Ferguson Books

Stewart says that Tim Berners-Lee invention had as big an impact on our society as Gutenberg's printing press did in the fifteenth century. Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and all the components that make it work including: servers, browser, URL addressing, hypertext, HTML and HTTP. His early life, education, challenges and professional acheivements are all outlined. The end of the book explains how students today can become computer programmers. The simple text clearly explains complex concepts to beginners. Black and white photos enhance the text. Should be of high interest to students age 9-12 who are interested in making computers their career.

A good read, suitable for beach or pool-side, especially if in the Caribbean. Covers many topics, loops back to important islands more than once. Covers Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti in some detail. Dutch Caribbean also well covered. Smaller islands (Barbados, French Caribbean, etc.) not as well-covered because of smaller populations. Basically focuses most on islands, with little detail about adjoining continental nations. Very good place to start (or think about beginning) more Caribbean study.

While perusing the rack of "new books" at my local library the other day I came across Robert Ferguson's new book "The Trial In American Life". Ferguson is the Edward Woodberry Professor of Law, Literature and Criticism at Columbia University and as such is uniquely qualified to tackle this subject matter. This sounded like a very promising topic to me and as I scanned the table of contents I became quite excited. In what other book could you find a summary and analysis of some of the most historic and significant trials in the history of the republic all in once place??? I immediately checked this book out. I could not wait to get started.
"The Trial in American Life" spends a considerable amount of time focusing on a handful of the most high profile trials in our nations history. Aaron Burr was one of the Founding Fathers and served one term as Vice President of the United States. His fall from grace was spectacular even though he was ultimately acquitted of the charge of treason. You will come to see the wisdom in the way Chief Justice John Marshall handled this highly controversial case. Next, Robert Ferguson dissects for us the trial of John Brown who led the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Many consider this action to be the opening salvo of the Civil war! It had been more than half a century since the trial of Aaron Burr. More than most, John Brown seemed to understand the influence and power of newspaper and magazine coverage of his trial. Some would say he played the media like a fiddle to get his most salient points across to the American people. See what you think. As an aside you might also be surprised to learn of the true origins of the popular song "John Brown's Body". Needless to say the true story is quite different from the conventional wisdom. In a subsequent chapter Ferguson tackles the trial of Mary Surratt who was implicated in the conspiracy to assasinate President Lincoln. Mary Surratt would be found guilty and become the first woman in the history of the United States to be executed. Yet most historians are convinced that she was innocent. A careful reading of this chapter will afford the reader an understanding of how such a travesty of justice could have taken place in this country. Finally, Ferguson discusses the tragic events in 1886 at Haymarket Square in Chicago and concludes with an analysis of the Rosenberg trial in 1951. Again, it is impossible to underestimate the influence exerted by the American media in each of these tragic cases. Robert Ferguson offer his readers much food for thought in his analysis of each of these proceedings.
In the final third of "The Trial in American Life" Ferguson discusses trials in the television age. There is seemingly much to worry about here and the potential for abuse is tremendous. However, televised trials and 24 hour cable channels are realities that are simply not going to go away any time soon. Robert Ferguson offers a number of practical suggestions to help mitigate the influence of media in the 21st century.
In general, I found "The Trial In American Life" to be a pretty decent cover to cover read. Readers are afforded a unique opportunity to compare and contrast important trials that cover a 150 year time span. However, at times I felt that the rather academic nature of this book made it a bit tedious. Nonetheless, Robert Ferguson has come up with an important work that will serve as a valuable reference tool for students for decades to come. Recommended.

During the beginning stages of research for a novel I'm writing related to the War of 1812, I searched for and bought this book to get a look into Commodore Thomas Truxtun as one of the forefathers of the U.S. Navy and one of the principal architects of its tradition. I figured the book would give me a good insight into Truxtun as naval commander and man, and I largely got exactly what I was expecting.

Eugene Ferguson did an outstanding job with exhaustive research and writing in a fair, objective style that doesn't overly glorify Truxtun's triumphs or gloss over his failings. He did an excellent job of outlining faults that included his impatience during the construction of Constellation and his tendency to be overbearing while helping to oversee the construction of the ship.

One thing that the book could have done a bit more of was to give a better sense of the strategies involved in naval combat along with the tactics of wearing to avoid a broadside. Ferguson gave some good mention of books Truxtun wrote as they related to ship signals and other matters, but could have delved more into the tactical and day-to-day reasons Truxtun was successful in two engagements against French warships.

As important as writing a balanced account of Truxtun, including his business failings and his poor ability to judge character was a writing style that made his 260 page book a comfortable read. His writing is not so technical as to intimidate the land lubber or person with only a passing interest in the history of the period and is well-versed enough in the vernacular of the period as to satisfy those with a much more avid fascination with wooden walls and raking fire.

This book provides insight into the physical evidence being unearthed and explored by archaeologists engaged in the study of early colonial African American sites. While some of the content is a tad dry ,Professor Ferguson's enthusiasm for his subject manages to infuse much of this book with a sense of excitement that obviously drives the individuals engaged in this research.

Primarily focused on early plantation life in South Carolina, the book provides some fascinating comparisons between the rice culture there and the tobacco culture in Virginia explaining the effect of these differing lifestyles and then integrating the physical evidence into that discussion.

The book contains extensive appendices that list the major findings by location.

This is another fascinating book written for children but appealing to adults by the same author of "The Day the Great Lakes Drained Away" (my favorite of the two). This book is a little deeper than the lakes books, as it focuses more on geology. Even so, the simple drawings and explanations of how the state was formed and why land areas are shaped the way they are is interesting and factual reading.

