Washington Books

Although well-researched and scholarly, this history of the predominantly black Seattle Central District is enjoyable and accessible for the non-historian due to Dr. Taylor's engaging writing style. The book touches on broader topics than the title might indicate, for example, inter-minority relationships between the Asian- and African-American communities. I found his treatment of the opposing views on school busing, w/in the black community, to be an example of how one can approach respectfully discussing differing--even sharply differing-- points of view. There are extensive footnotes for those who would like to go on to read his sources. This book is a "good read."

Though Seattle's experience may be somewhat different from other parts of the country, the issues were still (and are still) complex. This book not only puts it all in context, but leaves you hungry for more. It's an opportunity to discover unsung heroes, mourn blaring injustices, and refresh the belief that we can still learn from the past in order to forge a better future. As a native of Seattle who spent 8 years living in Georgia, I especially appreciated the breadth of information. Reading Taylor's book inspired me to read Horace Cayton's autobiography and follow up on some of the other sources Taylor drew on. Well written, dynamic, and comprehensive.

The review that follows says it all, but I want to add that this is THE book for African American history in the Seattle area. I found it moving and thought-provoking. Anyone serious about understanding issues of diversity in the Pacific Northwest should begin with this book.

A very interesting pioneer photographer!!
Frank S Matsura lived and worked in the frontier of a New World (The Far West) and a New Century (ended XIXth century and begining XXth century).
Maybe Frank Matsura photographs are not the opposite but the complementary ones of Edward S. Curtis.
I think that portraits, of all kind of people (white and indian, cowboys and clerks, young and old, male and female), are stunning; the subjects of the photogragh seem to be plenty of confidence with the photographer, who sometimes even makes selfportraits with his customers. Sense of humor is present in Matsura's pictures, as also a light eroticism in some of them.
He just lived ten years in Okanogan County but seems that he was wellknown and loved by everybody there, having lots of friends coming from all social class and race.
His photo "Stamp of the World" (Peaches On Display) reminds the coat of arms of Matsuura Clan.
But the mystery of his arrival to America still remains: why a young high class well educated japanese decides to leave his home and go abroad?
Some facts: his parents were dead and his family power had declined, he was poor and he was christian. Did he was looking for the promised land? or just going away from something...?
At the Archives and Special Collections of the Washington State University Librarie there is a mysterious postcard that contains Japanese writing on the reverse. A loose translation was done by Richard Kwon in 1981: "Do you from time to time dream about things in Japan?. Hope you do. This picture card was made and printed by Nihon Post Card Club. And I thought it's beautiful and I am sending you one. Mother says you take good care of yourself." Signed, Kyo-ko. What kind of relationship had Frank Matsura with the woman who wrote him this card?
Frank Matsura made a great amount of photographic work between 1903-1913, in just ten years; and there is a clear evolution and improvement on his work through this ten years.
I think that Matsura is a great unknown pioneer photographer, besides his mysterious and interesting life, and this splendid JoAnn Roe book makes posible for us to go inside Matsura's photographs.

My family has a copy of 'Frank Matsura Frontier Photographer' because my grandmother moved to Conconully in 1902 with her family and then married in 1905 and remained there for some time. My mother was born there. Possibly some of the old photos of my grandmother and grandfather in their courting days were taken by Matsura - but at the very least they knew him. I also found several of Matsura's postcards in my grandmother's belongings when she died. The book is marvelous and I have shared it with my family; and have been curious to know whether it is still available in case we want another copy.

