United Kingdom Books

Requires a black man from England to slip behind the curtain and report on the quondam parlous State of african americans... He did it. You should read it. Who ever you may be.

Truly a good read on many levels-- as a travelogue, as a history review of a critical time in US emancipation.. It's all good.
And well crafted too; beautifully polished phrases encapsulate moments and people. Really, it's all good.

Gary Younge is a young British journalist of Bermudan descent, who decides to take a trip through the American South in search of some of the symbols of black culture he most identified with in his youth. Along the way Younge interviews a variety of activists, civil rights figures, and every day people, and comments on the landscape around him.

As an American living in Britain, this book was fascinating to me. Younge goes on a classic "fish out of water" tour of the US, but the racial twist makes the book all the more interesting. The book is at turns sad, thought-provoking, and even at times laugh out loud funny. (Check out the letter he finds left in a motel room drawer.) Younge is surprisingly fair in his interpretation of the culture he meets, giving credit where it is due, and genuinely seeming to see both sides of the story. This is surprising because the author freely admits to his Marxist youth: he (still) refuses to stand for the Union Jack, though he proudly rises for the playing of the Internationale. Given that background, I expected a much more harsh view of the US, but Younge manages to surprise me.

The book is a quick read, and I wish Younge had lingered in a couple of places a bit more: his passages on Savannah and New Orleans are unfortunately short. The book ends up more as a sociological/political book than a travel book, but Mr. Younge has all the makings of a great travel writer, with a keen ear for interestinc characters and dialogue, and an ability to evoke the essence of a place. Nevertheless, I can still strongly recommend this book to anyone: five stars.

Gary Younge is a black Englishman who decides to travel through the US South by bus, following the path of the 1961 Freedom Riders, who did such things as having their black participants use white-only restrooms in an effort to spur civil rights reforms. The Freedom Riders were key players in the US civil rights movement, and some of them were beaten or even murdered. Younge wanted to retrace their steps in 1997 to see if there was anything that would resonate with him as a British black man.

The book is successful on several levels: As a travelogue, as a history of the civil rights movement, and as an introduction to the South for the non-US reader. (A blunt hint from Younge to non-US readers: Avoid long-distance bus trips.)

To my surprise, Younge was generally positive about the US, despite some instances when he's exposed to modern racism, such as being turned away from an empty motel. Although racism lingers, Younge seems impressed that the US has dealt with its sordid past of racial oppression in a more constructive manner than Britain has. He marvels that US blacks can salute the flag and be patriotic without feeling hypocritical, whereas he, as a British black, finds it impossible to salute the Union Jack or to feel patriotism as a Brit. All in all, it's a fascinating treatment of the American South and its complicated history of race relations.

This is an excellent edited book on the non-profit sector. It is one of the few sociological treatments on the subject As a sociologist it has the full set of critical perspectives I have been searching for.

This volume is meant primarily to be a textbook for master's or Ph.D. level students. Nonprofit theory and cutting edge research is covered by the known academics in the field. The reference section is superb, leading one to further articles to explore an area in more depth. Yet the practioner will also find this book helpful in many ways, trends in funding and volunteering, up-to-date research brought to the practioner's world, etc. Even if you are not a student, if you work in the nonprofit sector you will find this book to be extraordinarily helpful.

Handbooks tend to be daunting reading. So you can imagine my surprise when, after reading it through the first time, I found myself wanting to read it through again! This is a very rich book that will be useful to a wide range of readers from experts to beginners in nonprofit sector research.



Beginners will benefit from the comprehensive nature of the collection. The broad coverage will serve as a fine map to guide those who are looking for paths to follow into nonprofit sector practice and research. Like an MRI scan, the depth of each chapter will serve as a map of the ever expanding theoretical and practical knowledge base of the contemporary nonprofit sector.



Readers who have some nonprofit sector experience will find themselves turning again and again to the chapters related to their area of research and practice. The experience of re-reading some of the chapters three and four times each allowed me to appreciate the depth of scholarship embedded in the theories and empirical evidence presented on each page. This is the kind of book you'll want to keep nearby, because something of value will be there to meet you at each read.



Experts in the field are going to find a lot here to their liking as well. The scope of the subject matter covers research from so many disciplines that, no matter what your interests are, you'll find something here that relates to your particular field of research. The volume also presents scholars with many well documented glimpses into the state of the art research on the full gamut of nonprofit sector issues.



