Charles Williams Books

Oman actually starts out before 378 giving comment to the Roman military sysem. I lost track of a lot of the details but really enjoyed the book. With his detail of the battles he paints a good picture. He also gives some connecting information as to why the battles were taking place. The politics, powers and so on that were taking place. This book gave me a new appreciation for the Byzantines. Any one interested in the crusades would also do well to understand how the Byzantines fought and how the middle east looked when the crusaders showed up. Since everyone talks about crusades and the holy-land now days it is good to understand just what those words mean. This book offers more than great battles that should be put to the screen.

As the title "Art of War" indicates, this isn't a history of campaigns and battles per se but the evolution of military strategy, tactics and weapons in this period. The overarching theme is the ascendancy and eclipse of the armored horseman which began as the need to find have a force of mobile, professional soldiers to deal with the Vikings and the Magyars. This first phase culminates in the battle of Hastings where a mounted army defeated an infantry army. It goes on to cover the decline of the armored horseman. This showed up in the victories of the English longbow and infantry armies and in pike formations of the Swiss. Several key battles are mentioned as examples of the various types of battle (cavalry vs. infantry, cavalry and infantry vs. cavalry, etc.). Of interest is the lack of strategic sense in Western Europe, Prince Edward's Evesham campaign being a rare exception. A close look is also taken at the Byzantine system which was marked by a pragmatic and flexible adaptation to the different tactical systems of their potential enemies. Discussion also covers the armies of the Vikings, Saracens and Magyars, et al. There are also chapters in each chronological period covering developments in arms and armor and in fortification and siege craft. I have two criticisms of the work. The first is his chapter on the Mongols. Oman writes off the Mongols' victories in Europe as being due to the disunity of the Europeans and Mongolian numerical superiority. In fact, Genghis Khan organized a first-rate military system marked by the use of maneuver and exercised by disciplined troops that was later led by capable heirs (see the discussion the Mongols in Dupuy and Dupuy's Encyclopedia of Military History). At Liegnitz, contrary to being outnumbered fivefold, Henry the Pious had numerical parity with the Mongol force. King Bela's army at the Sajo River was about equal to Subotai's force. I'm also a little dubious about his assertion that gunpowder wasn't of Chinese origin. None of his examples arguing that Chinese weapons were actually incendiaries address the claim that the Chinese used gunpowder in firecrackers (thus, they may not have been the first to find a military application for gunpowder). Those two areas, however, are only a small portion of the work which is well-written and well worth the time of anyone interested in the subject.

This two part set is very detailed and explains everythig well. It is not, however a referance book. It reads very well, but has a tendancy to drag at parts. Any one with an interest in ancient war should certainly check this out.

I read this book for a graduate course in medieval history.
Charles Oman's great book "A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages" is a great comprehensive work for warfare of the period. It is especially useful for battle descriptions of English wars against the Scottish, and for the Hundred Years War. Oman writes that the lesson of the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, was clear for any competent military commander to follow; cavalry alone could not defeat the Scottish squares, but archers supported by cavalry could easily break them. These tactics would be successfully repeated by Edward III against the Scots at Hallidon Hill in 1333, and Neville's Cross in 1346, not to mention in his invasion of France

Edward I's most important contribution to advancing the war fighting capability of Britain was in the battlefield tactics that he employed. It cannot be stressed enough that his use of mixed cavalry and archery was a monumental leap in battlefield tactics, as well as the precursor in making the longbow a force multiplier during the Hundred Years' War. The military record of Edward II, who reigned from 1307-1327, was abysmal. Charles Oman spoke on behalf of all historians who wrote about Edward II's lack of military prowess, and was justifiably unflattering in his critique of Edward II's military acumen. Most of what Edward I won on the battlefields in Scotland, Edward II ineptly lost.

Edward III's strategic and tactical abilities were on full display during the Hundred Years' War. One of the most important tactical innovations that Edward III instituted to increase the fighting capability of the English army before the start of the Hundred Years' War was the introduction of mounted archers to its ranks. Oman took notice of the importance of Edward III's tactical innovation. Mounted archers rode ponies for quick transport to the battlefield, and then they would dismount to shoot their longbows in battle. Undoubtedly, Edward III learned from the previous one hundred years of his predecessors' fighting the Scottish, that too many times the Scots outmaneuvered the English; thus, they escaped from having to fight a battle advantageous to the English. Edward III was going to do all he could to make sure that this did not happen to his army. Oman's research shows muster records from 1334 listing mounted archers for the first time as part of Edward III's expedition into Scotland. This was Edward III's second largest campaign against an enemy during his reign. The expedition served as an excellent opportunity for Edward III and his army to prove their new tactics, which they would put to good use a dozen years later in France.

Recommended reading for those interested in medieval history, and military history.

These two volumes present an enormous amount of information and analysis, well-organized and well-written. Working directly from primary sources, Sir Charles Oman has reconstructed innumerable details and outlines of this extremely poorly-documented period. It is not a novel, to be read once, but a reference, to be gone back to again and again. (In fact, it's mildly irritating that Oman refers throughout the first volume to a battle descibed only on the last pages.) The author appears to be on a first-name basis with all the chroniclers with whom he has to deal, a depth of knowledge which is necessary to decide which of several contradictory accounts to accept. It's like a series of long discussions with a master scholar, over port in his rooms in College. He does prefer you to be something of a scholar yourself: footnotes in Latin, Greek, French, and whatnot are not translated (annoying, but not a major problem). The subject has moved on greatly since the time these were published, and some of Oman's conclusions and ideas are now known to be wrong, but these works still define the Medieval art of war.