Frank (Sakae) Matsura was the direct descendant of Emperor Saga of Japan, through the lords Matsura of Kyushu, Hirado Island actually. His illustrious past was not discovered until after the publication of the book. I simply was curious about unanswered questions and kept digging. In 1983, the publisher sold the movie rights to a Tokyo production company working for network TV Asahi. The resultant two-hour "made for TV" docu-drama starred a famous Japanese actor, Morio Kazama, and was aired in Japan in 1984. Heibonsha Publishers released a Japanese language edition in 1983, with an updated text, long out of print. In addition, a different publisher bought the rights to exhibit thirty of Matsura's prints from this book for one year throughout Japan. The book won the following awards, among others: Governor's award (Washington), Pacific NW Booksellers' Award, a Merit Award from Photographic Society of New York, National Fed. of Press Women Award. It received reviews in about 100 newspapers and magazines, including a several page review in Popular Photography. The unfolding of Matsura's story has been a thrilling saga for me. It paralleled the period when Japan was emerging from its self-imposed curtain and entering the Meiji Restoration period. Matsura's father and uncle were not only of the lordly family but were special samurai loyal to the Shogun. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, they were "out of a job," and turned unsuccessfully to being tea merchants. Matsura's parents both died, leaving him an orphan to live with his uncle. For years he lived and worked at the Shoei Gakuen in Tokyo, still a prestigious school, founded by his uncle and aunt. He learned English there. He was baptized in the Takanawa Presbyterian Church of Meguro-ku, Tokyo,(still operates) founded by a relative, and baptized by Kumaji Kimura, founder of the YMCA in Japan. Why Matsura suddenly left for the USA is yet unclear, despite exhaustive research, but possibly he discovered he had TB and did not want to spread it to the school children. Nonetheless, his photography, inspired by still another Japanese great, is a major legacy. The book lives on. It was partly the reason for the awarding to me of the first President's Award of the Japan-America Society, because the book garnered immense good will, as well as renown. My agent is investigating the reprinting of one or both books (USA and Japan). The story has been a lasting satisfaction for me personally to introduce. By the way, I have not erred in spelling his name. The heads of family have translated to one "u"--Matsura. Others are two "u"s or Matsuura..people frequently ask me about this matter. I am in touch with his family (discovered through my research) and have been made an honorary Matsura.

Unger reveals and documents France's design for "New France" in supporting the colonies and explains the whys of France's current anymosity towards the USA. It is a history book that captivates like a novel.

I heartily recommend this book and couldn't disagree more with the tendentious review from Publishers Weekly. Unger's documentation is available in his book with endnotes for anyone truly interested to investigate. The Publisher's Weekly review lacks any such counter attempt to actually provide references of Unger's supposed errors. The review takes certain of Unger's adjectives out of context in an attempt to suggest that Unger
is just name-calling. This is an unworthy ploy designed to seduce the casual reader.

Unger uses hard data in making his case against the French but the Publisher's Weekly review would have one believe he relies on adjectives alone. This is an inaccurate and incomplete description of what Unger actually does, but the charge of "argument by adjective" is exactly what is done by the reviewer in criticizing Unger. The Publisher's Weekly review relies primarily on adjectives or conclusory statements such as: "provocative but flawed," "not-startling," "exaggerates,"and "shrill," which serve as a feeble substitutes for any reliably significant commentary on the book.

Unger details, with more than adequate documentation, French efforts to topple George Washington, French efforts to invade Louisiana, French efforts to betray the American peace negotiators after the Revolutionary War, as well as other examples of French treachery. What the book details is a string of French actions designed specifically to harm the United States. Intentionally and deceptively taking steps to harm an "ally" is accepted by the Publisher's Weekly review as France simply basing "its diplomacy on its perceived self-interests." The Publisher's Weekly review is fraudulent and I am confident that in any debate, Unger would shred the reviewer. Of course, that debate won't happen as "bologna fears the grinder."

I have no problem with critical reviews, and when they are well-done, they enhance what I get out of a book. Neither the Publisher's Weekly reviewer's adjectives nor conclusory comments serve to advance the discussion of a very interesting topic for both the historian and political observer. I stand by my recommendation of the book and welcome hard evidence of any errors that the book might contain - adjectives will not suffice.

While the bulk of the book focuses on the period just before, during and after the Revolutionary War, Unger also gives some attention to more modern events. He discusses the phenomenon of current French leaders all being ENARCHS or graduates of the Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA plus the Latin/Greek suffix "arch" meaning "chief,")

Here are some examples of insights he shares:

"... enarchs have badly undermined the French economy by discouraging free enterprise, limiting investments in creative genius and modern invention, stunting expansion of the arts and sciences, and discouraging individual initiative. Harvard University's endowment alone, for example, is more than double the combined annual budgets of all universities in France. " p. 251

"Impotent or not, France and the French continue to plot against
America. As de Villepin boasts, "France is obsessed with power . . . galvanized by conquest. It is a national disease passed down through the ages . . . we have never learned to live in partnership . . . France is still aflame with the passions of a great nation, fervently defending her rightful place in history." p. 252.

This book combines great historical research with fascinating insights into modern day events. A great read for those with an interest in these areas.

I have read this book by Unger as well as his book "Lafayette". Both are written with a great deal of detail and insight with out being dry or boring. Mr. Unger has a great ability to keep the story flowing. You will not loose interest in ether of the books.

