Charles Williams Books

This is the best modern inquiry into the causes of the Titanic sinking.I had to ask myself a question after reading this insightful book.Was the disaster planned by European communists? People may scoff at the notion of a socialist-labour conspiracy here.Yet,if you read between the lines,it has some credible possibilties that may be true.One name that i read over was that of 'Winterstorm' on the cruise passenger list.It turns out that that name is also that of a Swedish communist spy for the fledgling Bolsheviks.Is this a coincedence or a real spy for the growing communist movement in Europe?The idea of the Titanic being an enclosed floating rat trap containing robber barons and mega-capitalists,is not that absurd.Was Winterstrom passing encoded messages via the ship's new experimental Marconi radio system? Was Winterstrom a secret agent who knew the doomed ship's impending encounter with the iceberg.Was Winterstrom,et al,distractors of the ship's officiers? How could experienced sailing men be so bold and reckless,in such icy troubled waters of early Spring.If Captain Smith was gambling on a safe voyage,how could he not monitor every berg movement ,on the ship's westward course.Why were the spy-glasses missing from the crow's nest? Leaving the next look-out man helpless,until a replacement pair was located.The possible scenerios of sabotage are many and still will fascinate maritime readers forever.Awesome reading!

I was interested in the author's perspective of the individuals and their accounts on the Titanic. The relevance of the discoveries at the wreck site were timely when the book was written but somewhat dated to a Titanic history student. I found his interpretation of the development of life as troublesome. It really spoiled my enjoyment of an otherwise good read. The quality of the book itself was excellent.

As years rolled on by since the Titanic set sail from Southampton, and Sank five days into her maiden voyage, technology as well as the human understanding of the elements of science began to evolve. So much, that the fabled liner was located 2 1/2 miles below the ocean's surface, 74 years after she foundered. Yet, a certain fog seems to surround the ship, rendering her tale perplexing, and when considering facts, figures and information, nearly incomplete. Accordingly, Dr. Pellegrino began to decipher the Titanic's, say, hieroglyphics laying on the bed of the Atlantic, in three sections, blown into a mile wide radius of debris. Through his book "Ghosts of the Titanic", he took the steps required to better understand the RMS Titanic. He took steps forward into our advanced civilization, into the future, and out to space. He also took steps back to a time or a world rather, seemingly so distant from our own today. A time when quite possibly, the Titanic may have existed, and then ceased to exist suddenly, altering the lives of many and shocking the minds of many more.

In any event, the sinking of the Titanic has carried on a certain legacy among people. A grievous, sorrowful aspect of history, perhaps, handed down through first-hand accounts from survivors, and remarkable new evidence utilizing the latest technology. Yet there still remains a chapter of words unspoken, and I like to believe Dr. Pellegrino has embarked on this hidden scroll, of things those claimed by the Titanic would have liked to say. He mentioned such things in "Ghosts of the Titanic". His exceptional analysis of the ship's history contributed. In fact, one of the grandest characteristics of Dr. Pellergino's writing style in "Ghosts of the Titanic" is that he allowed the tragic aspects of the Titanic speak for themselves. Much like he stated "the Titanic is a Greek tragedy written by God, with Shakespeare as his muse". Dr. Pellegrino did an exceptional job of allowing God's story to take it's own course, and present itself to the reader. Possibly, living every moment of that story, alongside the ghosts of the Titanic themselves, awoken from their lingering slumber amongst the Titanic's wreckage. Often times, he uses your mind to take you into the minds of the people involved. And he never lets you forget, that the Titanic is a story about people. Just when everything reaches it's climax and it becomes difficult to grasp the idea that all the horrors of April 15th 1912 may seem so unrealistic, or maybe even so deeply imbedded into history that they appear to be near impossible. Yet, that very detail of human pride and arrogance is the key focus of what we all can learn from the Titanic's story, from the actions and mistakes of those that "lived and breathed that history". (James Cameron).

Ghosts of the Titanic remains a collection of thoughts, quotes, actions and the length of the altered lives involved in the disaster. Pellegrino's experiences with the Titanic are shared and so eloquently described that they truly effect the reader. The Titanic is composed of so many intertwining stories of damaged lives that it becomes difficult not to completely connect with the fellow humans, and their agony - The Navratil brothers, Edith Russell, Thomas Andrews of even Officer Murdoch. Their lives are portrayed like the immortalized texts on the stone tablets they really are due to the Titanic - Helen Churchill Candee, or Major Peuchen, and their lives aboard the vessel ,and after it. Many people like to place themselves in their positions, and imagine how they would react. Reading Ghosts of the Titanic, it's your turn to witness the pandemonium, or standby and watch the lives of 2,200 people, on different ends of a social spectrum, share that one dramatic night.

It's Pellegrino's unique expressed ability to take such subjects and allow them to branch off into so many, that truly defines the significance of science. The ability to unmask the overlapping characteristics of history inevitably repeating themselves like an endless complex cycle with humans at it's center. The logic is phenominal. And often times, it's amazing to learn we have control over this phenomenon, by learning how it effected others before us, others in that time long ago when 1500 people lost their lives to a sinking vessel. One traveling 21 knots into an ice field known to lie ahead, out of greed and arrogance. One that carried an insufficient amount of lifeboats, or one that left a scar on the hearts of so many, and inspired so much more in it's wake. More than any individual could possibly imagine.

Dr. Pellegrino honestly knows how enthrall his reader. By explaining the functions of rusticle organisms that inhabit the empty corridors of the RMS Titanic. The pattern or chain reaction of events that took place then and do now is hard to miss. He introduces a new world where sea snow disturbs the liners deterioration and the deterioration of our own ozone layer. Global warming and increasing CO2 levels in our atmosphere holds it's own tragic tune. This web of events, and experiences takes it's toll on the venerable heart, it allows the brain to wander, and leaves the soul enough warmth to regret ever attempting to leave the icy night RMS Titanic disappeared beneath the ocean's surface, only to resurface again. He weaves together the finest silk both history and science have to offer.

