is from Cleburne TX and is an admirer of Patrick Cleburne she also gives George Thomas his due. Rarely is that done. An impressive piece of work.

A gem -- no other word for it. In more than six decades of Civil War "buffdom," I've never seen a clearer, more complete, more reader-friendly book on any segment of that war. There is not an unnecessary word in it, but it leaves nothing unsaid. Truly a small masterpiece.

This book is a very thorough and detailed account of two of the Civil Wars' most important and consequential campaigns, but sadly two campaigns about which relatively little has been written. Sherman's march to the sea and Hood's campaign into Tennessee destroyed the last hope for the Confederacy in the Deep South, and did much to undermine the confidence of Lee's army. Without Sherman's psychological victory over the Southern psyche, and without Hood's rash attacks on Franklin and Nashville, the war, at least in that theater, would probably have been prolonged for at least another year. Both men, in their own way, contributed to the war's ending, and this is one of Bailey's main focuses.

This book provides a detailed narrative of the operations of both generals, and discusses how the actions of each affected the other, as well as the ramifications of Hood and Sherman's respective movements. Sherman comes off looking quite well, though not perfect, while Hood comes across as a tragic sort of hero who was too impetuous for his own good. Through it all Bailey remains objective and fair, and provides the reader with a very good look at the "chessboard" of the late Civil War.

Anne J. Bailey's The Chessboard of War doesn't break any new ground on the subject that it covers, nor at only 181 pages does it make any attempt at being a comprehensive and detailed campaign study. Joseph T. Glatthaar and Burke Davis have written defining books on Sherman's March to the Sea, and Wiley Sword's The Confederacy's Last Hurrah is the definitive volume on Hood's 1864 fall campaign in Tennessee. So why read this book? In a word: perspective. Bailey has grasped the direct connection of Sherman's historic march through Georgia and Hood's desperate last ditch gamble offensive campaign in Tennessee, and has written about them together, as part of the same piece. Sending General Thomas and a portion of his army back to Tennessee to take care of Hood was a crucial element of Sherman's plan to march on Savannah. Bailey puts the pieces together, and assesses the success and failure of the players involved.
Bailey writes well and her book is a quick and easy read. While Chessboard does not cover its subject in great depth or provide any startling or controversial new takes on any of the commanders involved, it does serve as an excellent introduction to this material. It also provides continuity, allowing the reader to keep track of the two mighty armies that struggled for months over Atlanta, and see how their fates were still connected even after disentangling from each other and moving in separate directions.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in how the Civil War was won in the West. For the novice, it is a quick yet accurate introduction to the subject of Sherman's and Hood's 1864 Autumn campaigns, and for the more serious student it provides an excellent perspective that has not been much explored elsewhere.

Theo Logos

OMG - What an incredible debut HQN novel from Rita-award winning author Catherine Mann!! The riveting opening grabs you by the throat and the heart when USAF Captain Joe "Face" Greco changes direction of his Pave Low helicopter from shuttling photojournalist Brigid Wheeler around a war torn country. Joe responds to a Mayday call for a Green Beret unit led by his buddy Cooper, which turns into a nightmare. The grief Joe and Brigid share over Cooper's death - Brigid's lover - brings them close together, but not to the point of stepping over the line of friendship. At least, not until a year later when Brigid is ready to move on and Joe realizes...I won't say more and spoil it for you. A tortured hero and one of the sexiest warriors on the face of the earth, Joe surprised me in wonderful ways when I least expected. The chemistry between Joe and Brigid should catch the book on fire. This page-turner's twists and turns don't stop when Joe and Brigid learn the shocking truth about Cooper, whose casket they'd watched lowered into the ground the year before. An ultimate betrayal still awaits them. Catherine Mann has done a brilliant job of weaving a deeply emotional story and fast-paced action around real characters you'll remember long after you finish the book. With a plot that constantly ratchets up the tension on every page, this story is one you'd expect to see on the big screen. Clear a day to read this book or plan to miss an appointment.

