Europe Books

The authors have done an excellent job on this overview of the aerial defense of the Reich during daylight. The night defense is touched on as it impacts the daylight defense, but the focus is the daylight defense. In addition to the air combat reports of aviators, which you can also find in other books, this book has the big picture of the overall strategy and organization and the overall military outlook and how they worked together with the technology to drive tactics as the war progressed. I've read a lot of other books on this area and still learned a lot from this book. Good selection of photos too. Highly recommended!

An exceptionally well written book that reads very easily even while taking on what can often be a very dry subject... organization. In that role the book fills in many gaps that have been missing in previous works. If you're looking for a re-hash of which was better the mustang or the focke-wulf, or which side over-claimed victories more, this isn't it. It deals purely with the air defense of the Reich and is a marvelous telling of what decisions (and who made them) resulted in the German's loss of air superiority over their own country and the struggle by the men in the cockpits to prevail even after the outcome was unavoidable. Highly recommended!

This book fills a gap in the usual study of the history of World War II. We have had many books about the part played by the RAF and the USAAC, but what was happening on the other side? This helps fill in the gaps in the total picture.

Don Caldwell is well known for his excellent JG 26 unit history and if you enjoyed that I should think this would be an automatic purchase...
However an overview of the air battles that raged over Germany during the strategic bombing offensive in only 320 pages was always going to be a hard task- as it is this book only covers the day battles - no mention at all of the RAF's campaign. The book is relatively large format and the narrative scope is wide. The main events are related chronologically but while the material is nonetheless well organised the book reads a little breathlessly at times. It is not a scholarly work - nor is it an Osprey. Chapters 1 & 2 cover the period 1914-1941, while other chapters deal with the 'Oil campaign', 'The big 'blow' that never fell' and 'The final desperate expedients'. The text is detailed, very readable and well written, with most 'big' dates (7 July 44, 27 Sept, 2 November, 14 January 45, 24 March 45) given reasonable treatment within the space allowed - however the style of treatment probably makes it a little difficult to pick out certain themes that might be of interest, eg the bomber destroyer activities of the Bf 110G-2 and Me 410 ZG Gruppen, or the Sturmgruppen. That said there is an index..

Photographic content is OK, but you wouldn't buy this for the pictures.. There are of course a number of portraits of JG 26 personalities (perhaps too many portraits, but I guess they were easier to lay out) .. Otherwise the text has a good number of pilot accounts - although some of these are severely curtailed no doubt for reasons of space, eg Ernst Schroeder's long account from 17 December 1944, which in the JG 300 history published by Eagle Editions runs to over five pages of text... Elsewhere Caldwell's map and diagrams are good as is the lengthy discussion of fighter command and control techniques and organisation, fighter doctrine, morale and motivation and the summing up. A little irritatingly perhaps the authors use their own term 'RLV' throughout - standing for Reichsluftverteidigung or Reichs Air Defence - but I've never seen that abbreviation in any German language text...but probably a useful shorthand I guess..

One criticism; when dealing with my favorite unit JG 300 - leading Reich's Defence Geschwader - the authors have used some old and unreliable sources such as Jung, Hennig & Bethke & Dahl. ..While III./JG 300 had specifically been charged with the defence of Berlin there is no sense here of JG 300 as the leading German air defence unit of 1944/45. Bretschneider downed by flak on 24 December 44 ? .. from Hennig & Bethke's fanciful account ..the Kommandeur of the 'newly-formed' IV./JG 300 lost on 17 December..? ...Maj. Heino Offterdinger survived the war - pictures of his 'Green 45' taken in March 1945 feature in the JG 300 book. Elsewhere the account of Walfeld's (II./JG 300) ramming on 11 September 44 is taken from Walther Dahl's largely discredited memoir - unfortunately Wahlfeld (spelling) was a Sturmstaffel pilot and this incident occured in January 1944 and featured on the cover of an edition of the Berlin Illustrierte Zeitung. Similarly the G-6 photo taken from Jung on P234 is not 'Yellow 2' in the fall of 1944 but 'Red 12' in the summer of 43 at Hangelar.. and so on...
That said these are nit picks and this is probably the best we could have hoped for between one set of covers...so recommended without hesitation...

The product of a 10 year-collaborative effort by noted Luftwaffe authors Donald Caldwell and Richard Muller, LUFTWAFFE OVER GERMANY is a well-researched, well-written, fast-paced account of Luftwaffe air defense operations. Equal parts critical analysis and popular history, the book is must reading for air war enthusiasts.

Caldwell, who wrote the marvelous JG 26 trilogy, and Muller pack a great deal of information in the book's 290-odd pages of text. (If anything, the subject cries out for more pages). After tracing the development of German air defense from 1914 to 1939 in their first chapter, the authors discuss the initial air assaults by RAF units from 1939 to 1941, America's 1942 entry into the European air war, the American build-up from January-June 1943, the air defense's great victories in the last six months of 1943, the turning of the tide in January-April 1944, the oil campaign that lasted from May to August 1944, Adolf Galland's attempts to rebuild the fighter force (September-December 1944) and the final desperate struggles in 1945.

