Nicholson Books

I would endorse this book to anyone who wishes to the facts about the Knights Templar without having to wade through a lot of foggy mysticism and conspiracy theory. It gives a much truer picture of what the Templars were, what made them tick, and what life was like for them. So I believe, anyway, having researched the Order for some years myself.

The author is a worthy historian and a leading expert in the field. It is quite right that she based her conclusion on the evidence, rather than what she thought would make a good story and wild speculation. She also covers some interesting and hiterto neglected aspects of the Order of the Temple's history, such as its presence in Eastern Europe where they encountered the invading Mongols. It is engagingly written, for the most part, not too long, and does not go into excessively great detail.

There are, additionally, many great photographs of Templar buildings from throughout Europe and the Middle East.

This book is strictly based on historical sources. However, the history of the templars results to be more less charming and mysterious as ever. Nicholson cancels all doubts but all beautiful elements of the texture as well. Her historical method is too rationalistic, and it doesn't give room to mystical or philosophical hypoteses. There are only some hints at baphomet and at the so-called "islamic" components of the tenets of Templars. Even though it is well documented, it represents a very harsh or arid reading.

Fortunately, among the incredible amount of books dedicated to the subject of the Knights Templar there are some of them which deal with the real history of this military and religious order running away from the astonishing nonsenses that have soiled it like holy bloodlines, Christ's identity and nature, fantastic secrets of ancient cultures, religious deviations, freemasonry, and all those absurdities.

Helen Nicholson's book deals principally with the life and grewth of the order, including some countries or European regions that have been left aside by other authors in the past due to the lack of documentation. Here is one of the merits of her book. But she also dedicates a place to the Templar sisters, who indeed existed, no matter what the Templar rule says, and that have been ignored until now in despite of the existing documentation.

Along with Malcolm Barber's classic "The New Knighthood", "The Knights Templar: A New History" is probably the best scholarly treatment of the Knights available to the general reader. She does a very admirable job of tracing the development of the Knights Templar from their founding in about 1119 to their end in 1314. Nicholson an expert on the medieval military orders, and her book is based on the best of scholarship. "DaVinci Code", "The Templar Revelations", and "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" fans will probably be disappointed. This work is based on historical facts about the Knights Templar and dispenses with the utter nonsense of linking the order to the Freemasons and other esoteric traditions. The fact is that the true history of the Knights Templar is fascinating and exciting enough without the ridiculous fiction that has so recently saturated the market. Another strength of this work is it's layout. It is a physically large book which allows for a large typeset and many pictures, timelines, and maps -- all of which are all of which are relevant and attractive.

I really don't see any glaring weaknesses in the book. As one who is interested in military history, I probably wished that Nicholson gave more detailed and specific accounts of the Templars' responsibilities and actions in such battles as Hattin, Arsuf, Al Mansurah, La Forbie, and the siege of Acre. That said, a detailed military history is not what Nicholson set out to accomplish, so such criticism is certainly not warranted.

All in all, a great study of the Knights Templar by a SCHOLAR. No "mystical" or "esoteric" hypotheses, guesses, assumptions, or lies. Certainly, it deserves to be on the shelf next to Barber's "The New Knighthood".

This was an amazing little book. It turned out to be much deeper than I expected. The characters were really rich and each segment of Billy, Mule, and Larry's journey seemed well thought out. As a military brat, I know that there's often difficulty obeying orders when the orders don't make sense, as my own father wrestled with it often enough.

The novel begins when two Navy lifers, Billy & Mule, are deputized to escort a younger sailor, Larry, to prison. The younger man has been convicted of stealing 40 dollars and dishonorably discharged, plus given an 8 year prison sentence. Because Larry's sentence seems harsh to Billy and Mule, they endeavor to show the younger man as much of a good time as possible during their trip. They get him drunk several times, he tries marijuana with Billy's ex-girlfriend, and they even arrange for him to lose his virginity. Along the way, the older men begin to question their own values and blind obedience to the service with ultimately tragic consequences. This book explores the relationships between men, the nature of service, and race relations in interesting and thought provoking ways. An excellent read. If you read and enjoy this novel, I'd highly recommend both Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors and Gardens of Stone by Nicholas Profitt, if you can locate a copy of the latter.

