Wang Books

This is an excellent biography of an American that few people know about. Fremont was truly a vivid member of history from the days of the early republic through the age of manifest destiny. This book covers not only Fremont's triumphs but his downfalls. While a young and impetuous (sometimes dishonest) man, Fremont was successful in helping to expand this countries knowledge of its own topography and boundaries. Through a vivid use of journals and maps Fremont led expeditions that cataloged the trails for westward expansion.
His service in the army corp. of engineers helped with the capture of California through bravado more so than force. After his brief governorship of California, Fremont was found guilty at a court marital for his actions against General Kearny and the Polk administration. Fremont's retirement would lead him to business ventures and a run for the presidency as the Republican Party's first candidate. These distinctions would continue as he was a commander of the western union forces during the Civil War. His greatest act here would be to promote a little known Grant to general and command the armies of Tennessee. Overall this is an excellent biography and does a great job of providing a balanced look at a little known person in American history. Highly recommended for those who want to understand how the groundwork for manifest destiny was laid.

This is a massively important book, one that invokes not only America, but also the frontier and the life of a man who, hitherto a minor player in history, has been brought to the forefront to show how he embodied an age. The author puts himself astride the arguments of American history, showing how John Charles Fremont was once the epitome of the American who helped brave the wilderness, and how recent revisionist historians cast him as an imperialist and a leader in the persecution of the Native Americans. For the author Fremont is neither and both, a man who forced America to "reimagine America itself". Born in 1813 in Savannah, Fremont was to embody America itself, the Colossus in the Cradle, that was just beginning to feel its way into the new frontier of the West.

He was to be surveyor in the 1830s when the Cherokee nation was relocated. Fremont's most important expeditions would be between 1838 and 1854, charting various routes and mapping the American west. His campfires and wagon trails are today nothing but dust, few are preserved. The author sought in van to find them but found instead the legacy of Fremont, America astride the West gave birth to the American West and after that to commerce and the great movement of population, for which Fremont's old camping sites are now national parks or owned by the government or inside the property of corporations.

This book evokes so many things it is hard not to give it praise for all of them. It tells the story of the American West and attempts by well meaning explorers to sympathize and help Native-Americans, Fremont himself judged the U.S government deficient in its promises to the American Indian.

An amazing read that will be enjoyed by any student of American history or anyone interested in the frontier or the American West.

Seth J. Frantzman

A good book, rich in historical detail, but...wow, the copyediting is bad. It's enough that it's really hard to read the book. I hope they can fix the copyediting problems if they reprint the book or bring it out in paperback.

John Fremont was (in some aspects) the Alexander Hamilton of the mid-19th century. That may seem like a strange comparison, but they had one very strong similarity.... you either loved them or you hated them. Both were seen as larger than life and aroused strong emotions throughout the country.

There are some pretty significant differences between the two - Fremont was world-renowed explorer of the American Wild West - while Hamilton was a bona fide finacial genius (which Fremont definitely was not!). Hamilton died too young and became somewhat of a martyr and his reputation has grown. Fremont may have lived a little too long and scandal soiled and diminished his reputation.

Now to Chaffin's wonderful biography on Fremont: What a great/interesting read! The characters are much larger than life John Fremont, Thomas Hart Benton (His father-in-law), General Stockton (Who helped win California fo America) and of course Fremont's exploring buddy Kit Carson.

Chaffin tells a tale that is so odd that it must be true. The tales of Fremont's four main explorations is straight out of a Hollywood movie. We follow Fremont up mountains, across rivers, through deserts - we see how they faced extreme starvation and how some members were forced to turn to canabalism (ouch!).

Chaffin presents Fremont with warts and all - there is mention of his affairs, his conceit, his insubortination, his shameless self-promotion and his many financial blunders. While Chaffin does not apologize for Fremonts faults he also chooses not to dwell on these aspects.

So why only four stars? There are some minor flow problems (for me) I found that the section on the war for California to be far too long, and the sections on Fremont's role in the Civil War and his ill fated Presidential campaign to be far too short. However, a significant amount of the book concentrates on Fremont's explorations.... which is exactly why I give a full recommendation.

I loved this book--an inspiring story that conveys the excitment of the exploration of the west. Author includes historical background so Fremonts actions are placed in the context of the time. Very readable--almost like a novel. The one drawback are the maps of Fremonts explorations. They are merely sketch maps without any location detail--I would have liked to have seen more detailed cartography with, perhaps, landforms included. Many (most) place names in the book are not shown on the maps. I kept my atlas at hand while reading, but many place names have changed. I strongly recommend.

