Supplies Books

Every student of 20th-century history knows that the Marshall Plan reconstructed Western Europe after World War II, but not so many know that America's Lend-Lease aid played a comparable role in winning the war itself.This is because the main recipient of the aid, the Soviet Union, consistently downplayed its significance, not wanting to acknowledge the weaknesses in its system of government. Every Soviet leader, from Stalin to
Gorbachev, pretended that American aid was just something extra, almost a trifle, while state historians assigned it an arbitrary figure of 4 percent of the Soviet war production. Those historians abroad who accepted Soviet statistics perpetuated this myth. Now Albert Weeks sets the record straight.

After the collapse of the Soviet system, Russian historians were able to look into the archival files and total up the real figures. One study, by M.N. Suprin, calculates the caloric content of Lend-Lease foodstuffs sent to the USSR, divides the total by the caloric needs of the Red Army and arrives at a stunning conclusion: "The foodstuffs provided by Lend-Lease to the USSR would have sufficed to feed an army of ten million men for 1,688 days, that is, for the course of the entire war." Another study, by Boris Sokolov, which translates as THE TRUTH ABOUT THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR, estimates that the US supplied 92.7% of the USSR's railroad equipment, including locomotives and rails, and from 15% to 90% of production in all other categories. Weeks, who reads Russian, surveys these recent studies and cites them to show that Lend-Lease was indeed "Russia's Life-Saver."

Beyond the raw figures, Weeks also explains the politics and inner workings of Lend-Lease, which President Roosevelt called the US "arsenal of democracy." As a longtime expert on Soviet Russia, he is able to explore the special relationship that FDR thought he had with Stalin, to sort out the Soviet spies operating on US soil and to look into such interesting topics as Armand Hammer's role in US-USSR relations. As an engaging writer, he handles the historical material with a modern sensibility, raising the questions of "trusting and verifying" and "the gratitude factor." I particularly liked his chapter on the USS Liberty Ship John Barry, which was sunk in the Arabian Sea by a
Nazi U-boat in August 1944. Its cargo included trucks, jeeps, steel rails and other standard provisions, but also 750 boxes of silver coins and, it is believed, $26 million of silver ingots. Was the ship headed for Iran, a transfer point for goods to the USSR? Was the bullion a gift from FDR to Uncle Joe? It's one of the many fascinating questions raised by this book. (See also STALIN'S SILVER by John Beasant.) The book concludes with some valuable tables of the standard Lend-Lease shipments.

RUSSIA'S LIFE-SAVER, in short, is another first-rate study by Albert Weeks. If you are interested in World War II, you will want this book. The publisher has set a high price on it, so if you can't afford it yourself ask your library to buy it. Every library should have it for today's readers and for future reference.

The long-time observer and analyst of the Soviet Union, Prof. Weeks documents an important chapter of US and Soviet history during World War II.

Based on the latest research from Russia, Weeks presents new findings about the vital importance of US aid to the Soviet Union of Dictator Joseph Stalin. Under the Soviet Regime, especially during Stalin's life-time, it was a rule to ignore or at least downplay the significance of any foreign aid to the Soviet victory in World War II. But the facts that Prof. Weeks is able to present to the Western reader demonstrate the opposite. Weeks cites a recent statement by President Putin, who officially acknowledged the vital importance of US Lend-Lease deliveries for the Soviet victory in World War II.

Weeks uses research by post-Soviet scholars in Russia that clearly shows crucial importance of Lend-Lease deliveries to Stalin's USSR. There are many facts and statistics about the amount of American aid to Russia that will be new to most readers. But Prof. Weeks doesn't stop there, he also paints a lively picture of the political developments leading to the decision of President Roosevelt to come to the rescue of the bloodiest Dictator of the 20th century, Joseph Stalin, in his fight against his opponent and recent collaborator, Hitler.