Cathy Mann is an excellent up-and-coming author that takes love, despair, friendship, and bareknuckle brawling and makes a captivating tale called Code of Honor that draws readers in. As in most of her books, there's serious treatment of sometimes shocking and serious issues, but everything fits the story, and her characters still know how to have fun. The descriptions are vivid enough that I've still got a mental image of a street cafe lingering weeks after reading about it.

Catherine Mann's Code Of Honor is a must read for any fan of military romance.

Captain Joe Greco has flown many dangerous missions for the Air Force. The one that still haunts him, he lost his best friend Cooper Scott. Joe has kept his feeling to himself for two years regarding Cooper's girlfriend Brigid Wheeler.

Photojournalist Brigid Wheeler had left field work after the death of her love Cooper. Her friendship with Joe has deepened but now she is looking at Joe in a whole new light. They are together again on a foreign mission. But will the new level in their relationship change once Cooper is found alive and working undercover.

Code Of Honor is beautifully written. You feel like you are right there watching the action. The military flavor is dynamic and compelling. Joe and Brigid work their way from friend to lovers with passion that will stir your senses.

The secondary characters of Cooper Scott and Lena Banuelos are deeply moving. They will make you think and touch you profoundly

Code Of Honor is a book I will treasure and re-read many times.

Air Force Pilot Joe Greco has nursed a crush on his best friend's girlfriend Brigid since he first laid eyes on her. Cooper Scott is a Green Beret on a mission in Iraq when his squad is ambushed. Piloting the rescue helicopter with photojournalist Brigid in the back documenting the action, Joe is horrified when he has to abandon his mission and later learns his best friend has died, along with the rest of his team. Mourning Cooper for two years, he has always been a shoulder and sense of strength for Brigid. But Brigid's feelings are starting to change, and when she offers to be his boinking buddy, Joe is at first shocked, but willing to take any scrap he can get. Spiriting her away to Cortina, a small South American country with a drug problem and ties to the terrorists responsible for Cooper's death, he wants her to document the action. Their stint as lovers lead to deeper emotions, but what'll happen to the new relationship when they learn that Cooper was not killed after all, and he's been living a covert life that's about to collide with theirs?

Mann has a gift for military storytelling, often providing a little too much realism and detail. Joe is probably one of her greatest heroes - he's not over the top like a superhero - he's human and emotional and has plenty of demons. The relationship between the two is complex and the chemistry is sizzling. Cooper gets his own romance as a secondary storyline, though I would have preferred to have kept it to one couple. Mann often has numerous couples in her storyline, taking away from the primary storyline.

Two years ago in Iraq, Green Beret Cooper Scott and his squad were trapped under hostile fire even as his wife World Weekly photojournalist Brigit Wheeler, in country on assignment, knows her beloved is dead. Captain Joe "Face" Green tries to rescue his best friend, but fails. Not long afterward Brigit quit her job.

Two years later, widow Brigit enjoys her leisure life at Ft. Walton Beach, Florida though she still misses her spouse. Joe has been there for her helping her make her adjustment that much easier. Though feeling guilt, Brigit is attracted to Joe, but he shows no indication that he reciprocates. In fact he has loved Brigit from the moment Cooper introduced them to each other, but out of respect for his pal never acted on his deep regard. As they begin to show their strong feelings, they learn that Cooper lives.

CODE OF HONOR lives up to its title as the lead couple try not to act on their attraction and admiration for one another out of deference to the fallen hero whose has his own guilt to deal with when it comes to his wife. Loaded with action, a vile villain, and a terrific romance, fans of suspense thrillers will enjoy this fine tale and look forward to Catherine Mann's next novel, the Captive Returns.

Harriet Klausner

The other reviewers who also gave it 5 stars said it the best. I'm just adding my emphasis that you should read this book. It was inspiring and just a very memorable and eye-opening story of native people growing up in the "white man's" world. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

A proud but impoverished Alaskan Indian family struggling to move into modern white society from its ancient culture filled with spirits -- deeply moving, humorous, tragic, yet inspirational.