Piper continues his eulogies in 'The Swans Are Not Silent' by tracing the lives of three unique men called of God to be Job in our era.

These godly men had a tenacity that transcends human ability. As such, we can and do readily accept that it was God's providence in their lives that led them to such mighty labor.

All these men lived holy lives, yet suffered reproach for righteousness' sake. They all had a desire to put Christ first and this they then did in exemplary fashion. Once again, Calvinists glorifying God in the totality of their human life. It is an awe-inspiring read. When Piper introduces the modern way of 'giving-up' so easily and too often, it honestly probed into the depths of my soul. A great contribution to their Puritan piety.

'Did Newton strike the right balance of a patient, tenderhearted, noncontroversial pattern of ministry and a serious vigilance against harmful error?' pg 65

I love biographies. I love John Piper. So I really love biographies written by John Piper. The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce is the third book (of four) in the Swans are not Silent biography series. Each book contains short, 30-40 page biographies of three saints; each section focusing on particular distinctives of that specific saint.

John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce are the subjects of book three and are brought together under a common theme: each man possessed and exhibited character qualities that are essential to perseverance in Christian life and ministry. For Newton, it was the "tough roots of his habitual tenderness"; for Simeon, it was the "ballest of brokeness" that kept his ship from being tossed to and fro; and for Wilberforce, it was child-like joy in Christ that enabled him to steadily persevere with patience and hope in the midst of great opposition.

Piper shows us John Newton as a man who, after his conversion to Christ, lived out these words:

"Whoever...has tasted of the love of Christ, and has known, by his own experience, the need and the worth of redemption, is enabled, yea, he is constrained, to love his fellow creatures. He loves them at first sight, and, if the providence of God commits a dispensation of the gospel and care of souls to him, he will feel the warmest emotions of friendship and tenderness, while he beseeches them by the tender mercies of God, and even while he warns them by his terrors" (54).

There is much, much more; but to suffice it to say, Newton was a man who lived the truth of II Timothy 2:24-26.

Charles Simeon helps us to obey the commandment, "Be patient in tribulation" Romans 12:12. Piper wants Simeon's life to help us "see persecution, opposition, slander, misunderstanding, disappointment, self-recrimination, weakness, and danger as the normal portion of faithful Christian living and ministry" (78). Simeon himself endured such things and so becomes a model to us as we seek to live faithfully in the present age. Piper explains that Simeon's ability to persevere grew from "Roots of Endurance":

He had a strong sense of his accountability before god for the souls of his flock
He was free from the scolding tone even through controversy
He was not a rumor tracker
He was not a heresy-hunter
He dealt with opponents in a forthright, face to face way
He learned to receive rebuke and grow from it
He was unimpeachable in his finances and he had no love of money
He saw discouraging things hopefully
He saw suffering as a privilege of bearing the cross with Christ

But the deepest roots that gave health and life to these other 'roots' was Simeon's devotion to Bible study and meditation; and his experience of "Growing downward in humiliation before God and upward in adoration of Christ." Simeon said, "Meditation is the grand means of our growth in grace; without it prayer itself is an empty service."

But it was his experience of humiliation before God that could be considered his 'deepest root.' Simeon said,

"Repentance is in every view so desirable, so necessary, so suited to honor God, that I seek that above all. The tender heart, the broken and contrite spirit, are to me far above all the joys that I could ever hope for in this vale of tears. I long to be in my proper place, my hand upon my mouth, and my mouth in the dust...I feel this is safe ground. Here I cannot [error]...I am sure that whatever God may despise...He will not despise a broken heart" (110).

William Wilberforce's most well known accomplishment was his success in fighting for the abolition of slavery and slave trade in the British Empire. Both evils were abolished before his death in 1833. But Wilberforce was not a 'Single issue candidate." After his conversion in his mid -twenties, Wilberforce, who was already a member of the British Parliament, fought on a number of levels for the good of mankind. Piper informs us that "There was a steady stream of action to alleviate pain and bring greater social (and eternal!) good. 'At one stage, he was active in sixty-nine different initiatives.'"

Wilberforce, however, did not lose his edge on pure doctrine while pursuing social good. Piper explains,

"Many public people say that changing society requires changing people, but few show the depth of understanding Wilberforce did concerning how that comes about. For him, the right grasp of the central doctrine of justification and its relation to sanctification--an emerging Christlikeness in private and public--were essential to his own endurance and for the reformation of the morals of England" (158).

Wilberforce would write,

"The grand distinction which subsists between the true Christian and all other Religionists...is concerning the nature of holiness and the way it is to be obtained...[nominal Christians think that] morality is to be obtained by their own natural unassisted efforts: of if they admit some vague indistinct notion of the assistance of the Holy Spirit, it is unquestionably obvious on conversing with them that this does not constitute the main practical ground of their dependence" (159).

Amidst all his efforts for the good of all men, Wilberforce would suffer great slander, pain at home (with his wayward son), and tremendous physical sufferings brought about by medical ailments. But he persevered through these trials by a child-like joy in Christ. Joy, to Wilberforce, was a Christian's high duty:

"We can scarcely indeed look into any part of the sacred volume without meeting abundant proofs, that it is the religion of the Affections which God particularly requires...joy...is enjoined on us as our bounden duty and commended to us as acceptable worship...A cold...unfeeling heart is represented as highly criminal" (150).