Throughout the book Caldwell and Muller do a first-rate job of weaving together myriad combat reports, technical reports, meeting minutes and other materials into a cogent and fascinating narrative. Their discussion, analysis and conclusions regarding the German - and Allied - developments in the air war make for fascinating reading. Among the most startling - to me- was their assertion that the Germans lost the air war in l943, long before they suffered crippling losses, by not diverting sufficient aircraft to air defense operations. A number of commanders on both sides likewise come in for well-deserved criticism.

The text is illustrated with over 190 photographs of commanders, aircrew, aircraft and combat scenes. Had space allowed, the book would have benefitted from the inclusion of diagrams of Luftwaffe and USAAF combat formations and attack tactics.

Make no mistake about it: Caldwell and Muller's book is a major addition to the literature on Luftwaffe air operations. It may, in fact, be THE definitive book on the subject. Highly recommended.

Christopher Shores et al. have produced a first-rate book on the contributions made by the Spitfire in the defense of Malta against a determined Axis assault.

From 1940 to 1942, Malta served as a linchpin in Britain's efforts to retain a presence in North Africa and the Mediterranean against the Axis Powers. From Malta, British air and sea vessels would harry German and Italian ships sending supplies to Rommel in the Western Desert during the height of the fighting there in 1941-42. Ship sinkings became almost prohibitive to the Axis, so both the Germans and Italians resolved to destroy Malta through air assault.

The first Spitfires arrived in Malta in February 1942 to supplement and replace the few remaining Hurricane fighters who had helped defend Malta since 1940.

This book reads almost like a daily diary of the war in, around, and over Malta throughout 1942. The reader gets a keen appreciation for the sacrifices made by the pilots, soldiers, and civilians in Malta who stood up to the Axis, and won. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Christopher Shores et al. have produced a first-rate book on the contributions made by the Spitfire in the defense of Malta against a determined Axis assault.

From 1940 to 1942, Malta served as a linchpin in Britain's efforts to retain a presence in North Africa and the Mediterranean against the Axis Powers. From Malta, British air and naval vessels would harry German and Italian ships sending supplies to Rommel in the Western Desert during the height of the fighting there in 1941-42. Ship sinkings became almost prohibitive to the Axis, so both the Germans and Italians resolved to destroy Malta through air assault.

The first Spitfires arrived in Malta in February 1942 to supplement and replace the few remaining Hurricane fighters who had helped defend Malta since 1940.

This book reads almost like a daily diary of the war in, around, and over Malta throughout 1942. The reader gets a keen appreciation for the sacrifices made by the pilots, soldiers, and civilians in Malta who stood up to the Axis, and won. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Christopher Shores et al. have produced a first-rate book on the contributions made by the Spitfire in the defense of Malta against a determined Axis assault.

From 1940 to 1942, Malta served as a linchpin in Britain's efforts to retain a presence in North Africa and the Mediterranean against the Axis Powers. From Malta, British air and naval vessels would harry German and Italian ships sending supplies to Rommel in the Western Desert during the height of the fighting there in 1941-42. Ship sinkings became almost prohibitive to the Axis, so both the Germans and Italians resolved to destroy Malta through air assault.

The first Spitfires arrived in Malta in February 1942 to supplement and replace the few remaining Hurricane fighters who had helped defend Malta since 1940.

This book reads almost like a daily diary of the war in, around, and over Malta throughout 1942. The reader gets a keen appreciation for the sacrifices made by the pilots, soldiers, and civilians in Malta who stood up to the Axis, and won. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Shores and Cull really can write about WW II aviation. Their books are marvellous, action-packed, accurate, full of data. I just don't know why all their books are so expensive. I bought "249 at War", but this one I had to borrow from a friend of mine.

First of all I would like to say,that if you haven't already read Christopher Shores "HURRICANE YEARS"I suggest you do so.Malta The Spitfire Year 1942 is the second volume of the air battle in malta. The Author Chrisopher Shores has done a superb job on this book.There are more than 200 rare photographs and more detail regarding the air battle of Malta. Thankyou Christopher Shore for a memorable book.

We LOVED this map of Paris for our trip. All of the major sightseeing attractions (the monuments & buildings) are drawn in 3D and to scale. This was VERY helpful to be able to plan a day of sightseeing. Metro stops are shown and helpful info about sights and stores are right on the map. Highly recommended!

MapEasy maps are the best! It is so much easier to navigate when you have a map with landmarks for restaurants, shops, etc. I never travel to a new city without them.

I own 8 of these, so see my review under "Rome." They're great!

