History Books

This was a great, great read and the author used a very interesting way to write it by using a ton of quotes from those who were there to tell the story. His own words were the perfect conduit.

This was truly a book I hated coming to the end of.

Of course, there are several books in circulation about the birth and growth of the American Football League (AFL), the greatest rival sports league in the history of American professional sports. What makes this book a little different from the pack is that it consists almost entirely of quotes from interviews with the various participants in AFL history -- players, coaches, owners, etc.

So in all candor, the author contributes little, and appears to have acted more like a stenographer than anything else. I suppose that can be both good and bad. But though I like this book a great deal, I'd say it's not as good as a similar book by Bob Curran entitled "The $400,000 Quarterback -- or -- The League that Came in from Out of the Cold."

But if you an AFL-lover, you'll love it. If you are just AFL-curious, you may want to shop around for other titles.

99% of this book is a collection of stories about the AFL by former players, coaches, administrators, owners, and others with some connection to the game. It is interesting, but not a great book. Most interesting is the explanation about how NBC cut off the Heidi game. Typical corporate move from the beginning to the end. Nobody had any objection throughout the week of the proposed cutoff and none of the "suits" could make a decision at crunch time. NBC has never lived the Heidi game down and it will always be remembered in sports broadcasting.

This is an insightful, interesting look at the AFL. Great interviews with the actual participants of the events that took place. I would recommend the book to anyone with an interest of this league and how the merger took place with the NFL.

For some reason, oral biographies of pro sports leagues make great reads when written by the right people. The oral bio of the WHA is fascinating and Terry Pluto's "Loose Balls" of the American Basketball Association is simply one of the great sports books ever.

Going Long is right up there with Loose Balls. It is one of the two definitive books about the American Football League (along with The Other League), a league whose influence in its 10 years is felt every second in the National Football League.

This book is able to tell two separate stories, the business side of how The Foolish Club of original AFL owners were able to survive against the tough and savvy National Football League. Then there is the story about the players and the individual teams. Miller is able to present the business side in an extremely interesting manner, not an easy task.

The book treats Joe Namath with the appropriate perspective, not fawning over his immense off-the-field contributions or overrating his playing ability. It does underrate some of the great AFL teams and units, especially the 1969-1970 Chief linebackers (Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier are in Canton). It also talks little on why Sonny Werblin was forced out from the NY Jets. But these are minor quibbles.

Watch a pro football game. Do you like seeing a player's name on his jersey? That is the AFL. Do you like having the stadium clock (as shown on TV as well) as the official clock? That is the AFL. Do you like the 2-point conversion, that is the AFL. Do you like watching even the longest games to conclusion, that is the AFL (with an assist to Heidi).

Great league and this book does it justice.

Excellent book. Straightforward and lucid grasp of history.

The section on Islam alone is worth the the small cost of this book many times over.

Mr. Belloc never leaves one doubting his opinion. His direct and authoritative style might anger those who disagree or thrill the faithful. Either way you will be led through the reasoning Mr. Belloc took to draw his conclusions which will drive you to think the same matters through to your own. In this work, Mr. Belloc does not provide an in-depth theological background on the heresies cited but instead gives a rough sketch of each and categorizes each as a type. Then, using this typology approach he carries each to their logical conclusions to convey their affect on the societies they infected. Mr. Belloc provides the superstructure for understanding other heresies by giving us the essential root of Arianism, Islam, Albigensianism, Protestantism, and Modernism. Through each description he also draws some interesting parallels to the various heresies. Of course, as a Roman Catholic, Mr. Belloc will step on some Protestant toes in particular since they will be the most likely to read his book outside other Catholics.

Mr. Belloc's approach is opinionated and he writes as an expert without always providing the evidence for his opinions. At the same time, there is enough evidence in the form of his logical approach to give one the opportunity to explore his opinions more themselves. Mr. Belloc was one of the great philosopher-historians of the early 20th century and his thoughts will always be valuable to the seeker or any one wishing to improve their critical thinking skills through practice. In this key work, he reminds us how ideas, and particularly, theology has consequences to society. It is not a topic to ignore or think only the realm of the theological hair-splitters. Our culture today has the marks of the theology that created it and upholds it. Mr. Belloc helps us focus on those aftershocks in theology that have shaped our culture.

Hilaire Belloc begins his book by justifying its existence. Modern education and thought largely ignore religion, particularly the parts that unfolded in what we label "The Middle Ages". But Belloc has some inconvenient facts for us. The history of civilization is the history of religion. A society rises or falls by the strength of its individuals; those individuals rise and fall by the strength of their religion. To understand the past, grasp the present, and know the future, we must know religion. The one religion that has stood at the center of human history is the Catholic Church. And to take the measure of that religion, we must look at the challenges it has faced and overcome.

Belloc's spare, straightforward prose takes us through a whirlwind tour of five heresies that the Church defeated. The Arian Heresy denied the full divinity of Jesus. It was rejected by Church leaders, but survived in the Roman Army for much longer. The Albigsenean attack came later, during the High Middle Ages. It was an attack not just on theology but on the fundamental nature of reality. The end product of denying reality was an obsession with intense experience, such as bizarre rituals involving fire-worship. Fortunately for us, both of these notions passed into the dustbin of history.

