Virginia Books

This book was accurate, thoroughly researched, and suprisingly well written. It helps one gain an entire new perspective on early race relations in the United States. Even the most seasoned historian will likely walk away in awe after reading Hashaw's fabulous work.

Dont expect the story to be entirely about Africans however. In order to help us understand their history, Hashaw takes us through much of what was going on in Europe before and after the "twenty-odd" landed at Jamestown.

This is a wonderful rendering of the history of English piracy, the slave trade, and the religious and political events in Europe and Africa that led to the beginning of African lives in the US. It is a gripping story, told as an unfolding play. VERY enlightening about early American history.

The book was excellent!

This book is excellent for 1) putting the arrival of Africans at Jamestown in context both in European (English, Spanish and Portuguese) politics of the time, and 2) giving in great detail the political, social and economic situation of the Angolan kingdom whence these Africans originated. The activities of the Spanish ambassador to the court of King James is enjoyable diplomatic intrigue; the relation of James to Africa is convincing and should be part of literary studies of Ben Jonson's work. I was amazed to learn that many of the enslaved Africans had Christian backgrounds of several generations, and familiarity with European languages and customs, resulting from Portuguese colonization and missionary activities for more than a century prior. Hashaw does himself credit in showing the similarities and differences in the political and military activities and alliances of these African and European rulers and aristocracies. In addition, he shows in great detail the identities, activities and onward movements of these Africans and their descendents (who are normally anonymous figures in standard histories), and gives credible evidence on the origin of the Melungeon families of Appalachia, and insight into the contributions of Africans to cattle herding and to agricultural success in the Americas. A real page-turner -- a riveting and enlightening account that makes fresh some once-stale facts from your obligatory American history class.

The real story of what went on before and during seventeenth-century Jamestown (along with correlated events in England, Angola, and Spain) is found in Tim Hashaw's definitive book, THE BIRTH OF BLACK AMERICA: THE FIRST AFRICANS AND THE PURSUIT OF FREEDOM AT JAMESTOWN.

Using his extraordinary gifts as a researcher, combined with a curiosity as wide as it is deep, Hashaw probed every primary source he could find to try to understand and explain the many gaps and suspected falsehoods embedded in what has passed to date as the history of the early Virginia colony of Jamestown.

The author chose to avoid in his book any imaginary dialogue, fictional characters, or fictitious events. But despite these rigid self-imposed standards, he has produced an absorbing and exhaustive chronicle, singularized by being based on TRUTH. Of all writings meant to commemorate the four-hundreth anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Hashaw's book is likely to remain THE primary reference of all time. Small wonder he has received any number of professional honors for investigative journalism.

Preceding the MAYFLOWER by seventeen years, Jamestown was founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London, a private enterprise supported financially and controlled by a group of wealthy venture capitalists. Authorized by King James, this company was initially given CARTE BLANCHE to monopolize virtually all of North America. A primary motivation was to build an empire in America to serve as a bulwark against further Spanish expansion, but the shareholders also hoped to find in the Chesapeake area a river route to the South Seas, along with vast treasure, such as the CONQUISTADORS had confiscated in Mexico and Peru.

Jamestown became the first "successful" English settlement in the New World. At the same time it was also the birthplace of English-speaking America. A far less publicized event took place in late August, 1619, however, when roughly twenty, branded, shackled, and half-dead Angolans were exchanged for grain, and dumped off at Jamestown by an alleged "Dutch" man-of-war to become the first unwitting African co-founders of America.

In articles and history books these newcomers are most commonly referred to as "the twenty and odd," a quaint phrase found in an original document written by Captain John Smith, who recorded their arrival. But in most versions there is a major omission. The qualifying noun at the end of the initial phrase was a single word identifying them only by "hue." (But there had already been some precedence for racism by skin color. In 1602, and even in 1580, Queen Elizabeth I had issued a proclamation for the exportation from England of "Negars and Blackamoors.")

In the spring of 1619 the Spanish slaver, SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, set sail from Africa's west coast, crammed with a human cargo of 350 Angolan prisoners of war, captured during the heinous Portuguese campaign against the Ndongo people begun a year earlier. Bound for the slave distribution center at Vera Cruz, Mexico, when the ship reached the Gulf of Mexico it was savagely attacked and all but destroyed by two English men-of-war acting in concert - the WHITE LION and the TREASURER.

But when the smoke died down, the privateers did not find the gold and silver they anticipated. Instead, on the smoldering BAUTISTA they found an unspeakably pitiful assemblage of terrified prisoners, jam-packed into the hold like so many animals. Because of size limitations, only 60 of the most healthy-appearing men, women, and children were transferred to the two waiting ships destined for Jamestown.