I absorbed Cold River Spirits in a flurry of intense reading. Once the book was opened, I could not put it down. The stories were compelling and engaging, full of warmth, amusement, charm, sorrow, and tragedy. I was drawn into the lives of this Alaska Native family and rejoiced in their triumphs and commiserated in their troubles. The icon of the family, Louise, embodied the power, strength and wisdom of the Alaska Native woman. Louise's thoroughly modern daughter, Flora Jane, determined, bright, and plucky, became the first Alaska Native, man or woman, to graduate from the University of Alaska! These real life stories reflect the difficulties and challenges of the Alaska Native people as it has in more recent times interfaced with the pervasive and dominant white culture. But Cold River Spirits is not just an ethnological family history; it has much broader appeal, for it crosses cultural and racial lines, and the reader senses the deeper message of the themes of humanity that unify us all.

An informative and important ethnographic work giving a glimpse of one family's life experiences in interior Alaska. A story well crafted and researched by one of the descendants of an Athabascan/Irish family filled with the realities of the sometimes harsh aspects of life in the north but yet also filled with the joys of living with strands of hope. It demonstrates how people cope with the clashing of cultures and how people on another level recreate their identity with one foot in the past (belief in Cold River Spirits) and one in the present. This book is highly recommended as a prime example of how to do ethnography. At times an air of expectancy is created and much like Louise, a central character in the family story, we get a sense of what's to come. It was story told with candor and helps to give us a snapshot of the cultural landscape of her people.

COLD RIVER SPIRITS is a wonderful and welcome addition to my library. Jan Harper-Haines writes with wisdom and humor. She tells the story of her family with candor, helping readers appreciate the challenge of living in two cultures. The book is a fast read; I couldn't put it down. As a result, I gave several copies as holiday gifts to friends and family. COLD RIVER SPIRITS deserves five stars.

My absolute favorite clowning book! If you can only get one clowning book get this one! Covers everything!!! Whenever I am writing clown shows I always go to this book. There are so many skit, gag and prop ideas in this book to build off of. It is truly GOLD!!! In addition to all the skit, gag and prop ideas it also covers make up techiniques as well as costuming. This book stays not on my book shelf or even out on a table but in my truck, so I always have access to it even when I am at work. I think one of the things that really makes this book so special to clowning is the fact that it is not just one author, there are around 10!! Each one writing on their speciality or passion.

I really wish they would come out with a second eddition of this book that would include websites and email address of clown scripts, ideas, gags, etc.

Every hobby has one or two definative books. This is it for clowning. Everything I wanted to find out and more. Like any good reference book it started me down the path and I have read several books recommended.

If you are going to get into clowning you need this book.

Having read four customer reviews of this book, I might have had high expectations. Maybe I didn't realize it's true value at first, but after learning various skills, you may want to try others, which didn't catch your interest at first. Then you realize how powerful a tool this book is.

Until now I've focused on juggling and unicycling. The book not only teaches you how to ride a unicycle, -it also provides a lot of amusing variations. Though I knew how to ride before buying this book, it taught me how to ride in a very ridiculous way, seemingly out of control. I've experienced a tremendous effect when acting upon these hints in front of an audience. ...

Just recently I grew interested in the stiltwalking sections and made a pair of wooden tie-on stilts. I'm not exactly an engineer, but following the instructions, all I needed was a saw, some wood, a drill, some glue, some bolts and screws.

Reading the ingenious instructions given sometimes make me laugh out loud, thinking of how it would work in real life. The illustrations are really amusing, and I do enjoy all the hints on starting a clowning business. Lots of detailed information.

Also, the book is packed with numerous jokes and material that can be used for shows. The next stage for me will be learning how to twist balloons into different animal shapes.

I was actually looking for a book on how to put on clowns' make-up for my unicycling. This book is all you need to know about various types of make-up for various clown types, plus so much more. If you're thinking about clowning, either for fun or for money, I highly recommend this book!

I'm considering setting up as a childrens entertainer, so I purchased a good few books. This is without doubt the best of the bunch.

The book covers lots of aspects of clowning, gives great ideas, and is an easy read.