If you are going to Paris, especially if you haven't been there before, you will probably want to get a couple of guidebooks and maps to help plan your excursions. I had used the MapEasy guide to Rome in the past, and found it to be an ideal blend of detail and narrative for navigating the city. When I needed a tactical map of Paris, I turned to the MapEasy Paris guide, which I also highly recommend.

There are better and more detailed maps and books more suitable for planning a trip to Paris, but the MapEasy Paris map is the overall best choice for navigating the streets and sights once actually venturing around the great French city. The major streets are well detailed, and not only are historical sights depicted in an easy to interpret, three-dimensional manner, but they also have brief descriptions to help direct your focus to places of interest to you specifically (for example: "Musee Gulmet: Vast collection of Asian art and research library.") Important or noteworthy shops, hotels, and restaurants are depicted, and in the case of restaurants a symbol representing how expensive the food is is also included. Of course all the famous sights such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, and Notre Dame are especially well detailed, and there are several inset maps on the opposite side of the main map detailing the Parisian periphery, Montmartre, and suggested short driving trips.

The map is a great value, and is printed on a unique rip-resistant and water-resistant paper that is both durable, yet pliable (unlike many of the laminated card stock maps available.) For navigating the streets of Paris this is an ideal choice for tourists or those new to the city. I highly recommend the MapEasy series.

As with most Mapeasy maps, this one is great in helping you find not only the streets, but the stores, the restaurants, the hotels and other worthy places.

Granted, it may not have the most detail when it comes to little streets and alleys, but it will get you where you need to go.

ok..in truth i don't actuall remember the book but i must have read it at some point!

I like the great firebird because his wings are beautiful and he sent the witch away.I like the pictures.

I LIKETHE BIT WHEN THERE WAS FIVE EGG ANDTHEY TOOK THE EGG AND THE PORE LADEY HAD NUNE EGG LETHED. I LIKE THE FIEBIRDS

I like the eggs at the end and the firebird.

I thinK THE STORY IS MAGICAL AND I WOULD LIKE TO BE MASHA. I HAVE MET MARGARET BATESON A FEW TIMES. SHE COMES TO OUR SCHOOL. I LIKE THE STYLE OF THE STORY BECAUSE IT IS ENCHANTING AND HAS LOVELY PICTURES. I WOULD RECOMMAND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE.

If this be gossip, then it is the best kind. Engaging account of the rivalry/synergy of Matisse and Picasso and the interactions over half a century, with a Gertrude Stein introit at the beginning. This competition is fairly lightweight stuff as far as I can see although throwing rubber suction darts at a Matisse painting gets close to borderline rascalian--Picasso probably loses points on adolescent misdemeanours, but the art of both leaves us unable to judge, save that a third here could not be found.

This is an excellent book. I am thoroughly enjoying it.
This book compares great painters 'Henri Matisse' and 'Pablo Picasso' works and the influence of each other and their works on the others art.
Henri Matisse with his keeping the painting simple and lively and Picasso with his cubism, drawing from imagination are 'artists of different worlds'. They have different painting styles and they paint at exactly opposite times.
The book goes through the works of each in the order one was done as a reacton to the other, sometimes one trying to beat the other at their own style.

CITES:
Baudelaire's essay- 'The Painter of Modern Life'.
Apollinaire's essay on Picasso's work.(also his 'La Poete assasine')
Picasso's play - 'Desire caught by the tail'.
Matisse - 'Notes of a Painter'.

This is an excellent work for art history enthusiasts. It depicts
many famous works of art by Matisse and Picasso. Classically,
Matisse is known for the artful use of color; whereas, Picasso
is credited with the unique form of Cubism which pervades
his artwork. Flam depicts important works by both artists.
For instance, Matisse's "The Woman With The Hat" is shown in
full color. Picasso's "The Acrobat's Family" is depicted
together with "The Two Nudes". These pictures show the emotional side of Picasso's work in contradistinction to
Matisse's exercise of restraint. This book would make a
perfect gift for a friend, relative or art buff.

Imagine one tightly written book that can tell you what the art world was like for much of the 20th Century! Jack Flam is the man who did just that in "Matisse Picaso." Then imagine learning all about the lives of Matisse and Picasso and their loves along with their push-pull friendship and competition. After that get the skinny on the paintings both men painted. I never even saw all the -------- in Picasso's paintings. Now, it is hard to see anything else.

I found this book to be much more exciting then typical biographies that include all the boring parts of people's lives. Here you get all the interesting parts with all the boring parts left out. I read every word and recommend the book without reservation. In fact, I believe every art student needs to read this book, every artist, every art affictionado.

