Murray Books

The ISBN differ for the hard back and the paperback, but it is the same book word for word per Bantam publishing house.

This is my favorite book on health, and I strongly recommend it to anyone wishing to improve their health in a effective and natural way. Its superbly written, and you have a hard time putting it down. Its a easy read and you will feel like implementing it right away. And it works!!! I have used it for everything from curing colds fast to loosing weight. My parents have received a copy for lowering cholesterol and blood presure ...in the natural way!

Dr. Murray really has written a "whole body" book. By coming from the naturopathic viewpoint, he has made achieving and maintaining optimum health an obtainable goal without a lot of side-effect inducing prescriptions. He does not just list a series of steps to follow, but makes the reader a participant and advocate for his or her own health by providing explanations as to why the procedures work. He also provides rating scales so that the reader can prioritize the steps by personal need. If I can only have one health book, this is the one.

This is another excellent book by Dr. Murray. I highly recommend any of Dr. Michael Murray's books--he is an acclaimed naturopath who provides excellent insight into the workings of the human body. This book itself is very straightforward, well organized and contains loads of information. Well done!

What can I say? Dr. Michael Murray is still one of the very best and most instructive of all Naturopaths I've ever seen live at health conventions. His books are pure gems of how to self-diagnose and heal yourself of all kinds of difficult health problems, including Phase I and Phase II detoxification problems in the liver...explained in great detail, actually. I loved Total Body Tune-Up because I already do a bit of health counseling and a LOT of study of natural health and healing. Dr. Murray filled in some blanks for me regarding some of the mystery health problems.

I am still working on healing the last 15-20% of a damaged immune system/environmental illness....so anything that can knock off the last few stubborn problems is WONDERFUL news to me. :-) There are only two things I do not intend to be without from now on: my beloved (organic, therapeutic) Young Living Essential Oils and natural healing advice from Dr. Michael Murray!

Since first reading this book about 7 weeks ago, I have purchased another 3 copies and given them as gifts. "Total Body Tune-Up" THAT significant of a book.:-)

Dr. Murray, please come back to the Syracuse area.. We want to hear you speak AGAIN!


Joyce E. Stotts
Newark, NY

I received this book in High School as part of the "Electrical Installation" curricullum in January of 1986. At the advice of my instructor, Mr. Bergovoy, I didn't return the book at the end of the school term. I ended up having to pay for the replacement. However, this book has paid for itself thousands of times over the last 20 years. I recommend it to electricians ranging from the student to the master level..

This book is great. I've read many books on repairing electric motors , but none of them have given me a practical & theoretical view on the subject as this book has. I recommend this book to students, and fully quallified engineers. The best...... My greatest thanks to the authors.

started as a plant electrician and kept learning thanks to this book now repair light fixture to refrigeration

If your looking for a book that is all meat, if your looking for the "bible" of motors, if your desire for motor knoweledge is from the most basic to advance knoweledge.....YOU have to buy this book. I am an electrician, and industrial controls technician and I have found no better book. I am looking through my well used second edition, that was given to me while in college in 1984, and if you could see just my first page of the book, at how much highlighting and notes in the margins there are, you would see that nearly every sentence in the book is packed full of useful information,...IF... you take the time to read it. I believe it is as clearly written as you can get on a technical subject. I consider myself just a slightly above average student, and even I could understand this material. From casual interest in motors to engineer, this book needs to be on your technical bookshelf, unlike other technical books at this price that I threw out after college, this is a keeper. Check out all the other reviewers here, then buy the book.

I am an electrician whose job requires trouble shooting different types of equipment for different customers in many different environments. I see all kinds of motors and machines and jury rigs. This book is invaluable for troubleshooting any motor on the planet. It gives excellent reference schematics and diagrams that coincide with the different chapters. It has helped me on many occasions. It's really meant for poeple who
re-wind motors more than trouble shooters but you will not regret owning it if you do any kind of maintenance or trouble shooting on a variety of machines.

While Murray's book is only around 130 pages, there is plenty of spiritual insights for anyone interested in the Holy Spirit.