The only downside is that it does not have space to go as in depth in some areas as I would of liked - but there are plenty of speciality books to do so.

I thought this book was informative, extremely informative for new clowns. You get a history of clowning, pictures of famous clowns, and jokes on most of the pages to use when performing. There is a chapter on how to develop your own clown character which also explains the different types of clowns (Whiteface, Auguste, Tramp and Character), their makeup and their character. Mimes are not excluded either! Topics covered are: clown outfits, props, routines, expression, timing, and working with partners. There are even chapters on balloon art, puppets, juggling, stilt walking, unicycling, and balancing objects. I found the last few chapters very helpful. They gave tips on designing your own business cards so people won't throw them away and how to get bookings and also how much to charge. There is a great Publications and Organization section full of books and suppliers. I would certainly recommend this book to any one who is interested in clowning around! This book has it all!

If you want to know what Florida was like until just a few years ago this is the book. Great reading and stories about real people and places. Although Cross Creek has not changed a lot it is just a matter of time. This book is one of the last ways to see the original Florida and the people who settled there before the modern roads and air conditioners.

For those of us old enough to remember the South before theme parks, interstates, and air conditioning this book revives many wonderful and a few not so wonderful memories. J.T. Glisson brings that period of Florida history alive with his vivid descriptions and wonderful stories. Very well written with the distinctive outlook and perspective of a true Florida Cracker. Enjoyed every page of this very entertaining book.

The Creek is a delightful look at rural FL in the years prior to and shortly after World War II. If you have already read Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek, The Creek will provide additional information and entertainment, as well as give you the added perspective of a native whose family and father in particular were featured prominently in Cross Creek the book. I found the book thoroughly entertaining and a worthwhile read. It along with Cross Creek is a must read for anyone with an interest in North Central FL.

No one on the planet is a bigger Rawlings fan than me. But THE CREEK is better reading than CROSS CREEK. And the writing is a wee bit better than Rawlings. This book is going in my Floridiana collection.

J. T. Glisson grew up next door to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in this small central Florida community. This book of stories from his childhood provides a great context for learning about Cross Creek, and fans of M. K. Rawlings will find lots of insight into her place in the community. Glisson, himself, is a fine writer. He has great insights into life in Cross Creek, and his commentary provides a good understanding of some of the contemporary values and mores that continue to shape Florida's culture. There are also some interesting subtexts in the book. For example, Glisson affectionately gives the scoop on Rawlings. He modestly provides some specific references to himself in her writing, but after reading this work, I'm convinced that the character Jody in _The Yearling_ is modeled to a great degree after Glisson. He is also very funny. More than a few of the stories had me laughing outloud.

The book is well done except the authors failed to include the ethnicity that was and continues to be among the largest immigrant group, the Irish. The authors dropped the ball on that one.

If there was ever a time when we needed to be reminded that immigrants are the heart and soul of what makes this a textured, rich and interesting country, this is it. This book and its companion museum exhibit, which I was lucky enough to come upon serendipitously at Purchase College's Neuberger Museum, celebrates the gifts we have received as a nation from the diverse people who have struggled first to get here, and then to make a life for themselves here. Before we build walls on borders, before we villify those who are different from us, let's appreciate what we are gaining from the immigrants who choose the US as their home. Let's remember that very few of us are Native American. We have all benefitted from the open door to America.

Book is an excellent companion to a travelling show we saw at the University of Maine in Orono. It captures in an extraordinary fashion the incredible ethnic and cultural diversity within a relatively small section of Queens, NY.

Well done and Bravo for Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan for this formidable effort! I couldn't put this book down, not so much because the book has stories of gore or thrill, but because of the beautiful and thoughtful way in which it is crafted, laid out and presented. The subjects are treated with complete dignity, affirmation and love, something that is rarely seen when dealing with immigrants and foreigners. I applaud this multi-media venture [the accompanying CD and website are mindblowing as well] and the amount of effort it took. I put down the book feeling like I had had the best world education lesson ever-if only high school were like this I'd be so much further in life! Bravo!

