Washington Books

Boyle's excellent, readable, and well-annotated translation of Juvayni is an important resource for scholars of Mongol history. Juvayni is one of the few primary sources, and his work provides both a view of Mongol history and an interesting look at the cross-cultural interactions between the Mongols and conquered peoples. I highly recommend this book to all with an interest in Mongol history.

This book really grabbed my attention. The book is on a topic that I could read forever. Ghengis Khan is the only subject that doesn't make fall asleep in school.

A book with extremely useful quotes and sayings. I would suggest everyone to read it so as to improve the vision for leadership and you don't need to have specific preoccupation with any subject like history or Philosophy etc but you will love this book when you read how Juvaini tries to justify the deeds of the Mongols and the embellished and beautified diction of JA Boyle will enable you to comprehend the subject matter of the book in it's true sense.

This is a wonderful book! It accompanies an exhibit of hundreds of Catlin's paintings held in Washington DC in 2002, and scheduled to travel to several other cities. The reproductions are superb (the best I've ever seen) - the colors are true, and the sizes are often full-page and sometimes double-page. A brief commentary accompanies each painting, and there are also lengthy essays describing Catlin's life, his time in Europe, and his connection with the Smithsonian.
I bought Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, etc at the same time that I bought this book, and I read the two of them together. The paintings are immeasurably enhanced by Catlin's comments and stories (he is a great story-teller). He explains what's happening in the crowd scenes (and it is sometimes hair-raising!), and he gives interesting background on the people shown in the portraits. Looked at in this way, the paintings really come alive. Very highly recommended.

This book has a nice variety of the collection of George Catlin paintings, along with a few of the artifacts from his collection. Most of these are reproduced in color in this book. The text is also well written and tells the story of Catlin, his paintings, and the view point of the era.

This is a gorgeous book, filled with magnificent reproductions of Catlin's seminal portraits and augmented by a trenchant and insightful commentary.

This D'Aulaire book is both beautiful and engaging. The illustrations are Grandma Moses"ish" and the text is captivating enough to hold the attention of young, squirmy boys. All of the D'Aulaire titles that we have seen are great and can all be found new at The Book Peddler online if not here on Amazon. Highly recommended!

Although the Amazon page doesn't show the wonderful cover, it shows the young George on a white horse--Washington's white charger became his trademark. Beautifully illustrated, and a direct, unfanciful text. A perfect introduction to the growing up and future of our first President, with no nonsense. The d'Aulaires were stylists and were accurate, visiting the sites. They won many prizes. They deserved every one. A perfect introduction to the life of George Washington.

Put this in your home library! My kids want more and more of this. They love history but get bored without pictures. This author makes the past people and places come alive for them. They remember and understand the detailed and engaging historical tales.

All too often, George Washington comes across as a monument rather than a person. As the victorious general of the American Revolution and as our nation's first president, he is often depicted as the indispensable figure in the struggle to establish America as a nation, with his decisions and actions almost providential in nature. Yet Washington the man is lost amidst the adulation, leaving the reader with an incomplete picture of who he really was.

This collection of Washington's writings is an indispensable aid in the process of understanding the man behind the legend. The editor, John Rhodehamel, has selected 446 key documents from Washington's life, including letters, addresses, and general orders issued to his men. Written in the strictly formal style of the Virginia planter seeking to maintain the dignity of his position in society, his prose often cloaks the anxiety he felt about his status, the revolutionary cause, and the survival of the new republic. Together they convey a distinctly human figure, one whose stature only grows with a better understanding of the difficulties he surmounted. This is the book for anyone seeking to supplement other works on Washington with the original sources, or for those who simply want to read about Washington's life in his own words.

Like Robert E. Lee, George Washington might be considered the marble man of his time, a revolutionary whose passion doesn't burn as bright on the pages of history as, say, Thomas Paine, or as clear as Thomas Jefferson. He may be admired and revered, but not necessarily loved, certainly not in the way as old Marse Lee.

Whether Washington the man can be reclaimed from Washington the statue is a task left up to biographers and fiction writers, because after thumbing through this collection of his writings, it is with some certainty that the man from Mount Vernon can't do it himself.