Among the important points covered in the book include:

1. God comes to those who wait on Him.
2. Those who wait on the Lord will see Him work in far greater ways than they can imagine.
3. God will use despair to break us of our self-life and self-confidence. The world's influence on us is so strong that we often have to withdraw from it.
4. God wants to prepare His people for a life of victory.
5. Dying to self and humbling ourselves before the Lord will result in the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
6. We must admit our utter impotence and helplessness to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our own strength.
7. Use the blessings God gives you to benefit others.
8. During times of discouragement, rest in silence before God and hold fast to your integrity.
9. God holds Himself responsible for your future and will provide for us as we walk in the fullness of His Spirit.


Read, enjoy, and be challenged to let the Holy Spirit get more of you! Highly recommended.

This book provides insight into what it really means to die to self. Andrew Murray in much of his writing, shows that to really experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the power of God, we need to be truly empty of self, and yielded to the working of God in and through us. I beleive that the modern Church has missed much of God's power. This book, along with the Bible, and with an open heart, can do much to change how we view what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

There is no "life" separate and apart from Spirit. This divine truth expressed in a manner that you knew within but could never articulate. The "opened doors" as promised in Rev 3:8 AND REV 3:20 are revealed by this author as precious jewels that presents The Holy Spirit as never before. I highly recommend this as a must read!!!

Many books I've read on the Holy Spirit focus exclusively on the individual. (That's not a complaint. :-) ) This book ties in the role and importance of the Body of Christ.

Outside of Wathman Nee's books Communion of the Holy Spirit and The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit this is the most profound and enriching book I've read on the Holy Spirit.

Transforming. A must read.

Thank God that Whitaker House keeps printing books written by Andrew Murray! If it were not for Whitaker House publishing their books, we would not have Murray books to share with others (as well as study ourselves). All five of my Andrew Murray "Believer's Secret" books, published by Bethany House Publishers, are out of print.

Charles Finney and Andrew Murray wrote the best books on the Holy Spirit, Prayer, Revival, and Holiness that I have ever read. You cannot go wrong buying any Murray books published by Whitaker House! So I say again, thank God for Whitaker House!

I believe those of you who enjoy Finney and Murray will also enjoy "Prayer Steps to Serenity," which teaches truths that I learned from studying Finney and Murray for many years. The book follows a 12 Steps and Serenity Prayer format. It is available through Amazon, with ISBN 0595313043. If you know of anyone who is looking for a 12 Step devotional that will help them walk in the power of the Holy Spirit according to the scriptures, you can heartily recommend this book to them. "Prayer Steps to Serenity" was not published by Whitaker House, and it is a larger than a trade paperback (a 9 inch by 6 inch paperback) that includes devotional readings, prayers to encourage you to keep on praying as the Holy Spirit leads, a personal Journey Guide (or workbook), and a Group Journey Guide for prayer and support groups. "Prayer Steps to Serenity" is also supported by two websites that offer a lot of free guides and resources for those seeking more information about Christian recovery and starting Serenity Groups. Go to PrayerSteps.org or SerenityGroups.org for more information or to contact me about Andrew Murray's teachings.

Thank you for reading!
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.

This book is an outstanding book on smallmouth bass fishing with a flyrod. The book has a wealth of information on equipment, smallmouth bass food and habitat, and techniques and baits for various stream and lake conditions. The recommendations and recipes for his flies are excellent. They really catch fish.

Having met and spoken with Mr. Murray on several occasions at his fly shop and at various seminars, I can almost hear his voice while reading the descriptions and examples in the book. He hides nothing.

I have owned the book for three or four years and review it regulary when preparing for a trip to the stream or when tying up some smallmouth flies. No smallmouth fishing library should be without it.

This is probably the most comprehensive discussion of smallmouth bass fishing on the fly. The techniques are very well described and easy to implement. The fly discussion is great, and is what is most often neglected in other books. Most other books seem to concentrate on top water poppers and crayfish imitations. In addition to these, there are other foods that the smallmouth eats and this book provides the flys to emulate them as well as how they should be fished. There are some 'top secret' flies in here that really work.

