Collins Books

Cronin is a genius. I originally chose this older title because I am writing a historiography paper on Louis XVI, and Cronin's book sounded like a great example of pro-monarchist sugar coating.

However, I was shocked by the detail and ingenuity of his arguments. Cronin produces sources and events that most histories of the Royal couple completely exclude. The writing style is incredibly smooth and narrative, well suited to the casual reader, or those interested in historiography.

For hard scholars however, Cronin's lack of detailed citation may seem troublesome (he used no in text citations of any kind, preferring to simply list the used works in the back under the chapter in which they are used.)

Vincent Cronin's "Louis and Antoinette" still shines among the top biographies of the tragic royal couple. Like Nesta Webster, Cronin understood that they needed to be studied together in order to understand their decisions, their mistakes, their loves and their martyrdom. This book especially excels as a portrait of Louis, demolishing the myth of his impotence and sexual malfuctioning. Rather than the indifferent husband and incompetent king, Cronin builds a strong case for Louis as being very loving and loved, by his wife and by his people. As for Antoinette, Cronin explores in detail her charities and activites as a mother - a dynamic, busy woman, not a bored and decadent consort. I loved this book; it is one of my favorite biographies, which I highly recommend.

I love this book! I first read it, no, utterly devoured it, when it was published a decade ago. I was 17 at the time and was supposed to be studying another novel for English class (a novel, it is fair to say, of a different, more classical caliber) - decidedly an element which made me feel I was being just a little bit wicked for reading it. Not that Love & Desire & Hate needs any added spice. Mainly set in the post-World War II Hollywood and British film industry - Collins has dealt with the setting in a highly convincing manner - it had everything I wanted in a juicy read: a lusty leading man reminiscent of Ronald Colman (but with more than a touch of Errol Flynn), a French beauty with a tumultuous past in occupied France, a young starlet-nymphomanic, and an emotionally scarred woman with haunting, tragic memories, bent on vengence and desire. And those are only some of the scandalous and evil characters you will meet in this dishy "potboiler". A long-standing fan of Joan's sister, Jackie , I defintely say - without a doubt - that Love & Desire & Hate equals anything she wrote, perhaps surpassing it, the tone being more "romantic soap opera" than "hard-core Hollywood". It has a delightfully colorful cast, foreboding atmosphere, and thrilling suspense. Once you have read it, you won't soon forget it.

I love this book! I first read it, no, utterly devoured it, when it was published a decade ago. I was 17 at the time and was supposed to be studying another novel for English class (a novel, it is fair to say, of a different, more classical caliber) - decidedly an element which made me feel I was being just a little bit wicked for reading it. Not that Love & Desire & Hate needs any added spice. Mainly set in the post-World War II Hollywood and British film industry - Collins has dealt with the setting in a highly convincing manner - it had everything I wanted in a juicy read: a lusty leading man reminiscent of Ronald Colman (but with more than a touch of Errol Flynn), a French beauty with a tumultuous past in occupied France, a young starlet-nymphomanic, and an emotionally scarred woman with haunting, tragic memories, bent on vengence and desire. And those are only some of the scandalous and evil characters you will meet in this dishy "potboiler". A long-standing fan of Joan's sister, Jackie , I defintely say - without a doubt - that Love & Desire & Hate equals anything she wrote, perhaps surpassing it, the tone being more "romantic soap opera" than "hard-core Hollywood". It has a delightfully colorful cast, foreboding atmosphere, and thrilling suspense. Once you have read it, you won't soon forget it.

What a beautiful book! The photographs are so telling of the love existant between mother and child. Frederick Leboyer is gifted with words and descriptions come across as simple poetry rather than dry descriptions. Here is something I wish my mother had done to me as a child. A gift I will give myself and my child when the time comes. On a side note I didn't find the exclusion of fathers massaging as being a bad thing. This is the story of Shantala and her baby. The poetic reference to death is about the death of the soul without love. Whether you are a baby or an adult the results are the same.

Beautiful photographs set amidst poetry and simple instructions guide new parents in positioning and massaging their baby. The book conveys a sense of serenity that a parent may find through interacting with his or her child. It also discusses various oils and lotions that can be used for a smooth and soothing massage. One factor which did not allow for a 10 rating here is the lack of fathers giving infant massage. Also note that if someone wished to give this book as a gift, they should be aware that there is one poem which discusses the circle of life, including death, which can be very upsetting to some new parents. If this book has been revised by Leboyer, I would certainly look for the new; it is very difficult to find the original.

