Sherman Books

The book like it's previous avatar(edition) is an extremely well written book;useful to the lay people and to the practising physician.Dr. Silber in his usual candid and forthright style has called 'a spade a spade' and denounced wasting time on nonexistent conditions,and unproven therapies.
The book would be a valuable source of information to the lay public and the practising physician.

Dr. Silber's book is an invaluable tool for all couples trying to get pregnant. Using clear and easily understandable language, Dr. Silber provides couples with a practical guide to understanding numerous topics including normal reproductive variation, effects of age, and potential treatments or medical procedures.

I don't pretend to have read *all* the infertility books in existence, but I have read a fair cross-section of them. I like this book the best because it has information I haven't seen elsewhere, and answered a lot of my questions. He quotes a lot of studies and statistics, which I like better than people who just make pronouncements and expect you to believe it just because it's in print. He has actionable suggestions that I hadn't come across before, like doing a count of your follicles (using ultrasound) to give you a gauge of how many years of fertility you have left, so you can make more informed decisions about pursuing treatment. Overall, I would recommend this book for people who want to be very well-informed and full participants in their treatment. If you don't really want to know the nitty-gritty (certainly not everyone does), this book is not for you.

Dr. Sherman was the very first infertilitly doctor we saw and we couldn't believe he lived right here in St. Louis!!! We went to him in September and I was pregnant with twins in December, need I say more. The man is a genius, his books are too!!!!

Warning!
This bazillion-page hardcover book does NOT tell you how to get pregnant, if what you are picturing is you, dh, some candlelight and a little nookie. The author is a doctor specializing in IVF with ICSI, and if you don't know what those are, this book is a great place to start!

What I disliked intensely:
- Paranoid MALE approach to female reproductive system - "your fertility can run out at any time"
- Hyper-western-medical gung-ho boosterism - "why not go high-tech?!"
- At times reads like an ad for his clinic in St Louis.
- At times reads like sci-fi with his enthusiasm for future applications of reproductive technology.
- Too detailed at times - many sections read like they're meant for doctors or scientists
- Strongly advocates egg donation even for very old parents who may be too old to deal with a newborn (in their late 40s), child (in their 50s) and teenager (in their 60s). (I consider this a bit irresponsible, but I guess that's just my opinion)
- Places too much emphasis (in my opinion) on the value of biological children as opposed, say, to adoptive children; does not present adoption EVER as an alternative to ART...
- Advocates IVF/ICSI (which is what he specializes in) as the one-size-fits-all solution to most couples' fertility problems.

Why it's worth reading anyway:
- Extremely thorough overview of the normal workings of the female body
- Not everyone can conceive easily; here's where to go if you can't
- Proactive approach to knowing where you're at with your biological clock
- Comprehensive guide to ALL reproductive technologies
- Smart, common-sense approach may save you money while you navigate the world of infertility medicine

A few key points stolen from this book:
- Humans (and some apes) are astonishingly infertile compared to other animals - even our sperm are slower
- Most tests for ovarian reserve are worthless! But one quick, easy and non-invasive ultrasound test can tell you conclusively & save years of heartache.
- Most "infertility surgeries" are worthless, including endometriosis (in women) and varicocele (in men)
- Not only are many surgeries worthless, they can diminish or destroy your fertility completely
- Most IUI is worthless - so why waste precious cycles on a technique that is little more effective than basic intercourse (and with less predictable results than IVF/ICSI)?
- Most male factor infertility is NOT A PROBLEM - find out why!
- How to get the best results when reversing vasectomy or tubal ligation
- He advocates not wasting time with tests to find out why you're not conceiving...and skipping straight to IVF with ICSI
- How prenatal genetic diagnosis can prevent miscarriage along with certain genetic diseases

I enjoyed this book despite my many reservations, and would recommend it for anyone who's entangled in their own infertility journey and wants to think about finding hope in ART.

Perfect gift for my 10 year old daughter. She went through all of the pipe cleaner crafts in about one day, so I HIGHLY recommend buying an extra bag of multi-colored pipe cleaners from an art store in order to extend your fun, have more for multiple kids or if you wish to recreate the crafts.

This book is absolutely excellent! I used it originally about 8 years ago, and I purchased it to use this summer with 3rd grade students at summer school. The kids had a great time...and I did too! A must have!

I bought this book on a whim -- I wanted a quiet indoor activity that my 7 year old niece and my mom could do together. My niece absolutely LOVED this book. She was old enough to know how to read, and young enough to enjoy doing little crafty projects -- I think that's a key combination to how much a child will like this book. She could figure out the directions herself, and she and my mom spent a few hours making the projects in the book. Later, she reused some of the pipe cleaners to make up her own projects.

All in all, this book kept her occupied for several hours over the weekend. I expect that she's still having fun with it -- we bought her a stack of pipe cleaners from the local craft store.

I HIGHLY recommend this book -- it's not messy or noisy, kids like it, they can follow the book or use their imaginations, they can do the projects independently or in a small playgroup, and buying more pipe cleaners is very inexpensive -- a few dollars gets you several packets. I bet it would be a great activity for kids taking long car trips, or for rainy-day fun.

My _ONLY_ critique of this book is that they should give enough pipe cleaners for TWO of each project, instead of for just one. That way, if a child wants to play with another person, each one can make the same item. The cost of doing so should be quite small, as the the pipe cleaners are really cheap, but even if it raised the book cost by another dollar or two, it would be worth it!

Not stupid or childish. The best pipe cleaner craft book I've been able to find. Projects were eagerly tried and many time recreated. More then sunglasses and jewerly. The book you want if you're looking for pipe cleaner crafts!!