The creation of a handbook that is broad in scope, deep in research detail, and useful to both beginners and scholars is something to be celebrated by all those involved in the nonprofit sector. Congratulations to those who worked on this project. You have pulled off a most difficult of tasks for the second time.

"Conversations with Wellington" is a unique insight into the character and later life of the First Duke of Wellington. Philip Henry, then Lord Mahan, later Earl Stanhope, took notes of his frequent conversations with the Duke during the period 1831-1851, ending just months before the Duke's death.

"Conversations" offers some insight into the lives of the British upper class of that period, a seemingly endless series of visits, horseback rides, and dinners, sandwiched between business in Parliament and visits to country estates.

"Conversations" also reminds us of the elaborate code of manners and behavior expected in that era. As an example, Stanhope has the sense of discretion not to record the names of people who come up in his conversations with the Duke, who might be embarrassed at a later date. This rule seems to have applied principally to politicians contemporary with the various conversations.

Most importantly, "Conversations" offers us insight into the character and thinking of the Duke of Wellington in his later years. This is the Duke 15 years or more removed from Waterloo, serving the British Government in a variety of positions, still prominent enough as a hero and politician to be sought out for advice by a succession of monarchs and prime ministers. The book is apparently the source of many quotes of the Duke that appear in more recent histories. The Duke's inherent common sense, honesty, and sense of duty are obvious in conversation, as is the remarkable fact that a lifetime of military and politican service had given him a keen understanding of human nature but not left him cynical about it. There is a certain sadness in the narrative as the Duke's health slowly declines, and a sense that the long-lived Duke outlived his own times.

This edition is not annotated or provided with additional commentary beyond Elizabeth Longford's superb introduction. The reader who is not already familar with Wellington's military and political career, and the early historiography of the Napoleonic era, may find "Conversations" very difficult to follow. This edition is highly recommended to those interested in the Duke and his era, especially his recollections of the Peninsular War and the Waterloo Campaign.

Excellent work that provides plenty of quotes from Wellington.
This book gives the reader a picture of the man that augments even the best biographies.
Worth the time and money.

The conversations young Lord Mahon (later Earl Stanhope) recorded for posterity with the Duke of Wellington are certainly valuable on more than an historic note. These pages give a unique insight into the character of Wellington, illuminating his sense of duty to England and also his refreshing sense of humor. For a man who was known for his reserve and reticence, this book shows him to be quite open and frank on nearly all topics. The last years of the Duke's life are especially moving as Lord Mahon describes in detail the various illnesses that afflict the old warrior's body but never seem to overtake his mind. Anyone interested in the events of the last century and particularly the period of the Napoleonic Wars will enjoy this book. Wellington certainly ranks as one of the foremost figures of that era.

This is one of the best books out there dealing with criminology. It is huge and has essays dealing with many subjects written by some of the most influential criminologists in England and abroad.

This is the leading modern text in criminology, comprehensive and authoritative, written by 35 distinguished British contributors. The editors are Mike Maguire, Professor of Criminology at Cardiff University, Rod Morgan, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales and Professor Emeritus at Bristol University, and Robert Reiner, Professor of Criminology at the London School of Economics.

It has five parts: the history and theory of criminology, the social construction of crime and crime control, the dimensions of crime, the forms of crime, and reactions to crime. It covers research and policy developments and their relationship to race, gender, youth culture and political economy.

The evidence is that the serious violent crime rate is much higher in Thatcherite political economies than in welfarist ones. As Reiner writes, there is a plethora of material confirming that crime of all kinds is linked to inequality, relative deprivation, and unemployment. So, for example, the rise in crime in Britain in the 1980s was due to what happened in the 1980s: naturally Thatcher blamed it on what had happened 20 years before. And it was the 1980s, not the 1960s, that saw the dramatic rise in opiate use here.

The evidence shows that states with higher welfare spending have less crime and lower imprisonment rates. For every dollar spent, Michigans Head Start welfare programme brought $17 of benefit by cutting crime, thereby cutting the numbers imprisoned and thus the costs of imprisonment.

Of course, recognising that crime has root causes does not stop us exploring all possible avenues of crime reduction, victim support and penal reform. Nor does it mean ignoring offenders moral responsibility. Understanding does not cancel the need for judgment.