Description from the book back cover:

The long-awaited wedding of Sir Neville Hathaway and Lady Priscilla Flanders is only three weeks away - and an evening at the theatre should prove a welcome diversion. But before the final curtain, a noblewoman is slain in her private box ... Was the killer a mere thief, desperate to cover up his crime? Or did Lady Harmony Lummis die at the hands of her lover, the acclaimed thespian Reginald Birdwell? Neville and Priscilla begin to investigate before the body is cold, but the murderer eludes them. Now all the ton is abuzz - and gossip has it that Harmony's indifferent husband paid the handsome actor to keep his wife happy ... There is only one clue to follow: Harmony's jeweled brooch was ripped from her gown. The bauble is a family heirloom of unique design, and if the murdered has pawned it, Neville and Priscilla can track him down. But to find the killer, they must borrow costumes from the shuttered theatre and play the role of criminals ... on the most dangerous streets in London ...

Very helpful in dealing with my grief in losing my only child. I found comfort reading the experiences of other parents who have dealth with the pain as well.

This is a great read. The caveat - and full disclosure: I spent a good part of my childhood in the olde country (Scotland) - is at least a working knowledge of the arcane culture of British soccer, in particular the various competitions that are held concurrently, is perhaps a necessity. This is written as a day to day diary and so if you don't already know the difference between the Champions League, the Coca-Cola Cup, the FA Cup, the Charity Shield, the Premiership and the old Championship, you probably won't really be enlightened along the way, especially as there are no footnotes whatsoever added by the publisher.

There is just no US equivalent of Alex Ferguson. I have tried to think of one - perhaps in college sports, or way back, but come up blank. He has been the most successful manager ever of the biggest and richest soccer club in Britain, perhaps the world, and he has done this for over twenty years. Kind of like managing the Yankees for twenty plus years. Joe Torre would have needed ten more years and at least five more championships to come close. Ferguson has built three completely separate winning teams - his first championship side 1991-1993, then the young side, including Beckham, that won the treble in 1999, and his latest side with Ronaldo that won back to back titles and the Champions League in 2008. The periods inbetween have not exactly been that of transition - he has always won trophies, almost every year since the early 90s. This is one of the keys to his longevity. He has managed to tinker and alter his playing staff while continually winning most of the games. This is some achievement, particulary as most other teams approach a game against Man U as a cup final (similar to teams playing harder against the Yankees sometimes). This diary is of the 96/97 season, when Fergie was making his first serious bid for European glory, whilst still trying to win a domestic trophy or two. As you might expect, whilst still fascinating, this, like the man himself, is a professional job. It was written at the heights of his success after ten years in a job he expected to continue in, and so absolutely no bridges are burnt here. There are almost no personal revelations - just some Scottish style banter about "the wife" etc - about himself or his players. This is a man's book about tactics, preparing for games, who to play and who not to etc. As bare as skin and bones, but riveting nonetheless. Will the key players recover from injury in time? How much time does he have left to move his pieces around?

by SMFran@aol.com

In eight chapters, author Marianne Ferguson lays out an historical survey with contemporary ramifications on the topic of Women and Religion - the title of her 1995 book, published by Prentice Hall of Englewood cliffs, N.J.

As a professor At Buffalo State college, Marianne Ferguson developed a course for her Women and Religion class. She searched in van for an appropriate text book. When one salesperson suggested she write her own, Ferguson jumped into the task. The book and the course trace the story of women and religion from the early goddess cultures (Chapter 1) through patriarchal cultures (Chapter 2), on to ways that creation myths reflected the demise of the mother goddess (Chapter 3) to alienation myths and other practices that affect women (Chapter 4) - such as those that blame women for evil and women's adaptation to discriminatory religious practices.

The examples and explanations take on a world view of all cultures and religions in which threads and patterns of similarities point to the unersality of women's experiences.

Competent women who helped shape their religious traditions (Chapter 5) include the Iroquois women of the League of Five Nations as well as Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish - both ancient and contemporary, Christian - women saints of the early Church, of the Middle Ages, and of contemporary times, Catholic women religious, Protestant women, women in the Islam tradition - both historical and contemporary. This chapter stands out as the core of the book a chapter worthy of reflective reading and study.

Some practical ramifications emerge in a study of language as representation of reality (Chapter 6) which leads into a review of contemporary feminist religious movements (Chapter 7) - with a section on "Women Crossing Worlds: In Solidarity and Friendship," authored by Diann Neu, and "Gathering: an Interreligious Worship Service," prepared by a group of women. Reasons for women to value religion (Chapter 8) delves into meaning and belonging aspects of women's spirituality and relationship with God especially in mystical prayer.

A glossary nicely rounds out the book by offering an explanation of terms. Readers and students might wish for an index which is not there to trace certain holy women in particular religions.

Maps, timelines, photos of art and artifacts give visual aids integral to the text. Chapter summaries, discussion questions, and suggested readings and works cited offer readers and students more ways to learn the fascinating ways of religion and women, of women and religion.

"All women are put down by all religions," Ferguson said in a late 1994 interview about her book, "yet women find satisfaction and strength in religion." She spent about a year in collecting research notes and sorting class notes and weaving them into the book. At the time of its publication, Ferguson used the book in her Women and Religion class composed of 33 women and 7 men. The readership audience should also include men and the book would work well for book clubs, study groups, and discussion sessions. Well- researched, the book also calls for readers to continue personal research and reading into not only popular religion where women have been more at home, but also into the scholarly aspects of religion such as those presented in this book.