Have you ever seen the movie with Jack Nicholson? Did you
ever wonder why they called it The "LAST" Detail? What exactly
did "Last" mean? Bet you don't know. But if you read the book
you'll find out. Then it will make sense, because the book
continues where the movie left off. It's worth a look-see.

I hadn't read this book in about 30 years, and picked it up to re-read prior to reading the sequel LAST FLAG FLYING. I was quite surprised at how much more I got out of Poniscan's work, now that I am retired military. His charaters are flawless, dialogue is elegant and bawdy, and the plot moves at a frantic pace.

The point I came away with was this: sooner or later, all of us lifers became disappointed in the system.

A great book!

'The Last Detail' was set back in the time that I was in the Navy myself. The 60s. I was a Petty Officer and when my ship was in dry dock in the Boston Navy Yard, I was seconded to the Armed Forces Police detachment at the 2nd Naval District Headquarters for a few months, and did similar duties to the old timers in the story. Collecting people for transfer to the Portsmouth Prison, and other Shore Patrol duties. I saw the film with Jack Nicholson before I read the book. I had to laugh, as Jack's version of Billy was just like me some 40 years ago. He even wore his white hat the same shape as I did. And I agreed with Billy's thought that no serviceman looks as sharp as a well turned out Sailor in his dress blues. The story brought back lots of memories, of the duties I had and the men I worked with; that was before my tour in Viet Nam in 68. I don't dwell on the political sides to that war, but I still have fond memories of my days in the Navy and also serving many times as a Shore Patrolman. The book has lots of humor and tells one a lot about what things were like in the Navy back then. I think anyone with an interest in the Navy will enjoy this story.

As Clarke says in the introduction to this book, he is not, in it, trying to predict the future per se, but rather defining the boundaries in which all possible futures must lie. Hence the subtitle, "An Inquiry Into The Limits of the Possible." Thus, even though the book was published in 1962 (with many of the articles written before that) subsequent advances in science (and indeed, in imagination itself) have dated it very little. On top of this, there is now a new Millennium Edition of the book out (although Amazon seems not to know of it's existence) in which ACC has updated his essays, making correction where necessary, and discussing when and where he went wrong, and mentioning when he was correct. On some topics, such as, unsurprisingly, satellite communications, he is almost dead-on accurate with the events that have occurred since the book was written. However, on the other end of the spectrum, on such subjects as future transportation methods, he was quite clearly off target. He is the first to admit this, and indeed, devotes two chapters of the book to "Hazards of Prophecy." Perhaps the most interesting chapter is "The Obolescence of Man" in which Clarke waxes thoughtful on the future relationship between Man and Machine. It leads to some rather startling conclusions that many of the more self-important among us may be reluctant to accept. There is also a chart in the back of the book where Arthur lays out the major scientific advances of the last 150 years, and his predictions up to the year 2100. In these are such seemingly optimistic predictions as weather control by 2010 and IMMORTALITY BY 2100. The more conservative among us may be keen to laugh at such statements, but remember, this is the man who talked of broadcasting satellite TV IN 1945. Arthur is not one to be taken lightly, and this book shows why.

If you are looking for a book with scientific facts, I don't think you will find much to your liking. But if you are interested in human imagination (more or less based upon facts), this might be something for you.

Arthur C.Clarke is an English scientist and Science-Fiction writer. 'Profiles of The Future' was first published in 1962. There are nineteen chapters each with a different subject. Arthur C.Clarke calls it 'An inquiry into the limits of the possible.'

One of the chapters is the future of transport. In the future cargo will be stowed in some kind of a submersible container. They could be linked together as the wagons of a train and pulled by a submarine. The idea is that ships are too heavy and loose too much time and energy during a storm. Up until now I'm wondering whether A.C.Clarke is joking or not.
In the chapter 'The Obsolescence of Man' he discusses the future of the Homo Sapiens. Much of this chapter is used for the film '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

At the end of the book there is a 'Chart of the Future'. It's a list of discoveries in the future as far as 2100. (Remember that 'Profiles of the Future' was first published in 1962). To name a few: in 2000, colonising planets (The optimism of the sixties !).In 21OO, immortality (!?).