I've encountered a world, I will carry on with me forever. The books is fast paced, and quite detailed. Pellegrino is clever, and his use of events from his own life and how the books subject - Titanic and science - have effected him proves to be an effective way to draw in the reader. I highly recommend it to any reader, willing to take the adventure.

Pellegrino does have a busy mind and he takes interest in so many angles. Many reviewers complain this book gets boring, but for me (no scientist) the rusticles and their importance were the most fascinating aspect of this Titanic story, one of innumerable accounts of that tragic night.

The "rusticles" are a new life form, rust and bacteria symbiotically eating the carcass of the ship. Medical research on rusticles may someday save more lives than Titanic lost. They deserve all the attention Pellegrino gives them.

A fresh angle Pellegrino offers on this old story: the dangerous "don't challenge authority" syndrome. Capt. Smith knew better than to speed through ice-laden waters on a moonless night. His higher-ups, however, kept pressuring him to increase speed, and he obeyed. How hard it is for us to challenge authority, risk our jobs, dare to defy orders. But if only Capt. Smith had...

"If only" is the litany of all tragedies, such as Romeo and Juliet and the endless little details which might have made all the difference.

The market is glutted with Titanic books, but this one is one of the most creative and thought provoking. Facts may be skewed here and there, but overall it's a great read.

Well, I caught a few errors when I wsa reading it, but some of the other commentary here has made me even more cautious of Dr. Pellegrino's scholarship. (That thing about Pellegrino claiming Lord interviewed Lightoller after Lightoller had died is particularly disturbing.) This book is a lot of fun to read, in spite of (and at times because of) the fact that it's totally all over the place; information is scattered randomly throughout and there's no apparently logical order to it. Yes, he does also go off on some tangets--some of which are interesting, and some of which are maudlin, overly personal and just embarrassing. The best parts are those where Pellegrino's voice does not dominate, but where we get to hear extensively from other, very well-informed people like Ballard, Lord and yes, even Jim Cameron.

Be warned, though: Pellegrino fabricates dialog for conversations that have never been supported with documentary evidence, and is a much better oceanographer than a historian.

The book closely follows the movie with Marlon Brando. I purchased the movie on DVD and of course after reading the book I can see the real parallel between them. As always, I admire accuracy in movies and the book that the movie was made from. It was a very good novel and I enjoyed it very much.

If the pleasure that you derive from reading books about turn of the 19th century British Navy is based mainly upon the recounting of broadsides and boarding in the smoke (a la Aubrey/Maturin, Hornblower, et al), then the Bounty Trilogy (Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairn's Island) should probably not rank high on your list of things to read. However, if what you enjoy about the genre is the period itself, British Naval culture of the era, and intense if non-martial conflict between men, these three books should be high on your reading list indeed. For not only is the period well depicted and the history well laid out in a non-obtrusive fictional account, but the even-handed characterization of the primary actors is a joy to read. There is neither the sermonizing about Bligh nor hagiography of Christian that would be the approach expected of most most modern writers as they view bygone times through the moral squint of contemporary sensibilities. If written along such lines, the Bounty Trilogy would be a vapid depiction of Bligh as a purely bourgeois-imperialist ogre and Christian as a singular paradigm of revolutionary goodness. Instead, Nordhoff and Hall have given us complex characters that fully and deeply engage the reader and make the books a joy to read in-spite of the reader's knowledge of the ultimate outcomes of each volume. Highly recommended to anyone who feels they fit into the above described category of likely-to-be-pleased reader. 5 stars for the entire trilogy.

From Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall comes a timeless saga of the men who served aboard the H.M.S. Bounty. Fated to never return to England again, the Bounty would be set adrift in the stormy seas crewed by mutineers and her men across the globe with some reaching tragic fates. Mutiny on the Bounty, the first of the Bounty trilogy follows a young midshipman by the name of Roger Byam. During his voyage, many events happen that cause Byam to question his view on honor, courage, and loyalty. Even as events happen around him, Byam finds a deeper meaning to each of those traits. He realizes that honor, courage, and loyalty are the greatest traits that any sailor could possess, but that it is the man he is loyal to that really determines his nature. This amazing sea adventure will appeal to those who love ocean adventures because this novel will bring the reader to the depths and back. From mutiny to sinking ships and castaways, this is an adventure that sea lovers cannot miss. So join Byam and get ready to set sail on Her Majesty's Ship Bounty and experience the adventures that await the British sailor aboard one of Her warships. Read the book and lash yourself tight to the riggings as you ride the high seas. This book is surely to wash you away!

I would contend that one simply cannot fully summarize or comment on the book "Mutiny on the Bounty" without reading the full Bounty Trilogy. The central issues raised in the first book are resolved implicitly and at length in "Men Against the Sea" and "Pitcairn's Island," where the authors flesh out the denouement. Yes, they are novels, and entertaining in their own right, but on a deeper level they provide moral lessons that make the conclusions inescapable and unforgettable. This was required reading in my high school class and it wasn't until years later that I came to appreciate the full meaning and broad scope of this story, which addresses timeless issues central to the human condition, providing a greater understanding of people, society, and their relationship with the cruel indifference of nature. Although they are novels, I have done some further research on the story, read the trial transcripts, and have found that the facts of the story only bear out more strongly the implicit thesis of the authors. These works are some of the most memorable and useful literature I have ever read. To paraphrased a great philosopher: Read me now, and believe me later. Highly recommended.