In each example, I gave only a taste of what is in the book. And I strongly recommend not only this volume, but each volume of the Swans are not Silent series. They are edifying, strengthening, and very interesting. I am confident that they will encourage you as you seek to persevere with tenderness, brokeness, and joy in Christ.

The Roots of Endurance is the third volume in a series of biographical books by John Piper called "The Swans Are Not Silent." Each book covers three figures from Christian history under a common theme. In this book, Piper looked at the lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce, each of which endured to their ends facing remarkable adversity.

Piper set the stage with an introduction connecting the three men together in history, spiritually, and theologically. As usual, his words are salted with spiritual wisdom and worth meditation. From the life of John Newton, Piper explored "habitual tenderness" and what it means to have "a tender heart and a theological backbone of steel."

The biography of Charles Simeon is one of my favorite from the series so far. For the first twelve years of his service at Trinity Church his congregation resisted and rebelled against him, and yet he remained there for fifty-four years! And as many now know due to the recent movie, "Amazing Grace," William Wilberforce also maintained his service through many years, though for him it was in Parliament fighting slavery. Piper told the stories of these men's inspiring lives along with great academic footnotes and insightful practical application.

Unlike the other books in this series, I thought the concluding thoughts to The Roots of Endurance were a bit shallow (compared to Piper's other reflections) and perhaps rushed. However, the book stands well enough on its own without the conclusion and I would recommending reading it if only for the biography of Charles Simeon.

John Piper produced another top-notch work. This book is articulate, to the point, and easy to read. He clearly did a tremendous amount of scholarly work in writing this book. Very few works exist in Reformed circles wherein non-theologians can read and understand due to the concise nature of the writing. Piper did an excellent job describing how these men dealt with tremendous strife - and where the ability to do so originated. These men understood God's grace... and that is a point not lost, but rather promoted, by Piper. This is another book I can highly recommend.

What a great book - in my opinion Piper is such a great writer and the subject of his essay this time was one of my personal heroes - William Wilberforce. But this wasn't just a book about the life and ministry of Wilberforce, it was a look at the interaction of three incredible men of God that all lived at the same time in England and how they each endured through extraordinary conditions. The elder statesman was John Newton, well-known today as the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace." Newton, a former slave-trade captain, became an outspoken abolitionist as he pastured a church and ministered to the lives of his parishioners. Piper also brings into the mix another pastor, a contemporary of Wilberforce, Charles Simeon who pastured Trinity Church on the campus of Cambridge for fifty-four years.

The primary emphasis of this book is simply to introduce Christians today to some of the great men of the faith from years past - the great cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 12. This book is actually Book Three of The Swans are not Silent series and after reading this one, I'm looking forward to diving into the others. But the book is not just biographical in nature - Piper does a great job applying the lessons learned from the lives and struggles of these great men to our own personal spiritual journeys. In this book, specifically, each man had to overcome significant opposition to their faith and the common root of endurance they shared was their deep devotion to God's Word and their unwillingness to compromise their principles for expediency or approval. However, each individual did have opportunities to demonstrate God's grace in their own lives as they worked with those who stood in opposition to them, and in most cases, won them over as brothers-in-Christ by their compassion.

Three incredible stories of three god-sized challenges overcome by three humble, but God-centered, men. The book is a great read for almost anyone - a friend struggling with a life issue, a young person wondering how God could use them, or a pastor as he sacrifices to lead and minister to his flock - The Roots of Endurance is a challenging, uplifting and encouraging read and just what the doctor ordered to spur one another one toward love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24).

This book was helpful in putting together arguments for problems I was working on.

I used this outline for review and with some problems I was having in a course on computational robotics I was taking a couple of years ago and I found this book to be an excellent review that answered all of my questions. However, my stepson used it in his statics and dynamics classes to help with the material when it was being presented to him for the first time, and he said he felt it brushed over some of the material in both classes. Even though this is a hefty outline, perhaps it would be better if they dedicated separate Schaum's outlines to each subject - statics and dynamics - and covered more ground in each subject rather than putting both subjects in the same book. This outline even has one chapter on mechanical vibrations, but it is just barely an overview and hardly gets into the subject at all. It might be best if that chapter were deleted entirely and more space spent on the subjects at hand.

I have had Statics and will be taking Dynamic's next semester. I bought this book so I could get a head start on next semester as I heard the professor is tough and the material is difficult.

The parts that cover Statics were a very good supliment to what I had learned last semester. Kind of like the Reader's Digest version, I couldn't figure out what parts they had left out. It seemed pretty complete to me. They even covered stuff we didn't. We didn't have anything in our class wrt differential equations, but this book did. Since I have had diff eq, it was nice to see it being put to use and I learned something.

On the Dynamic's side, it is a bit of a tough go. I am using this as a primary/only text and do not have the benifit of an instructor. I am wading through slowly. I wish there was a bit more explination before the examples. This is where an in class text book would be helpful. I believe that this book will be a valuable resource when I actually start the class.

I have always liked the Schaum's series of books. They are straightforward and to the point. This text was no exception.

The most important aspect of this book is that it can be used as a supplement to most of the popular texts. I used it along with Beer & Johnston and Shames.

Quite a useful book on a difficult, hands-on subject.

I have always liked the Schaum's series of books. They are straightforward and to the point. This text was no exception.