I think this book is very creative but there is nothing to do with the animals when you finish them. and so i just put them in a drawer.

This biography of Sherman is a study of the man Liddell Hart believes to be the great strategic thinker of the American Civil War. It is more a study of his psychology, much of it derived from original sources such as telegraphic messages, than an account of battles. Sherman was a complex man with a background in banking and commerce that served him well in planning his campaigns in the Confederacy. At the outbreak of hostilities, he was headmaster of a military academy in Louisiana and the local people tried to induce him to stay in spite of his open Union sympathies. He was offered a positon as Assistant Secretary of War but declined to seek a military command. His contempt for politicians was later expressed in his famous refusal to accept a nomination for the Presidency. He was the most intellectual general of the war and Liddell Hart is very interested in his thinking. This is a valuable book for those interested in leadership.

I will start by saying Liddel Hart is my favorite military historian/author and I own half a dozen books by him, and regard them as gospel. However I felt that Liddel Hart was not as well versed in this area as he is in European History. He lets his ingrained contrariness run away with him. He wants to create a "great captain" where there is none. He also, I believe, wants to convince the reader of the genius of the "inderect approach" which he expounds in his excellent book "Strategy". However I think considering Sherman's campaign as indirect is like calling D-Day indirect because the allies invaded Normandy as opposed to Calais. ( I must admit that I am biased because I am a Lee fan) Like every other book by Liddel hart though, it is a very quick and pleasant read. I would recommend his book on Scipio as a great intro to his work.

When I first began to read this book I was concerned that it might be outdated. However, I found much of the subject matter to be quite timely. Of particular interest was the impact that Sherman's successful (albeit violent) trek through Georgia had on the 1864 elections. I never realized how close the Copperhead (Peace) Democrats came to winning that election and perhaps bringing the Civil War to a far differnet conclusion . Hart bring Sherman to life. He also vividly illustrates the behind the scene politics that almost prevented Sherman (not to mention Grant) from their historic roles in the Civil War. Don't be put off by the subject matter or the age of the book. It's worth the read.

Sherman was both the most original genius of the Civil War, and "the typical American". His career provides lessons to the modern world and to modern warfare. It was his conscious exploitation of the economic and psychological factors of war in his "March through Georgia" which helped to end the Civil War. The long and expensive battles in Northern Virginia were replayed on the battlefields of France in the Great War.

The Union attempted to take Richmond by the shortest and most direct route; but this way was blocked with natural obstacles. If the Confederates fell back they would be closer to their reserves, supplies, and reinforcements. These facts favored the entrenched defenders.

The western campaign ended in the capture of Vicksburg and control of the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans. Liddell Hart contrasts the maneuvers here to the stalemate back east. But the conditions, or politics, did not allow a wide flanking invasion through West Virginia or North Carolina. The threat to Richmond kept Confederate troops there. Longstreet proposed an invasion of Kentucky, a far flanking attack, but was turned down by Lee.

It explains how Sherman out-maneuvered Johnston from Chattanooga to Atlanta. By threatening to outflank Johnston, the Confederates fell back. His replacement by Hood did not prevent the capture of Atlanta. This revived the hope of victory for the North, and helped to re-elect Lincoln.

Sherman then abandoned his supply and communication lines (vulnerable to attack) and marched on to Savannah and the ocean. His army lived off the land. This enabled his army to be resupplied by the Navy. He then marched north, seeming to attack other cities, but passed between and continued to destroy railroads and bridges.

The end came soon after this, as other armies invaded the South. Sherman designed an armistice and amnesty where the Confederates would be disbanded, and their arms turned over to the states. The latter would allow repression of bandits and guerillas. He was criticized for this.

Sherman was a man of modest habits. When admirers raised [money]to buy him a house, he refused to accept unless he received bonds that would pay the taxes! He lived within his means. The resisting power of a state depends more on the strength of popular will than on the strength of its armies, and this depends on economic and social security (p.429).

Liddell Hart gave preference to contemporaneous correspondence rather than Official Reports (which are written for history to justify a policy). Some of the ideas in this 72-year old book may not coincide with more recent history.

This is a classic written by Liddell Hart in highly readable compact detail. Hart, an English veteran of WWI, was a 20th century military expert who had a great appreciation for Sherman's strategic ability and understanding of an enemy morale. In contrast to what Hart calls a game of "shuttle cock" in the east, Sherman's strategic maneuvers and splitting of command out frequently force Johnson to give up ground while shedding very little blood. Hart notes that he does not spend too much analytical detail on where every "man stood" in reference to regimental history but Hart provides the reader the necessary detail to appreciate the battles and over all campaign. Hart's appreciation of Sherman's ability to take the war to the Deep South, live off the land and take a great risk of literally disappearing from his line of communications is well detailed here as Sherman's penetration through three states eventually undermines Lee's great efforts in Virginia. Hart, the veteran of the stalemate battle of trenches that featured great loss appreciates Sherman's successful plan of warfare. Of course, there are many historians who believe that General Joe Johnston's propensity to retreat may have made him a weak opponent but Johnston did keep a strong army in the field until Hood decimated the Army of Tennessee. This is a great book written by a man who not only lived through "The Great War" but was highly capable of writing about a war that was very similar in the eastern theater by late 1864.

As a musical theatre connoisseur, this just doesn't cut it for me. There's not nearly enough songs to even really qualify as a musical, just a bunch of underscored dialogue. It's funny to listen to but not worth repeated listenings. Sherie Rene Scott is amazing though, as usual.

Majority of the songs have no actual substance, but besides the few gorgeous melodies Sherie Rene Scott sings with such oomph, this cd is jampacked with dirty jokes and nothing but. ...

I am looking for the sheet music for debbie does dallas, does anybody know where i can find it?