The story of the Mutiny on the Bounty is actually a trilogy of three books. "Mutiny on the Bounty," is the first, detailing the mutiny itself and the fate of several of the mutineers (and some innocent bystanders) when they are eventually caught. "Men Against the Sea" follows the men who were kicked off the ship when the mutineers took control, and "Pitcairn's Island" is the story of 9 of the mutineers who were never caught because they went to live on the remote and difficult-to-access titular island.

The captain of the Bounty, one William Bligh, is painted as an embezzeler who is also harsh on discipline. He bullies the quatermaster into signing false consumption reports (and then sells what isn't eaten at port), threatening to hang anyone who disagrees with him. Similarly, he is a harsh disciplinarian who orders flogging for the least offenses, regularly insults his first mate (Christian), and is quick to invoke the Law of the Sea to keep the men in line, rather than trying to win their affection and respect. Eventually, he pushes Christian too far, which precipitates the mutiny.

This book is probably the least interesting of the trilogy. It follows a standard narrative structure, being narrated by one (fictional) young officer that Bligh believed to be part of the mutiny. Because of Bligh's testimony, all those left aboard the Bounty (however unwilling) were guilty of mutiny, which sets up the situation where the narrator must depend on the testimony of mutineers to prove his innocence. But overall, there is something meandering about the story that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the book. The most interesting aspect of the book is how well it relives the golden days of British seapower and how it demonstrates the difficulty of the average seaman when faced with a petty tyrant for a captain.

This book was a well-written account of a remarkable relationship between two ordinary men who became extraordinary as a function of circumstance. I learned a lot from this easy read. It doesn't disappoint.

I loved this book! After reading various books on the Civil War, I was looking to explore more about Sherman and Grant, 2 Generals I find to be fascinating. With no pretense, I happen to come across this book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down! It reads like a novel, it is not the usual dry history you often find. His style reminds me almost of Shaara. The author also did a good job describing the campaigns these two fought in, both together and separately. I also liked how the author delved into their past, to give the reader some background on these 2 men. If you are looking for a really good book on the Civil War that is really easy to read, then I highly recommend this one.

This is an excellent read with excellent insights into the personalities and temperments of the two great Union generals in the Civil War. The personal observations shared between Grant and Sherman show how much of the strategy of 1864 was a combination of the minds of these two military giants.

Flood gives the reader sound accounts of Grant and Sherman's Civil War biographies, insight into Army politics, and a glimpse of several battles with a readable and entertaining prose. He chronicles the rise of Grant and Sherman from arguable failures to their rise as Civil-War heroes.

I enjoyed the accounts of the battles, although they cannot be considered anything close to comprehensive, as they concentrated solely on how those events affected the lives of the main characters. While the book contains maps of the battles, there were only a few and placed before the Prologue and not referred to in the text. I found the analysis of Grants and Sherman's hesitancy and inaction at Chattanooga to be very interesting, along with the jealously from Thomas and Hooker - both of whom seemed to get short shrift due to Grant's favoritism of Sherman. I thought Flood provided good coverage of the confusion and dysfunction in the Cabinet and Army after Lincoln's death. He provided excellent detail of Sherman's screw-up of surrender talks with Johnston - the most complete account I have read thus far.

In regards to the book's premise, while Flood captures some genuinely interesting and sincere interaction between the two, the premise that their friendship "won the war" is preposterous. Nor does he make the argument that their friendship itself was great. They barely knew each other prior to the war, and their partnership during the war lasted less than two years, and there did not appear to be consistent interaction after the war. The concept seems rather contrived, as with every chapter the author makes out-of-context note of someone's comment on their friendship, such as their interactions were "free, affectionate, and good humored", "the friendship was there for all to see", or "their encounter was more like that of two school boys coming together after vacation".

In describing a post war parade, he says "There it was: the apotheosis of the friendship and military partnership that had brought the Union and its armies to this day. They were the men, the two generals, who more than other soldiers had made this moment happen, and everyone there knew it."

I enjoyed the historical accounts and insights on their relationship, and a few details on the two I had not known much about, but I found the insinuation of a magical friendship to be rather a veiled attempt to spit out supposedly new material on a very crowded subject.

This book was OK if you haven't read any other books on Grant or Sherman or on their campaigns. However, if you've many of the excellent books that have been printed over the past 15 years on the campaigns of Grant and Sherman or the excellent biographies on the same individuals, this book pales in comparison. So, I would recommend getting some of the other books out there on this topic. (See my listing of these books for examples).

Well the good things about this textbook have been said, but one of the most useful things i found about this textbook was the website support. There are only 10 questions at the end of the chapters, but there are tons of exercises, which really do help, in the website. The study guide is also helpful and helps you understand the more tricky details that might miss.

Wonderful text with GREAT additional resources. There is a wonderful website that covers key topics, enables you to quickly print out objectives, vocabulary; and even has web tutorials. This supplemental material is great for people who are visual learners, as they have plenty of animations to help you understand the topics. Would highly recommend any text from this publisher.

This book arrived rapidly and I was quite pleased. The book also came in great condition as if new, even though it was used. I am a happy shopper. Great seller. Great product. I would buy again from the seller - good business! I feel like a valued customer.

An undergraduate, freshman level biology class I took used this as its textbook. It is thorough and detailed, packed with information on a broad range of biological topics, written in a highly accessible manner that requires no special training to understand. It covers such topics as the cell, heredity, evolution, plants, animals, and ecology. It's not quite as well written as the finest textbooks I've read, such as Alberts' Molecular Biology of the Cell or Kandel's Principles of Neural Science, but it's well written nonetheless. Anyone interested in the subject of biology should give this a read. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

I graduated from college in the early 70's with a B.S. major in Physics. Having retired from the business world, I recently discovered the absolutely wonderous advances in what I believed to be the "non-physical" sciences. Hooray for E.O.Wilson's concept of concilience!

