George MacDonald Books

Etienne Gerrard is a delight, cocky, self important, vain as a peacock, he is also brave to a fault, resourceful, energetic and the best swordsman in all of Napoleon's cavalry. He is also a bit thick in the head. He struts through the most hair raising adventures, and almost always comes out in one piece. You will be convinced in each story that he could not possible carry out his mission successfully, but he almost always does. At a time in Great Britain when the human costs of the Napoleanic Wars were still felt and France and England had only recently mended fences, Conan Doyles "typical" Frenchman was a delight to the British reader. This is not Sherlock's cold intellect. It is the passion of a very decent, courageous man who is devoted to his sovreign, and who will take on any task from wooing a beautiful woman to a Russian Regiment of cavalry. If you enjoy the Flashman books you will love this one just as much.

These gems of action storytelling will make you laugh out loud-- they have the best of Doyle's plotting and some very witty characterization. Etienne Gerard is first-cousin to GM Fraser's Flashman: he finds himself in the thick of every battle, often playing a pivotal role that only now can be told...

Of course, Flashy is cowardly where Gerard is brave, but they both think themselves irresistable to women and are master horsemen. Bright, fast, and funny, these short stories belong on the shelf next to all the Flashman novels. Fraser himself calls Doyle a "genius" in the introduction, and they belong in the same league of inspired storytelling. Too bad Gerard and Flashy never met-- Flash would have called him a bloody crapaud and Gerard would have said Flashy was a British beef....

I knew Arthur Conan Doyle from his Sherlock Holmes series although I have not read any title from that. The "Exploits and Adventures of Birgadier Gerard" is surely one of the finest novels about the Napoleonic era and I highly recommend it to any fan of the Grand Armee and its battle hardened soldiers. The story begins with the long retired Brigadier starting to recall his war memories for the shake of his audience, over a glass of wine. And what a fascinating carreer did he have! He was a romantic lover, a proud Frenchman, an honest man, a terrific swordsman, a dashing cavalryman, and a soldier absolutely faithful to his duty: the real epitome of the French hussar who according to Colonel Lassale "should not live beyond the age of 30"! The old Brigadier explains with graphic detail and an amusing dose of egotism and pride how he lost his ear for the love of a girl in Venice, how he helped French troops to storm the spanish fortress of Saragossa, how he saved a whole army in the Peninsula, how he extricated himself from a grevious tactical mistake in Russia, how he beat the Englishmen in their national sport of fox-hunting and how Destiny prevented him from taking part in the climactic battle of Waterloo, a fact that Gerard honestly believes that doomed Napoleon! To build his story Doyle took many interesting facts and legends from real biographies of the period, like that of Baron de Marbot, but he made his story so enjoyable and colourful that is incomperable in terms of advenures and amusement.

Brigadier Gerard is everything that a Briton of Conan Doyle's time thought was an exemplar of the Napoleonic officer - and to a certain extent a caricature of the French themselves. Hopelessly and ridiculously brave, completely lacking in appreciation of the fine British virtues of sportsmanship, a devotion to L'Empereur, rather dim, obsessed with his honor and the honor of La France, and yet rather admirable too in his prickly way.

In this fine book the Brigadier regales us with stories of his youth, when most of Europe was part of the French Empire and opportunities abounded for young men who looked good in cavalry uniform. Gerard tells the story with no irony, but the reader laughs a good deal at the absurdities of the hero. When attempting to shoot the ash off a cigar he destroys the whole cigar instead, to the dismay of its smoker who is smoking it at the time. Clearly, Gerard maintains, the pistol is at fault. On a few occasions he succeeds when all expect him to fail and as a result his success is actually a failure. The stories encompass many of the great events of the Napoleonic wars: the horrors of partisan fighting in Spain, the invasion of Russia, war in the German states and Prussia, even capture by the British. Always the stories are superbly told with a very fine eye for realistic detail and they are often quite gripping. Again this is one of those books I am amazed has never been made into a film or a TV series.

George MacDonald Fraser has taken a good deal of the Gerard style for his Flashman series, although of course the two characters are poles apart in morality.

I recommend this book to all lovers of history novels and also to anyone who just likes to read superb stories in the grand old manner, where manly men are engaged in "honest" combat, and where evil enemies, treacherous peasants, and duplicitous politicos usually meet their doom under Gerard's cavalry saber.

The success of the Sherlock Holmes stories has overshadowed the fact that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many other stories of entirely different character. The New York Review of Books Classics has brought the `Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard' back to life. The Gerard character is said to be Conan Doyle's second best fictional invention.

The eight `Exploits' stories were published between 1894 and 1895 while the ten `Adventures' were published after a five year hiatus between 1900 and 1903. Like the Holmes tales, these pieces were published as serials in The Strand Magazine. Once again we owe a debt of happy gratitude to the NYRB for reviving this quirky, funny, heroic series of adventure tales.

The eponymous Gerard is one Etienne Gerard, a Hussar (a light cavalryman) in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars. In other words, a character about as far removed from the dyspeptic intellectual detective of Baker Street as one can imagine. In the excellent introduction (one of the hallmarks of the NYRB Classics series), George Macdonald Fraser remarks on the courage Conan Doyle showed in showcasing a French hero fighting against the British less than 80 years after Napoleon was finally defeated (As Fraser notes "even today [the French ] are not notably popular north of the Channel"). Quite a feat of imagination.

