Nicholson Books

This book explains Iranian identity which is like Cypress tree that it bends but does not break. Author of the book brought forward evidences that how Iran was made-up.

Professor Frye dispell the myth perpetuated by the Islamists as well as europhiles that the classical period in Iranian history was one of meagre achievement. The small volume of extant sources showed a highly sophisticated culture and references to other works during the same period point to a highly literate society. Professor Frye reconstruct Sassanid Persia and identifies it as the source of the Islamic golden age that followed. Beautifully written, this is the book that can be used by any novice to start a soundly grounded historical odyssey as well as by the more experienced reader to correct many of her misconception.

Concentrates on the cultural effects of the Arab invasions and the extent to which Persian culture became a vector for the eastward spread of Islam in the 8th/9th centuries. A rather frustrating book, too detailed for beginners yet not specific enough on any detail to give a real insight to any of the individual historical events of which the theme is a composite. This is a shame as reading between the lines it seems apparent that the author was constrained by editorial pressure rather than lack of fact or interest.
Still as an overview of the achievements of the early Islamic era it is an original piece of scholarship.

This book is a work of very good scholarship and is well reasoned and supported spelling out an important history in Iranian and Islamic history. However, I would not recommend this for the casual historian but rather only to the dedicated student. The prose is quite dry and reading through it can become a chore rather than a delight. If you're looking for a general history stay clear if you need specific details at all costs than by all means buy this book.

This fascinating Atlas traces the history of the Jewish people, from the early Jewish migration from Ur to Canaan, in about 2000 BC, up to developments in the modern State of Israel.
He traces the migration of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt back to the Promised Land, and the conquest of the Promised Land by the Israelites, the whereabouts of the Twelve Tribes of Ancient Israel, the kingdoms of David and Solomon 1000 to 925 BC, as well as the destruction of Jewish independence by the Assyrians and Babylonians and the subsequent deportations and dispersions of the Israelites.
The book shows us maps revealing the Hasmonean Kingdom and the Jewish revolts against Roman Rule.
Gilbert outlines the development of ancient Jewish communities in Iraq, Persia, India and China, as well as Europe, the persecutions, pogroms, expulsions and different places of settlements of the Jews throughout the world.
The book deals with some lesser known facts such as the whereabouts of the Karaite Jews, 10 000 of whom were murdered by the Nazis in Crimea, in 1943, the fact that in 1805 Napoleon formed a Jewish battalion that fought at Waterloo, while in 1799 the Jews of Jerusalem joined the Turks in preparing to defend the city, and in 1812, the Jews of Russia, supported their Russian overlords against Napoleon, as they feared that Napoleon's liberalization would be a threat to their orthodoxy.
A fascinating map shows the possible whereabouts of the ten lost Tribes of Israel, and the intriguing possibilty that their descendants could include the Ibos of Nigeria, the Masai Tribe of East Africa, the Berbers of North Africa, the Khazars, the Bneie Menashe of Eastern
India, the Karens of Burma, and the Shinadai Tribe of Japan.
Other maps show the development of Jewish life in the Americas, Jewish millitary activity from from 1794 to 1967, the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel, the numbers of Jews in Europe at the outbreak of World War II, and those that perished in the Holocaust, the numbers of Jews who fled Europe for Palestine, during the Holocaust, Jewish resistance against Nazis persecution in Europe, and against Arab pogroms in Palestine, and Israel's War of Independence in 1948, the Suez War of 1956 and the Six Day war of 1967, describing the balance on the eve of that war of Arab and Israeli forces:
The total Arab strength was 547 000 troops, 2 504 tanks and 957 combat aircrafts, while Israel's strength consisted of 264 000 troops, 800 tanks and 300 Combat aircrafts.
While the author is correct about persecution in Europe, of the Jews, by Christians, he underestimates and does not fully describe the many massacres and pogroms against Jews in Moslem-ruled lands, as well as the severe dhimmni status under which they lived.
Nevertheless Gilbert succeeds, in illustrating the vast panorama of the Jewish people, through the ages.
He makes obscure periods in Jewish history better known, if only in outline, leaving the reader the task of embarking on deeper research.
Finally the book leaves the reader amazed at the endurability of a people who survived thousands of years of hostility and attempts to destroy it, and were gathered together once again in their ancient homeland, having to dfefend their homeland against 100 million Arabs, and a very large chunk of hostile world opinion.

