Trials Books

This book is a true classic, written in 1914 by England's leading field trainer of flushing spaniels.

It is long out-of-print, but if you can find a used copy, by all means do so -- especially if you are a person who is serious about training flushing spaniels for the field. Even though it was written nearly a century ago it is stil the best book ever written on this subject. It was re-issued in an annotated version in the 1970s by Talbot Radcliff which is also now out of print but well worth getting in its own right just for Talbot Radcliff's outstanding commentary.

For those interested in dog training in general it is fascinating to see the clarity and savvy with which H. W. Carlton treated issues that we tend to think of as "contemporary debates" in dog training. Questions about correction vs. positive reinforcement, questions about socialization vs. training, questions about Nature vs. nurture -- the average dog owner may not find these things quite as interesting as professionals and serious hobbyists will, but for the serious dog trainer it is essential reading, if for no other reason than the insight gained into the history of dog training.

Another reason for serious dog trainers to turn to history: Obviously H.W. Carlton was one of the most successful trainers of flushing spaniels ever, long before the electronic training collar was invented. For those who feel uneasy (or who have clients who feel uneasy) about using electronic collars for field training, it is a step-by-step study in how this training was accomplished long before that controversial gadget was ever invented.

A "MUST READ" for serious field trainers of flushing spaniels, and a "Top-10-Read" for serious dog trainers of any breed(s) for any purpose(s) -- well worth the hassle often involved in tracking down long-out-of-print books.

I've been a big fan of the writing of Johnny Boggs for some time now....and I've never been disappointed in any of his excellent Westerns.
I am an established garden writer (author of Allergy-free Gardening, etc.) and I started writing Westerns last year. I first wrote to a good number of long established Western writers and asked them for their advice. A number of them suggested I read the works of Johnny Boggs, saying that in their opinion, he was easily one of the very best of the new Western writers.

And they were quite right, too. Bogg's pays close attention to detail; his work always has that authentic flavor of the time. You feel like you're there; you can smell the buffalo chip fire smoking, can hear the screams of the charging Indians, can feel the fear of the cowboys and buffalo hunters.

Spark on the Prairie is about the real life trial of the Kiowa Chiefs. As such it is a richly told piece of American History...and Boggs tells the story perfectly. We the readers get to know the judge, the jury, the Kiowa Chiefs, the prosecutor and the defending lawyer. I read this book recently on a long plane ride from the east coast to the west. It was the perfect book for a long ride, interesting, intelligent, and often exciting. Very highly recommended!

This book teaches an attorney what is not taught in law school, strategy, the single best book I've ever read. Highly recommend it to any litigation attorney.

A very short, readable, poignant book. It chronicles a lawsuit filed by the Ponca Indians against the federal government in Nebraska in the 1870's. Nearly all of the text is contemporary material. The outcome of the trial was a triumph for American justice. For those of us whose notions of the settlement of the west are formed mainly by images of Colonel Custer, old 50's movies with battles between calvary and Indians, and the like, the narratives in this true story are full of surprises.

The Starr Report is something that, once read, you do not easily forget. I first read the lengthy report in 1998, days after it was completed. I found it to be absorbing, VERY detailed and quite fascinating. Does it intrude upon privacy? Absolutely. Did that make me want to read it any less? No. All in all, I think that the report is something that should be read by anyone wishing to learn about the private lives of Presidents and the people who work for them. This edition is notable because it contains the full report, along with both rebuttals from the Clinton lawyers. Other editions contain only the preliminary rebuttal, due to the fact that they were rushed to publication.

The Starr Report is very well written- despite its overly detailed accounts of the most intimate moments between Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. The attention to detail given the report by Ken Starr and his investigative team is commendable. It takes a lot of patience, intelligence and experience to produce that kind of work. Everything flows well and ties into everything else. It is a perfectionistic dream. The footnote sections of the report would garner a perfect evaluation from the most demanding English professor.

The report also goes a long way toward setting a tone for the reader. You feel like you are right there, in Washington DC, listening in on the conversations of the most powerful people in the nation. A reprieve from normal reality, you might say.