I'm studying Biology using "Life" and its associated website. What amazing fun! I love this book and it is the best textbook I've ever studied. This book is not a good "read" - it's a great book to study!

INTERESTING TO READ "SHERMANS" SIDE OF THE STORY !! GOOD READ IN CONJUCTION WITH "CITIZEN SHERMAN" BY MICHAEL FELLMAN !!!

Sherman is (perhaps arguably) the most articulate and intelligent autobiographer (and biographer) of the Civil War period. Yes, he was controversial, but that, in great part, came from the times, and the period politics, and later from the political agendas of modern politically correct historians/writers. The overriding elements in Sherman's autobiography are the matter-of-factness and the fairness with which he describes events and people in his life. With much the same exquisite Dignity as U. S. Grant in his memoiors, Sherman speaks to the reader with a clarity and honesty no decent person can help but admire. He is painstaking in relating military associations - sometimes wearily so. But his thorough and candid descriptions of events, people and places still present themselves in an entertaining manner time and time again. For the reader mature enough to accept those times without tainted sanctimonious judgement, Sherman's memoirs will be a fascinating and enlightening glimpse of the people and the soul of our country during one of our most trying eras.

There's the example of Julius Caesar, of course. And in America, there was Ulysses Grant, whose orders and dispatches were so concise and unequivocal that they were credited by his subordinates for many of his victories. Grant's Memoirs are widely recognized as a classic of autobiography, as much for their literary merit as for their content. I've had this Penguin edition of "Cump" Sherman's Memoirs on my shelf for so long that the price is about a third of the current, but I've never been tempted to read them, chiefly because of Sherman's reputation for inhumanity during his service against the trans-Mississippi Indians.
A couple days ago, however, I opened the book on a whim and started reading, and I've hardly looked at anything else since. The writing is fantastic! Utterly unadorned yet vividly descriptive. Witty, and that's a surprise! Forthright, modest, down-to-earth. As thoroughly planned as one of his campaigns, which I find may be explained in part by his frequent assignment of logistic tasks in his early military career. He knew how to move supplies and keep account of where things were.

Like any 19th C memoirist, or any Viking skald, Sherman feels obliged to trace his ancestry for a few pages, which I confess didn't immediately stir my interest. Then, however, when he begins his narrative of his military service in Florida, against the Seminoles, suddenly the saga comes to life. I learned more from this one chapter, as a primary source, about the early Americanization of Florida than from anything I've read elsewhere. I could feel the rash from the palmetto on my skin. Likewise, the two chapters on his years in California just after the invasion of Mexico, took me to Monterey, to Yerba Buena before it became San Francisco, and up the river to Sutter's Mill and the Gold Rush Country more vividly, more "virtually" in the game-boy sense of the word, than any historian's account of those years. Sherman was, in his blunt style, as fine a writer as Twain. No wonder he was so effective as a general. Good writers make good generals, as I said before. My thesis is proven; I'll be sending a sample of my reviews here on amazon to the new Commander-in-Chief in Washington next February, in hopes of an appointment in the field. I will, of course, in true 19th C fashion, remind Pres. Obama of my ardent electioneering on his behalf.

[I had no intention of reviewing this book until I finished it, but the first 112 pages have been so exciting that I wanted to share them. I plan now to add paragraphs to this report as I continue reading.]

One of the thrills of reading Sherman's account of his years in California is encountering the street names of San Francisco -- Mason, Larkin, Stockton, Ord -- incarnated as ardent young bucks, flesh-and-blood yearning for the accomplishments you know lie well in their futures. It's also intriguing - poignant, if you will - to find Sherman hunting geese or courting señoritas in company with young fellow officers whom he will be thrashing on the battlefields in another fifteen years.

* It's worth noting that Sherman was only slightly more successful during the 1850s than Grant. Despite his intrepid energy, probity, and obvious business skills, he found himself in 1858 with no significant wealth, no stable occupation, and a family of a wife and four daughters. Perhaps it wasn't so easy, after all, for a person without deep pockets to achieve success in ante-bellum America, except by luck, dishonesty, or slavery. Sherman's last job before the elction of Lincoln was as the superintendent of a "military seminary," that is, a school for the sons of planters, in Louisiana. Knowing that his moderate criticisms of the slave system would get him fired anyway, Sherman resigned as soon as Lincoln was elected. No one around him in Louisiana expressed any doubt that the preservation of slavery was the "fighting issue" behind secession.

** As Sherman left his youth behind and entered the fray of the Civil War, he shifts his tone from that of an adventurous raconteur to an earnest historian, and I've found that I need to read him differntly also, less for pleasure than for historical knowledge. I've slowed down and taken time to evaluate his reportage in comparison to what I already 'know' of Civil War historiography. Sherman's manner of constructing his narrative also changed; he began to incorporate documents - his field reports and letters, the field reports of other officers, etc. By the mid 1870's when Sherman wrote these memoirs, the true course of events and the soundest interpretation of them were already afire with controversy.
Two insights, from Sherman's perspective: 1) the elite Louisianans whom Sherman conflicted with, over the act of secession, were amazingly confident that there would be no war and that their 'peculiar institution' would thrive. They were all remarkably civil and genteel in their agreement to disagree, and Sherman departed without obstruction and with his pay in his pocket! 2) from Sherman's perspective, right at the front firing line with his green regiments, the Battle of Bull Run was a wash; either nobody won or both sides did, but neither side had the military skills to follow up and inflict a tactical victory. The war would continue until somebody on one side or the other knew how to win... and as "we" know, that would be Grant and Sherman himself.