I have a good number of low fat cook books and I must say that this one is my favorite! The reason for my excitement is I dont have to buy special ingredients to cook wonderful meals for my entire family. And the best part is I'm Losing Weight!Hats off to Teresa Collins for making losing weight fun!

Finally a low fat cookbook with recipes with ingredients you can buy at any supermarket! My favorite on page 92 "Tortilla and Green Chile Casserole".. The serving on this recipe is more than you could possibly eat.. If you need to lose weight and don't want to feel starved in the process. This book is for you. Teresa's story is truly inspirational... I'm forever grateful for her book...

I stumbled upon this book out shopping one day, and purchased it immediately. As another reviewer mentioned, the cover does not do justice to the beautiful, amazing projects in this book.

I don't own this book yet but I've probably checked it out at the library 3 or 4 times. I will buy it soon. I don't think the cover of the book does it justice.

Some of the projects are not so special but I really think the handmade paper ones are exquisite. I have made the string of lights project and was pleased. It would look very beautiful in a backyard for a night time party. Unfortunatly, I don't have the backyard.

I very much want to try making the unusal and truely magical looking projects such as "Icicles" made with plastic tubing, plastic wrap, and hair nets--guess you gotta see the photos to understand. I also want to make "Stars on Sticks", "Teepee Table Light", "Willow Fish Lantern", and especially "Flower Fairy Lantern. It would look so pretty in my daughter's bedroom.

Executive summary: A very good read! Clearly written, very thorough, and covers the topic to full satisfaction.

Review:

You know its a very good biography when you feel saddened when reading about the death of the subject. But that's getting ahead of myself.

Mr. Collins sets out to produce a complete biography of one of the best general's in the Army of Northern Virginia. A story of a man well-respected by his superiors, his peers and those who served under him. Collins notes the difficulty in getting some primary accounts about Rodes, the task made even harder because Rodes' wife destroyed their personal letters. Nonetheless, the author went out of his way to provide a large number of personal accounts from those around Rodes - in particular there seem to be a lot from men such as Major Eugene Blackford - who served directly under Rodes, thus having very close first-hand knowledge of the subject.

I should note that the book seems to be well-footnoted, a quick look through the bibliographical contents show some fine research accompanies this work. There is an index, but I haven't really looked at it. I'm not a scholar, so I really am not qualified to judge the quality of the research, but from my readings it looks fine.

The first three chapters describe Rodes childhood through his becoming a brigadier general at the start of the war. This takes about 100 pages to accomplish, and Collins fills it with enough information to not only teach you about Rodes background, but gives you a good feel for the type of man he was at the start of the war. Rodes' trials and tribulations as a railroad engineer after leaving VMI are well documented - but those tough days helped harden Rodes' into a the general he became. The road to the start of the Civil War helped Rodes learn that above all else he had to be reliant upon himself, he wasn't about to be "given" anything, it all had to be earned. The third chapter also details Rodes' entry in what became the Army of Northern Virginia and the opening battle of First Bull Run.

The next 300 or so pages are broken down into 8 chapters, each based primarily around the campaigns he was in with the ANV. Collin's does a very good job here of providing enough general information so as to place Rodes' decisions and actions in proper context, while at the same time remaining focused upon Rodes as a general. In these chapters (whenever appropriate) he also discusses non-military matters that Rodes attended to - including his devotion to his wife Hortense, his fathering of two children, along with the more mundane management of his estate. We also get a very decent look at "Rodes the man" as opposed to just "Rodes the general", there's enough human stories strewn throughout the work describing Rodes more genial nature as well.

As to the military aspects and judgments concerning Rodes, Collins shows fine skill as well as his own good judgment. He doesn't hold punches where Rodes perhaps doesn't perform up to what would have been expected of him. His handling of his troops at Gettysburg for example comes under close scrutiny. Collins questions some of Rodes decisions and non-decisions, while at the same time offering up the potential mitigating issues surrounding Rodes' health. But even there Collins does note that /if/ Rodes was so impaired physically, he should have turned over command. Collins' even-handed evaluation of Rodes seems very fair throughout the book - his praise for Rodes at Seven Pines, South Mountain, the Bloody Lane, or the counterattacks at the Mule Shoe are offset with questions about actions at Gettysburg and other battles where Rodes was less than perfect.