Prof. Weeks also demonstrates that Stalin was actively working through the channels of his espionage agencies to influence the US administration to deliver material aid to the USSR (he cites the Venona decrypts and material from Russia, most notably the NKVD's "Operation Snow"). It becomes clear that the large-scale infiltration of various US government branches by the Soviet espionage agencies played an important role in the speedy decision to send vast amounts of military and civilian goods to Stalin's Soviet Union. Stalin also ordered his agents to obtain military secrets from the US, both before and during the war, even when the Soviet Union was a nominal ally of the US.

At times, aid to the USSR was given priority over aid to Britain by President Roosevelt. Roosevelt's dubious and na?ve role in his dealings with Stalin is presented in some detail as well.

Weeks also shows that Stalin always rightly understood the might and potential of the American economic potential. US technical assistance had already played a major role in the mechanisation of both the Soviet agriculture and the Red Army. Stalin has been able to use the huge "tractor factories", built with the help of Ford, among others, to establish the necessary industrial base for the mechanisation of his huge tank forces before the outbreak of the Second World War.

The excellent mastery of both Russian and Soviet history allows the author to put the history of Lend-Lease into the wider context of American-Russian and American-Soviet political and economic relations, starting in Tsarist times.

After presenting Stalin's offensive war plans against Hitler in his equally superb book "Stalin's Other War. Soviet Grand Strategy 1939-45", Weeks again delivers important historical facts and puts them into proper context.

Despite the amount of data (quite rightfully) used in the book, Weeks' writing style makes reading about this often neglected aspect of history easy.

For any serious student of US-Soviet war-time relations, this is a must-read.

An excellent resource for a hospital looking to attract and retain top-tier nurses. The book makes a strong case for the strategies that can be used in recruiting, professional growth and development, and integration with Magnet status. The book also provides a wealth of "toolboxes" - which are practical, working ideas for the reader to be able to implement.

Every word of this book is valuable if you are trying to recruit and retain nurses during a shortage which is reaching crisis levels.

Victor Linoff edits an important coverage: an unabridged reprint of the company's 1938 catalog which will prove a treasure trove of detail for any involved in costuming or representation of the Western wear of the times. From hats to overalls and boots, Saddle and Western Gear Catalog 1938 presents small black and white photos and excellent detail.

This is a great reprint of an old catalog. It shows all of what was in the orginal. Saddles, chaps, saddle trees, hats, boots, bits, spurs, and some clothing. This is a great referance book for the person looking to research old equipment that they may have. I would recommend this just for informal reading if you like old west items. It includes prices of items in 1938. This book makes a great addition to your library.

Boats are complex, cruising is fun, Paul & Sheryl show how everyone can get past the complexities and into the fun of it. I found this book valuable because it addresses how to make things simple. A cruising sailboat has many confusing systems that seem too difficult to understand. This book is like having a helpful friend there lending encouragment. This may not be the most complete and comprehensive of guides but it traveled with us on a five year voyage. Shelf space it tight on a boat and there was space for this book.

Paul and Sheryl Shard built their own boat and sailed it to the Bahamas. That was the original plan, and then they kept on going! They sailed to Europe and back to Toronto via Brazil, and the Caribbean.

They have been cruising for 10 years now, and are living the dream of many. Rather than a week here and there, or even a year sabbatical, they manage to cruise about six months a year, writing, and filming for their TV show.

This book has been updated and reflects the kind of knowledge that is only gained but doing again and again. They have the right attitude and obviously have found something that works. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to turn their dreaming into reality.