Queens, in New York City, is the most ethnically diverse community in the country. Over a period of three years, from 1999 to 2002, editors Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan collected stories from a sampling of the borough's 2 million residents. The result is this book, a much needed tribute to the people, most of them immigrants, who make Queens such a culturally rich locale.

The stories are wide and varied: a Congolese man who fled his country to seek asylum in the United States, only to be detained for nearly two years once he arrived here; an Afghan woman and her mother who were separated from each other for 22 years; a gay Colombian couple forced to flee their home; a pair of Egyptian brothers who opened a cafe and restaurant in Astoria. It's impossible to summarize them all here.

The words of the storytellers are, for the most part, kept intact. Everything is quoted directly, and even the speech mannerisms of those with rough or accented English are preserved, making the book feel just as colorful and diverse as the people featured in it. In a few cases, where the interviewee spoke little or no English at all, the stories are translated from the teller's native language. The editors have included helpful explanatory notes where the storyteller's make reference to events and individuals with which the reader may not be readily familiar.

"Crossing the BLVD" is also a refreshing visual treat. There are numerous photographs, pieces of artwork, maps, and other visuals. Each page has clearly been laid out with loving attention. Font style, size, and placement, along with the placement of the pictures, is carefully balanced to achieve certain effects. The book is just as colorful and full of character as the people whose stories it relates.

This is definitely a book everyone should read. Though nearly 400 pages in length, the text is large and makes for quick reading. But this simplicity is only a cover for the rich, inspiring, and heartfelt stories these people have to share. "Crossing the BLVD" certainly has something to offer any reader.

Kirk Johnson of the Denver Museum of Natural History and his traveling companion, artist Ray Troll, take us on a goofy whirlwind tour of fossil sites in the West that is funny and also informative. Kirk Johnson explains a lot of geological concepts along the way, while weaving in great anecdotes and entertaining sketches of the whacky characters who live and work at many of the sites they visit. Ray Troll's art, as always, is great and often quite surreal, and there's lots of it on every page. Highly recommended!

The book was listed in Science News, which is a weekly publication with current news in the world of Science. My spouse, who is a Registered Professional Geologist, asked me to purchase it for her. At first glance she thought it was a children's book, however; in reading further realized the book was intended for adults. Her rating is that the publication was very good, both well written and illustrated. This rating means a lot because it is from someone who must have at least a zillion books on Geology and also has a Masters Degree in the subject.

Caution! Paleo fever is catching. I already had a light dose of it before reading the book. Not many people carry around a small chunk of dinosaur rib in their purse just for the heck of it. (It makes a hilarious conversation piece at security check points. Most screeners don't want anything more to do with the purse after finding the bone.)

Now, after reading the book, I have a full blown case, and am itching to get back on the road. This book strikes just the right balance between hard information and just plain fun.

We went to Montana last summer and met several people who were at least as interesting as the bones - with strange tales of discovery and survival. Guess what! after reading the book, I now know that there is a whole world of fossils and people just waiting to be discovered.

This book answers a lot of questions that I had - i.e. what on earth is a concretion? Before reading the book, I could recognize one, but couldn't define what it was. Now I know more about what they are and how they form.

The book delivers a steady drip of valid scientific information that you almost don't realize that you are getting. (The author is a curator at the Denver Museum.)

The book will also tell you how to recognize and find dinosaur tracks at 65 miles an hour. - I won't give away the secret,but, I'll give you a hint: it involves birthday cake and ants.

Be warned! If you read this book, you will be left screaming for a ROAD TRIP in the great old American tradition.

Funny,thought-provoking story with historic information on paleontological sites and the people who search for fossils.