Wayne Anderson is NOT ONE OF THE AUTHORS of the 6TH EDITION of Reinforced Concrete Design. The authors are Chu-Kia Wang and Charles G Salmon

The correct title for this book is "Reinforced Concrete Design" not "Reinforced Cornet Design".

I am not sure what a reinforced "cornet" is?

The discussions were clear and the sample problems hit the bull's eye. I recommend this book to be included in the school library.

This book has excellent examples for thoroughly designing reinforced concrete structural members. It references directly to the ACI code.

This is one of the worst textbooks I've ever bought. At least it's complete at over 1000 pages. The example problems, the heart of a text on engineering, leave MUCH to be desired. More than once the authors have decided to reveal new, and consequently unexplained concepts in the first problems at the chapter's end. That coupled with the fact that the instructor's solution manual contains few actual solutions is unforgivable. Repeatedly I've been forced to guess or assume reasons for the existance of certain calculations. Rarely do the authors explain their reasoning for doing certain things and if they do explain something it's not easily understandable from the text. I wouldn't recommend this text to anyone! If you're thinking about getting this book as a desk reference don't waste your money!

This book is easy to read and often funny. It covers a lot of what Photoshop Elements can do but is very basic in nature. It gives you the basic ideas of what you can do with Elements but often does not expand on how to go further. Its big learning suggestion is to play with the different features to see what they can do.

After reading this book and the user guide that came with Elements, I have just a fair understanding of what I can do with Elements and how to do it. Elements is a very powerful photo editor.

I recently discovered and had the opportunity to browse a book titled "The Photoshop Elements Book for Digital Photographers". This book appears to be a good supplement to the two books above. It shows you things like how to remove facial blotches and to turn a smirk in to smile, among many other practical and useful things.

In Totally Tasteless Photoshop Elements Wally Wang, a highly informative and witty writer accessibly illustrates just how to digitally enhance and manipulate photographs. In a step-by-step instructional which is an ideal introduction for the novice (and with a great deal to offer even the more experienced Photoshop user), Wang shows how his readers can express their deepest secrets and fantasies artistically, clean-up dirty pictures, erase bad memories, make themselves look younger and thinner, and perform other tricks.

After reading tons and tons of technical books for Photoshop, this has got to be the most entertaining one yet. Being a designer for a newspaper, this book has opened up a whole new world of satire for me. My associate who teaches a design class in Portland read it once and decided to use it for his Photoshop class.

The instructions are easy and maintainable, unlike all those other dry humorless books. The illustrations are pretty damn funny also (I love the gorilla/strip dancer photo!).

I hope to see more from Wally Wong in the future.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but this is really a good Photoshop book for beginners. It is really well written, extremely funny. I chuckled every page I read.

Knowing next to nothing about Photoshop Elements, this book really helped. The humor throughout the book was great because it wasn't just another mind-numbing technical manual that goes from introductory to a Ph.D. level of understanding by the third chapter.

The use of humor throughout the book made it fun to read. It's one of the few "computer/software" books I've read front to back.

But along with the humor, is a lot of good instruction and information about using Photoshop Elements.

This book does a great job of letting the reader get their feet wet with VB4. Don't bother with this book unless you are a 100% novice. An intermediate with not benefit from this book at all. If you are interested in trying out VB and just want to see what it is like than this book is for you.

This book also mainly focuses on the user interface. It covers in great depth, command buttons, text boxes, labels, message boxes, and all the other objects that beginners often have a hard time with. The novie will learn some commands and be apply some code to their projects but it is only minimal.

The author makes no claims to being a teacher of theory (in this book), and doesn't do so. If you don't care about the "why" of what you are doing, and just want to get your program coded and running, this is the book for you. It's an excellent adjunct to deeper resources on Visual Basic programming, and needs to be in reach while you are hammering out your code

Outstanding ! If you're new to VB, this book is a must. The author uses some hilarious examples, and practical code to teach you how to work your way through VB. One caveat, this deals mostly with interface development in VB, if you want to learn about the heavy stuff (creating .bas files, compiling .dll files, etc) you'll have to look elsewhere. Other than that, this book is a great way to start working with VB

I liked this book very much. It had a lot of helpful hints that could easily confuse a novice user if they were not explained. It was not a complete discussion of the features of Visual Basic, but it contained a lot of very good information for the beginning user. I would recommend this book to a beginning Visual Basic programmer

What a great book on programmig language. All the easy steps to make your own program! From Message Boxes to Variants. From Input Boxes to Popupmenus. This book is very well put together. You'll no longer be a dummy when you finish this book! I have VB3 for a year and went to 4. Took me a week with this book to MASTER it! Try it out!

