Nebraska Books

A thoroughly enjoyable and motivating read. This is a remarkable collection of exclusive interviews with the best American sports coaches of the last 40 years. The author has packed a voluminous amount of wisdom, inspiration and facts into what amounts to a road map to a good life. "How to Succeed in the Game of Life" is a brilliant compilation of advice that offers inspiration at every turn.

Game of Life is an insightful book on the thoughts of many of the world's best known coaches. It provides a biography on each of the 34 coaches (which I recommend reading first to gain a better appreciation of the field and achievements of each coach) and asks them a number of questions that can relate to both on the field and life in general. I have gathered a number of relavant quotes that I will use both personally and professionally. A highly recommended read for sporting buffs and managers.

After buying a copy of this book for both myself and my father I was thoroughly impressed. The book was both an easy read yet very informative. I gave a copy of the book to my father, who is not one to read a book, and he was so taken back by how interesting he felt the content was. He picked up the book in the morning and had it finished by mid afternoon. He must have called me 15 times to tell me how inspiring he felt it was and how he was amazed at "all the tricks it taught an old dog"...He thought he had heard all there was to hear about inspirational quotes. We were both pleasantly surprised with how well written the book was. Both my dad and I would highly recommend this book with two thumbs up.

Having read only excerpts, I was shocked to read that Tony Dungy was hired as head coach by the Indianapolis Colts in 2002 by owner Robert Irsay. Irsay had been dead for five years (longer than that mentally). Hopefully the rest of the book does not contain such shoddy information.

This book went through various questions about succeeding in life and listed all the responses from each coach. It was interesting but somewhat repetitive in that many said basically the same thing. I enjoyed reading this book because it had a lot of good advice from a lot of successful coaches. The advice I remember most is to work harder than anyone else, never quit, always be honest, do your best, failure is opportunity for a comeback, and be passionate about what you do. All of them agreed that making a lot of money does not mean you are successful, but money can be a by-product of being successful. The last chapter included short summaries about each coach. My favorite chapter was the one of their favorite quotes.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in philosophy, or who is looking for some advice or inspiration about success.

Karen Arelttaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

Here's my review system--I score on four categories and average them together for the number of stars. The four categories are: character development (are the characters deep and complex, plot (is it interesting), voice (is the narration smooth and e...more Here's my review system--I score on four categories and average them together for the number of stars. The four categories are: character development (are the characters deep and complex, plot (is it interesting), voice (is the narration smooth and engaging) and cliche level (is it predictable.)

Character development: 5 stars-- Excellent! i really got a sense of the protag and what he was about.

Plot: 5 stars-- Fantastic suspense and twists.

voice: 5 stars-- Fantastic!

cliche level: 5 stars-- A feeling, emotionally deep vulnerable cop--I love it.

I absolutely love this book. it moves fast, doesn't bore you with cliches and really is fresh.

Pretty typical action crime fiction. Good guy hero with some personal problems comes to the rescue of damsel in distress. Makes for a quick read, but nothing memorable about this story.

Officer Matt Worth of the Omaha Police Department is at a personal and career nadir. Recently divorced, he's now on a provisional assignment guarding the theft-prone SaveMore supermarket pending a psychological fitness sign-off after having slugged the Homicide detective that stole his wife. But even in that punch-up, satisfaction was muted as the other guy was the better hitter. In any case, Worth's only current job satisfaction is flirting with the pretty check-out girl, Gwen. But Gwen has an abusive boyfriend, Russell T. James, whom she bludgeons to death with a bedside table lamp while he sleeps after giving her a particularly nasty beating. With no one to turn to but Matt, she shows him her bruises at the hospital ER then the body back at the apartment. Sympathizing with her predicament, Worth decides not to make an arrest but rather to permanently eradicate Russell's corpse and live at let live. It seemed like the right and gentlemanly thing to do at the time.

What Worth doesn't know is that James was employed as a narcotics and drug money courier by Eddie Tice, owner of Tice Is Nice Quality Used and Discount Furniture, who also has two local plain clothes cops on the take. That, and the $260 K gone missing with Russell, makes for an escalating set of complications for the chivalrous Worth.

Worth, who's a perfectly average shmoe both in his personal and professional life, riding a bad situation into a disaster exemplifies one of my personal favorite adages, which is that No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. If you insist on acting out of the goodness of your heart, either do it with complete anonymity or be prepared for an unacceptable gain/loss ratio.

If life imitates art, or vice versa, then THE CLEANUP, a delightfully entertaining piece of unpretentious lit noir, certainly illustrates the Law of Unintended Consequences. Moreover, it's a conveniently quick read, after which you can go back to saving the world.

I was told about Sean Doolittle by another writer who recommended his work. So I bought THE CLEANUP because the description made it look like a good start. Indeed! The really great thing about this book is that the characters are all working class folk. Grocery store clerks, laborers, beat cops, carpenters, slackers, etc. This is not a thriller packed with holier-than-thou professional types from the upper crust of society. I liked that about this book, plus the fact that it was just by-gosh so well written. I very highly recommend this book, and I'll be looking out for Doolitle's other novels!

This is one of the finest paperbacks I've read in years. Sean Doolittle equals Elmore Leonard at his own genre, by which I mean that the dialogue is superbly realistic and the plot moves swiftly along. There are no dull and pointless passages of description (as in Patricia Cornwell) that you're tempted to skip, nor is someone described on each page as lighting a cigarette (as in Patricia Cornwell), nor is there any rhapsodizing over what music the protagonist is listening to. My only complaint is that the anticlimactic ending seems to fall apart and seems hastily thrown together as if Doolittle had to meet a deadline.

Although the novel closely resembles the crime fiction of Elmore Leonard, it made me recall Patricia Highsmith's A Dog's Ransom (Open Market Edition). In both novels, a naïve and good-natured young cop stumbles into trouble, then things get worse, then they get real bad.