Like Harry Flashman (Flashman: A Novel (Flashman)) and the lesser known Otto Prohaska (A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Habsburg Empire (The Otto Prohaska Novels)), Gerard is in his old age when he spins his stories to the reader. Gerard boasts that he is the greatest swordsman, horseman, and lover as well as the most loyal servant of Napoleon in the entire French army. And Conan Doyle permits Gerard to excel in all these measures and yet his excessive pride makes him obtuse. As Fraser put it Gerard is "vain, touchy, obstinate, reckless, boastful, and none too bright." He is entirely ingenuous, which repeatedly leads him to trouble and then he must slash his sword and dash away on his horse to escape. Gerard is charmingly unaware that he is a strutting French peacock; he assumes that others should and do recognize his exceptional qualities. Coming from a more self-aware man such cocksureness would be intolerable conceit.

I titled this review "What Would Harry Flashman Make of Etienne Gerard?" That's a fun question to speculate about. It would take a new Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Sir George MacDonald Fraser to do it justice. My guess is Harry would laugh up his sleeve at Gerard until he saw Etienne's sword swinging dangerously toward his head. For his part, I expect Gerard would be blissfully unaware of Flashman's disdain, but might he also detect Harry's certain 'shyness'?

The `Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard' are wonderful entertainments. Like the Sherlock Holmes stories, the pity is there are so few of them. Highest recommendation.

This collection of fictionalised wartime reminiscences shows a truly great writer firing on all cylinders. With a draining six-year war just finished, the regiment is winding down in North Africa, and such is the way of the military that the men must be kept busy on a variety of more-or-less useless tasks. These they tackle in a hilariously bumbling way, aided to no small extent by the inexperience of their officer, who serves as the book's narrator.

They play football well, but let the side down with off-field brawls and gambling, cause havoc on a night exercise and have trouble with their kilts when presenting to royalty. The title story is a tour-de-force, when a crusty, whisky-mellowed General thinks he can redefine the Scottish dancing tradition by turning an eightsome into a hundred and twenty-eightsome, with the assistance of Arab cooks and drivers.

Fraser proves enormously clever in melding fiction with reminiscence and delivers a book that is essential reading matter for anyone with a sense of humour.

George MacDonald Fraser served in the "other ranks" of the British Army in Burma late in WWII. Commissioned as a subaltern (2nd lieutenant) following the Japanese surrender, he served as a platoon leader in a Gordon Highlander battalion posted to the Middle East before being "demobbed", i.e. released from active duty. His experiences serve as the basis for THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN, initially published in 1970, a first person account by the fictional Dand MacNeill, subaltern of a platoon in an unspecified Highland battalion posted first to Libya, then to Edinburgh, during the period 1945-1947.

THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN is a work of wry humor, inasmuch as Lt. MacNeill describes the unintentionally comic situations encountered with his Jocks (men) during garrison life both in Scotland and abroad, mostly the latter. The book is actually a series of short stories, in which a common thread tying all together, besides Dand himself, is Pvt. McAuslan, the dirtiest, most slovenly soldier in His Majesty's service. As described by MacNeill:

" ... he lurched into my office (even in his best tunic and tartan he looked like a fugitive from Culloden who had been hiding in a peat bog) ..."

McAuslan may be the focus of a particular chapter, as when he is court-martialed for refusing an order to enter a pillow fight contest to be held during a gathering of the various Highland regiments. Or, he may make nothing more than a brief cameo appearance, as when he is upbraided by MacNeill for fighting one of the crewman aboard the coastal steamer ferrying the battalion's soccer team on a road-trip against the teams of neighboring British commands - a fight brought on by the sailor's comments regarding McAuslan's unsanitary appearance.

The squalid presence of McAuslan notwithstanding, the central character of the book is Dand MacNeill, whether he's coping with the unfathomable questions of the officer selection board, pressed into command of an overnight troop train from Cairo to Jerusalem through unruly Palestine, mounting the ceremonial guard at Edinburgh Castle, or taking lessons in regimental piping history from the god-like Regimental Sergeant Major. Dand's narrative of military service is of such good humor and wit that it's evident his alter ego, Fraser, remembers his own time in uniform as an enriching life experience, despite the hardships of WWII combat. This positive slant on the book's theme, and Fraser's/MacNeill's fine sense of the ludicrous, make the volume one that I couldn't put down. (I've encountered so-called "thrillers" that were less absorbing.)

Note: THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN is currently out of print in the US. However, it and Fraser's two sequels in the McAuslan series, MCAUSLAN IN THE ROUGH and THE SHEIKH AND THE DUSTBIN, are all contained in THE COMPLETE MCAUSLAN, available from Amazon.co.uk. This is a superb volume, worth to an Anglophile every pence spent in postage to deliver it across The Pond to The Colonies.

It is time that you hear "the sub-muckin', the whole cheese, the hail clanjamfry, the lot' about the Scottish Highland Regiment that served in Africa after World War II.

George MacDonald Fraser has written the stories of this regiment and its most infamous soldier, Private McAuslan, in three collections: "The General Danced at Dawn", "McAuslan in the Rough", and "The Sheikh and the Dustbin".

Through the narration by platoon commander Dand McNeil, McAuslan comes alive as the dirtiest soldier in the world, "wan o' nature's blunders; he cannae help bein' horrible. It's a gift."

Yet McAuslan is one of the most loveable creatures in all of literature. He may be grungy, filthy, clumsy, and disreputable, but he tries to do his best. Through his many misadventures, McAuslan marches into the heart of the reader, right leg and right arm swinging in unison, of course.

McAuslan, outcast that he is, experiences some infamous moments in his career: court martial defendant, ghost-catcher, star-crossed lover, golf caddie, expert map reader, and champion of the regimental quiz game (!). His tales, and the tales of his comrades-in-arms, are poignant at times, hilarious at others. These tales are so memorable because they are based on true stories.

