Spencer Books

A four-volume set, The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History is an in-depth scrutiny of one of the most vicious, implacable, and long-running territorial disputes in the history of the world. In the past sixty years, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the increased scarcity of oil have dramatically amplified the global consequences of this conflict. The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict provides an impartial wealth of information on this hot topic in over 750 alphabetically organized entries covering key people, places, events, and social topics. Each entry is enhanced with cross references and recommendations for further reading. Maps and photographs add a visual aid to comprehending this complicated issue. The final "documents" volume of The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict is a collection of more than 150 primary sources. The result is an accessible, exhaustive and invaluable reference to a potentially critical modern issue, and carries the absolute highest recommendation for public and college libraries as well as international reference collections.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE COLD WAR, Spencer C. Tucker Editor, is the 2008 Society for Military History Distinguished Reference Book Award Winner.

I was born into the post-Vietnam generation. My original impressions of that war were Gerald Ford, down-and-out vets, Army surplus stores, Dad's safely hidden .45 Browning, and a friend whose dad served time in jail as a prominent activst. I'd lived in a few different places in the developing world. I'd watched the entire PBS series, Vietnam: A Television History, a few times through. I'd read a good number of eye-opening accounts that offered many different vantage points, ranging from Argument without End, to Bao Ninh's autobiographical novel, to Duong Thu Huong's historical fictionalization. But the long, slow death knell of this disaster still never made real sense.

A lot of discussions of Vietnam compress the entire sweep of that war into a single blot on our country's record. It's easy enough to psychologize the war's outcome: There's the gallery of monumental 'egos', there's the bank of 'fog'. But it seems to me that amounts to the what-if approach, and it hardly resembles a whole generation's experiences with this war. So, then, what really made this war unwinnable? For that, you need to rewind to the beginning, and recount events from a variety of angles, to see what it was that people individually could accomplish, and what was out of reach of any one of them. And when you weren't there yourself, you really need many people's wisdom for guidance.

You can safely let Spencer Tucker's work guide you, no matter how much you already know and understand about the war. Tucker, a military historian of the first rank, assembled an international network of specialists (including both military and civilian historians) to contribute to this volume. Part of what made this project enduring and indispensable is the sheer number of entries -- just "search inside" the book and browse the index. Most of those terms you find there are likely to be separate entries in the Encyclopedia. There is exemplary coverage of events of significance to the Vietnamese themselves and to the French, as well as generous coverage of Americans who shaped the homefront.

Another reason this project succeeded was its exacting standards. The entries range from about a quarter page to eight pages, in very compact type, and each comes with a choice selection of further readings. In even the shortest of its entries, I invariably learned some important element of the story that I'd never seen raised in any other discussion of the topic.

Finally, every key concept in this encyclopedia cross-references other entries. If you begin with even a short entry, and follow every other cross-reference from then on, you'll find yourself lying back on a couch and completely absorbed in the jigsaw puzzle of the narrative for hours at a time. This is the sort of reference work that you might have the urge to read cover to cover. The only hitch is, it would take you a good month to finish.

In the vast tableau of events that this Tucker's team surveys, a reader quickly gets a stronger sense of the depth of the problems that can unfold in any occupation, intervention, or counterinsurgency -- and why snafus in the national chain of command remain at most a minor drama in that saga. This is one of the most enlightening books on American policy that you can own.

Wisconsin's unique landmarks once again find themselves in the pages of the latest novel to be presented to readers of history, thrillers and religion in a work that combines all three genres into an adventurous global conspiracy.

The Epoch Point, just released on May 1 and written by Wisconsin native Spencer Zimmerman, is a fictional novel that includes historical facts, certain to intrigue history buffs who are interested in history from the local to the international level, especially as that history thrillingly plays out into what Zimmerman describes as a worldwide "conflict between God and the devil, good and evil."