This recording is fantastic. I've a collection of over 300 Theatre Cast Albums. And this, by far, is very original. Definitly not something for children, while not explicit, the references to sexual acts are pretty thinly veiled.
There are a total of maybe 4 actual songs on here. But, the spoken word is fantastic, and the visuals you create with your mind are even more amusing.
The girls, which are totally believable as a group of not too bright, but sexually charges adolescents speak in a group voice, with a Valley accent, that's just too funny. You can't help but laugh.
And the men, which are never the focus in the type of movie this is based on, come through as unimportant bystanders that just help to move the action along, but still show some small glimmers of personality that make you laugh at the genre of adult movies.
All in all, this CD is a humurous romp through the sexual discovery of an 18 year old girl pursuing her dreams. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys hearing something new, different, and that will certainly make you SMILE, if not LAUGH OUT LOUD!!!

I bought this because I enjoy Sherie Renee Scott's performances in "Aida" and "The Last Five Years." This is one of the funniest recordings I've heard. Don't be mislead, I think this could hardly be considered a musical, aside from the few songs that are actually sung, I would think of it more as a play with music - and the occasional sung song. This is part of the charm, however. The cliche cheerleaders and football players are hillarious to listen to. Be advised, it is based on a porn movie, so there is a lot of things that could make it uncomfortable to listen to in mixed company, but it's humor and naive charm, make it worth while.

This book won the Bancroft Prize. I can see why. The prose is inspirational, every paragraph a little jewel. The book is absorbing. It was easy for me to get lost in the prose, too easy. But where was this book going, generally? How did the chapters tie together? How does the concept of the destructive war fit into the intellectual patterns of pre- and anti-bellum history? I can't answer these questions and I would hope that no one would ask me this last question on a Ph.D. prelim. I can draw only one conclusion: there was no connection. This was the first modern war in terms of its destructive power. One out of every five who participated, died on the field or, even more horribly, of his wounds, lilke Stone Wall Jackson. The intellectual origins of American politics became uprooted and found no voice in this war. The Jacksonian themes that built on that tradition were mangled by the war. All that was left was the vicarious war: people of all classes struggling to relate to the war in every day language in any way they could. And once the killing stopped and reconstruction began, the destructive war and the vicarious war ended. No one learned anything. Is that the main message of this book? I wish Royster had written it down in black and white.

Royster's "The Destructive War" is one of the most important works of Civil War Scholarship in the 1990's. He blends a sweeping narrative with extensive analysis to explain the development of "total war" and its effects on Americans. What will really engage the reader is not so much Royster's examinations of General William Sherman's actions and those of his men, but rather the ideas of Stonewall Jackson and the calls for the destruction of Northern cities that they elicit from the Confederacy, a nation that was supposedly only wanted to fight a defensive war. While Royster's argument is not without some structural flaws, it makes some very interesting points about Confederate war aims and the willingness of populations and troops of both sides to destroy the cities of their former bretheren. I've read this book twice for graduate level classes and each time a lively discussion has been generated. An excellent book.

While focusing on the deeper causes of the civil war and their play-out on battlefields, Royster rips the lid off one of the most cherished American dogmas: the assumed sacrosanct value of the press. Royster's deep and thorough quotation from newspapers north and south, for decades preceding the war, lays bare a legacy of mutual hate encouraged by newspapers as they whipped their respective constituents up to a frenzy. The horror of "total war" and its major military proponents, in that context, is not only quite explicable but even ordinary -- even tame. The generals are, indeed, seen as essentially loyal ministers to a vast malaise primarily spiritual and psychic, which was hardly original to them, and which has been allowed to fester in this nation for a long time, and which to a degree poisoned populations both north and south before the war.

This is therefore one of the few major books on American history either to take up an original thesis, or to forward one so counter to accepted thinking. You can like it or dislike it, curse it or scream "ouch," but the evidence is there, meticulously laid out. The fact is, Royster throws great and uneasy light on our present culture wars which are also now several decades running -- and flamed in a quite similar manner.

In the meantime, Royster's descriptions of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain and the burning of Columbia are matchless.

This book leaves all James McPhersons, all Ken Burnses, all Stephen Ambroses, and all similar gurus at the post -- mere babes. No, this is not to say he is some sort of Michael Moore hate America nut, either. He's more on the level of a Tacitus, frankly, or an Isaiah weeping at the gates. Read it and weep.

The book The Destructive War by Charles Royster, examines the war policies and strategies of the Union and the Confederacy during the civil war. The book talks extensively about Confederate general Jackson and Union General Sherman.

At the beginning of the war the Union did not attack citizens or their property. The Union did not destroy any property of the citizens of the Confederacy because they anticipated winning the war. They realized that if they won the war it would be their responsibility to help the south rebuild. They also thought of the south and the people of the south as Americans despite labeling them traitors. But despite the reluctance on the part of Union Generals to damage citizen's property it eventually became policy. This change in policy came about because, "northern expressions of support for intensified war-making assumed that the Confederate army was an instrument of the Southern populace and that the populace was a legitimate object of attack," (Royster, 81). Women were also subject to attack. Union soldiers attacked women because "in the conventions of the time, women were supposed to use their power to ennoble and civilize-whereas, Southern women, it seemed, were serving what Elizabeth Cady Stanton called "mere pride of race and class." By promoting war against the union and by showing their hatred of Federal soldiers, they imitated Lady Macbeth and "unsexed themselves to prove their scorn of `the Yankees'." Thus they forfeited their exemption as ladies and noncombatants," (Royster, 87). Confederates did not share this policy. They always were proud that when Lee invaded Pennsylvania in 1863 that he gave an order that soldiers were not to damage citizen's property or plunder it.