Surprise: The Nazis were Germans and Austrians. In recent years, there has been a curious tendency to euphemistically substitute the political party of the Germans for their nationality, all the while retaining the ethnicities of other peoples. (Thus, "Nazi killers of Poles and Jews" makes as much sense as "German killers of Pilsudskyites and Bundists"). Gilbert's atlas unabashedly calls the Nazis for who they were: the Germans. (Of course there were exceptions, but they were just that--exceptions). For example, Gilbert refers to German concentration camps, not Nazi concentration camps. And, although this atlas is about Jews, Gilbert does not avoid mention of the fact that the Germans also murdered several millions of non-Jews. (This, of course, does not include the additional millions killed directly or indirectly by German military action).

Gilbert's atlas is concise enough to fit on an ordinary bookshelf, yet is packed with much useful information. Maps depict many Biblical and post-Biblical events. The travels of the Apostle Paul are included. So are many "alternative Zions", where Jews were to find a new home. The history of Jews in the USA is also featured. Only one obvious error stands out: When Gilbert depicts the Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Bogdan Chmielnicki) revolt, he incorrectly states that the killers of Jews (and also Ukrainian and Polish nobility) were Polish peasants. In the main, the killers were actually Ukrainian peasants.

Gilbert's atlas includes the experience of Jews outside of Europe and the Americas. Although certain Muslim lands offered the Jews more tolerance than Christian ones, there were also many Muslim lands in which the Jews suffered extreme persecution. This alone should refute the common claim that anti-Semitism is a product of traditional Christian teachings about Jews. In fact, from Gilbert's atlas, it is obvious that the Jews suffered from pagans long before Christianity.

I enjoy the way that Gilbert chronicles Jewish history through maps. I found at least one error in his maps, however -- and one of the more recent maps at that -- which makes me question the accuracy of the entire work. The 1947 Partition Plan Map of Palestine, partitioning Palestine into 2 separate countries -- a Jewish state (Israel) and an Arab state (Palestine) -- is blatantly incorrect. While Beersheva is part of present-day Israel, it is improperly reported to be part of the Jewish partition in this book. In fact, all of the area surrounding Beersheva was part of the Arab partition in the UN Resolution. Similarly, the Arabs were also given a larger chunk in Gaza than what is depicted here. Martin seems to take the outcome of the Arab war -- what Jordan and Egypt were able to wrest and occupy (and incidentally, not give to the Palestinians) -- essentially though not exactly the Green Line map of 1949 -- and represent that land as what was suggested in the UN Partition Plan. In my view, this is a serious shortcoming, especially in light of the events surrounding the present peace process and the history leading up to it.

The author of this book chronicles and displays the Jewish history beautifully in this atlas.

"The Levanter" is one of the original (copyright 1974) Terrorist novels that are very popular today.

It is 1972 and the Middle east is changing (again), in response to the Israeli victory in the Six-day war and the pressures of the Palestinians refugees on neighboring countries. The main protagonist is a western businessman, the owner of a firm long established in the Middle east. A Palestinian group threatens the man, his family, and firm to use them to strike against Israel. The man threads a tangle of personalities, movements, obligations, and politics to preserve everything he cares about.

This is a good read from a historical point of view. The author has a familiar, although now considered old-fashioned style (probably the result of much copying). In fiction, it shows how little has changed in the Middle east in the last thirty-years.

Eric Ambler had a talent for setting his stories in historically interesting places and times. In the 1930's he wrote about the rise of facism. After the War, he wrote suspense stories set behind the newly erected Iron Curtain. In the 1950's, he switched his focus to Southeast Asia and wrote about the newly emerging nations of the region in the aftermath of their wars of liberation. So it is not surprising that in 1972, Ambler moved his attention to the Middle East and the Arab Israeli conflict.

Michael Howell is a classic Eric Ambler character. Although he has an English last name, Michael Howell's family heritage is principally a mix of Lebanese Armenian and Greek Cypriot. He is a member of that class of creative Eastern Mediterrean businessmen who over the centuries have successfully engaged in commerce in the notoriously difficult business climate of the Middle East. To survive in that harsh world, a businessman needs to be cosmopolitan, quick witted and highly imaginative. Michael Howell's family shipping business is doing well until he becomes unintentionally involved in the Palestinian Israeli conflict.