Once gets the impression that Washington was a man who believed in duty, to himself as an eighteenth-century man of means, and to his country, whether it be England (for whom he participated on several expeditions against the French in Pennsylvania), or his newly created United States. The man who, in 1755, volunteered to join the British commander in chief, General Edward Braddock, on what became a disasterous expedition into western Pennsylvania, became by 1775 the man who would write to his wife announcing his appointment to head the rebel army, that, "I have used every endeavour in my power to avoid it [command]."

Even his ascention to the presidency was performed in very reluctant steps. In a letter to Henry Knox, he wrote, "I can assure you . . . that my movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied with feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution."

So why serve? "It was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment without exposing my Character to such censures as would have reflected dishonour upon myself, and given pain to my friends," he wrote Martha Washington.

Perhaps an early clue to his character can be found in the first entry, a collection of 100 maxims he composed when he was 15, rules for living which range from the practical ("Put not your meat to your Mouth with your Knife in your hand neither Spit forth the Stones of any fruit Pye upon a Dish nor Cast anything under the table"), to the inspirational ("Let your Recreations be Manfull not Sinfull"), and even a bit of the poetic ("Labour to keep alive in your Breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire Called Conscience").

Sober, practical, firm-minded, George Washington was not a man to inspire devotion through force of personality, only through a far-sighted competence which does not make for glorious history, but to those who cherish the ideals and promise of America, one can be thankful that he was in the right place at the right time.

George Washington is far more revered than known; but, as this splendid book proves, when you come to know him you feel even more admiration for him. This installment in the indispensable LIBRARY OF AMERICA series gathers hundreds of Washington's letters, as well as his more formal public statements as Virginia legislator and revolutionary leader, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, advocate of federal constitutional reform, and First President of the United States. The formal public statements display the heavy style that Washington fell into when consciously speaking to posterity. It is in his letters that Washington's vigorous mind, strong emotions, and sound judgment emerge most cleary -- and that portray his humanity and his nobility most clearly and accessibly. Readers of this volume would be well-advised to read John Rhodehamel's superb chronology (appearing at the back of the book) first, and then turning to the text. If they do this, they will have! a sound chronological and historical basis for setting Washington's writings, public and private, in context and for seeing the critical founding decades of the American republic as he saw and experienced them.

-- Richard B. Bernstein, Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School; Daniel M. Lyons Visiting Professor in American History, Brooklyn College/CUNY; Book Review Editor for Constitutional Books, H-LAW; and Senior Research Fellow, Council on Citizenship Education, Russell Sage College

This is a great read for professionals at all levels. There is a lesson here for everyone.

Much has been written about Washington's leadership, but this book tells the story from a unique and practical point of view. Marrying his extensive knowledge of American history and corporate strategy, McNeilly focuses on Washington's strong character and illustrates how today's businesses and business leaders can (and do) significantly benefit from employing the same core principles as Washington did hundreds of years ago.

Even a great leader like Washington encountered many obstacles and failures along the way to achieving success and inspiring a nation. Washington can teach us a great deal about how to persevere in the wake of failure, develop a winning strategy, build a strong team, earn the support of your organization, and put aside personal agenda for the sake of the common goal.

McNeilly points out how Washington employed sound principles like integrity, trust, loyalty and restraint to achieve much success in many very difficult situations both on the battleground and in the early days of our political system. He then enlightens the reader by balancing this unique historical perspective with detailed, modern-day examples of business leaders who have experienced similar trials in the corporate realm. It is both clear and inspiring to see that, when challenges are met with the same core principles, one can overcome obstacles, gain trust and ultimately achieve victory. People at all levels in the business world and all stages of personal life can benefit from this.

Mark McNeilly has done an excellent job of presenting clear, explicit points in his book George Washington and the Art of Business. By providing a direct correlation between George Washington's life and character traits with the stages of business and leadership tactics, McNeilly has shown that the main characteristics needed to create a successful business are also those which are needed to be a successful and exceptional leader. Included as well are examples of how these leadership characteristics correlate to building a strong sports team/organization. McNeilly has directly linked the battles of war with the battles of business (teams), and also explains the ways different leaders and different businesses have handled these battles.