Bottom Line: This report/book is not for everyone and it DOES push the envelope as far as disclosure of intimate sexual acts are concerned, but go ahead and read it (guilt-free) if you want to.

Statistical Aspects Of The Design And Analysis Of Clinical Trials Revised edition by Brian S. Everitt, Andrew Pickles (Imperial College Press: World Scientific) About 8000 clinical trials are undertaken annually in all areas of medicine, from the treatment of acne to the prevention of cancer. Correct interpretation of the data from such trials depends largely on adequate design and on performing the appropriate statistical analyses. In this book, the statistical aspects of both the design and analysis of trials are described, with particular emphasis on recently developed methods of analysis.
According to Sir David Cox, the randomized controlled clinical trial is perhaps the outstanding contribution of statistics to 20th century medical research. Nowadays about 8000 such trials are undertaken annually in all areas of medicine from the treatment of acne to the prevention of cancer. Although the vast majority of these trials take place away from the glare of public interest, some deal with issues that are controversial enough to make even the popular press; an obvious example is the use of AZT for the treatment of AIDS.
There are many excellent books available which give comprehensive accounts of how clinical trials should be carried out and organized. The aim of this book is different; the authors attempt to give relatively concise descriptions of the more statistical aspects of the design and analysis of clinical trials, particularly those methods developed over the last decade or so. Topics discussed in this text include randomization, interim analyses, sample size determination, the analysis of longitudinal data, Bayesian methods, survival analysis and meta-analysis. Many examples are included alongside some of the necessary technical material, the more difficult parts of which are confined to tables. An Appendix gives details of relevant software. The book should be useful to medical statisticians and others faced with the often difficult problems of designing and analyzing clinical trials.
The controlled clinical trial has become one of the most important tools in medical research and investigators planning to undertake such a trial have no shortage of excellent books to which to turn for advice and information. But unlike the many other books dealing with clinical trials, this text is primarily concerned with the statistical issues of certain aspects of their design (Chapters 2 and 3) and, in particular, their analysis (Chapters 4 to 10), rather than their day-to-day organization. This restriction will enable us to give fuller accounts of some recently developed methods that may be particularly useful for the type of data often generated from clinical trials. Some details of the software available that implements the methods described will be given in the Appendix.

The Sterilization of Carrie Buck, by J. David Smith and K. Ray Nelson

The `Foreword' quotes Stephen Jay Gould as saying the forced sterilization of Carrie Buck was comparable to the Scopes Trial, but with a greater impact on people's lives that the belief in creationism (p.xv). Eugenics is the pure-bred descendant of Darwin's theory, an error compounded from a mistaken belief system. Chapter 1 tells of Carrie Buck's poverty-stricken childhood. She was adopted at age 3 and became a servant. She was a normal child during her 5 years of schooling (p.3). After a family member raped her, Carrie was turned out of the only home she knew by being classified as "feeble-minded" (p.5). Chapter 2 tells how Emma Buck, Carrie's mother, was committed to a state institution. It does not explain the cause. Carrie's child was adopted by the very family that claimed Carrie was "feeble-minded" (p.23)! The Superintendent of this "Colony" was a believer in eugenics (p.29). The hidden agenda of Dr. Albert Priddy was to use sterilization to provide servants or concubines to "good families" with the "normal functions of any woman" (p.33)! Dr. Priddy had been rebuked by the judge in an earlier case, Mallory v. Priddy for sterilizing a wife and daughter (p.36).

Sterilization laws had been declared unconstitutional as being class legislation (patients in state institutions) when done without due process and depriving a person of their natural right to procreate (pp.49-50). Public sentiment was against this; but when it was changed a law was passed. Then a test case was needed. The "expert witness" never met Carrie Buck (p.59)! Carrie Buck's lawyer, Irving Whitehead, was a close friend to Strode (p.86). Chapter 7 has the testimony of neighbors at the Trial. In Chapter 8 Whitehead argued that sterilization and release could spread venereal disease (pp.120-122)! Estabrook testified from a fashion cloaked as a science (p.131). There was scant scientific evidence for Carrie's "feeble-mindedness" (p.141). Research was funded by a millionaire (p.146). The Dobbs would take Carrie back if only she was sterilized (p.165)! Carrie's daughter was a normal and average student (p.171); she later died of measles.