Thatcherite political economies also have more punitive penal policies. Yet welfarist Sweden has had a smaller rise in crime than Britain, while having a less punitive penal policy. Similarly, Finland has dramatically cut its prison numbers, without increasing crime.

Growing economic inequality and social polarisation increase crime and therefore insecurity and fear. We cannot afford to leave the economy, or society or security to the market. We need to take responsibility for all aspects of our society.

A vast collection of essays on different criminological subjects that covers most things on a course of study. Will also act as a good book for reference and background reading. Although it appears pricey it does cover a lot of ground and is indeed very cost effective when compared to similar books that offer not much for a similar price. The only criticism is this - if you are wanting a feminist perspective this often comes off as lacking, although in saying this it does (by this ommission) reveal the holes in criminological research that feminists are seeking to correct. Well worth adding to your collection.

A review of Carlyle's Past and Present written in Carlylese (he's much better at it than I am...)

This book could change the whole Western world, if only men would read it, and believe it! -We could have several Utopias springing up in North American and throughout Europe within the space of five years! So here you are. In this work, Carlyle criticizes the social, economic, and political arrangements in England of the 1840s. I will not bother to explain what those arrangements were; I will only say that his criticism is as relevant to us now as it was to the people of his own time. My friends, very simply put, then as now, we have 'parted company with the eternal inner Facts of this Universe, and followed the outer transient Appearances thereof...[we] have forgotten the right Inner True, and taken up with the Outer Sham-true.' Yes Carlyle's English is a bit strange, but try not to be distracted by outer appearances, that is his point! In many aspects of our Western life, we have forgotten what is true and at the heart of the matter, and taken up with superficial nonsense.

Let's begin with economics. In Carlyle's day, the Industrialists were trying their damnedest to figure out a way to make the production of cotton cheaper. This is a sham! Instead, figure out a way, with all your cotton cloth, to 'cover all the backs of England.' How like our present day Global Economists, wracking their brains trying to get the poor fools of the Third World to buy our products. Why don't they stop a moment and see if everyone at home is yet sufficiently provided for. Do your own fellow citizens need what you are producing, or have they enough of it, need they some other product which it is in your power to produce? And what is this of Advertising? Carlyle remembers a hat-maker who built a seven-foot hat of wood and plaster; wheeled it about the streets of London to attract customers to his shop. Does this improve the quality or utility of your hats, man, or does it only fool people into thinking that you have done honest work? I begin to think that more money is made in Advertising in these times of ours than in any other enterprise. What are our cities but places to tack up Billboards, to display Clothes in shop windows, to produce commercials for television, all to fool people into buying rubbish they don't need. Don't Advertise, Just Work!

Religion? Why all the silly ceremonies, the controversies, feuding between different sects. Do we need absurd ceremonies and idolatrous rituals to believe in a Divine Power? True Religion is 'Moral Conscience, Inner Light' 'All Religion [is] here to remind us, better or worse, of what we already know, better or worse, of the quite infinite difference between a Good man, and a Bad, to bid us love infinitely the one, abhor infinitely the other, to strive infinitely to be the one, and not the other.' A Religious man is he who makes his whole life an appeal to Heaven, to Divine Justice, to Goodness, and who cannot be happy if he do not always choose the right thing for his family, his country, his God and himself.

Politics? Why do we continue to elect Bill Slicktons and Tony Blears, vicious Garry Condits and brainless Bushes, when these rotten Governors have in their own souls nothing to govern by. They are play-actors, nothing more, and very poor ones at that. Behind the smile, the make-up, the $400 hair-cut lies only one thing: 'impudent dishonesty--brazen insensibility to lying and to making others lie' Look into the souls of such men and what will you see: 'a general grey twilight, looming with shapes of expediencies, parliamentary traditions, division lists [like opinion polls], election-funds, leading articles...' The true leader, on the other hand, is a hero: he wants none of our material rewards, fears none of our punishments, believes that there is such a thing as eternal justice, will stop at nothing until he has made life better, happier, more fruitful for his fellow citizens. How do we elect such a man, instead of another politician, that is, another professional liar, wood and plaster dummy? We as voters must cease to vote wrong! How is that to be accomplished? Well that is not so easily done. We must all awaken from this state of enchantment, says Carlyle, must begin to learn to distinguish just and unjust, admirable and despicable in our fellow men, and in ourselves. READ THE BOOK!!!