Winner of the George Perkins Marsh Prize from the American Society for Environmental History; Awarded the Best Book in North American Urban History for 2000 by the Urban History Association;
Winner of the Abel Wolman Award from the Public Works Historical Society; Winner of the Edelstein Prize from the Society for the History of Technology

Description

An invisible infrastructure defines a significant portion of the American urban experience, affecting everything from the quality of the water we drink to the frequency of our trash collection to the pressure of the flush in our toilets. In The Sanitary City: Urban Infrastructure in America from Colonial Times to the Present, Martin V. Melosi studies water supply, wastewater, and solid-waste-disposal systems in U.S. cities from the colonial era to the present day. Along the way, Melosi discusses not only changing technologies and the expanding population but also growing public health awareness and ecological theories. He shows how the social beliefs and scientific understandings that emerged over time influenced how Americans have viewed waste and sanitation in urban life and how they came to accept workable solutions to the problems of sanitation, water delivery, and waste removal.

Ambitious and comprehensive, The Sanitary City incorporates an exhaustive supply of sources, from popular accounts and journalism to scholarly histories in the fields of technology and urban growth to congressional reports and legislative studies. It will appeal to scholars, students, and professionals in environmental history, urban studies, the history of science and technology, public health, and American government.
Reviews

"Martin Melosi's The Sanitary City is a substantial work of scholarship that provides a highly useful history of the development and consequences of urban water, sewer, and solid waste infrastructure in the United States. Extensively referenced, heavily illustrated, and well written, it should be a standard on the subject for many years."--Darwin H. Stapleton, Technology and Culture

"Melosi offers a fascinating historical tour of the odiferous underground architecture of American cities from the eighteenth century to the present."--Mark Tebeau, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"Melosi's book is a great accomplishment, a rich source of factual and interpretive material, and a tribute to a life of productive scholarship."--James B. McSwain, EH.Net

"Well-written and thoroughly documented, The Sanitary City tells a national story . . . an important read for anyone concerned with understanding American cities and how they got the way they are."--Steven J. Hoffman, Journal of Social History

"The Sanitary City is a must-have for historians doing research on any aspect of the history of the development of water, sewerage, waste management, pollution control and other aspects of public health and sanitation in the American city. Melosi's prodigious research and extensive bibliography, his lucid descriptions and many illustrations of colonial era and more modern sanitation technologies, and his discussion of the truly myriad accomplishments of the public health and sanitation professions make this book an essential research tool."--Christine Meisner Rosen, Urban History

"Nicely illustrated and well documented, The Sanitary City, just like the systems it describes, will be central to our understanding of the urban experience."--Stephen H. Cutcliffe, Science, Technology & Society

"Over the next several years, environmental and civil engineers with an interest in the history of their professions as well as policymakers seeking context will join environmental and urban historians in praising The Sanitary City, a tour de force."--Patricia Evridge Hill, History

"A comprehensive introduction to a very important topic."--Richard Kastl, Vernacular Architecture Newsletter

"Professor Melosi integrates the history of the urban infrastructure of sanitation and places this story of technology and engineering in larger contexts of environment and public health. The Sanitary City is a monumental study that sweeps across both time and space; it will become the standard text for many years to come."--Harold Platt, Loyola University of Chicago

"[The Sanitary City] is well written, in an engaging style that is both informative and leaves the reader with opportunities to critique historiographic debates and form his/her own conclusions . . . Given the comprehensive treatment Melosi provides, his monograph will likely be the standard reference for some years to come."--Russell S. Kirby, Historical Geography
Author Information
Martin V. Melosi is a professor of history at the University of Houston.

By describing the development of sanitary technology in the history of the American city, the author places the city within an environmental context. The city is no longer just an act of human imposition upon the landscape, but more of an organic structure that functions within its surrounding environment. A very worthwhile read, and an interesting look at American urban history.

Este libro es para personas que deseen actualizar, reparar, dar mantenimiento y resolver fallas en computadoras

The book features hardware drawings and many tables giving data in forms that allow the technician access to any area of study without needing to sift throught page after page of text. I find I am already referring to Upgrading and Repairing PCs when confronted with a task I do no complete frequently. I would recommend this book for anyone involved in the computer technician field as well as the self taught user.

