Pacific University Books

Stlyistically this book is palatable to the novice historian who's looking for something beyond "the facts". The author successfully entertains the reader with a melodic progression through the history of a former transient,esoteric, people from outside the bosom of europe. Using the natural tendency of everyone to root for the underdog the reader is lead with elequent prose to read through the successive chapters hoping for the proud and stalwart Magyar to be vindicated with victory only to be denied--but, its history.
"Victory in Defeat" is used often by the author revealing how the history of the Magyar was defined not so much by themselves but by their neighbors. From the defeat of these horseback raiders by the Germans more than a thousand years ago forceing them to leave their hunter gatherer past and accept a agrarian existence, to the crushing defeat under the unstopable juggernaut of Stalins USSR, these people have been forged into a community of realists with the spectre of "what could of been" standing on their souls. Subjugated by no less then the Germans and Turks, and defeated by the Russians at two crucial points in time its ironic that the author reveals that the darkest days of Hungary were not under the heel of a foreigner but from a Hungarian of Jewish decent in the communist post WWII days. Its odd that the author seems critical of the few times in its history Hungary persued a self propagating ideal, especially in the Magyarization period during the later half of the nineteenth century and the nationalistic "Horthy" years.
I think this book falls short in two places. First, it follows a contemporary line of seeing history through the eyes of the most famous and or privlidged personalities of the times they lived which can be a deceptivly narrow perspective, though it can make a more dynamic read. It was refreshing when the author did elucidate the commoners lot during significant periods in Hungary's history, but not enough for my liking. Of course the farther back in histroy the author reaches the harder it is to gauge the average mans life due to lack of info but it should really be the foundation of any historical accounting. Secondly I came away unsatisfied that the Hungarian history is properly expressed due to the fact that a Magyar perspective is relayed from non Magyars of either German or Jewish decent. At the end of the book the author lists a number of persons who left Hungary and made significant contributions to the many sciences but often revealed their non Magyar decent. Thus I can only come to the conclusion that only a true Magyar could relate what is and what is not Magyar and who is and who is not a succesfull Magyar. This book is definatly worth the price and worth owning. But I'd suggest reading as many Hungarian historical books as thier are availabe to gain a rounded view of this elusive people's culture history.

I often wondered why Hungary and Hungarians have such poor public relations, particularly in the US. Unfortunately, this book fails to answer that question. It is a fascinating read, if only because it gives, (in parts) a refreshingly different perspective. In others, unfortunately, the Communist-era interpretation of the author's sources is painfully evident. The many details in the narrative are interesting, partly because the selection of the details reveals the author's biases. There are a number of translation errors I found in the book which naturally led to faulty conclusions. P.e. "Honved"(seg)(hon=home, vedni=to defend) is not the militia, it's the standing army. "Nemzet orseg," (nemzet=nation, orseg=guard) is the militia. All in all however, it was worthwhile to read through the book. It will lead those, who are not familiar with the Magyars to some understanding of the background of this nation although will leave them feel shortchanged in understanding their psyche. I sent a copy of the book to both of my (adult) children together with a 16 page commentary.It is a laudable effort on the part of author Lendvai and by and large I believe it will benefit the Hungarians' image as well.

Well written, detailed, and fascinating history of this often beleaguered but important people and country. My interest is mostly in Ural-Altaic linguistics, which includes Hungarian, which belongs to what is called the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic sub-family, which contains Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian, but I also found I enjoyed picking up some history about the Hungarians and their culture, too. I already had the basics and knew about when they'd first arrived in eastern Europe, and about their later wars with the Tatars, Turks, and Russians, but I learned quite bit more about it from this book.

A little aside here, Hungarians have contributed disproportionately, relative to their numbers, to modern math, physics, and other areas of science. They include greats like mathematician Paul Erdos, who founded the area of discrete mathematics, worked in many areas of pure math, and may have been the most prolific mathmematician who ever lived, with 1500 papers; John von Neumann, who developed game theory and was the inventor of the electronic computer; Edward Teller, the "father of the H-Bomb," and Bela Julesz, a mathematical psychophysicist and researcher in the field of visual perception, and recipient of the prestigious MacArthur "Genius Award." And last but not least, Andy Grove, the former President and CEO for 20 years of Intel Corporation, the famous computer chip-maker, was Hungarian also.

Interestingly, although I'm not Hungarian myself, I have a few connections to some of the above. I'm related to Ernest Lawrence, who invented the cyclotron, or atom smasher, which made possible critical technology for the building of the atom bomb, without which there wouldn't have been the later hydrogen bomb. Lawrence won the Nobel Prize in 1939 for his invention. I worked at Intel for several years, and met Andy Grove. And my immediate boss at Intel was Hungarian too, and he and I used to discuss Hungarian history and culture occasionally, which he used to get a kick out of, since I was the only non-Hungarian he knew with any interest in it.

I also had the pleasure of travelling around Hungary and most of the eastern-bloc countries back in the early 80s, before the wall came down, and found the Hungarian people both worldly and hospitable. It's said that because of their turbulent history, Hungarians approach life realistically and without illusions, and I think I can say this is certainly true based on my own experience.

But getting back to the present book, I wanted to mention one other interesting fact about the Hungarians, which is that they are most closely related to the Ostyak tribes of Siberia. The Ostyaks have the distinction of being the only tribes and villages the Communists couldn't take over and subjugate, and their villages remained politically independent of Moscow throughout the entire communist period.

This book is a well rounded look at a thousand year old country.
It not only tells the story but gives the flavor of people and the times they lived in.

I only regret that the length of the book limited the author in the amount of details he could include.

Hungarian history is largely omitted from college-level courses, at least as a focus on its own: European journalist and television commentator Paul Lendvai corrects this omission with The Hungarians: A Thousand Years Of Victory In Defeat, a comprehensive focus on the Hungarian people once known in Europe as 'huns'. Hungarians became defenders of the Christian West and fought many freedom battles: The Hungarians traces their many achievements, their country's changing history, and how the Hungarians have survived as a people against all odds.

