William King Books

I tried to read this late at night in a guest room in Palo Alto (while I was still on Eastern time), at a house where I was also urged to read _Up and down California_, the narrative based on Brewer's own letters, still in print (first edition 1930). I got the latter via interlibrary loan but the memory of Alsup's vistas of rock has brought me to Amazon to buy my own copies of both.

The 2007 version of this book is measurably thicker than this 2004 version. I wish the Tax law reflected that! Our office thinks this book should be titled Tax Opinions not Tax Facts, as there are so many disclaimers stating this is just our opinion. Still, a valuable reference for many.

interested in this particular subject. This book does talk about romance in Hollywood comedies of 80's and 90's. Sometimes parallels are drawn with the older films. All argumemnts are based on classical film theory. Interesting book, but not the most essential on the subject+ too expensive, in my opinion.

This marvelous book is a blend of adventure story, scientific diary, and ethnographic study. The author, Tahoe Talbot Washburn, accompanied her husband, Lincoln Washburn, to the Canadian Arctic in 1938-1941, helping him do his graduate field work in the glacial geology of the region. The author was a keen observer of native people and their way of life. She recorded what we now see in retrospect as the waning years of a nomadic way of life for the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Prior to World War II, many Inuit roamed freely across the high Arctic, camping in snow houses (igloos) constructed along the trail at the end of the day. The Canadian Arctic Inuit were still essentially nomads; they did not live in or visit permanent settlements, except for a few important events each year. Accordingly, governmental authorities and missionaries had to go on expeditions to meet with the Inuit. Soon after the war, this pattern changed dramatically, and seemingly irrevocably, towards a more settled way of life. This book is made all the more fascinating because it provides many glimpses into a way of life perched on the cusp of radical change. The Washburns were much more than casual visitors to the Canadian Arctic. They lived there for months at a time, including one extended stay from August, 1940 to February, 1941. They spent precious little time indoors, preferring to move about the Arctic islands, hiking, boating, camping, and dog-sledding in winter. The scientific aim of this multi-year project was to determine the extent of regional glaciation in the late Pleistocene, a much-debated topic of that day. By collecting marine fossils and mapping traces of glacial scouring in bedrock, Lincoln Washburn was able to begin the process of reconstructing the extent of ice sheets during the last glaciation. This thesis project marked the beginning of his long and illustrious career in glacial geology. However, geologic research is only incidental to this book. It brought the Washburns to Arctic Canada, but once there, they fell in love with the land and its people. Both Lincoln and Tahoe relished the arduous Arctic lifestyle, where physical endurance and mental acuity often make the difference between survival and death. They marveled at the ingenuity, patience, and sense of humor that seemed to sustain the Inuit through manifold hardships. Tahoe Washburn spent many months emulating the role of Inuit women, including daily food preparation (for both people and sled dogs), sewing of leather garments, and hide preparation (including chewing caribou hides to soften them). Although limited by not understanding the Inuit language, she learned by observation. Her Native companions appreciated her efforts to follow their ways, and took the time to teach her many skills that few outsiders ever learned. The book is richly illustrated, with 107 photos and six maps. Although the material in the book was taken from diaries, it has been well-edited, never becoming dull or repetitive. I heartily recommend this book to readers interested in the natural history and ethnography of the Arctic.

Review published in Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol. 31, No. 4. Copyright: Regents of the University of Colorado

I found this book to be a very good reference for the design & implementation of backup power systems.

Throughout my 3-year experience in the U.P.S systems field, i found new & very important ideas in this text i did not know, not even in my training courses !!

The bottom line, this text is a very good deal for professionals & start-ups as well.

This book gives a good historical perspective for studying the Old Testament Israelite kingdoms. It includes descriptions of other nations/cultures of the time period and provides insight into daily life. It's excellent as a companion for studying history as well as the Bible. Although the recommended age for independent reading is 9 and above, younger children can gain much knowledge by having the information read to them by a parent/teacher. We have used this resource in our home school and return to it again and again.

This story is about two toads, Warton and Morton, who fly off and accidentally crash. They are captured by weasels who want them to help build a new home for the weasels. One of the weasels get captured by a hawk. The toads use teamwork to help rescue the weasel. The other weasels learn that teamwork is better than fighting. I liked this story because the toads help each other and even their enemies.

The White Knights were a dynasty of Norman overlords who ruled in medieval Munster and were chiefs of the FitzGibbons, the senior cadet branch of the FitzGerald family, which included the earls of Desmond and Kildare. Edmund FitzGibbon, a renegade and the 11th and effectively last White Knight, died in 1608 with no surviving sons; his lands and authority passed to a niece, and through her marriage, eventually to Sir John King, a Cromwellian captain who was created Baron Kingston in 1660. A descendant in a collateral line, who became baronets, was created Earl and the two lines rejoined in the person of George King, the 3rd earl. Known as "Big George," he was something of a feudal throwback. In 1823, he built Mitchelstown Castle, the largest neo-Gothic mansion in Ireland. The Castle survived the Famine and the land wars of the 188os, but was finally looted and burned by the occupying Republican army in 1922 as they retreated from government troops. The author is largely concerned with the house itself and with the great and famous who visited and worked there, but there is also a great deal of heavily footnoted information on the King family from its origins to the present day.