When Ambler is at his best, "Passage of Arms", "Judgement for Delchev" or a "Coffin for Demetrios", he is one of the finest political suspense writers to have ever graced the genre. The "Levanter" is very good but it is not one of his classic books. Start with the classics and when you have exhausted them, move to his second tier works like "The Levanter." Even his second tier works are very good.

A Levanter is an inhabitant of the Levant, the countries of the eastern Mediterranean.

I am new to Eric Ambler. In recent months I have read and reviewed two stories from his early career, A Coffin for Dimitrios (1939) and Journey into Fear (1940), one from his mid-career (The Light of Day, 1962), and now his 1972 novel, The Levanter.

His early writing career was interrupted by WWII. Entering as a private in the Royal Artillery and serving in Italy, Ambler was later assigned to a combat photographic unit. Ambler ultimately earned the rank of lieutenant colonel and although British, he was even awarded an American Bronze Star.

His postwar career focused more on writing screenplays for Hollywood and television, but he did continue to write an occasional new espionage story. The Levanter (1972) was among his last books.

His early stories have exciting plots, but his early characters lack the fascinating complexity of his misguided and all-to-clever protagonist, Michael Howell, found in the Levanter. I quite enjoyed The Levanter and I believe that it compares favorably with the early John LeCarre novels.

In The Levanter Ambler tells a story through the eyes of three characters: Lewis Prescott (an experienced journalist interested in Michael Howell's situation) in chapters 1, 3, and 8, Michael Howell himself in chapters 2, 4, 6, and 7; and Teresa Malandra (Michael's secretary and lover) in chapter 5.

The setting is 1970 Syria, three years after the Six Days War. The Baathist Party, in power since 1963, has been steadily nationalizing all industry and Michael Howell considers his family's (third generation) commercial holdings at great risk. His plans to cleverly shelter his Syrian operations come apart when he involuntarily becomes an integral component in a plot to launch a substantial terrorist attack on Israel.

I was disconcerted by one aspect of Ambler's story. Despite the passage of three decades, The Levanter still reads like a contemporary novel. Today, for political and security reasons Israel still holds territory acquired during the Six Days War while the Syrian Baathist party continues to covertly (and not so covertly) support terrorist activities against Israel.

To read or not to read the great espionage novels of Eric Ambler? That is the question most people ignore because they are not familiar with Mr. Ambler and his particularly talent.

Mr. Ambler has always had this problem. As Alfred Hitchcock noted in his introduction to Intrigue (an omnibus volume containing Journey into Fear, A Coffin for Dimitrios, Cause for Alarm and Background to Danger), "Perhaps this was the volume that brought Mr. Ambler to the attention of the public that make best-sellers. They had been singularly inattentive until its appearance -- I suppose only God knows why." He goes on to say, "They had not even heeded the critics, who had said, from the very first, that Mr. Ambler had given new life and fresh viewpoint to the art of the spy novel -- an art supposedly threadbare and certainly clich?-infested."

So what's new and different about Eric Ambler's writing? His heroes are ordinary people with whom almost any reader can identify, which puts you in the middle of a turmoil of emotions. His bad guys are characteristic of those who did the type of dirty deeds described in the book. His angels on the sidelines are equally realistic to the historical context. The backgrounds, histories and plot lines are finely nuanced into the actual evolution of the areas and events described during that time. In a way, these books are like historical fiction, except they describe deceit and betrayal rather than love and affection. From a distance of many years, we read these books today as a way to step back into the darkest days of the past and relive them vividly. You can almost see and feel a dark hand raised to strike you in the back as you read one of his book's later pages. In a way, these stories are like a more realistic version of what Dashiell Hammett wrote as applied to European and Middle Eastern espionage.

Since Mr. Ambler wrote, the thrillers have gotten much bigger in scope . . . and moved beyond reality. Usually, the future of the human race is at stake. The heroes make Superman look like a wimp in terms of their prowess and knowledge. There's usually a love interest who exceeds your vision of the ideal woman. Fast-paced violence and killing dominate most pages. There are lots of toys to describe and use in imaginative ways. The villains combine the worst faults of the 45 most undesirable people in world history and have gained enormous wealth and power while being totally crazy. The plot twists and turns like cruise missile every few seconds in unexpected directions. If you want a book like that, please do not read Mr. Ambler's work. You won't like it.