This book is very much two-fold. On one hand McNeilly has provided the most important leadership characteristics necessary to be a successful leader in life, in business, and in sports. But also McNeilly has shown that it is not necessarily just having and upholding these characteristics but acting in the integrity of them. Although the characteristics are many and are very difficult to maintain, McNeilly provides a depiction of the stages through which individuals, teams, and businesses evolve. The journey through these stages is not always smooth sailing and prosperous, but very difficult and painful at times. Some of the most valuable lessons are learned through these failures. And a failure in and of itself is only a failure, but a failure that is used as an educational experience is a lesson with the potential to be a future success.

In addition McNeilly has provided the history of George Washington's life which steps a reader through the American Revolution. The United States was built on the results of the American Revolution. Correspondingly, McNeilly has shown that leadership of this country, of business, of any team should be built and formed using the same types of characteristics George Washington, the Father of our Country upheld. He is a true leader, one everyone can learn from, and is the person who should be looked to as the epitome of a leader.

The book is very well organized with explicit points. The examples in George Washington's life, those in businesses, and in some cases those in sport teams/organizations are clearly linked. Each example further defines the main points McNeilly has intended to convey. The book was a quick read due to the organization and clarity of the writing.

I highly recommend the book to many different audiences including but not limited to those intending to improve leadership skills, leaders in business, and those who enjoy US history. Congratulations to Mark McNeilly on his success as an author.

In recent years, a great deal of attention has been devoted to one or more of the founding fathers, especially Washington, Jefferson, and Adams. What we have in this volume is Mark McNeilly's analysis of what lessons can be learned from George Washington's leadership as commander-in-chief of the Colonial forces during the War for Independence and then as the new nation's first president. He responds to the question "Why George Washington?" in the Introduction and then, in the first two chapters, he examines "the foundation of Washington's leadership principles" and how the American Revolution was organized in the first two chapters. During the balance of the book, McNeilly identifies and discusses the aforementioned leadership principles and devotes a separate chapter to each.

McNeilly brilliantly juxtaposes his presentation of historical material with the business lessons he believes can be learned from it. I also appreciate the fact that he cites specific companies when doing so. For example, in Chapter 2, he reviews various competitive disadvantages Washington encountered at the outset of the war. "Could I have foreseen what I have experienced and am likely to experience, no consideration upon earth should have induced me to accept this command." Yet, despite all the unexpected problems such as the continuous expiration of enlistments that depleted his forces, the 43 year-old general did not quit. "Washington made his share of mistakes: choosing to defend New York when it was in reality indefensible, not protecting his flank on Long Island Heights, and losing Fort Washington and its garrison. Yet after setback he returned to fight again." McNeilly then focuses his attention on a relevant example in the modern business world, the situation faced by Jong Yong Yun when he became CEO of Samsung Electronics. Like Washington, he used the severe crisis that then existed to make major changes. The integrity and courage of a leader are essential to the success of any such initiatives. In Washington's case, he put his organizational skills to work. "At the same time he was fighting the British and their Hessian allies, Washington was implementing measures to improve the fighting ability and logistical system to ensure the army's survival."

To me, some of the most interesting and most valuable material is provided in Chapter 8 as McNeilly examines the situation after the victory at Yorktown in 1781. Washington was frustrated to see his officers and men so poorly treated by Congress after they had made so many sacrifices under especially difficult conditions. At one point, a core group of officers decided that taking direct action was necessary and began to plan what amounted to a military coup. Their efforts to enlist support became known as the "Newburgh Conspiracy" because their base camp was in Newburgh, New York, where they met on March 15, 1783. Washington thoroughly disapproved of the officers' efforts and met with them, calling their behavior "unmilitary" and "subversive of all order and discipline." Those gathered were not convinced. "Seeing this, Washington pulled from his pocket a letter from Congressman Joseph Jones. After a fumbling attempt to read it, Washington took out a pair of reading glasses, stating, 'Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.' This act and its accompanying words from the heart did what his prepared speech had not done. Washington's emotional appeal reminded his officers of his own sacrifices and won them back to his side and that of the republic." As McNeilly makes crystal clear, Washington's words and gesture could not possibly have been effective had he not possessed -- and was perceived to possess -- impeccable integrity.