This is a fascinating biography of a man who can truly be considered a "hero in history" because he so personally designed his own life and lived by his own rules and yet had a huge impact. In this sense this is an inspiring biography of a man who in his individualism personified what Western culture is all about. But, the book is also a major contribution to history and social science in that it describes little known events about the war against Japan, the birth of survey data collection, etc. etc. A first rate job of writing and a hard to put down read. Herbert Weiss, Emeritus Professor, City University of New York

What a life! Tom Harrisson is hardly a household name in the US but he was one of those rather well-connected and well-educated British misfits who turned their lack of enthusiasm for the British Isles into a grand adventure. He served the waning empire both as a military man and as a civil servant. The high point of his military doings is the guerrilla war against the Japanese that he organized and fought in Borneo with the local population. That part of his life alone deserves a movie.

After the war he went back to his long standing interests in botany, zoology and ethnography, keeping at some point turtles in his bathroom as part of a study of their migratory habits. All through his life there was much womanizing,boozing and boasting. The latter two mainly got him the reputation that the title of the book refers to. But there was also much serious scholarly work and real concern for the local population he worked closely with. The work produced several publications and a couple of documentary movies.

As Judith Heimann, who knew Harrisson personally and researched his life for about 10 years, tells the story, his contributions to ethnography have been underrated because of his unorthodox methods and his knack for making enemies. Of course, without that approach he would be a much less interesting character and a less engaging writer: after having read this book, one is actually curious about reading Harrisson's own books.

However, don't skip this biography. It is a great read: carefully researched, well-written and not over-interpreted as so may biographies tend to be these days.

Tom Harrisson did more different things in his life than any human being should be allowed to, and did them all outstandingly. And Judith Heimann does a remarkable job of following across continents and professions as he goes from one amazing adventure to the next. He was a war hero, an anthropologist, a naturalist, a pollster and much else. He was also a very difficult person who alienated many people, left a trail of broken hearts, and sorely neglected his children. But he was one of the most colorful and memorable men of his generation, and Heimann's terrific research and fine writing takes you along for an astounding ride. Once you've met Tom, you won't forget him.

If the purpose of a book is to inform, entertain and delight - Ms. Heimann's book rates A+. Tom Harrisson must have been one of the most gifted persons of the 20th Century. His contributions in many fields of science were incredible. In his early 20's he became a veteran of scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Borneo with oustanding treatises on ornithology to his credit. His scientific pursuits only began there. He provided basic work, inter alia, in sociology, anthropology, ethnology as well as market research and documentary filmmaking! He was too brilliant for formal training and avoided it all his life to the chagrin and jealousy of many with degrees.

An outstanding leader in WWII, he formed a small army of headhunters with deadly blowguns to drive the Japanese from the jungles of Borneo. This he did with a handful of losses while inflicting casualties in the thousands on the Japanese. Harrisson was no diplomat and often seemed to enjoy rubbing people the wrong way. Although his enemies were legion, he had a way with women. The book's title provides the kernel of his story. From Henry V, the full quotation is:

But if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive.

This book demands reading.

It seems impossible to imagine capturing the full and complex life of this man in book form but Heimann has done so - carrying out Harrrison's own plan for his autobiography. He had intended to be to be "self-pitiless", and this accountspares us no `warts'- but what fascinating warts! I am convinced that he would have been profoundly grateful to the author for this recording of his life. Only when fairly measured against the flaws of character and errors of judgment can we fully appreciate his amazingly varied contributions to human knowledge (on human behavior as well as that of birds,orangutans, turtles...) He said of himself that his greatest task was to keep up with himself but he gave it a gallant try, writing as much as 8000 words a day on a wide variety of subjects. One of his better known exploits was the creation of a team which discreetly observed the British public during WW II, getting a feel for the people's frame of mind, in ways that make today's polls look slapdash and superficial.

Heimann makes it clear why Harrisson was more comfortable during his many years in Borneo (among other difficult travels) than he was back `home' in England, happier in the long houses with the various tribes he came to know and love, getting drunk with them and carousing with their women. His beloved tribesmen later gathered to help rid the Island of the Japanese near the end of the war (some using their blow pipes).

The knowledge he acquired was never fully accepted by the academic community, due to his lack of formal training, but as Heiman points out, he contributed more to our knowledge of both anthropology and archaeology of Sarawak, where he was a museum curator among other things, than was garnered by specialists in either field in other areas of Southeast Asia. Throw in ornithology - his first love as a student - always a strong interest....and protection of orangutans, and green sea turtles.

Harrisson had incredible energy, and an amazing lack of requirements for personal comfort, suffering every imaginable discomfort and disease, walking miles through jungle, climbing mountains at a brisk pace, and expecting the same from his behind-the-lines soldiers in the interior of Borneo during the war. He would eat anything, without complaint - had good survival skills! But in what is referred to as polite sociey he often behaved outrageously, being rude, picking fights and in fact being "the most offending soul alive." He had a dreadful talent for offending people who were later able to get back at him and cause a great deal of harm.

This review could go on and on - buy the book! I am simply amazed at the amount of research that Ms. Heimann has done; there is no stone unturned, yet all this is laid out for us with no unwelcome suppositions on her part - he left plenty of traces without having to invent them - rather one feels led along by someone with a wise and balanced understanding of her subject. Some books about extraordinary people leave disappointing, pale images - the reader longs for a quick glimpse of the real McCoy. Heimann has been able to bring us Tom Harrisson alive and kicking, even while including the immense amount of details that needed to be sorted through and pulled together to describe his life. Bravo!

This book is about a trial during WWII. The defendants are Black Soldiers. The vicitim is an Italian prisoner of war. The author does a great job telling the story of this racially charged trial, and the injustce that resulted. I had never heard of the events that are chronicled in this book, but it was certainly a dark hour in American justice. It was a fast entertaining read. I found this suprising considering how factually oriented the book is. Overall, it is a really good book.

The subtitle of On American Soil says it all: Murder, the Military, and How Justice Became a Casualty of World War II. Seattle journalist James Hamman stumbled onto "a story" 18 years ago about an Italian soldier dying while in a prisoner of war camp in Seattle-and finally wrote the story when the documents were declassified.