The reader basks in all things Scottish in the stories. The language of the soldiers is written in Scottish brogue, although Fraser says in his introduction, "Incidentally, most of this volume is, I hope, written in English." Don't fret - a glossary is provided. (Reading the glossary alone causes some serious belly laughs.

If you read only one book this year, read this one. And if you know any veterans, give them a copy. It's a volume that the reader will not soon forget.

After reading the fine reviews already posted by others, one doubts whether another review will add much, but out of habit - near compulsion by now - here goes another - with an emphasis on reading connections.

As did many, perhaps most readers of the McAuslan stories, I came to them by way of The Flashman series (My favorites so far: Flashman: A Novel (Flashman) and Flashman in the Great Game: A Novel (Flashman). I enjoyed the Flashman enough to give McAuslan a try. Both series are funny, relate to historical events, and display an ear for language and an eye for detail, but could otherwise be written by different authors. The McAuslan stories are told by the reasonable, sensible, compassionate voice of Lieut. Dand MacNeill and relate the trials of life in a Highland regiment immediately after WW II. In other words, MacNeill could hardly be more different from Harry Flashman. The stakes are lower than in Flashman. The McAuslan tales deal with the mundane life of a soldier waiting for demobe and not imperial crises. These stories read just like tales that actually happened - and something pretty close to them probably did.

McAuslan plays less of a role in the The General Danced at Dawn than McAuslan in the Rough, but the stories are still a delight to read.

The McAuslan stories lie at the outreaches of contemporary humor; pretty obscure stuff and the more fun because of it. A great kick in finding works like these is stumbling upon other works of equal merit and obscurity. It's sort of guided serendipity, if you will. Flashman led not only to McAuslan, but also to John Biggins'A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Habsburg Empire (The Otto Prohaska Novels) and to Artemus Ward, his book. With many comic illustrations. (not sure how the Ward connection occurred. Mark Twain called Ward the greatest American humorist of his day.).

Highest recommendation and climb out on these other branches.

These wonderful stories, written by Fraser when he was an officer in the Gordon Highlanders at the end of the Second World War are priceless. There is much sardonic humor and wit here. The characters come and go throughout the book. Each chapter is a self contained story in itself almost. By far the one character who appears most often is the unhygenic pvt. McAuslan. He seems to do for the Scots what some of the WW2 comic characters like Sad Sack did for the GI's. The author, who speaks through the voice of his nom-de-guerre relates many amusing episodes. Some are a little silly at times, and the constant unwashed antics of "Peking Man" McAuslan gets a bit tiring, but this does not take away from the quality or humor of the work.

I like best when Fraser talks about the regimental history and lore of the Gordons when he's taking a break from McAuslan. There are some truly wonderful characters and events related here, all factual enough and displaying the honors and traditions which existed in old Highland regiments like the Gordons. Fraser is at his best when he talks of these traditions and one can see that he relished his hectic years with this famous Highland regiment.

The downsizing of the British Empire and the changes this would wrought in the army as well as the world are the backdrop against which these stories are told. This is not a book about war, but about a time when national service was apart of nearly everyone's life. Some of Fraser's opinions may not be considered PC for today, but this in my opinion adds to the charm of these stories. The war and its aftermath left lasting impressions on those who took part. The Gordon Highlanders are sadly no more, having been downsized in 1994. In this book you will find many funny and amusing tales which made them the fine regiment they once were. Those who have followed Fraser in his Flashman series will find a different style here, but equally entertaining in its own right. The McAuslan stories form part of a number of works that were written about the post war years in Britain. "Tunes of Glory" is another more serious example by Kenneth Kennaway.

The McAuslan stories have been recently gathered together into a triology which is not available from Amazon.com in the States. The book can be ordered from Amazon.com.co.uk and is well worth the extra pennies to do so.
Here's to the Gordons! Long may their memory live!

Without a doubt, the finest synthesis of Christian theology I have ever read. I have a library of tomes on theology, but this volume is in a class by itself. I have read it several times and continue to refer to it very frequently. It would be difficult to overemphasize how positively MacDonald's hopeful and joyous sermons have impacted my faith. If you want to enrich your faith, MacDonald's "Unspoken Sermons" would be at the top of my list of recommendations.

This book quite possibly saved my faith. I have never found a more beautiful, yet simultaneously intellectual and thought-provoking book. After reading this, I have been devouring any George MacDonald text I can lay my hands on, and in all of them, I find a picture of God that is beyond any other I have enountered. MacDonald seems to understand (or at least articulate) better than any other author I have discovered God's character, how God relates to us, and vice versa.

I find myself wanting to give examples of what I mean, but I don't believe any summary I could provide would do his thoughts justice. You'll just have to read the book! You will be amazed, enlightened, and filled with joy, faith, and perhaps relief that there is a deeper way to look at Christianity than we often find in Christian writing.

One specific note: The sermon titled "The Eloi," on Jesus' cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" is perhaps the best single piece of writing I have ever read. No, not perhaps. It IS the best single piece of writing I have ever read. If you find yourself in the midst of the proverbial "dark night of the soul," and are not able to find God or feel his presence, I would make this first on your reading list.

Be blessed by this book. I have been.

I came to learn of this work through another author on the subject of God's inescapable love, and the author (a professor of philosophy) mentioned that this book had an immeasurable impact on his life. I saved my money and purchased the book over 5 years ago, and I have to admit that it is by far the most influential and treasured book I own. I have been a Christian for over 20 years, and I have gone through many highs and lows. This book (I'm sure through God's providence) came at a particularly dark time of my life when I began to doubt the underpinnings of what I had been taught as a conservative Bible Belt Protestant.

What I found through reading this book was a God who was better than I had ever thought, a God who was worthy to be worshipped and loved. For the first time, I realized that it was alright not to accept certain notions of God or theology(like that there is a list sins that are unpardonable) and that these ideas truly made no sense and were contradictory to God's nature.