This is for sure a great book, if you have the ability to concentrate for more than five minutes, unlike the majority of the Herd, in mean people, of today. If your intrest lies in the substance of this book, read some other review, I'm only going to tell you that, the (1909) publication, stinks; the so called book, is more like a oversized magizine, and the print is about the size of a footnote in the bible.

Widely known is the lucid and acid historic sense of Thomas Carlyle. This is what you will find in this book. More accessible than the monumental 'Sartor Resartus', but at the same high level. I strongly recomend that book as a way to enter into the vivid world of Carlyle.

Keeps the reader hooked, very motivating and uplifting. I enjoyed every minute and would recommend everyone get this book.

I bought this book because I am a Holcomb and have been able to trace my roots to Sir John. Reading the book was something that I did not bargain for, it was so moving and beautiful that I went back and order a copy for both of my brothers. It isn't important that he is one of my ancesters, the story and the wisdom that is passed down is priceless. Enjoy and learn from this wonderfull book.

Outstanding insight into success, written in story format---both exciting and interesting to read. Recommend to everyone; especially those who want to overcome adversity and succeed!

As a closet British/Norman amateur medieval scholar, the Norman and Angevin rulers are endlessly fascinating to me. This is one of the best books I've ever read on the subject. It places virtually every individual and significant event into context, some of which even biographies devoted to a particular individual haven't discussed. It blends the events, personalities, economics, religious aspects and power struggles into a comprehensive, highly readable narrative. My only caution -- the author assumes the reader has a general knowledge of the time period from the Norman Conquest of England through the Angevin dynasty.
Even though I have over 75 text books and biographies on the period, this is already one of my favorites I know I'll turn to time and again.

Excellent and highly recommended: the best I've read in the recent Penguin history of Britain (v. 4 is poor, v. 5 is very good). Carpenter offers a very intelligent, comprehensive, balanced, and authoritative account of the social, economic, political, and religious aspects of a very rich period that witnessed the early formation of institutions that have lasted to the present. Best of all, Carpenter has written a masterful narrative in a clear, perspicuous, and fluid style that seamlessly weaves many complex themes in an orderly pattern, mixing illuminating detail with judicious observation. This volume is also much longer than the others I've seen in the series, and all the better for that. The index's organization is a bit peculiar (see all entries for "England"), but once you get used to it you'll find it accurate and reliable. (With all due respect to the previous reviewer, with whom I otherwise completely agree, I think the educated lay reader new to the period will do fine with this book. It's true, on occasion my eyes glazed at the detail on battles or finances, but one can easily skip a paragraph or two, or even several pages, without losing the thread, such is author's organizational skill.)

This book is an outstanding work of history, going for the most part into incredible depth on this critical period of British history, from the initial Norman conquest of England in 1066 to the final English conquest of Wales in 1284 (and also to the first English conquest of Scotland a few years later). Most importantly, it shows how this period formed the foundations of what would become Britain, covering everything from how the Norman overlords and their English subjects eventually assimilated each other to become one people, how the Scots were successful in forming a viable kingdom out of many disparate groups while the Welsh, who had seemingly greater advantages, ultimately failed due to their endless internecine feuds. The kings of the period, Norman and Angevin, come into sharp relief, their personal strengths and weaknesses shown often to be the biggest factor in the successes or failures of their reigns. The book also covers in great detail how Magna Carta came to be the foundation for the rule of law, how the institution of parliament evolved, how the concept of common law evolved and the unifying effect that this had on the nation, and how none of these things occurred without a great deal of struggle - military, political and social - between the various parties involved. It really is impossible to convey the depth of detail the book goes into on everything from how laws were enforced (at one point traveling courts called 'eyres' would hear cases in a given shire about once every two years), how creative taxation could be (widows were sometimes required to pay a fee for the right to choose if and whom they wished to remarry) and how the document-driven bureaucracy evolved (King Henry II employed four clerks in his chancery. His great-grandson Edward I employed over two hundred). About the only areas where I felt the author could have gone into more detail was in the eventual conquests of Wales and Scotland at the end of the period. But otherwise, I found this book extremely informative on many levels. It's a somewhat dense read due to the amount of detail, but you come away with a very firm understanding of what happened in the period and why it was all so critical to Britain's evolution.