General William T. Sherman's memoirs, first published in 1875, are primarily an account of his service in uniform during the Civil War. Sherman rallied to the Union colors early in the conflict, but had indifferent success until the searing crucible of the Battle of Shiloh, where he fought under the command of the stalwart U.S. Grant. Shiloh was a turning point. With increasing confidence as a leader, Sherman played key roles in the siege of Vicksburg and in the relief of beseiged Union forces at Chattanooga. When Grant was called east to head up all Union forces, he hand-picked Sherman as his successor in the West. Sherman would go on to take Atlanta, march to the sea at Savannah, and pillage his way through the Carolinas to hasten the end of the war.

Sherman the man, and his memoirs, stand in vivid contrast to his contemporary and close friend U.S. Grant. Where Grant was modest and reserved, Sherman comes across as all nervous energy, talking up a storm and hardly able to sit still doing it. His memoirs are reflective of his personality, passionate and argumentative in between inserted copies of key correspondence. While less polished than Grant's, they are in many ways more entertaining and certainly more revealing of Sherman's feelings and personality.

Sherman expresses an opinion on practically everything. His battles with newspaper reporters, whom he despised, date from an alleged nervious breakdown in the first year of the war. His exchange of correspondence with Confederate General John Hood over the forced evacuation of Atlanta, are a malstrom in miniature of the passions behind the war itself. Sherman is more than frank about the politics within the Union Army, and its sometimes troubled relations with civilian authority. Above all, Sherman recognized the cruelty of the war, and was unwilling to sugarcoat that reality for anyone. Sherman and Grant each understood the grim arithmetic that the Confederate Armies must be bled to death in order for the Confederacy to be defeated and were prepared to carry out that strategy.

This book is highly recommended to students of the Civil War, who will find Sherman to be an instructive and even at times entertaining guide through those portions that he personally experienced.

Clearly historians and civil war buffs will acknowledge the brilliance of this memoir for its obvious window into the mind of this most important figure of his time.
I didn't come to this as either one of the former,but as a reader interested in understanding how this man accomplished the most decisive strokes in the war with such skill.
The greatness of book lies not so much in its explanation of military strategy(which it is) but the powerful definition of the principles of freedom as expressed through a common foot soldier.
Sherman understood that no elitist and patrician society could stand however strong there reputation ,against a soldier who fought for this principle.
I found it inciteful that Shermans experience in the prewar south,and his views of its imbalanced society, became more valuable in breaking it than his geographical knowledge.
That Lincoln approved Shermans plan to march through the heart of the confedreacy at the disapproval of all his advisors shows his wisdom to Shermans argument that the south was a shell,and hollow inside.
Grants reluctance to this plan,which he approved only out of his loyalty to Sherman, is poignant to read.Grant thought he'd never see his best friend again.
The genius of Sherman was his utter conviction in the goodness of men to destroy that which was evil,knowing that when his men saw not the soldiery of the south,but its hideous society,he needn't do more to motivate them.
The miserable condition of slavery was known,but the site of 90 percent of a white population virtually no better off provided Sherman with a civilian population unable and unwilling to resist.Noone but Sherman thought this important,and that his diary records this as a current fact and not analysis years later is powerful reading.
Defeating the confedracy on this march with no major battles and losing but 100 men of his 62,000, told the south, as well as the north the myth of southern military advantage.
Sherman became so feared ,Southern commanders as well as thier soldiers fled before him,offering almost no opposition.
Shermans Army of the West,recruited and trained by him,became the most feared army in the world,for it fought under the true belief of a free people against real evil.
His own words to that effect are awe inspiring.

What can I say? I love Shakespeare! Cliff's Complete is fabulous for those of us in a new love affair with Shakespeare. Commentary and side notes along the way make it very understandable. Kenneth Branaugh's film and BBC audio books lend subtle interpretation which is very helpful as well.

Twelfth Night or What You Will is the story of a brother and sister, twins, who are shipwrecked and each assume the other sibling has died. Viola, the sister, takes on her brother's appearance in order to serve the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. Disguised as a man, Viola falls in love with Orsino, but Orsino is in love with the countess Olivia and sends Viola in his stead to woo Olivia for himself. This is Shakespearean comedy, so naturally, Olivia falls in love with Viola, believing her to be a man. More confusion ensues when Viola's twin brother Sebastian enters the action of the play and is mistaken for the man his sister has been pretending to be.

Twelfth Night is an amusing, if somewhat formulaic, comedy that is both endearing at times and disturbing at others. It leaves the reading wondering what to think. More than likely, this is exactly what Mr. Shakespeare intended.

The Cambridge School Shakespeare edition of Twelfth Night is obviously geared towards students, particularly theater and drama students as opposed to literature students. The text of the play is shown on one page while the previous, facing page describes the action of the play in addition to suggesting exercises to ascertain how each particular section could be played. My favorite part about this edition is the inclusion of all the photos, especially the photos showing how different productions handled the same scene. Personally, I prefer more in depth discussion about Shakespeare's plays than this edition offers, but it is probably ideal for a high school student or theater student studying Shakespeare.