The book concentrates on stream fishing. I live on a large small mouth fishery - a northern river that is almost a lake. This sort of water was not treated completely and for that I would suggest looking for another book in addition to this one. However, this is the place to start.

Probably the best damn fishing book I've ever read. This guy knows his stuff cold and his coverage and style are perfect pitch, kind of a Charley Waterman how-to approach.

After having attended Harry's classes and then rereading his book I keep finding more useful tips each time. I keep the book in my vehicle with pages marked for quick reference, expecially the formulae for tying leaders. It's an easy read yet full of useful information without a lot of fluff.

This is a book which you will refer to time and time again. It is my most often referred to book on fly fishing. Murray presents a fine balance of practical advice with stories of his experiences on the streams of Virginia. He is the authority on the subject.

The book is a really good reference on Disney records. The color pictures are a really nice addition.

This book is for hard core collectors of Walt Disney records on vinyl and in that respect it is indespensible. There is plenty of material for the Disney amateur historians too. The real treat for all the rest of us is 250 plus color photos of album covers and recordings. It's enough to give anyone the collecting bug. A very complete guide hat lists all of the Walt Disney record even on other labels. Lists picture discs, Little Golden Books, soundtracks to movies and TV shows, storybooks, and material from Disneyland. Includes EP's, 33 1/3 LPs, 45's, and 78's including alll records from 1933 to 1988. Functional table of contents and index help to locate items in the book. Very useful material on accurate grading the condition of records. A short history on the history of Disney records is in the book, an animated film filmography, and the music composers for all of Disney on film is very useful. Softbound covers, no dust jacket, 256 pages in length.

If you are also interested in the process, the how and why of the music of Disney, you also need to read the wonderful book, "The Musical World of Walt Disney" by David Tietyen.

I enjoy this book alot - it's complete and chock-full of useful information concerning the collection of Disney Records. Of course the prices are something to behold too (I figure I have about $50,000 (hyperbole) in my collection). The guide is very well organized and the individual entries usually consist of a picture, record number, brief description (at least enough to identify a particular cover version) and price. The guide even goes so far as to identify non-Disney labels issuing Disney material.

I wish the guide went into deeper discussions of the various Disney labels and the inner sleeves. I have several examples of, say, a Buena Vista label, and between the two BV labels, they are different! Which one to collect? Sometimes the guide falls a little short, but not often enough to prevent me from recommending this book for the serious collector or even the curious weekender.

Overall, to me, it's a valuable reference and fun to ponder. Now it's always a thrill to find a Disney record and read about some of the history behind it.

Happy hunting...

This is an invaluable resource for Disney record collectors. Beautiful pictures and detailed discriptions of every record the Disney company ever released. The prices listed might seem high, unless you remember that they are only for records in near perfect condition. I have already bought 2 copies.

This softbound 256 page book is a handy 6 x 9" making it convenient to take with you as you antique. It contains more than 250 full color, sharp photos of album covers and recordings. This is the first comprehensive price guide and discography covering the complete output of Disney recorded music on both Disney and other labels. It covers the years 1933 to 1988 and is very complete. There is a useful table of contents and index making it easy to locate items. A history and condition guide is provided. Topics range from LPs, 45's, 78's to Little Golden Records. You can't collect items of this topic without this guide. Add it to your library.

The well-known phrase 'for the term of his natural life' is used by Marcus Clarke to bring home the horrors of transportation and the Tasmanian penal system in the 19th century.
Richard Devine, an innocent man (under an assumed name of Rufus Dawes) convicted of a crime he did not commit, is sent for transportation and assumed killed in a shipwreck. In reality, he is heir to a vast estate (unbeknown to him) and the convolutions of the tale that evolve from this are wonderfully written; the gradual demolishing of Dawes, the unspeakable duality of Frere, the calculating guile of Sarah and the gullible innocence of Sylvia are woven together in a plot that does not end happily ever after. This I think, serves to underline the barbarism and futility of the transportation system.
Based on actual events, Clarke uses his 'hero' to illustrate the depravation and privations that prisoners (and their guards) had to endure. Graphically showing how degradation degrades and power corrupts, the narrative never dwells on gruesome details, instead it relies for effect on the imagination of the reader, which can be more terrifying.
A book that deserves a wider readership.