The first to arrive at Jamestown was the WHITE LION, but since it was protected by a Dutch "marque," and had sailed from the Dutch port of Vlissingen, it was considered "legitimate" and had no difficulty in trading its "twenty and odd." (In those days "letters of marque" distinguished an authorized privateer from a pirate, even though the distinctions between a privately owned corsair and one commissioned by a government were often blurred. Individuals whose own countries outlawed piracy sometimes sought protective marques from other countries.)

Tim Hashaw discovered - after a 400-year-old mystery - that the "anonymous Dutch ship" (as it is still called in most historical records) was actually the WHITE LION. He also discovered that this ship was English, and owned and commanded by a Calvanist minister from Cornwall, England.

When the TREASURER arrived four days later, however, it was a different story. While poised at Point Comfort, awaiting the go-ahead to advance to Jamestown's port, Captain Elfrith received an urgent message from an informant that the TREASURER was suspected of piracy and about to be apprehended.

Earlier, Lord Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, had obtained a protective Italian marque for the TREASURER by bribing Italy's Duke of Savoy. But the marque had since expired, and in light of the major peace treaty of 1604 between England and Spain, piracy was a treasonous act. Only a year before, in fact, King James, at the urging of the smarmy Count Gondomar (Spanish Ambassador for the English Court) had ordered the public beheading of Sir Walter Raleign for this very offense. Realizing how desperate the situation was, Elfrith took time enough only to trade six more prisoners before hightailing it to Bermuda.

To a few powerful members of the Virginia Company, Jamestown was secretly always regarded as a perfect haven for piracy. Deep waters surrounded the Island, and there was excellent visibility up and down the James River. It was also far enough inland to minimize any potential contact with enemy ships. Yet, the water immediately adjacent to land was deep enough to allow the colonists to drop anchor, or make a quick getaway if necessary. Moreover, pirate ships could easily sail in and out of the Chesapeake area without undue notice.

The piracy plot had already been tested early in 1619, when the TREASURER docked uneventfully at Jamestown with its plunder. At that time it was still under the protection of an Italian marque. But because of the later crisis at Point Comfort, involving an unauthorized pirate ship BELONGING TO THE VIRGINIA COMPANY(!)that also contained human cargo, the conspiracy to make Jamestown a piracy stronghold had unexpectedly surfaced. Later this unfolding scandal would be the major reason why King James - who passionately despised piracy - withdrew the Virgina Company's charter in 1624. His decision, however, simultaneously opened the door to the founding of additional colonies that became, during the American Revolution, the framework of a new nation.

Lord Rich was a complicated,contradictory, and controversial "gentleman," at once a swashbuckling and greedy privateer by temperament and deed, a poweful dedicated political leader of the Puritan movement, and a major investor and voice in the Virginia Company. It was he who initiated the piracy plot when he met in 1616 with co-conspirators, Samuel Argall and John Rolfe, who were also prominent members of the Company.

Rich had paved the way for the risky scheme by persuading the Virginia Company to name Argall and Rolfe Jamestown's top administrators. The plan was for these men to attend to the colony's business, while surreptitiously overseeing piracy activities (from which they would personally prosper) and making sure that they would not be caught. But by yielding to Rich's wishes and appointing two traitorous members to such powerful roles, the Virgina Company had - albeit unknowingly - also aided and abetted treason.

In the early decades of Jamestown, before some of its worst problems had been solved, and tobacco had become a profitable export, the colony was a living hell. The settlers were beset in turn by drought, fierce winters, dread diseases, starving, polluted water, attacks on Indians, Indian attacks on them, conniving, conspirarcy, in-fighting, corruption, hanging and near-hanging, insect swarms - and during "The Starving Time," even cannibalism! Throw into the mix that some members of the Virginia Company were actively promoting piracy, and a more realistic picture of America's ignominious past emerges.

What of major importance should be distilled from the incredible amount of factual information in this book?

ANGOLA

1. Ndongo was one of several sophisticated Iron Age Angola states.

2. It was a kingdom of settled farmers, craftsmen, and cattle-herders.

3. Long before the founding of Jamestown, Angola had embraced Christianity.

4. Angola had a written history transcribed by its own European-educated scholars.

5. Angola traded actively with Europe.

THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICANS

1. For several glorious decades they were equal members of the community, working side-by-side with their English counterparts.

2. Many were indentured servants who labored for their freedom for a set period of time, just as did the English.

3. They socialized, owned land, cattle, and other properties, used particular and useful skills, actively traded, lived in decent homes.