One part Easy Rider, one part On the Road with Charles Kuralt, and one part "stuff to find by the side of the road." Mix up these three and add an interesting commentary of "how things got to be the way they are" and you'll have some idea of what "Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway" is like. I've read "The Bone Wars" (Cope vs Marsh) and, while I find the topic interesting, I had to drag myself through parts of it. I also have a number of "Roadside Geology" books that I'm generally disappointed with. In "Cruisin'," Dr. Johnson gives details about the first scientists on the scene, plus precise locations & basic geology, and manages to make it all humorous and entertaining. The Easy Rider camaraderie between Johnson and artist Troll is often quite amusing, and the sketches of personalities they meet along the road makes what could be a very dry subject full of personable details. The octogenarian racing to beat Johnson to a fossil, the 16 year old girl with an Allosaurus under her bed, the "King of Trilobites" who has little more than disdain for fossils ... all keep the narrative far from a textbook coverage of geology. No, I don't know the author well enough for him to buy me lunch or have a piece of the royalties. I just really enjoyed both the personalities and the fossil info in the book. If you're serious about collecting, get the separate map as well: not only is it covered in Trollish art, but it provides an accurate index of fossil locales throughout the Western states (in much more detail and over broader areas than the book ... and better than any other source I've seen).

Anyone who thinks life was better in times past should read this book. It is about the Donner party, a group of midwesterners who hoped on the frontier trail to California, only to face misery, hardship and death in numerous forms. In one case, a young boy breaks his leg, and dies in agony following a makeshift operation. In another a sick man is left to die on the trail, unable to keep up. And the party had to deal with hostile Indians and unsavory characters as well. It was a time when travel to the West coast from New York could be done faster by sea than overland.

I am a bit new to the Donner story so I can't compare Limburg's telling to other books on the adventure. But it certainly kept me reading. One could almost feel the optimism present in April when the group set out, and then the agravation and, ultimately, fear and despair. The reader will ask himself what he would have done in the situation, glad all the while for the comforts of modern life.

I, like everyone else, thinks of one thing when thinking about the Donner Party--canabalism. There were many wagon trains headed west in the years just before the Civil War that never made it, or suffered terrible hardship, but it is the Donner group that we all remember. Author Peter Limburg has done a marvelous job separating the sensationalism from the facts, and writes a poignant tale of people, just like us, looking for a better life in a new place. I always appreciate a book that solidly puts me in a different time and place--this book didn't disappoint.

I think people are a bit confused here. The story of the Donner Party is gripping, intense, chilling, gruesome etc etc. It is an incredible story that has survived for a reason. We can applaud Limburg for not ruining that for us - the book is a page turner that I finished in a sitting, however, Limburg's writing was not the reason. Frankly, "Deceived" is a poorly written account that merely spews the research of others into an easy to read format. The book contains far more flat, unnamed characters than can be digested and lets many plot lines drop away without a thought.

You'll note that most books about the Donner party are given rave reviews (probably for the reason I just suggested). I recommend that you look for another book on the subject as there must be better.

From Marisa D'Vari, author of "Script Magic" Sure, travel is difficult ... but count your lucky stars you're not traveling over a hundred years ago, when the travelers were not at the mercy of surly airline attendants but nature's elements. I became fascinated with the Donner party in a fourth grade history class in California, and am not surprised that Limburg's story continues to grip me. An excellent read!

I was fascinated by the detailed unfolding story of the famous Donner Party and how they got to the state that has made their name legend in the field of horror and disaster. With more than 45 photos and illustrations this book was I'm sure the most thourough treatment of this story.

I am always careful about books written by journalists from back East, especially when they deal with Montana's vigilantes. Frederick Allen, however, has made a worthwhile contribution to a controversial field.

I gave him five stars, although I do not entirely agree with some of his conclusions. It seems to surprise him, for example, when Plummer and some of his contemporaries started bouncing off the walls mentally after shooting somebody.

My experience in law enforcement has been that such behavior is normal. There are some sociopaths out there who just like to kill and don't feel any emotion about it, but they are few and far between despite what Hollywood scriptwriters would like you to believe.

This is a well written book, but it didn't change my opinion that the vigilantes cleaned up a situation that had spun out of control at a time when nobody else would, or could. The country was, after all, engaged in a bloody Civil War and the struggling miners in Montana's goldfields needed something to restore order in their isolated, vulnerable communities. Vigilante justice proved to be better than no justice at all.