The book also talks about General William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman was a southerner who chose to stay in the Union. "He shared (southern) distaste for abolitionist and for Northern politicians who made hostility to slaveholders a political platform. Still, he told Louisianans that secession was treason and that he would not collaborate with it by remaining in the state," (Royster, 90). He hoped to stay out of the war but eventually he joined the Union army. He participated in the battle of Bull Run and blamed the "defeat on the inexperience and panic of the privates," (Royster, 92). He was the senior commander of central and western Kentucky in 1861, despite his desire not to be in charge. He was dismissed of command of the area and rumors spread that he was insane. He eventually led campaigns down the Mississippi River and captured Atlanta. He became famous for his destructive marches through the south.

General Thomas Jonathan Jackson or Stonewall Jackson was a very famous and effective Confederate General. Everyone even Northerners considered Jackson a "genuine general," (Royster, 42). Jackson on many occasions outmatched many Union Generals on the battlefield. He died on the battlefield on May 2, 1863 from friendly fire. Many Confederate Generals including Lee thought that if Jackson had not died that they would have won the war. After the war Jackson came to symbolize many things after the war. He epitomized the courageous and skilled Confederate soldier. He also represented a model "to all the men especially ambitious and aspiring youths, that the self-control and assiduous application he had become a self-made man," (Royster, 162).

The civil war was "an interior struggle in the (Confederacy and Union), an effort to make the newly forming conceptions of nationality inclusive lasting while they were still controversial and nebulous," (Royster, 145). Both sides believed that the best way to validate their idea of the nation is to destroy the other side's army. The Confederacy thought the best way to establish itself as an independent nation would be to deliver to the north a decisive defeat on their soil. General Stonewall Jackson gave the south many victories against the Union and came to be one of the most famous Generals in the war. The Union thought one of the best ways to bring the Confederacy to its knees would be to attack Confederate citizens. General Sherman was famous for his invasion into the south, wrecking havoc on the Confederate citizens.

I had to read this book for my Civil War class. I thought that the book was a valuable source of civil war information. However Royster repeated himself several times in the book. The book also jumped alot from subject to subject. The chapters did not flow into each other; they tended to skip from idea to idea. Despite this it was full of very detailed information.

This is a brilliantly labyrinthine disquisition on the American Civil War. Royster's premise is the examination of the wars' scale of destruction, and the surprising extent of its violence, developed out of biographical sketches of Sherman and Jackson, who Royster believes best personify the Union and the Confederacy. Further, Royster sees the devastation of the Civil War as incipient in the antebellum period. The Destructive War is interpretive as well as critical, literary as well as historical, dealing as much with the idea of war as the facts themselves. Indeed, the author terms his work " a long essay."

Royster depicts the Civil War as-primarily-aggresive, anomalous, vicarious, and as the title suggests, destructive. The Confederacy sought aggressive war to achieve quick legitimacy, its viability depending on the ability not only to wage war, but also to take that war north of the Potomac, make the Yankees feel its effects, and thereby convince them that the costs of prolonged combat would be far too dear. Royster argues that the Union pursued aggresive war, ultimately, to bring progress to the South and demonstrate the superiority of free labor over slave labor, by razing the Confederacy to its foundations and then rebuilding it in the North's own image.

For Royster no one better epitomizes the Confederacy than Thomas Jonathon Jackson, better known by his sobriquet Stonewall, which Royster asserts, reflected a self-created persona. Jackson's Stonewall was an inelegant fusion of plodding resolve, frustrated (if not checked) ambition, and intense piety, smacking of both Calvinism and Arminianism, all funneled into a zealous devotion to duty. His untimely death at Chancellorsville gave birth to the Stonewall myth-patriotic Christian warrior-providing tantalizing 'what if' grist for the counterfactual mill of post hoc Confederate nation building. An advocate of "the tactical offensive in battle" Jackson is certain the Civil War will be "earnest,massed, and lethal."

The essence of the Union, according to Royster, can be found in William Tecumseh Sherman. Alarmed by Confederate strength and resolve, Sherman presciently observed that tactical defensive warfare would be woefully insufficient in what he believed would be a long and costly war. Egged on by newspapers ravenous for victory on the cheap, and deferring to troops already engaged in wanton mayhem, Sherman embraced, then embodied, that which he originally resisted: total war.

Royster includes subsidiary characterizations of the war as drastic, Republican, and vigorous. Drastic war knows no limits in the pursuit of emancipation and abolition. Republican war means "Emergency war powers" and "passionate nationalism" which will create "a new republic, purged of antebellum evils and backwardness." Vigorous war is possible because of the "widespread eagerness to be exonerated of the criminality attached to bloodshed." Auxiliary adjectives such as harsh, bitter, ineluctable and causeless are employed to complete the illustration. In the book's chapter on vicarious war the author asks, "How had the naive notions prevalent at the start given way so readily to killing on a scale supposedly unimaginable?" This single question is the essence of Royster's work.

Anyone who's visited Columbia knows exactly why the Union burned it down. What a pit. The books ok, though.

Miriam Freeman Rawl's From the Ashes of Ruin is the perfect book to tuck away on your summer vacation. Or for anytime that you want to immerse yourself with another time, another place. Ms. Rawl's engaging storyline and vivid writing style quickly absorbs the reader and brings to life Columbia, SC at the end of the War Between the States.

An all together good read in the best traditions of storytelling.

Union Major John Arledge was investigating the disappearance of a couple of his men that were last seen at the Heyward residence. Sparks flew immediately between Arledge and Ellen Heyward, who was struggling to simply survive and protect her sister, Pam. The sisters were forced to flee to Columbia and reside with a relative. However, they were hardly there before General Sherman's march on Columbia (Feb. 1865) happened.