Though I only a year ago, on Feb. 2, 2002, read Robert Slayton's biography of Al Smith, I have now read this work and find it just as well done, and in some respects better than Slayton's book. This study seemed to concentrate on the things about Smith's life which are of abiding interest, and dwelt less on minutiae of New York local public affairs no longer of interest or concern. The account of the absorbingly interesting political efforts aimed at the presidency which were pursued in the 1920s are told with verve and clarity. Especially well-done is the account of how the fierce but unsuccessful bid in 1924 for the Democratic nomination turned into the cakewalk to that nomination in 1928. The account of the 1928 campaign is also well told, and one, in hindsight, is amazed by the confident optimism existent in the Smith camp till election day in 1928, in those innocent pre-scientific polling days! Finan also tells the story of the relationship with FDR in the years from 1928 to 1932 with a somewhat different take, showing that what so offended Smith was actually a tactic deemed helpful to FDR's drive for the 1932 nomination. The sad story of the Liberty League connection and the January 1936 "walk" is covered with insight, and what I felt was the appropriate outlook. While the bibliography is a bit thin, and the notes could also have been fuller, this does not detract from the readability of the book. I found few errors, and those minor: on page 203 Senator Marcus Coolidge of Massachusetts is referred to as a Republican, whereas he was in fact a Democrat; on page 255 the implication is that Senator Tom Heflin of Alabama was defeated on Nov. 4, 1930, but his loss came in the Democratic primary much earlier in the year. Anyone who revels in political history of absorbing interest will enjoy this excellent book. I did.

This book has as much information as you would expect for a book of 350 pages, yet reads as enjoyably quickly as a good novel not much more than half its length. I really enjoyed reading about Smith's family life, as well as his connections in, and devotion to, his neighborhood community.

Also, as a previous reviewer said, the story of the presidential conventions and elections is excitingly told. The writer doesn't lose the objective voice of scholarly detachment while immersing us in the excitement of the moment.

I very much valued the perspective this book gave me on events that are much more well known, such as FDR's rise to power, the ominous reality of the Ku Klux Klan, etc. Al Smith's pivotal influence on American politics and society is brought well into the light and it's a marvelous sight.

This is the story of a life lived both humble and large about a very, very American man and a great New Yorker. And it has been told very well. If you are interested in Al Smith, New York, or American politics in general, then this is a great read. Buy it now.

It is difficult to underestimate the role that Alfred E. Smith played in New York's, indeed America's, development in the first half of the twentieth century. And first time biographer Christopher Finan has conveyed that sense with the skill of a writer of several biographies.

What has always struck me as curious is the portrayal of Smith, by other writers, as enigmatic and muckraking (these words appear on the bookjacket). What Finan makes extremely clear is that Smith often wore his heart on his sleeve, his politics were never slick, and his friendships were often based on an almost naive but thorough honesty. What made Smith such an easy target during his career was his openness about his religion, his affection for the working class from which he rose, and his steadfastness to his beliefs, even if they ran contrary to the party's line. If he believed that a certain policy or proposal was the product of a bunch of "crackpots" (one of Smith's favorite words) he said so out of candor, not muckraking or for the sake of political gain. Ultimately, Smith was a firm believer in America, the Constitution, and the democratic process, which Finan clearly demonstrates was becoming almost outdated in an increasingly cynical society.

But what Finan ultimately gives us is the human portrait of Al Smith. His tight friendships, his quick wit, his extroverted personality, his devotion to his wife, Katie, and his family, his gratitude to Tammany and the district in which he was raised, and his love for The Sidewalks Of New York all shine through some of the more mundane sections of the book. THE HAPPY WARRIOR is a joyous biography. Like Smith himself, it leaves you with an optimistic and grateful feeling, in spite of all the negative moments that could have overwhelmed it. One of the better biographies in recent years.

Rocco Dormarunno
Author of THE FIVE POINTS

I must agree with the other reviewer, Christopher Finan has done a superb job. Not only does he chronicle Alfred E. Smith's life -- from his humble beginning on the Lower East Side, his four terms as NY Governor, his 1928 run for president, his work overseeing the construction of the Empire State Building -- but he illuminates what was behind this spectacular statesman's soul. The Democratic Party will never be the same, nor will any of us, thanks to Alfred E Smith. Any one who wishes to explore the origins and successes of urban politics needs to read this book. Al Smith and his troop of "Happy Warriors" made sure that when times were hard, you weren't left berefted and destituted. That good government helps business and citizens build better societies.