William Carleton(1794-1869) has deservedly earned a further biographical expose. Carleton gave us vivid portrayals of the Irish peasantry prior to their headlong fall into the Great Famine abyss of 1847. As a fellow serf; Carleton had hands-on experience of Irish rural conditions in early 19th century Ireland. David Krause,the wellknown biographer of Sean O'Casey,has provided us with an excellently researched and annotated account of Carleton's life and published work. It is both erudite and timely.Krause deserves immense credit in putting Wm.Carleton centre stage among English literary giants.

This informative biography tells the complex story of William III of the United Provinces (Netherlands) Born in 1648 at the end of the 30 Years War, William must learn to navigate the fratious system of Dutch politcs which is deeply divided and ant-autocratic, but at the same time must struggle to survive against the encroachments of Louis XIV' France. In order survive the Dutch must allow power to be centralized in the office of the Stadtholder, which by right belongs to the ruling house of Orange. It is during the desperate War of 1672-78 that William is called upon to become States-General, in charge of all combined Dutch land and naval forces. Through sheer grit and determination William manages to rally thre faltering Dutch forces before the seeminly invinceable advances of the French under their talanted generals.

The French under the Duc de Luxambourg and others mainatin the largest and most aggressive army in Europe. These are the years when France seeks to create a greater hedgemony. Population and ecomonic growth has blessed France since it was largely spared the devastations of the 30 Years War earlier in the Century. Now under their highly autocratic monarch, Louis XIV (The Sun King), they seek to dominate Europe. They have impressive resources to do this. Vaubin is the genius of siege-craft. Under his brilliant direction one Dutch fortress after another falls as the French armies advance deeper into the Spanish Netherlands and the Low Countries. Only the dogged determination of William is there to stop them. Each year another major Dutch or Spanish Netherlands fortress falls, but William holds out long enough to wear the French down. Louis begins to tire of the tangled web of Dutch fortifications and William's determination to keep a field army together. The French become interested in bullying the German principlaities instead. William is given a repreive and through various loosely worded treaties which the French constantly keep changing, he manages to save the Dutch Republic. For this alone William deserves to be known as the George Washington of the Low countries.

But fate has a larger story for Dutch William. Through marriage to Princess Mary, the protestant daughter of King James II, William has a direct claim on the English crown. This is brought into play when the English parliament seeks to remove James for his pro-Catholic and auto-cratic ways in 1688. The Glorious Revolution as it is known in England brings William and Mary bloodlessly to the English crown and forever changes
Anglo-Dutch history. William now has a new lease on life and can bring the larger resources of England into his greater conflict againt the dominations of Louis XIV. The Nine Years War will see William first campaigning in Ireland to defeat James II at the famous battle of the Boyne in 1690. This watershed moment in Irish History is little understood today despite numerous pictures of the event hanging in many Irish pubs around the world! William will then return to the Continent and continue the struggle against the French. The battles of Stenkirk (1692) and Landan (1693) are largely inconclusive but prove Williams increasing abilities of generalship over Louis XIV's armies. The siege of Numur (1695) is Williams crowning military achievement. He here manages to beseige and take a fortress designed by the great Vaubin. The myth of French invincibility in this period is finally broken. France, exhausted under Louis's harsh domestic and foreign policies must seek peace for the time being.

William continues as joint monarch of England and the Netherlands. The English will see themselves established as a leading maritime and commerical power, while the Dutch will beigin their descent into non-entity. Yet, for all that William does for the English he is not generally liked by them and is regarded derisively as "Dutch" William. The Dutch will tend to have an indifferent attitude toward him in their history.

Williams place in history covers the histories of two nations (England and Holland) and his influence extends beyond into Ireland, the Spanish Netherlands, Germany and even France. Louis XIV, despite numerous attempts to assassinate him, comes to respect William. The Dutch and English will have mixed feelings, and to the Irish he will become a distant almost mythical figure. There is no doubt that his legacy was the salvation of Europe from a French universal monarchy under Louis XIV. Dutch William may be largely forgotten today, but his struggles helped to shape modern Europe.

This book, while extensive on William' life, is at times tedious. The author's discussion of the complicated court politics and dynastic claims of the period was at times quite confusing. His descriptions of English politics is equally hard to follow. The author can not totally be blamed for this as the dyanstic politics in the 17th century were extremely confusing. The author writes with evident admiration for his subject, and seems to truly admire William almost to the point of excess. While not a great Biography in terms of style and writing, the subject and the historical period are fascinating.
Until a better and more recent work on William III comes out I would strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in the military politics and dynastic history of the 17th Century.