Many of you probably recall this as the play Shakespeare began to write at the end of "Shakespeare In Love." As far as the movie goes, Shakespeare was to write something where love triumphed after it failed in "Romeo and Juliet." This comedy is often hailed as one of Shakespeare's best comedies. But there are reasons I can not quite place it on the same level as "Comedy of Errors," "Taming of the Shrew," "Midsummer Night's Dream," or "As You Like It." We meet Orsino the duke who is love with Olivia. But Olivia chooses to avoid men. (She never quite got over the death of her brother and father.) We also meet Viola. She has survived a shipwreck but fears her brother Sebastian did not. Fearful of possibly being raped, she disguises herself as a man and enters Orsino's servant under the alias name Cesario. Shakespeare then introduces us to the characters of a subplot. (Maria, Toby, and Andrew.) They will plan a practical joke on Malvolio. Moving on, Orsino hires Viola/Cesario and asks him to woo Olivia on his behalf. And here we have irony both tragic and funny. Viola loves Orsino but must woo another woman on his behalf. And if as this was not difficult enough, Olivia falls in love with her! Later, we see that Viola's brother Sebastian has survived, and we meet Antonio. Antonio is wanted in the area for theft, but his touching loyalty will not allow him to dessert Sebastian. There is a comical scene where Orsino has a man to man talk with Viola/Cesario. Now we come to one problem I have with the play. Maria, Andrew, and Toby plan an over the top practical joke on Malvolio. Malvolio represents the Puritans. Shakespeare did not like Puritans because they opposed his theatre. But there is no denying that practical jokes and ridicule are lower forms of comedy than human misunderstandings such as in "Comedy of Errors." In "Taming of the Shrew," Katherine certainly draws some comments, BUT, if we understand her character, we can see that she really deserves our sympathy. Well, the conspiracy (with the help of a fake letter from Maria) makes Malvolio plan to woo Olivia in an absurd looking outfit. Olivia will think him mad, and he will be thrown in a dungeon to recover his mental health. Moving on, Andrew becomes jealous and wants to fight Viola. (Because Olivia likes her.) In a comical scene, Toby pretends to want peace, but forces the hands of both Andrew and Viola/Cesario. Now here is another major problem I have with the play. Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian and saves her. But he is wanted in the area, and the duke's officers arest him. Viola knows she has been mistaken for Sebastian and is happy her brother is alive. Now if she had any element of human decency, she would have indicated herself as a servant of the duke and protested Antonio's arrest. Or if this failed, any decent person would have followed Antonio to the Duke and tried to get Antonio released. Toby, Fabian, and Andrew all have a point when they rebuke her. I am not saying a hero or heroine can't have faults, but this extreme fault was sickening. Moving on, we have some "Comedy of Errors" nostalgia. Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario, and of course there is no problem with this love. In the end scene, Viola and the Duke run into the captured Antonio. To be sure, Viola confesses he rescued her, BUT SHE STILL DOES NOT EVEN ASK THE DUKE TO RELEASE HIM. CERTAINLY, THE DUKE WOULD HAVE GRANTED THIS MERCY TO A MAN WHO HAD RESCUED SUCH A USEFUL SERVANT! The errors of the day are sorted out when Sebastian comes on the screen married to Olivia, and Viola is able to confess her love to Orsino who reciprocates. Shakespeare allows us to infer that Antonio will not be severely punished, and of course Malvolio comes in threatening to get revenge. Overall, it is a good play with intertwined plots, comedy, and enough tragic elemenets to make it plausible, but there are some flaws that prevent me from considering it one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies.

Last semester, I took a course on comedic drama in which the class read numerous classics of the genre. Twelfth Night was, in my opinion, pretty easily the best work that we read. While it's not necessarily Shakespeare's own best work, it is one of the true masterpieces of comedic literature, a work of surprising humor and depth.

The romantic plot is absurd, though of course, satisfying. In true comedic fashion, the play takes place is something of a fantasy world, with the laws of the world suspended. There is a chance for something divine to happen here, a chance for human masks to be torn away and for authentic connection to be made. Of course, something like that is what happens. Comedy (particularly that produced by the fool) pierces through the false barriers the people have build and allows for them to create for themselves a new life.

I think that's why I like the play so much. The farcical plot and the clever wordplay are delightful, but it's really that there is a subtle wisdom in this play that draws me irresistibly toward it. I think that you can read and reread Twelfth Night and always come away with a sense of something genuine.

This comedy written by William Shakespeare has a connotation which has a wide range of meaning. Who is sacrificed through out the play misunderstood as a person who has a hypocrite personalities and unacceptable disposition among the characters of Twelfth Night. In superficial level, we as a reader easy to reach the conclusion that he is a man who should be penalized, and not only characters within the Twelfth Night mocking at him but also the readers show sardonic response behaviors toward this eccentric behaviors after reading the Olivia's letter which is counterfeit. Thus, we consider the punishment that Malvolio received was something justified and axiomatically accepted one. However, that sort of view is not rightful judgement. We should aware that people who planned this clandestine of fake letter to make fun of Malvolio are truly an undiscovered villain. There's a lesson implied on the play that we as a human being should always pay attention to minors who overwhelmed by an unjust and huge mainstream.

Sweeney writes a compelling story about his role in the use of the atomic bomb. From an initial interest in flying, thru his early years as a pilot, to the secret preparations to train pilots and mission support to deliver an atomic bomb, and finally the actual missions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding how and why we "dropped the bomb".

My my my. The hot and cold reviews that this book attracts are a reflection of why Sweeney claims to have written the book, I think. For those who "support" the manner by which the U.S. ended the war that Japan started, Sweeney wanted to provide the record from one of the key players as the pilot of "Bock's Car," the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki. For those who oppose this bombing, he wanted to provide his perspective and argument. My review of the book is from the perspective of someone who wanted to just understand the facts of the bombing missions, and who is interested in reading the firsthand account of such a moment in modern history. I doubt that anyone's position on the bombings will be changed one bit by this book; it does, however, provide that eyewitness perspective of the missions, and it gives the reader some understanding of what it took for these controversial measures to have even been executed. I found the book fascinating from that angle. If you are interested in the big pro or con moral questions, I am not sure that this book is going to feed your desires.