Al Smith was a great figure who merits more than just the two biographies written about him. I would categorize this biography as average reading. Mr. Finan goes into great detail in discussing several subjects as: prohibition, anti-catholic sentiments in american politics, and smith's rise to power as part of a shrewd and sometimes corrupt political organization in tammany hall. but one subject finan, in my view, could have touched on more is the criminal empire that gained strength from the enactment of the " dry" prohibition laws. he could also have taken more time to talk about the corruption in tammany hall. the book is a very good profile of smith, however not enough historical data is given to give the reader a historical context of the times that smith lived in. as it relates to biographies, this serves two purposes; it gives the reader an understanding of how the subject matter impacted their world and it gives the reader a view of the era of the subject matter, hence painting a fuller picture of someone like al smith. i recommend this book for its profile of smith and of fdr who plays a prominent role in smiths life.

This new edition is a reprint of a 1958 book originally published by Far Eastern Publications. It's organized very well, and assumes that you know only about 300 bookprint (kai shu) characters! It uses these 300 characters, starting with the most basic, moving to more complex strokes to teach you about cursive principles in writing the different components of characters. They give several variations in form for each character and also give you practice sentences to read.

The one drawback is that, being written in 1958, the characters are traditional (however 80% of the time, the cursive form derives from what we now called simplified characters). Also, ALL the chinese is handwritten, whether cursive or 'bookprint' (reminds you to be thankful for wonders of modern desktop computing and publishing!).

It even has a modest cursive stroke index so you can look up that squiggle that you have no idea how to decipher!

maybe this book will work for someone, but not for me. I had hoped for a clear explanation of how to read and chinese cursive, but good just mysterious poorly explained charts.

As far as I know, this is the only book that teaches English-speaking students to read cursive Chinese writing. I found it extremely effective when I first studied it back in 1965, and was very happy to find it still available here. (And I did buy a new copy.)

Unlike calligraphy manuals, it concentrates on basic principles and shows many alternative examples. It is very well organized, and most students will also be able to use it to learn to write cursive Chinese characters. The examples are practical, rather than arty, focussing mostly on pen styles.

Although it is based on the 300 characters of F. Wang's _Read Chinese_, which is no longer commonly used, these are likely to be among the first characters taught in any beginning Chinese course, and all of them are essential characters.

I believe that students of Japanese will also find this text useful, since the principles are the same as those used by Japanese writers. (I know of no equivalent text for teaching cursive Japanese writing to English speakers.)

I had read the other rewiews when I purchased the book.
But...I was not prepared for the clear explanations -and lessons- from Mr.Wang. Through Amazon I was introduced to another master: John DeFrancis, from whom today I am so found. And now, again, Amazon send me another emeritus writer and professor:Fang-Yu Wang ! I must say I do not have the intention of start writing cursevely in chinese. But,my curiosity was fullfilled. And how! If one day I have time I have the right teacher and book to try some cursive characters.
I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the chinese language.

When I first began to learn Mandarin, Fred Fang-yu Wang's books got me going quicker than I would have ever expected. They weren't the newest materials, but they were by far the most effective.

One of the last major hurdles for me was learning the Chinese cursive script. It's an essential skill, but I simply couldn't find any materials on it. I had checked with many teachers, and none could even suggest to me how to get started.

So when I stumbled across Mr. Wang's book on exactly this topic, I bought it immediately. It's every bit as effective as his other works, and is material that I simply have not seen anywhere else.

If you truly appreciate antique Chinese furniture for its grace and beauty, but like me, you can't afford a zitan Southern official chair or huanghuali opium day bed, Wang Shixiang's book, with loads of gorgeous photographs, is the next best thing to owning the actual pieces. More a coffee table book, than a reference book for antique buyers. Still, it's one of the best books around on Chinese antique furniture.

Truly beautiful coffee table book, with plenty of photos of Chinese furniture. A must-have for anyone who loves Chinese furniture. A bargain at the [low] price!

I have read this book over and over again. Being in the Antique Furnitue business, it has helped me with all my favorite collections. I have met Mr. Wangshi Xiang before, and I do respect and appreciate his hard work for studying the topic for almost 40 years. It is my belief that this book has reinforced the wave of collection of Chinese Antique Furniture. It is really sad that there are more authentic and rare pieces despered overseas than in China now.

I first came to classical Chinese furniture through the work of Gustav Ecke, who photographed Ming and early Qing pieces in the 1930's, about the time that George Kates was living his "fat" years in Peking. As a furniture builder I was fascinated by the incredible sophistication of the genre and also by the inexplicable abilities of the cabinet makers of the time. But looking at these pieces through Ecke's work is a pale experience compared to looking at it through that of Dr. Wang. Here is a Chinese scholar, working all his life in China, having access to the most beautiful extant pieces and in possession of the taste and technical skill to select and showcase the best of the best. My copy of this work is always at hand, and whenever I plan to build a new piece it is this one I pick up first. Dr. Wang's understanding of not only the aesthetics, but also the technical details is communicated to the reader in the clearest and most pleasing way imaginable.