If you want to taste, touch, smell, see and hear evil from close range and move through fear to defeat it, Mr. Ambler's your man.

On to The Levanter. In this novel, we find Mr. Ambler operating at his full powers, combining remarkable character development with complex plots and delicious ambiguity. You will be reminded of Mr. Le Carre.

Uncharacteristically, his protagonist, Michael Howell, is a man of great intelligence, sophistication and subtlety. So he can take on a greater threat than anyone else. Fascinated by the problem of extracting his family's investments from Lebanon, he's been collaborating with the government in covert activities. This backfires when he accidentally learns that one of his factories has been taken over by the Palestinian Action Force as a base for terrorist activities. Howell finds himself forced to help implement an anti-Israeli raid. How will he overcome this challenge?

Howell is one of Ambler's best characters, full of moral ambiguity. He's so good at looking out for his own interests, that he constantly is taking advantage even of those who are trying to take advantage of him. In this book, we get a sense of the mental and moral toughness of a trader. I found the book to seem immensely realistic.

The story telling is strengthened by varying the role of who the narrator is so that you see more dimensions of the plot. Part of the story is told by Howell, part by Lewis Prescott (a journalist hose attempting to sort out what really happened) and part by Teresa Malandra (Howell's co-worker in Lebanon and mistress). I'm sure that small businessmen in Middle Eastern countries still face the issues exposed in this plot, which makes the story chillingly timely, even though it is set in the late sixties.
Howell's solution to the problem is quite original and interesting. I think you'll enjoy it.

After you finish this story, think about where your principles are compromised by the actions of others who are outside your control. How can you ensure that those inadvertent compromises do no harm?

Although this book is quite limited in it's perspective, it does offer both candid and posed tips on modern Russian culture. Mr. Yeltsin's copious jottings reveal his personal taste for style and political power. The writings also reveal some of the cultural challenges that plague the Russian people such as; peer presure among adults for consumption of vodka and the need for modern business people to find a moral code that will promote sound national and international business practices. The extensive political reporting which Mr. Yeltsin has voiced would indicate that Russian self-government is still in the developing stages and has many hurtles to pass. However the outlook is hopeful and not blindly so. One leaves the text wondering how we might come to learn more of President Putin's own style of politics. An interesting read for anyone studying modern Russian culture, this book is by no means an authoratative overview on the culture.

This is such a great memoir of a very interesting man. I always felt that Yelstin never got his commupance. He led a country the best he could in a very hard time

And now we get to hear everything that happend from the "front-lines" in the leaders own words.

No wonder that this book attracted such negative reaction from 'experts' in Russian politics. What seemed almost to everyone as illogical, bizarre behavior of a senile tsar suddenly becomes clear, simple and logical. Yeltsin describes day by day his struggle for power since he started his presidential race with support of only 3% of popular support. As one reads the book it becomes evident that Yeltsin always had a very clear and realistic picture of what was happening around him. He could let people believe that he was too sick and weak to rule, watched who, how and when tried to get the power. Like a good hunter Yeltsin stoke deadly blows on his foes when they truely believed he was under their control. Yeltsin analyzes the situation, decides who's his friend or foe, plans his actions and acts without remorse. The book reads like a novel that unfolds the secrets of Russian under carpet bulldogs fighting.

Yeltsin's memoirs are without doubt interesting and necessary source for everybody who's looking to understand what really has happened in Russia during 90s. But unfortunately this is only half or even less of that what Yeltsin really could tell us. First of all, this is not of course Yeltsin who has written this book. Real authors are Valentin Yumashev, who is also author of Yeltsin's previous memoirs, and Tatyana Dyatchenko, Yeltsin's daugther. Reading this book you could find almost in every chapter how authors had tried to save Yeltsin's face for history. They succeeded if reader is not well informed about Russia. But for them who have lived this through, Yeltsin's book is too one-sided and not really trustful piece.