According to the book's synopsis, the lead character, Robert Davis, is "a young Airman fresh out of Air Force basic training," reflective of Zimmerman's own recent service in the Air Force. "After being held captive in China, (Davis) suddenly finds himself unraveling the most immense conspiracy in history...soon uncovering hidden facts suggesting Russian and Iraqi involvement...discovering the diary of Lee Harvey Oswald...As the clues surface, an evil emerges powerful enough to rewrite the entire history of humanity...before long the conspiracy takes on a supernatural form, marked by [natural disasters] and the wrath of God...Nothing [prepares] (Davis) for the final suspenseful twist the story takes, a da Vinci style revelation that reaffirms his belief in Christ."

Zimmerman, having lived in several locations around Wisconsin, including near Lake Mills and Watertown, incorporated Wisconsin locations and history into his novel, among them a Viking cathedral on Washington Island and the events surrounding Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. Also mentioned is a small village outside of Burlington, Wisconsin, founded by a Mormon religious leader who proclaimed himself king, the only monarchy to ever occur in the forty-eight continental states in American history. Among the other Wisconsin landmarks in The Epoch Point, and most notably, the famous national landmark Aztalan is discussed at length.

Zimmerman's discussion of Aztalan in his book in part follows what Zimmerman calls the "darker" side of Aztalan, including its cannibalism and religious practices, and the instantaneous disappearance of its thriving population. Zimmerman's writing also seeks to make connections between Aztalan's existence with that of the Minoan civilization from Ancient Greece and Zoroastrian culture of the Middle East. All three peoples had similar beliefs, worshipped fire (one of Aztalan's mounds is believed to have been the abode of an "eternal" flame) and practiced human sacrifice and cannibalism.

Zimmerman noted all of these "obscure (historical) connections," which ultimately inspired him to take the connections and formulate them into an adventurous plot. Writing his book took roughly two years.

The book's chapters are titled after the sixty-six books of the Bible, and the plot progresses as Davis reads through each chapter of the Bible, opening the Bible for the first time in chapter one of The Epoch Point. Each chapter follows a "flashback" style in structure, in which the book's characters experience revelations of historical events and experiences from 4000 B.C. to the present, which allow them to observe how those events contributed to the global conspiracy they are presently confronting. Zimmerman states that the book's events begin on New Year's Eve of 2000, and end on Christmas of 2006.

While writing novels remains at present a hobby for Zimmerman, he already has ideas for a second novel that he anticipates will follow a more scientific fiction path. The Epoch Point is currently available through Amazon.com, and Zimmerman is hoping to get copies of the book into some of Lake Mills's downtown novelty shops.

For the college football fan out there, this fun little distraction of a book would be an excellent stocking -stuffer. I enjoyed the book greatly, check it out.

There are many books that claim to capture the 'real' Monet. However, this book not only captures but explores the true nature of this classical artist. I was lucky enough to have purchased this tome to enchance my art book collection. If you have an art lover in your home I would strongly suggest this title. Not only will this enhance your art collection but this is a great conversation piece if noticed on your coffee table. If your passion for art stirs your soul then this book should be on your wish list

It goes into great detail and someone like me is even able to understand it. Great book.

Great perspective on what effective school leaders should be, why they should be that way, and how to become it.

This book has helped me sooo much with my papers about comparative criminal procedure. It includes the summary of criminal procedure systems in all the above mentioned countries. Consists of all the necessary information one may need. Apart from it's content, the paper quality,the edition is very good and in total, it's really worth the money. I recommand all the criminal lawyers and other people interested in criminal procedure of continental Europe to purchase this book. You definitely won't regret it.

Since The British Museum carried out a series of excavations during the mid '80s onward, in El-Ashmunein (ancient Hermopolis Magna, the seat of the ibis-god Thoth), the first thing to do was mapping the site: this is the (excelent) result of such an undertaking, for which we must congratulate the sponsors and the author(s). Mainly interesting is the photographic recording of the present-day (upto 1981) conditions of the ancient town-mound. The fold-in map, obviously, is the most valuable contribution, as it is a very detailed record of the topography and surface conditions of the area. If you plan to go to Egypt and to visit El-Ashmunein, you must own one of this!