Tris Speaker is someone is someone worth reading about. It's claimed that he is the biggest "old-time" baseball superstar not to get the recognition years later that others in his era obtained.....and after reading this book, I'd have to agree.

Speaker was not the most pleasant of people, but he sure could play the game, and manage it. I can see where this man was a legend in Cleveland. The unfair part is that he should be a legend to all baseball fans who appreciate a little history of the game. No, he wasn't Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb, but who was? Speaker does have the fourth-best career batting average in history and was considered the best centerfielder of his era. He played a shallow field and raced back to catch balls like the great ones have done since Joe DiMaggio, but he did it much better than anyone prior to him.

Here's a man who has fantastic offensive "numbers," but is one of the all-time great defensive players in baseball history as well, holding numerous defensive marks, too. He "did it all," as they say.

What makes this book interesting isn't just Speaker's baseball ability but his quirky and complex personality. There was a lot of good and a lot of bad in the man, which translates to a good biography, which author Timothy Gay provides for us.

Of course everyone has heard of Willie Mays, Joe Dimaggio, Duke Snyder and the great Mickey Mantle. Did anyone ever hear of Tris Speaker???
Probably not!! His fielding exploits are on par with the Say Hey Kid. Mr. Speaker played the shallowest centerfield in MLB history!! He leads the Major Leagues in Outfield Assists!!! His batting average is better than both Dimaggio and Mantle. His lifetime hitting of doubles will probably never be broken.
Tristium Speaker was born in 1888 in Texas. His first Major League club was the Boston Red Sox where he became a leading hitter and outfielder . While he was there he helped Boston to win 2 World Championships.
However, it was not until he was traded to Cleveland in 1916 that Mr. Speaker really became a legend. He played centerfield and later was asked to be Player-Manager of the Cleveland Indians. He directed the team in an extraordinary season in 1920 to become the World Series Champions. For you that don't know, please Google October 10, 1920.
Tris Speaker's life is well documented in this book. Please read it. You will learn that everything baseball does not reside in the Bronx!!!!

Tris Speaker is probably the best baseball player (excluding Negro League greats like Oscar Charleston) who has been largely forgotten by the public today. Even most casual baseball fans have at least heard of Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Walter Johnson, but you mention Tris Speaker in any baseball discussion, you are likely to get blank stares in return. This is a shame as Spoke (as he is called) was truly one of baseball's greatest players. Timothy Gay has written a solid biography that is equal parts the story of Spoke's life and a history of the early era of baseball. One thing I really liked about this book was that it was partly a story about Spoke as a player, but I also learned a great deal about Spoke as a person. Spoke grew up in small town Texas before the turn of the century. It is interesting that he started his professional career in Boston, which couldn't possibly have been any further from his roots. Gay makes a great deal of Speaker's antipathy toward Catholics, blacks, and everyone who would have been out of place in his Texas hometown. I think that Spoke's time in Boston was very difficult for him personally, and he was often in conflict (i.e. fisticuffs) with many of his teammates, but it ultimately made him the man that he became (eventually marrying a Catholic woman!). Spoke's best seasons were with the Red Sox (where he was a contemporary of the Bambino), but he really came into his own when he went to the Indians (guiding them to one of their two World Series pennants). I think that he always felt more comfortable in Cleveland, remaining active in that city long after his baseball days were over. Spoke's reputation was severely tarnished by his involvement in a gambling scandal. Gay discusses this at length and suggests that Spoke may have become one of the greatest managers had he not been tainted by gambling (he was effectively banished from the game after 1926). Gay ultimately indicts all the participants: the players, the management, the owners, in the sad saga of gambling during the second and third decade of the 20th century. He makes a strong case that Spoke (and even the Black Sox) paid a heavy price for the sins of many. The taint from gambling may in part explain why Spoke is not so well known today. In any case, this is a solid, if not uniquely outstanding, bio of a great player and I think will be of interest to any baseball fan regardless of how much they know (or don't know) about the deadball era. This tends toward a scholarly book (detailed, well documented), I certainly wouldn't characterize it as a light read.

Mr. Gay has written one of the better baseball books I have ever read. Tris Speaker is a great read. The author weaves the history of the game and its relationship with Speaker. As a Red Sox fan, I've always been interested in learning more about Speaker and this book filled that void.
Great job.

This is probably the best baseball bio I've read yet. Unlike many other bios of renowned players of the past that delve into the playing statistics of the subject, this one does it's share of that but also touches on the life of his subject outside of the game, the attitudes of the nation, city, and people of the time, and the evolvement of those attitudes during and after the course of the subject's career.

I recommend this book to anyone who may be interested in Speaker, the deadball era, or just baseball in general. Thumbs up from me.

"Log of a Cowboy" is as advertised, a simply written narrative of a trail drive, as straight-forward as its cowboy hero. While not great literature (or is it?), it has a freshness that makes it fun to read. The sheer labor of the trail drives made them heroic! The image of hundreds of trail herds making their way north is awesome.
Many modernizations of Andy Adams' original novel have been made. This one is easily readable and very enjoyable. Jack Hannah's song based on it, "Trail Drive", is true to this story that tells of trail boss Flood and the trail hands' adventures in Dodge City, as they "trail 'em slow" to Montana.
If you yearn for a simpler time, love adventure, remember "Wagon Train" and "Rawhide" fondly, or just want to be transported to another life, this book will do it.

I was expecting a little more excitement in this book than what I read. I was a little disappointed, to the point that I almost didn't bother to finish it. I wouldn't buy this book again if I had the chance.

I'd give The Log of a Cowboy 5 stars as an excellent story of life on the cattle drive trails. It's a great read...
But, the quality of this particular edition is very poor.
Blurry print, ink blotches, and even some unreadable sections, makes this edition a poor choice. It looks as though someone just ran the text through a poor quality copier.
Given a price of $38.00, I would certainly expect better.
Try any of the paperback editions, and avoid this one.