The sterilization judgment was appealed: it deprived a citizen of the right to procreate without due process of law; it violated the Fourteenth Amendment of equal protection under the law for all; it violated the Eighth Amendment (p.175). The Trial Testimony was based on hearsay. Whitehead said upholding this law created the "worse kind of tyranny" where the state would have god-like power while the state is nothing more that a faction of politicians (p.176). Oliver Wendell Holmes took pleasure in deciding for the State of Virginia (p.178). [Senility?] This Virginia law was adopted by the Third Reich in 1933. Afterwards Carrie was placed as a domestic servant (p.187). She later married (twice), but her last years were spent in poverty.

Statistics can manipulate any body of data so as to support opposing conclusions (p.224). The young and poor from small communities were the common victims of sterilization (p.234). The looniness of eugenics advocates is shown on page 247: a cure-all for poverty and ignorance! [Poverty is the result of the Ruling Class's powers.] Elmer Pendell's poll of his students is dishonest (p.251). The eugenics falsehood still lives in the consciousness of many people (the Big Lie technique). Science knows that a lack of proper nutrition can cause many of the defects called "feeble-mindedness"; this is a result of poverty and oppression. This book lacks an index. [There used to be a "mad scientist" character in popular entertainment of the past; I now understand this.]

There are usually two sides to every story. However, as a labor and employment lawyer who represents management, it is difficult for me to see how an investigation into the fact pattern presented by Mr. Martin could have resulted in anything short of an apology and compensation for the egregious conduct of his supervisors and certain co-workers. Of course, when the US Supreme Court opened the door for some clear guidance on same-sex sexual harassment, the victory for Mr. Martin was all but assured. Nonetheless, the book's riveting account of Mr. Martin's courage to stand up to the system, prior to the precedent impact of the Supreme Court's decision, is a reminder to us all that right is right and wrong is simply wrong!

I would encourage corporate America to read and digest the issues which Mr. Martin raises, not only in the isolated same-sex harassment arena, but for an education into the mindset of a tenacious plaintiff who is willing to risk all for the sake of a belief that he was wronged by a company and organization to which he gave his all, and most of a career. This book, then, is a warning and an education for human resources directors at all companies. Such a story of harm and betrayal at the hands of a man's employer may encourage others similarly situated to fight, but if the proper lessons are learned, Mr. Martin's narrative may do well to prevent such from happening!

Sincerely,

James H. Stock, Jr.
Weintraub, Stock, Bennett, Grisham, And Underwood
2560 One Commerce Square
Memphis, TN 38103

As a graduate student in early modern Europe I thought this book was well done. The book focuses on the poison issue in Louis XIV's France. There is a clear shift in the methods of investigation--meaning each case was carefully examined. The Affair of the Poison was a major event only because members of Louis's court were accused or targeted.


1. The author does not ramble and use every possible quote from accusations, etc. Enough are used to support the flow of her argument, and the pages are not flooded with testimonies. It contrasts "In the Devil's Snare" where the author flooded the pages with testimony after testimony creating a tedious read.

2. Well written and well organized.

3. If your interested in witchcraft/poisons/potions/etc of early modern Europe this is a good book. Furthermore, you do not need to be an expert on the subject matter to understand the argument.


If you are a history student focusing on early modern Europe, get this book. I would also suggest "The Bewitching of Anne Gunther"

Both Coates and Morrison are well known inside Canadian academic circles for their work on Northern history (Land of the Midnight Sun; Taking the North Down With Her). This work builds on those previous contributions. 'Strange Things Done' is easy to read, and is not just a work for other academics. In fact, this book belongs both in the 'True Crime' and the 'History' sections of book stores.
Murder is a fascinating topic, and this book is put together in such a way that the reader becomes aquainted with Yukon history through intriguing stories and flowing narrative. One does not have to be an expert in Northern History to enjoy this book - I certainly am not. I enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to anyone interested in histories of Canada, the North, or even murder in general.