Before there was Andy Warhol, the ultimate in art cool, there was Picasso. And before there was Picasso, there was Matisse. Picasso and his cronies used to make fun of Matisse's primitive style and threw fake darts at Matisse's portrait of his daughter, and people laughed in the salons at Matisse's Joy of Life but no artist influenced Picasso more than Matisse, from his works to his introduction to African and Iberian art, Matisse was one of the few constants in Picasso's life, always keeping the paintings that he had of Matisse. These two heavyweights, more than anybody, have influenced the way we make art today. This books does a great job fleshing out the relationship between these two artists and how they affected each other in a well written and highly accesible format. An excellent book worthy of the excellent artists.

Maurice was apparently a very practically minded commander for this book of advice is packed, in a most readable and concise form, full of advice for tactics, strategy, and logistics. It is a treasure for the student of ancient warfare desiring knowledge of the every-day challenges of commanders. Mr. Dennis' translation is very readable while not losing too much of the Greek terminology the serious student will be seeking.

Maurice organizes his advice into an introduction followed by 11 books on topics including calvary and infantry formations, strategy, tactics, logistics, ambushes, sieges, and an analysis of the strategy and tactics of other people's in his time. The back matter of the book includes a brief but fairly thorough glossary and a good index. The front matter includes a full page map of the Byzantine empire circa AD 600. Various troop formations and orders of battle are illustrated by simple yet clear sketches and text-art.

No library of ancient history is complete without this work. Each book division can be studied alone as your interest leads making it especially useful as a reference book. At the same time, the translation and style makes it an easy read as a solid overview of ancient warfare. The thoughtful organization makes it a perfect companion for study and classroom use.

Maurice's Strategikon: Handbook of Byzantine Military Strategy is the English translation of the famous Strategikon, a practical handbook writen around 600 AD outlining Romano-Byzantine military practice and doctrine of the previous and following centuries.
This book gives indispensable first hand information of the armies of these centuries.
All texts are held in a language that is easily understandable even for those readers not having English as their native language.
Only disadvantage is, that the original Greek and Latin terms aren't always mentioned. This doesn't effect the ability to understand the texts, but make it more difficult to bring them into context with other works often overcrowded with Greek or Helenised terms.

This is my first exposure to Maurice's handbook, so I cannot write a critical review of Mr. Dennis' work. Absent my ability to critique the translation, I give the book five stars as a combined score for Mr. Dennis and the long-departed Roman author.

Mr. Dennis' translation is very readable and smooth. The glossary was valuable while reading, and the index has been useful as I'm going over some specific topics again. The introductory material provided enough tutorial that I could enjoy the text without confusion. I appreciated the footnotes that give the Latin commands for directing troops. I find the "Bibliographical Notes" more useful than the typical stark list of references.

The only thing that I could really wish for are footnotes detailing variants in the surviving texts. While that would satisfy my curiosity, it could serve only as a distraction for those not interested in minutiae. One can't mark the book down for personal quirks. :-)

As for the text itself, it's a fascinating journey through the mind of a seasoned Roman general. Written to train the Empire's top military leaders, the well-organized handbook presents the material thoroughly without repetition. The plain, no-nonsense language keeps the material accessible to the non-erudite. The fact that it influenced warfare for hundreds of subsequent years comes as no surprise.

Long attributed to the Byzantine Emperor Maurice, the "Strategikon" became the practical handbook for Byzantine army organization, covering everything from basic training to tactical planning against the armies of different nations and to basic strategy and diplomacy.

A young Byzantine man of good birth was expected to learn from childhood how to use the bow, ride a horse, then do both, while also training to fight on foot with sword, and then train to do it all in armor, and be capable of making long rides or long marches in full kit before being deemed fully qualified for service in the army.

Although heavily dependent upon mercenary forces, the Byzantines did not forget the lessons of the latter Western Roman Empire -- along with the mercenaries, the Byzantines established a hard core of well-trained native soldiers who acted as a unifying force around which the mercenaries gathered.

The "Strategikon" gives detailed marching orders for a variety of column types, orders of battle, the fighting styles of different enemies of the Byzantines, etc. It is this detail which helps the textual critics to analyze whether or not the Emperor Maurice himself wrote the book, or if it was written at his request, or under his dictation. Whoever the author, it is undoubted that he was a skilled tactician and an experienced veteran officer of high rank. In any case, "Strategikon" was for generations one of THE handbooks of military theory for the Byzantines, one which enabled them to maintain their independence (even in exile) for centuries after the book was written, and one which still has value for "Maurice's" comments on the need to train recruits thoroughly in ALL of the types of fighting which they might need to do.

This is a beautifully produced translation of the Strategikon, a military manual attributed to the eastern Roman emperor Maurice and thought to have been written sometime between A.D. 580 and 600. Packed full of the accumulated wisdom of a thousand years of Hellenistic and Roman experience in warfare, the Strategikon was meant to be a primer for the novice general--roughly the Western equivalent to Sun Tzu's "Art of War."