As McNeilly suggests, the same can be said of business executives such as James Burke, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, who immediately demonstrated the right motives and ethical action in 1982 after seven people in the Chicago area died of cyanide poisoning that had been traced to Extra Strength Tylenol capsules. Led by Burke, Johnson & Johnson worked closely with the media to get out as many facts as possible, instituted a nationwide recall of 31 million bottles of Tylenol (then worth an estimated $100-million), and cooperated fully with all law enforcement agencies to solve the mystery. All of this was wholly consistent with the Johnson & Johnson Credo that affirms the company's first responsibility is to "doctors, nurses and patients, to mothers and fathers, and all others who use our products and services."

None of Washington's principles of leadership was unique to him. As McNeilly explains, however, few others throughout history possessed all of them and to the extent that George Washington did. At an early age, he developed self-discipline, strong character, courage, intellectual curiosity, and a preference for innovative ideas. When war came, Washington formulated a vision of what the new nation could become, once victorious. He also developed a strategy that accommodated the colonies' vulnerabilities while maximizing their strengths. Throughout the war, he seized appropriate opportunities while resisting others that involved what he perceived to be excessive risk. He was a quick thinker under pressure and built an effective team of subordinate officers within whom he communicated constantly. He supported an intelligence network to obtain the information he needed to make key decisions. Meanwhile, he cultivated relations with key members of Congress. Later, he played a central role during the Constitutional Convention and then agreed to serve as the new nation's first president. "In that role his wisdom led him to set high standards that future presidents would look to for guidance and by which their terms would be measured." He retired after two terms "to allow new people to implement new ideas and have their turn at leading the country."

Congratulations to Mark McNeilly for providing an abundance of information about George Washington as well as a rigorous and eloquent analysis of his singular greatness. The lessons to be learned from who he was and what he accomplished can guide and inform our own efforts to become, in McNeilly's words, "a better version of ourselves."

How did the Americans emerge victorious in the Revolutionary War? Was it due to the talents of George Washington and his commanders, as some historians argue? Or to the incompetence of a long series of British Generals and Admirals?

This is the question this excellent volume attempts to answer.

George Billias's book, originally published as two separate volumes, is now available as a single integrated work. In each of the book's two parts, a series of historians and scholars each examine the life and battlefields victories and defeats of a single individual general. The book is well balanced. Twelve American Generals are examined in the first part; twelve British General and Admirals in the second.

The result is an amazingly well written collection of essays on the men who won and lost the Revolutionary War. A great many myths are dispelled and a number of interesting military figures, both American and British, have been illuminated.

The editors (and authors) conclude that the relatively inexperienced Americans took timely advantage of a series of strategic and tactical mistakes by their British counterparts, on land and at sea, to win the war.

Those interested in learning more about the key military figures of the war will find this book a great read and a welcome addition to their library!

This excellent book provides compendium biographies for all the major commanding generals of both sides during the American Revolution. The average length of each bio is roughly 10-30 pages, which provides enough general detail for each personality. No book has put under one cover all the key military players of the Revolution. In addition to all the standards like Washington and Lafayette, the reader also gets many lesser known American generals, as well as the main British personalities like Howe and Clinton. The American Revolution was not a war that produced any brilliant generals on either side. Reading these various bios will show that military brilliance was not really displayed in the Revolution by either side. Washington was an inpired leader of men, but a poor tactican. Sir William Howe a good tactician, but a conservetive strategist. Readers may be surprised to learn how imcompetent many American generals were, and how basically competent most of the British were. This was a war about the hearts and minds of the American people, and this was a problem the British never really understood. Leadership displyaed by both sides was often haphazzard, and this book should provide ample evidence of that. There is a lot of duplication of events because many of the generals were involved in the same events, but each bio is complete in itself and should provide interesting reading on the major commanders involved on both sides during the American Revolution.

This book examines both Washington's subordinates (there were many) as well as his supposedly better trained British antagonists. Only recently have books surfaced positing that the British lost the War for Independence more out of failings in their strategy than brilliance by American generals. After reading this book you may agree.

The future United States lost more than 70% of the battles in the war. In some cases the losses were catastrophic. Yet the Americans won the war.