4. They intermarried freely with each other, with Europeans, and with local Indians.

5. They had all legal rights.

From Hashaw's book we see how, using the fallacy of race as a way to mask unmitigated greed, a determined Virginia gradually outlawed all civil liberties of these pioneer Americans, and converted them into chattel slaves.

There are lessons to be learned from this...

I can't believe I found it! This was one of my favorite books from when I was in kindergarten. I remember it well. I'm buying it for my 6-year-old daughter tonight.

"Way out west in Cactus County there was a horse named Calico. She wasn't very pretty...but she was very smart. She was the smartest fastest horse in all of Cactus County." She could run like "greased lightning", and she could smell like a bloodhound. "Her nose was so keen she could track a bee through a blizzard." She was owned by a cowboy named Hank, and "...she would go to the end of the trail for Hank. They had a language all their own and understood each other perfectly." Life was good and happy for everyone who lived in Cactus County, no locks, no fences, and no sheriff or jail. But across the Cactus River were the Badlands where the villains of this story lived. And the meanest, sneakiest, absolutely worst bad man of them all was Stewy Stinker. He was so mean, "he would hold up Santa Claus on Christmas Eve if he had a chance." So sit back and get comfortable and see what happened when Stewy Stinker and his nasty gang came to town..... First published in 1941, Calico The Wonder Horse is as fresh and entertaining today, as it was over fifty years ago. This is an old fashioned, action packed, rootin' tootin' western that has it all...cattle rustling, hold-ups, a stampede and kidnapping, a wild and thrilling stagecoach chase, and through it all, Calico comes to the rescue, outsmarts the bad guys and saves the day. Virginia Lee Burton's clever, witty text is dramatic, engaging and full of wild west colloquialisms that will have both kids and adults laughing and cheering at all the fun. Her marvelous comic strip illustrations are expressive and full of detail and beg to be pored over and explored. Put it all together and you have the makings of a timeless classic to share with friends, family and future generations. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Calico The Wonder Horse is a masterpiece and a MUST for every home library.

The illustrations of this Wild West comedy saga are just as good as the lively and creative prose. Easy to read in one sitting as a great "before bed" story. The adventure and humor will keep even those with short attention spans listening intently. The ending is perfect!

My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I love this book! Best of all, and unlike many of our other favorites, the hero (Calico) is female whose merit is based on her intellect and problem-solving skills. I really like that subliminal message. I'll admit that at first I was a little put off by the artsy "comic book" format, but it grows on you, and I appreciate it more each time I read it. This book and Mike Mulligan are must-have Burton books.

I am a big fan of Virginia Lee Burton and Calico the Wonder Horse is another example of her great illustrations and story lines. The story is action packed; you laugh, you cry, and you want the good guy to win and live happily ever after. What is interesting about this book is that the color of the pages correspond with the action of the story. It is an all around good read for you and your child.

This is the first, the original, the most seminal, and the best Chinese cookbook ever written. Period, end of story. Irene Kuo is hailed, but in fact her cookbook, in my opinion, is inferior to this one; useful, but secondary. The only missing key and central recipe is Salt Roast Chicken, the best recipe for which is to be found in the Classic Chinese Cookbook by Mai Leung.

Though we own twenty other Chinese cookbooks, we still think this is one of the best.

I have the '72 edition as well, bought new then, and turned to it again just last night. I agree with mbrown's description of the recipes by category and don't wish to be redundent. What charmed me and Chinese shopkeepers was being able to point to the Chinese characters of various ingredients in the glossary. They were then able to quickly find just what I needed. The recipes are organized, easy to follow, and consistently tasty. I love Chinese cuisine and would be lost without it.

I have the old version of this text, which was published in 72. I was browsing through cook books at the store and noticed that I had seen all the recipes before and then I realized it was the same book, only a newer cover. This has been my bible of chinese cooking. The book is very thorough and easy to understand. It has all the well known chinese recipes and a description of cooking techniques, such as the proper ways to carve and present meat. All recipes are categorized by their main ingredient (pork, chicken, beef, seafood, ect. . ) with a chapter on deserts. My only qualm with this book is it doesn't provide the chinese name for many recipes. This might be because they have been generalize for a western audience and the chinese names no longer apply, but I'd like to think that they are authentic originals from traditional dishes. If you only own one chinese cooking book, this is the one to have. Maybe that is why the title is "THE Chinese Cook Book".