*** Here is a tale that shows the author's deep research and knowledge on her topic! It is bold and authentic in historical detail and rich in colorful characters! Miriam Freeman Rawl shows the trials women like Ellen and Pam had to survive through during this hard time of America's past. It also reminds us that even among holocausts and its rubble aftermath, love can still be found. In my opinion, this author has succeeded in creating a story to win the hearts of readers everywhere. A MUST for people who enjoyed "Gone With The Wind"! ***

Against the backdrop of the antebellum world, here is a story of resiliance in the face of annihilation. With a deft, loving zeal Miriam Rawl reveals the sinuous soul of an unconquerable nobility that was the Old South. This is an unsentimental, but personal panarama of a people, a place, a woman and a man that will never bow down to the mere technical defeat bestowed upon the Confederacy by ignorant historians. Here the South lives again in the tough musculature of the human heart.

Being from Michigan, thus the Union as it was in 1862, I knew the destrucion placed upon the Southern states during the Civil War was bad, but nothing could describe it as vividly as this book. Reading it I felt like I was a part of the Civil War....and I was scared. It's a wonderful book with a perspective of the war I never felt before.

I've been intrigued by geocaching since I got my new GPS with
geocaching features and being an avid hiker; I've always been looking for ways to enhance my hiking experience. Enter Erik Sherman's "Geocaching: Hide and Seek with your GPS" book. Sherman goes into the basics of geocaching including the types of events you may be likely to participate in, but goes into some good technical detail of GPS and compass theory. Although I'm quite up on my outdoor equipment, he goes into good explanation of the types of equipment and how to use it. Next there is explanation of various techniques and tips for geocaching. I'm impressed with his constant consideration of the environment and how the sport (or hobby) should be environmentally friendly. Throughout the book there are countless references to internet and resources in print. Reading this book I now have enough foundation and curiosity to go out and try my first geocaching event this spring. This book would be a welcome edition to anyone's hiking/outdoor library.

As someone just starting geocaching, I found Erik Sherman's book to be a fair introduction. The meat of the book is found in chapters 6 and 7, "On the Hunt" and "In Hiding". The tips and tricks discussed show the thoughts of an experienced geocacher. The specifics in earlier chapters such as how to fold a map are simple and very useful. The instructions on how to use a compass were limited and could use some specific examples. Chapter 5, "A Good Walk", could be useful for someone with no experience with the outdoors, but are of limited value for someone with experience. The photos that are included may date the book quickly.

Technology can be more than just practical-it can also be fun. And fun is exactly what you'll have when you try geocaching. It's a high-tech treasure-seeking game that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Because geocaching combines the outdoors, puzzles, and adventure, everyone-from kids to kayakers, and retirees to rock climbers-can easily become involved. You'll join a rapidly expanding worldwide network of people who hide containers of "prizes" in the wilderness, suburbs, and even in the middle of cities, then provide clues for others to discover them.

Borrowing from the classic pursuits of orienteering and letterboxing, geocaching can be as easy as a walk in the park or as challenging as scuba diving to a hundred feet. You don't need to be an expert in electronics, navigation, or even hiking to start. With this book, you'll soon understand GPS technology, know how to find your way about, and be able to prepare for your next hike-and-seek adventure!

Author Sherman has dedicated this super book to all the people who realize that a technology developed for the military can be used peacefully when you are hiking a million miles from your nearest worldly care. This is one of the most useful books available to support the interests of the countless thousands of geocachers that criss-cross the globe finding and leaving their caches for others.

Kudos to Apress for publishing this fascinating book that reveals the ever-expanding world of geocaching. With today's GPS devices become more common, the exciting, fun world of geocaching will continue to grow, and this will stimulate more interest in author Sherman's intriguing, thorough book on this growing sport.

Erik has captured the essence of the geocaching experience with personal accounts of (mis)adventure and techie how-to's. "Geocaching: Hike and Seek..." is on my recommended reading list for those who Travel by GPS.

Geocaching is a scavenger hunt for big kids like you, fast forwarded to a high tech gloss. Sherman shows how enthusiasts have coalesced into local groups, all over the globe, to dive into these outdoor activities, where each player carries her trusty GPS.

Most of the contests take part in rural areas and offer a nifty excuse for exercising and socialising. Sherman gives tips on how to best equip yourself, aside of course from that GPS. These are mostly traditional common sense guidelines for anyone hiking.

One thing you can get from the book is that aside from the geocaching, nowadays pure hiking has changed. Many hikers bring along GPS for safety and convenience. Some traditionalists look with askance on this, however.

Readers might recall how GPS was originally developed by the US military, and when GPS devices were heavy and expensive. Here is yet another instance of a military spinoff that followed Moore's Law and added on popular civilian usages.

Sherman Alexie, One Stick Song (Hanging Loose Press, 2000)

I have been avoiding reading Sherman Alexie's work for years. An acquaintance of mine is quite fond of his work, and it's one of those cases where I generally avoid, out of hand, anything this guy recommends. But eventually, the name stayed in my head long enough that I decided I had to at least try; after all, what if this were the one occasion where my acquaintance turned out to be right?

Well, suffice to say he wasn't. Not completely, anyway. Alexie's short nonfiction is the strong point of this collection, and some of it is exceptionally strong. (I find it hard to dislike any piece of writing that starts with the sentence "I hate baseball.") It's avant-garde without being too avant-garde, accessible without pandering. It walks a fine line, and it's fun stuff.