Of all of the sermons, my absolute favorite is Justice. If there is a more profound explanation of God's justice and love, I have yet to see it. This should be a must-read for all Christians and has profoundly influenced my worldview.

Be blessed and encouraged by reading this book. I find myself reading it over and over with fresh insight each time.

George MacDonald's collection of sermons has profoundly influenced my spiritual life.

Buy this book. At first you might be intimidated by the paragraph-long run-on sentances and slightly antiquated language, but after reading a couple of sermons you'll grow accustomed (read: learn love) to his verbose yet eloquent style of writing. This collection of Christian writings will edify, challenge, and inspire you regardless of your doctrinal background or spiritual maturity.

Having worked my way through much of MacDonald's fiction and by recommendation of my son, I just recently purchased a copy of "Unspoken Sermons." Needless to say, this book will have a permanent place on my nightstand.
I wonder, has there ever been another man in history who thought as deeply about spiritual things as MacDonald did? I marvel at his ability to see into things. For example, in discussing the third recorded temptation of Christ (in the book of Matthew) in which the adversary offers rulership of the world if Christ will only bow down and worship him (satan), he notes:
"Could it be other than a temptation to think that he might, if he would, lay a righteous grasp upon the reins of government, leap into the chariot of power, and ride forth conquering and to conquer? Glad visions arose before him of the prisoner breaking jubilant from the cell of injustice; of the widow lifting up the bowed head before the devouring Pharisee; of weeping children bursting into shouts at the sound of the wheels of the chariot before which oppression and wrong shrunk and withered, behind which sprung the fir-tree instead of the thorn, and the myrtle instead of the brier. What glowing visions of holy vengeance, what rosy dreams of human blessedness--and all from his hand--would crowd such a brain as his!--not like the castles-in-the-air of the aspiring youth, for he builds at random, because he knows that he cannot realize; but consistent and harmonious as well as grand, because he knew them within his reach. Could he not, transfigured in his snowy garments, call aloud in the streets of Jerusalem, "Behold your King?" And the fierce warriors of his nation would start at the sound; the ploughshare would be beaten into the sword, and the pruning-hook into the spear; and the nation, rushing to his call ... Ah! but when were his garments white as snow? When, through them, glorifying them as it passed, did the light stream from his glorified body? Not when he looked to such a conquest; but when, on a mount like this, he 'spake of the decease that he should accomplish at Jerusalem'! ... 'Thou shalt worship the Lord they God, and Him only shalt thou serve.' Not even thine own visions of love and truth, O Saviour of the world, shall be thy guides to thy goal, but the will of thy Father in heaven."
Although I have read of the temptations of Christ numerous times and heard sermons preached on the subject, NEVER had I thought or heard about what those temptations might have encompassed as MacDonald writes. True, we cannot know for certain just what thoughts Christ had in those temptations, but we do know that they were not insignificant. They were TESTS and as such MacDonald brings meat and bone to them and allows us to experience the depth of them. Yet, in these temptations, Christ chose the will of the Father; that is, he resisted his own desire and chose to be totally obedient to God's plan, step by step as it unfolded, perhaps not understanding the whys but always knowing obedience was his duty first and last.
This is the model and inspiration every Christian needs, and MacDonald brings these things to our understanding so that we can fully relate them to our own lives.
There is no author who has so positively impacted my life the way MacDonald has, and I am forever grateful for the person who first introduced me to his works. Get this book! Read it slowly and carefully and think about what you read as it relates to your own life. You will be forever changed.

Frasier is quite a writer - best in others of his works where he can use his talented imagination. And as a reporter of his own exploits in Burma during the war, his ability is outstanding (one should read "Quartered Safe Out Here").
However, here in "Steel Bonnets" his hands are tied by tiresome reality and a remove of 400 years. Fraser admits this book is not a primer or even a text for college study, but it is a recount of his research and written with nostalgic favor since he comes from the border area himself. Mr. Fraser has great pride in his background and home, and he repeats the stories as faithfully as anyone could. The problem with "Bonnets" is that it hasn't much of a story.
In the first six pages of the book all to be said is done; the remainder is elaboration on who, when and where. Bandits raid other people's farms and towns, burning, stealing, killing, etc.. Generations of upwards to thirty families continue this insanity until Scotland is joined to England in about 1605 or so with James VI and I.
IF you ARE related to "border riding" English/Scots - (especially if named Graham, Johnstone, Maxwell or Armstrong, Kerr, Hume, Elliot or Nixon) then the book is well worth a look.

This book is the definitive history of the riding families -- the Border Reviers. It is a long scholarly look into the nature of these complex and determined families that does not pass judgment or apply modern values in the assessment of their history and deeds. This is not for the casusal reader. It uses a fair amount of old English spellings and can be an effort to decifer at times. However Fraser MacDonald combines this along with his natural story telling ability to make you feel as if you are on a foray across the border and it keeps you coming back for more. If you are a student of Border history or are lucky enough to have one of the riding names, make the effort to read this book. It has no equal in its treatment of the subject.

Until England and Scotland were united under a single king in March 1603, the border between them was, unsurprisingly, a natural place for strife and disorder. The two countries had been at war intermittently for centuries, and many armies had passed back and forth across the border counties. Fraser's history covers the last hundred years of the border, from 1503 to 1603, a period during which the decayed (and astonishingly corrupt) administration could never cope with the local gangs -- known as "reivers" -- who terrorized the district with cattle theft, murder, and arson.

The book is very well-organized. Fraser starts with a few pages on the long historical background, then takes about half the book to cover the reivers by topic: chapters on arms and armour; on reiving technique; on the key families and their alliances; on cross-border relations; on the administrative structure. Fraser gives a lot of details, and plenty of quotes from the original sources (with the original spellings!).