This is an outstanding book. It far outstrips every other Chinese cookbook, including some very good ones by Irene Kuo, Ellen Schrecker, and others. I've been cooking out of it for 20 years. Every recipe I've tried (and I've tried most of them) turns out extraordinary food. Don't bother with the other books. Get this one, if you can find it! The publisher who let this go out of print should be strung up by his thumbs. The world deserves better! A billion stars!

Woolf use of words is just full and rich,english as english should be.

Woolf is not typically known as a writer of short stories -- "sketches" as she called them. However, the short fiction that she wrote provides a wonderful introduction to her narrative style. The early "Mark on the Wall," "Kew Gardens," and "An Unwritten Novel" give to the reader a sense of how Woolf's technique works within a smaller package than the usual assigned Woolf reading. Her feminist (apologies to VW since she considered the word dead once women were able to earn a living) leanings come through in "A Society" and "Moments of Being: 'Slater's Pins have no Points'." Woolf's early sketches are where she formed her interior monologue style, within which one thing leads to another as the work progresses. These short fiction works should be required reading for anyone delving into Woolf. Possibly those who read these sketches before they dive into the novels would understand a bit better of what Woolf's fiction is made. Excellent.

I'm not the kind of person that uses the concept/word "genius" that often, but Virginia Woolf's talent to create Orchestral Manouvers in the Mind and Heart, weaving beautiful webs of ideas, feelings, emotions, thoughts and perceptions turned her texts into something to behold in a mixture of awe and joy. Each of her short stories is like an exquisite scent for the mind to process and delight at but never be able to define. This lady's words make her texts more real than reality itself. This is TALENT at its highest. This lady was - is -, obviously, a genius.

This book is great if you have read all of her novels or have yet to pick up one. It can introduce you to Woolf's style or if you already know what a wonderful writer she is, it will continue to entertain you. These short stories also let you see how she developed some of her novels as well as her style throughout her life. She was unbelievably dedicated to her writing, and this book makes her efforts clear.

My favorite story in this collection is "The Lady in the Lookinglass." This story contains a powerful image: the yearning to completely comprehend another person. Such longing, as the narrator distinguishes, is not desire for "dinners and visits and polite conversations," nor "things she talked about at dinner," but something deeper, "her profounder state of being that one wanted to catch and turn to words."

On one hand, Isabella represents a synecdoche. If the narrator understands her deeply enough, he could "know everything there was to be known about Isabella," but also life, and perhaps all persons as well.

On the other hand, perhaps Isabella objectifies the inability of one person to scale walls of privacy and anonymity another erects to protect herself from intimacy.

Our sympathy straddles that wall, perhaps lying first with Isabella who veils herself, then with the narrator who longs to know her. We aren't shown why Isabella has become the trembling convolvulus. But no one's face should reflect "masklike indifference." The phrase is not congruous -- the need to mask is anything but indifferent. And can't we concede tragedy to anyone who, after 50-60 years, remains a person for whom another can claim, "The comparison showed how very little, after all these years, one knew about her; for it is impossible that any woman of flesh and blood of fifty-five or sixty should be really a wreath or a tendril"? This is a heartbreaking image.

This book is very portable (slim and easy to carry). While it includes day hikes in the first section, the second section is great if you are planning to hike (and camp) for more than one day. Not only does it include trail descriptions, mileage, it also offers advice on how many miles to do per day, etc. I did find one "error" during the Hazel Mountain day hike section (the mileage in the text doesn't match the mileage in the description) but that's not major. Overall, GREAT BOOK!

I thought this book was the most comprehensive of its kind. The two weeks I spent in the park were enhanced by the knowledge and experience of the author. I recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of exploring Shenandoah!!!

I like the format of this hiking book the best. A very easy to read and follow guide with just the right amount of side discussions. Maps are nicely done without too much detail and the book is narrow enough to fit in a pocket. I wish all hiking guides would use this format. The selected hikes are well thoughtout and cover all regions of the Park.

I barely have time to hike, much less shift through a thick, overdone guidebook. Molloy's guide is the perfect size. It saves me time, accurately detailing specific hikes to lesser known destinations with exact directions to the trailhead and good maps. It's all I ever need to explore Shenandoah National Park.

Molloy obviouly spent a lot of time at Shenandoah because all the hikes he picked were winners (at least all those I have gone on so far!). This book tells me just what I want to know: the hike, distance, difficulty, and hiking time. Even better, it gives me a running commentary about what I am going to see on the hike, so I don't miss anything. And it fits right in my pack! I really like the directions to get me to the trailhead. I can pack up and be on the trail in a jiffy. So if you are looking for just the right information (in our era of information overload) Molloy's book is for you.