Umberto Eco once said (in his book called The name of the rose):"Only thing that makes a man different than the animal is his ability to laugh" Different author (which doesen't have anything to do with the literature, at least not in the one they call clasic), once said:"There is only one kind of sickness that only humans can suffer from, and it is called - nostalgia."
And this is the book, about it. This is the book, about the feeling you get when you lie at your bed late at night, thinking about all the places and person you have visited and got to know and like, this is the book about irreversibility of the time, and book about stupid mass making stupid mistakes.
Wraped in a form where exile is the main focus, with added retrospective of the war which held place on Balcan in the 90's, told with beautiful language skill (I read the book in the original language, wasn't to difficul considering that I'm native speaker of it :), so I cannot judge the quality of translation,) this book is a masterpiece.
Four stars because fourth part of the book is really bad when compared to rest, with flat prosaic skills, and simple sentences.

This book deserves high marks -- well written, well translated, it gives an unusual and sensitive picture of the life of an exile from the former Yugoslavia. But exiles are not always displaced people: they can be elderly, alone, disoriented, misunderstood -- all prey to an inner exile. Ms. Ugresic's intriguing juxtaposition of stories shows the many different ways in which people construct their own biographies or those of others, but ultimately share many of the same emotions and insoluble problems. There are a lot of wise and touching observations in this "collection" of pieces which ultimately form a moving and poetic whole.

i was prepared to like the book, but instead found it pretentious and irritating. the author seemed more intent upon demonstrating her knowledge of literary technique than in getting the message, whatever it was, across to the readers.

I have become skillful at avoiding books written on the topic of my former homeland and its vicissitudes. After 10 years of exile and statelessness, a refugee is supposed to have grown a thick skin... Ugresic gets me. I cry and I shiver when I read her. I feel as if going through a dark tunnel while holding somebody's hand. However, I don't know (and I don't want to know)if a person with a permanent citizenship and a stable state of mind would like it.

If you are a Hammer, or an Amicus, Tigon, Tyburn, and all the english gothic periode fan, you are already acquainted with Sir Peter Cushing. Unlike Christopher Lee, he didn't live long enough to bring his commentary to the audio tracks of his numerous films now released on DVD. But this book gives us his memories and his commentaries on the films we love.

Peter Cushing's two-volume autobiography, now conveniently combined into one volume, is indispensible reading to any Hammer fan like myself, who grew up looking forward to each new Cushing shocker. It is the essential companion volume to Christopher Lee's autobiography "Tall, Dark & Gruesome". Mr. Cushing's considerable personal charm and famous gentlemanliness shines from these pages. For my own taste, I could have used less on his great romance with Helen and more day-to-day off screen at Hammer & Amicus, but other readers, especially women, will react differently. Cushing was nothing if not madly in love with his wife, and her early death left a void nothing ever filled, though Cushing lived on past her for over 20 years. The photos have been well & generously selected, and overall, the book is a pleasureable read about one of the nicest men ever to make a career scaring the pants off us. Those who know Peter only as Grand Moff Tarkin in "Star Wars" will find a wealth of career that led to that pinnicle, and even his die-hard Hammer Frankenstein & Van Helsing fans may not know he worked with Laurel & Hardy, Cary Grant and James Whale! It makes you feel like you're sitting in a lovely seaside cottage, sipping tea and nibbling cakes while Peter regales you with tales from a life you may end up wishing you had led.

It seems an amazing fact that the majority of actors who have tied their stars to horror have had personalities that couldn't be farther apart than the characters they played. Certainly, Peter Cushing may be the classic example of this. He often played unethical murderous characters in horror films and appeared as the hero in countless others, but he was one of the most soft-spoken gentleman one could ever meet. This book includes both of Cushing's books - written in the late 80s. His Autobiography and the follow up "Past Forgetting." The first is excellent, recounting his life and career from its early days to the present and includes many thoughtful anecdotes and his great love for his wife Helen shines through. The second part - Past Forgetting - is for fans only. It's not badly written or boring but contains little of substance and is not easily recalled. A disappointment after the first book, but then again - when you already told your life story, what are you supposed to do? Tell it again. Still, this is highly recommended for all fans of Cushing and Hammer films.

Peter Cushing was fiercely devoted to his wife, Helen and this autobiography certainly drives that point home. The death of his wife in the early 1970's left Cushing in a deep state of mourning that he never really recovered from, in his own words, he spent the remaining years of his life after Helen's death, awaiting his own death. Cushing regales us with stories of his early years, his years in Hollywood, his eventual return to England and his association with Hammer and Amicus, but throughout the entire book, we never lose sight of the fact that Cushing was deeply in love with his wife. One seldom hears/reads of such devotion to one's spouse, but always the gentleman, Cushing gives us all a glimpse into what his world was really like and although it would have been nice to hear more tales of his Hammer/Amicus days, the fact that he opened his heart and bared his soul unashamedly is enough to make this book a must for any Cushing fan.