I have completely lost track of the number of editions and printings I have seen of this book, over the years, and a quick search with Google will produce a number of different free e-texts available on-line. However, almost every edition known to me is missing an introduction; there is therefore (1) no information about the author, and (2) no information as to whether what we have is a novel written in documentary style, or an actual nonfiction account of a typical trail drive in the early 1880s.

Well, folks, it's a novel, as the largely symbolic names for the characters might indicate: Priest, Flood, Officer, Strayhorn, Forrest, Blades, Wheat, Straw, etc., etc. I finally got around to reading it, and enjoyed it. Nothing spectacular or overdrawn--- it would not be surprising to discover that every incident is based on something that directly happened to the author or one of his cowboy sidekicks during his trail-herding days. All the classic situations are here, including visits to Dodge City and Oglalla, fiendishly difficult river crossings, stampedes, rustlers, con-men and segundos, chuck wagons and remudas, saloon gunfights and card-sharping. The number of 20th Century western authors who turned to this 1903 novel to obtain some authentic details to insert into their own trail-drive sequences is probably also close to uncountable.

"The Log of a Cowboy" was published in 1903 and tells the story of a five month long trail drive that took the circle-dot long horns from just a little south of Brownsville up into the Indian territory of the Blackfoot Agency - a 'pasear' of nearly 3000 miles.

When I came to this book, I didn't exactly know what to expect. The only other western I had read since childhood was "The Virginian", a book that seemed very fictional (although I enjoyed it greatly). "Log of a Cowboy" is entirely different. It reads more like an autobiography -- which some historians have suggested it is. Certainly there is an authentic feel to the book that is unmistakable. Rather than being over the top, the stampedes and gun battles are underplayed, although they certainly maintain their own levels of excitement.

My own response to the book: I found it hard to put it down. The story was full of adventure and cow and cowboy trivia and it was just plain fun. I ended my read with a great deal more respect for the cowboy and his craft. Who knew that cattle liked to bed down on higher terrain?!?

Five Stars. Despite being fiction, "Log of a Cowboy" remains a wonderful historical resource. Persons interested in the Old West should find it a satisfying read, although they should not expect a overly polished presentation. And for those who are considering this book for younger readers it should be noted that there are some very non-PC(politically correct) speech and actions. This book was, afterall, written over one hundred years ago.

~reviewed by Pam T.~

I've lost count of the number of books that I have read on ancient warfare, especially those featuring Hannibal and/or Caesar and accepted most that they were realistic reporting on history as we understood it - without ever really questioning the sources on which these books were based.

Then I picked up this marvel of historical analysis. I can say without reservation that Delbrück is quite simply the first historian of ancient warfare that I've encounted that actually ANALYSES the material that he is writing about.

His analysis of the Battles of Cannae and Pharsalus (to mention but two examples) are brilliant for their exacting detail and consideration of factors other than sheer numbers makes this work really stand out. I could write a book about how good this book is (and I suspect many have), but suffice to say that if you have an interest in ancient warfare and want to read something that will really get you thinking then this is one book that you do not want to miss.

I can't wait for the 2nd volume to arrive so I can get stuck into that as well.

While Delbruck does offer some interesting theories, his scheptic attitude toward Roman historians, ie Livy, while not to be taken too literally, does offer some merit. Hans simply tends to call " fable" to many Roman achievments. For instance, the punitive expedition to recover the Roman standards after the disaster of the teutoburger forest in 15 AD. by Germanicus resulting in Arminius's defeat... Hans also calls "phalanx" to caesar's formations in the battle of pharsalus?? Clearly by this time the Romans had abandoned the Phalanx! He also does not believe the Romans used manipular formations after the battle of Cannae, belittles the achievments of Marcellus after Cannae. Offers no tactical explanation on how the Romans defeated Hasdrubal at the Metarus!

If you want a revisonist view, read this book, otherwise I would'nt take it seriously.

This book and its sister volumes are a must have for any serious or amature historian. He is methodical in the extreame in fully backing up the conclusions he reaches. Some may be upset by his debunking of long held myths i.e. Barbarian numerical superiority in battles with Rome, and many people will confuse his use of terminology but he never makes a claim with out strong support. You will rarely see such research and footnoting in the commonly free-wheeling military history world. One commentor attacked his use of the term Phalanx for example. It is unfortunate that so many people have fallen into incorrect common references for such fundamental ancient battle formations. Delbruck is absolutely correct in his use of the term Phalanx since its correct usage is to reference the mass of the formed infantry in any ancient army and not individual units as so many have come to believe as a result of poor scholarship by many casual historians. This is a particular problem in the wargaming world where much terminology, phalanx among them, is incorrectly used. In fact Delbruck does one of the best jobs you will find pointing out the reasons to be skeptical regarding army size reports through out history and is very methodical in showing where these exagerations most notably occur and why. He does all this while not dismissing the core importance of the first hand accounts he is referencing. If you want to begin to understand ancient warfare this is the book you should start with and all others should be held to its high standard.

Splitting the classical era into two separate volumes was an ingenious move. Delbruck allowed himself enough room to explore the downfall of the Roman Empire (and clear up some misconceptions about it) and the warfare of the Germanic tribes that had become the Roman armies. The bad side to this work is that it focuses exclusively on Europe, leaving aside any investigation of what was going on in the Eastern portion of the Empire -- events that led to the recruitment of the Germans. This should not dissuade you too much from reading this book. It is important to keep in mind that Delbruck was doing all of this on his own, without assistance (and often in the face of opposition) or previous scholars to rely upon. If Dlebruck's "Germanness" is disappointing, his scholarship is still amazing.

The debate over the accuracy of Delbruck's revisionist approach to historical battle accounts aside, Warfare in Antiquity is an impressive effort by a meticulous author.