The poetry, or what passes for the poetry, in the collection is the weak spot, and unfortunately, what passes for poetry makes up the bulk of the collection. I've said it a thousand times before and I will likely say it a thousand times again before I die: if the message takes over the medium, what you have is not poetry, it's political screed chopped up into short lines for no apparent reason. That is the case with, unfortunately, every poem in this collection.

Pick it up, read the prose, ignore the poetry, you'll have a far better time with it than I did. **

"One Stick Song" is a superb blend of poetry and prose by Sherman Alexie. The back cover notes that the author is a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, and indeed the main topic of this book is American Indian life and literature. Although Whitman is invoked in one of the pieces ("The American Artificial Limb Company"), I found Alexie's voice in this piece to remind me more of Kurt Vonnegut and George Carlin. The book is a mixture of outrage, wacky humor, and tenderness, with some really cutting satiric elements.

Some of my favorite pieces are as follows. "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Me" is an excellent, irony-rich extended prose poem which looks at, among other things, the business and politics of Native American literary production. This piece contains the memorable line, "Poetry = Anger x Imagination." "Open Books" is a satiric poem about poets and poetry itself. In this poem Alexie writes, "Let us now celebrate the lies / that should be true because they tell us so much." "The Mice War" is an unsettling, violent poem that takes place on a reservation landfill. This is just a small sampling of the treasures in "One Stick Song," a book which moves Alexie onto my list of favorite United States poets.

Sherman Alexie is a poet, he says. But not just him. The New York Times says he's a poet and so does the Harvard Review. I read his work and I think less about poetry and more about essential truth. There's not much form or structure except that which makes the words fit into interesting columns on the page - yet I read him and love the words, feel the emotion he's conveying. If that's what a poet is, then I agree. But it's not that his words are beautiful, or that he scours the thesaurus for the perfect metaphor, because he can't. Not him. He just can't. I envision him sitting down and writing about a subject - water, women, old trucks - and then looking at what he wrote and feeling relieved that it's out of his head and now other people will have to read it while he can forget it. He lets it go into the world, freeing himself of those constraints.

If that's poetry, then he's my favorite.

As he says, Indian writers sell less copies than Mixed Blood writers and they sell less than Non-Indian writers writing about Indians. Non-Indian writers say "Great Spirit," "Mother Earth," "Two-legged, Four-legged, and Winged." Mixed Blood writers say "Creator," "Mother Earth," "Two-legged, Four-legged, and Winged." Indian writers say "God," "Mother Earth," "Human Being, Dog, and Bird."

He's right. Sherman Alexie writes simply, directly. He's the combination of simplicity reminiscent of Hemingway and the frank truthfulness filled with biting irony reminiscent of Mark Twain. He's the direct vision into the lives of today's Indians - as they are, not as they might be perceived to be.

Great book.

- CV Rick

From the very first chapter this collection of poems blew me away. Sherman Alexie provides a raw and gritty insight into the contemporary American Indian ideology. His poems jump to life inside your imagination and seem to not want to die. Alexie helps people of all different backgrounds come to a better understanding of how things are in the real American world of misconceptions about American Indians and their beliefs and customs. He also challenges the way some people may view their own cultural lineage. At times his poems are very jovial and lighthearted, and at other times they are stark and quite sad. This is one of the best books i have ever read. I recomend this book to anyone who wants to see a different side to the way old ideas are challenged in new ways.

One Stick Song is Sherman Alexie's most personal work yet. In these poems and stories, he reveals a side of himself that he has never truly exposed before... possibly even to himself. It is obvious that Sherman is finding the deepest parts of his soul in recent years, probably helped along by the birth of his as revealed by the final poem in the book "Sugar Town."

I have read all of Alexie's works to date, and mostly in the order they were written and I have enjoyed reading the growth of this truly great writer.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

This book is easily four and a half or five star material, but I gave it four because it's not quite up to par with Panther vs. T-34. Panther vs. T-34 was written by a tanker instead of an historian and thus is a true rarity in books of the type in that it talked about things that only a tanker would think about. It convincingly shows why the T-34/76 was superior to the Panther, even though on paper the opposite appears to be true.

This book is very similar in scope and covers an almost contemporary issue, the quantitative comparison of the Tiger I opposed to the British modified Sherman Firefly. Again, on paper, the Tiger appears to have a slight advantage. It's 88mm/L56 gun was almost equal to the Firefly's 17 lb'er. In cross country mobility the Tiger's wider tracks appear to give it's greater bulk an advantage over the Sherman's higher ground pressure. The Tiger continued to have armor sufficient to defeat the majority of Western Allied tank guns at point blank range, while the Firefly's Sherman armor was easy fodder even for the lower velocity guns of lighter German vehicles. Again, getting away from the gun/armor/mobility consideration of the amateurs, Stephen Hart starts to point out why the Tiger was already starting to lose it's place of supremacy on the battlefield. The Tiger was a petrol guzzling maintenance nightmare at a time when the fuel starved German Army needed every available vehicle up and running. Most importantly, however, the fact remained that despite the Tiger's impressive armor, it was still vulnerable to the Firefly at normal combat ranges. By June/July 1944 the real advantage of the Tiger was in the fact that they were manned by Germany's best tank crews. As these increasingly fell to the attrition of the Normandy Battlefield, the Tiger's heyday was at an end.

The book has excellent graphics, as would be expected from Osprey Press, but the artwork is fantastic, even by Osprey standards. The pictures of the views from the respective gun-sights is a rare gem that is strangely absent from most books of tank warfare. The books high point, however is its meticulous reconstruction of Tiger ace Michael Wittmann's last battle. Here the author presents new and almost irrefutable proof that Wittmann's Tiger was dispatched, not by allied fighter-bombers, as has so often been speculated, but by the relatively inexperienced and unlauded crew of a Sherman Firefly. A great read in a few pages.