The chapter on Islam is the longest and the most illuminating. Belloc begins it by unerlining the fact that Islam was a heresy. It was not a brand new religion, but a corruption and oversimplification of the Christian doctrine that the Prophet Mohammed learned in Syria. But more importantly, Belloc focuses on the social environment where Islam first rose. A massive underclass in the decaying Persian and Byzantine Empires toiled under the restrictions of the upper class. Among these oppressed, the nascent Islamic movement found willing support for its doctrine of total equality and total submission to God.

We all view Islam as decaying, stagnant, and backwards-looking. We rarely remember that until about three centuries ago, Islam dominated the world with the most advanced technology, thought, and political systems. Belloc does. He enjoins us to remember that almost into the 18th century, the Muslim hordes were knocking on the doors of Central Europe, and that Vienna was only saved by a last-minute intervention by the Poles. (It happened, in a delightful historical twist, on September 11.) In 1938 Belloc saw an Islam that was down but not out; he predicted that it would soon be knocking impolitely on Europe's door again. A far-fetched prediction at the time, this has now come true, and Belloc knows why. Islam thrives on social injustice; when westerners decided to prop up oil-wealthy shieks throughout the Arab world, they created the exact conditions in which the Muslim message can rally the masses.

Thr fourth and probably least popular chapter is "What was the Reformation?" Belloc acknowledgeed that by the 16th century, the Catholic Church was badly in need of a correction. Yet the cure, as so often happens, may be worse than the disease. He emphasized that Martin Luther aimed to fix the Church from within. It was only John Calvin who insisted on breaking away and forming a new church with a radically different theological basis. Belloc predicted that the Protestant world would lose its vitality and join the secular world. Again, time has proved him right; Protestantism remains strong in the USA but throughout northern Europe the churches are disintegrating.

And that leads us to the final chapter, "The Modern Attack". Secularism is the first heresy to try overthrowing all the building blocks of Christianity. In denies not only the supremacy of God but also the need for justice, equality, joy, and love. It replaces morality with self-interest, education with job-training, freedom with tyranny. And yet, awesome as this final attack may have seemed, Belloc saw the seeds of the Church's victory already sprouting. Time has proved him right yet again. Pope Jonh Paul II stood up to lead the defense against communism. Now Christianity regains it strength in the former Soviet block and also throughout the third world, and there are tantalizing signs that Western Europe will soon be Christian again. And so Belloc finishes the book with tempered optimism. Christianity will survive; we have Jesus's word on that. How it will look in the future remains to be seen. But in any case this book gives a spirited look at parts of world history which our schools now ignore totally, and for that alone it's more than worth reading.

As Belloc argues in his other book Europe and the Faith, Europe is the Faith and the Faith is Europe, referring of course to Christianism. The development of Western Civilization is inseparable from the Christian religion and its ideology.

As every Civilization is built upon a certain ideology, in order to understand our Civilization, its history and the challenges it faces today, one must understand its ideology. And in this, it is important to know also the views that have arisen within or in the fringes of Western Civilization, that go against the Christian ideology. On this, The Great Heresies by Belloc does a very good job.

And on the issue of Islam as a threat to our civilization, in the 1930s Belloc asked himself if Islam would again present that threat. He believed it would. And in that, we now know that he was, as in much everything else, extraordinarily clear and correct.

This book is a must-read.

Fantastic book! An amazing summary that rings so true you can feel it in your bones. Particularly stark and foreboding is his warning that Mohammedism will be back to try again to destroy us - and here they are now! Anyone who thinks if we only ignore Islamofascism it will go away needs to read this book. Belloc understands the threat and categorizes it within the broad expanse of human history. Ignore him at our peril!

I thoroughly enjoyed GROWING UP BASEBALL. It was definitely a memorable reading experience. --David Dewse

A new book is out that takes an original approach to baseball. "Growing up baseball, an oral history," lets players tell their stories in their own words. Among those who write about their childhood baseball memories: Mark Grace, Bob Feller, Dom DiMaggio, Sam McDowell, Don Larsen and Mike Scioscia, manager of the Anaheim Angels, who vanquished the Giants in the World Series.

By Harvey and Frederic Frommer, the book is a quick and satisfying read about the innocent youth of baseball stars.

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The title and premise intrigued me. A series of mini-bios told in the first person by men who had actually made it to the "Big Leagues". I was looking for an answer, into my own psyche perhaps as to why the game is so compelling. Why do I stay up late for Opening Day and to watch every possible minute of the World Series? Why is Opening Day for my home team so important that I consider it a national holiday and have not missed an opening day game most of my adult life, even traveling over 300 miles to be there.

Why are celebrities like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Kostner and Billy Crystal so obviously obsessed with the game. Even presidents are drawn to the game, our current president owned a team, Bill Clinton is said to be "bonkers about baseball". It is not just America that is taken with the game. The Japanese passion is well documented as well as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. I thought if I could hear in their own words what brought many major leaguers to the game I could find a commonality and understand why I am so gripped by the game.