The most important aspect of this book is that it can be used as a supplement to most of the popular texts. I used it along with Beer & Johnston and Shames.

Quite a useful book on a difficult, hands-on subject.

There is a hand written inscription inside to A Captain Robert C. Padley dated Sept. 7, 1929. I was wondering if there is any value to this book

The author loves to tell about the numerous special forces' hits that he participated in, and the descriptions are cruelly fascinating (kind of like rubber-necking at an accident). But his analysis is one dimensional and simplistic ... according to him the world's (or at least the western world's) problems would be solved if we assassinated anyone we don't like.

I remember first reading this book in 1959 at the age of 13. I found it among other similar books given to my parents by my great gandmother. Thought I would die laughing each night under the covers reading as Charles Sale revealed the truths about the family three-holer. Somehow long ago I lost touch with that book and its title. Now, when my wife an I rummage through antique book stores I look and try to find "The Specialist" the title I'd long forgotten. Today, in a little out of the way antique shop in Burnet Texas, there it was, hidden among other dusty and dirty books on a shelf. Fifth Printing, inscribed Nancy, St Mary's College, Dallas Sept 23, 1929. Sorry, Amazon, this is one time you lost the sale I'm happy to report. Larry M., Austin, Texas...

For anyone who has ever lived in a house with an outhouse this is one of the funniest books ever written. For the first time reader it is a real belly laugher. For anyone who plans to build an outhouse it would serve them well to read this book first. Although tremendously funny, it contains a lot of good ideas on the best way to build one.

I am a water and sanitation engineer in developing countries where the "privy" and how to build it, is a subject of fierce debate among engineers and privy owners. I was given this book by a friend who thought it funny that I designed loos for a living! If I could recommend one course book for all wastewater engineers this would be it. Interesting insight into US folk stories and "hygiene practise". The specialist seems like such a likeable guy too.

Good book, all my cousins are buying it.

This is an example par excellence of the 'medium sized' text-book: about 1000 pages (or 1.5 inches across the spine), providing a comprehensive coverage without overwhelming detail. It is written in classical British text-book style: clear prose, concise description, and some classical illustrations. A nice touch is the font size variations: smaller for details that can readily be skipped without interfering with the flow of the book. A shame this is not used more often.
I suspect for most medical students the detail is excessive, but an outstanding book for the beginning resident or for those in other disciplines wanting more than the broad brush strokes of the surgical approach to conditions major and minor.

A classic, been out there for as long as our teachers can remember or more, why? cause it gives u the most important points in nearly every thing, it picks a flower from every different flowerbed. it wont expand much on the types of coils used for cerebral aneurysms for example, but will tell you what u need to know about the main title, how to diagnose and general principles of management. it is not for seniors who will most certainly find it deficient. It is a good choice for medical students and surgical residents in there very beginnings but not beyond. This edition has been printed in style, if u have ever passed over the previous ones u could realize the differences.
still though it needs more on managing trauma, and more details regarding laparoscopy. And probably a larger chapter on operative techniques in general. The images are generally good although some of them date back to really old editions.
It really depends on what u want from a book, thats all.

This book is very useful for both medical students and basic surgical residents alike. While the older editions tend to be tedious and frustrating due to the inconsistency in font size and style as well as formatting, newer editions are better. The pictures and illustrations are what made this a classic basic surgical textbook. It explains the fundamentals of basic surgery. It is a good launch pad to cover all aspects of surgery at a core level and allows the reader to head off and search for more specialized text in inspired topics.

This book attempts to be the one stop shop. It goes through from anatomy/physiology -> pathology -> diagnosis -> operative techniques -> postop management.

That is both it's good and bad point.

Good as it succeeds. Bad as it is not big enough to really finish off the job.

However, as a busy medical student looking for concise yet comprehensive treatment of ALL fields of surgery.....this is the book to get. Sabiston and the rest are all too big....unless of course you don't go out much and read it all night.

It was a fun read, but seemed to me to fall apart completely in the end. When asked to explain the motivation for some implausible actions by the culprit, the best the detective can come up with are some lame suggestions and the admission that, "who knows 'ow 'is mind was racin'". Who indeed.

And there was a character who was apparently thrown in simply because he had been in the earlier books as he serves no purpose in this one other than to help explain some of the workings of early train service. A good bit of this sort of thing in the book.

This is the only book I have read in this series. Not too bad if you are looking for a quick read and like spot-the-allusions. A disappointment if you were expecting a mystery.

In 1853 London, Metropolitan Protective Inspector William Field asks Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins to identify the corpse of a white man found in a nearby opium den. The tie that the victim wears tells Wilkie that the dead man is a member of Oxford. Another associate of the two writers, Charles Dodgson recognizes the deceased as a history don at Oxford.

At the urging of Inspector Field, the three associates decide to investigate the murder of the don. Although they have worked previous cases, Dickens, Wilkie, and Dodgson remain writers/wannabe authors playing amateur sleuths. Their actions soon place their very lives and that of Dickens' mistress in danger from an unknown assailant.

The fourth Dickens-Collins Victorian mystery is a clever who-done-it, populated by literary references and their associated footnotes. The story line is fun although the use of Victorian era dialect makes one wonder if Dickens is heading in the direction of Chaucer and Shakespeare, difficult to read without a translator. The plot belongs to the trio of writers as the audience sees a glimpse of them beyond the classroom and outside their novels.