This painstaking coverage sets up the second half of the book perfectly: one hundred and forty pages that cover the history of the border chronologically through the sixteenth century. With the details in hand, the second half is easy to follow and put in context; the writing is also clear and entertaining.

The last section of the book details the uncompromising way in which King James I destroyed the reivers in a few short years after 1603. It is a startlingly bloodthirsty story: Fraser includes quotes from blanket pardons that King James issued to some of his enforcers, which essentially say "whatever murders you did, I'm sure it was in a good cause, and you're absolved".

There are separate chapters on some of the most famous events, notably the raid on Carlisle Castle that freed Kinmont Willie. Fraser is at some pains to dispel the romantic ideas that cling to stories of the borderers -- as he points out, they were essentially a Mafia, with little of Robin Hood about them. It's clear, though, that he finds their adventurousness and style endearing and fascinating; and he writes about them so well that you are likely to feel the same way.

MacDonald Fraser brings to the history of the Anglo-Scots border reivers all the exuberance and attention to detail that made his name in the Flashman novels. Readers looking for more gloriously politically-incorrect adventures from the Victorian age won't find them here, but this book does repay the extra effort needed from the reader. The Steel Bonnets is the most entertaining yet informative serious works of history I have read.
The story of the Anglo-Scots border is a complex and a bloody one. MacDonald Fraser manages to understand, without condoning, the hard men who fought and died, rode and raided across the border between the kingdoms of England and Scotland. He untangles the knotted threads of their family ties and feuds and reveals their part in the wider relations between England and Scotland prior to the union of the Crowns in 1603. He dives into the dusty depths of the written records and brings them back to us red in tooth and claw.
At a time when the border between England and Scotland looks as though it may become an international, rather than a domestic border once more, this book should be of relevence to all with an interest in and love of these two nations.

I was born in Carlisle, England. The second big town of the border area other than Berwick. My father is from Longtown, Cumbria which is right next to the debateable land and I have the last name of Crozier. This book was like reading about my own history and explained a whole lot of things about my home town and the people I grew up with. Just in my neighborhood, there were Armstrongs, Taylors, Littles, Nixons, Grahams and many other Reiver names.
This is a very scholarly book and exceptionally well written. The author must have done an incredible amount of research to put this together. I read it twice, the second time noting how many references to Croziers(Crosers) there were. My father's family name is in there 26 times. Along with the Armstrongs, Nixons and Eliots, we were considered the worst of the worst of the reivers. Maybe not something to be proud of, but interesting. According to my mother(God rest her soul)her paternal grandfather was the illegitmate son of the Duke of Buccleugh(you'll hear a lot about the Scotts of Buccleugh, many of whom had the same name of Walter, including the famous one), so I have Reiver blood from there too. Fascinating book especially if you have a surname that might go back to that part of the world and those times.
What I have written here is just a taste of the whole book. A little heavy going at times, but so good that I have read it twice already and now use it as a research tool.

A wonderful work by Mr. Bahto. A must read for any serious golf architecture student. The photos and drawings are amazing. The chapter on National is worth the price of the book alone. Great read.

The "Evangalist" should be sufficient to re-direct the path of contemporary golf course design from its current preoccupation with window dressing and waterfalls to the structural soundness and strategic integrity inherent in Macdonald/Raynor's work. Devotees of this book will require hospitalization the next time they hear the hot architect of the day say that he doesn't want to adapt old principles when there are "so many new strategies yet to be developed".

Not QUITE the usual coffee-table sized book, this rich volume taught me more about golf course architecture - really, the thought behind a thinking-player's course - than anything else I've read. Yes, it's a professional biography of one architect, with a lot about his protege, Seth Raynor, but MacDonald was the consummate perfectionist, studying the subject and contemplating his creations perhaps more deeply than anyone else.

The result of his research and reflection was a career marked by the quality rather than the quantity of his work. His courses are timeless, incorporating a similar "menu" of classic holes modified and improved to fit the local terrain and prevailing conditions.

Bahto's account of MacDonald's life and work is refreshingly frank and conversational. He makes no attempt to gloss over MacDonald's cranky arrogance, perhaps because such a temperament is so often linked to genuis. In my opinion this gives the text extra credibility, as do Bahto's wonderfully precise schematic diagrams of so many of MacDonald's creations.

My only complaint is that the quality of the photographs is very uneven and often poor. It's a shame that the publisher couldn't have waited a year or two and sent a professional to shoot the holes with a high-res camera in good light. I wouldn't have wanted to see calendar-style glossies, but I would have enjoyed higher contrast, less grainy photographs to match the clear and illuminating prose.

Despite this minor quibble I'm giving the book a top rating, for it illustrates the Purpose behind deliberate, elegant - yet always playful - golf course design at its highest level. If you can, give this to someone who loves golf and takes it seriously. It would be a wonderful way of showing them how much you appreciate their passion for the game.

This is an awesome review of C.B. MacDonald but is mainly a book about the road to creating the National Golf Links.

Of course, there's a healthy dose of Raynor as well, but this makes complete sense. Whereas MacDonald would create the course designs and plans, Raynor would most often turn around and handle the course development.

I think the research and the writing behind this from Bahto is most excellent + no sugar coating. Simple honest unbiased delivery of what happened and how, but even more importantly you will "know" the National.

Picture wise, I thought the historical pics were very interesting. However, I thought it was rather difficult to match up any "pre" and "post" pics for any of the changes that took place to any of the holes being described. Furthermore, there were several recent color pics that were repeated in various sections. Unfortunately, I didn't think several of the pictures conveyed what the text was trying to explain at times. Few angles were used to show by pictures what was making each and every hole so special.