On the personal side Collins also tries to show the love and devotion to Hortense, and then his children. But as the latter were born so late in his short life - his son was less than a year old and Hortense was pregnant with their second child when Rodes died - its a bit harder to understand Rodes' history on that side of the ledger. And as noted earlier, Hortense's destruction of their private correspondence removes a whole slew of potentially important clues on Rodes' personal life. Nonetheless, one does get enough information showing Rodes concern for his wife's welfare, and coupling that with the abundant evidence showing his loyalty and concern for those around him, one certainly does grow to respect and "like" Rodes as one reads the book.

Besides the great job done by the author at achieving his goal, I should also mention the fine quality of book production. The book itself is quite well made, the font is eminently readable, and the book jacket is very nice as well - a fine portrait of Rodes gracing the cover.

As is usual, the number and perhaps the quality of the maps /may/ be one slight negative area. History readers always clamor for more and better detailed maps, but this is really a very small quibble: This is not a military treatise per se, it is a biography after all. To offset this, there are a number of fine photographs of key people mentioned in the text, and a couple of nice pictures of Rodes as well. I don't recall seeing one of Hortense offhand, interestingly enough.

And as I noted in the introduction, as one reads a well-written biography, you do grow to "know" the subject - so when they do die it can be a bit saddening. Especially with one so young, so chivalrous, and so gallant - I'll end quoting the key paragraph:


Quote (pg. 402)
"As [Rodes] was trying to control his mount, Rodes' head snapped violently forward. A bullet or shell fragment (the record is unclear) had struck him in his skull behind the ear. The general hesitated for a brief moment, then tumbled hard to the ground."

During the Civil War, it was only two promotions from command of a regiment to command of a division. Assuming you were not killed or crippled, two promotions in four years of war seems an easy project. Without a West Point education, a powerful patron and backing of a major state the second promotion was almost impossible to secure. This was even truer in the Army of Northern Virginia, the South's most professional army. A West Pointer and a Virginian fill almost every major command. The list of Brigadier Generals who assumed temporary division command but never get a division is long and distinguished. An example of these men is Evander Law. Their always seemed to be a reason that kept him from getting that second promotion. These few men lacked the necessary qualifications had to rise on merit alone. Simply put, they had to be much much better than the men in the approved group. This was no easy task. Some of the approved group was very good and all of them were connected by their West Point education and army service. Where would George Pickett have been without his association with James Longstreet?
Robert E. Rodes was a Virginian. However, he came into Confederate service from Alabama. This put him in a position of being almost but not quite a member of both state's group and lost political support, from both, for his advancement. Robert E. Rodes was a graduate of Virginia Military Institute. In 1861, VMI was not the respected fabled school that it is now. This was a school for those not good enough for West Point who wanted a military education. He was promoted after First Manassas to Brigadier General. In January 1863, he received temporary command of Hill's division and was promoted to Major General after leading the attack at Chancellorsville. He led that division until mortally wounded in September 1864. He was considered one of the best division commanders in Lee's army, respected by all and recognized as an excellent combat officer.
This is a military biography, Rodes was in his mid 30s when he died. Without the American Civil War, Robert E. Rodes and Thomas J. Jackson would be footnotes in a VMI history dealing with the early staff. Rodes would be one of the first graduates to assume a chair and Jackson would be known as "old Tom fool", reputed to be the worst instructor VMI ever had.
1860 found Rodes, newly married, employed as a chief engineer for an Alabama railroad. The book covers his non-military life in about 60 pages. This gives us a good foundation of understanding and some sympathy for the man. The next 350 pages is an account of the war through his eyes. This gives us a look at life from regiment to division, not in terms of grand battles but personal issues, traumas, disappointments, triumphs and endless effort. Death, illness, exhaustion, bad food, no pay, rain, mud are all woven together into an intensely personal and readable book. The author has a very readable style and is able to describe things in a way that allows us to see and understand them. I am not a great reader of biographies. This is as much a military history on the regiment, brigade and division level as a biography. Rodes is presented fairly, the author recognizes his flaws and failures as much as his strengths and triumphs.
The book contains nineteen excellent maps at the right location. There are pictures and illustrations throughout. One nice feature, the last picture is of Robert Emmett Rodes IV holding his Great Grandfathers sword. This is a Savas Beatie civil war book. We expect a physically attractive book, excellent maps, artwork that enhances the story. Within a well-written, informative, well-bound book. They have maintained these production values in this volume and it is a worthy member of an exclusive club.

This is a great book!! It has very clear instructions, explains the chemistry in a straightforward way and has beautiful photographs of the finished products. I got this to make bath bombs (it's very easy with her instructions!!) and am inspired to try more-- massage melts, soaps, etc. Diverse, creative recipes. Definitely worth every penny and more!!!