First of all, it should be made clear that these volumes are not "History of War" or "the Art of War", but "History of the Art of War." That is, you must already have or be prepared to obtain a historical context for the subject matter - Delbruck spends virtually no time providing background or summaries of the subject matter. In addition, Dulbruck does not address (at least, in his initial volumes) how war ought to be waged (ala Clausewitz). Rather, the focus of his work in on the evolution of the art of war employed at key historic events.

These volumes are at their most engaging in the study of ancient warfare. The analysis of the evolution of tactics in response to weapons, fighting styles, population, and geography is fascinating.

I have two major gripes with these books (and yes, I realize the author is long dead and unable to satisfy my deficiencies): First is the serious need of editing and revision. So much information is crammed into the footnotes, addenda, and revised responses that it makes the read of each chapter something like transcendant deja-vu. It makes for a multi-tiered reading experience that is quite unique, and disconcerting. Secondly, a few diagrams, maps, or plots would have been extremely helpful. I'm afraid that I'm a product of an educational system that limits my ability to conceptually distinguish between knolls, hillocks, rises, and a plain-old hill.

As to Delbruck's penchant for demythologizing ancient battles, I can only say that he is fairly convincing, most notably with regard to Marathon.

This book was so interesting as it brought back memories of living on General's Row and actually living in Quarters 10. Everything in the book is so factual: the teenagers living on the third floor, the large front staircase and the immensity of the historical home, the gifts left anonymously at the back doors during holidays and illnesses and upon moving into Generals' Row. It was an excellent mystery story also, although our "General's Daughter" is glad she was not the victim!! This book was brought to our attention by our son's friend who married the author's sister.

What an excellent book! As someone who grew up in Shreveport, so close to Barksdale Air Force Base, and with both a father and brother active in the Air Force, this was an especially entertaining read for me: to imagine such treachery and duplicity playing out in such close proximity!! I do not feel it is insulting in the least to military spouses, rather I think the authors ingeniously blend elements of reality with fiction, including an array of bizarre characters, in order to create a mystery novel that is both fun, clever, and captivating for persons from any walks of life!!! (Besides, who wants to read about incessant moving, commissary shopping and deployments?!?)

My hat, or flight cap, I should say, is off to the authors, who, judging by this exceptional novel, lead much MUCH more than sad, limited lives! GENERAL'S ROW IS TRULY A MUST READ!!!!!!!!!

Christmas is coming and the geese are getting... They, and everyone else on my list, are getting copies of Generals Row. This fast-paced mystery has a holiday setting without all the schmaltz and tinsel. The wit is as light as the candle luminaries lining the walk to the General's mansion. Two self-proclaimed detectives frolic through the Christmas season while cutting through military and government red tape to solve a murder. (Another Plus: This paperback fits in holiday stockings!)

This is one of my all time favorite books! I could not put it down! Being an Air Force wife myself,I loved reading about and relating to military life.The characters are wonderful and the plot did not disappoint. I immediately ran out and bought copies for my friends as well as the second book Barksdale Blues, which is equally outstanding! Kudos to Margie and Amanda for their witty, charming piece of work. We want more!

While buying a second copy of General's Row to send to my aunt I was amused to read a recent review regarding the lack of realism and the stereotyping of Air Force wives. Obviously this reader falls into a stereotypical category of her own, the Air Force wives that are envious of others' success and too petty to recognize fun when they see it. Perhaps a literature refresher is needed: fiction means "not-true". As a B-52 pilot, I am qualified to say that there are quite a few women who meet these stereotypes on just about every base, the Air Force is a melting pot of diverse and interesting people. My wife listened to the authors speak at the Military Child Coalition Convention and the authors described the characters as a combination of several friends and acquaintances, one of whom was present and quite proud of her role. This book is not meant to be a sociological journal on military life, it is meant to be a light-hearted, easy read. My wife and her church group eagerly await the authors' next installment. Well done!

Superb. So well written. Needless to say, Stegner writes of areas he has known first hand, rivers he has navigated and the depth of times and places only he seems capable of knitting together. A must-read for Western American historians and those having just general interest. Reminds one of Bechloss' Undaunted Courage, although slightly different considering the time written and the base purposes of the journeys.
Sandy Greenblat

Once upon a time in the West, a man named William Gilpin was blown westward along with an expedition of John Fremont that took him as far as Walla Walla, Wash. In 1846 he fought in the Mexican War. In 1861 he went to Washington, DC, after Abraham Lincoln was elected. Later he became the first territorial governor of Colorado. Once upon a time, Gilpin saw the land beyond the 100th meridian (which runs through the center of Nebraska and Kansas) through a mystical fervor. The semiarid lands were no desert, but a pastoral Canaan. Agriculture would be effortless. All that was needed was the plow break the soil so that rain would naturally follow.

At the same time that Gilpin was convincing the country that the West was a Biblical Paradise, an exploration party headed by John Wesley Powell was camped a few miles from Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was 1868. At this time Powell was not the pioneer that Gilpin was, and he was 34 compared to Gilpin's 55. Powell's interests were always varied. In 1860 his *mollusk* collection won awards at the Illinois State Agricultural Society fair. In 1861, he volunteered to join the army in the Civil War. Within six months he rose through the ranks to become a captain, an expert on *fortifications*. In April of 1862, Powell lost an arm due to a Minie ball at Shiloh. Powell continued through the war. In 1865, Powell began a professorship in *geology* at Wesleyan.

Powell began his exploration of the Green and Colorado rivers on July 6,1869. On August 30, 1869, only six of nine men and two of four boats managed to go all the way through the Grand Canyon to come out near Yuma, Az. The rest of the Colorado had already been explored. In a few short months, John Wesley Powell had gathered enough data to challenge Gilpin's portrayal of the West. For the rest of his life, he would try to convince Congress of what he had learned about the proper way to treat the land beyond the 100th meridian.

Powell's geological and *ethnological* work and his study of Native American *languages* continue today to form the basis for our understanding of these subjects for southern Utah and northern Arizona.