Other than that, I highly recommend this book for its content. Very well done overall. Above all, the description of each hole and how they work together to create a seamless golfing experience is the best I've read thus far. The supporting hole drawings help as well to complete the course visualizing. I just think I could visit the National tomorrow and would be as ready as possible to play it from a course management perspective. You just sense you'd know what to look out for and appreciate.

There's also a strong review of the Yale course and I think the Lido review, although brief, was most interesting. What a course the Lido must have been to play.

Excellent.

The "Evangalist" should be sufficient to re-direct the path of contemporary golf course design from its current preoccupation with window dressing and waterfalls to the structural soundness and strategic integrity inherent in Macdonald/Raynor's work. Devotees of this book will require hospitalization the next time they hear the hot architect of the day say that he doesn't want to adapt old principles when there are "so many new strategies yet to be developed".

I have read this book from cover to cover a couple of times now and can still enjoy dipping into a particular story. The reason that one can read and re-read these stories so easily is because they work well on so many different levels.

As other reviewers have noted, these are essentially the memoirs of the author during his time with the Gordon Highlanders at the end of World War II. Many of the stories contain great humour, often real laugh out loud stuff, but just as essential are the incredibly accurate insights into the life and culture of the Scottish people, particularly the men of the regiment mentioned.

If you seek some amusing stories, then they are here aplenty. But I believe these stories have much to offer to those with an interest in the post-war period, in social trends in Britain and Scotland particularly. It would be a shame to skip these stories on the mistaken premise that they are just funny army stories.

A wonderful collection of comedic short stories centered around service in a Highland regiment following the close of World War 2. If you find understated English (or in this case, Scottish)humor in the least bit amusing, you'll be delighted by this book. The mere description of McAuslan (aka the dirtiest soldier in the world, aka the Tartan Caliban)'s day as a batman is worth the price of the book. Fraser's writing generally is a hoot for me and I loved the Flashman papers, but I intend to keep THIS one and read it over and over!

Having read many of the Flashman novels, I was intrigued by a copy of McAuslan in the Rough several years ago. It proved hilarious and, in a way, educational. When this compilation came out, I was able to read the first and last volumes in the series, which are equally good. The stories involve some cultural and social issues that only a Scot would fully appreciate. However, Fraser's talent is to make those issues universal, so that everyone can relate to the characters, without the characters loosing any of the traits that make them uniquely Scot.
However, what it all boils down to is that Fraser tells a story so well. Even if the story is not particularly funny, (and he does not appear to be going for laughs all of the time), it is still a compelling, well told tale. I will be passing this one to friends of all ages for some time to come.

Early last year, when MCAUSLAN ENTIRE was only available from the UK as THE COMPLETE MCAUSLAN, I spent the extra gold to get it shipped across The Pond - and it was worth every penny.

This is perhaps the funniest single book I've ever read. Granted, it's actually a compendium of three works previously published over a span of many years, but I salute Fraser's ability to sustain the level of humor from the beginning to end of his McAuslan saga.

Another of the author's remarkable talents is his ability to recreate in text a heavy Scottish dialect. After finishing, I gave the book to a colleague from Scotland, and she delightedly pronounced the dialogue authentic. I suspect that this collection of stories, based on Fraser's reminiscences of his own stint as a very junior officer with a Highland regiment for several years immediately after World War II, will entertain anyone who's ever served in the military, no matter what country or service branch. I myself spent 11 years in the U.S. Navy, and I couldn't put it down.

Absolutely first class!

MacAuslan Entire is actually the collected MacAuslan stories written by the incredible George MacDonald Frasier in the 70's and 80's, including The General Danced at Dawn, MacAuslan in the Rough and The Shiek and the Dustbin. The individual books have been out of print for some time and are close to impossible to find, so the fact that the collection has been republished is great news. The book is actually a collection of short stories centering around "a Highland regiment" (The Gordon Highlanders, as it turns out) right after World War II. The regiment is stationed in Africa, and later in Scotland, and the stories are peopled with the types of characters familiar to those who love black and white movies: the stern and all-knowing Regimental Sergeant-Major, the harried junior officers, the mischievious Pipe-major, the connected and savvy quartermaster and the hawk-faced and wise commanding officer. Private MacAuslan, the dirtiest soldier in the world, makes appearances in about half the chapters, but the books are really the story of lieutenant Dand MacNeill, a subaltern in the regiment. MacNeill is a thinly-disguised Frasier, who as a junior officer spent a number of years in The Gordon Highlanders in Egypt and later in Scotland. The books are excellent historical fiction, and are immensely readable, as are all George MacDonald Frasier's books. Although not the most politically-correct author by today's measurments, his sense of humor and abilities as a story-teller are in fine form here, and his phonetic rendering of the Scottish accent, and 1940's regimental slang is quite humorous. I would reccomend this book highly.

This collection of semi-autobiographical stories shows Fraser at his best, freed from the need to construct fiction around his Flashman character and hence allowed to bring on a rich cast of well-remembered characters from his youth. The camaraderie of an Army regiment is beautifully drawn, as are the tensions which exist inside any closely-knit group of people.

But the stories dominate this book, from the tense inter-regimental quiz to the chaotic attempts to prevent a smallpox outbreak and the tour-de-force in which all of the main characters find themselves involved in a golf match, the tension increased by the smallness of the stakes for which they are playing.

All the characters, from mystical-thinking padres from the Western Isles, to Glaswegian ruffians and Sandhurst-trained exquisites, play their part in one of the most enjoyable and amusing collections of short stories it is possible to imagine.