Harriet Klausner

The fourth adventure in William J. Palmer's exciting Victorian histo-fiction series is one you really don't want to miss.

Once again, the team of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins is off to the races in "The Dons and Mr. Dickens (The Strange Case of the Oxford Christmas Plot)." This time, the duo are called back into detective action by their friend Inspector Field of the London Metropolitan Police to help solve a most puzzling mystery. An Oxford don is found murdered in London's Limehouse Hole, a most unseemly area for a don to be found in, dead or alive. And author Palmer, in true Dickensian style, gets the body identified and off they go to Oxford to investigate. Alas, a chief suspect (another don) turns up with a knife in his back (dead).

Told by Collins, Dickens's man Watson, the story picks up steam in his early Industrial Age police procedural, enlisting, along the way Charles Dodgson, a young Mycroft Holmes, and an energetic very young inspector Morse. Also assisting are characters from the previous books, the actress Ellen Ternan, Serjeant Rogers, and Tally Ho Thompson.

Palmer's flair for the Victorian make Dickens more joyful to read than Dickens himself, in some cases, and the author's ability to inject period humor (something not always found in Dickens--just try reading "Bleak House" or "The Old Curiosity Shop"!) makes "The Dons and Mr. Dickens" read quickly, smoothly, and entertainingly.

What are these Oxford dons up to? Well, as Agatha Christie would say, "Murder most foul," and it is up to the geniuses of the central characters to sort it out. What a fun read this series is, injecting conspiracies, mayhem, romance, and a few bodies as well, and this fourth one seems to be the most enjoyable--perhaps what a book of fiction should really be all about.

Very amusing. The Dons mentioned in the title, except for one now known MUCH better by his nom de plume, are appropriately corrupt/ineffectual, so gentle reader can safely trust that William J. Palmer has indeed been professing for many years, somehere, per the bio. Inspector Field is his usual gruff efficient sage self & the watch of Wilkie Collins, Cub Novelist, disappears promptly. An apprentice detective named Morse appears. One may predict that he will master his work, someday, plus enjoy his beer, ruefully, all around Oxford. Ellen Ternan, light of the life of late great Dickens, begins to materialize, participating as a character actress playing a lovely Irish barmaid snitch. Will she be ravished? Mr. Dickens is not sure he likes this role, much, but controls his inimitable self, barely. Petty deduction for gratuitous allusion, in French, but a good, even explosive, read.

It is quite evident in this latest addition to Palmer's stable of victorian mystery novels that the author enjoys an intimate knowledge of 19th century England in general and Oxford University specifically. Had I not read his Bio I would have believed that William Palmer was a "public school" boy raised in the UK. While somewhat less "bawdy" than his earlier contributions, Palmer nonetheless succeeds in incorporating the Dodgson character in to his standard Dickens/Collins partnership, and in the process delights us with even more details surrounding the "Sherlock Holmes type" of Opium prevalence during the period. All in all, this Christmas release is yet another credit to the numerous kudos earned by Palmer with previous books.

I gave this book to my boyfriends father for his birthday and he can't seem to put the book down. It is a wonderful book!

Charles C. Jones Jr. is my great great great great grandfather and it is amazing to find his books being republished. So everybody read this book! and read it out lowd oh it ain't gwon te be no fuhn.

The history of this book is interesting. Charles Colcock Jones compiled these folktales during the late 19th century. He developed much of his compilation based on the memory of stories that he heard as a youth growing up in the Deep South. He had a good ear for the Gullah creole, but the book shouldn't been seen as a completely accurate rendition of the language. The book is now reissued with an excellent introduction to Gullah culture and Jones' original compilation work. The stories, themselves, are really interesting, entertaining, and poignant to read. With a careful reading, the reader develops a greater familiarity with Gullah, and the stories becomes a resource for appreciating the beauty of Gullah. In this way, the stories and the Gullah speech interanimate each other.

This is a collection of dozens of folktales culled from the Gullah tradition. They are mostly from the mid to later part of the 19th century from the coastal lowlands area of Georgia. The hundred + year-old tales are transcribed in a dialect, but they shouldn't be considered authentic renditions of the Gullah creolized language. The book has a great introduction that explains how Jones came to compile the work and write other books on a range of subjects. The dialect of the stories take a while to understand, but the glossary at the end of the book helps explain unfamiliar words. The stories are really good ones, and it is great to see this important book in print.

A must for study of the Gullah culture of the Southern Atlantic states. It is wonderful that the University of Georgia press reprinted Jones's 1888 collection.

Oman wrote this as a follow-on to his History of the Art of War
in the Middle Ages (q.v.), and gave it his usual opinionated all.
Some of it shows its age, now, but nevertheless it's essential
if you're studying either the sixteenth century in general or
the rise of modern warfare.

I get particular pleasure out of Oman's digs at his sources;
despite drawing from him frequently, he really, really doesn't
care for poor old Blaise de Monluc (which Oman and his
contemporaries insist on misspelling "Montluc.") Anyway,
buy the book if you're nostalgic for the old-style, "decisive"
school of military history, from the pre-Keegan era.

This is a magnificent work - both scholarly and easy to read - that focuses on a time that most military historians gloss over. It focuses on the technology and organization of "pike-and-shot" armies of the sixteenth century (1500-1600)with detailed sections on the Italian wars, England, the Wars of Religion in France, the Dutch revolt against Spain, and the struggle in the East against the Turkish Empire. The only failing of this book is the combination of great length (770 pages) and an index of people and place names only; if you look for something more nebulous like "fortifications" in the index you will be disappointed. Put it by your bed or on the medicine cabinet and read it in short bites - you'll keep coming back for more.