As you can see, don't take this book too seriously. But it's a engrossing read.

Glance at A.C.'s table in the back of what will happen then next 100 years!!! Profiles is important to any one thinking about thinking of the future. So much to go! Thanks A.C.C.

This is a reissue of the original book which came out in 1962, containing essays by the author which were published in various other venues over the years, if I remember right. Although best known as a science fiction writer, Clarke wrote prodigiously in the field of nonfiction as well, was the inventor of the communications satellite concept, collaborated on several nature films on the Mediterannean with a friend, and was an invited commentator for the Apollo moon landing. Fans of his fiction may notice the similarity between the speculations contained in this book and two of his novels about the far future, Against the Fall of Night, and The City and the Stars (basically a later and rewritten version of the earlier book).

In these essays, Clarke engages in some of his most entertaining and far-reaching speculations on the future of science and technology and how that will affect man and society in the future. Very little of the science is dated despite it being over 40 years since the book came out. Various topics are covered, such as communications, computers, shipping and transport, and my favorite was the last chapter, The Obsolescence of Man. Clarke suspects humans will eventually be made "obsolete" by advances in science and medicine, with machines doing everything, better, faster, and cheaper, despite the extension of the human lifespan.

By the way, as of a few years ago when I visited his website once, Clarke was still travelling and speaking, despite being confined to a wheelchair because of a recent medical problem, and answering fan mail on his website. Truly one of the giants of science fiction, Clarke is most remembered for the movie, 2001, but his novel, Childhood's End, published about ten years earlier, would be my pick for the top sci-fi novel of all time. (Note: 2001 is actually based on the short story, The Sentinel, which Clarke published in 1948). In this poignant and captivating story, the human race comes to a bittersweet ending by evolving into a strange communal intelligence, thereby leaving the limitations of individual, corporeal minds behind. The Overlords, whose minds are perhaps a hundred times more powerful than a humans, are memorable characters. But I'll also remember him for this fascinating and vivid book about the future of science, technology, and man himself.

Those searching for a bleak view of humanity should look no further than Arthur Schopenhauer. His conception of "the Will" as a purposeless, Sisyphean automaton that never satiates its depthless desires stands as one of Western thought's most life-negating metaphysical posits. A Herculean challenge to peppy optimists, Schopenhauer's philosophy outlines some of life's most miserable, yet undeniable, characteristics. This tiny book provides a good overview of the ups and downs, origins, and influences of Western philosophy's grim reaper (he even looks grim in photos).

The easily digestible essay carries the subtitle "Metaphysics and Art." That serves as the most concise summary possible of the subsequent 54 pages. Michael Tanner, who has also written introductory books on both Wagner and Nietzsche, begins with the origins of Schopenhauer's metaphysics in Kant. Those unfamiliar with the classic story of Hume's skepticism leading to the grand Kantian Transcendentalist program might have to re-read a few sentences here and there, but overall the discussion remains accessible. Schopenhauer's idea of "representation" derives from Kant's bifurcation of phenomenon (the physical world as we perceive it) and noumenon (the world as it is in itself, inaccessible to us) in "The Critique of Pure Reason." In essence, he disagrees with Kant's dichotomy and instead suggests that we can know the world as it is through "the Will." In a very Buddhist and Vedantic manner, Schopenhauer says that we are all a part of a unity, a "Primal One," and thus humanity harbors an illusion of individuality. This mirage, called the "Principle of Individuation" or "principium individuationis," lies at the heart of our unquenchable desires. We are all in fact part of the universal "will," which manifests itself, according to Schopenhauer, everywhere, even in gravitation. Humanity remains enslaved to this massive "Will." We can't sate it and one fulfilled desire turns into ten additional desires. As such, the voluminous nastiness we experience, directly or indirectly, througout our lives are not illusions we can write off as "appearances." They exist. Tanner summarizes: "One of the things that distinguishes Schopenhauer from most other philosophers is his insistence that the world is not the place we would like it to be." Some philosophers begin their systems with how they would like the world and then argue in reverse to fill that conclusion. Schopenhauer may be pulling the same sleight of hand with his system, but his gloomy outlook suggests otherwise. Ultimately, he almost represents the philosophical equivalent of stealing candy from a baby.