In Growing Up Baseball players from the past and present, ones who had afleeting time in the major leagues to ones who are icons- discuss their intimate childhood memories of the game. Players who grew up with and without TV and /or in areas where there was no access to major or minor league teams and areas where cities have several major league teams all have the same passion for the game.

Chuck Stevens - Played three years for the St. Louis Browns. Grew up occasionally hearing games on the radio and reading ticker tape reports of World Series games. But spent 23 years in the Browns organization.

Scott Brosius - NY Yankees third baseman, knew he wanted to be a major leaguer from age three, but never saw a major league game until he was drafted by the Oakland A's at 22-years old.

Jose Cardenal -Native of Cuba whose whole family's life was devoted to baseball. His father played, his older brother played for the Army League, his cousin is Bert "Campy" Campaneris and his sister was the only female official scorer in Cuba. Signed by the Giants but couldn't get very much playing time due to the existing outfield of Mays, McCovey and the Alou brothers, was later traded and played 18 years in the majors.

The stories recount tales of parents who encouraged, parents who discouraged. Idols who became mentors. Boys who became men.

While Growing Up Baseball was not able to give me insight into my own obsession it does give intimate details and takes a peak into the childhood of majors leaguers who we love so much and always wanted to be.
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"Ambitious, very interesting. The wonderful oral histories humazine the players so much."

The title and premise intrigued me. A series of mini-bios told in the first person by men who had actually made it to the "Big Leagues." I was looking for an answer, into my own psyche perhaps as to why the game is so compelling. Why do I stay up late for Opening Day and to watch every possible minute of the World Series? Why is Opening Day for my home team so important that I consider it a national holiday and have not missed an opening day game most of my adult life, even traveling over 300 miles to be there?

Why are celebrities like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner and Billy Crystal so obviously obsessed with the game? Even presidents are drawn to the game. Our current president owned a team. Bill Clinton is said to be "bonkers about baseball." It is not just America that is taken with the game. The Japanese passion is well documented as well as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. I thought if I could hear in their own words what brought many major leaguers to the game I could find a commonality and understand why I am so gripped by the game.

In Growing Up Baseball players from the past and present - ones who had a fleeting time in the major leagues to ones who are icons - discuss their intimate childhood memories of the game. Players who grew up with and without TV and/or in areas where there was no access to major or minor league teams and areas where cities have several major league teams all have the same passion for the game.

Chuck Stevens - Played three years for the St. Louis Browns. Grew up occasionally hearing games on the radio and reading ticker tape reports of World Series games. But spent 23 years in the Browns organization.

Scott Brosius - NY Yankees third baseman, knew he wanted to be a major leaguer from age three, but never saw a major league game until he was drafted by the Oakland A's at 22-years old.

Jose Cardenal - Native of Cuba whose whole family's life was devoted to baseball. His father played, his older brother played for the Army League, his cousin is Bert "Campy" Campaneris and his sister was the only female official scorer in Cuba. Signed by the Giants but couldn't get very much playing time due to the existing outfield of Mays, McCovey and the Alou brothers, was later traded and played 18 years in the majors.

The stories recount tales of parents who encouraged, parents who discouraged. Idols who became mentors. Boys who became men.

While Growing Up Baseball was not able to give me insight into my own obsession it does give intimate details and takes a peak into the childhood of major leaguers who we love so much and always wanted to be.

Once you get past the strange layout (described in other sections), this is a great edition of Henry V. It is easy and fun to read and offers valuable insights (not just for students either). Well worth a flutter.

This play is best known for the St. Crispian's Day "Band of Brothers" speech given by King Henry just before the battle at Agincourt. It is a powerful speech that rallies people at all times and everywhere. Sir Lawrence Olivier made a film version in 1944 during WWII and Kenneth Branagh made another as recently as 1989. You can count on there being more versions. Epecially so when computers can help them make spectacular battle scenes (that aren't really in the play) with less expense.

Audiences love this play and they should. There is a lot to like and enjoy. I think upon repeated readings Henry becomes a more equivocal character than he seems at first. And readers of the King Henry IV plays will know him before he became King Henry and know something deeper about his personality.

And of course there is the whole bit about the drive to France being sponsored by the Church to avoid confiscation of property by the Crown. Moreover, there is the slaughtering of the French prisoners, and his treatment of Falstaff (who dies offstage in this play). This isn't revisionist stuff, it is right there in the play, but it is easy to miss the first time you are trying to take in the play.

In any case, this Arden edition is the one to buy and read from. Why? Because it has the most authoritative text, but that is only the beginning. It also shows variants between the early sources. The notes at the bottom of each page of the play are simply fabulous. The editor includes not only helpful notes explaining what might be obscure in the text of the play, he provides sources Shakespeare probably used such as Holinshed and makes for some very interesting study. There are also some helpful notes on how various scenes have been performed over time.