This was without question one of the most gripping novels I've read in many a day. I first ran across this work in a brief mention by British travel writer/popular historian James Morris, where he thought it akin to the gulag novels of post-Stalinist Russia in subject matter and philosophical content. Add to that a wealth of striking narrative detail, immensely memorable characters (Maurice Frere, Sarah Purfoy, and particularly James North leap to mind), some truly transporting (no pun intended) and incredibly creepy passages, mind-blowing plot twists and turns, and a persistent refusal to provide too pat solutions to characters' problems... Clarke wasn't better than Dickens or Eliot, but neither of the latter could have written this book.

Clarke's masterpiece was published in 1874, after being serialized in 1870-72. Critics have lambasted a few of the less believable elements and some of the pat characterization of a number of supporting characters, but these are flaws to be found in most novels of that time (and ours). Clarke redeems himself by taking the cliches and mannerisms of the nineteenth-century English novel and using them to illuminate a whole new society, one practically mythical to the metropolitan consciousness of the Victorian Anglophone world. This work is a great counterpoint to all those English novels of the day where the hero or villain gets packed off to the antipodes and returns mysteriously changed. The main thrust of the novel, though, was the need to tell the true story of (white) Australian society's beginnings. Clarke, in telling the story of the unjustly convicted Rufus Dawes (aka Richard Devine), provides a panoramic view of early Victorian Australia, from the hellish convict settlements of Macquarie Harbor and Norfolk Island to the nascent frontier towns of Hobart and Melbourne, from the aging memories of the "First Fleeters" (the original convicts who arrived in 1788) to the controversial Eureka Stockade Uprising of 1854. The narrative frequently moves at a deliciously whirlwind pace to accomodate the exciting interaction of characters and history.

Clarke's novel is generally cited as nineteenth-century Australia's greatest and points the way towards more nuanced examinations of the colonial experience in the twentieth century (Peter Carey's JOE MAGGS, about the "off-stage" life of Dickens antihero Abel Magwitch, is apparently very much in this vein). Don't read it just for this reason, though. Please be sure to find the longer, original version, as I was fortunate enough to do. Clarke was forced to produce a revised, shortened version for the original publication, one dictated by his editors that turned the novel into a much more "conventional" Victorian literary production (and has a longer title--FOR THE TERM OF HIS NATURAL LIFE). I understand a TV series was made in the mid-80s with Anthony Perkins as North. If this was the case, then it badly needs to be remade on celluloid, because I can't seem to find the series. It's a magnificent novel whose flaws, I think, are amply counterbalanced by its unexpected joys.

It's a collation of events by various persons involved in the penal settlement of early Australia. Marcus Clarke has interwoven these events into a novel of fiction. These are stark facts; and show, as far as I've researched, very detailed. L.P. Hartely said it all,in this case.."The past is a foreign country.They do things differently there." The more you read on, the more you want to know..

LEt me set the record straight first...I have never read this book. I had seen the mini-series almost 10 years ago on CBC Canada. The series was very gripping and always left me waiting for the next in the sequence. Following the end of the series I was determined that I had to read this book. My last attempt to find it was in 1991 when I was told it was out of print and could not be found anywhere. Luckily I have just tripped across the information again and it prompted me to start looking again. Needless to say (but I must) I am thrilled to find it and now be able to finally read it. I hope it is everything that I know it is and more. It is an epic tale of grand proportions. Now if I can only find the video series AND a hard cover copy to add to my library!

Well, as an Australian living in the year 2000, reading this book, written in the 1880s, is an emotional experience.

For it is through works such as this that we can see our past. We can examine the nature of the beast that gave birth to us. Who we are. From whence we came.

If you want to understand why Australians are they way they are, and have the attitudes and language that they do, then give this book a read.