Some Italian soldiers had been captured after years of toiling under Fascist rule, fighting without buying into the politics. Over 200 of the POWs, those who were not troublemakers, were moved to a camp near Seattle. These prisoners made up the Italian Service Unit (ISU) where they did the work of American soldiers, dressed in plain uniforms.

The Italians were allowed to go into town to visit Italian-American homes for a family dinner. Also in this encampment were the black soldiers, whose primary job was loading and unloading ships (thus called Port soldiers). A small scuffle ensued one night after three Italians returned to the camp. The black soldiers were furious with how poorly they were treated as American soldiers-and the privileges the POWS had.

The alarm went out to deal with the Italians who had hurt "one of our boys." A riot ensured for almost an hour, without MPs arriving, and violence was meted out without discerning if they were badly beating Italian or American soldiers.

The camp commander was so embarrassed by the riot-and lack of response by the MPs, that he ordered everything cleaned up immediately-removing fingerprints and other evidence needed to deal with the intruding soldiers. More than 40 black soldiers were charged for the riot.

On American Soil becomes the story of how one Italian POW was found hung. At first it was ruled a suicide, unlikely as that seemed as there were no footprints under his body. As this was August 1944, in the midst of the war, any mistreatment of POWs on our land could mean more mistreatment of captured Americans. Someone had to pay...and that leads up to a trial prosecuted by Leon Jaworski (later of the Nuremberg Trials, Kennedy's assassination and Nixon's impeachment fame).

I'm not going to reveal anything else. It is a fabulous read and would make a great movie-if we really wanted to know a true but unbelievable story of segregation, POWs, wartime problems here and abroad, ineptness of commanders-the list goes on.

The author has done a thorough job of research and On American Soil is a two-thumbs-up book.

This book I started out fact and increased the pace until the very end. It was one of the best books that I have ever read. It contains true history, murder and suspense.

On American Soil me back to a time in America where it is sometimes painful to be. It is a must read for anyone who claims to know American history.

"On American Soil" details the story behind the offically-known story of events that took place at Fort Lawton during World War II. How many of us can imagine a U.s. Fort being a staging facility for troops heading to the Pacific as well as a prisoner-of-war camp as well as the 1940's separation of black and white American soldiers? Jack Hamann's book describes in a flowing and fact-filled narrative this history and what happened 'during the riot' and at the court martial of over 40 black soldiers. Hamann's writing reminds me of Anthony Lucas's "Big Trouble", allowing the reader the luxury of feeling present during the events as they happened. Hamann is a gifted writer. The book is full of detailed facts that were gleaned and gathered from archives and interview with surviving soldiers and their families. When I finished 'On American Soil' I felt informed about the realities of World War II and entertained by the Hamann's description of events, not unlike the trial described in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". I am impressed by the quality of writing and rich content of Hamann's first book.

It is rare that a book of history is so eminently timely to the events of the present day. It is even rarer when it has such an immediate impact. In June, a scant three months after the book's release, House Representative Jim McDermott of Washington introduced a resolution, cosponsored by 25 representatives, calling for an inquiry into the convictions of 28 black soldiers for rioting and murder, as chronicled in Hamann's debut novel "On American Soil."

Hamann weaves a compelling narrative of the events of 1944 at a remote army base at Fort Lawton in Seattle that culminated in the largest army court martial of WWII and the lynching of an Italian prisoner of war.

After hundreds of thousands of Italian and German soldiers surrendered in North Africa, the Allies found themselves unexpectedly confronted with the problem of housing POWs on an unimagined scale. America's military leaders were determined that they would set the standard for compliance with the Geneva Convention. The environment that sparked the lynching of Private Olivetto was the American public's dismay at the "coddling" of Italian prisoners and the military's attempts to defend that treatment.

To describe the book's events further would do disservice to the pleasure of the read. It progresses quickly, through short but compelling personal narratives, high court room drama, and even a thrilling whodunnit murder mystery.

In the end, it is the gripping story, as uncovered through Hamann's painstaking research that make the book the masterpiece that it is. Indeed, in an Indiana Jones-style twist, the key document uncovered by Hamann was found deep in the National Archives in a stack of boxes entitled "Miscellaneous." Yet, it must also be noted that what is striking as one reads the book is that it reads like the most tautly-paced work of fiction. I, a week before my first year law school finals, picked the book up for the first time. I did not put it down until I had read the book in its entirety.

In an America that continues to be plagued by issues of race relations and the treatment of prisoners, this is an accessible book that should be required reading.

Arthur Guy Empey became something of a celebrity with the 1917 publication of Over the Top. Born in Utah, Empey served six years in the U.S. Cavalry as a young man, and was a recruiting sergeant with the New York National Guard when, in the wake of the Lusitania disaster, he traveled overseas to join the Royal Fusiliers. Sent to the western front, Empey was wounded in the opening Somme offensive, invalided out of the Army, returned to the U.S., and wrote his Over the Top. It was a bestseller, and propelled Empey into a screenwriting and acting career.

Over the Top has the advantage of being written while the events it recounts were fresh in Empey's memory. It gives a good feel for life in training camps and on the front, and it's written with a wry, self-deprecating style that immediately wins over the reader. Empey's tales of battling cooties (lice), red tape stupidity, and pompous red cap (general) officers are genuinely funny. And they're really necessary, because otherwise reading his accounts of fighting would be too horrible to bear. Empey's description of his first experiences under fire (Chapter XI), in which time slows down and he feels detached from his legs running toward the enemy trenches, is the best I've ever read. His descriptions of using corpses as machine gun supports (Chapter XXI), his descriptions of the effects of bombardments (throughout the book), and his genuine horror at being forced to participate in the execution of a deserter (Chapter XXIV), are chilling and, one senses, authentic.

Not so authentic is the totally bathetic description of a coward redeeming himself in battle (the bulk of Chapter XXVI), nor Empey's claims to have been involved in so many high-risk outfits: first bombers (here he gives an excellent description of early jerry-rigged bombs), then maching-gunners, and finally intelligence. And at times his gung-ho enthusiasm for the war is tiring, although he redeems himself by reminding his readers several times of his loathing of war. Still, the book is well worth reading.