Simply put, the Strategicon is a gold mine of historical data on the Roman army of the late 6th century. It is of particular interest because this period marks a time when Roman power had made its last vain attempt to regain authority over the Western provinces of the Empire, and was now undergoing a period of contraction and collapse. The Strategikon describes an army whose core is no longer the heavy infantry of the early Roman Principate, but armored cavalry lancers and archers. It is a time when Greek was fast becoming the predominant language in Roman society as a whole, while vestiges of Latin remained in the jargon of the army. The legion of old was replaced by the meros, the centurion by the hekatontarch.

The Strategikon records many aspects of the Roman army life at this time, including: induction of new recruits, description of ranks and responsibilities, formation of units, drills, rules, punishments, instructions on marching through enemy territory, foraging for food, and the set-up of fortified camps. It is rich in advice for the prospective general when battling against the various enemies of the Empire, from the Persians, to the Slavs, to the Avars and Goths. Perhaps most interesting of all, it contains several detailed diagrams for the order of battle of a Late Roman/Early Byzantine army of various sizes and configurations. It also gives a great deal of advice on how to defeat the enemy via guile, deception, misinformation, ambush, concealed traps, etc.

All in all, the Strategikon is a source that can not be neglected for the scholar of the Late Roman or Byzantine army. The University of Pennsylvania Press is to be congratulated for making the work available in such an accessible and attractively-produced volume.

This is a powerfully engaging book for those interested in learning about memory and the Holocaust. It teaches the reader about the extraordinary persistence of traumatic memory and about the detailed, personal reality of the Holocaust. The writing is meticulous and evocative and the insights are clear and distinctive, making the book appropriate for scholars and teachers as well as students and the general public. If I were teaching seniors in high school or undergraduates in college, this would be the first book I would choose. An accessible portrayal of those who have been uniquely traumatized, it is eminently readable, deeply emotional, and responsibly analytical.

I was particularly struck by the conscientiousness of the entire book, the rigor and the depth of Kraft's research, its READABILITY and ACCESSIBILITY to layfolk, of which I am one. From the Ed Hirsch lines that open the preface and give shape to what follows to the last line in the appendix, MEMORY PERCEIVED is a great example of how a writer can pay attention to the text at the word level while tending to details of content and the monstrously huge organizational task it must have been to build this book.

Those of us who have known about the eloquent and shattering Holocaust testimonies collected at the Fortunoff Video Archive at Yale University have long wondered how we might begin to introduce and guide our students through this powerful memorial source. After reading Robert Kraft's _Memory Perceived_, I believe we need no longer wonder. A close reading of over 200
hours of testimony, Kraft's book frames many of the decisive issues at the heart of our teaching of the Holocaust. To do this, he often takes us directly to the heart of some riveting testimony. On virtually every page, Kraft reproduces a sentence or image or gesture that seems for a moment to encapsulate the entirety of the horror. (The book's chapter devoted to
survivors recalling their childhood is especially replete with such moments.) Kraft refers to himself at one point as a kind of scribe, and the results of his transcriptions are genuinely educational. Not only are we given a fuller sense of what happened, we learn also about how the survivors try--and often fail--to make sense of what they lost. The book's language is
clear and free of jargon, and would be a nice fit in an undergraduate course devoted to the Holocaust. My only quibble is with Praeger (the book's publisher), who must find a way to release the book in paperback in order for students to gain the benefit of Kraft's work.

Robert Kraft's Memory Perceived is a book of the first order-an elegant and poignant analysis of the content and structure of the memories of those who survived the Holocaust. What Kraft has done is to pay careful attention to 129 testimonies housed at the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University, and to begin to lend some order to the words and voices and gestures of individuals who still carry around the events they witnessed over fifty years ago. As Kraft himself points out, videotaped oral testimony is a vitally new and different source of information about memory. Those of us who teach the Holocaust, of course, are at pains to make this source of information accessible to our students. Kraft's book goes a long way toward remedying this problem: it presents five or six clear categories into which to sort the testimonies, and it describes again and again what viewers would actually be seeing and hearing if they were gazing at the testimonies under discussion. Many of the descriptions Kraft quotes are as vivid as those which appear in the novels and memoirs routinely taught in courses devoted to remembering the Holocaust. Memory Perceived would, I believe, function perfectly as a supplemental text in such classes. It would alert students both to a new and urgent method of recalling the past, and would catalyze their own confrontation with the implications of what it means to bear witness to a traumatic history.

"Memory Perceived" is a brilliant account of how the persistence of memory affects the individual lives of those who have experienced severe physical and psychological trauma. Kraft examines the oral testimony of 129 Holocaust survivors, and eloquently depicts how the perceptions of the horrors each experienced affect their daily lives. It also powerfully illustrates the tremendous courage and fortitude that Holocaust survivors have, living dual lives in a world that wants to close its eyes to the cruelties of the past.