'McAuslan in the Rough', a collection of seven short stories, recounts tales of service in a Scottish Highland regiment after WW II in North Africa and later back home awaiting demobilization.

The narrator is a young subaltern by the name of Dand MacNeill who has the dread luck to suffer McAuslan's presence in his platoon. To explain the extent of this misfortune, I can do no better than offer three short excerpts that paint the picture. Turning up to caddy in a match against a set of English officers, McAuslan's "grey-white shirt was open to the waist, revealing what was either his skin or an old vest, you couldn't tell which. His hair was tangled and his mouth hung open; altogether he looked as though he'd just completed a bell-ringing stint at Notre dame." (McAuslan in the Rough).

Later McAuslan "demonstrated yet again his carelessness, negligence, and indiscipline, and at the same time his fine adherence to principle." (His Majesty says good-day).

"Not that he was a bad sort, in his leprous way, but he was sure disaster in any enterprise to which he set his grimy hand." (Bo Geesty).

The McAuslan stories appear to be at least semi-autobiographical both with regard to MacNeill and McAuslan. According to Wikipedia, Fraser was busted back to private from Lance Corporal on three occasions, once for losing a tea urn, but later achieved a commission and served as a lieutenant in the Gordon Highlanders. Fraser also wrote an actual autobiography, Quartered Safe Out Here: A Recollection of the War in Burma.

Fans of Flashman (Flashman: A Novel (Flashman)) will be thrilled to learn that there are more Fraser's works to be read. Mawe no mistake, McAuslan is no Harry Flashman. Nonetheless, McAuslan does grow on the reader, but MacNeill would probably say it's a fungus that may not be easily cured and should be looked after right away.

Highly recommended.

In this book and the previous The General Danced at Dawn, the gallant Lieutenant McNeil remains cool under fire.... Even when it's his spooren that's on fire. He cooly changes diapers on a terrorist threatened train through Palestine (where that arab soldier is still trapped in the toilet with his rifle). He guards the hottest soccer team in the army from a modern Blackbeard. He even survives being caddied by that noted golf expert, McAuslan, not only the dirtiest soldier in the world, but the only one who marches swinging his left arm and leg together.

Very, very funny and sometimes touching.

It is time that you hear "the sub-muckin', the whole cheese, the hail clanjamfry, the lot' about the Scottish Highland Regiment that served in Africa after World War II.

George MacDonald Fraser has written the stories of this regiment and its most infamous soldier, Private McAuslan, in three collections: The General Danced at Dawn, McAuslan in the Rough, and The Sheikh and the Dustbin.

Through the narration by platoon commander Dand McNeil, McAuslan comes alive as the dirtiest soldier in the world, "wan o' nature's blunders; he cannae help bein' horrible. It's a gift."

Yet McAuslan is one of the most loveable creatures in all of literature. He may be grungy, filthy, clumsy, and disreputable, but he tries to do his best. Through his many misadventures, McAuslan marches into the heart of the reader, right leg and right arm swinging in unison, of course.

McAuslan, outcast that he is, experiences some infamous moments in his career: court martial defendant, ghost-catcher, star-crossed lover, golf caddie, expert map reader, and champion of the regimental quiz game (!). His tales, and the tales of his comrades-in-arms, are poignant at times, hilarious at others. These tales are so memorable because they are based on true stories.

The reader basks in all things Scottish in the stories. The language of the soldiers is written in Scottish brogue, although Fraser says in his introduction, "Incidentally, most of this volume is, I hope, written in English." Don't fret - a glossary is provided. (Reading the glossary alone causes some serious belly laughs.

If you read only one book this year, read this one. And if you know any veterans, give them a copy. It's a volume that the reader will not soon forget.

MCAUSLAN IN THE ROUGH is George MacDonald Fraser's 1974 sequel to THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN. In the former, Dand MacNeill continues to reminisce about his time spent as a subaltern commanding a platoon of tartan-kilted Scottish Highlanders during the period 1945-1947 while the battalion is posted to both Libya and Edinburgh. One of MacNeill's Jocks is Pvt. John McAuslan, by consensus the filthiest, most unkempt soldier in the British Army. As Dand records:

"... (his) grey-white shirt was open to the waist, revealing what was either his skin or an old vest, you couldn't tell which. His hair was tangled and his mouth hung open; altogether he looked as though he'd just completed a bell-ringing stint at Notre Dame."

Each of Fraser's books is a collection of short stories relating to events experienced by Dand and his battalion, and particularly his platoon, and which are based on Fraser's own service in the Gordon Highlanders during the same time period. So, in this volume, the lieutenant and his comrades-in-arms garrison an isolated desert outpost for a month, face the controversial inclusion of a black piper in the regimental band (it is, after all, 1946), compete in a general knowledge quiz contest with the Fusiliers regiment, contemplate McAuslan's dubious success with the ladies, mount a nighttime raid on the local Souk to apprehend two deserters, and engage the Royals regiment in a golf tournament. And, lastly, what happens when Dand and McAuslan are released from active duty ("demobbed") on the same day. Whereas in GENERAL McAuslan's contribution to events was erratic and usually of brief duration, in ROUGH his role is expanded to the point where he's a key player in four of the seven chapters. As always, MacNeill's first person narration, both witty and good-natured, ties it all together.

Note: MCAUSLAN IN THE ROUGH is currently out of print in the US. However, it and Fraser's two other books in the McAuslan series, THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN and THE SHEIKH AND THE DUSTBIN, are all contained in THE COMPLETE MCAUSLAN. I found this to be a captivating and entertaining volume, which I heartily recommend to anyone who is a student of the British military's former role in establishing and policing the Empire. One notable characteristic of Fraser's writing is his ability to quote Dand's Jocks, and put their heavily accented Scottish dialect on paper. By the end of the book, I could actually understand what was being "said".