Osprey's new 'Duel' series scores a hit with Stephen Hart's Sherman Firefly vs. Tiger volume. Since the Firefly was specifically developed to take the measure of Tigers, a blow-by-blow comparison is entirely appropriate. Hart's book is an interesting, educational, nicely-illustrated look at how these two metal monsters were developed and then utilized in combat.

The Tiger had been dominating European battlefields for two years before the Brits fielded the Sherman Firefly model. As befits a wartime expedient, the Firefly had all the shortcomings of a Sherman but boasted the Tiger-killing 17-pounder cannon. In face-offs the Tiger had heavier armor and its 88m cannon versus the Firefly's 17-pounder, thinner armor but greater mobility and speed.

Hart does a marvelous job of relating each tank's history, strengths/weaknesses, tactics and battlefield exploits. I found it fascinating, for example, that the Firefly's back-blast was so bright that it temporarily blinded the crew, a failing that higher command accepted because of the cannon's tank-killing potential. Likewise, the 17-pounder's HE performance was so poor that British tank squadrons only wanted one or two Fireflies assigned to each troop despite the fact that the standard Sherman couldn't compete with the Firefly's Tiger-killing abilities.

As an example of how the two fared against each other, Hart uses the legendary 8 August 1944 engagement that pitted the WWII's greatest tank commander, Michael Wittmann, against a lone Firefly. It makes for fascinating reading.

Thus far, I have only read two 'Duel' titles. I was rather critical of the P-51 vs. FW-190 match-up but, if Stephen Hart's Firefly-Tiger volume is an example of what the series aspires to be, I'm definitely going to check out more of the titles. And so should you!

Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944, by Dr. Stephen A. Hart, is the second volume in Osprey's new Duel series. This volume seeks to compare and assess the relative merits of the German Tiger I tank against the British Sherman `Firefly' tank in the context of the Normandy campaign in 1944. However, rather than looking at the tank vs tank battles in Normandy as a whole, Dr. Hart focuses most of the volume on a single famous action on 8 August 1944, that resulted in the death of the famous German Tiger `ace,' Michael Wittmann. This methodology has its advantages, in that it offers a more intimate account of a particular engagement and allows for a blow-by-blow explanation, but it also suffers from trying to extrapolate too many technical and tactical lessons from a brief battlefield `snapshot.' Overall, Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944 is well-written and engaging, although the argument that it advances that this particular action demonstrated the Firefly's `moment of triumph' is a bit of an over-stretch.

The opening sections of the volume on design and development and technical specifications are decent, but tend to summarize information on these two tanks that are already readily available. On the plus side, these sections provide a good introduction and would be useful for readers who want to know a bit more about these famous weapons, but without drowning in technical detail. Graphically, the volume provides color profiles of each tank, with ammunition. The author provides three sidebars on individual tankers: Michael Wittmann, Otto Carius and Sergeant Wilfred Harris.

The next section, Strategic Situation, lays out an overview of the Normandy campaign up to early August 1944 and then discusses Operation Totalize and the British efforts to trap the German army around Falaise. Beginning in this section, readers will note just a twinge of British chauvinism emerging to color this account, which seeks to downplay not just American but other Commonwealth and Allied participants. The only really sloppy section in this volume is that on Combatants, which has several errors and misconceptions. The author writes that in Germany, "each military district [Wehrkreis] had at least one tank training school and panzer training units." Actually, most of the individual panzer training in Germany was centralized at just two schools, with several others such as Putlos for advanced gunnery training (which the author mis-labels as a `maneuver area.'). Each Wehrkreis that was home to a panzer division had a panzer replacement battalion that did some unit training, but very few of the Tiger units belonged to a division - they were corps assets. Indeed, throughout the volume, the author does not seem to appreciate the distinction - the Firefly was organic to British tank divisions but the Tiger was not organic to any German panzer divisions in Normandy except some of the SS ones (not Hitler Jugend). Finally, it is also clear that the author is a bit hazy on the life of a tanker, since he writes that cleaning gun barrels "had to be carried out on a daily basis" and infers that this was quite arduous. Actually, punching the gun tube is normally only required after firing the main gun, only you are in some very wet, muddy climate like Burma. Track maintenance is far more of a grind, requiring constant attention and many bruised fingers.

The main action, the duel between a British tank squadron and Wittmann's four Tigers on 8 August 1944, is the centerpiece of the volume. In a nutshell, Wittmann's Tigers launched a counterattack across open farmland and were ambushed by British tanks in an orchard that hit them with flank shots from about 800 meters. Three of Wittman's Tigers were destroyed and the author writes, "in the space of just 12 minutes, Gordon's Firefly had dispatched three Tigers with just five rounds." This section is accompanied by a color battlescene depicting the destruction of Wittmann's Tiger, as well as a sequence of gunner's views of the same event. Most readers (except perhaps Wittmann's next-of-kin) will enjoy this section greatly. However, the author notes that "the Firefly emerged Triumphant" in this last great clash of Tiger versus Firefly, which is a bit over the top. This action was an ambush, pure and simple, and if the roles had been reversed (as they often were in Normandy), Wittmann's Tigers would have brewed up a bunch of Fireflys in the open. Earlier, the author notes that one British unit lost 21 out of 34 of its Fireflys in one day in July 1944, so it is unclear how the situation was really changed by Wittmann's death. In short, the Tiger still had superior protection, while the Firefly still had better maneuverability and numerical superiority, and each had guns powerful enough to destroy the other. The author never addresses mechanical reliability, but the Firefly also had an edge in that category, which further amplified its numerical superiority.