Let me begin by stating that I am a military history junkie. It isn't my profession, but I have a profession largely to support my military history habit. I bought this book for the simple reason that I knew very little about 16th century military history. That, and I needed a fix. After reading Sir Charles Oman's work, I cannot believe that I made it this far in life without it.

To put it bluntly, anyone who claims to know something of modern military history, without a thorough grounding in 16th century warfare, is simply a pretender to knowledge.

Sounds harsh? It is not, and please let me explain why. Everything that evolves into the modern military establishment emerges in a recognizable form during the 16th century. It is the military history equivalent of the first fish struggling out of the antediluvian muck onto land and taking that first breath of air.

The 16th century bears witness to several critical military developments. The most obvious is the emergence of firepower on the battlefield. Gunpowder was several centuries old by that time, but it remained a rare and expensive siege weapon. In the 16th century, all of that changes. Cannon are lighter, limbered on smaller and more maneuverable carriages. Suddenly, armies have a powerful and portable siege train. In a matter of a few years, every castle in Europe becomes obsolete. Furthermore, cannon, for the first time, can be handled effectively on the battlefield. This spells ultimate doom for the large, unwieldy formations popular in earlier times, such as the Swiss pikemen's phalanx.

The new power and portability of artillery forces a radical evolution in fortification. The tall stone walls of the medieval period are now indefensible. Instead, huge, broad and low fortifications, covered by over-lapping fields of fire, become essential. This new style, the "trace italienne", will dominate warfare until the wars of Frederick the Great. Indeed, one finds combat conditions in heavily fortified regions, such as the Low Countries, that resemble World War One: Interminable battles fought in muddy trenches, where snipers dominate No Man's Land and the grenade and mortar are the weapons of choice.

Gunpowder also spurs the rearmament of the infantry. A judicious mix of arqubusiers and pikemen become the favourite mix of battlefield commanders. Interestingly, gunpowder helps to revive the cavalry arm. Long helpless against the Swiss pikeman, German landesknecht and English longbowmen, the mounted soldier regains his effectiveness with the advent of firepower. Artillery now breaks up formerly untouchable infantry formations, making them vulnerable to a cavalry charge. Cavalry also embraces the pistol, giving them firepower in addition to shock value. Gustavus Adolphus, in the next century, actually has to use considerable effort to wean his cavalry off of firepower and its excessive reliance on the caracole.

These technological advances require a new level of prefessionalism on the part of soldiers. The professional warrior of the Middle Ages is replaced in the 16th century by the professional soldier of the modern period. In turn, the nation state finds itself required to maintain a standing, professional military. The increasing dissatisfaction of commanders with mercenary troops only accelerates this move to national, professional armies. This process becomes an essential catalyst to the birth of the modern nation state.

As is his wont, Sir Charles tells the story of this historical process with a lively and engaging prose. His explanations of the political factors behind the wars of the period are succinct and immensely informative. With grace, wit and scholarly aplomb, Sir Charles will quickly convince any reader that he was quite mad to have imagined that he would proceed through life without a thorough understanding of the 16th century's military revolution.

Charles Oman's book is an excellent resource for learning about the history of the period from the military point of view, but, having been written over six decades ago, the book shows signs of its age by (naturally) failing to take into account what historians have learned about the subject since its writing. This leaves the book as valuable, yet not one you can entirely trust. Unfortunately, Oman also fails to add go into developments in Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire.

Sir Charles presents the matter in a pithy and convincing way. If you are interested in the great battles and battlefields of the 16th century, and the way armies evolved, you will find this work well worth your time.

The rise and reign of the Swiss pikemen, who defied the charge of heavy cavalry with their perfect drill and unyielding will, is chronicled with engaging color and satisfying detail. So, in their turn, are the other principal armies and battles of the era. The generals, the underlying conceits of the armies' organizations, the errors and failures, all are recounted in a concise style that avoids dryness or verbosity.

M.Dane

...way too advanced for an undergrad like me. This book is an excellent resource for intelligent Christians. Don't get me wrong, I eventually get what is being discussed in the essays, it just takes me a long time.

I don't really understand what the criticism of the earlier reviewer was with regard to Dr. Craig's opinions concerning morality. Dr. Craig has successfully defended his beliefs on morality against his foremost opponents. (I don't know how you can argue for an objective and non-arbitrary morality if you hold a naturalistic worldview.)

I recommend this book to anybody interested in current discussion of philosophy of religion topics. Just be warned if you are not already well versed in elite philosophical terminology: it may take you a while to make it through!

As the other reviewer mentioned, this text is quite "one sided." The editors are intentional in this move however: they say they would have liked a "pro"-theism and a "con"-theism article(s) for each section, but they only wanted the BEST articles as well, so the "con" articles--those critical of arguments for theism--had to go.

While this might be a bad thing, it could be useful for an instructor who is an agnostic or atheist since using this book could be a way to avoid students accusing the instructor of being "biased" or "one-sided."

For the price, this is a good collection but only for graduate students or VERY, VERY advanced undergraduates with quite a bit of logical and metaphysical sophistication. J.P. Moreland's introduction to his "Soul and Life Everlasting" section is just too difficult for anyone without a very strong background in philosophy of mind and metaphysics. Beginning to mid-level students will be lost quickly and a handful of other courses are needed to bring them back.