One tends to associate the dark legacy of lynching almost exclusively with the South of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but in point of fact the most extensive episode of vigilante justice in American history actually took place in the Montana territories in the 1860s. The Montana vigilantes have long been hailed as heroes in Montana (Montana Highway Patrolmen, for example, still bear a patch honoring these men and their cause), men who took upon themselves the obligation to rid their community of dangerous individuals. In this thrilling historical account, however, Frederick Allen pries open the chinks in the vigilante movement's historical armor to show that their brand of frontier justice eventually descended into something much darker and much less defensible.

In the early 1860s, Montana was a wild country overrun by thousands of men clamoring for the new-found gold in its rivers and streams. Even as gold camps began appearing overnight, there was no government of any sort to oversee justice - just miners' courts to settle disputes over claims and the like. The nearest outpost of territorial authority lay hundreds of miles west of the Montana frontier. Thus, it is easy to see how lawlessness could prevail under such conditions; it manifested itself most particularly in the form of stagecoach robberies on the paths leading away from town. A man could lose a whole season's worth of gold dust in the blink of an eye, and such hold-ups could turn deadly on occasion. What could the settlers do to secure their safety and safe passage back to the States or elsewhere? There was no legal system in place in the territory, there were no cells to hold prisoners, and there were no courts or judges to adjudicate cases. There was a sheriff, however, a fascinating man named Henry Plummer - and he really stands at the core of the entire drama. He came to be suspected of complicity in the robberies and murders in the area, and this growing sense of doubt in their sheriff served as the final impetus for the leading men of Bannack and Virginia City to take the law into their own hands. Plummer was among the 21 men hanged during the first six weeks of 1864. There will always be a level of debate as to Plummer's guilt or innocence, and Allen examines this fascinating man's life in great detail. The real question is how a man twice convicted of murder could have become a sheriff in the first place, but this speaks to the true remoteness of the Montana territory in those days.

In all, 51 men were killed by the vigilantes over a six-year period. Allen agrees with the consensus opinion that the early stage of the movement was justified, as there is evidence that all 21 of the men lynched in the first six weeks of 1864 were guilty, dangerous men - including Henry Plummer. Were the story to stop there, the Montana vigilantes would deserve nothing but admiration for bringing order and security to their local community. They did not stop, however, and their activities inevitably devolved into acts of personal vengeance and the very perversion of justice. In that first crucial period of early 1864, accused men were given trials of a sort, their fates usually decided by the entire community. Hangings took place in broad daylight, and the identities of the vigilantes were in no way kept secret. As time went on, however, men were summarily executed by individuals acting upon little more than their own authority. With no hope or manner of defending themselves, it is very likely that some innocent men were hanged - and there can be little doubt that many of the guilty had not committed crimes serious enough to warrant death.

As is always the case in history, the most fascinating aspect of this whole story is the lives of the men involved. Allen identifies the vigilantes as leading citizens of the area, an unusual amalgamation of men both for and against the battle for Southern independence being waged during that chaotic time. Politics came to play a significant role in the whole saga, as the appointed leaders of the newly-established Montana Territorial government did themselves no favors by immediately alienating the significant number of Democrats among the local populace. This new government was ineffective at best, with the executive and judicial branches nullifying each other's authority - and this provided the pretext for the vigilantes to continue their operations.

A Decent, Orderly Lynching really is a fascinating book. Allen brings to life the mining camps of gold-rush Montana, recreating all aspects of society there on the remote frontier. He offers penetrating assessments of the men at the heart of this story, those on both sides of the hanging rope, drawing a sharp distinction between the early, honorable activities of brave men determined to establish order in their lawless region and the excesses of those who continued to pursue vigilante justice after Montana's new territorial government had been established. Through it all, he maintains an objective air, making his own judgments based on the evidence in hand - and his research efforts were impressive, to say the least. The story of the Montana vigilantes is a most telling part of the history of America, and Allen has done a superb job telling that story to those of us unfamiliar with it.