A very moving book. Brings back the sixties, I must say! An evocation of an era lost forever. One can only say that things really where better in the good old days.
It's wonderful to see them come all come (back) alive: Piers himself, but also Jochen Rindt, Frank Williams (the way he was, before he became an ***hole...)and so many household names of the time when I was young.
Wonderful book. Very well written. Excellent photography.

a beautiful book, well worth the wait...arrived safe and sound and not damaged. my partner loved it..very informative, lovely photo,s

For those of you who followed Grand Prix and sports car racing in the 1960s this is a great tale. Drivers, team owners, hangers-on were all basically children at this time. Now the Knighted Brits who are the masters of the GP universe ($$$$) probably would not tell you that they bought a case of cokes to sell by the bottle in the pits to make a bit of money (very true). Alexander Hesketh was a teenager who loaned his helicopter to a team to beat the traffic at Sliverstone(this was very '90s in the '60s!).

This is a marvelous biography of Mr. Courage and many of his friends and the times themselves, and not a burdensome pile of race reports. I did not want it to finish. I will reread it a number of times!

This book certainly teaches a lesson about politics and the newspapers in Britain. It is hard to believe what the people in the book went through and what might be behind the motives of such a story. I highly recommend this book.

This book by Jonathan Aitken is the most fascinating book I have read in the last year. And it is surely the most fascinating book I've ever read by a politician. It is a book about a arrogant politician who falls down and comes into prison. But while his reputation goes downhill, his spiritual health goes uphill. And as a journalist my cheeks colored red, both of tension and of shame about my own profession. I hope many other politicians will come to the same sort of renewing experience (apart from being hunted by the press...).

If you think that God is a concept for the inadequate, this book reveals how the reality of God took over the life of an exceptional politician. Attacked by the press but ruined by his own lies and arrogance a proud man found that rebuilding was only possible from a base of true humility. I found this book easy to read and inspirational. Jonathan's faith convinced me that he is not a man to be despised, as the press depicted him, but a man blessed, initially by good looks intelligence and power but who was stripped and humiliated until he saw a new road he had to take in the service of Jesus. To read of his unashamed confession that Jesus is Lord of his life and that true power, to recover, and live in it's truest sense, comes from that relationship alone. This book may make you review your opinion, about Jonathan, and God.

Just as James Agee (deceased) and Pauline Kael (alive, but retired) remain the best writers on the Art of Film, so Kenneth Tynan (again, deceased) is still the best writer on the Art of Theatre. Tynan wrote so beautifully and wittily and lovingly about the stage and the people who inhabit it and he was also responsible in a major way for the success of the National Theatre of Great Britain along with his friend and professional partner, Laurence Olivier. (an essay on Olivier is one of the high-points of this book.) It was Tynan who "discovered" Harold Pinter, who "made the career" of John Osbourne and was a major factor in reviving the career of Noel Coward, after years of neglect: as Literary Manager of the National, it was Tynan who urged a revival of Coward's classic "Hay Fever."

This collection of 50 essays is absolutely essential reading for anyone who has a love of theatre or simply of celebrity and star power. No one writing today writes as well as Tynan did nor consistently shows his affection for Show Business. If you regularly read today's so-called critics, you come away with the feeling that they become INSULTED that plays they dislike were actually produced!

I highly recommend this book. It is passionate, charming and, at times, really funny stuff. But, please, do yourself a favor and haunt every used book shop you know to find a copy of Tynan's out-of-print collected theatre reviews from the U.S. (he wrote for "The New Yorker") and England called CURTAINS. It is absolutely the best book of criticism you'll ever read.

Enormously entertaining and the writing is to die for. Epstein regards Tynan as a lightweight and in a way I guess he is, but a skilled lightweight is still a thing of beauty and Tynan IS skilled. I stared underlining favorite passages but had to stop because I was underlining almost everything.

Tynan was one of the century's great journalists, capable of capturing a performer in two paragraphs, yet equally adept at longer essays, several of which are collected here. The pieces on Stoppard and Louise Brooks are particularly fine. The reviewer below is right: the writing is to die for; but, compared to Epstein, Tynan is a super-hevyweight, with ten times the force and prose-potency.