This was recommended to me by P-FLAG and it was a great read. I bought it for my parents. Ms. Murray summarizes her message beautifully in chapter 12 of the book... "I'm certain, many in the audience that day were seeing gay people as genuine human beings for the very first time. Presenting gays and lesbians as the real people they truly are is the key to dispelling stereotype-based images of lewd, immoral, subhuman sexual predators so important to the success of the antigay propaganda being churned out by religious and political extremists." I hope she enjoys a long prolific life!

Here is a pure spirit who knew no bounds as she grew mentally & physically and at the same time continued reaching out to those who turned their backs on her & her family. Her devoted love for her son makes a mother feel proud yet she keeps within the framework of a True Christian. She battles family, church, townspeople, school & government. She soars above hate & bigotry to stand tall yet finds enough love and strength within her to reach out to love and aid others. She has most certainly inspired me. Hats off!

Rhea's book best describes the struggles of a gay teen in rural America. Coming from a town like Sunnyside, Indiana, only 100 miles north, I too have been through the struggles that Bruce had experienced.

Rhea is a priceless asset to the gay community, not only in rural Indiana, but also to gays and lesbians all over the country. Her dedication and stamina, sometimes seeing the events first hand, has often left me with a sense of pride and a restored faith in humanity. It is very uplifting to read of the positive live that she had provided to her gay son, and I truly believe that this book is a requirement for ANY parent who's son or daughter recently came out of the closet!

Here's a standing ovation for Rhea - Thank you for the memories, and thanks for the help over the past years. You are truly loved by all of God's lesbigay children

KNOWING THE PAIN THAT EVERY GAY/LESBIAN YOUNG ADULT GOES THROUGH IT IS ABOUT TIME THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOWS THE HATE THAT THESE YOUNG PEOPLE FACE AND HOW THE FAMILY COPES WITH THESE CHANGES AND THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE AND FAMILY AS ONE. I LOVE BOTH OF MY CHILDREN...I'M PROUD OF THEM AND I WOULD NOT WANT IT ANYOTHER WAY. IT IS SO HARD FOR ANY YOUNG PERSON TO FACE THE FACT TO HIM/HERSELF ABOUT THEIR SEXUALITY BUT TO THEN HAVE TO TELL THE FAMILY THAT THEY LOVE SO DEAR IS SO VERY HARD TO DO THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR EVERYONE STRAIGHT OR GAY/LESBIAN MAYBE SOME PEOPLE WHO DON'T WISH TO UNDERSTAND JUST MAY SEE THE LIGHT.THANK YOU AGAIN RHEA YOUR FRIEND, LINDA

"A Journey to Moriah" is unequivocally the finest book I've ever read by the mother of a gay child. This is a story of a mother who takes responsibility for her own feelings, faces her demons, and grows as a woman. Too often parents of gay children project their own fears onto their children. Rhea Murray is clear from the start that she loves her son unconditionally and any demons she faces are her own demons - not her son's. Her turmoil over facing the church, facing family, facing her son's school, facing her small suburban community in Indiana, is her "own" turmoil - not her son's. To watch Rhea unfold as a human being as she faces these demons, is to watch a woman with a capital "W" come into her own strength and wisdom. The book's title refers to the biblical story of Abraham who was tested by God with the command that he sacrifice his son Isaac. Rhea realizes that she can have the approval of her church and the parishioners she has called "friends," if she sacrifices her son - if she turns her back to him as they have. "I will not sacrifice my son for the approval of a few people," she says. Rhea knows from the beginning that she will not sacrifice her son to church,school, family, or community - not to anyone. She honors her power and her ability to think for herself. Rhea faces her fears of public speaking, speaking out as the mother of a gay son, and facing authority. One of the most powerful moments in the book comes when she stands up to the school principal who is doing nothing to protect her son. At that moment she blossoms into a full and powerful woman. "A Journey to Moriah" is the story of a mother's fierce love for her son. It is a woman's journey to finding her own truth, facing her fears, finding her own power and strength, and growing as a human being. Rhea's story is a lesson to us all that the love for our children should not be compromised by any external forces and that finding our truth will unleash our power as human beings.