Though Schopenhauer often gets, understandably, categorized as a pessimist, Tanner defends him against such brickbats. At this point the metaphysical discussion turns to art. First off, Schopenhauer does not condone suicide, even in the ugly face of the oppressive "Will." He calls it a "futile and foolish act." Tanner sees Christian morality peeking out here. Second, the arts provide some solace for the will, particularly music (here's where Wagner's mouth fell open). Though he strangely turns to Platonic forms as the "highest grade of objectification of the will" he nonetheless gives special status to music as the way one experiences the will directly. Tanner asks the obvious question why anyone would want to know the will given its depiction as an evil tyrant over humanity. Schopenhauerian "salvation" then becomes a puzzle; it is suggested that we could throw off the illusion of individuality and become one with the will. But is that desirable? Tanner scrutinizes this tension that runs through Schopenhauer's philosophy.

The book thus concludes with a head-scratcher. Nonetheless, it provides a great introduction to the pros, cons, and seeming contradictions in Schopenhauer's philosophy. Tanner also points out his legacy in figures such as Nietzsche and Wagner. The former later rejected "artist's metaphysics" while the latter seemed to embrace it, even though Schopenhauer openly advocated Rossini and supposedly disliked Wagner's music. In the end, everybody goes whichever way the will goes. At least Schopenhauer, slightly presaging psychology, thought so.

For anyone who still thinks of philosophy as a loose collection of schools of thought or method headed by major thinkers, as Randall Collins roughly pictured in 1098 pages in THE SOCIOLOGY OF PHILOSOPHIES / A GLOBAL THEORY OF INTELLECTUAL CHANGE, then the major thinkers Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche had differing degrees of success, as Kant and Hegel have far more lines in the index of the Randall Collins book than Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. Nietzsche expressed a contrary view, possibly more ancient than modern, which applied far more accurately to the pre-Platonic Greeks, that there is no philosophy, only philosophers. For those whose idea of meaning depends mainly on context, Schopenhauer must now be evaluated primarily in what he was able to learn from Kant, how he reacted to his contemporary Hegel, and whether he deserved the repudiation which Nietzsche eventually expressed as a sign of triumph over the denial of will lying in the heart of Schopenhauer's philosophy. I have the big major volumes of Schopenhauer's philosophy, but I was hoping to find more when I checked the shelf in a used book store and found something tiny by Michael Tanner called SCHOPENHAUER / Metaphysics and Art (1997, 1999).

There is too much of Schopenhauer's work to expect a short explanation of all of it. He wrote at such great length on so many topics that the 54 pages of Michael Tanner's book would only be valuable as a summary of a particular aspect that is important for distinguishing Schopenhauer from the other thinkers with which he has become inextricably entwined in the minds of readers whose approach to philosophy has not been as systematic as the great books approach. My own interest would be more perverse than usual because I would like to find, somewhere in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), some indication that his interest in music was in some way on the upskirts of rock 'n' roll, even when he is writing, "No one has kept so free from this mistake as Rossini; hence his music speaks its own language so distinctly and purely that it requires no words at all, and produces its full effect even when rendered by instruments alone." (pp. 48-49).

Schopenhauer playing flute by himself for several hours a day is probably the opposite of the kind of music appreciation of modern youngsters who expect to hear, "Let's party, let's get down. Turn the radio on, this is the meltdown" as in Sheryl Crow's "There Goes the Neighborhood" song. Schopenhauer was not even a seminar type thinker, as Michael Tanner seems to expect whenever a universal truth stated by Schopenhauer does not conform to our modern reduction of philosophy to a group discussion format in which individuals take turns expressing points of view. Since Plato, philosophy has been adept at condemning the poets and trying to think in ways that speak with more validity than music, so what do you expect? I think Michael Tanner blames Schopenhauer for indicating that music says more than philosophy, when Schopenhauer's main point of view would then be foolish:

This tiresome need of art to be `truthful', when the truth is disgusting, is what Nietzsche only came to free himself from -- granted his general outlook -- late in life when he wrote (and then only in a notebook): `We have art in order that we may not perish of truth. Truth is ugly.' Why didn't Schopenhauer say the same? (p. 47).