Almost everything that could be done wrong in the development of the modern American West (and not just the Rockies westward, but the High Plains as well) was warned against by Maj. John Wesley Powell, but done anyway by the federal government and various states.

The result? Water crises, fights over water rights, lying, chicanery and stealing in the name of water rights, corporate farms squeezing out small farmers, urban sprawl and smog in the middle of deserts, dust bowls and more, were either forseen or hinted at by Powell.

The 100th meridian of latitude is the U.S.'s "dry line." Areas to the west, generally, before you get to the Pacific Coast, average less than 20 inches of rain a year. Hence the title, and the basis of Powell's warnings.

And, AND, all of that came after this one-armed Civil War veteran led the first navigation of the entire whitewater section of the Colorado, actually starting on the Green River in Wyoming and running all the way down past the Grand Canyon. (Despite some claims otherwise, it seems pretty clear James White did NOT do this.)

It was this trip, in the name of scientific research, that gave Powell his standing to eventually found the Bureau of Ethnography, do further Western research and make some top-notch recommendations for the development of the west.

The reason I didn't five-star this is that I would like to have seen a little more depth to Powell's post-exploration career. Also, a little more personality profile of Powell's struggle with disappointment over the Newlands Act and other repudiation of his ideas would have been nice.

True, Stegner may not be a professional historian, but it would have been nice to see him incorporate this.

To get an idea of what I mean by the end of this critique, please read Donald Worster's "River Running West." Also, Worster provides a bit of corrective to Stegner's occasional near-hagiographical approach to Powell.

I re-read this book and Powell's own "Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons" over the Holidays and have decided that these 2 books are absolutely inseparable. You must read both and I'm glad to see that Amazon offers a special deal for the purchase of these 2 books together. In my opinion, you should read Powell's "Exploration..." first and then read Stegner's book. Stegner's book is very readable but I hesitate to call it an easy read. While you are reading this book, you have to stop now and then to absorb and reflect on the opinions, actions, and counteractions of that particular moment. Everything must be placed in some historical, political, and personal context (3 dimensions which necessitate contemplation by the reader). Stegner does a wonderful job in maintaining the general flow of the text and he supplies an extensive listing of notes for those who want more information and detail. In my opinion, this is a wonderful book about a brilliant man with incredible foresight. Now, it seems that we need a beacon like Powell warning the Easterners about their relentless development of land with no thought or planning on the impact to their water resources and water quality. Most folks in the Eastern U.S. take their water resources for granted. We need a modern day Powell to warn us about the consequences of increased impervious area before its too late.

This is an excellent biography of John Wesley Powell--exlorer, geologist, scientist, writer, and politician.
Anyone who reads this is sure to increase the amount they know about this historic figure, and about the West in general as the stories of each are inextricably tangled. The book excels at its account of John Wesley Powell's life AFTER his famous trips down the Colorado River, and does a great job of describing Powell's role in the battle against over-populating the West.
If the book has faults though, they lie in that many of Stegner's sources have since been expounded upon or dismissed entirely, and so the facts in this book aren't entirely current. Also, Stegner dismisses too quickly the merits of the story of James White, a man who very possibly went down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon two years before Powell did.
And, it's kind of ridiculous how Stegner criticizes Powell's second expedition's photos as if they were famous works and art: This photo "is marred by too much nondescipt low-water beach in the foreground," and that sort of thing.
This is a great book for anyone interested in John Wesley Powell or the Colorado River. It's possibly Stegner's best nonfiction work, though "Mormon Country" is good as well.
For another great account of John Wesley Powell, read "Down the Great Unknown" by Edward Dolnick.
Or, for a half-decent book about Wallace Stegner's peculiarly white view of the American West, read, "'Why I Can't Read Wallace Stegner' and Other Essays" by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. That one's kind of interesting.

I am new to Gothic literature. I recently read "The Monk," and enjoyed it so much I decided to try some more. I liked "Dracula" but Radcliffe's sobbing Emily in the "Mysteries of Uldopho" left me cold. So I tried the Melmoth. This book has everything. It stars Melmoth the Wanderer who made a deal with the devil and wanders the earth looking for someone to take the bargain off his hands. The protestant anti-catholicism that runs through the Monk is twice as entertaining in Melmoth as in "The Monk" and the depictions of depraved clergy are even better. Some of Melmoth's screeds against, Catholicism, Christianity itself, and all human endeavor sounded too sincere for me to believe that it didn't come from some dark place in the heart of the apparently religious author.

I thought the nested stories would annoy me, but they didn't. The stories are not hard to follow, although as others have noted, Maturin can go on a bit. They say this is the last of the Gothic novels. I can see why. Melmoth killed the genre. After Melmoth, there was nothing left to say.

This book is not for the faint of intellect. It is the most challenging book I have ever read. I never thought I'd ever read a more difficult book than "War and Peace" but it was a breeze when compared to Maturin's heavily laced oblique referencing and sub-sub-subplots. This took me a year to read because each chapter would leave me feeling dizzy in trying to comprehend the storyline. The book wasn't at all what I had expected (a linear Gothic thriller). Nevertheless, the book was the most edifying experience I've had in reading a fictional novel. Maturin takes you to the Spanish Inquisition, the Great Fire of London, the craggy shores of Ireland, and to remote desert islands. At the same time he tells you an extensive history of each time and situation. I wish that more horror authors were as dedicated as him in creating eccentrically elaborate plots with extensive research invested into the story. Maturin's research makes the novel incredibly rich in realism and his characters are very believable. My only complaint with the Penguin edition is the thick section of explanatory notes at the end of the novel. I like to get as much as I can out of the text by reading commentary and notes but it was annoying how many times I had to flip back to the 50 page section of notes. Most of the references I didn't really care about or see how they were relevant to understanding the storyline. I can understand why some of the references are there, but for the layman they are mostly unnecessary. Read the references if you're the "scholarly type", otherwise skip them. This book is a challenge. Read it if you like challenging plots. Don't feel bad if Maturin's narrative makes you sleepy. This is far from a page turner. It is a thriller, and terrifying, but not while you read it. It will sink in on a subconscious level and will linger with you for years, even if it takes you years to finish.