If one wants an interesting look at the British Army in France during the Early part of WW I with an American Witness / Soldier twist. You might want to consider this book. While its has a fair amount of propaganda, it has a lot of good details that overcome it.

This book is fast reading because it's so hard to put down. It was written when America's entrance to the Great War was imminent, though uncommitted. Moreover, it was written by an American that joined up with the British forces via Canada. The author had vast combat experiences as an infantryman, machine gunner, bomb thrower, and artillery observer. It's hard to imagine that the author would have survived the War if it wasn't for a wounding that sent him to 'blighty' for good. Empey's writings are about daily life within the Western trenchs; the obvious, the unthinkable, and the overlooked. Further, Empey's writing style is fluid and crisp making the work much more than a diary or a guidebook. Definately a fine piece of literature to hold to and not "lend to a friend".

I was loaned a copy of this book a few years ago by a co-worker who is almost as nuts about military and industrial history as I am. Though his reason for having me read was for the human aspect, not the technical.

Now, I have read many personal accounts of soldiers and sailors in wartime, from the American Revolution, the War Between the States through Vietnam, Beirut, and the Gulf War, some well written, some just interesting, and some frightening.

This book is all of those. It is well written, informative, and scary. Not having ever been exposed to hostile conditions, I cannot directly relate to what the author shares, but I am definately deeply affected by the emotion and imagery portrayed therin.

The Mr. Empey joined the Royal Army while he was still a recruiting Sergeant in the NY National Guard in 1915. Unable to convince Americans that we were destined to fight in the European War raging overseas and needed trained, disciplined and motivated troops, he did the next best thing by going "over there" himself.

After completing his training then being assigned to a replacement company in France his real adventures began.

The trenches of the western front had been in place for some time when he arrived and they were replacing the casualties of
stagnated lines. Regular artillery barages, probing raids, snipers, dysentary, trench foot, disease and madness all took there toll.

Mr. Empey tells the story from a persanal point of view sharing his insights and observations. You almost feel icky from the cold,oozing clay, and catch a chill from being wet all the time as though you were there in the mud with him.

I was impressed with his inclusion of all the activities in the field. He even describes the primitive sanitary conditions at the rear while on rotation from the front. In spite of the prescence of the International Red Cross, conditions at the front (and in the rear) were atrocious. many casuaties were from the inadequate sanitation... and not from enemy fire.

I applaud Mr. Empey for publishing this book when he did, for even after being invalided out of the British Army, he was still thinking of the naive American Boys who would follow soon in 1917. He tried to share his experiences so that others would benefit.

I do not know how well recieved this book was with Mr. Empey's contemporaries, or how well the book sold, but I think this book should be recommended reading for all military personnel...

This is a very good read for anyone with the strength to stomach it.

When the Great War broke out in Europe in 1914, most Americans were convinced that the fighting had nothing to do with the United States. There were precious few with the foresight to demand that America enter the war on the side of the allies. Arthur Guy Empey wrote OVER THE TOP to show his countrymen that the battle that the allies were fighting was our battle as well. His book, which reads like a novel, is more of a personal narrative in which he describes his volunteering to join the British Army and fight 'over there.' Much of his book deals with the daily dreariness of the horrors of trench warfare. Empey skillfully draws a composite picture of the average Brit soldier, whom he nicknames Tommy. His book is at once brutal, comic, and mundane--much like trench warfare had to be. By the end, the reader becomes convinced with the justness of the British cause, which true enough and soon enough, became the American cause. A very fine book.

I was looking for a good geologic history book after finishing John McPhee's excellent "Annals of a Former World." Windows into the Earth seemed like a good place to start, but I was very disappointed. It seems as though the authors wrote each chapter (and sometimes even parts of chapters) independently and then slapped them together with little editing. Although the underlying geology is often interesting, there's little flow or logic to the book as a whole. Key concepts are repeated over and over, as though they're being introduced for the first time each time. Analogies used to make the subject matter more accessable often miss the mark and detract from the whole. This book may be worthwhile if you are visiting the region and want to understand more of what you are seeing, but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.

A friend loaned me this book two months ago. I haven't returned it yet. It is simply the best book on these two parks that I have ever read. The authors accurately portray the very considerable geological power present in each park, and yet do not manage to make either park a fearful place to be avoided. Instead, their writing is a persuasive invitation to visit these wonderful manifestations of nature for an extended period. I was particularly impressed by the visitor's tour set out near the end of the book. I took a part of that tour in 1994, and the narrative is very accurate. I will certainly use my OWN copy of the book when I go back again this autumn. (I don't want anyone to think I don't return borrowed books!) This book is an absolute musthave-mustread for anyone going to the parks or interested in the geological processes that have made the West. Enjoy.

I chose this book for my final project in geology class because I was interested in Yellowstone National parks though I have never been to, and this book was very good not only to read but also to review my studying in the class. Yellowstone and Grand Teton ground systems such as ground movements and heating systems are covered and also advanced my studying. Actually, I had totally no knowledge about geologic activities before I studied in the class, so this book was also really good to review my studying. In addition, this book introduces these parks view points with beautiful and colored pictures, so this book also can be used for a tourbook. It is no doubt that I will go to these parks with this book!

This treasure will turn "topography" into a household word. Dedicated to a fellow geologist recently killed by an avalance while conducting fieldwork, "Windows" is a slick and dramatic feature presentation of volcanism, earthquakes, and geysers. Superb maps and graphs colorfully illustrate variable stratae formed through the eons. An informal and friendly text is scholarly without being stuffy. The writers establish a tone of substance and humor as they discuss multiple upheavals that created Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. This is the kind of book that will impress early rock-ologists and even be hoarded by their more secretive, sedimental parents. The writing never "dumbs down" but is lucid with factual attention to landscape formation without snubbing the human astonishment that continually witnesses it. Thanks to geologist Smith and naturalist journalist Seigel, the book is threaded with lively accounts from park rangers, tourists, and waitresses at the Old Faithful Inn. Appeals to romantics and literalists alike. Studded with beautiful, full-color photographs. Every page is hefty and sleek to the touch, a feast for the eye as well as the brain. Kind of a wonder-book for anyone who seeks the phenomenal in terra firma.