This is a great book on, not only the demise of the small Texas cotton farmer, but, the death of a way of life lived by hundreds of thousands of people all across the South. The arrival of the Great Depression followed by the implementation of the socialist policies of the New Deal spelled the end of an agrarian lifestyle that had been a part of the backbone of the American way of life for over two centuries. I reccomend this book to anyone who loves American history. Particularly American agricultural history.

A message to those interested in farm life, especially in cotton, cotton pickers and cotton farms: You need this book - From Can See to Can't (subtitled Texas Cotton Farmers on the Southern Prairies).
Written by historians Thad Sitton and Dan K. Utley and published by the University of Texas Press in 1997, this book offers an insiders view of Texas farm life from the time of Austin's colony to present day. It draws on,in particular, Texas cotton farming in the late 1920s for a great deal of its material and portrays a way of life that has almost vanished.
From See To Can't is a rich tapestry of photographs, memoirs, and oral interviews from and about the people who were cotton farmers. I was raised on a cotton farm during that period and reading this book always brings tears to my eyes.
A really wonderful bit of Texana, and our rural heritage, not to be found every day. A Five Star Rating hardly describes it at all.

I really liked this book. For me it started slow, but by a few pages in I couldn't get enough. If you are interested in what farm life was like in Texas in the 1920's, this is for you. It goes into great detail about (obviously) planting and harvesting cotton, small town entertainment, churches, schools, food... the list is endless. Best of all, I talked to my grandparents, who grew up then verified it all. Want a good book about day to day farm life? Want to know what farmers used a hog's scrotum for? Buy it.

Great little informative travel book. Frommer's is the best for updated information about your travel destinations. I would recommend this book to anyone!

This book answers the question, "What is there to do in Seattle?" Here are the CONTENTS:
Maps and gorgeous pictures of the city and surrounding area
1. The Best of Seattle
2. Planning Your trip to Seattle (includes info for foreign visitors as well as the traveler by car, plane, boat, etc.)
3. Suggested Itineraries for "Best of Seattle" 1, 2, and 3 day visits
4. Getting to Know Seattle
5. Where to stay (all areas, all hotels, all options, prices, and ratings)
6. Where to dine (all areas, all ethnicities, from coffee and pastries to sit down 5-star suppers, the views, the prices, the ratings, etc.)
7. Exploring Seattle (the waterfront, the market, downtown, the neighborhoods, parks, gardens, attractions for kids, organized tours, sports, etc.)
8. City strolls (features three walking tours)
9. Seattle shopping
10. Seattle After Dark (performing arts, clubs and music scene, bar scene, movies, the gay and lesbian scene, etc.)
11. Side trips from Seattle (includes the San Juan Islands and whale watching, Port Townsend, Victoria B.C., Olympic National Park, Mt.Ranier, Ferry excursions, etc. etc. etc.)

When I am planning a vacation I like to spend a good amount of time in the months before doing research so that I am well prepared, not rushed, and feel like I am seeing and doing all the most exciting things, staying in and eating at all the extraordinary places. Staying away from things that might be offensive or unsafe. We watched the travel channel shows on Seattle, and I did massive amoutns of online research on travel advisor sites. The book...well, it's like they've been there done that and you'll benefit from their experience. And you can look up travel advisories for all their suggestions before you go, plus have a handly little travel guide to constantly consult on your trip.

Of course the locals know all the best places to go, and all the great little non-touristy out-of-the-way little places to eat that feature the abundance of all the local chefies... and if you have friends or family there they will probably already have an entertainment plan for you, but I ran many of the book's suggestions past our daughter, a recent transplant to the area, to get the "locals" perspective and most of the suggested top things to see and do were also on her list. The area is so huge that unless you have a plan for everyday to group area attractions together you can spend more time in the car driving here and there than actually seeing and doing. That's where this book really shines.

Because we have never been to Seattle, I wanted to gather as much information as I could on the "must see" attractions before our trip. This guide includes a walking tour of Pikes Place Market we intend to follow...probably would not have known about the gum wall within the market if I had not read this suggested tour. I thought it was very informative & I have referred back to it several times as I map out our itinerary. I believe our trip will be more enjoyable because of the information provided within the pages of this book. I plan to take the guide with us for unbiased reference on our adventure.

This book really grabbed my attention. The book is on a topic that I could read forever. Ghengis Khan is the only subject that doesn't make fall asleep in school.

Boyle's excellent, readable, and well-annotated translation of Juvayni is an important resource for scholars of Mongol history. Juvayni is one of the few primary sources, and his work provides both a view of Mongol history and an interesting look at the cross-cultural interactions between the Mongols and conquered peoples. I highly recommend this book to all with an interest in Mongol history.