I must say that I was highly impressed by the first page of this book, which mentioned THE WORLD AS WILL AND REPRESENTATION and Kant's CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON with "he espoused some of its key doctrines, and it is necessary to grasp them to see how Schopenhauer moved on, as he saw it, from them to his own highly idiosyncratic position." Pages 2 and 3 trace the fundamental problem back to David Hume, and the beginning of THE WORLD AS WILL AND REPRESENTATION is quoted on pages 5-6. Pages 9-11 quote the second chapter of Book II for the inner nature of the individual for whom "The act of will and the action of the body are not two different states objectively known, . . ." At the end of the second book, Schopenhauer has a position of "Eternal becoming, endless flux, belong to the revelation of the essential nature of the will." (p. 16). In Volume II, in a chapter called `Characterization of the Will-to-Live', most unfortunately, "everyone perseveres in such a mock existence as long as he possibly can" (p. 18).

Finally Richard Wagner, Tolstory, Thomas Mann, Hardy, and Conrad are mentioned as having "a strong satisfaction in having what they regard as the necessary, inescapable misery of life so lucidly conveyed." (p. 19). Book III gives us:

"Thus the subject of willing is constantly lying on the revolving wheel of Ixion, is always drawing water in the sieve of the Danaids, and is the eternally thirsting Tantalus." (p. 20).

Then a discussion of earthly happiness and pain quotes pages with particular sentences examined to find "this is more of the registering of a tendency than the statement of a universal truth, and it is certainly not a necessary or conceptual truth." (p. 28).

On the upskirts of rock 'n' roll, Michael Tanner observes "that the way in which we usually appreciate music, when we are concerned with it from the point of view of emotional expression, is something that we value because it, at best, takes us into the deepest recesses of our empirical selves, the selves which maintain a constant attempt to remain sharply individuated. So whatever the truth about music, how and even if it is expressive, it can't be expressive of ultimate reality." (p. 51). He must mean that when Aimee Mann sings "You Could Make a Killing" on the `I'm with Stupid' CD, it might be true for an individual listener, but if everybody tried it, the chaos would be unreal.

Despite the lack of a bibliolography, this brief book explores Schopenhauer's main thoughts on Will and Aesthetics. The writing is crisp and easily understood. The many quotations from the philosopher's main work are clear, inspiring me to read Schopenhauer directly.

Dr. Tanner introduces Shopenhauer by way of Kant, and in my opinion gives a clear and relevant account. He contrasts Schopenhauer with Nietzsche, who first adopted his predecessor's thoughts, but who later overcame the apparent pessimism of Schopenhauer with his own Uebermensch.

I love this book! The author really gives a clear understanding of Schopenhauer. I've tried to read and understand S. for a few years, and always left frustrated. I don't have the time to engage in a thorough analysis of this deep thinker. But Mr. Tanner gives a graet summary, with well chosen quotes to give an introductory overview of his thinking. I've read a lot of Nietzche, and I always viewed S. as "pre-Nietzche". But, i'm drawn more and more to the conclusions that S. presents. He sticks with what he observes, and doesn't add his own thoughts on how things should be. The author helps you understand S.'s magnum opus "The World as Will and Representation" very clearly.
Highly recommended.

This is the most complete reference I have seen on the subject, rife with good photographs and superb research. Each chapter is written by a different person (experts I assume) and provides exceptional detail. It has sections on Bronze and Iron Age weapons; western weapons from Rome through WWII; Japanese swords; Indian weapons; and Chinese and Southeast Asian weapons; it even covers African weapons quite well. If you are starting a library of edged weapons, or already have one, this book must be in it!

I own the 2000 reprint of the book. The text copyright is by Coe et.al 1989; compilation copyright is by Prion books 1996. Apparently it is a compilation, and it shows, which is why I call the book schizofrenic. It is very well illustrated, but in the text there are no references at all to the illustrations. Generally you'll find an illustration of the type of weapon discussed in the text nearby, but sometimes you'll have to page back or forth or it cannot be found. So text and images are really separate.