The survivors that came forward to give oral testimony at Yale University did so, according to Kraft, to leave a personal account of their experiences and perceptions of the atrocities. The witnesses want the world to remember, as they have done all their lives, the suffering of those who died and the anguish of the families that were torn apart. Furthermore, they want the world to always remember the cruelty and brutality the human being is capable of.

One cannot read the testimonies of the witnesses and not be disturbed. Yet, at the same time one cannot help but be awed by the strength of the survivors. The ability to adapt to living in a world that did not want to know about the horrendous atrocities, while at the same time, living with the torment of the persistent memories of their past trauma is inconceivable to those who were not there.

"Memory Perceived" is an academic book, in that it examines memory and the function of specific memory. Kraft explains how past personal traumatic memory creates conflicts between recovery and revenge, guilt and grief, and contentment and torment. Traumatic memory also sensitizes those who experienced the trauma to current tragic events, and makes them more aware of and empathetic to the personal sufferings of the victims. Kraft shows how personal memory influences, not only the behavior of the individual, but also families and society as a whole.

While many books written about the Holocaust provide historical details and personal stories, "Memory Perceived" explores the thoughts and emotions of the survivors, their perceptions of events and their concerns for the future. Kraft's superb analysis of oral testimonies provides insight into the psychological dimensions of traumatic memory and its consequential influence on daily survival.

Kraft is a highly skilled cognitive psychologist; and, his dedication to his work is evident in each line. This is a book that must be read, not only by those interested in the cognitive study of memory, but also by those who believe that we have not learned the lesson that complacent indifference is one of the greatest threats to humanity.
This is an excellent book and one that I highly recommend. Peggy Lobb

Until such time as Amazon calls up existing reviews for its Kindle editions, here are a couple from the paperback edition of Michael's War: A Story of the Irish Republican Army:

Terence Quigley gave it 5 stars: "'Michael's War' is a very fine yarn about the Irish Republican Army, complete with the mandatory love affair between the Irish farmer and the squire's daughter.... I especially liked the way Mr Ford, an American, caught the cadence of Irish speech. The story closely follows the course of Ireland's separation from England, from the Easter Week 'rising' in 1916 to the surrender of the IRA 'diehards' in 1923. At the end of all, as Michael would say, he sells the farm and sets out for America, leaving behind a country full of hate & suspicion as a result of civil war. The seeds of the IRA 'troubles' of the past half-century were sown in Cork & Kerry in the early 1920s. Mr Ford coats the history lesson with a satisfactory romance and an exciting tale of guerrilla warfare. Good job!"

So did Paul Estaver: "MICHAEL'S WAR is a serious literary work. It is also a page-turner, an exciting adventure yarn--and a warm-hearted love story--and a sound perspective of the tangled history of the Irish struggle for freedom. The characters are memorable and believable--and like so much Irish literature, the narrative sings.... In a word, I loved it. The story is set in the period 1917-23 when the Irish Republicans fought, with minimal resources, the arrogant British domination and made their mark, only to be tricked and betrayed so that in the end it was brother fighting brother. Equally important, this is a personal history of Michael Ford, a stubborn farmer, as he grows from boyhood to a commander of men, who ultimately escapes death by Irish luck and lives to look at his own gravestone before his departure for America. DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!"

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

'Michael's War' is a very fine yarn about the Irish Republican Army, complete with the mandatory love affair between the Irish farmer and the squire's daughter. (Think of Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman in 'Far & Away'!) I especially liked the way Mr Ford, an American, caught the cadence of Irish speech.

The story closely follows the course of Ireland's separation from England, from the Easter Week 'rising' in 1916 to the surrender of the IRA 'diehards' in 1923. At the end of all, as Michael would say, he sells the farm and sets out for America, leaving behind a country full of hate & suspicion as a result of civil war.

The seeds of the IRA 'troubles' of the past half-century were sown in Cork & Kerry in the early 1920s. Mr Ford coats the history lesson with a satisfactory romance and an exciting tale of guerrilla warfare. Good job! (reviewed Nov 2003 by Terence Quigley)

'Michael's War' is a very fine yarn about the Irish Republican Army, complete with the mandatory love affair between the Irish farmer and the squire's daughter. (Think of Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman in 'Far & Away'!) I especially liked the way Mr Ford, an American, caught the cadence of Irish speech.

The story closely follows the course of Ireland's separation from England, from the Easter Week 'rising' in 1916 to the surrender of the IRA 'diehards' in 1923. At the end of all, as Michael would say, he sells the farm and sets out for America, leaving behind a country full of hate & suspicion as a result of civil war.