A book with extremely useful quotes and sayings. I would suggest everyone to read it so as to improve the vision for leadership and you don't need to have specific preoccupation with any subject like history or Philosophy etc but you will love this book when you read how Juvaini tries to justify the deeds of the Mongols and the embellished and beautified diction of JA Boyle will enable you to comprehend the subject matter of the book in it's true sense.

This is a wonderful book! It accompanies an exhibit of hundreds of Catlin's paintings held in Washington DC in 2002, and scheduled to travel to several other cities. The reproductions are superb (the best I've ever seen) - the colors are true, and the sizes are often full-page and sometimes double-page. A brief commentary accompanies each painting, and there are also lengthy essays describing Catlin's life, his time in Europe, and his connection with the Smithsonian.
I bought Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, etc at the same time that I bought this book, and I read the two of them together. The paintings are immeasurably enhanced by Catlin's comments and stories (he is a great story-teller). He explains what's happening in the crowd scenes (and it is sometimes hair-raising!), and he gives interesting background on the people shown in the portraits. Looked at in this way, the paintings really come alive. Very highly recommended.

This book has a nice variety of the collection of George Catlin paintings, along with a few of the artifacts from his collection. Most of these are reproduced in color in this book. The text is also well written and tells the story of Catlin, his paintings, and the view point of the era.

This is a gorgeous book, filled with magnificent reproductions of Catlin's seminal portraits and augmented by a trenchant and insightful commentary.

This D'Aulaire book is both beautiful and engaging. The illustrations are Grandma Moses"ish" and the text is captivating enough to hold the attention of young, squirmy boys. All of the D'Aulaire titles that we have seen are great and can all be found new at The Book Peddler online if not here on Amazon. Highly recommended!

Although the Amazon page doesn't show the wonderful cover, it shows the young George on a white horse--Washington's white charger became his trademark. Beautifully illustrated, and a direct, unfanciful text. A perfect introduction to the growing up and future of our first President, with no nonsense. The d'Aulaires were stylists and were accurate, visiting the sites. They won many prizes. They deserved every one. A perfect introduction to the life of George Washington.

Put this in your home library! My kids want more and more of this. They love history but get bored without pictures. This author makes the past people and places come alive for them. They remember and understand the detailed and engaging historical tales.

All too often, George Washington comes across as a monument rather than a person. As the victorious general of the American Revolution and as our nation's first president, he is often depicted as the indispensable figure in the struggle to establish America as a nation, with his decisions and actions almost providential in nature. Yet Washington the man is lost amidst the adulation, leaving the reader with an incomplete picture of who he really was.

This collection of Washington's writings is an indispensable aid in the process of understanding the man behind the legend. The editor, John Rhodehamel, has selected 446 key documents from Washington's life, including letters, addresses, and general orders issued to his men. Written in the strictly formal style of the Virginia planter seeking to maintain the dignity of his position in society, his prose often cloaks the anxiety he felt about his status, the revolutionary cause, and the survival of the new republic. Together they convey a distinctly human figure, one whose stature only grows with a better understanding of the difficulties he surmounted. This is the book for anyone seeking to supplement other works on Washington with the original sources, or for those who simply want to read about Washington's life in his own words.

Like Robert E. Lee, George Washington might be considered the marble man of his time, a revolutionary whose passion doesn't burn as bright on the pages of history as, say, Thomas Paine, or as clear as Thomas Jefferson. He may be admired and revered, but not necessarily loved, certainly not in the way as old Marse Lee.

Whether Washington the man can be reclaimed from Washington the statue is a task left up to biographers and fiction writers, because after thumbing through this collection of his writings, it is with some certainty that the man from Mount Vernon can't do it himself.

Once gets the impression that Washington was a man who believed in duty, to himself as an eighteenth-century man of means, and to his country, whether it be England (for whom he participated on several expeditions against the French in Pennsylvania), or his newly created United States. The man who, in 1755, volunteered to join the British commander in chief, General Edward Braddock, on what became a disasterous expedition into western Pennsylvania, became by 1775 the man who would write to his wife announcing his appointment to head the rebel army, that, "I have used every endeavour in my power to avoid it [command]."

Even his ascention to the presidency was performed in very reluctant steps. In a letter to Henry Knox, he wrote, "I can assure you . . . that my movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied with feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution."