Sid Hite expertly weaves comedy, romance, and Americana in this novel. It is a book that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. The characters are truly colorful, and Hite's command of the English language is unique. Check it out!

Dither farm is truely a work of art. The simple folk in this book are both laid-back and witty. It's no wonder with names like Flea Jenfries. Such a lavishly discripitve book has never been written. I storgly reccomend this book, I assure you it will become quite well thumbed.

Hi, my name is Meredith and I am one of hopefully many people to read Dither Farm. I found this book to have a very easy to read context and an exciting plot. I recommened it to my friend and she is going to read it very soon. Please read Dither Farm, I think its sure to please anyone!

This book is simply wonderful. It's funny and entertaining. I really loved it. Anybody and everybody would love it too. Go read it now!!

I really like this book and if you read it I am sure you will like it as well or maybe even better. I liked the adventures Matilda and Archibald had. I really liked the part where Archibald does the chicken dance. If you read this book I hope you like it.

Ed Cline's romantic epic of the American Revolution continues its grand style, dramatic plotting, and intellectual suspense in Sparrowhawk Book Four: Empire. The fourth novel in a six-book series devoted to the founding of the United States, Book Four: Empire portrays American planters Jack Frake and Hugh Kenrick as men allied in spirit and philosophy who disagree over the means to their political ends: chiefly freedom from English tyranny. Set in 1760s Virginia, Book Four begins with George the Third's Royal Proclamation of 1763 that established a vast Indian territory between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River and forbade any use of those lands to colonials. The storyline progresses through the debates over the Stamp Act in Parliament and in the Virginia House of Burgesses and the adoption of the Virginia Resolves of 1765 that sparked the fire of revolution.

Sparrowhawk is an expertly researched work of fiction. Cline recreates the period vividly down to the relevant details in pre-revolutionary history and culture. Hugh Kenrick constructs the first system of indoor plumbing in Caxton. Communications via ship are maddeningly slow, with many months required between the passage of an act in England and the arrival of legislative documents in the colonies. The Virginia House of Burgesses in Williamsburg is populated with contemporary figures: John Robinson, George Washington, Richard Bland, Edmund Pendleton, Peyton Randolph, and Patrick Henry. Hugh becomes acquainted with young Thomas Jefferson, a law student at the College of William and Mary.

The storyline in Book Four: Empire follows the deepening conflict between England and the American colonies established in Sparrowhawk Book Three: Caxton. Upon victory in the French and Indian War, King George and Parliament set out to increase Crown control and exploitation of the colonies through settlement restrictions, higher taxation, and the denial of English constitutional rights to Americans. New Crown policies reverse the Act of Settlement that encouraged the patenting of lands upon which taxes and other levies had already been paid by the colonists to England. These new policies confiscate property from its lawful owners. England already benefited greatly in its regulation of colonial trade, exchange of currency, and collection of tariffs. The newly proposed Stamp Act imposes an unjustified additional burden on the colonials by requiring the purchase of special stamps for almost all documents. To tighten the colonials' chains, Parliament rejects any suggestion that Americans be allowed Parliamentary representation as British subjects in adherence to British constitutional law.

At the center of the Sparrowhawk epic is the story of two heroic men, Jack Frake and Hugh Kenrick, who recognize that any compromise with tyranny will destroy American liberty. Self-assured and confident in their moral convictions, Jack and Hugh part ways only over the strategies necessary to rebuff English authority and preserve American freedoms.

The personal and political issues at stake are enormous and the threat of death and other destruction very real. A challenge to Crown power is no less than "an invitation to tragedy," in the words of one burgess. Both opponents and proponents of the Virginia Resolves foresee the inevitable reaction of the king and Parliament: a punitive military response to subdue the disobedient Americans and to permanently destroy any hope of American political independence.

Hugh Kenrick is a man of tremendous intellect and practical achievement who believes in the power of reason. Reason alone, he believes, can persuade the English of the morality and justice of American independence united in alliance with England. Hugh's speeches in the Virginia House of Burgesses speed the Resolves along to passage despite heavy resistance, aiding Hugh's conviction that men who know reason will act in accordance with it.

In contrast, Jack Frake is just as settled in his conviction that many men do not respond to reasoned principles but act inconsistently and often blindly according to whim, fear, or the irrational desire for advantage and power over others. Though on different roads to their destination, Jack and Hugh recognize the same spirit and soul in one another. For Jack, Hugh is "a self that would never submit to malign authority; a self that was sensitive to the machinations of others, a self trained in the brittle, lacerating society of the aristocracy to be on guard against sly encroachments; a self that was proof against corruption, sloth, and violence; a self that recognized and cherished itself, and so was proud; a self that quietly gloried in its own unobstructed and unconquered existence. A self very much like his own."