The seeds of the IRA 'troubles' of the past half-century were sown in Cork & Kerry in the early 1920s. Mr Ford coats the history lesson with a satisfactory romance and an exciting tale of guerrilla warfare. Good job! (reviewed Nov 2003 by Terence Quigley)

This book is a fiction, though its hero bears some resemblance to my father, Patrick Ford, born 1899 in the County Cork, died 1977 in Arizona--one of the wild geese who populated the far reaches of the world, for the most part to the world's great benefit. Toward the end of his life, Dad wrote a recollection of his youth in Ireland, and I referred to it constantly while writing my novel. He lived through much of Michael's life story (though he never, to the best of my knowledge, had an affair with the squire's daughter). The rest was experienced by other people, whose stories I adapted.

The heroines bear less resemblance to my mother, Anne Crowley, though Mom did serve in the Cumann na mBan--easier to pronounce than to spell!--and once or twice tucked blasting caps into her cleavage. She was a more forgiving person than my father, and she wouldn't be at all troubled to learn that her great-granddaughters carry British as well as American passports.

When the novel was done, I put it aside and turned to other things, among them a story about the Flying Tigers of World War II. If you have read "Remains," you may remember Austin and Annabel Love as members of the British Raj in Burma in 1941-42. They suited the role, so I borrowed their names and some of their circumstances. Now, as I return to "Michael's War," I find that they suit this book even more, so here they are as I first invented them. If the coincidence troubles you, just pretend that they hail from different branches of the same fictional family. -- Dan Ford

MICHAEL'S WAR is a serious literary work. It is also a page-turner, an exciting adventure yarn--and a warm-hearted love story--and a sound perspective of the tangled history of the Irish struggle for freedom. The characters are memorable and believable--and like so much Irish literature, the narrative sings. Finally, it is the heritage of Daniel Ford, its author.

In a word, I loved it.

The story is set in the period 1917-23 when the Irish Republicans fought, with minimal resources, the arrogant British domination and made their mark, only to be tricked and betrayed so that in the end it was brother fighting brother.

Equally important, this is a personal history of Michael Ford, a stubborn farmer, as he grows from boyhood to a commander of men, who ultimately escapes death by Irish luck and lives to look at his own gravestone before his departure for America.

DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!

-- Paul Estaver

Let's clear the air first.

It is a shame that Amazon has decided to highlight Susie Lindfield's rather unfortunate review of "Michelangelo in Ravensbruck" from the Washington Post's Book World. While Ms Lindfield's credentials would appear suitable to the task, her product (the review) certainly leaves one wondering by what tortured lens she viewed Karolina Lanckoronska's book.

If you have read the Lindfield review, consider then this passage from the second paragraph of the book's prologue: "My memoir is meant to be a report -- and only a report -- of what I witnessed during the Second World War. I know that others have lived through a great deal more than myself. I was never in Auschwitz or Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, I also know that every first-hand account contributes fresh detail to the picture of those years."

If only Lindfield demonstrated an understanding of those few words.

Those are the words of an historian -- because that is what Lanckoronska was. This book clearly demonstrates the historian's perspective, and the understanding that individual narrative has great value to researchers, those passionate about history and learning, and perhaps even the merely curious.

The puzzling thing about the Lindfield review is that it seems she would be more satisfied if this was a work of fiction that she could complain about for not fitting into her concept of history. The problem is that the events in this "story" happened -- and to the storyteller, not Ms Lindfield. To that extent, Ms Lindfield shows herself to be in a mild state of denial. Additionally, her review shows me no understanding of the importance of teasing out individualized threads of experienced history, and then placing them in context within that complex fabric of history -- not macerated into a homogenized "pour" of history.

I strongly recommend that you read John Carey's review from the Sunday Times (of London), published 12 FEB 06, or on the web at:

[...]

(If that link doesn't work, go to the Timesonline site and search for "Lanckoronska".) Carey's review has the advantage of actually telling you more about the book than about the reviewer.

The book itself? You certainly won't find flowery passages and gripping drama. But not so fast. Lanckoronska is a historian -- an art historian by education who later turned her talents to Polish art and culture. So perhaps her prose is a little dry. You can almost imagine a woman, speaking aloud from notes, going through this part of her life for you step by step. But as you become accustomed to her style, events emerge that surprise. Something as innocuous as a car breakdown is delivered in the same tone as a later scene were she realizes that she is witnessing fellow Poles being herded into lorries and heading for the execution grounds in the woods. More than once I had to stop reading just to let those scenes sink in.

This book is valuable because it snatches our attention away from the homogenized pour of World War Two and Nazi history that we have been spoon fed all these years. It understands the enormity and incomprehensibility of the Holocaust, while taking you into the places that Western European and North American histories are only just beginning to touch -- over 60 years after the fall of Hitler's Berlin.

At the back of the book are endnotes for each chapter (which, in future editions, I wish they would convert to footnotes) by the author or the editors. Fascinating too are the appendices which include the names of the Lwow professors that were murdered, and short biographies of major characters in this book. Just within those short biographies is a chilling reminder of the overt criminality of the Nazi regime, and all those that chose to follow it.