This is an excellent book on the interesting geology of the Yellowstone ecosystem, an area that covers not only the park but a substantial area around it extending to the south to include the Grand Tetons.

The artwork is really excellent: both the photography, which is provided by several local professionals including Tom Mangelson, and the drawings, which make often difficult geologic concepts easily understood.

Yellowstone sits on top of a hotspot very much like the Hawaiian islands except that it's in the middle of a continent instead of the middle of an ocean. This turns out to be an important distinction, one that makes the volcano that created the park one of the largest ever in the history of the planet.

This book is well written and makes the geology accesible and interesting. And at the end, is a stop-by-stop tour of the two parks that will take you face-to-face with all that you have learned.

There are two good places to start if you want to know the history of California: the work of Carey McWilliams and this book. Starr really did his homework, and the range of detail is amazing. Like McWilliams, he knows how to tell a story, and he usually has the back-stage lore on whatever public events he describes in his lucid and very readable prose. That a fact or two occasionally get out of place (the San Diego Mission was not founded by Father Altimiri but by Junipero Serra; and San Antonio de Padua is actually in Monterey County) does not diminish the power or scope of this worthy book.

Starr's cultural history of California is more institutional history than anything else, which is not a bad thing if you like foundation studies. At the core of the book is the story of how enterprising and eccentric New Englanders attempted to tranfer their native civilization, with all its European imagery, to a new "city on the hill" at San Francisco. It's full of dates and events surrounding the history of colleges and churches and the people who founded them. One can easily sense Starr's interest in intellectual history as reflected in architecture, education and organized religion which, ironically, is a very East-coast way of looking at West-coast culture. Starr's book is excellent if you like that sort of thing, but it's not as tempting a study for those more fascinated with flesh and bone than brick and stone. Some could claim that it misses the fundamental essense of California culture altogether; a "new" civilization unencombered by pedigree and moulded by a beautiful and oppressive geography. This first book of the series is heavily centered around San Francisco and its related institutions.

Criticism aside, Dr. Starr's skill as a narrative historian is remarkable, and he should be considered in the same company as Henry Adams and Daniel Boorstin.

Kevin Starr has written a fantastic book. In Americans and the California Dream the reader is introduced to the giants of the age--Herbert Hoover, Leland Stanford, David Star Jordan, John Muir, John C. Fremont, etc. I also loved the fact that he included the lessor known personalities as well. Mr. Star clearly relates the truth behind all the myth and romance with regards to the Gold Rush. While Bret Harte is thorougly debunked, Starr acknowledges that the Gold Rush continues to hold the lure and romance that it always possessed. Anyone who wishes to be introduced to the wonderful history of California must read this. I will immediately purchase the second book of the series.

As a native Californian (San Francisco) I read this book after seeing it cited again and again as an excellent entry point for a study of California history.

I was not disappointed. I believe this book is widely acknowledged as a classic in the field of California history, and I certainly wouldn't disagree with that judgment.

Prof. Starr attempts to illuminate the psychology of early California by providing mini-biographies of important California residents. These biographies are linked together by several recurrent themes. It is these themes that provide the thesis (theses?) of the book.

The themes are: The dark side of the optomism which characterizes the "California" personality; the harsh conflict in early times which affected the development of a Californian "civilisation" and the melding of cultures (Mexican and Californian, Northern and Southern) that produced Californian culture.

Starr focuses more on cultural rather then economic or political figures. Starr also shows a fondness for somewhat Freudian explanations for behavior (repressive parents, absent parents, neglectful parents). Given the age of the book (1975) it's hard to quibble with the inclusion of a perspective tilted towards psychological explanation.

On the whole it was a worthwhile read, and not too dense either. Recommended for those interested in the history of California and it's culture.

Having lived in CA since I was 15 and not being able to imagine living somewhere else, I thought this volume is a must-read for all Californians, whether born here or "naturalized". Being specifically a San Francisco resident, this book shed more light on the history of this city's beginning and "teenage years" than any other source I have come across. Here you will not just read facts about people like Jack London, Frank Norris, John Muir, John C. Fremont and Richard Henry Dana. You will learn what they contributed to the idea of California and their influence on what this state has turned out to be, for good or bad. You will also learn of lesser-known figures such as Thomas Starr King, Thomas Jordan, Isidore Duncan all of whom were immensely powerful figures in their day, but hardly known today by the average Californian. The writing got a little ploddy at the end for me. Maybe I was just tired. Until I got to the last two chapters, I would have given it a 5 score, mostly on the criteria of how much I learned from it. I look forward to reading the next few volumes.

The book is really good if you need a short overview of the fishes in the great barrier reef and coral sea. Every group is explained by a short text and most of the fishes are shown by picture. So it's perfect if you want to dive in the region and identify the fishes you'll see.

This is one of the best fish ID books for Pacific fishes. Wonderful pictures and information about families as well as species.

Unfortunately the pending book did not arrived,
When I complained after the promised lead time the Amazon offered me that they send me the book again - it is missed somewhere - without shipping cost, it was correct,
But after a few days I changed my idea - the reason of the long lead time - and I cancelled my order, and the Amazon payed me back the full price of the book!
This is a correct company but the process is not working well!
You could try , you do not have any risk !!!

Many years ago I bought the first edition of this book for the Australian National University Scuba Club. It has survived many, many trips to the Great Barrier Reef on club trips, where it has served as our primary reference for fish identification. The photographs are excellent, and the inclusion of the juvenile forms of many fish is a great asset. Now rebound after years of exacting use by hundreds of keen divers, stormy trips on the high seas, and trans-shipment in small boats to our destination island, the club is still taking its copy of this book along on its annual two week long GBR trips. So, with a history of use such as that, I was excited to find that there was a new edition with additional material! I had to get this for myself, and quite simply - it's got everything that made it such a great book before, plus now there is more. Well done! I recommend this book (and edition) highly to all of my scuba students, and can also do so here.

This book is great for identifying just about every fish you will find in the Pacific, from Australia to the US, and all the Pacific Islands in between. Highly recommended.