I call the book myopic because of its focus on description of the appearance of the objects. There is almost nothing on metallurgy or materials science, forging, technical advances throughout history, fencing or tactical use, or the military or cultural circumstances why certain types have been preferred in a culture at some period of time (shape, length, straight or curved, one- or two-edged, piercing or cutting, etc.); only the chapter on Japanes swords touches upon some of these topics.

Overall I found the book disappointing.

This is one of the first books I bought when I started collecting arms and armour. The color photographs are detailed and of good quality, and there is a fairly good range of swords from European to Indian/oriental. I have found myself reaching for this book as a resource many times. I highly recommend it.

As a child I took weapons, swords, daggers, Sgian dubhs, dirks hanging on the wall as the norm for decor. My Grandfather's home was covered with this items that looked wonderful. As I grew I came to appreciate the beautiful and craftsmanship in weapons that dominated warfare for millenniums, until the coming of the more clumsy equaliser guns. Anyone can pick up a gun and fire it, but to use a sword with proficiency was something akinned to a ballet. Thrust, parry, block, defence and offence, from claymore to épées were breathtaking to watch, even more so was the feeling of hold these metal wonders in your hands. So it was not surprising I went on to collect swords. And this book satisfies that love of the weapon. With various contributors, they trace the earliest origins from stone area, bronze age and bronze age to the swords of World Wars I and II. It covers swords from the Middle East, the unsurpassed Japanese Samurai blades, Swords used in China and Central Asia, even into India, Africa and Pre-Conquest America.

It is LOADED with colour pictures of the weapons, historical paintings showing them in use, even details spectrograms on the composition of the swords, how they were made, used from the most basic to the most ornamental dress swords. Every page just is simply amazing.

Highly recommended any any sword collection, anyone interested in knowing more about these weapons that forged our history and especially of interest to historical writer and historical romance writers. An Absolute MUST for them.

I love Antonia Fraser's writing, but this is an extremely hard book to get through. The book relies upon a knowledge of 17th Century English history and so I had to delay reading it since the first time I picked it up my knowledge of the English Civil War was sketchy. I appreciated it more after reading other biographies but still took a while to get through. Not her best.

A very good book, well written and very interesting. It provides the reader with information about Seventeenth Century women from every class, noble and peasants alike. Every girl should read it. It will give them much more self-consciousness than 30 feminist treatises!

This is exactly the kind of women's history book that we need. Fraser's writing style is perfect for her subject, the lives of women in 17th-century England. She covers various aspects of women's lives: Political, domestic, social, professional, spiritual. We meet many remarkable women, such as Rachel, Lady Russell, who fought hard to save her husband William from execution; Catherine Sedley, the witty and strong-minded mistress of James II; Elizabeth Barry, beloved actress. Fraser includes all sorts of trivia without detracting from her main theme, an accomplishment in itself. Will she write more books like this? I hope so.

It relates to the women in 17th Century England and the times they endured, torn down by the "stereotypical" views of what women of today think. Women of the 17th Century carried a role within the society in which they were able to stand up, to be a woman. They were able to lift their heads despite what the men had said of the time period. Women were able to gain custody of their children, marry the man they love and become much more of a customary woman that what had been perceived. Antonia Fraser's historically written book justifies the idea that women truly played a role within the society that was not forfeited. The question she had asked, "were there women in the 17th century?" Yes, yes there were, and Antonia Fraser proved it. Historically, in a fictional manner in a non-fiction piece.

The criticism in this anthology is a bit dry. I would not recommend this book unless you want to learn all there is to know about Beowulf. Some of the articles are interesting if you are well-versed with Beowulf and its history, otherwise, you will be lost. I think the article about the Sutton-Hoo find was the most interesting piece.

I actually had the opportunity to study with Prof. Nicholson, and his enthusiasm for Anglo Saxon poetry, and Beowulf in particular, carries through this anthology. Quite complete and balanced through its original publication date in the '60s, it would be an excellent companion to the Seamus Heaney verse translation of the poem.