I visited the "Red Sandalwood Museum" which is near the classical furniture district in Beijing recently. The first thing one sees is a placard with the face and words of Dr. Wang. His imprimatur assures the visitor that these walls hold value (as indeed they do.) This book is not only fascinating and educational, but beautiful. It's expensive, but well worth the money.

Classic Chinese Furniture has wonderful illustrations and goes into introductions of the furniture any layman can understand. Mr. Wang has given many details to the reader so that a better understanding, what to look for and and how to judge the quality of a piece can be learned. Pen drawings of the pieces help to illustrate the different parts and clearly show the reader how the piece is put together. I travel to China often and purchased this book in Shanghai. It was more expensive in the bookstore in China than what Amazon charges...

This book is a great read on a topic that is too often ignored by Americans (North Americans, that is!)--the origins of US-Mexican relations. Packed into 191 pages, this book is concise without losing anything necessary to tell the story. Henderson zeroes in on the flip side of Manifest Destiny and discusses the impact of US expansionism on its southern neighbor. He does so without reducing the Mexicans to passive victims of US greed, but active agents in their own destiny...and their own defeat as it turns out. Henderson develops the main Mexican protagonist in this drama, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, as a full-blooded and fatally flawed character in Mexican history. Stephen Austin and his role as Texas empressario and later Texas/US patriot is also fully discussed here.

The book is also a valuable contribution to the debate over immigration from Mexico, and the pervasive hostiliy that has affected it.

Casual readers of American history may be surprised by the less than flattering image of the Lone Star State during this time.

Military buffs beware--this book does not dwell on either the military strategy or tactics used in the war.

A GLORIOUS DEFEAT: MEXICO AND ITS WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES is a fine survey of the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848 - as told from the Mexican perspective, which sets A GLORIOUS DEFEAT apart from U.S.-centered coverages, which would depict Mexico as the victim of the war. Henderson here emphasizes Mexico's reasons for going to war with the U.S., offering chapters which approach the results from the Mexican perspective and considering why the U.S. did not annex Mexico. An intriguing discussion highly recommended for any collection strong in American or Mexican early history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Timothy Henderson's new book A GLORIOUS DEFEAT: MEXICO AND ITS WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES provides a brief but useful overview of the causes and consequences of our war with Mexico almost entirely from the Mexican perspective. From that point of view the U.S. is, of course, portrayed as the aggressor.

Here are some basic facts about the Mexican-American conflict of 1836 to 1848 that you are not likely to find in this book; and certainly will not learn in the typical politically correct history course as taught at today's typical politically correct university.

On the Texas Revolution of 1836

1. Having achieved its independence from Spain in 1821 Mexico quickly became one of the most ill-governed countries in the world: corrupt, disorganized, tyrannical, faction ridden, continually on the verge of civil war, arrogant and utterly inept in its dealings with other nations.

2. By 1836 the majority of the inhabitants of the Mexican state of Texas were Anglo-American settlers, rather than Hispanics.

3. The Texans revolted in 1836 against the corrupt and tyrannical regime of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna with the support of most of the native born Hispanic inhabitants of Texas.

4. Texas was not the only Mexican province to revolt against the central government in Mexico City during the 1830s. So did California (repeatedly), Oaxaca, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Michoacan, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro, Durango, Guanajuato and Yucatan. Revolts broke out across the entire country, not only in Texas, and they were led by Hispanics as well as Anglos. The Texan revolt, however, was the only one that succeeded.

5. The U.S. government provided no assistance to the revolutionaries in Texas, and refused to annex the province once it achieved its independence from Mexico. The only assistance the Texans received was from individual volunteers such as Davy Crockett and his Tennesseans.

6. After his defeat by Sam Houston, Mexican President Santa Anna signed the Treaty of San Jacinto conceding Texas' independence and recognizing the Rio Grande as the boundary between the new Republic of Texas and Mexico. He also pledged to secure ratification of the treaty by the Mexican legislature; a promise he failed to keep.

7. For the next ten years the government of Mexico refused to recognize the existence of the independent Republic of Texas, claiming that it remained Mexican territory - a claim that it was unable to make good. At the same time Mexico made the contradictory claim that the southern border of Texas was at the Nueces River, rather than the Rio Grande - another claim that it failed to make good. By its inability to make good these claims Mexico conceded the de facto existence of the Republic of Texas with its southern border at the Rio Grande.