I had the great honor of exchanging a few emails with Mr. Strahan about my work with Saudi Aramco Oil Company. Mr.Strahan's The Last Oil Shock is one of the best Peak Oil books written. Anyone concerned about Peak Oil and their children's future should read this book. Now! Best Regards, Keith Renick

The Last Oil Shock is an excellent book. David Strahan has written an informative, insightful and, yes, even entertaining book that delves into the history and causes of Peak Oil, the various "cures" put forward by oil companies and others in Big Energy and Big Politics, and the likely ramifications of both Peak Oil and its alleged--should I say "threatened"?--cures.

The book has a slight UK-centric approach which is a refreshing change from the USA-centric perspective of most other books on the subject. American readers should not be deterred. There's just enough of the British situational viewpoint to understand how universal the problem is, and the uniqueness of the various flavors that energy depletion offers from country to country.

Strahan is first of all a superb journalist. He is objective in his facts, backs up his statements, and offers both breadth and depth in his account of Peak Oil. But Strahan also has a position; one which enhances, rather than obscures, his objectivity. His wry, even biting, sense of humor and his observation of the energy predicament's ironies and, alas, frequent hypocrisies, come through in a manner that allows his facts to be enjoyable digested all the way through the book.

I highly recommend reading The Last Oil Shock.

Mick Winter is the host of DryDipstick.com and the author of Peak Oil Prep: Prepare for Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Collapse

The author has invested an incredible amount of energies to interview some key people in the oil industry, and to unveil the evidence of world oil depletion. Probably the best documented books on this topic I have ever read.

This book is a serious read. The first chapter or so looks at oil as the rationale for the war in Iraq. Seems like good investigative reporting by the author who seems to know a lot more than most politicians about a really important and worrying issue.

The majority of the book is spent explaining - in some statistical detail - the fact that the world's oil production will start to fall inexorably within the next decade or so. The last part of the book was more digestible but alarming, talking about the consequences and necessary / probable solutions to the oil fields running dry.

I'd recommend this book as a good follow up to "The Weather Makers" which explains the dangers of global warming and focusses on coal rather than oil.

It looks like we are all in for some big changes ahead, and those of us that have read up on these issues are going to be able to help save the planet, or at least cope better than most.

I did this review for a New Zealand newspaper, but it applies worldwide.

We all know it is coming, don't we? Petrol prices escalating, Maui fields producing less and less, Government trying to fire up a coal-fired power plant at Marsden Point to substitute for increasingly expensive oil, Australia going to nuclear-based power generation - obvious, isn't it? This exceptionally informative book will explain why this is happening and what to expect in the future.

Mr. Strahan is a British investigate journalist who has undertaken the task of becoming extremely well-informed about what is referred to as "peak oil" - the point at which oil and gas recovery reaches a maximum and then goes into irreversible decline. This is no breathless "conspiracy book" but a factual resume by an author who has that unusual knack of making the complex easier to understand. His massive bibliography of source material goes on for 25 pages, so those want to debate his facts can easily find the source. This is not an opinionated book but one crammed with objective information and intelligent analysis.

Mr. Strahan starts out with the science of petroleum exploration then continues with a fascinating history of how information is gathered about present supplies and future reserves. He adds detail as to how governments and oil companies have reacted to what should be obvious, discusses the ramifications of international politics and oil depletion, then finishes with a critique of the hard-core realities of substituting various other sources for power generation as petroleum products inevitably run dry.

One can argue climate change, its causes, and possible solutions, but there is no argument here - oil recovery has hit "peak" in most areas and is declining everywhere but the Mideast, and even here the reserve figures may be deliberately overrated. Please buy this book - educated people simply must understand the full dynamics of this apparently insoluble problem.

This biography is both well written and leaves you with a clear sense of the subject's personality. Almost the only comment on Louis XI I had read about before this biography was that he was clever and known as "the universal spider" for the webs he wove around people who opposed him.