John Lubetkins literary genious is always very well transferred to his books. I highly recommend all of his books. He puts lots of research into his books and it really shows in the quality and the details. You wont regret picking up any of his books.

Jay Cooke's Gamble covers important background into the North pacific Railroad's history. It does not focus much on the actual railroad operations, but rather the financing and surveying behind the scenes. The author writes in a very readable style and does his subject justice.

The reader will be transported to a time when railroads determined settlement of the American interior. But before the roads could be built, the land had to be surveyed, and in this case the land was also still occupied by natives who wished to preserve their traditional way of life. The reader will encounter a cast of characters ranging from the venerable Jay Cooke himself, to General Geoerge Armstrong Custer, and all the important NP company engineers and surveyors in between. Some were drunkards (the author appears to have a strong bias against alcohol), some prone to mismanagement, and some, like Cooke, never set foot in the land where the action took place. All of this makes for a very entertaining and informative read. One statistic does stand out as being a possible typo: the author on page 274 states land in Bismarck, Dakota was selling for as much as $8000/acre. That figure appears high.

But this is a very good book. One hopes the author will continue on and write the history of the railroad after Cooke's demise and the Northern Pacific's ultimate completion and beyond to its eventual merger with the Great Northern and CB&Q.

This is one of those special books that is virtually impossible to put down once you start reading. Written in a highly readable, narrative style that puts the reader in the time and place being depicted, this book is the story of Jay Cooke's attempt to build a second transcontinental railroad, known as the Northern Pacific. Present readers may recognize its successor, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad that just happens to be the largest private landholder in the United States. An integral part of the story is the creation of Yellowstone National Park, the forced Canadian-British effort to build the Canadian Pacific transcontinental railroad, the Panic of 1873, the instigation of the Great Sioux War, and most interestingly, the link between Cooke and George Armstrong Custer that brought him back from the South and, as is said, the rest is history. This is a worthy addition to both national and regional history.

Mr. Lubetkin's work is well researched and well written. He's able to weave a narrative together that brings the beginning of the Gilded Age to the Indian Wars and railroad construction... frankly, I had never made the connection between the Northern Pacific and Sitting Bull until I read this book.
However, the final conclusions made me question the depth of the research. Lubetkin identifies the completion of the Northern Pacific several years later, and its competition with the Great Northern, whose surveyors "found" Marias Pass. There is no mention of the railroads' cooperation and attempted merger, nor the landmark Sumpreme Court case concerning Northern Securities and the creation of the ICC. Oh yes, and with reference to the previous review of the map quality, it would have been nice had the book included a larger map or two of the entire proposed routes.
I still believe Pierre Berton's The Last Spike (Canadian Pacific) to be the standard against all railroad construction history books should be measured. If Berton rates a 10, this book is an 8.

Author John Lubetkin has done an excellent job pulling together a widely diverse stockpile of sources and developing in-depth and unique look at the ill-fated attempt to construct the Northern Pacific Railroad in the early 1870s as America's second transcontinental rail link. Other books in the past have extracted the best-known portion of the series of events that constitute this story, namely Custer's 1873 Yellowstone Expedition as recounted in biographies of Custer and Sitting Bull as well as works from the late Larry Frost and John Carroll. The strength of Lubetkin's work lies in its all inconclusive disection of Jay Cooke and his Northern Plains Railroad dream which in no ways detracts from the military events that many of us find so compelling.

In the late 1860s, Cooke had reached the apex of America's banking world, having financed the Union war effort in the Civil War, funding that was crucial in the ultimate victory. He backed the dream, dormant since its 1864 charter, of creating the Northern Pacific Railroad running from Duluth, Minnesota across Dakota Territory, through Montana, Idaho, and ending in the Pacific Northwest.

The author's engaging style and in-depth research combine as he takes us back in time to the full context of the Gilded Age. We witness the brilliant Cooke as he ably finances his dream through repeated bond sales but the reality of what was being paid for soon begins to take its toil--poor management, gross overspending and corruption by those under Cooke, the unanticipated engineering challenges of laying a railroad through Minnesota's boggy, swampy terrain and, ultimately, the will of the the Lakota in resisting the railroad through their prime hunting grounds.

History is fortunate that former Confederate General Tom Rosser was the chief engineer on the 1871 Whistler Expedition and the 1872 Rosser-Stanley Eastern Yellowstone Expedition as well as served at the start of the 1873 Expedition where he was reunited with former West Point classmate, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The author has delved deep into Rosser's diaries and correspondence from the manuscript repository holdings of the University of Virginia. For those like myself with an interest in the Indian Wars, the large section of this book devoted to these expeditions will prove compelling. An entire chapter is devoted to the 1872 Battle of Poker Flats and is absoluelty fascinating, especially the description of Sitting Bull's calculated act of courage of sitting on the ground, smoking his pipe as soldier's bullets failed to hit him as the battle concluded.

All of this culminates with the 1873 Expedition which proved necessary since staunch Lakota resistance prevented the 1872 foray from completing the survey. The author argues that Eastern newspaper coverage of the intractable Lakotas begin to slowly but surely unnerve Eastern investors who became more and more concerned over the feasiblity of a railroad through hostile territory, a concern that would explode in September 1873 with the worst possible results. The military responded to the 1872 difficulties by sending Custer's 7th Cavalry to the Northern Plains, thus giving the 1873 survey an offensive capability lacking in the infantry companies. This act also placed Custer and his regiment into the heart of the most untamed portion of the country where Custer's 1876 demise would carry him and the 7th Cavalry beyond the realm of history and into legend. Separate chapters on Custer's August 4, 1873 battle near the Yellowstone/Tongue River confluence and the larger battle a week later near the Big Horn/Yellowstone junction do full justice to these events as well as ably demonstrate Custer's ability in Indian warfare. Readers will be somewhat surprised as well as enlightened by the more positive picture of General David Stanley, Custer's superior on the expedition, as he has generally been written off as a hopeless drunk. As this book reveals though, he was able to command effectively when the situation demanded and there is far more to him than my previous knowledge had encompassed.