8. The fact that Mexico refused to ratify the treaty of San Jacinto or that the border of the former Mexican state of Texas had been at the Nueces River is immaterial. A nation's independence is established by its ability to defend its independence against attempts by another nation to extinguish it - which Texas did from 1836 to 1845. The right to territory is not established by a treaty only, but by occupancy, and the ability to hold the territory claimed against attempts by others to seize it - as Texas did from 1836 to 1845.

Mexico made at least two attempts to reoccupy the land between the Rio Grande and the Nueces and was driven back across the Rio Grande on each occasion, thus confirming Texas' de facto right to the area. For ten years Mexico failed to enforce its claims either to the territory between the Rio Grande and the Nueces rivers or to the whole of Texas.

On the Mexican-American War of 1846

9. In 1845 Mexico had the largest army on the North American continent - 30,000 plus professional soldiers commanded by the "Napoleon of the West" and a cadre of professionally trained officers, including a number of expatriate European commanders.

The U.S. army in 1845 consisted of approximately 5,000 professional soldiers, plus state militias, commanded by self taught generals (many left over from the War of 1812); with a small cadre of untested graduates from the recently established Military Academy at West Point. Throughout the Mexican War these West Pointers served as junior officers, often under the command of political generals. (It was not until the Civil War that they rose to command the armies of the North and South.)

Contrary to the author's assertions, it was widely anticipated in both Latin America and Europe that Mexico's professional army would easily defeat the Americans.

10. The author claims that the Mexican army was ill equipped, ill trained and lacked discipline and morale; all of which (except for morale) was equally true of the militia who constituted the bulk of the American army.

11. The territory between the Rio Grande and the Nueces rivers was at best disputed territory. As I have argued above, the Republic of Texas had successfully established its de facto authority over the area - a claim which was inherited by the U.S. when it annexed Texas in 1845.

12. Both Mexican and American troops entered the disputed territory in 1846. The presence of U.S. forces in the area between the Nueces and the Rio Grande did not constitute an "invasion of Mexico" or a violation of Mexican sovereignty, which Mexico had failed to re-establish in the area for more than ten years.

The presence of Mexican troops north of the Rio Grande could just as easily be considered an invasion of American territory by right of inheritance from the former Republic of Texas which had controlled the area for the past decade.

13. Following the annexation of Texas by the U.S., General Mariano Parades seized power in Mexico City, declared his intention of driving the Americans out of Texas, mobilized the Mexican army and ordered an attack on American troops along the Rio Grande. On April 23, 1846 he issued a Declaration of War against the United States. The U. S. did not declare war on Mexico until May 13, after Mexican forces had attacked American troops north of the Rio Grande.

14. A superior body of Mexican troops did in fact ambush a much smaller patrol of American cavalry within the disputed territory on April 25, thereby firing the first shot and initiating the war.

The war was thus declared and precipitated by Mexico, just as President Polk claimed.

15. In less than eighteen months the U.S. Army (largely an army of amateur soldiers) defeated a numerically superior Mexican army led by a body of professionally trained officers.

16. Many of the Hispanic inhabitants of New Mexico and California (urged by some of their leaders, including the Governor of California, General Mariano Vallejo) openly supported the Americans during the war.

17. In 1845 the U.S. had annexed the Republic of Texas at its (Texas') request --as it had every right to do. The Polk administration had also sought to purchase California and New Mexico prior to the outbreak of hostilities on the Rio Grande. Mexico refused to sell -- as it had every right to do.

18. Having initiated the war and suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Americans, Mexico ceded New Mexico and California to the U.S. in return for $15 million, plus the cancellation of $3.25 million in debts owed by Mexico to U.S. citizens. By the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo the U.S. in effect purchased these territories even after it had already conquered them (which it did not have to do). In accordance with the common practices of the day, the U.S. could have simply annexed the lands it chose by right of conquest and required Mexico to pay an indemnity as well (as the Germans did to France at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War of 1871).

Under the treaty Mexican citizens living in the ceded territories could return to Mexico, remain where they were and retain their Mexican citizenship, or become American citizens - which is what most of them eventually did.

The above points are, of course, generally overlooked by today's politically correct historians.

An excellent book about how the Mexican-American War took place. The author shows how the politics and evolution of both countries resulted in the war of 1846-1847. Mexico and her politicians knew they were going to lose the war, but because of stubborness and pride, they decided on the confrontation with the Americans. Polk pursued the expansion of the country out of a Manifest Destiny belief. Little of the writing is on the war itself, 95% of the book is the politics that brought about the war. I commend the author on going against the trend of writing about battles, and focusing instead on why both parties found themselves at war.

This is a nice informative read about the war. The author research his topic well and made it very readable. For those interested in this long forgotten war, this is a nice book.