A Chinese proverb says, "The best lie is to tell the truth". As the truth comes out it makes me prouder to call myself an American. This is because one eventually comes to an understanding as to how we could possibly have defeated the most mighty nation on Earth at the time.

Enjoy!

This catalogue to the current Dou exhibition in Washington (NGA - 4/16-10/6,2000) is as splendid and intimate as the show itself - 35 small, exquisitely crafted paintings by the Leiden master who was Rembrandt's pupil while that master was himself still a teenager. Wheelock reviews the critical history around Dou's work - the minutely detailed paintings, with their startlingly accurate and refined light effects were highly valued and admired until Thore-Burger and the early modern critics heralded the taste for broad, expressive brushwork. They labelled his work as superficial and heartless, but more recent work has rediscovered sophisiticated and thoughtful themes in such works as the Quack (included) and the Braamcamp triptych (two closely related works are included). Baer's essay outlines the career, working method and subject matter of Dou, exploring some aspects of his extraordinary "reality effect" as well, while Boersema explores his extraordinary, painstaking technique, reviewing such technical evidence as paint samples and reflectograms from the Lady at her Toilet and the Young Mother, both part of the show. There's not a lot of new work on Dou, so this catalogue is especially welcome to those of us who love Dutch Art of the Golden Age. This NGA cabinet gallery show moves to the London National Gallery for Sept and Nov, and the Hague's Mauritshuis from Dec to next Feb. This catalogue's gorgeous reproductions and substantial bibliography make it a solid, up-to-date reference on Dou too.

This exhibition catalogue contains enlightening and thoughtful essays on seventeenth-century Dutch painter, Gerrit Dou. Dou, one of Rembrandt's students, was highly esteemed during his lifetime for his exquisite technique in painting, but as Arthur Wheelock explains in one of the catalogue essays, his work began to lose favor in the middle of the nineteenth century. This catalogue is a wonderful account of Dou's rise and fall from fame, as well as a study of his masterful painting technique. In addition to the informative text, the color illustrations are beautifully rich, and they do justice to Dou's incredible paintings.

Although Rembrandt and Vermeer are the two most discussed and honored of the Dutch Masters, and deservedly so, Gerrit (or Gerard) Dou had a far more dramatic influence on 17th century art in the Netherlands than either of his better known countrymen. It is Rembrandt's later work, with an individuality so far ahead of its time, and Vermeer's penetrating psychological touches that make them fascinating to us in light of modern movements in art. But the paintings of Dou, by the laborious nature of their creation if not always their actual subject matter, give a much deeper insight into the culture and times in which he lived, and the growing taste for luxury from the then newly-emerged Dutch middle class. His images were themselves like jewels, with beauty almost impossible to imagine coming from a human hand, and the artistic perfection that began with Van Eyck found a worthy successor. When such virtuosity became less appreciated in the late 19th century, however, Dou then suffered the fate that Vermeer had known all along, and his name was all but forgotten. It is to the world's benefit that recent showings at the National Gallery in Washington, as well as this flawless book, are begining to change that. As with all of the other volumes that Arthur Wheelock has compiled and edited, this book provides a thoroughly detailed examination of Dou's work, with the kind of objective insight that can re-emphasize his importance to all those just learning about this amazing painter.

Book is clear and well laid out. Color. Thin format. If you need a map that goes further north than Lynnwood or further south than Kent, you need to get the larger Thomas guide. Occasional errors in showing streets that go through when in reality they dead end. Useful tool.

This map is clear and easy to follow, even for a first-time visitor

The best set of 8.5x11" maps I've found for the Seattle area.
The 42 maps are clear and easy to read. They cover from
Lynnwood to Kent, and West Point to Sammish/Issaquah. I've
been using a five year old version and really wanted an
updated version.

It doesn't cover anything on the otherside of ferries. It
would be better if it also went upto Everett.

One of his many on the city's neighborhoods, this book captures the old balck U Street in all its glory. Nicely done indeed!

I really enjoyed the book, being a native Washingtonian it brought back some old memories.

I really enjoyed the book, being a native Washingtonian it brought back some old memories.