The book concludes with the return of the 1873 Expedition, the final survey complete but its results of little use until the end of the decade when the railroad was finally completed by a Northern Pacific under different management. For in September 1873, judgement day arrived for both Jay Cooke and Company as well as the U.S. economy as a "Panic" was unleashed on Wall Street, numerous banks, including Cooke's, failed and work on the Northern Pacific ground to a halt, dragging the nation into the depths of a depression that at least one economic historian has judged as second only to the 1929-1932 Great Depression. The author makes the argument that the reports of Custer's two battles, despite their small size and the success of Custer and his regiment, were the last straw in undermining investor confidence in the safety of the area that the railroad was trying to cross.

Excellent and numerous maps by Vicki Trego Hill are included throughout this book and their quality is such that even the most difficult to please cartographer will be satisfied. If there is anything that the author can be faulted on, it is for not including more of the William Pywell photographs from the 1873 expedition but I have to remind myself that this book is on the entire Northern Pacific Railroad effort, not just the Custer expedition. For those wishing to view these photographs as well as gain additional, in-depth, excellent insight into the 1873 Expedition, see Lawrence Frost's CUSTER'S 7TH CAVALRY AND THE CAMPAIGN OF 1873, out of print but available wherever fine rare books are sold, including Amazon as of this writing.

This text is a classic work on the creeds of both Paganism and Christianity.Eventhough,it was first published in 1915,it still rings true today.It provides the 'Mythos' and the 'Logos' concepts for the topic of religion.The first cults were fertility cults,with spiral phallic monoliths erected to the heavens.Some are still active today,in the countries of Africa and Asia .Next mankind moved on to cult-worship of Magick and the divine earth-spirits.The next and final stage is the formation of God-figures (anthropodeism) that descended from the heavens.These Gods and Godesses were human-shaped and not animal-horned in structure.Lastly,the monotheistic concept progressed and the belief of mankind created in the image of a single supreme God-figure developed.
The most interesting concept presented by Edward Carpenter is the 'Three stages of the Consciousness of Man'.The first stage being the 'Simple Conscious stage',where man's thoughts were instinctive and no different than the actions of a wild animal.The middle stage is the 'Self-Conscious stage',where modern man's actions are based on rational logic (logos),that rises above impulsive behavior.Where man developed language ,followed by laws,the passing of rules,and the ownership of property.Once the earlier two stages are secure then mankind can progress to the third stage,the 'Golden Stage of Enlightenment of Mankind".this lofty stage is false.Mankind is in a constant struggle between the first and second stage.Between the base 'Mythos' stage and the structured 'Logos' stage.The abandonment of the self-consciousness in favor of a global utopian pacificist world,has yet to be realised and perhaps impossible.Between ethnic warfare,religious beliefs,and scarcity of resources this final stage seems quite remote.Yet,it is these struggles that impell mankind forward towards that 'final stage' ironically.After all these years,the words of Edward Carpenter are still valid and quite prophetic indeed.

This book demonstrates how christianity and paganism are based on astrology and natural processes. It is truly astounding and is of the utmost significance to those wishing to debunk christian foolishness. Also check out "The Jesus Mysteries" by Freke and Gandy. For information on how the cross symbol was derived from astrology, see "Occultism Simplified or the Mystic Thesaurus" by Willis F. Whitehead. "Pagan and Christian Creeds" is greatly needed in the battle for truth in the face of christian literalism.

I very much enjoyed reading this book, which, for its age, has held up rather well. I had always known that Early Christianity 'borrowed' from pagan religions some holidays and practices, but it was not until I read this book did I know the depth of theft. Almost like a plaigarism of faith intended to convert the masses (which it sadly succeeded in doing). The only part of the book I disliked was the final material, in which the author offers a new religion of sorts which is very metaphysical and a little dull. But the rest of the book is a keeper.

Carpenter proposes that self-conciousness and fear led to the entire world pantheon of different faiths.

"Naturally as soon as Man began to think about himself--a frail phantom and waif in the midst of tremendous forces of whose nature and mode of operation he was entirely ignorant--he was BESET with terrors...the natural defence against this state of mind was the creation of an enormous number of taboos...hardened down into very stringent Customs and Laws...avoidance not only of acts which might reasonably be considered dangerous, like touching a corpse, but also things much more remote and fanciful in their relation to danger, like merely...passing a lightning-struck tree; ... and acts which offered any special pleasure or temptation--like sex or marriage or the enjoyment of a meal.

"...Fear does not seem a very worthy motive, but in the beginning it curbed the violence of the purely animal passions, and introduced order and restraint among them. ...(F)rom the early beginnings (in the Stone Age) of self-consciousness in Man there has been a gradual development--from crass superstition, senseless and accidental, to rudimentary observation, and so to belief in Magic; thence to Animism and personification of nature-powers in more or less human form, as earth-divinities or sky-gods or embodiments of the tribe; and to placation of these powers by rites like Sacrifice and the Eucharist, which in their turn became the foundation of Morality...; observations of plants or of the weather or the stars, carried on by tribal medicine-men for purposes of witchcraft or prophecy, supplied some of the material of Science; and humanity emerged by faltering and hesitating steps on the borderland of these finer perceptions and reasonings which are supposed to be characteristic of Civilisation."

Carpenter goes on to compare Christian tenets with pagan practices around the world. You can see how fear of neverending winter, starvation, and death spurred belief in magic, ritual, animism, anthromomorphism, and today's conventional religions.

In his British imperialistic furor to spread civilization, Carpenter also predicts the emergence of a "Common Life" beyond self-consciousness, blasting the selfish motives of capitalism and actually hailing the practices of early Christian communities and the movements of the Communists in eastern Europe.

Granted, Carpenter's book was first published in 1920, just after WWI, before we could see Communism fall, and before Ayn Rand could inspire anyone to Constructivism. But Carpenter's view of religious history is useful. It certainly predates Campell's Hero of a Thousand Faces but has similar depth and scope.