What I hadn't known was that he'd lead a life of such extremes of good and bad fortune and that he effectivley broke the fedual nobles and bought France into a stabilised central monarchy within in his reign. In some respects Louis was the most unkingly of Kings and its a shame his common touch was lost with subsequent monarchs.

This is one of the best biographies I have read of a medieval monarch and it's well worth seeking out if you have any interest in the birth of the Renaissance and the end of Burgundy and the birth of France as we know it even today.

Philip the Good: The Apogee of Burgundy (History of Valois Burgundy)

Charles the Bold: The Last Valois Duke of Burgundy (History of Valois Burgundy)

Joan of Arc: Her Story

Louis XI is to be considered among the greatest kings of France, if not the greatest at all, because he set up the national French monarchy which was to last until Louis XVI. He created a powerful kingdom by subduing step by step the once unrulable feudal lords. And this he did mainly by the use of his cunning sagacious diplomacy rather than by the use of weapons. The "Universal Spider" actually employed the strategy of the spider, patience, diplomacy, cold blood, shrewdness and a calculating mind to win the realm from the clutches of the nobles and bound it forever to the Crown. When he succeeded to the throne in 1461 after the death of his father Charles VII, he found France in a state of turmoil. The proud and petulant lords of the Houses of Bourbon, Anjou, Armagnac, Brittany and, above all, the mighty Duke of Burgundy (whose posessions gathered not only the County and Duchy of Burgundy, but also Picardy, Artois, Flanders, Holland, Zealand, Brabant and Luxembourg) had joined in a so-called "League of the Public Weal" to overthrow him and regain their declining privileges. Before his dead, in 1483, he had crushed the nobility, their lands reverted to the Crown; he had got rid of the always threatening Charles the Rash, duke of Burgundy, and swallowed the whole Burgundian territories of France, and had avoided cunningly a second English invasion of France. By 1483 the king of France was the most powerful monarch in Europe and the richest. It was all possible due to the genius of Louis de Valois. The statesmanship of the "Universal Spider" made it possible. This books shows how, and it provides not only an accurate and very amusing lesson of the History of France, but also a valuable lesson in politics. Looks like very often the pen is mightier than the sword.

In LOUIS XI THE UNIVERSAL SPIDER, biographer-historian Paul Murray Kendall says the Burgundian chronicler Molinet called Louis "the universal spider" and the sobriquet unfortunately stuck. He says Louis was further demonized by 19th Century historians and writers who failed to do their homework. Louis XI was not so much spider as he was diplomat and peace-maker in an age when men looked suspiciously on such behaviour, and combat was viewed as the honorable and noble approach to settling disputes. Louis used his head and the end result was to bring the feudal era in France to a close and help usher in the modern world.

Louis reckoned the ceaseless bickering and fighting of the nobles was destructive to the health of the countryside and the people of France. The common people of the towns and villages agreed with Louis as did the merchants and tradesmen. Louis is not remembered for winning any great battles. The major reason Louis was so successful in defeating his enemies was owing to his understanding of finance. He understood that those who fight must finance their wars and without funds, their access to armaments and mercenaries evaporates. The clever king also understood that when the countryside is destroyed an army that crawls on its belly cannot fight.

Charles VII was the father of Louis XI, that same Dauphin whom Joan the Maid of Orleans managed to have crowned. The ungrateful Charles VII did nothing to save Joan once she had been captured by the English and the Duke of Burgundy, but the six-year old boy who became Louis XI never forgot the saint and he held a lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary after his encounter with her. When Louis was most pressed he prayed to the Virgin, and his monument to her at Clery still exists.

The Duke of Burgundy during Charles VII's reign was Phillip the Good, and when Louis XI ran afoul of his father, he sought shelter with Duke Phillip who sheltered him. Thus Louis spent a good part of his young manhood in the company of his dour cousin Charles the Bold who became the Duke of Burgundy on his father's death. Charles also became Louis' life-long enemy and it was Charles' man who slandered Louis by referring to him as "the universal spider."