You might appreciate knowing the contents:

Foreward.......... 7

JAPANESE HAIKU
Buddha Nature.......... 11
Happiness.......... 23
Phases of the Moon.......... 29
Birds.......... 41
Creatures.......... 63
Spring.......... 77
Summer.......... 113
Autumn.......... 159
Winter.......... 181
New Year.......... 207

WESTERN HAIKU
Traditional.......... 217
Modern.......... 231

Acknowledgments.......... 253

***
For most of my life I did not know that the haiku art form existed. When I discovered it I was instantly smitten and developed an intense desire to know everything about it including how to compose it.

This book does not teach you how to compose haiku, and yet indirectly it does because the poems within serve as the best examples of successful haiku. I mean after all, these originally came from the likes of Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki and Chiyo-ni (as well as some lesser known but no less skilled classical-era haiku poets). If one would want to learn from the best, then study the haiku from this book. Read them very slowly both out loud and to yourself many times; concentrate on one and discover what it has to offer in terms of meaning as well as imagery; search out the subtleties in tone, mood, etc.

***
There's a section containing some very good modern english haiku toward the back of the book.

Admittedly, (for right now anyway) I favor reading and studying the classical Japanese haiku from the masters preceding the twentieth century. That isn't to say that I ignore or don't appreciate modern haiku (or modern Western haiku). Indeed, I certainly 'can' and 'do' appreciate great haiku created by anyone in the world today.

I think it's only that I instinctively understand in my spirit that the "fundamentals" for learning and developing haiku-composition skills are to be found in the classical-era haiku of the recognized masters... and one should always start with the fundamentals.

***
The english translations by R. H. Blyth are excellent; they are very satisfying.

The book itself is a relatively small, sturdy hardcover; it is well-made; it has a permanent bookmark ribbon to keep your place with.

***
I often found myself reading each poem as slowly as possible, not wanting to reach the end of the book.
I was enjoying these haiku too much -- savoring each one. That's when it is best; that's when you are more likely to be rewarded with an insight -- when you spend significant time on just one before moving on.

***
I recommend this haiku collection to you if you are at all interested in reading (as well as studying) some of the haiku from the great masters.

This is simply a wonderful anthology. It is designed to be read whenever and fits in one's pocket or purse. The first section of the book comprises of R.H. Blyth's translations of the Japanese masters. This section is devided into themes such as; Buddha nature, phases of the moon, birds, creatures, and the five seasons--New Year's--is considered a short season in Japan. The second half of the book moves to the other side of the Pacific and is title "Western Haiku". This half of the book is then broken down into two remaining chapters "Traditional" & "Modern". The one issue that some practicing haiku poets have concerns about is the "Traditional" chapter where haiku-like poems by Wordsworth, Scott, Keats, Shelley, Thoreau, Whitman and many more apprear. However, these critics somehow did not read carefully Peter Washington's introduction. He writes:"In an appendix to his magisterial work, Blyth makes the controversial suggestion that the spirit of haiku is present in all great poetry, claiming that there are many haiku 'buried' in familiar English poems. In part two, bearing a universality in mind. I take up this idea, offering some of his examples and more of my own." Therefore the examples in the section are NOT haiku, but have present some components of the haiku spirit. So this is important to note. The last section titled "Modern" finds haiku on the shore of an English language literary world. We see how haiku develops through time and understanding starting with Pound and ending with several contemporary poets. There is a slight feeling that the last chapter of the book could continue, and that is true. However, this simple could reflect the editor's feeling that haiku continues to thrive that the ending should be left open.

This book does not pretend at be all inclusive, quite the opposite. I feel the intention is to offer the reader a beautifully bound book of classic haiku and small poems that can be taken anywhere to be enjoyed. It does that. I highly recommend this book.

Well I was shocked when I heard Tony & Justin had written a book. When I found out it was a book on Haiku I was even more shocked. I haven't read or wrote many haiku but I do care for them. I remind me of early Atari games. At first you don't quite get what is going on. Then after a few times it gets easier and fun. The style is simple yet the games can be challenging. In a day when the world has HDTV, PS2, X-Box and other forms of electronic gaming it is nice to never forget Atari. The roots of video gaming, the forefather of video gaming. I think the Handsome Brothers new book is the best think to come along since the joystick.