This amazing book works on three different levels. It is first of all a compelling, action-packed narrative of Montana's vigilante period - carefully researched, engagingly written, and peppered with memorable characters and dramatic action. Western fans will love it. But Allen does not stop there. His brilliant examination of Henry Plummer, the mysterious and elusive sheriff-protagonist, adds deeper and darker shadings to the story. This is less a black-and-white tale of heroes and villains than one about how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The author does not trade in the romanticism surrounding the vigilantes. Finally, and most remarkably, Allen's book can be read as an allegory about the uses and misuses of all governmental power. In the nineteenth century, Montana's besieged citizens cried out for help against their version of terrorists -- only to discover belatedly that the response by unchecked governmental authorities could be equally lawless. Who would have thought that the Vigilante Trail led to Abu Ghraib?

People who hate "High Noon" have been known to cite the goings-on in Idaho Territory of the 1860s as proof that an enraged citizenry would never back down from outlaws. According to "eyewitness accounts," a locally formed vigilance committee rounded-up Sheriff Henry Plummer and his bloodthirsty compatriots and, with the aid of lots of rope, soon put an end to the rampant murder and robbery in the gold camps.

While this account made for excellent melodrama, it was a bit too pat to stand the test of time, and of late, had become the center of some arguing and fist shaking in the vicinity of Alder Gulch. Frederick Allen painstakingly examines the players and their times. His conclusions will not please the revisionists nor the vigilante apologists. While the vigilantes started out with the best of intentions and went after the worst of the thugs, their focus was lost in the chaos and power struggles of their era. Like many mavericks, they went from being heroes to embarassments.

But Allen confirms that Henry Plummer, George Ives & Co. were not martyrs of misdirected justice. It's too bad the vigilantes didn't have the forsight to stop while they were ahead.

This is the type of book that gives University Presses a good name. The author is a former political editor and columnist with the Atlanta Constitution and commentator for CNN. He has managed to write a scholarly yet reader friendly book that challenges some standard accounts of the famous Montana Vigilantes and their sometimes extra-legal activities. In what was the deadliest chapter of vigilante justice in American history, from 1864-1870, in excess of 50 men were hanged in Montana. The majority were inocent of capital crimes and a disturbing numer were innocent. This is a riveting book that will, in addition to bringing the reader up to date on a significant chapter in western history, cause one to ponder the significance of the Vigilantes on our current political debate over the war on terrorism. This is first rate scholarship in a reader friendly format. Highly recommended.

The legendary Buzz Holmstrom was a more complex figure than I knew. His journal entries express the feeling of all who really love rivers and the famous entry that includes "the doing of the thing" should be read on every river trip.
This is the second Brad Dimock book I've read (the other on Bert Loper) and I am impressed with not only his skill as a writer, but his careful research. His handling of the tragic end to Buzz Holmstrom's life was that of a journalist with a sense of humanity.
I've already loaned this book to friends.

If you like white water rafting, this is a wonderful book about the birth of white water fun.

Even today, with rescue not so far away, few of us would have the nerve to go down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon alone, so imagine the nerve it took when Buzz was totally alone, with no chance of help if he made a mistake. But the most amazing thing about Buzz was that in the midst of an adventure that would leave most people totally preoccupied with survival, Buzz had the soul power to look for and see the poetry in the river and the canyon. Merely knowing how to survive can be much easier than knowing how to live.

Well-written and researched. But the thing that shines through is Buzz and his strong spirit - the writers were careful to be sure this was HIS book, not theirs, which is how it should be. A true boatman's boatman, Buzz was maybe born too soon - it seems the world wasn't quite ready for his singular love of the rivers and nature. This book won't disappoint you - what will disappoint you after reading it is that Buzz is gone.

I remember years ago when I was a kid a story my father told me about an amazing river rafter and boat builder. My Dad grew up in Coquille and went to school with Buzz's younger brother. His story always ended with how Buzz had been on a rafting trip in eastern Oregon and went off and committed suicide. I could never understand how someone who had done the amazing things he did could end his life on that note. I thought about that story many times over the years and always wished I knew more. This book is incredibly well researched and documented. Even though many questions were answered, many more were raised. Such was the enigma that was Buzz Holmstrom.