And to make this sound more like an infomercial, you get more! The introduction provides great background material on the play, its sources, and how it has been performed throughout history. After the play, there is a photo reproduction of the first Quarto from 1600 and it is fairly readable. There are also a couple of maps showing the path of the English Army from Harfleur through other towns on its way to Calais and makes clear how they had to pass through Agincourt.

There is also a helpful genealogical table so you can see the confusing claims used by Henry and the French nobility to make their claims. And there is a doubling chart so you can see how theater companies can perform all the roles with fewer actors.

This is a great edition as are all the plays published by the Arden Shakespeare. The amount of work collected in these volumes is stunning and they will enrich your experience of the plays tremendously. I can't recommend them enough.

This play more than any others in the histories glorifies Englishmen and England. His characters in this one are larger than life, but each has their own limitations and flaws. The play covers the time of the Battle of Agincourt when the French King Charles was so sure of victory that he sent a messenger to Henry to ask him to give up and to pay a ransom before the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered five to one, Henry's troops were on foreign soil and riddled with disease. The scenes where Henry dons a disguise and goes out amongst his troops to bolster their confidence are great. The English managed to triumph in this battle where all was stacked against them mostly because of Henry's leadership. This is such a sweeping story that it is hard to condense in a few words, the plot of the play, but it is a wonderful example of Shakespeare's skills as a writer.

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.' What more need I say? Henry V is an imortal classic of western literature. And this edition is complete and accurate. See the film if you want, but be sure to read the words at least once. They are inspiring.

"Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it."

Particularly poignant poetry in these times of pompous presidential sabre rattling and wars based on questionable facts.

I have the honor of being one of Dr Feig's students studying Eastern European History. I have read many things she has written, this book, like everything else , is amazing. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I have had the honor, and pleasure, of being Dr. Konnilyn Feig's student at Foothill College, CA. I have read this book, and I think I can say that it reflects the personality of the author. Dr. Feig is a Teacher, first and foremost. She is one of the few, rare, great Academics, a scholar of enormous skill and learning. This is shown in every page of her book, her intelligence, her strong, vibrant personality, and her critical, clear eye of a Historian. This book is possibly one of the best histories of Hitler's death camps that could ever be written, because it is written by an intelligent person who strives to keep this horrifying part of our shared past from being forgotten. She writes with strength, with passion, and with the vitality of a woman who has devoted her life to teaching, to one of the most noble professions of this world. Not only is this book an unsurpassed history of a terrifying time, but it is a monument to the vital, burning mind of a woman who can best be designated by a single word, a word that speaks of intelligence, nobility, and necessity-a Teacher. For the author alone, the book is more than worth reading, for Academics such as this are not often found.

I read this book when I was 16, after FINALLY watching a copy of "Schindler's List". From the moment I began the movie, I was entranced by the Holocaust and immediately wanted to read as much as I could about this dark time in Our History. As I expected, there isn't that much available to a 16 year old (I am 19 now), but this book was enough and then some! It is amazing how the author goes through EACH individual camp (major camp) and illuminates the reader as to what occured and what fate awaited not only the comandants, but the female SS officers. From this book, it is so easy to FEEL what the victims of the Holocaust felt and SEE the horror they witnessed. This is one of my most favorite books!

I'll be brief. A deeply disturbing account of Nazi concentration camps and the activities that took place at such locales. It is truly hard to imagine the abhorrent behavior and actions that were used against Jews, mainly Jews, and other non-sanctioned races designated by the National Socialist Worker's Party in the years before and throughout WWII. Feig guides the reader along a nightmarish tour of grisly death and, what many inhabitants of these camps must of felt, psychological hopelessness.

This book does an admirable job of detailing the horrors inflicted on those victims of the Nazi camps. From Chelmno to Bergen-Belsen, all the major camps are described in unflinching language. The only drawback to the book is some of the critcisms the author levels at the Allies during World War II and before the war. Some examples of this unfair treatment: 1) She berates them for not attacking railroads leading to the camps or bombing the crematoriums. However, she herself admitted that the Germans would have quickly repaired the tracks and the crematoriums. Thus it would have taken multiple raids made against these targets, effectively denying the bombers from use against the Nazi war machine. If there were multiple raids made, it could very well have led to defeat of Allied forces on key fronts. It is doubtful that even if these multiple raids had been made that the Germans would have given up on killing their victims. The author herself stated that the Nazis, beyond any reason, was fervently trying to kill as many concentration camp inmates as possible before Allied troops arrived. Thus it would be unlikely that the Nazi effort to kill Jews would have been dissuaded. 2) She berates the US and Britain for not allowing widespread immigration during the Depression. She ignores the fact that both US and Britain were in the grips of (surprise!) the biggest Depression the world had seen and thus didn't need more people competing with American and British workers for scarce jobs. 3) She attacks Britain for not allowing widespread Jewish immigration into Palestine just before World War II and during it. She obviously doesn't understand that if that thing she wished for was allowed, the Arabs might have revolted against the British (as she even mentioned in the book) and may have sided with Germany. If that had happened, the Suez Canal would have been cut and Britain would have lost a vital source of supplies. Being deprived of that, Great Britain might have actually fallen to Nazi juggernaut and Hitler essentially won the war in Europe. If THAT had happened, I guarantee many more inmates would have died.