Tim O'Connor's introduction to the problem of evil is quite good and is highly recommended. He brings a fresh perspective to the issues. This is one of the best essays in the book.

The section on religious epistemology is a bit quirky in that 2 out of the 4 articles are on Pascal's wager. That seems a bit out of step with what's currently in epistemological fashion (it seems like a practical wager like Pascal's has little to do with epistemology anyway). The other 2 articles are the standard Plantinga-Quinn exchange on whether theistic belief is or can be "properly" basic for intellectually sophisticated adults. Newer stuff surely could have occupied this space.

Wiliam Lane Craig's section on natural theology is good, although one critical comment must be made. In all the books of his I've seen, he repeatedly tries to argue that either (A) moral values are entirely "subjective" or "relative" or merely a "human convention" or (B) they are "rooted in" or depend on God's commands. This dilemma is ridiculous and Craig should know that: in fact, he suggests a third option, that moral values are "objective." In fact, moral realism--that there are moral facts independent of God's command--best explains why God would command what he would command. Craig's arguments that moral values cannot be objective without God's existence are very poor and he is disengenuous in presenting them.

Again, for the price you get some good papers and a big fat book. For a bit more money, however, you can get something with both "sides" in it which would be better for most classroom use.

William Lane Craig and his section editors (Kevin Meeker, J.P. Moreland, Michael Murray, and Timothy O'Connor) have assembled a truly excellent set of readings in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion. The introductions to each section serve as overviews of main areas within philosophy of religion, and the readings represent some of the very best work being done in the field today. It would be a very valuable addition to the library of anyone who is interested in the subject--even if you already own some of its rivals (e.g. Pojman's Wadsworth anthology or the Oxford text edited by Basdinger, Hasker, Peterson, and Reichenbach).

Craig mentions in the introduction that he was more interested in choosing quality articles than in making sure to give the pro and con of every issue, and the result is that the selections are weighted in favor of (Christian) theism. Someone who is looking for a text that is perfectly balanced in its approach may be disappointed with the editors' choices. Insofar as this is the case, the book should be viewed by philosophically-inclined theists as an indespensible resource. And in spite of its mild bias, it would make an outstanding primary text for an upper division undergraduate or graduate course in philosophy of religion.

If you are looking for an historical 'readings' text for topics in the philosophy of religion, then this book is not for you. However, if you are looking for writings about certain philosophy of religion (or contemporary 'readings') topics then go no further. Craig has assemble some first rate analytical thinkers of the 20th century to cover a wide gamut of topics in the arena of the philosophy of religion.

However, any reader should keep in mind that this is not an historical text of the issues of the philosophy of religion, it is a contemporary text. But, this is actually one of its greatest strengths, since it provides the reader and student some of the most up to date writings available. The topics themselves are 'historical' (for lack of a better way of putting it), but the work is very contemporary.

Some of the topics (or sections) in this text include: Religious epistemology; the Existence of God; Coherence of theism; the problem of evil; soul and immortality; and Christian theology. Some of the philosophers contributing to this volume include: William Lane Craig; William P. Alston; Alvin Plantinga; J.P. Moreland; Eleonore Stump; Quentin Smith; Alfred J. Freddoso; Keith Yandell; Richard Swinburne; Peter van Inwagen; William L. Rowe and many others. This text is a great reference tool, it emphasizes the Christian tradition, it has some first rate introductions, and offers the reader a list of suggested titles for further study. The only downfall, if you could call it that, is the fact that this text is geared toward the student of philosophy and the reader who already has a background in the issues at hand. Some of the articles are quite advanced, but this makes for a great challenging read and will only aid the reader in expanding his knowledge.

William Lane Craig does a masterful job in his section on Natural Theology. He presents a cumulative case for God's existence by including Alvin Plantinga's modal version of the Ontological Argument. ( Although some philosophers have corectly pointed out that his argument is really Cosmological in nature because it presupposes that something exists. One can only know that a poissible world exists on the background knowledge of an actual world.) Plantinga believes that if it is even possible that a maxamally great being exists, then it is true and necessarily true that he does exist. The only question is what warrant exists in thinking that there is a possible world in which a maxamally great being exists. Here is where Craig hammers the nails in the coffin. Based on the other arguments and evidential considerations one may come to the justified conclusion that it is at least possible that a maxamally great being exists. That there is a possible world in which an eternal necessary being exists. Since this being exists necessarily, then he must exist in every possible world. And since the real world is a possible world, then it follows that God exists.

For a more detailed and better treatment on this subject I would recommend Craig's section on Natural Theology in this text. See also Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by Craig and Moreland ( 2003 ).
The rest of the book is pretty good also. Although it is a little rough at times.

This autobiography which really gives a feel for the times in, which Wharton lived as well as for her own life experiences, contains some the most stunningly succinct annecdotes I've ever read. Wharton is truly brilliant at conveying the importance of literature in her life and sharing the possibilities of the literary life with her reader. She reaches through time to inform us of universals and redefine our value systems without being the least bit pedantic. She is a genius. And her autobiography is as entertaining and resonant as a great novel.

Edith Wharton wrote "The Age of Innocence" (I believe it won the Pulitzer), the only fiction she wrote that I have truly liked--and an excellent book. She also wrote much nonfiction, and I have enjoyed her travel writing very much.