This book should not have a review of three stars, so I am writing a few words to bump up the rating. Essentially, this book contains the best of Beowulf criticism up to 1960. The previous reviewer does not seem to understand the value of scholarship, and I do not believe he even represents the average informed layman. Anyone with an interest in Beowulf, a serious interest, will find these articles enlightening and well worth reading.

Lloyde Alexander you'll love this. This is my favorit of Stevensons books. It is full of adventure.

Ok ok. This book was pretty good i have to admit. I had to read it for my english class with a group of friends. The thing i found most irritating is the way the people talk! I mean, its like Sir this and Master that and shall this and ne instead of no. I overall though think its a good book. I wouldnt reccomend it to anyone but thats just me.

As young man I do not really enjoy reading books. My aunt got me "The Misadventures of John Nicholson" for my birthday, and I was disapointed thinking what a waste of her money. One day I opened the book out of curiosity and read the first few pages, and that all it took for me to be hooked! I read that book cover to cover twice and still I want to read it again and again! I even let one of my friends borrow the book, and he was also amazed at the great writing skills of Robert Louis Stevenson. He even offered to buy the book from me, but I didn't sell it, because I liked it way too much to give it away forever! Also, I have recomended this book to everyone I know, and the smart people that do listen to me and read this book agree with me that it is the best book they have ever read, and thank me for my recomendation. I believe anyone, AND I MEAN ANYONE, that passes up the chance to buy a this great book is CRAZY, let me spell it for you C-R-A-Z-Y! Go see your doctor if you read this book and you don't like it, because your CRAZY!

This is the first of two autobiographies by John Mortimer. If you'd like to see where Rumpoles come from, this is how you find out. Amusing in many places, serious in others, possibly a bit more revealing than the author intended.

CLINGING TO THE WRECKAGE is the first of John Mortimer's three-part autobiography (to date--as of 2001 he is 83 years of age and going strong). Mortimer is known to BBC/PBS fans as the multi-talened writer who developed the screenplays for the TV series BRIDESHEAD REVISITED based on Evelyn Waugh's book of the same name; creator of Rumpole, Queen's Counsel (QC) for the underdog; and author of many novels including the Titmuss trilogy, and SUMMER'S LEASE. In WRECKAGE, John tells of his childhood and young adulthood.

Mortimer grew up the son of a British barrister/counselor and his wife a former artist. Against his will he was sent off to boarding school at an early age. However, Mortimer's father lost his eyesight owing to a retinal detachment that could not be repaired. As a result the family source of income was placed in jeopardy and young John and his mother became his father's eyes helping him prepare his legal briefs.

Mortimer says he fell in love with the theater at an early age. His family made pilgrimages to Stratford-on-Avon to see the great Royal Shakespeare company perform the bard's works. There he was able to see Lawrence Olivier, John Gielgud, and other fabulous actors of the period. These theater experiences coupled with his work on his father's briefs, led to his own career as a QC, and planted a love of the English language and the theater in the young John which led to his subsequent success in the theater, on television, and in his many books.

The book also covers his first marriage to Penelope, with whom he formed a family of six childen which included her four daughters from a previous marriage.

Whether or not you have been lucky enough to enjoy the witty dialogue of Rumpole--including his verbal exchanges with wife Hilda (SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED), the clever plot twists of the Titmuss series, or the wonderful and inspirational BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, you will love this book if you love Brit Wit. Mortimer is incredibly human and very funny.

As always Mortimor has shown brilliance in the world of literature. I was surprized to have found this book without a customer review. I thoroughly enjoy it and highly recommend it for readers of biography. Comparable with Robert Graves "Goodbye to All That".

Gallo, Ford, Guinness, IBM, Gucchi, Mondavi, Reliance and Addidas... Global brands? Before they were these brands they were family owned companies (or family run in the case of IBM). Authors Grant Gordon and Nigel Nicholson do a fairly decent job in their research of these family business as well as many others. They give summarized histories of the businesses germinating and taking off. They even give genealogical breakdowns of the families in question. But where they really score is that they have been able to analyze these situations on both an organizational behavior level as well as that of a psychological level.