In response to some of the prattlings below-only those who do not know the first thing about Nietzsche think that he was at all anti-Semitic. He wrote clearly, very clearly, against that and against nationalism. In one of his books he stated that Germany should not admit any more Jews inside of her borders. Why? Because he felt that the German people lacked an identity, and knew that Jewish people had a very strong identity. He did not think that Germany, weak and unrealized as it was, could stand an influx of a people that he repeatedly characterized as remarkable.

I am somewhat obsessed with Nietzsche, and this book started it all. Do not dive into his later, more well known masterpieces (Beyond Good and Evil, the Genealogy of Morals, The Gay Science) without acquainting yourself with this book. It is an introduction to his style, and there is no better example of his mastery of psychological observations. In this book he comments on all elements of social reality ("no one thinks to thank the clever man for restraining his wit when in the company of those who cannot practice wit" for example), going into love, friendship, the tenor of social gatherings, absolutely everything that is psychologically investigatable. He brings this method to his later books, in which he tackles larger issues, like the history of religion, philosophy, morality, and other things. But it all starts here-his later critiques of Christianity and everything else are far more understandable after a thorough acquaintance with his psychological method, first and best presented here. If you are at all sensitive and introspective, this book will move you to tears more than a few times.

O.k. So I have a minor in philosophy and Nietzsche was one of my inspirations to pursue this as a degree in college. Nietzsche deals with androgony. In more modern terms, men and women are crossing over the line of androgeny with their jock image. They are getting more and more androgynous you can't distunguish between even basic differences between the sexes anymore. While my philosophy professor and classmates dismissed Nietzsche as "not being a first rate philosopher," he does have his points about god and androgeny. This is part of our changing world and in philosophy class I did make my points.

I feel obligated to correct a distortion suggested by `unraveler' below. It is popular to suggest Nietzsche was an anti-semite, but this is a rather lazy habit. Nietzsche's remark on `the youthful stock-exchange Jew' was mentioned. Here it is in its proper environment:

. . . the entire problem of the Jews exists only within national states, inasmuch as it is here that their energy and higher intelligence, their capital in will and spirit accumulated from generation to generation in a long school of suffering, must come to preponderate to a degree calculated to arouse envy and and hatred, so that in almost every nation . . . there is gaining ground the literary indecency of leading the Jews to the sacrificial slaughter as scapegoats for every possible public or private misfortune. As soon as it is no longer a question of the conserving of nations but of the production of the strongest possible European mixed race, the Jew will be just as usable and desirable as an ingredient of it as any other national residue. Every nation, every man, possesses unpleasant, indeed dangerous qualities: it is cruel to demand that the Jew should constitute an exception. In him these qualities may even be dangerous and repellent to an exceptional degree; and perhaps the youthful stock-exchange Jew is the most repulsive invention of the entire human race. Nonetheless I should like to know how much must, in a total accounting, be forgiven a people who, not without us all being to blame, have had the most grief-laden history of any people and whom we have to thank for the noblest human being (Christ), the purest sage (Spinoza), the mightiest book and the most efficacious moral code in the world. . . .

Is this anti-semitism???

if you want to have your moral foundations knocked out from under you, read this book - and then build upon the ruins - Nietzsche's, in my opinion, most accessible work, as his aphoristic style floats over many different topics - don't stop here however, i recommend Kauffman's "Nietzsche, Philosopher, Psychologist, AntiChrist" as a starter if you find the complexity and diversity of Nietzsche's thought to be overwhelming or incomprehensible - he's frequently ambiguous and contradictory but it's more a positive trademark of his works and shouldn't dissuade one from further readings.

If you like aphorisms and philosophy, this book will become one of your bibles. If nothing else, it's just plain fun to read for his incredible wit. Of course you have to put his ideas in the context of the period in which he wrote and understand that he has his own odd prejudices, but the brilliance of his understanding of the human condition really shines through. The biggest mistake any reader could make is to think Nietzsche was an anti-semite---far from it. He was anti-neanderthal. In this book especially the reader sees his low tolerance for received wisdom. This book is nothing less than part of the origin of Western psychology as practiced today. It also represents the demolition of science and philosophy polluted by the received Western theological framework. Some of the best parts are when he skewers religion. You have to love his style even if you do not agree with his pessimistic disgust for piety. This is the kind of philosophy book you need not fret over, unless you harbor wishful thinking about a supremely benevolent deity. Instead of making an elaborate argument about the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin, as preceeding systematic philosophers did literally and figuratively, Nietzsche bends the pin and throws it in the trash. I wish I had read this before his Genealogy of Morals, as knowing his thoughts here would have made that book far more interetsing and understandable. I highly recommend philosophy students first approaching Nietzsche pick up Human, All Too Human to start their study. And if you are religious and want to bolster your faith, well, you should stay far away from this book.