So why serve? "It was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment without exposing my Character to such censures as would have reflected dishonour upon myself, and given pain to my friends," he wrote Martha Washington.

Perhaps an early clue to his character can be found in the first entry, a collection of 100 maxims he composed when he was 15, rules for living which range from the practical ("Put not your meat to your Mouth with your Knife in your hand neither Spit forth the Stones of any fruit Pye upon a Dish nor Cast anything under the table"), to the inspirational ("Let your Recreations be Manfull not Sinfull"), and even a bit of the poetic ("Labour to keep alive in your Breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire Called Conscience").

Sober, practical, firm-minded, George Washington was not a man to inspire devotion through force of personality, only through a far-sighted competence which does not make for glorious history, but to those who cherish the ideals and promise of America, one can be thankful that he was in the right place at the right time.

George Washington is far more revered than known; but, as this splendid book proves, when you come to know him you feel even more admiration for him. This installment in the indispensable LIBRARY OF AMERICA series gathers hundreds of Washington's letters, as well as his more formal public statements as Virginia legislator and revolutionary leader, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, advocate of federal constitutional reform, and First President of the United States. The formal public statements display the heavy style that Washington fell into when consciously speaking to posterity. It is in his letters that Washington's vigorous mind, strong emotions, and sound judgment emerge most cleary -- and that portray his humanity and his nobility most clearly and accessibly. Readers of this volume would be well-advised to read John Rhodehamel's superb chronology (appearing at the back of the book) first, and then turning to the text. If they do this, they will have! a sound chronological and historical basis for setting Washington's writings, public and private, in context and for seeing the critical founding decades of the American republic as he saw and experienced them.

-- Richard B. Bernstein, Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School; Daniel M. Lyons Visiting Professor in American History, Brooklyn College/CUNY; Book Review Editor for Constitutional Books, H-LAW; and Senior Research Fellow, Council on Citizenship Education, Russell Sage College

Great resource to have, and most essays are well-written. Problem is that there are too many naval bios on the British side.

How did the Americans emerge victorious in the Revolutionary War? Was it due to the talents of George Washington and his commanders, as some historians argue? Or to the incompetence of a long series of British Generals and Admirals?

This is the question this excellent volume attempts to answer.

George Billias's book, originally published as two separate volumes, is now available as a single integrated work. In each of the book's two parts, a series of historians and scholars each examine the life and battlefields victories and defeats of a single individual general. The book is well balanced. Twelve American Generals are examined in the first part; twelve British General and Admirals in the second.

The result is an amazingly well written collection of essays on the men who won and lost the Revolutionary War. A great many myths are dispelled and a number of interesting military figures, both American and British, have been illuminated.

The editors (and authors) conclude that the relatively inexperienced Americans took timely advantage of a series of strategic and tactical mistakes by their British counterparts, on land and at sea, to win the war.

Those interested in learning more about the key military figures of the war will find this book a great read and a welcome addition to their library!

This excellent book provides compendium biographies for all the major commanding generals of both sides during the American Revolution. The average length of each bio is roughly 10-30 pages, which provides enough general detail for each personality. No book has put under one cover all the key military players of the Revolution. In addition to all the standards like Washington and Lafayette, the reader also gets many lesser known American generals, as well as the main British personalities like Howe and Clinton. The American Revolution was not a war that produced any brilliant generals on either side. Reading these various bios will show that military brilliance was not really displayed in the Revolution by either side. Washington was an inpired leader of men, but a poor tactican. Sir William Howe a good tactician, but a conservetive strategist. Readers may be surprised to learn how imcompetent many American generals were, and how basically competent most of the British were. This was a war about the hearts and minds of the American people, and this was a problem the British never really understood. Leadership displyaed by both sides was often haphazzard, and this book should provide ample evidence of that. There is a lot of duplication of events because many of the generals were involved in the same events, but each bio is complete in itself and should provide interesting reading on the major commanders involved on both sides during the American Revolution.

This book examines both Washington's subordinates (there were many) as well as his supposedly better trained British antagonists. Only recently have books surfaced positing that the British lost the War for Independence more out of failings in their strategy than brilliance by American generals. After reading this book you may agree.

The future United States lost more than 70% of the battles in the war. In some cases the losses were catastrophic. Yet the Americans won the war.

A Chinese proverb says, "The best lie is to tell the truth". As the truth comes out it makes me prouder to call myself an American. This is because one eventually comes to an understanding as to how we could possibly have defeated the most mighty nation on Earth at the time.

Enjoy!