I loved this story about the Wise Woman. In a fairytale format, it depicted the consequences of bad behavior while at the same time, showed the positive side of doing the right thing. Great story for kids and parents.

The Wise Woman, while being a wonderful story also shows amazing insights that the child care specilists seem to just be getting, and it helps parents and the child themselves see cause and effects of different parenting! If you don't have the money to buy it, borrow it from someone!

Next to the Bible, this book has impacted my life more than any other. If one would truly enjoy taking a good, honest look at one's character, this is the book! It is a frightening mirror of our own humanity, yet one that will inspire change!

The 'Wise Woman' is my favorite fairy tale of all time. George MacDonald is wonderfully creative, pulls in just enough 'magic' to be interesting but not confusing, and builds strong characters. The tale has a very strong moral content which goes almost unnoticed by the strength of the story and its characters. I certainly recommend this for young people but I am a 'Senior Citizen' and still find it delightful and a bit thought provoking.

Richard Pendleton

The standout of this collection is the title story, "The Wise Woman, or, The Obstinate Princess." The princess in question is Rosamund, whose royal parents have spoiled her absolutely rotten. In fact, they are sick of her, she's so disgustingly violent and selfish (thanks largely to their 'care'). Enter the Wise Woman, who steals Rosamund away underneath her voluminous cloak and takes Rosamund to her cottage, which is miles away from nowhere--and bigger on the inside than the outside. Here, for the first time, Rosamund begins to learn that her wishes are not what the world revolves around. Very slowly. Before that happens, however, she enters another world through a picture and takes the place of another spoiled brat, Agnes, daughter of a shepherd and shepherdess. Agnes takes Rosamund's place. The Wise Woman does her best to save both girls, whose (to paraphrase Burke) intemperate minds mean that they cannot be free; their passions have forged their fetters. I can't tell you how the story ends, however. You'll have to find out for yourself.

MacDonald writes in an elegant, leisurely style (he takes three pages to describe a rainstorm at the beginning), and the story is rather long for a story--a 100 pages, give or take a few. But these are not really drawbacks. To adult readers, the story is a rather obvious, but effective, allegory of God's offer of redemption to humanity. To child readers, it is simply a good story; they will probably miss the parallel, but get the message. The story is filled with memorable scenes and images: the little cottage, the Wise Woman's eerie song, Agnes in her bubble (in more ways than one), Rosamund losing her temper with the little child in the boat. These make as much of an impression as the ideas, especially the recurring one that it is not enough to good; that's easily done when one's in a good mood. The goodness that counts is that done against one's inclinations--a hard doctrine that negates most of my good deeds, if nobody else's.

In short, this is a haunting book. It is well-written, it is thoughtful, it stands up both as a strong story and as a sermon, it entertains, it rebukes; it rewards repeated reading with additional meaning.

This book is handsomely made. The illustrations are lovely, the frontispiece elegant, the pages heavy and the print very dark and readable. The story itself is a work of powerful, simple, and beautiful truth. A very good read aloud and discussion book. The author's handling of the drunken cabman chapter is a wonder of insight and wisdom. What a powerful book of goodness, for child and adult alike.

A beautiful edition of this wonderful and timeless children's classic. Elegantly done, great illustrations, clear readable print. Recommended!

This book reminded me a great deal of "The Little Prince" by Antoine Saint-Exubery, the main difference being that the underlying philosophy here is Christian, as opposed to the Easternish philosophy of the former book. Like "The Little Prince", it speaks quietly and simply of things that are so true we tend to overlook or forget them. Unlike the mentioned book, this one brings in harsher elements, such as poverty and abuse -- and shows how the simple wisdom of a child can overcome them. MacDonald's imagination is wonderful, and some of the dreams and fairy tales in the book almost outshine the "real" story. I love the children who dig for stars. This is one I enjoyed because it is so different, so simple and beautiful, and one I look forward to sharing with my children, should I ever have any.

PS - My sister read an edited, abridged version of this book, one rewritten to make it easier for children, and it was awful. It skipped whole chapters and left out some of the very best parts. I think kids can handle this book, just the way it was written. Stay away from nasty abridgements that are really censorship in disguise!

I love this book. I've read it 3 times, all as an adult. The fragility of life is portrayed in the person of little Diamond, an innocent, sickly child. Though MacDonald is occasionally preachy, (yet on target), he writes a story that will fill you with wonder and sorrow.

I so recommend this book. It is one of my top 5 favorite books of fiction.

This is the story of Thomas Wingfold, Curate, who has settled into his first parish. He comes to realize he has chosen the ministry merely as a profession and honestly doesn't know what he believes.

It was very very good and made me think about Jesus and God's love for us. It is a very honest book and I cried several times as I read it. It has a great theme of forgiveness and mercy and a honest search for truth.

This is my absolute favorite of MacDonald's work. If you are looking for a place to start - this is it. This book addresses many of the questions and issues raised by Christians and non-Christians living today. Questions of God, truth, belief and existence. MacDonald draws out these questions and gives answers in the rich and multi-layered narrative style he is well known for. An absolute must read!

MacDonald is real. He understands people, their trains of thought, their failings, their desires. Through his characters, MacDonald provokes deep thinking and self-examination subtley and effectively. What makes him a good writer is that he isn't forming a plot so that he can preach a sermon or say all the things he wants to say. The story is purposeful and engaging and the dialogue is rarely tedious. I highly reccomend this book along with the rest of the series. The book will do more than keep you AWAKE...

This book is a well written exploration of the guilt we all carry around with us and how we find the strength to face it. A surprising twist to more modern ideas of how we deal with guilt. Definitely worth owning.