Was absolutely delighted when we received this book. This is an artist who is so ripe for a reappraisal! Waterhouse managed to pull off a genuine and moving romantic vision. The writing is thoughtful and spirited. The reproductions are first rate. Can't imagine anyone would fail to love this one.

Philip Koch
Professor of Fine Art
Maryland Institute College of Art

This is the best book I have found on J.W. Waterhouse. Not only does this book talk about the painter's life, but more importantly, each of J.W .Waterhouse's paintings are described in very full detail (eg: OPHELIA).

I was so intrigued by reading about Waterhouses' pictures, because the author of this wonderful book (ie: PETER TRIPPI) elaborated in great detail about each work of Art, by contrasting and comparing Waterhouses' paintings to other famous paintings and sculptures (eg: Bourne Jones from the 1800's, and also many famous Italian 1400-th Century Artists) .

The author has attempted, (& with great success, I may add), to show how Waterhouse was influenced by past Rapheaelite Artists and also by some of the other famous first-phase Pre-Raheaelite English Artists.

Each synopsis, of each Waterhouse painting is quite amazing and like no other interpretation that I have read on this famous late-Pre-Raphaelite Artist.

The repro-photos of Waterhouse's works are amazing, -----showing such wonderful details and colors.

If you are an art lover of paintings that can take your breath away, and pulling you int it than John Waterhouse is a must for your collection. He is such a great artist and this book is so incredible you want to devour it. He is one of the greatest artists of his time that I would recommend this book because it is affordable and wonderful.

I received this book quickly and with no delays.

Would love to have ordered the hardcover for a coffee table book but this one does just fine for the cost and over-seas shipping it would have taken for the hardcover. Lots of information on J W Waterhouse and great pictures. It even has some of his less known works and pictures that you can't find prints for. A true keep sake and treasure for those who are interested in this artist and his time. Oh, and a few of the house guests, students, have even asked to borrow the book. First table book to have created some interesting conversations.

Peter Trippi's monograph has done what I would assume had to be very difficult to do: he has a good feel for the quiet,quiet man behind the paintings. The depth of his study helped me to verify a number of pieces of information that led me into my own research, and has continued to be my main reference as I continue my work. I recommend that this is the book to begin with if you are going to enter any serious study of John William Waterhouse; however, don't let that make you think it is only a scholar's read: it is well written, beautifully illustrated, and simply a joy to behold.

KILLER ANGELS is one of those books I've always wanted to read but for some reason I just never got around to it. It is my favorite genre(historical fiction) and one of my favorite periods in American history(Civil War), I've lost count of the number of people who recommended it to me. So one fine summer July day in the year 2008 I see it on the shelf in my local library and with no hesitation I pluck it off the shelf. I get home and begin to read this gem of a book. I've read no finer book on the Civil War. There are plenty of reviews here and there to give you all the details you need so there is very little I can add to those reviews. But when you read a book that is so heavily anticipated (it won a Pulitzer for Pete's sake!) and the book so easily surpasses those expectations then it indeed it is a special book. When a writer writes with so much empathy and understanding for his characters and story line as Michael Shaara does then it is a book that you will never forget. This is one of those rare gems that forever will stay with you. Very few books reach that level as far as I'm concerned. A work of passion, intelligence, compassion and wisdom. My only problem is that I wanted more. I didn't want it to end, luckily for us Mr Shaara left us an equally talented son to carry on his work.

This was a major battle (Gettysburg, PA) between the Norhern VA massive group of 70,000 and the indomnable Union fighters that fateful day in one of the bloodiest fights of that war. Antienam in Maryland was the bloodiest with Atlanta's "fallen" depicted in 'Gone With the Wind' and Shiloh not far behind in numbers of casualties.

This fictional account of the Gettysburg massacre on both sides won a Pulitzer prize for Michael Shaara who uses the liberties of creative writing to make these men and their families "real." The most real of them all was the spy, Harrison, who reported to General Lee while JEB Stuart was out about town living it up and getting all of the attention. If you read enough about the U.S. Civil War, you'll realize right away that the truth, though mired in the mud of dissession and cow pastures from one end of the small country as it was in June, 1862, to the East Coast.

It was not the most dramatic confrontation (my choide would be Shiloh, which I drove to many times to meander around the large battlefield on many occasions), as much or more than our yearly trips to Gettysburg (not far from Westminster where Evelyn lived) which received more notice because of Abraham Lincoln's moving address. He had a way with words for a self-educated Kentuckian. But Shiloh, in Tennessee, endured more detailed plans for combat and Johnston met his destiny.

When we read what the scholars chose as the most important, we miss the human part of war (as we are doing now in that God-forsaken, medieval place in the Middle East, and are presented with statistics to prove their choices. Every Civil War encounter has the spy (like young Sam Davis of Smyrna) who met his demise on a lonely hill in Pulaski, TN. Without spies, the generals and their staff are left with maps but that's about all. The spies made the war come alive. Instead of a far flung field or stream far away from home, the spies kept the action going by risking their lives to get important information and plans to the leaders. 'The Killer Anmgels' were on Robert E. Lee's left shoulder but his melancholia wore him down emotionally. Without his generals (Nathan Bedford Forrest being his very best), there would have been no war. The spy Harrison blew cigar smoke "puffing exuberantly like a happy furnace."