Dr Henderson as a history teacher at AUM (Auburn University at Montgomery AL)is the resident expert on South/Central America. As I read his book, most of it came across as very familiar. He had expounded these same thoughts in several of his classes taught at the University. I have had the fortune to take several of them and can assure readers, he is as good a teacher as he is a writer.

What Dr Henderson does is blow away some very old fables created by both sides. He highlights the simple fact that Santa Anna was not the only individual in Mexico who wanted, for whatever reason, a war with the US. A faction riven Mexico, so brillantly illustrated in detail in this book stumbled into a war for many reasons, not least of course was nationalism. Santa Anna simply rode the wave to power and managed to get killed thousands of Mexican conscripts in a war against a smaller tho much better led and equipped foe.

Another fable is the one of the well equipped/trained Mexican army...no one disputes the Mexican soldiers bravery, especially the US army of the time but no one talks about the quality of the Mexican forces themselves. American regulars far outmatched their opponents in every manner. American militia units also performed better than then Mexican opponents (of course the Americans were all volunteers) The American officers also were generally of better quality and only in the engineers were the Mexicans on par with their enemies. Equipment goes without saying, in every aspect the Americans had at least equal (cavalry wpns/infantry muskets) and in artillery, naval power, logestics-the Americans dominated their enemies.

American politicans too get their comeuppance, Polk is aptly labeled the chief instigator of the actual war. His goal of controlling Texas and northern Mexico was most likely one he had of doing peacefully, but he did not back down when the threat of bloodshed was poised.

Quite rightly, Dr Henderon stays on the political side of the war. The military aspects have been done to death and anyone with even a passing knowledge of the war knows it was an excellent example of a military campaign. For those wanting to know backgrounds of such an event, this book will both indulge and surprise you.

He also has several other books on Mexico including the Mexico Reader. They are all worth the time to find and read!

This is possibly the worst book I have ever read. It is a mess of nonsensical sentences! I get it, Kaspar is learning how to speak after being locked up for 16 years (just read an autobiography about the man, there are plenty around)! But Handke beats the point to death (along with many other lines). The story moves so slow (development is slow, granted he's been locked for years, but lets get the story flowing a little quicker!) The story is all over the place and the way the book is set up annoys me to no end. Handke seems like someone who would confuse you with obscure pretentious remarks to prove he is a genius when in reality, hes just a normal person with a few quirks. This has all the pretentions of the art world in writing form.

In closing, there is a reason nothing like this has been done before or since, it simply does not work!

Found on the shelves of Book World in New Haven. Seen on the stage in Chicago. And years later in Palo Alto. Read in excerpts often and in entirety every few years.I'm not sure why the play Kaspar has such a hold on me. But it thrills me.

Perhaps because it points back to before my mind was stuffed with concepts. Perhaps because I sense my thoughts are in a rut. I don't know. What words to choose? What choice?

I know no similar work of literature. Wonderful to see performed. Still, the theatrics are only a part of Kaspar's challenge. Why do you think as you do? How much of one's thinking is explanatory fiction? Where did the store of phrases come from? Is it helping?

In some strange attachment, the play Kaspar figures deeply in my self-definition. Foolish, to let a powerful warning about language define me. I don't even think I understand it that well. But long after I have set aside many books, this one continues to challenge and amaze me.

Kaspar is the kind of play of truly incredible depth that only comes along once in a great while. In my mind it is on the same level as the tragedies of Shakespeare and the Greeks. At first glance, this is a rather pretentious play about language and language aquisition, but it runs much deeper and has all sorts of implications for all sorts of people. If you are at all interested in language, society, psychology, psycho, socio, or antho-liguistics, human development, if you have ever worked with mentally [handicapped] or autistic children, or if you are interested in what it is to be human, check out this play. One caveat, though: One reviewer commented that the play consists of two columns of text designed to be _read_ simultaneously. This is not true, the play is not meant to be read at all, it is meant to be performed. Unless you put considerable energy into penetrating the text, you will get little out of reading it without seeing it performed.
The other plays in this volume are also interesting and worth checking out, although a bit self-referential to the theatre. I have heard that the translator has changed the new edition, including altering the title of "Offending the Audience" to "Public Insult" wich, to me, ruins it completely. Anyway, check out this book, but go see a performance if you can.

With the plays in this book Peter Handke managed to destroy any pre/misconceptions we could have possibly had about the theatre. Revolutionary.

"Kaspar" is, rightly so, regarded as one of the most important works in history.