General Lee was a trator to this country and his training, and he would have replaced the Black-American slaves with the Irish serfs of Europe, according to Elizabeth B. Pryor, in her study of Lee, in Reading The Man. Please only recommend historal facts to me, and not some idealized opinion. Lee was a West Point trained soldier, and he selected personal comfort and convience over duty. Am I to believe that Ms. Pryor is incorrect?

the author is a good writer, entertaining with an obvious wealth of knowledge of the subject. I couldn't imagine how the author could get a picture of Lee into that small book when it took Freeman four volumes, but it was well worth the purchase, I would highly recommend it.

It is easy to overlook the many contributions that non-Americans have made to the study of the American Civil War. Brian Holden Reid's outstanding study "Robert E. Lee: Icon for a Nation" brings an informed, fresh and balanced perspective to bear upon the Confederacy's greatest general. Reid is Professor of American History and Military Institutions and Head of the Department of War Studies at Kings College, London. He has taught military strategy and tactics and written extensively about America's Civil War.

Any new study of Lee must work on two levels. First, of course, it must examine Lee himself, his life, his career, and his generalship. Second, any study must come to terms with the extensive writing and radically shifting perspectives about Lee over the years. Following the Civil War, Lee quickly became an icon to Southern partisans in the "Lost Cause" tradition. His character and success, for a time, against long military odds soon elevated Lee into a figure respected and revered by many Americans, north and south. Then, in mid-20th Century a reaction set in against Lee, questioning some of the mythology that had grown around him and challenging his agressive conduct of the War, his focus on the Eastern theater, his alleged lack of broad strategic vision, and the high casualty rate to which he subjected the Army of Northern Virginia, among other things. The reasons underlying the reassessment were complex. They included correcting an overly iconic and uncritical account, the changing perspective with which Americans viewed the Civil War, and a general and, I think, unhappy tendency to debunk and to criticise important historical figures.

In clear, elegant prose, Reid examines Lee and Lee historiography. Although Reid avoids hero worship, he clearly admires greatly Robert E. Lee as a person and as a general. He finds that much, but not all, of the traditional picture of Lee has merit: he was an imaginative, agressive, savvy, and gifted commander who, importantly, inspired the love and the trust of his men. He fought and won many battles against long odds and prolonged the life of the Confederacy, giving it its best chance to achieve independence. Reid is far from uncritical as he points to flaws in, among other things, the command structure of Lee's army, the commander's frequent over-confidence, his tendency to overdelegate to subordinates, his conduct of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the failure to make the most of his opportunites in battles such as Seven Days, Second Manassas, Fredricksburg, and Chancellorsville. For all these faults, Lee emerges in this study as a remarkable, charismatic commander whom Reid believes is properly regarded as one of the greatest in history.

The book opens with a chapter on Lee the icon with a summary of how historians of the "Lost Cause" school have viewed him, under the influence of the writings of Confederate General Jubal Early. The book then discusses Lee's pre-Civil War career, focusing on his service in Mexico, but gathers force in its consideration of Lee's three-year career as the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee's assumption of command in June, 1862, and the battles for which he is famous -- Seven Days, Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness Campaign, Petersburg, and Appatomatox, are discussed clearly and with sufficient detail. Reid keeps his and the reader's focus on the main themes of his study: showing Lee's greatness as a leader but his shortcomings as well.

In common with most books about Lee, his military exploits are discussed in detail but we see little of his inmost thoughts and feelings. Lee was a highly reserved individual. I would have also liked more emphasis on Lee's pre-Civil War career and, particularly, a fuller discussion of Lee's life and career as President of Washington University following the Civil War. The book includes some basic maps of the key theatres of Lee's operations -- placed at the beginning of the book to avoid cluttering the text -- a good, basic bibliography, and no footnotes.

Reid has written an excellent study of a great commander which argues convincingly that Lee deserves most of the esteem that he has traditionally received. This book will appeal to serious students of the Civil War.