"Why do there have to be men like that, men who enjoy another man's misery?" Reading about factual (as far as the staticians knew or could figure) war atrocities can be dry and not very interesting to the average person. It has been de-personalized. Stephen Crane followed his heart and instincts in 'The Red Badge of Courage' to bring the participants to life on paper and not merely a statistic. He inspired Michael Shaara to do much of the same. "The interpretation of character is my own," he wrote. At all times, especially in times of danger to one's life, you must keep one's sense of humor. I thought Mark had one but apparently I was mistaken. This book was written 34 years ago, the year Justin was born. Always the rebel, like his mom, he could not have been a spy. Brave, smart, something of an actor (like John Wilkes Booth), like Jeff could quote Shakespeare from memory, lucky and strong. "It has been my pleasure, sir, to have served such a man...God bless you, sir. Now, it is all in God's hands."

The compelling novel of Gettysburg that Laura Hillenbrand remarked was her model for "Seabiscuit". The times and events are different but the sylistic similarities are palpable. Short chapters. Short sentences, mostly. Extremely visual--concrete, up-close, detailed scenes, always with a dramatic tension. Superbly structured--makes the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the most confusing battles of the 19th Century, sparklingly clear. Accomplished by shifitng the viewpoint from one key character to another, from chapter to chapter (mainly Longstreet and Chamberlain, also Buford, Armistead, and Lee). This is art, and is not easy; the product of intense hard work, with the reader's welfare always paramount. Above all, a human story of real people under stress, striving, where the stakes matter. At the same time, Shaara manages to explicate the larger causes of the war, and in the mouths of his characters he ably argues both the National and the Rebel viewpoints. A masterpiece.

I became totally enthralled with the Civil War after reading this masterpiece. His story-telling style caught me off guard and I absolutely flew through this book. Thankfully his son has picked up the torch to complete the finest historical series I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Be sure to read Gods & Generals and Last Full Measure. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion.

I had been always interested in Americas' Civil War and had read some excellent books on the subject such as A Brotherhood Of Valor: The Common Soldiers Of The Stonewall Brigade C S A And The Iron Brigade U S A, Through Blood and Fire at Gettysburg and Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States) but "The Killer Angels" is a very special one.

Late Michael Shaara has performed an excellent research on the private papers of the battle protagonist. Based on this material he produce a griping story, presenting the men that march to the tragic encounter, with their ideals, memories, sorrows, doubts & hopes.

He follows Generals Lee and Longstreet and Colonel Chamberlain amongst others, penetrating their most intimate thoughts in such a way that the reader can't avoid wondering how this is possible.
Mr. Shaara does not pick sides, he presents the reader with the confronting "Cause", which every man into the field believes to be just, and for which is willing to shed his blood. The valor and self sacrifice these men deploy, is reflected in each page of this incredible good book.

Enough maps are shown enabling the reader to follow the displacement of the armies in the field.

For readers interested in Civil War, Michael's son, Jeff, has written Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure telling the events preceding and following this crucial struggle.

A great stuff to be read by history buffs or casual readers. Enjoy!!!.

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Not many authors can juggle politics, technical subject materials, an large cast of characters and tie it into a readable epic novel that entertains, teaches and inspires.

It reminds us that the stars are within our reach and all we have to do is harness private enterprise. If you want to wait for the government to take you to the stars you will have a long wait.

I cannot recommend it enough.

This is the only book that has ever caused me to actually jump up from my seat and run around the room cheering.. But, hats exactly what happens in one particular scene, and I think that anyone with at least some vestiges of childhoods imagination and adventurous spirit should feel the same way about the story inside these pages. Aside from he excellent quality, fleshed out characters, complex plot, and exciting story, Koman's novel sends out a wonderful message that shouldnt be ignored by anyone concerned for the future of liberty in this world... Buy this book and love it! I promise that my last request will not be hard to fulfill! Even if your political viewpoints disagree with the story, you'll get caught up in the excitement and love it anyways!

As one of the other reviewers stated this is one of the best books no one has read. I came across it in July, 2003 by chance in a small bookstore. Once I started reading I could not stop until I reached the end. It has interesting characters (and they are characters), good guys you cheer, bad guys you would like to shoot, inter-weaving storylines, an interesting story to tell, plot and subplots. The writing keeps all of the stories flowing along pulling you into the stories and along to the end of the novel. All in all a totally enjoyable read. Now some may find the libertarian ideas of the author annoying but they form an intergal part of the story and reminded me of L. Niel Smith at his best. And the conspiracy angle is well enough set up and argued that you are left thinking it makes perfect sense. Perhaps the best recomendation is that, as this was noted as book one on the High Pilgramage, I was extremely disappointed that no book two (or three) had been written. So let me conclude by suggesting you get a copy read it, tell your friends to get copies and get book two on its way for me to read!