I recommend this book along with:

* Joan O'Grady's "Early Christian Heresies" which examines the philosophies and turning points that molded Christian tenets during its birth and growth so that it could promise salvation to the masses. The scope includes Gnosticism, Marcionites, Montanists, Manichaeism, Donatists, Arianism, Nestorians, Pelagius, and more.
* Erik Davis' "Techgnosis: myth, magic + mysticism in the age of information" which proposes that forms of communication shape social and individual consciousness of reality. "It follows that when a culture's technical structure of communication mutates quickly and significantly, both social and individual 'reality' are in for a bit of a ride. ...The social imagination leaps into the breach, unleashing a torrent of speculation, at once cultural, metaphysical, technical, and financial."

After reading the first few chapters of this book online, I had to get an actual copy of the book, and I'm glad I did. Despite the age of the text, it still holds up great today. It reads well and the ideas come across rather easy. Ideas are presented w/ just enough examples and refrences (unlike Frazer's "Golden Bough" were it seems like there are fifteen examples of everything), however in acouple places I wish there were acouple more, but thanks to great footnotes and bibliogrophy it's not hard to do your own research (however, see the next paragraph about the footnotes).

The only problem I have with this book though is the format that it comes in. Footnotes appear before the next available paragraph and ends up getting in the way of the actual text, Certain words are capatalized rather then in italics, and a few mispellings (which I don't really believe is the fault of the author). There is copy of the book online (it's public domain and no longer subject to copyright laws) and it seems like the publisher just found an online version of the book and copy and pasted it, as there are a few things...that look more like HTML code then actual words. Also the chapter on astronomy should have acouple of graphics that are missing but are still alluded too in the text.

All in all, this is an amazing book on religion and the origins of christianity and is highly recommended to everyone. It has some very eye-opening ideas and well worth the time to read.

Like another reviewer from Hawai'i, I also read this book in a Pacific Island literature class. What could have easily become a story about white man's exploitation of the Maori people and the environment (and I'm okay with that kind of story too), was instead turned into a glimpse inside the Polynesian mind and set of values. The sections most unsettling to us Caucasians -- those on the mystical aspects of the wood carvings -- relate much about the way the Polynesian views the past, as being in front of them, something to learn from. And we learn that what we regard as "ancestor worship" is really a matter of valuing those who have cared for the land and passed it on to us, along with the knowledge of how to live on it. We're also shown the value of stories: This book is told as a collection of the stories of many persons, each of whom has a unique perspective, something a little different to tell. Some stories are pragmatic, some we would term "mystical," but they too contain a valid warning.
This book probably did more than any ever -- fiction or non-fiction, and I'm a voracious reader -- to help me understand Polynesian values, which are basically the same values as those of indigenous peoples all over the world -- care for the land, respect the ancestors, listen to others' stories. Our planet desperately needs indigenous values!

I had a hard time reading this book -- there were parts of it that I found lyrical & compelling (like the introduction, and many of the chapters narrated by toko) and parts that seemed very heavy-handed (especially the telling of the history of protests over land that had been claimed by the gov't during wartime and the chapters narrated by hemi). Especially early in the book I found it easy to set it aside for periods of time, but I got more engaged as I got to the second section.

One major weakness is that there's no glossary or translation of any of the Maori terms, so it's a much more difficult read for someone who is trying to become more familiar with the people and culture than someone who already is.

By luck, I got this book from my local library on recommendation of a friend. After reading it I still felt the emotions of these Maori people who maintain their ancient traditions and beliefs in a thoroughly modern world. The impact of old/new carvings, the constant sound and smell of the sea conflicting with modern bulldozers and "Dollarmen" trying to outwit the villagers, is only part of the story. You feel you can enter the minds of the family members who tell the story, mostly in English, but some in beautiful Maori poetry. You may not know what the words mean, but try reciting them out loud and you sense the deep meaning of them.

I can't recall when I've ever felt so strongly the musical rhythm of an author's style, or the extent to which it changes to suit the tempo of the action and themes. In the first third of this wonderful book by a very talented writer, conversations between the simple Mary and Granny Tamihana, the guardian of Maori traditions, echo and sound like chants; between Roimata and Hemi, a happily married couple, they resemble duets with complimentary themes. The scene in which Mary gives birth is a grand, complex chorus with the several family members singing over, around, and above each other as they fight for the narrative line. Toko's story of his big fish is a soaring aria which ventures into a mystical realm, for Toko is a seer. And all this music seems totally appropriate to the lives of these Maori characters living in harmony with the land and their ancestors.

The middle third of the book changes, as Hemi, the father of the family, abruptly introduces the harsh notes of reality which occur when "the works" closes down, and he and his friends find themselves unemployed. In mournful tones he comments on the loss of tradition, language, and connection to the land which are coming about as education is imposed on their children by outside authorities, and people such as himself accept outside jobs. Their very existence as a group is also threatened by developers who want to buy their land to put up hotels, build seaside parks where visitors can play with the dolphins and whales, and commercialize the lifestyle these Maori have enjoyed all their lives.

In the final third of the book, as the Maoris fight for their land, the staccato, simple language is like the harsh beat of a war drum, and the songs disappear from the language, not returning until the rebuilding of the sacred house and the funeral of a key character bring about harmony and poetry once again.

It is hard to imagine that Patricia Grace did not deliberately tailor her prose style to her subject matter, yet this seems so completely natural--so totally without artifice--that one wonders if this harmony of words and subject might be the ultimate, triumphant example of the unity of story and life which she so vividly celebrates in this memorable and touching novel. Mary Whipple

This was a mandatory book in a Pacific Literature class. Lucky for me. It is filled with complex symbolism that tells not only of a land struggle for a people who are holding on to their traditions, but how they learn, and choose what they take from "Western" ideas in order to fight for what little of their own land that the government has left for them. A lot of other people -including Hawaiians- are going through this now, which makes this book as relevant today as it was when it was written.

The story is told through Toko, a deformed child who has a special knowing. He is central figure in the book, and not only as a story teller. His "second mother", Roimata, is the other story teller. Although, everyone has a story, they are the only two who actually tell the stories. It is an enriching and enlightening book for anyone familiar or not familiar with Moari culture or the struggles between land developers, government, and native peoples of any country or island. It is also much more than that, but I don't want to write an essay just to tell you how great the book is!