The authors are quick to point out in the beginning of this book that there are many advantages to being in a family run business. Decisions are made quicker. Conflicts can often tend to be resolved in a more efficient manner. The businesses are often more profitable and last longer than a "corporate" business, that is, with professional management and not family management. They also point out that family friction can be good for the business in certain instances. But it is the struggle for control that generally unwinds everything.

The book itself is written in a very interesting style. It could pass for a professional business book, a university text book or a non-fiction book that is written for pleasure. I have to commend the authors on this - especially since this was a joint effort and not one man doing all of the written production.

Throughout Family Wars we see the causes of the inter-family strife and are generally walked through the resolutions - and sometimes there really aren't any. Gordon and Nicholson show us the several models where familial business friction occurs: When the head of the family doesn't want to release control, sibling rivalry, disagreements in company direction, etc. It would seem that no matter what the background, nationality, era, product or business model these same issues tend to manifest themselves in family companies. That in and of itself lends to the mystique of this book.

Family businesses should be stress free - if anyone can get along it can be family, right? "Family Wars: Classic Conflicts in Family Business and How to Deal With Them" realizes that even families can have conflicts, and they can do far more damage than a conflict between two unrelated people. Seeking to give advice that will keep families staying together while keeping the business profitable, it's an ideal guide for any family business who doesn't want to let money get in between people and their devotion to family. "Family Wars: Classic Conflicts in Family Business and How to Deal With Them" is highly recommended for community library collections dedicated to business.

An old business adage that runs in the family business parlance puts it rather simply, "The first generation starts, the second builds and the third sells." But in the true purview of realism, do all family businesses rest on the same gritty axiom? Are families really bound taut in `intimate, dynamic, honest and loyal' strands of inter-personal business? Moreover, does the presence of conflict within family businesses itself mean failure? These are some of those integral questions that this compelling read shall endeavour to answer.

A comprehensive discourse on conflict within family business, `Family Wars' dwells on those inequalities and flaws that keep families from embarking onto shared entrepreneurship, yet resonantly discussing the indispensability of family firms in the economy.

`Family Wars' runs you through a set of melodramatic and enthralling case studies (over 20 in number), which splits family conflict into different categories highlighting the stringent irony of blood-ties. Some of the themes interwoven are the `father- son conflict' (Gallo wine family saga), `sibling rivalry' (Ambani family),`the insularity trap' (Guinness story) and Schism (Pritzker empire saga) to name a few. Certain issues, which arise between generations like overpowering personalities and nepotism, are also explored.

As an intriguing illustration, the theme of `Parental Oppression' is presented through the Ford Family case (Chapter 5), which depicts an obsessive personality in the form of a narcissistic leader, Henry Ford who focussed exclusively on himself, lacked empathy and totally neglected `succession management' in his organisation to the extent that after the untimely death of his son, he was dethroned by his daughter- in- law leaving a trail of psychological debris. The reader is led to believe that leadership and personality are closely intertwined. They make greatness but at the same time also embody flaws that need to be dealt with.

The contents in the book seem to blend with one strand that remains uniquely present in the fabric of the family and its firm - personality. An informative discussion on personality and its building blocks is followed by the citation of the `paradox of inherited personality'. We are led to understand that 50 percent of our character is significantly heritable (from our genes) and the rest comes from our life experiences. The reader is guided to conclude that `entrepreneurs do not breed entrepreneurs' except by the luck of the `gene lottery'.

`Family Wars' is authored by Nigel Nicholson and Grant Gordon, the first being an eminent professor of organisational behaviour and psychology at the London Business School and author of the critically approbated `Managing the Human Animal' and the latter, director general of the UK's Institute for Family Business. The book makes for a mould of some robust research and the pragmatic perspectives of an acclaimed academic and a fifth generation member of a reputed Scottish family business.

The book concludes with a set of some useful and pertinent recommendations on delving deeper into the insights of human nature, management and family dynamics. Further, guidelines on how firms can fortify themselves against conflict are also provided as well as evaluation of how people can make conflict productive in family firms.

A valuable and highly recommended resource guide for all, dealing with issues related to conflict, both within the family as well as the non-family firms.