For students of recent Polish history, this is a must-have volume. And for anyone who would like another perspective on what happened in Poland, the Ukraine, and Germany between 1939 and 1945 -- especially to provide richer context for understanding the depths to which humanity seemed to plunge during that period -- I highly recommend "Michelangelo in Ravensbruck".

And let's make this very clear: A better understanding of this period of time from Karolina Lanckoronska's perspective in no way (at least for a moderately intelligent reader) diminishes the totality of those horrible years.

This is a missing link in WW2 history taught in the US.WW2 wasn't just about Jews. They suffered a lot and everybody knows it but nobody have any idea that during that war 25% of Polish nation was killed by Germans, Russians and Ukrainians.

In 1939 the author was a wealthy landowner and professor of art history, and also witness to the Soviet army's march into Poland as the Nazis staged their invasion from the west. She joined the resistance and was captured and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp - there to teach art history to other women who believed they would soon die. Her account discusses the mass murder of Poles and the ability to survive the most inhumane conditions, and should serve as an inspiring, outstanding addition to Holocaust literature for any collection seeking expanded views from eyewitness survivors.

This well written book is a cliff-hanger, a tear jerker and the most frightening lesson in the behaviour of supposedly civilized races.
It should be mandatory reading for all schools and universities in the free world. The bestial atrocities detailed in its pages need to be shown in the light of day so that public conscience ensures that they never be repeated.
The author's incredible faith and determination shine through, as does the spirit of the Polish people.
This might be the most comprehensive and detailed report ever written by a survivor.

Having read numerous accounts of the Holocaust, primarily from the Jewish point of view, I felt this book was a valuable addition to World War Two & even Holocaust literature, even though it is from a Gentile's point of view. It details the wartime [World War Two] experiences of a Polish aristocrat, Karolina Lanckoronska who was actively involved in resistance activities against the Nazis. Quite a bit of the book is devoted to detailing her resistance activities. These eventually get her labelled an undesirable and she gets sent off to Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her indefatigable spirit is evident in her lively outlook despite the horrors and bleakness around her. Her account of life in Ravensbruck is immensely valuable to enhancing our understanding of Nazi atrocities...female prisoners being subjected to horrific medical experiments, the infamous selections that make day to day living unberable for no one knew when death would come knocking, the rampant diseases that besieged the camp, all these horrors are vividly described in Countess Lanckoronska's account. Despite the worst living conditions imaginable, she was able to bring some measure of hope and light by teaching art etc. Her courage in standing up to the Nazis is inspiring and her account is a valuable addition to anyone interested in World War Two history & Nazi atrocities.

Art historian and art history student must hav. The book contains fabulous images and amazing insight into the period in which the images were created.

THIS BOOK ARRIVED WITH PERFECT TIMING AND CONDITION!
I WAS VERY PLEASED!

I've loved the art of this period for years, but had little academic grounding in it. This book lets me return to old favorites with new eyes.

This, in common with other volumes in the "Perspectives" series, offers high quality (though small) reproductions of important works, up-to-date analysis and discussion of the art and the contexts in which it was created. Harbison's tone is informative, if ocasionally a little too sententious. But it's a very small price to pay, given the overall excellence of his work in this volume. It's obvious that Harbison loves this period, and he transmits his excitement for these works to the reader in concise language that is accessible to a lay audience.

Of particular interest is the discussion of how the Northern Rennaisance related to and differed from what was going on in Italy at the time. The only major weakness: not enough of a focus on Durer. But it's hard to get sufficient focus on any artist in a book this condensed.

An excellent book for those familiar with the period, or those wanting to get acquainted with a school of art often unjustly overshadowed by its southern contemporary.

Informative, smart and well-written, Craig Harbison's "The Mirror of the Artist" provides an excellent, brief introduction to the sensibility, historical context, and practice of art in the North. From the attitude toward realism, to patronage among the growing class of government bureaucrats, to the market for art or the influence of the Reformation, the book offers an enhanced understanding of artistic interest and social situations in which the paintings were made -- without ever forgetting their aesthetic dimension. The best tribute I can offer is that I immediately went back to Amazon to order Harbison's "Jan Van Eyck: The Play of Realism", a $35 large format paperback. Minor quibble: Although well-illustrated for a paperback this size, with the book just about 6.25" x 9.5", more details should have been illustrated when details were discussed in larger works. (I'm still looking for the barely visible figure of the devil above the cow in the "Portinari Altarpiece".) But this is a rare problem.

Overall, this is a good introduction to Northern Renaissance art and the cultural mindset that produced it.

Like many works of revisionist history, this book is a bit heavy-handed at times in its effort to prove that Northern art is as worthy of study as Italian Renaissance art. But overall, the contrast between the two different artistic traditions is effective.