I found the introduction extremely informative and helpful, and well structured with "chapter headings". Sage's learned and informative frequent footnotes are also extremely helpful at all times, the fruit of his own extensive research into this landmark work, the motherlode of so much that follows up to our fallen post-literate times.

From the start you can see the heavy influence this work had on so many later Irish and English novelists, and yet the author died in grinding poverty and rejection (hey, so did Joyce and other IRish novelists who CREATE a new form of writing).

It is amazing to read this novel and see how very much Maturin influenced so many other supposedly more modern writers, and what a delightful and complex writer he is. You will not put this enormous book down. It is a joy and a fiery flame. It has much to say about how our institutions, including religious, kill, and even speaks to the current fashionable dehumanization of Islam.

An amazingly brilliant and "modern" work only two hundred years old and still living large and hard! Looks like this novel made the same deal with the devil! I only wish his other brilliant works, like the Wild Irish Boy trilogy were still available, and Bertram at an affordable price

Among the many Gothic novels of English literature, "Melmoth the Wanderer" would require considerable patience on reader's side. Not that Charles Maturin's book is very boring; each of the stories in the long narrative per se is interesting, often intense and even funny. But unlike Gothic novels written by Ann Radcliffe or Matthew `Monk' Lewis, the book's unique narrative method is not for everyone's taste. In short, it never goes straight. Maturin gave the book this title -- `Melmoth the WANDERER" -- and his title is an apt one..

The novel (published in 1820) begins with an episode in 1816 when a young student John Melmoth (not the titular Melmoth) visits his dying uncle, and there he finds a manuscript in which a strange tale is recorded about one Stanton who lived in 17th century London. You might expect the real story begins with this manuscript, but things are not so simple. Maturin gives twists to this typical narrative device by not directly following the story of Melmoth, a man who traded his soul with ... well, you know what.

Unlike Radcliffe's "The Italian," you don't find a traditional, linear narrative here. The manuscript and the other characters narratives after that are frequently interrupted by blotted out spots or another story, which begins without picking up the threads of previous narrators. The book looks like pieces of stories put together like "The Arabian Nights," and you have to wait for Melmoth who always appears at the crucial moment of the life of the narrator or the protagonist of the narrative.

So we read terrifying stories about the shipwreck, Spanish Inquisition, impoverished family in Madrid or Immalee, beautiful innocent girl living alone in India, but of them are directly related to each other except the presence of mysterious Melmoth who offers something to those who suffer. Some stories are embedded in another story and at times you are reading a story-within-story-within-story (like Jan Potocki's amazing "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa.") The narrative structure is not an easy one to grasp and sometimes we don't know where we are now. But that is exactly the point of the book.

The character of Melmoth is also very enigmatic. He is given many chances to speak, and he speaks pretty much, but what happened to him or why he has to wander is not explicitly told by anyone. He doesn't speak, but whisper evil words. He remains in the shadow, but we sense his accursed presence. We come to know him by putting together various narratives. The process is toilsome, but rewarding in the end.

There are familiar Gothic themes in "Melmoth the Wonderer" - Inquisition, subterranean passages, imprisonment, etc. Maturin is good at using them, but his book's strength lies in the gripping descriptions of dark sides of humans, and the character of wild-eyed Melmoth who derides and tempts the hearers in agony with a sinister voice. If you're interested in Gothic novels and characters like Faust, "Melmoth the Wonderer" would not disappoint you.

Simply put, this book is a tedious, crashing bore. It might do as an example of how NOT to write a book, but there is really no redeeming value otherwise.

The greatest problem with the work is the "nested" narratives, as one reviewer refers to them, that comprise the book. First, a shipwrecked ex-monk begins to tell Melmoth's descendent his (long, tedious, uninteresting) story. Then, fleeing from the Spanish Inquisition and hiding in an underground series of caverns, he begins to translate a book. The narrative then shifts to said book, where we begin the "Tale of The Indians". In the middle (more or less) of this tale the narrative shifts once again to Melmoth The Wanderer himself who tells the story of "The Guzman Family" and "The lovers' tale". Finally, the "Tale of the Indians" reaches its conclusion after these drawn-out interruptions. Subsequently-you guessed it-the narrative shifts again (it's not clear at this point if it's back to the book (which is never mentioned again) or to the narrative of the ex-monk. Then, we have a sort of anticlimactic conclusion. The great problem in all these narratives is that the authorial voice NEVER CHANGES, not one scintilla. It's still Marturin telling the tale, without even an attempt to alter the style or voice of the telling to the series of changing raconteurs.

Marturin supposedly started this work as an extension of a sermon he preached. I think that is the only way to understand it or appreciate it, (if you're given to such things) as an anti-Catholic, anti-free-thinking screed against all who aren't devout (non-Catholic) Christians. If you truly believe in the Lake of Fire and the damnation of souls for pursuing knowledge.- Instead of seated on a prayer stool, where one obviously ought to be-this is the book for you.-Heretics need not apply---Otherwise, for the sane reader, a colossal waste of time and attention.

Let me aver here (and commend to same sane reader) that the truly great and classic novel of this sort is James Hogg's Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner: A truly eerie account of religious obsession, with profound and haunting psychological/spiritual insight, that will leave even the most modern reader chilled and thoughtful.

This book is actually in two parts. The first half is a biography of sorts of the half Sioux, half white scout Mitch Boyer, who served with various military units on the Plains beginning in the 1850s and ended his life with George A. Custer at the Little Big Horn in June 1876. The second half is a detailed, at some points even minute-by-minute, account of Custer's Last Stand. Examining all the evidence (though disregarding but not totally dismissing the archaeological evidence that was just being made known in the 1980s), John S. Gray reconstructs the last week or so of Custer's campaign, concentrating especially on the afternoon of June 25 when Custer and the Seventh Cavalry met their demise.