Paul Tibbet should have been tried as a war criminal. I don't see anything to celebrate about on this 60th anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Perhaps the Japanese are rethinking about these events today and can write their own versions of what they think of these two genicides.
Whether it saved lives or not is speculation, just that speculation. We all know how speculation is viewed in a court of law.

Neither of the atomic bombs the US dropped on Japan (not to forget the earlier fire bombing of Tokyo) were necessary to conclude the war. Japan was a thoroughly defeated country and had been seeking peace terms for over half a year. The terms ultimately granted by the US were those which Japan had been seeking all along!

Irrespective of this, by the self proclaimed standards of the United States, Major (later Major General) Charles Sweeney was clearly a war criminal of the worst kind. It is one thing to attack enemy troops and fortifications; quite another to burn the eyeballs out of the heads of 100,000 *civilian* non-combatants -- most of whom were women, children and the elderly; and 10-12,000 of whom were Sweeney's fellow Catholics. Germans and Japanese swung for much, much less. Sweeney got promoted! But, what goes around comes around.

A sad reminder that history is written by the victors. I wonder how Americans would feel if Al Qaeda would write a similar book glorifying the 9-11 attacks. Disgusting.

This novel is pure charm.I'd never heard of the author;I was browsing a list of the 100 Greatest Novels compiled by The Modern Library.There were two columns:a list of fiction admired by the Modern Library's editorial board,and a list of reader's favorites.Virtually all of De Lint's books were on the list of reader's all-time best novels.I set out to find a copy of "The Little Country" at my library where ,according to the catalogue,a copy sat on the shelf.When I arrived,it was missing;discouraged, I returned home and Googled the author's name. There, under "Google Books Result" was a good portion of the text of the novel.This seems of a piece with the author's magic and the sparks that fly from his reel. Give this book to a child who hates to read then watch them hide away until the last page is finished.

This is the book that made me a diehard Charles De Lint fan! I loved it and have read and re-read it time and time again!

Tracking down Charles De Lint's "The Little Country," which I first read in the early '90s, was not easy. All I remembered was a sequence in which a mama's boy falls for a crippled woman he rescues, and he has "a face only a mother could love, and...only his mother did." For some reason, that line stuck with me but nothing else did--nothing concrete, at least. I remembered the feel of reading the book, but my mind drew a blank as to the plot, the characters, and even the title.

How could a novel I enjoyed so much have so completely vanished from my memory? Maybe because this novel is more than the sum of its parts. Many of its individual elements seem derivative, but the way De Lint weaves all of it together makes it a work of great storytelling.

Its 600-plus-page length is due to two parallel storylines. One involves a young woman named Janey who finds in her grandfather's attic a book which, though written by a famous author, was never published and is the only copy in existence. The other involves what's inside the book, about a witch who shrinks children to doll-size and imprisons them in her private terrarium.

For reasons that aren't immediately clear, a secret organization wants the book and is manipulating events to make life difficult for Janey, her ex-boyfriend, and her best friend. The head of the organization believes in using violence only as a last resort (convenient for him, since he can do Jedi mind tricks on anyone who crosses his path). Among his recruits is a sadistic killer he believes carries the spirit of Aleister Crowley but who in fact is a bit of a loose cannon.

I don't think I am revealing too much by mentioning that Janey's book has magical qualities, and that the story she is reading from it will converge in startling ways with the events around her. The broad outlines of this plot have been seen many times before, but somehow it is not predictable. De Lint is a master at juggling many plot threads while always staying true to his characters. He skillfully builds the novel to a stunning dual climax, with an inspiring message about the use of music to awaken the soul in a world overcome by logic and reason.

You'd think a fantasy novel with this title would be about some exotic land. We actually get only brief glimpses of the complex otherworld which De Lint has developed in such detail in his other books. Apart from the fairy tale Janey is reading, the first half of the novel could be mistaken for a mainstream thriller (and includes one of the eeriest rape scenes since "Rosemary's Baby"). The magic appears at the corners and becomes increasingly visible as the story progresses. Thrillers that flirt with the supernatural are usually bluffing. "The Little County" feels authentic because we sense the breadth of De Lint's vision even through the pores.

Short run book leads to a whole lot of other short.


A young musician who specialises in an obscure instrument finds a book of her grandfather's. Being a de Lint novel, this draws the young woman into a magical world as she reads the story of another young woman contained therein, and as she does so uncovers a problem to solve, and some people to help out.

Definitely one of his better books that I have read.


3.5 out of 5

This book holds fond memories for me as being it was the first book I ever read by Charles De Lint. Though I know longer own this book I do recommend it highly.

This is one of the best Dickens novels I have ever read. The character of Florence is so beautifully developed, and while I was reading, I got the sense that Dickens himself was in love with Florence. There's also that sense of mystery, in the dealings of Mrs. Brown and Alice, and their hatred of Mr. Carker. This book is full of surprises, and I was kept riveted to every single page. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone, and one that I will be reading again and again.

Upon finishing Dombey and Son this morning, I thought back to the first Dickens work I ever read, which was David Copperfield, as a freshman in high school. Since then I have read many others, all with the same extensive cast of characters, side plots, etc.....

Except this one....which makes me question why it is not used as an introduction to the works of Dickens in school curriculums.

Dombey and Son, as a title, refers to the business which provides wealth, title, and position to Mr. Dombey, the aforementioned father. The 'son' refers to a succession of partners in that business, as well as an arrival at the opening of the book, which leads to the demise of Mrs. Dombey. But little Paul Dombey, sharing in his father's first and last names, joins an already present sibling in the world, his sister Florence.