...goes to Peter Handke's Kaspar. I first read the play because I had been cast in the show, and frankly I thought it was another psudo-intellectual work intended only to confuse the audience with bitter attempts at meaning through poetry which, at the time, I had seen and worked on all too much of. Kaspar was different. Seven years later, I'm still reflecting on the experience I had with that text, re-reading it, discovering new things, and marveling at the genius of Peter Handke in every regard. I have never known any contemporary playwright to be so didactic yet at the same time so evocative. Most writers with this kind of material just dish out a pile of footnotes in dialogue form. Handke does neither; rather, he paints many unseen facets of profound themes surrounding socialization, language development, and object recognition, to name a few. The way Handke deals with concepts of learning and how we take a typical learning process for granted is illuminating in ways that no theory book or psychology text can offer - and shouldn't that really be the point of theatre? To offer the audience something they can't get anywhere else?

This is a directors play, an actors play, even a designer's play - but most triumphantly it is Handke's play. I can think of few writers outside Shakespeare who can manage to leave so much to those producing the work while still leaving an indelible thumbprint on the final product. My only lament is that the english language is deprived of a writer of this magnitude.

This rather dry but well documented history of a Jewish family starts with the patriarch Jacob who moved from New York to a small southern town and ends with his grandchildren many of whom make their homes in the south. While the reader may be curious to know the family's situation in society at the end, this book is not a gripping page turner. If the reader wants a page turner, he/she should read The Other Boleyn Girl. Both books are historically accurate. One wonders why Bingham could not make this history come alive as Phillipa Gregory did in her effort. The author uses the extensive letters, journal entries, photographs, portraits,bills of sale, promissory notes and other documents preserved by the members of this family and various historical societies to craft a cohesive history. However, it is a history and should be read as such. The author provides a detailed generational chart in the front of the book to help the reader keep the characters straight. The author niether embellishes nor seeks to invest the reader in the characters' outcome. Thus, it is dry. However, it is informative. We watch as an evangelical wave similar to the one now gripping our nation successfully converts some family members while other members resist conversion. The anti-Jewish sentiments of the day forced the family to seek companionship and solace among each other. Thus they were quite insular. The family which owned a few slaves became seriously divided by the civil war. Major Alfred Mordecai graduated 1st in his class at West Point and served in high positions in the U.S. military. He declined to side with the south during the civil war. However, he declined to fight against his family for the north and sat out the war as a civilian in Philadalphia. This was seen as a betrayal by other family members. This history would have been more lively had the author told their story from Rachel, Alfred and Solomon's point of view. This is an immigrant's tale. I really wanted to love this book, but alas I cannot. Sadly, only five of the members of the family were still practicing Jews in the end.

While others have been captured by their story, there is no other scholar who has put as much time and thought into the fascinating lives of the Mordecai family, nor is there anyone else who has written about them with such care and obvious attention to detail. This is, indeed, an American family, and through their lives Bingham escorts the reader through many of nineteenth century America's most divisive and troubling dilemmas, while demonstrating the power of kinship to unite loved ones through such a whirlwind of influences.

Emily Bingham's biography of the Mordecais is beautifully researched and written. Thanks to the family's voluminous journals, letters, books, and diaries--and to Bingham's graceful style--we have a family history that compels us to keep turning the pages.
Three generations of Mordecais come alive, shedding light upon the complex history of the Southern Jewish experience. Among many individuals who stand out, perhaps the most unforgettable are Alfred, accepted at West Point at a time (the mid 1800s) when few Jews even applied, and Rachel, whose story would itself be a fascinating biography. Their relationship to their Jewish heritage--and the uses they put it to--are important additions to the story of other ethnic groups and their struggle to assimilate while still maintaining their identity.
Emily Bingham's solid scholarship and broad knowledge of the era she writes about make MORDECAI a fascinating biography of a people and a time.

I picked up Emily Bingham's book Mordecai An Early American Family while visiting my son and daughter-in-law. My intent was to give the book a quick glance and set it aside. By the end of the first chapter I was engrossed in the story of the Mordecai family, its hopes, its dreams, its successes, its failures. The family was depicted as tightly knit unit. Daughters were as well educated as sons. All worked together for the good of the family. Ms. Bingham's discussion of the family's struggles to maintain their Jewish faith and worship in the absence of a supportive Jewish community challenged me to reflect upon my response given similar circumstances. Rachel's conflict between Judaism and Christianity was poignant. From start to finish I found Mordecai absorbing and thought provoking.

Mordecai is a well- crafted and engaging novel centered around a very interesting aspect of U.S. history. Ms. Bingman artfully recounts the tale of an immigrant family struggling to seek religious truth in the antebellum south. This story of the Old South's Jewish experience is an important glimpse into our understanding of how the United States was formed. An indelible tale that makes a great read for all interested in understanding ideas about family, nation-making, truth, freedom and tolerance.