The concern of using SDS and EDTA on my daughter's skin made me look into making my own soaps. I browsed about a dozen of books and this is the only one I bought. It is a great book. It is concise and informative. It is practical, yet it's not "dry". It was written by someone who wants to TEACH you how to make soaps. It overviews base oils and their properties, botanicals and essential oils. It shows how to make cold-processed soap bars, liquid soap, clear soap, massage melts and bath bombs. Many recipes are listed, but most important it delivers a ground knowledge that you can use to design your own recipes, if you so chose. The chapter about resources shall direct you well, whether you want to buy in Europe, the U.S. or Australia. Lye calculator and all recipes are given in both metric and imperial. The pictures are magnificent. I recommend this book.

The first reviewer has analyzed the strengths of this biography quite astutely: I also found Hunter's engaged, questioning, opinionated style appropriate to the man analyzed, and lively, besides. Muggeridge has lived on all six inhabited continents, "outed" Joseph Stalin, a German spy, and Mother Theresa for what they (respectively) were, interviewed Khrushchev and De Gaul, and found Jesus. This is not just the story of a man, it is the story of a century.

Muggeridge seemed born to coach, but took a lifetime to learn how to play. A moralist who freely cheated on his wife, a critic of power with no practical solution to its exercise, and used his own powers mostly for demolition, an ally in the Culture of Life who savored the thought of his own death, it would be easy to simply call Muggeridge a hypocrite and have done with it. But while Hunter reveals his subject's flaws, it is hard to dislike the man, overlook his enormous talent with words, or downplay the great good he did by seeking truth, and finding more and more of it. I think of his friend George Orwell as a "blind prophet." Muggeridge similarly was much more skilled at smelling out lies than at affirming truth. He seemed to take equal joy in "dissing" vulgar American culture, the queen, or frivolous college students, as Soviet mass murder or South African apartheid. It's nice to see an old bloke have so much fun. And usually, he was right.

One odd note: Hunter credits Muggeridge's friendship with bishop Alec Vidler for (probably) helping bring Muggeridge to faith in Christ. It is this same cleric whose modernist approach to the Gospels inspired C. S. Lewis' brilliant repost to critical New Testament scholarship, Fernseed and Elephants. (Which, as I show in my book, Why the Jesus Seminar can't find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could, continues to upturn the arguments of Jesus skeptics.) So whatever Vidler believed, he inspired two influential English Christians to good deeds in exactly opposite ways. Clever, these Anglican priests.

The few biographies I've read seem to be of two sorts. The first sort retreads all the old ground of the life of what-his-name: blah blah blah, and then subjects the dry-as-dust "facts" to some sort of psychological analysis to liven them up. Absolutely to be avoided. In the second sort, the author engages the subject as Jacob wrestled with the angel: as does a real life, it seems not a finished product, but a work in progress. To this second class Ian Hunter's bio of Malcom Muggeridge happily belongs. The author is just as passionate, maverick, and opinionated as his subject. "A life" is an apt subtitle, for in this book Muggers, as his pals called him, comes alive.

Hunter makes the keen observation that MM is perceived differently in his homeland of England than on the other side of the Atlantic, and this book, originally published in Britain, rounds out a lot for the American reader. Here is the straight scoop on three occasions in the life of MM that most people only know in rumours: his repatriating of humor writer P.G. Wodehouse, who was then being called a traitor in the British press; his reporting of the deliberately induced famine in Russia under Stalin, for which he was called a liar in the American press (Walter Duranty reported in the New York Times that there was no famine, so eager was he that the Russian experiment succeed); and his so-called mocking of the Queen, for which he was kicked off the BBC and done down by his enemies in the British press (Hunter reveals he actually made a positive comment about the queen).

Hunter writes from both personal acquaintance with Muggeridge and an easy familiarity with his writings, so that it's not always easy to tell when his paraphrases of Malcom's ideas leave off and Hunter's take over. But while that's a flaw in the first type of biography, it's really a boon in the second type. How to contain the dynamo that is Malcom Muggeridge? Thankfully, Hunter doesn't try, instead letting his subject roam restlessly through the pages, the dynamo churning through the prose. This book seems the tip of the iceberg, and in that sense does what all good bios do: sends its readers to its subject, hungering for more.

This is the first volume in the 9 volume sweeping family saga, and it sets the high watermark. In many ways I think it is the best, most especially the final chapter, when one era segues into the next, as generational change occurs.