The author provides several charts at the end of the volume, but these only provide numbers for the fighting on 7-8 August. The key question, such as how many Fireflys were destroyed by Tigers in Normandy and vice versa is never addressed. Based on known information, it is likely that the Tigers enjoyed a healthy `kill-ratio' in their favor, at least on the order of 3-1 or better, although they were outnumbered by at least that. The author also makes little effort to discuss opposing tank tactics and avoids gruesome moments for the British like Operation Goodwood, but the evidence indicates that the British generally didn't handle their tanks too well in Normandy. Even the famed 7th Armored Division was sub-par for much of Normandy and was badly shot-up by Wittmann at Villers-Bocage. In short, this duel was decided by attrition, not technical or tactical factors.

The German Tiger heavy tank dominated battlefields of Europe and was one of the most feared weapons of World War II. Stephen A. Hart's SHERMAN FIREFLY VS. TIGER describes its design and deployment, with chapters offering plenty of technical construction information and analyzing strengths, weaknesses and the use of these tanks in war tactics. It's an excellent survey recommended for any library strong in the mechanics of World War II.

The "Sherman Firefly VS Tiger", by Stephen A Hart, is a must read for military historians and students alike. The German Panzer tank commanders were used to having a field day, as their Panthers, and tigers would cut through the M4 Sherman tanks like swiss cheese. The german tanks were by far superior in armour protection and firepower. The American Sherman tank was no match for the tanks of the axis powers, but what it did have going for it was a vast majority in numbers built, and a better track record for reliability. The Sherman proved to be a more adaptable tank when changes were needed for every occasion. The British, in the summer of 1944 rolled out its first sherman firefly variation, equipped with a seveteen pounder main gun. For the first time, German tankers in their massive lumbering Tiger tanks, had something to fear about the Sherman Tank. The Sherman was much more agile, and usually did well in city limits, as opposed to the Tigers which were better suited for the open field. The 17 pound main gun finally made the tiger vulnerable, and the moral of the British tankers increased dramitically, as reports of Firefly's destroying Tigers was filtering through. Legendary Tiger tank Commander Michael Wittman eventually met his demise at the hand of the Sherman Firefly, during a fierce battle, that is well documented in this book. The firefly became the envy of every American Sherman Tanker, who still had to do battle with 75/76mm shermans. This book proves to be a captivating read, that is full of great rare photo's and paintings, as well as thoughtful insight by the author. I highly recommend this book as a must for anyones military library.

I checked this book out from the library when I had the most horrible eczema outbreak of my life: sores up and down my arms and legs, peeling of the skin three layers down on my hands. My doctors were useless.

This book was a part of a turning point for my life - reading what it had to say about the psychological origins of skin conditions prompted me to take action that improved my life on all levels.

Whenever my eczema flared up, my friends would tell me I'm too stressed out. I didn't feel that way, not much more stressed out than usual, so the timing of the flare ups and the stress level at that time was sometimes confusing.
After reading this book, however, I recognized it's much more than just the simple stress - more deeply rooted issues I've apparently held for a long time. I had vaguely suspected this may be the case, but didn't know how/where to start. This book gave me the guidance to do that on my own.

I agree with 3 other reviewers completely. I no longer feel helpless and scared when I can feel my skin starting to flare up. I am not yet free from eczema, but knowing what may be the underlying cause of it, and how to calm it down, I have much stronger sense of being in control of my skin, body and my life.

I was extremely pleased with content and recommendations in Skin Deep. The author is knowledgeable of a variety of skin conditions and their resulting emotional attachments or reactions. For the person needing relief, there is such with numerous relaxation strategies that are actually helpful and can get you started Day 1. I highly recommend this book.

Great Self Helf Book which gives you wonderful insights into the emotional factors of your condition. Let's suppose skin conditions are partially genetical, partially caused by wrong food intake, partially caused by external conditions (wheather, dust mites, etc...) and partially caused by emotional/stress factors (some say ALL skin conditions are caused by inner anger). I suggest you take an integral approach to treat your condition and optimize your food intake and do whatever you can about external conditions. This will take the balance of your condition into the right direction. The next step is to explore the emotional/stress factors of your skin condition. That is what this book is great for!

What advantages and safeties does your condition give you? What is the condition doing for you? Why are YOU affected? Why THERE and why NOW? This book provides great methods (a comprehensive list of most common needs the skin is trying to acquire via its condition; great excercises in self-knowledge; creating a Time Line to effectively understand why your skin condition is worse or better at particular moments; why particular places at your body are affected; what it does for you (what safeties and advantages); and let's you think about what if it got better or worse) to explore the emotional cause of your skin condition. This is the first step and understanding will already bring you towards curing of your skin condition! The next part of the book gives techniques to get yourself into a healing state which will give the next boost towards healing. It also outlines what professional help can do for you.

I eventually embraced a hypnotherapist into my healing process. My own condition is moving towards complete recovery (full body eczema). This book is a must read if you want to be cured!

If you think you feel bad with eczema, just wait until you read this book! As a life long sufferer from this chronic skin ailment, with episodes coming and going, I am currently suffering from one of the worst episodes I've ever experienced. This book would make any sufferer feel even worse, if they didn't have a good basic core knowledge of the disease and it's symptoms. The authors would have you think that the patient's lack of loving parenting is the cause of your problem, among other of their "causes". The fact that this could not be further from the truth automatically debunks the rest of the "helpful" information in this tome of trival! While relaxation therapies and being aware of one's self are excellent advices no matter what the ailment, to place the blame on the patient's problems on the patient is like blaming a baby for contracting cancer. These authors should be ashamed of themselves. It's true - some people will do anything to see their names in print and sell a few books. Sure wish I would have checked this book out at the library rather than wasting good money on a bunch of hogwash!