This novel would have fit right in on my teenage bookshelf in 1980. It has all the grittiness and technical detail of Niven, Pournelle, Pohl and Hogan, overlaid with the libertarian elements that show up in some Heinlein stories. It lacks Bester's economy of prose, but does have a tight plot. Like many authors of the golden age of SF, Koman comes off as both cynical and romantic. In real life, this story's heroes wouldn't stand a chance. (Dude! Building a spaceship is hard!) But its villains are surprisingly close to the mark. Teens and NASA employees may bristle at the NASA-bashing, but every decade that goes by with zero progress in human space flight proves the point.

Like much of the great science fiction of the past, this book has a definite libertarian theme. My only faults with it were 1) lost of sleep while reading it because it is one of those books that you can't put down and 2) one rape scene that I considered a lot more graphic than it needed to be and thereby precludes my recommending the book to younger readers. One might object that many of the characters in the book are too black and white, but I would maintain that Koman may be closer to the truth here than many are willing to admit. The reality is that evil exists and most politicians are scum. "Kings of the High Frontier" immediately flew into my top 10 fiction list. Victor Koman seems a worthy successor to Robert Heinlein.

Me and my girlfriend were looking at getting Kittens in our Condo. Even though we decided not to adopt kittens, this book really gave me a lot of information on how to take care of them.

This book is really easy to read and it has so much information inside. I love the "Dummies" books and this book will not disappoint.

This book is great! It's an easy read with loads of good information. I would recommend it to anyone with or considering getting a kitten.

Most of the information found here overlapped with what i've read elsewhere but the illustrations on clipping the kittens nails were the best I've seen--very clear and understandable.

I enjoy reading this book. It is full of usefull information, and fun and easy to read.

Kittens for Dummies is quite simply one of the best books I've ever read. I'm glad I didn't get a copy from the library because the overdue fines would have bankrupted me!!!

Growing up, my mom was a breeder and I've had cats ever since. About 1.5 yrs ago,my son decided that he wanted a dog or cat that would be 'his' and sleep upstairs with him. We were at Petsmart and there was an adoption event. He saw a 7 mos old black kiten named Scamp. He wanted to take him home immediately, but had to talk to Daddy, who at 43 and never having an indoor pet had graciously allowed the adoption of a cat and a rather large dog. He agreed and during the week that we waited to adopt Scamp, I went looking for a book that would explain to my son all about kittens and what kinds of things they needed. I found very few children's books that covered the kinds of info I wanted. On the shelf next to it was Kittens For Dummies. It had all kinds of information in it, and happened to have a sticker on the front that said "Autographed Copy". I thought that was neat and that it had been so long since I'd had kittens that it wouldn't hurt for me to brush up on my own kitten care knowledge. I read the book cover to cover, like a novel. I couldn't put it down. For the interesting, pertinent and especially funny parts, I read it aloud to my husband and son while we drove from place to place that week. I suspect they had most of the book read to them. When I got to the part about orphan kittens, I was very interested. I had only one child, and we could not have any more. The thought came that maybe I could use some of the 'baby crazies' to take care of baby cats that didn't have mothers and more. I talked to my husband and to the people at the rescue group when we picked up Scamp, and while they said they didn't get a lot of bottle babies, they didn't have many people that could care for them and they would definitely call me. They called a week later. I got a box with a couple of towels, a bottle, a brush, an can of formula and I was a new mom! THANK GOD for Dusty's book. That kitten had a number of problems, but I was prepared for almost every single one, thanks to the book. I learned the signs to watch for when he would get sick, times he needed medicine or special care, how to determine what age he was, and what milestones he would or should have reached. Since then, I've been a foster mom to many more kittens. I catapulted from 'newbie foster parent' to 'expert kitten foster'. When the group had a kitten that a lot of supervision or that was very medically fragile they brought them to me. I had a lot of help from the more experienced rescuers in our group and from friends online, but more often than not, they reminded me of something I'd read in Kittens for Dummies. I had the privilege of meeting Dusty and Weems, and found out something really neat about the book -- All of the pictures except the show kitties and the one on the cover are ALL orphan kittens raised in their home. That's a LOT of happy and healthy kittens!! The book has something for everyone that has or will have a kitten or cat in their life. A lot of the information I've used for full-grown cats as well as kittens - because the information is so thoroughly presented. I have places that the book will fall open to on it's own because it's been in that place so many times -- I use the age chart often to try to figure out what age a kitten that has been brought to me might be. A normal, healthy, indoor kitten can be estimated by weight, but in rescue, very rarely are the kittens we get normal, healthy indoor kittens until we help them become that. Rescue can be hard work - especially when you lose one of the kittens. Dusty even covers that possibility in her book. That's not something we all want to think about, but it's an important thing to consider, since everyone experiences the death of a pet differerntly. Having lost my own cat of 10 years recently, I ever found myself popping my book open, once again, to check out the web address for petloss.com. I hope if you have or are going to get a kitten (or a cat) that you will get this book. I don't know what I would have done without it!