Throughout his grand epic, Ed Cline helps readers grasp the vital connection between philosophical ideas and the personal choices and events that arise from them, especially in the birth of the independent new nation and moral political system based on individual rights. American novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand stated that art can be uniquely inspirational in showing us life as it might be and ought to be. Sparrowhawk portrays principled, heroic individuals living consistently and courageously by moral absolutes, men as they really were and might be again.

Sparrowhawk, Book IV: Empire is a joy. This is a thinking person's book. One of the themes of the book is that those who focus on reality, do the hard work to develop a model of that reality, and act on the results of that thinking - even in the face of opposition - will gain glorious rewards.

None of the Sparrowhawk series are easy, mind-disengaged reads. The historical detail is so rich, the philosophy is so deep, and the characterizations are so intricate, that they demand focus. But the effort yields its own glorious reward.

Book IV in the Sparrowhawk series details the politics behind the passage of the Stamp Act in England and the heroic stance of Patrick Henry and his allies in the Virginia House of Burgesses in lighting the flame of resistance to the Stamp Act.

The book makes one realize what a close-run thing it was that the beginnings of the resistance to British rule happened at all. The forces for compromise and acquiescence to encroaching British tyranny against the American colonies were strong, and it took heroic thought melded with action to move Americans to have the courage to resist.

This book makes more clear than any of the series the link between the ideas of the philosophers of the Enlightenment - like Locke and Sydney - and the actions of the American Revolution. The exploration of the intellectual trends in 18th century Britain and Europe is another benefit of reading this book.

Like the first two books in the Sparrowhawk series, this book makes clear the personal emotional benefits of thinking and acting consistently, too. Romantic fiction gives us heroes to emulate, and the Sparrowhawk series is romantic fiction at its best.

I just hope we don't have to wait as long for Book V: Revolution and Book VI: War as we did this one. Edward Cline's web page (www.edwardcline.com) says that Book V is complete and that Book VI will probably be done in early 2005. We just hope that the publisher gets them to market as soon as possible.

This book is another 'chapter' in the Cline series on the ideas and people behind the American Revolution. The series is excellent and the characters are not only truely inspiring, but bring to light the serious lack of principled people that currently lead our nation.

Here's my highest recommendation as a person who loves great literature and as an amateur historian who has been fascinated by the American Revolution and its intellectual antecedents for more than 30 years.

If I have a complaint it's that I would like to have seen the entire series published as a single volume so I could devour it all at once.

Cline has obviously spent an enormous amount of time researching the background for these books. It shows in a thousand little touches and details that give the era life and character for the reader. Some may argue that there is too much background, that it tends to obscure the story. I do not agree. There is neither more nor less background than is necessary to provide the proper context. These are historical novels, after all.

But far more impressive than the detail is Cline's deep understanding of the revolutionary mind. Finally, here is the historical truth of the American Revolution. Religious "freedom" and self-sacrifice are relegated to their proper place as near-nonentities on the list of historical causes and personal motivations. Here is a world peopled by giants of an intellectual and moral stature seldom seen today, who do not sacrifice values but risk everything to keep them. Here men do not oppose England in order to prostrate themselves at the alter of a jealous Christian God. They fight to live as free men, opposing all forms of tyranny.

Cline has a literary style that perfectly frames this story set in the world-shaping era of the Enlightenment. He builds his stage and writes his actors large and heroic as they ought and deserve to be written. The books are full of profoundly perceptive and beautifully poetic writing. The emphasis is on intellectual drama not physical action as befits one of the great intellectual conflicts in world history.

Thank you Edward Cline. Sparrowhawk is a classic in the making.

While the Sparrowhawk series introduces fictional characters, in this book they interact with historical people amid historical events. The result is the best history lesson around - a compelling story that not only makes history come alive but allows the reader to get a unique perspective of the founding fathers. If this were used in schools, many more students would have an interest in history. This particular book is my favorite in the series so far.

Phil Sheridan's battle against the Confederates at Trevillian Station is covered in 391 pages with maps, photos, orders of battle, statistics on loses, an excellent bibliography, and index. Author Eric Wittenberg has done an outstanding job of narration, explanation, and interpretation of the battle. (Wittenberg's knowledge of the Union cavalry adds to the book immensely, as does his keen appreciation of the landscape.) This text is a treat for Civil War buffs and would be a great addition to the library of descendants of those on both sides who were participants.