A scientific historian, Gray introduces time-motion graphs to depict the movements of troops and Indians on the battlefield. More constructive for me are the itinerary tables that do pretty much the same thing but in a different configuration. Gray theorizes a general counter-clockwise movement of Custer's troops from the Medicine Tail Coulee to Calhoun Hill and eventually to Custer Hill where (Custer's) Last Stand occurred. His interpretation follows pretty much the standard one (challenged more recently by archaeological reports which extends troop movements beyond Custer Hill). He believes the testimony of Indian scout Curley, who had been with Custer right up to the early action on Custer Hill and then left the scene about a half hour before the final moments of the fight, was generally accurate and valid, though misinterpreted by interviewers at the time. Gray must be commended for insisting that what happened during the last half hour of the fight must remain conjecture only, since hardcore evidence is lacking.

It's hard to imagine a more thorough examination of events surrounding this single battle could be made (that will not stop others from trying, I'm sure), and Gray's account might be the closest we get to what actually happened (barring the uncovering of future evidence or revelations made by archaeological findings). Too detailed to be one's first book on the Little Big Horn fight, it will surely be devoured by anyone with a strong interest and some already acquired background information concerning the battle. An important study, highly recommended.

Essentially a physicist's interpretation of the Battle of Little Bighorn, author John S. Gray's "Custer's Last Campaign: Mitch Boyer and the Little Bighorn Reconstructed" is a fascinating account of one of the most storied battles ever to take place on American soil. And this was a battle, with more than 350 men, women and children killed in the span of two furious hours on the dusty slopes of 1876 southeast Montana.

This is not a book for beginners of Custer/Montana lore. It can be extremely tedious at times as Gray utilizes time-motion studies to piece together the puzzle of what happened during the Seventh Calvary's final minutes. Since every man of the U.S. Army was killed during this prong of the battle, there are no eyewitness military accounts. Yes, hundreds of Native Americans survived, but few spoke of this battle for fear of punishment and hatred of Anglo historians. Crazy Horse, one of the few Native American leaders during this confrontation, was assassinated a week after arriving on the reservation. So this very important man's account was never taken. Thus, we are left with a hodgepodge of hazy Native American reconstructions.

Visiting the battlefield today, which stretches over several miles, solemn white headstones mark the spot where bodies of the Seventh Calvary were found. The location of these stones are included in Gray's complex, mathematical equations. What he's intricately pieced together, with the help of eyewitness accounts, archaeological digs and his own analytical mind, is a realistic result of this unusual battle. His conclusions are perhaps outside of the realm of what people would consider today.

The myth surrounding Custer and Little Bighorn has been shaped by such matinee films as "They Died With Their Boots On," "Little Big Man" and television's "Son of the Morning Star." These films portray Custer as headstrong, vain, heroic and, in one case, a tad insane. But each version, thematically forged by the decade it was filmed, portrays Custer fighting gallantly to the last, standing alone in buckskins while angrily firing his pistol at the approaching Native American hordes. Custer, as if performing the concluding act of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," falls dead to the ground in bloody, poetic, slow motion. It makes for a great painting hanging above the neighborhood bar.

The reality, revealed by Gray's novel, is Custer did indeed have a battle plan rather than making a vain stab at glory. But his forces were simply overwhelmed, chaos ensued, and panicking men were run down like herds of buffalo. It's not very poetic, but has war truly ever been? To understand America's fascination with this battle, one must first read Evan S. Connell's "Son of the Morning Star," one of the greatest historical nonfiction novels ever written.

Gray discards such weighty wisdom like an old blanket, and scientifically gets to the root of what actually happened. A Last Stand does indeed take place on Custer Hill, where Custer's body was found. Survivors panic, some commit suicide, and Boyer and company frantically run west, fighting and killing in a froth-like animal panic. But west is towards the Native American village they were attacking in the first place. They are then desperately cornered in a ravine, a small gully which can be stared at to this very day.

When the U.S. Army rides into a primitive village, shooting defenseless women and children, the primitive man will fight back if for no other reason than to protect their families. Like poking a stick into an ant hill, Custer and his Seventh Calvary were overwhelmed, the sorry battle ending in a ditch. Men attempted to claw their way out, perhaps asking themselves how they ended up in such a remote location, dying the loneliest of deaths.

This battle haunts us for a number of reasons, mainly because of our inhumane treatment of the Native American people. So we obsessively analyze this epic Homerian battle, trying to find a moment of heroism, a brief glimpse to help salve our morally guilty wounds. But all we find in Gray's account is wide-eyed reality, and desperate men crying in a ditch. Gray's novel details these horrors in scientific fashion, and unknowingly provides a glimpse of the dangers of American warrior vanity.

The reader becomes mesmerized and impressed by the thorough and meticulous process of constantly checking witness testimony with known topography and horse/walking/etc. mph rates, then time/motion studies with all possible data examined to see what plausible explanations can be more pushed forward as likely scenarios.

At the center here is the infamous Indian scout, Mitch Boyer and the testimony of the young Curly, survivor with Custer.

Amazing how the evidence Gray presents turns Custer 180o around from what is historically bantered, an aggressive disobiendent hawkish leader. Gray's reconstruction reveals soldier who emphasized and implemented what orders were given to him, to pin the Indians from left flank escape, and all the time awaiting Benteen's company and ammo train, which never arrived in time.

Disappointed that no chronology chain here shown how the followup takes place to discover the battlefield. Possibly Gray's other books on this subject cover that.

Remarkably well written, able to keep this reader's attention easily even with all the careful calculation checks, etc.

After reading the glowing reviews here on this book, I purchased it and went to work on it. I have to say, this is probably the most disappointed I've been in any book in a long time. Yes, the author puts together some impressive time/motion study. And I did gain some insights into both the battle and the causes of the campaign.