It is probably a particular type of reader who enjoys fiction which examines the drawing room manners and social mores of upper middle class England (the professional class, as opposed to manufacturing/merchant class or aristocracy). I love it, especially when it is delivered with an archly raised eyebrow which questions the assumptions and mores, the hypocrisies of the time. All the better if it can lead you to question the same characteristics of your own time. That is achieved in Galsworthy, in much the same way as Trollope achieved in his Barchester Chronicles in an earlier era.

The writing is not without humour, mostly of an ironic kind. The older generation Forsytes, steadfast in their belief in themselves find it almost inconceivable when one amongst their number has the termerity to die!

Anyone who thrives on a diet of Trollope, Thackeray, Austen, and anyone who has enjoyed Ian McEwan's more contemporary novel, Atonement should enjoy this. Lovers of the British TV 'costume drama' - think The Cazalets, Love In A Cold Climate, The Way We Live Now - for example, should likewise consider reading Galsworthy.

"The Man of Property" is the first novel of the monumental Forsyte Saga created by John Galsworthy. The whole series compound of nine installments that cover about thirty years in the life of the dynasty. In the beginning of the first book, the writer spends some time creating his environment where those Forsyte will inhabit.

The first chapters turn out to be the more descriptive in the book. Not only does he introduces the most important members of the family, but he also describe their moral-social relationships -- that count much more than their blood relations.

Once Galsworthy feels that his characters are established -- and it doesn't take too many pages, as a matter of fact -- he starts the narrative per se, although a slight plot has been developed from the beginning.

"The Man of Property" concerns more on old Jolyon Forsyte's life and his son and his nephew Soames and Soames' wife, Irene (one of the most unforgettable characters in the saga). Soames is the man of property, but not only has he got unanimated properties but he also considers himself the owner of Irene. She will involve herself with another man, and this love affair will affect the all Forsytes in some levels.

This novel is a great beginning for Galsworthy's saga, with vivid characters, a well-built plot and charming writing. While the writer is developing the family affairs, he has the chance to portray the changes in the high society life in the early XX Century in England.

Coogan's biography of Collins is often called the definitive one and for good reason: no other author to date has undertaken the sheer level of work studying the life of Collins, period. Coogan walks the reader through virtually every aspect of Michael's life, some good, some bad, some momentous, and some minor. His preface to the American edition alone is phenomenal. His biography (as most tend to do) goes in chronological order, from Michael's birth to his poignant assassination in 1922. We are given the details of Michael's family life, his friends, his comrades, his guerrilla warfare tactics, his temperament, his favorite books, etc., etc. Coogan's chapters are as follows: The Little Fella, Easter 1916, Kicking Down a Rotten Door, The Twelve Apostles, The Year of Terror, The Sky Darkens, Peace Comes Dropping Slow, Settling This Old Strife, Fighting the Waves, Wading Through Blood, Setting up the Six, The Mouth of Flowers, and Honouring the Dead. There are also notes, an appendix, and many b/w photos. Coogan spends a good deal of time on the Easter Rising, the events surrounding Bloody Sunday, and the negotiating of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. He also addresses several of the controversial issues surrounding Michael's life and death, e.g. allegations that Collins was a homosexual, claims that de Valera might have instigated Collins' assassination, and Collins' supposed dalliances. Although Coogan's writing is not what I would particularly call easy or light reading, I do believe this selection could make a good starter book for anyone's investigation of Michael Collins. If you are interested in any way in Collins' life and times, you absolutely must own this book.

Tim Pat Coogan's biography of Michael Collins, the legendary Irish rebel leader during the Irish War of Independence, leaves no stone unturned. It traces Collins' rise to prominence from his boyhood in nationalist Cork County through his ten years in England working for the post office and financial firms, his return to Ireland to participate in the Easter Rising of 1916, his increasing influence in Frongoch prison in Wales and in nationalist/republican circles upon his release in 1917. This biography reads more like a riveting novel given the almost mythical qualities of the central character. Coogan conveys not only the facts about Collins and his exploits during Ireland's fight for independence but also his charismatic personality, engaging wit and humor, capacity for ruthlessness, magnetic leadership qualities and passionate devotion to his country and its people. This is also a fascinating textbook picture of a successful guerilla war and intelligence operation led by a man with a genius for conspiracy, the so-called "Dublin Pimpernel", the most wanted man in the British Empire at that time. Highly recommended, particularly for anyone who would like to have a better understanding of the troubles in modern Ireland.