Carr's book is a delight for anyone who has had ANYTHING to do with golf, even one who doesn't play it but knows what a club is. Wit enhances seriousness, or seriousness enhances wit--I don't know which. These are down-to-earth suggestions drawn from a lifetime of cogitation. Golf becomes a metaphor for life--a good life. It is the best book I have read on the subject.

This book was excellent, I recommend it to anyone who is a weekend golfer like myself, it really does give some great tips and will help you improve without spending a lot of time on the range.

I will make this short but sweet. Bob Rose has managed to write a truly informative "How To/This is how it is put together" book here. It is worth it's weight in gold. The content and the manner of presentation in this book is better than any training manual I have seen. I hope he can write one on Magnavox TVs. Good job Bob!

The author's knowledge and experience shows in this comprehensive guide to servicing the CTC-130 to the CTC-195/97. This book is aimed at someone with a decent amount of tv repair experience. Not for the amateur unless you plan on learning the basics elsewhere. Recommended highly...Great tips and "trade secrets"

This is an excellent source for the collector of antique sewing implements. Full color illustrations of all priced objects make it easy to identify and place a value on pincushions, needlecases, thimbles and more. Not much text but price guides are generally short on text. If a price guide is what you want, I recommend this one.

Helen Lester Thompson's Sewing Tools & Trinkets is a collector's identification and value guide, covering everything from thimbles and needle holders to toys and trinkets. A very specific reference for the collector of sewing items.

To be honest, I have not gone into a thourough and complete reading of the texbook, but I picked up several and sparse subjects in order to get a better understanding about some issues relating linear transport theory. But also in a limited use like that I cannot help recognizing that, even after half a century, this book remains a milestone in integral equations and boundary problems. Deep, clear, and available also to ready-to-use requests, it may seem a bit out of fashion for the light use of geometrical formalism, but also this latter feature makes it to be very strict to the point, if you need to strengthen the theoretical building of numerical calcualtions to be performed.

Eventhough this text dates from 1946 it is difficult to find a more complete and accurate discussion on the boundary value problems raised up by the Cauchy integral.

Being one of the most outstanding pupils of the Vekua school (as Gakhov), Muskhelishvili explores every single particular case of the classical boundary value problems of complex analysis giving a complete solution to each, sometimes employing highly ingenious arguments. It includes also several applications.

As in the case of the book by Gakhov (also reviewed by myself) I wonder why this material is not standard in usual complex analysis courses, at least in the American continent. When you read this kind of books you realize that all your previous knowledge on the subject was almost useless, to say the least. My suggestion for the material to be mastered by complex analysis students is: First read an introductory classic like Ahlfors, Lang, or Markushevitch, and then proceed to Kress (Linear Integral Equations), Gakhov, and Muskhelishvili. Then you will be ready for the next step: Hypercomplex analysis.

The contents of the book are: The Hölder condition; Integrals of the Cauchy type; Some corollaries on Cauchy integrals; Cauchy integrals near the ends of the line of integration; The Hilbert and Riemann-Hilbert boundary problems; Singular integral equations with Cauchy kernels (case of contours); The Dirichlet problem; Various representations of holomorphic functions by Cauchy and analogous integrals; Solution of the generalized Riemann-Hilbert-Poincaré problem; The Hilbert problem in the case of arcs or discontinuous boundary conditions; Inversion formulae for arcs; Effective solution of some boundary problems of the theory of harmonic functions; Effective solution of the principal problems of the static theory of elasticity for the half-plane, circle and analogous regions; Singular integral equations for the case of arcs and continuous coefficients; Singular integral equations in the case of discontinuous coefficients; Application to the Dirichlet problem and similar problems; Solution of integro-differential equations of the theory of aircraft wings of finite span; The Hilbert problem for several unknown functions; Systems of singular integral equations with Cauchy type kernels and some supplements; + 3 appendices.

Includes full motivation for each topic, historical notes, and extensive references.

Please read some of my other reviews (just click on my name above).