However, I found the text very dry. MitchMitch was here. Mitch went there. Mitch did this. Mitch did that. I also was overwhelmed with the details of who was where when. In the middle of all this detail the author has a hard time giving you his main point behind all the statistics.

I also didn't like the huge number of assumptions on speeds he made to arrive at his conclusions. He may well be correct, but anyone can make a theory fit the facts if they toy with the numbers. What is "trotting speed"? What is trotting speed over rough terrain? What is it uphill vs. downhill? Do units trot constantly or make stops now and then? The whole time/motion study thing left me unconvinced. It is at best a theory.

Surprisingly, a minority of the book was about the battle itself. I realize the author may feel it's already been covered. But his concentration on who was where when left way too many details of the participants unrevealed. It came off as very dry. Why did Reno do what he did? Or Benteen? The author made assertions about their motives, but gave relatively little foundation for his assertions, relative to the masses of data on less interesting topics.

I think the author did a great job at what he set out to do. It just wasn't as interesting as I expected. And the lack of detailed battle and campaign maps was disappointing. One gets lost in all the names of various coulees, ridges, knolls, hills, fords, and other bodies of water.

I found the time/motion graphs very difficult to read, with some variables on them not even indicated on the legend. But I did figure them out. I think he could have used a much better layout to show the timeline of events. I kept having to page back to reference previous graphs as he added more information. Past a point the mind can't keep it all organized, and more effective visual aids would have helped.

I was left with many unanswered questions about the battle. Topics such as weapon effectiveness, actual tactics used, etc, he seemed to just ignore in favor of his extensive analysis of who was where at what time.

I have read other books that give much better overlays of what happened and why, but lack the depth of this book. I'm hoping to find one that puts it all together.

This is an outstanding work, and Gray did a great deal of work to piece togather the Indian accounts of the final battle and like his work shows the last stand wasn't on Custer hill, but the rush to the river to escape the attack on Custer hill from behind by Two Moon's force. Two Moon's account doesn't go into much detail and has to be put togather with the other accounts to know Mitch is the one leading the men towards the river after Tom is killed on the Hill by Rain in the Face. Most do agree the last soldier standing at the Custer battlefield was Sgt. Bulter.
The men rushing to the river and death were for the most part E company, Dr. Lord and Mitch Boyer (who was already wounded).

There is only one more mystery of the this battle to be solved and that is the horse found miles away dead and shot in the head by the trooper, with its oat bag full and gear intact (which means someone other than Curly made it out of the battle, which means it had to happen before the final stand and best bet it happen when the horses were chased away from Calhoun and Keogh's command by Crazy Horse's force).

This book was good although extremely hard to read and get through. I only finished it because it was for book club. I would not recommend this classic.

Illumination (1896) has been an underground classic among serious writers and readers since its publication. Although it sold well in its day, it was largely lost to mainstream attention for most of the 20th century. Only in the 1980s did it first start appearing in school settings with the first critical edition by Nebraska Press (and Penguin Press editions around the same time). It has been called an "American classic" by more than one critic and writer.

First, an explanation of the odd title. Frederic intended the title to be simply "Illumination", which it was indeed published as in England, but due to some mis-communication at his (soon to be bankrupt) American publishers - a working draft had the internal working name of "damnation" - it was mistakingly published as "The Damnation of Theron Ware". Later publishers in the 1930s then combined the two into the full title "The Damnation of Theron Ware, Or, Illumination".

This is an important novel and can be critically approached from a number of perspectives. Probably most important and timeless (c.f. Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion" (2006)) is Theron Ware's "Illumination" about truth in religion. Is the value of religion based on the belief in a real God, or just a belief in a god that may not even exist - the existence of which doesn't matter - the value in religion comes from _pretending_ to believe. It is unclear in the end if Sister Soulsby, Forbes and others truly believe, or just pretend to believe, and if it even matters.

The narrative technique of writing from Theron's perspective, hearing in the first person about his own "Illumination" and personal growth (a positive healthy thing it seems to him) - which is then re-played at the end of the novel from other peoples perspective, is very powerful and well crafted. It really makes the reader examine times in their own lives when they thought they were on the right and true path. It has a certain Rashomon theme of subjectivity and what is the truth of events from multiple perspectives.

Although I was a lit major, this book was never on any of my reading lists in college. I chanced upon it when it appeared on my son's required reading for a course..and wow, am I glad I did! It should be a classic, have no idea why it isn't, if only for the detail and insight about church politics and the workings of congregations in the 1800s.
This gem of a novel focuses on Theron Ware, a Methodist minister who has had a less than stellar career, which leads to his current posting in a small, backcountry town. He vows to make a new start and, for a time, things seem to go well. But alas, Theron is less certain than he appears, making him easy prey to those with questionable values and setting him on a parth towards destruction. For the first time in his life, Theron questions his calling, his values and even his marriage.
I couldn't wait to see how this one would end..and I won't give the ending away here. I'll just say that if you pick up this one, you won't be disaapointed.

Although this is a Faustian tale, the redemption is not uncertain-it is completely absent. The much put out Theron faces his new future in the West as a hopeless innocent, only his wife expresses modest doubt about his re-education. Having succcessfully ruined the surprise ending, I can only suggest everyone find a copy of this wonderful novel, set aside a day, and read it straight through. An amazing work from an under appreciated author.

Okay, granted. In some ways, this is pretty thin soup. A short novel, after all, and not by any stretch of the imagination a major novel, certainly not in the sense that Middlemarch or Ulysses are major. But I'd put this on a list of personal favorites. And there are certain second rate novels which for all their second-rateness should not be lost. Frederic lived not too long, accomplished not very much, saw not everything there was to be seen - but in this little fable of a Methodist preacher who never quite got the point, Frederic himself pretty much gets it right. Not a mean achievement for a lifetime, and so one not to be forgotten.