Robin Friedman

At the end of the American Civil War Robert E. Lee had only five years to live. The heart problems that caused him to spend the battle of the North Anna River in an ambulance killed him. ==In the years following his reputation as a battlefield leader was heavily promoted by writers lamenting the lost cause of Southern independence. These included not only Southerners but Northernors as well.

In this book Brian Holden Reid, Professor of American History at King's College London, writes from the vantage point of a disinterested outsider to argue that Lee was one of the great commanders of all time. He does not claim that Lee didn't have faults. Everyone does, but that the overall generalship of General Lee ranks him among the best.

The American Civil War took place at a transition point in military affairs. The war before (Mexico, 1843) and the war that followed (World War I). The author contends that Lee was among the first of the modern generals. If the armies had listened to him during World War I, it probably wouldn't have turned into the mess that it was.

I have read all of Mr.Bakers books, and with the exception of "The Everlasting Story..." (which indeed did seem to be everlasting) have read them with delight. Although he's often compared to Updike, I think he surpasses him due to his wit and his more creative sense of the strangeness of life. In "Room Temperature" we find the antidote, along with his other novels, to a modern world obsessed with speed, impersonal technology and the summational catchphrase "whatever". How wonderful it is to see an author bend his mind and spirit to the details of life with so much talent and fervor. And how wonderful to see that his books, plotless and demanding of full attention as they are, sell so well. It gives me hope for our civilization; it really does. On a sidenote - I am tired of critics and readers thinking he is cheapening his prose by writing on sexual topics. Sex is one of the most universal and fascinating and character-revealing subjects around; a great writer can make anything cerebral and holy, and a writer needs to go where his passions lie. Besides, do we really want every novel to be about rubber bands and bathroom hot air dryers?

Probably the most undeservedly overlooked of Nicholson Baker's novels, Room Temperature is a delightful, heartwarming tome.

Any attempt at synopsis would only serve to make the book sound dreadfully boring. After all, during the entire 116 pages the narrator is feeding his small child. No car chases or steamy love scenes. Just a father feeding his baby.

Rather than relying on typical, often stale plot devices, Baker relies on his considerable talent at description to maintain the reader's interest, and he succeeds in a big way. Room Temperature is touching in a way that none of his other books are. The father-child bond is explored in such breathtaking detail that one finds the book impossible to put down, despite the lack of a discernable plot.

Nicholson Baker is not for everyone. His quirky prose and lack of traditional plot lines are sure to put off many readers, but fans of Updike are sure to find a great read in Room Temperature

Room Temperature is certainly about a father and his child, but there is so much more. In typical Baker style, he examines minutia with elucidating commentary. This, in itself, is worth reading the novel; however, the quality that makes it transcend happens to be his ability to unite the entire book with its central theme: Breath. From the comma, to the mobile in his child's room, to tuba lessons, breath pervades - breath as its metaphor to remember to cherish every moment.

I have never seen a novel so effortlessly and imperceptibly weave a central idea throughout a book. Read this novel for both it compelling insight but also for the extraordinary literary technique.

A major disappointment after The Mezzanine. Baker goes to the well once too often by trying to recreate that excellent book here. That first book seemed to avoid crossing over into pretentiousness by giving us a self-deprecating narrator and by simply pouring on the wit and intelligent observations and forcing you to laugh. Here, pretentiousness and self-indulgence abound. The subject matter is just far too personal to connect with the reader and, simply, it seems that Nick didn't try as hard the second time around. If you enjoyed the pretentious and turgid essay "Lumber," then this might be for you, but if you were drawn to this book after reading more engaging Baker fare such as U and I, The Mezzanine or Vox, stay away.

Lasting fame usually requires the death of the hero, as Elspeth Huxley notes in her preface. Had Robert Falcon Scott returned from the south pole, only the historian - and perhaps the scientist - would care about his story. But Scott and four companions died valiantly on the ice. Their courage, fortitude and dignity helped sustain Britain through dark years of war. And they inspire us still. Huxley focuses on Scott's character and how it shaped his motives and decisions. Fortunately, she does not overdo the `psychoanalysis'. She gives detailed accounts of Scott's two expeditions, and reaches sensible conclusions on the major points: his reluctance to use dogs, the complexity of his plans, the reasons for his failure. The latter she ascribes to incipient scurvy, bad weather and bad luck. But one simple, irrefutable fact hangs over all; ponies do not belong in Antarctica ... and Scott's plan centered around pony transport. His last expedition unfolds like a Greek tragedy, complete with warnings from the gods and universal moral lessons. Appropriately, his men inscribed their memorial to their five comrades with the closing line of Tennyson's Ulysses: "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