Through the course of the novel, you realize that Dombey and Daughter are really the focus of this story....the fortunes and misfortunes that befall them both, the grievous neglect of one for the other, despite the efforts of the one neglected to reconcile...and a host of others that enter and exit from their lives.

But to recapture and jusitfy my initial point, this book is a marvelous starting point to read Dickens. It is far easier to keep track of the cast of the story, as it is more limited than other Dickens novels, while sharing the same length as most others. The story lines all really do feed into the central plot, and while the 'comedy' that I so enjoy in Dickens's prose is, admittedly, more limited here...it still is a highly enjoyable tale, and a great place to get your feet wet with one of history's best tale-weavers.

Although bittersweet and melancholy in tone, for the majority of the story, Dombey and Son holds up with Dickens's other novels as a true classic.

Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son, published from 1846 to 1848 is, like many of Charles Dickens' novels, a tome. But, since it is over 1,000 pages (or if that is just this copy) we can consider it a true tome. Like War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov or The Count of Monte Cristo.

That's all I have to say since I have never read the book. I am a huge Dickens fan and I would like someday to read this tome.

Dombey and Son is a long novel dealing with Mr. Dombey an affluent merchant who has a family in crisis. Dombey's first
wife dies giving birth to little Paul who dies early in chapter 16 in a moving and symbolic deathbed scene. His daughter Florence is shunned by her father but is loved by Walter Gay a sailor employed by her father's firm. Colorful characters populate the many pages of this classic: Captain Cuttle and Sol Gillis who befriend Florence; the evil Mr. Carker and many others who appear in the lives of the Dombeys.
This novel written in 1846 is more thematic, well plotted and serious than many of Dickens earlier works. Dickens had a cinematic imagination; the tale of Mr. Carker's flight is riveting. While not my favorite of the master's works this is a
great book with great characters and story. Well worth the time
to read it and absorb its lessons regarding pride and the need for love and beauty in the human soul.

I just finished reading this gargantuan tome today after two weeks of diligent reading. It is second only to "David Copperfield" in my opinion. It is easy to be intimidated by a book this size (almost 1000 pages) but you must give this one a try! If you adore books that revolve around family dysfunction, this one is perfect for you. It's got characters you will love to hate and it is replete with genuine mysteries. If you have read "Oliver Twist," you will be glad to know that this story's good characters are a little less flat and boring.

As with Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones," there will be a few lulls here and there. In a story of this magnitude, it is hard to avoid...but there are not many. This is truly an enjoyable read. Be sure to get a copy that contains drawings by "Phiz"-- they really add to the overall story.

Miss Jane Porter wrote this book in 1809 but it is still an exciting and heroic story of The Scottish Chiefs, men and women, who attempted to drive the English occupying soldiers and their warrior king, Edward I of England, hero of the Crusades, out of Scotland. William Wallace, the valiant Murray, and many others and their deeds fill the pages. Wallace, who wants to free his country and wreak revenge on the English for the murder of his wife. OK, you've seen Braveheart and despite it's inaccuracies, it brought the story of Wallace, The Hero of Scotland, back into the public eye of the world. Now, read this book. No, it is not absolutely accurate either, but it's a wonderful read. Another OK, the cover is abysmal, a droopy male and female. Look for the Scribner's with the N.C. Wyeth illustrations. Dynamite, and in the right spirit!

This tale of Scots resistance against English King Edward is essential to those who grew up with "Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled" in their ears. Others may enjoy it more for its romance. What pleased me most was seeing the medieval (turn of 13th-14th century) history through the focus of the English author Jane Porter, whose text was published in 1809, and the 1921 edition's illustrations by N.C. Wyeth. Atheneum's reissue is well bound and printed; the book feels pleasant to the hand. Most of all, Porter's latinate sentences beg to be read aloud. Although sold for ages 9-12, the text would be difficult for many of my college freshmen. Lucky the child with a parent to read it aloud! Lucky the adult with a child to read it to, or, failing that, to have these 500+ pages on the bedside table to peruse at day's end.

This classic should be read by all. It is a story of great courage and conviction, a story in which good brave men fight the scoundrels, and sweet strong ladies stand by their men. There is so much to be drawn from a book like this. I intend to read it several more times before my life is over and make it required reading for my children one day. We need more men as William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, boys such as the faithful Edwin, wives and daughters such as Isabelle and Helen. If Scottish Patriots filled the pews of our churches, the Church would rise up in a great way.

I so enjoyed reading this book. It was beautifully written, although it took a little while to get used to the way they spoke then. It can not really be compared to the movie Braveheart, because although both the book and the movie are about William Wallace, the story line is different. This book is not just a quick way to learn the story line. You have to appreciate the old dialect, and the talent with which Jane Porter incorporated so much detail. This is truly a classic story and has become one of my favorite books.

I enjoyed Scottish Chiefs. The plot was interesting, and it certainly helped me really get to know William Wallace, the main character. The book was exciting and well-written. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about William Wallace, the Bruces, and Edward I of England. But Jane Porter, the author, was not perfectly historically accurate. She added in some new characters that probably never existed--like Helen Mar, for example. This turned out okay, but readers should not assume that this is a perfect biography of Wallace. One thing I really did not like was the way all the women in the book were constantly fainting for no reason. I'm not sure if this was really the way people were than, but it annoys me. also, Porter portrayed Wallace as an extremely perfect person, more like an angel that a human, which was certainly wrong. The book is also very long, and sometimes hard to follw. But it was good overall. Also, my mother, who read it to me, my brother, and my sister as a part of our home education this past year, said thast it was a difficult book to read out loud, aned that it was not as accurate historically as it could have been.