It is about time that a true scholarly description of this long neglected but fascinating battle has been written. It destroys quite a number of myths! Sheridan was not invincible. The Confederate Cavalry did not die at Yellow Tavern with J.E.B. Stuart (it died at Appomattox with the rest of the ANVa). That Wade Hampton was a capable and perhaps more suitable cavalry commander for that period of the war. I bet that with even numbers that Hampton would have trounced Sheridan. As it was, outnumbered he stopped Sheridan cold and hurt him bad.

The battle is exciting, complex and had Hampton had just a little more strength Sheridan would have been in bad trouble; as it was he was hard pressed to claim any real results.

It is also hoped that this draws more attention to the preservation of this battlefield, which is in pretty good shape- but the bull dozers will come eventually.

This is a book for learning Civil War personalities, style of command, how cavalry fought in the civil war and documents this battle superbly. Well done and well worth the price od admission. I'll be on the outlook for more by Messr Wittenburg.

Mr. Wittenberg is the author of several books on cavalry operations in the Eastern Theater, all well documented, informative and very readable. This book is my personal favorite. He hits the "sweet spot", balancing a solid battlefield history with personal experiences of the participants. The history set up an experience, which amplifies and explains the history bridging the story to the next incident. The result is an informative history of Sheridan's cavalry raid in June 1864 with an in the saddle feel rarely found in nonfiction books.

The heart of the book is the battles of Trevilian Station on June 11 & 12, 1864 and Samaria Church on June 24, 1862. Trevilian Station is Sheridan's attempt to cut the vital Virginia Central Railroad and Samaria Church is Hampton's attempt to capture Sheridan's wagon train. The two battles do not stand-alone but exist in Sheridan's cavalry raid, with the raid firmly placed in Grant's Overland Campaign. This means that the reader never forgets the total operation and the war. Very often, battle histories do not include or spend very little time on the larger issues causing us to miss this vital information.

This raid contains a who's who of Eastern cavalry personalities: Philip Sheridan, Wade Hampton, Fitzhugh Lee and George Custer are well known, Thomas Rosser, Matthew Butler, Alfred Torbert, Wesley Merritt and David Gregg much less so. Each man has an interesting word portrait with a detailed account of his role. Mr. Wittenberg draws some interesting conclusions about the battle and the men. As always, his conclusions are well supported and thought provoking, making for a book that is both an introduction with something for the more knowledgeable too.

A useful and vivid study of the largest all-cavalry battle in the Civil War. The author's trenchant criticism of Sheridan is especially interesting as he does most of his work on Michigan cavalry--thus can't be accused of Southern partisanship. It's a long and detailed account, including plenty of quotes for human interest as well as an assessment of the battle's tactical and strategic import. In a larger context, it works well to fill a gap--cavalry actions get less scholarship than I think they should--and to offer a perspective on Sheridan that differs slightly from the norm.

Mr. Wittenberg makes a convincing case for the decisiveness of this cavalry battle and campaign, and his evaluations of Sheridan, Hampton, Fitz Lee, and others are fair and incisive. He did not need to prove his stature as an authority on the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, but clearly has done so with this volume and with his subsequent works.

I had the chance to visit the Trevilian battlefield recently, and used this book as a guide. In spite of the paucity of markers (maybe that's a good thing!), it was easy to follow the action using the author's excellent endnotes, maps, and descriptions of terrain.

A local preservation group recently purchased a large portion of the June 11 battlefield, which is a very good sign. Anyone interested in the Civil War's eastern theater should not miss this book.

Duane Schultz is a historian. Why he chose to write a historical novel I don't know. He's done other stuff on the Civil War (on the Dahlgren raid on Richmond, for instance) but as far as I know this is his only, to date, historical novel, in any setting.

The story mainly follows the Union side, and focuses for the most part on Henry Pleasants, the young Lt. Col. of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteers who led the construction of what was, at the time, the longest military mine (think a tunnel with explosive charges planted at the far end) that had ever been constructed, in history. Pleasants, a mining engineer in civilian life, was insistent that he could construct such a mine, and in spite of protests from experts, went ahead and did it. The ensuing explosion destroyed a portion of the Confederate lines outside the city of Petersburg, but the Union attack mounted thereafter was a poor effort and the result was a disaster for the Yankees. Blame can be spread pretty much everywhere in the Union army, from drunken or cowardly division commanders (two of whom waited out the battle in a bomb shelter, drinking) to Burnside, the Corps commander of doubtful competence, to Meade and Grant, who of course shifted the leadership of the attack at the last minute without consulting anyone, thereby screwing the whole thing up.