Louis had one aspiration--to unite France in peace, and promote commerce and the general welfare of the people. Charles the Bold fancied himself another Julius Caesar--a warrior-king. Charles set about expanding his Duchy until Burgundy reached from the county of Burgundy near the Jura mountains to Flanders and Holland on the North Sea.

Louis was no warrior-king. While other lords ran around in ermine and velvet and jousted at tournaments, Louis donned the hunter's clothes and spent most days in the rural areas chasing animals with his hunting dogs and comingling with the common folk. When he wasn't hunting animals Louis collected them for his vast menagerie.

On most occasions Louis tried to make peace not war. He used his head, outwitted his enemies including the English king Edward IV, and at the end of his life left his heir Charles VIII a united France. Kendall obviously admired Louis and remarks that he was one of the most formidable human beings who ever lived.

I have been reading the series Alison Weir has been writing on the English nobility, and enjoyed reading LOUIS XI not only because I want to know more about the history of France, but because in reading about Louis XI, I was able to understand why certain exchanges, conflicts, etc. regarding Edward IV were important. If you found Alison Weir's book on the WAR OF THE ROSES intriguing, you will appreciate this book. Kendall's writing is comparable to Weir's and he has based his writing on his original research--though he is quite dependent on Commynes as are most of Louis' biographers.

I bought this book from Alibris, and I recommend you find a copy if you're interested in this period of history. I am puzzled as to why this book is out of print.

The nickname "Universal Spider" was not meant as a compliment to the French King Louis XI, whose supple mind and diplomatic skills allowed him consistently to outmanouever his enemies both foreign and domestic. Kendall puts an extremely entertaining writing style to good use in relating Louis' various showdowns with the French nobility, battles with Brittany, double-dealing with the rival English Yorkists and Lancasters, and blood-feud with the Burgundian Dukes - who so spectacularly reached the end-of-the-line during Louis' reign. Those parts dealing with Anglo-French diplomacy are particuarly interesting, given the author's other works on Richard III, Edward IV and Warwick the Kingmaker.

This is a terrific and highly readable biography of a fascinating and enigmatic ruler, set in a period of great political upheaval. Anyone interested in the details of "why" and "how" things happened - not merely "what" happened - will find this book immensely interesting.

Kendall's style is gripping, but he tends to be a partisan for his subject. At times, his bias becomes a little annoying, particularly where more than one "spin" could be put on a certain course of action. The reader must be careful to make his own judgements in many places.

That said, Kendall provides a wealth of quotes from contemporary sources, and his scholarship is unquestionable. This is a great book, covering a time and place that is too little addressed in most popular histories.

I am not really into "military" books, but this one was fantastic. I loved the development of each of the characters and the situations they came across. I have now since read the entire series and I am hooked. I am waiting for a new one and I hope this time there is a female hero!!

If you have ever read Marcenkos high on myself, I'm just marvelous stories, this series is a breath of fresh air. With a genuine talent for writting dialog, Murray tells a great story where we actually like the characters with the flow not slowing as gun barrels cool. Action sequences add to the readers enjoyment, but the story is what keeps the book in your hands.

I read this book for fun, just because the picture on the front. As you can imagine, I was blown away by the great detail and accuracy of the book. The men using weapons that are still in testing was a great move on Murrays part. If you like any books that start in a web and slowly begin to fit together until you know the full story, Blacklight is for you!

I'm impressed w/ the author's use of description. I've never been in the military and am not familiar with the weapons, training and slang used in most action books. I appreciate Mr. Murray's ability to explain what is going on and who is doing what for a reader, like me, with limited knowledge.

Good book, good use of women on the team and was glad to see Getts and Peach back in action.

The villian was so thoroughly evil that I was surprised when the team did not make sure he was dead prior to exiting the castle.

Perhaps in another book, we'll see Getts learn the true identity of the Rabbi.

I read this book for fun, just because the picture on the front. As you can imagine, I was blown away by the great detail and accuracy of the book. The men using weapons that are still in testing was a great move on Murrays part. If you like any books that start in a web and slowly begin to fit together until you know the full story, Blacklight is for you!