In this book, Ms. Wharton reflects on her childhood and adulthood to middle age. (A short biography of her life is included in the introduction by Louis Auchincloss.) She speaks of her parents and growing up in 'Old New York' and living on the Gold Coast of New England with her husband.

Ms. Wharton was a great friend of several men of letters who were prominent during her era, including Henry James. Her writing describes these relationships in part. She may have had an affair with one of them (not James), but unlike writers of today, more is not said than said. Mrs. Wharton divorced her husband in an era when it was not the best thing to do if one wished to remain a member of high society. She seems to have cast off New York society and moved to France to live permantly after her divorce. If you're interested in the story behind the story in "The Age of Innocence" this book is a good resource.

In addition to her early years in America and later years in France, this book covers some of Ms. Wharton's travels in France and the Mediterranean. The most evocative sections cover her experiences in a trip to the French front in WWI. During WWI, she became a reporter and sent information to a New York newspaper on a regular basis.

In this orderly collection of autobiographical sketches Edith Wharton - generously and with nearly photographic recall - begins by inviting readers into her early life in nineteenth-century New York. We are treated to its cast of characters, old New York, country life up the Hudson River, the clothes, the houses, and the remarkable (and unremarkable) personalities - Washington Irving was a friend of the family - as well as the sensibilities of a sociable, bright, and wonderfully observant little girl.

Edith began to read so early that it surprised her upper-class (but unintellectual) family. Before long she became an "omnivorous reader," happiest plowing through the volumes of the classics in her father's library. She soon found that she required time alone - to invent characters, to make up stories. She knew that she had to write fiction - from childhood on, despite realizing by young adulthood that "in the eyes of our provincial society authorship was still regarded as something between a black art and a form of manual labor." Of the social imperative to closet one's writing urges she elaborates: "My father and mother were only one generation away from Sir Walter Scott, who thought it necessary to drape his literary identity in countless clumsy subterfuges, and almost contemporary with the Brontes, who shrank in agony from being suspected of successful novel-writing." The idle rich, Wharton makes clear, were intended to stay idle - and not busy themselves with writing, especially for (horrors!) pay. Her descriptions of her early popular successes are memorable.

In subsequent chapters Wharton lays out her well-thought-out opinions regarding childhood, self-discovery, the formation of the writer's imagination and intellect, and the importance of finding one's own way - as an intellectual and as a social being. There is dry humor, too. She treasured good literature and good conversation - and pursued (and found) them throughout her life. She loved beautiful things and places, too. Finally, she describes her sojourns abroad (mainly England, France, and Italy) and the relationships and places that sustained her and nurtured her creativity, her productivity - and her soul.

Lifelong friends play a central role in much of this memoir. She describes people well, without breaches of privacy or confidences. This is not at all limiting. She writes tenderly of the blossoming of her friendship with "American gentleman" Egerton Winthrop, a man of "cultivated intelligence," a shy, physically awkward man whom Wharton considered "the most perfect of friends." Others were George Cabot Lee, Vernon Lee, Howard Sturgis, Geoffrey Scott, Percy Lubbock, and most of all, Henry James, who is drawn wonderfully (and not uncritically) in this book. Of her friendship with James she remarks "The real marriage of two minds is for any two people to possess a sense of humor or irony pitched in exactly the same key, so that their joint glances at any subject cross like interarching search-lights."

I loved this memoir, and greatly admired Wharton's ability to reveal herself and her world so fully and well.

Such a lovely child, so patient and well behaved. New York and its society are made magic by her eyes. The opening sections of this memoir are a delight as Mrs. Wharton recounts the sights and feel of New York City in the 1870's. I liked it that she gave us a knee-high view of taking a walk with her beloved father and meeting his friends along the way. (She could never tell what the people's faces looked like, as her view only extended to their knees). Her total recall of her very best bonnet is amazing, and a very pretty bonnet it must have been.

If there is such a person as a "born writer," Edith Wharton is that person. Before she could write, she made stories, and situations "flew around her head like mosquitoes." The world she lived in had no place or interest in a writing lady, so she made her own world, and it was a life-long undertaking.

When Mrs. Wharton received her first acceptance of publication, she was so excited she "ran up and down the staircase in glee." I couldn't have been more surprised if I had read that George Washington played kickball in the back yard. Mrs. Wharton rarely lets you see anything but a very reserved and proper Victorian lady. Yet she did get a divorce (though it is never mentioned.), she lived almost her entire adult life abroad; she compartmentalized her friends like a butterfly collector, and had no interest in being part of the New York society she describes so well. When she was well into her writing career on a family visit to New York, she was invited to a dinner party where she was told a "Bohemian" would be one of the guests. When she got there, she discovered that she herself was the "Bohemian" in question.

The book has a wonderful introduction by that fine author of New York manners, Louis Auchincloss, who is obviously fond of Mrs. Wharton, but not intimidated. Mrs. Wharton has a couple of insightful (and often hilarious) chapters on Henry James that are alone worth the price of the book. But then there are the "friends." I felt I was being buried in endless pages of formal introductions to people I had never heard of, who wrote books that were never read, who gave parties which are long forgotten, and men who were great conversationalists according to Mrs. Wharton, though the witticisms she quoted were so arch and refined, I felt they belonged in bad drawing room comedy.

The book reads well, except for the stretches of introductions. Mrs. Wharton firmly believes that if you can't speak well of someone, you shouldn't speak of him or her at all. Not a bad idea at that