The odd thing about this book is that it's already been done, as a novel, and a bit more poetically at that. The other book is Richard Slotkin's "The Crater" which was published maybe 20-25 years ago. Slotkin's book is longer, gives more attention to the Confederates (here they're merely background, for the most part), and spends a lot of time with the Black troops who were supposed to lead the attack. Schultz limits his discussion of everything other than Pleasants.

I enjoyed this book, but frankly remember Slotkin's book as better, and would probably recommend it instead, if there were a choice. Glory Enough for All isn't bad, though.

This an absolutely absorbing story of the Battle fo the Crater near the end of the civil war. But this book is more than just a civil war novel. It is a study of how people with different agendas and motives affected the war, and ultimately the lives of many people. If you work in corporate America, you will see modern simliarities which will makeyou simulatneously laugh and cry: The general from West Point who wrote the book on military mining but never stepped foot in a mine; the poor decisions made because the motive was to personally win, at the expense of winning the war; the yankee ingenuity of the 'workers' to solve problems in spite of no support -- even intereference -- from above. It is a wonderful story that is easy to tell as a teaching aid later. Great book!

A fine blend of historical facts, attitudes and personalities from a mostly Union characters. Good presentation of a Confederate sharpshooter, Union coal mining soldiers, brave front line commanders and stupid generals. Racism is a issue in this novel as it was in the Union and Confederate armies of the time. Close to a "I don't think I can put it down" experience. It left an impression of the courage of the soldiers on both sides and disgust with the generals who never thought the attack through. The setting is Petersburg, VA, 1864.

From a top-notch historian comes top-notch historical fiction bringing light and life to the story of the Crater at Petersburg like "Killer Angels" did for Gettysburg. The story is told from the viewpoint of the Union Army's 48th Pennsylvania Volunteers, raised in the coal-mining country of Pennsylvania, and commanded by a former mining engineer. Individual players are brought to life, from coal miner-soldiers and young officers to well-known generals Burnside, McClellan and Grant. One seems to get a good feel for the soldier's life in the trenches around Petersburg. Despite knowing the eventual outcome from one's history books, author Duane Schultz builds a high degree of suspense for the reader-- it was hard to put this book down between readings! I also enjoyed the almost unnoticed peripheral benefit of learning a lot about the strategies, logistics, tactics, and military thought of the day. Glory Enough for All is a great historical novel that could almost double as a history text, yet at the same time it's as riveting as a fictional story can be. Highly recommended for the general audience. Definitely a "Must Read" for Civil War enthusiasts.

From a top-notch historian comes top-notch historical fiction bringing light and life to the story of the Crater at Petersburg like "Killer Angels" did for Gettysburg. The story is told from the viewpoint of the Union Army's 48th Pennsylvania Volunteers, raised in the coal-mining country of Pennsylvania, and commanded by a former mining engineer. Individual players are brought to life, from coal miner-soldiers and young officers to well-known generals Burnside, McClellan and Grant. One seems to get a good feel for the soldier's life in the trenches around Petersburg. Despite knowing the eventual outcome from one's history books, author Duane Schultz builds a high degree of suspense for the reader-- it was hard to put this book down between readings! I also enjoyed the almost unnoticed peripheral benefit of learning a lot about the strategies, logistics, tactics, and military thought of the day. Glory Enough for All is a great historical novel that could almost double as a history text, yet at the same time it's as riveting as a fictional story can be. Highly recommended for the general audience. Definitely a "Must Read" for Civil War enthusiasts.

I was blown away by the enormous amount of information about the area's character, history, and interesting places. The portraits of the people and places are facinating. This is a unique guide which I'm looking forward to soon explore on the ground.

Fabulous color photographs, readable, enjoyable, interactive and fun. Many times I drive through a beautiful backroads town and wonder about it's history, it's people, and it's sights. Now I have a guide that will answer my questions and more.

What a great travel guide! Thoroughly enjoyed reading and absorbing it. We've lived in Gloucester for almost 30 years and surprisingly learned so much in the Gloucester Back Roads Passports Travel Guide that we're inspired to be tourists and are in the process of leisurely visiting all the historical passport locations mentioned in the book. Because of the beautiful pictures and down-to-earth writing style, this travel guide brings history to life! A great gift idea, too. Highly recommended!

This book is packed with great information, beautiful pictures and fun little "games". WONDERFUL JOB Ms. Forbes!!!!!!!!!!!

This book inspired me to go 'on the road' even before I finished reading it. Wonderful tips and advice allowed me to maximize my visit to this charming part of the country.