A true classic of the genre, "Scott.."chronicles the exploration of the world's last frontier: the great polar ice caps. The reader is emersed in the expedition as the pair of explorers plod endlessly in the tractless permafrost, unaware of the gaping crevaces hidden beneath the snow, but painfully aware of the howling winds that pelt their faces with stinging ice, and numbing cold. This very well written book is indeed a fitting tribute to those intrepid scientists who brave hostile regions to further man's knowledge of the globe.

Scott of the Antarctic belongs in any complete collection of books on Antarctic exploration. It has a wealth of good, basic information on Scott's Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions.

But, having said that, the prospective reader must be warned that the book is a love letter to Scott, and has been utterly eclipsed by Roland Huntford's The Last Place on Earth, a far more scholarly and accurate account of the race to the South Pole.

Huxley gives the background information on why and how the South Pole expedition of 1910 -1913 became a disaster. The author gives valuable information to understand the history of this endeavor and why Scott was chosen as a leader beginning in the 1880s. She gives an excellent insight on preparations of the expedition and Scott's rivalry with Shackleton. The analysis on why Scott chose ponies and motor sledges as auxillary means of transport over dogs is excellent. The mixture of amateurism and masochism that led to failure shown by the immense feeling of pride to do everything -especially man-hauling the sledges- the hard way has not been explained as well in any other book I have read on the subject. In the foreword the author states that Scott only became a hero because he died and led his four companions into death. After reading the book one can only wonder how muchbecoming a hero might have been a motive that led to self-destruction after having only been second to the Pole after Amundsen's Norwegian expedition.

Pros:
* Terrific examples and tips on what to wear and what not to wear on particular occasions
* Solves the problem of 'do I look idiotic in this or not?'
* Finally, the truth is told - yes, I do look ridiculous in 'this' type of
outfit for the ...

Cons:
* More detail and examples needed
* I would like to see specific Trinny and Susannah books aimd at different markets e.g. Style for Mums. Hopefully, this might have lots of
situations that mums might need clothing advice for.

I think this book is fabulous, unlike the other reviewer. I agree with the canadian mum who felt that some of the selections were alittle "off" but the book has sections that allow the reader to determine her comfort level with fashion. So, there's a "classic", "trendy", "casual", and "dressy" for each of the book chapters such as Beach, Interviews, Mommy Going Back to the Office, etc. So, I think you should have a little "bizzare" for the "trendy" "cutting edge" mom. Its a great book and it introduces you to new things as well as ways to upgrade the old. Another winner from the fashionistas for BBC.

Although I love the What Not To Wear programmes, this book was a big disappointment. It is divided into occasions (work, weddings, school functions, etc.) and gives several examples of what to wear and what not to wear for each. The problem was that the suggested outfits were far too fussy and in somecases even bizarre. For example they suggested a long orange and brown woven dress with a large head piece made of fake butterflies as appropriate for a winter wedding. For a day-to-evening look they suggested wearing a plain white suit and then removing to blouse in the evening (showing cleavage almost to the waist). The everyday outfits emphasised large metal belts (I threw mine away in the 80's) and wearing dresses over full loose trousers. Personally I would feel like a fashion victim in the majority of their suggested outfits. The funniest suggestion was to make sure the back of your thong underwear is pretty (they show an embroidered butterfly) so people have something nice to look at when you bend over. Granted I'm a mum of 2 from Toronto, but I don't think I will be rushing out to follow their advice.

If you read the intro to this book it is a great help to understanding and utilizing it best. Many of the "what not to wear outfits" are as Trinny and Susannah say the most obvious options and therefore BORING. What they are trying to teach the reader is how to be different but still appropriate, and also how to stand out. It is a wonderful source for anyone who wants to do that. It is fun to look at, has funny comments, and will help you get out of a rut, as will all of the what not to wear books. I highly reccomend all three. It is also an excellent eye opener for anyone who is in a bit of a time warp. Give them to all of your girlfriends as gifts.