History Books

Mitchell, a well-known reporter, has filled a role in history that will always be remembered and loved by those who lived the life he wrote about.

The people in his stories are unique and have qualities some would find interesting. His writing is very descriptive and he captures countless details not understood or seen by the casual passerby. You can easily place yourself as a fly on the wall soaking in your surroundings.

If you read Up in the Old Hotel with literary merit in mind, then you will be in for a good dose of excellent writing by a standard of yesteryear. If you are looking for people who fit outside the box, you will surely find them. If you are looking for a glimpse of the past, then be prepared to journey back with a fine guide who didn't miss a thing.

There will be many of the older generation that will remember, with clarity, when Mitchell's writings first appeared and the impact they made. It is to this group that I recommend Up in the Old Hotel.

Though a brilliant writer, I was not drawn to his stories. For me they lacked the "snap, crackle, and pop" of today's aggressive writing style. If New York had been my home over the years, then I would have found a deeper appreciation and understanding for those who made up Mitchell's fine work.

Armchair Interviews says: From a man who knew how to observe and then put it down on paper.

Joseph Mitchell, a fine writer for The New Yorker magazine, put together a wonderful grouping of short stories during his many years of searching out the people and interesting places in New York City which was his beat for many years. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy a good story about ordinary people, or one of an interesting landmark s such as McSorley's Bar and the people who frquented it during the 1920's and 1930's. It has been at the same location since 1854 and is still there today. My favorites are the first story, The Old House At Home (about Mcsorley's) and Mr. Hunter's Grave, towards the end of the book. Many others are excellent and bring out the heart of the city and its people. To me it brought back New York as it was then with kids "roasting mickies" as I did as a child in New York. G. H. Owens

A book that covers the nooks and crannies of lower Manhattan. Oddball characters are brought to full
bloom under the author's pen. He knew how to listen! Towards the back some great essays on
growing up along the Carolina coast.

Up in the Old Hotel is a masterpiece. I've read it so many times (it is my ultimate desert island book) and have yet to tire of it. The essays (and the few short stories that are included) are timeless, generous works of genius. Joseph Mitchell captures his odd and wonderful subjects as richly realized individuals, and appreciates the smallest of beautiful, dark and humorous nuances. His vision is presented so humbly and offhandedly, yet with absolute precision and so much respect. You truly feel a part of the experience. I'm not sure there is anyone who could write better. All of the essays are amazing, but my favorites are Mr. Hunter's Grave, The Old House at Home, Mazie, and Up in the Old Hotel. The short stories in Section II of the first book are heart wrenching. This book also makes a really great gift.

Are you going to visit "the City"? Have you been to NYC (and loved it)? Up in the Old Hotel was written before most of us were born but still delivers the savory secrets of this great metropolis. Characters abound who could only exist in NY. Meet them before you go. And be sure to eat a slice of Ray's pizza on Sixth Ave. and 11th Street!

My dad flew as a navigator (on some missions lead navigator) of B-24s in the last 5 months of WWII. But all the fellows he trained most closely with, the guys he became personally closest with, died in a mid-air explosion before my dad flew a single combat mission (my dad opted out of what was supposed to be a pleasant free day-trip from England to Ireland). This book helped me to understand my father's never-ending sense of loss and regret.

There has probably never been a more masterful account of what these young men went through, and the risks they took, in the combat mode of the massive campaign to cripple the Nazi war infrastructure from lumbering, unpressurized bomb-ships 30,000 feet in the sky. The comradeship among the crews is what comes through most clearly in Childer's remarkably poignant book. That, plus the randomness of the winnowing-out process that took so many of these brave airmen. The loss of Childer's uncle and several of his crew mates was especially pathetic, and not only because of the proximity of the end of the war.

WWII, the greatest conflict in U.S. history. The B-24 Liberator, one of the greatest bombers ever built. But those two in a book, and what comes out of the oven is Wings of Morning. Howard Goodner was drafted into the United States Air Force in 1943. He set off from his home state of Tennesee to prepare for combat in Europe. He trained as a radio operator and finished in the top of class. Howard recieved a job as an instructor, but instead of "sitting out the war" Howard instead, accepts combat duty, and is sent off to train with his new flight crew. Soon, Howard arrives in England, awaiting his first bombing mission. After many bombing runs, Howards crew is appointed leader of his flight squadron. On April 21, 1945, Howard's crew sets off on a dangerous mission over Germany which runs straight into enemy flak, and crashes.
Fifty years later Thomas Childers, author, and nephew of Howard Goodner beautifully recreates what happened during the few years Howard was in Europe using the countless number of letters Howard wrote, eyewitnesses of the crash, squadron members, government documents, and the only surviving member of Howard's crew. This book was written beautifully, but a bit too dry for my liking. This is the reason for my 4 out of 5 review of Wings of Morning: The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War II, by Thomas Childers.

A fascinating but tragic story of a US bomber crew that almost made it home safely. The war in Europe was in its closing days and they were assigned to make one of the last bombing raids over Germany and were shot down, only two survived. The author is a wonderful and gifted writer who describes the story of his uncle, the radio opeator on the B24, his enlistment in the Air Corp, the training, the close bond that develops with the other crew members, the terror of flying through enemy flak and fighting off German Fighters. It is a heart rending story wonderfully written.

John Brennan

There are very few books written, and even fewer read, that will motivate or so move a reader to go to unusual lengths to want to know or try and understand who the protagonist of the story really was;who he must have been. This is just such a book, and this is no ordinary story. First, and foremost, it is a true personal account of one of thousands of American young men from a typical all American small town of the 1940's, who had everything going for him in his small southern town, with a bright future before him. Sports, a steady girl, maybe college. But the war in Europe and Pearl Harbor interrupted that future for Howard Goodner and the many like him. He stood on a train platform one morning and,like so many others, kissed his mother goodbye, assured her he'd be alright and went off to the army to become an aviator. But not everyone who trained could sit in that pilot or co-pilot's seat of the new B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. This amazing story is taken from the letters of SGT. Howard Goodner to his mother, and found, quite by accident, by Professor Thomas Childers locked in a desk, that Howard's mother, Childers' grandmother, had left for him upon her death. The letters, stuck in a drawer that must have been much too painful to open, describes in vivid detail the complete stateside training of a typical B-24 aircrew...the selection process,the daily routines, the nuances of the B-24, the incredible training accident rates and the midair accidents that Howard witnesses, that kill 10-20 men at a time, before even leaving the United States. The narrative is compelling and written so well that you feel that you are getting to know Howard Goodner as he operates the radio on board his plane and interacts with his crew. Goodner describes what a B-24 aircrew was like, personally, on the ground and in the air. The men in his crew...the quiet ones, the screwballs and the crewmember they even vote off the airplane. He describes the terror of the missions and the relief of seeing that home base runway. This is perhaps the best description of the training, deployment, combat and daily life in wartime England of an average WW2 American bomber aircrew ever written. The story is also a family one. Goodner's brother in law, also an airman, is within bike riding distance of his airfield in England and they often meet after either one returns from a mission over Germany or Holland. They write letters home telling of seeing each other and that all is okay, until the day that Howard's ship, The Black Cat, does not return from a mission. The entire crew but one is lost and the family's share an anguish for years afterward that Childer's describes in one of the few "Gold Star" families accounts you will read. Childer's writes movingly of the families of the crew as they desperately attempt to learn something from the War Department. Childer's narrative is such that you can feel the fear as though the fateful telegram is arriving at your own door. Victor Davis Hanson describes in his "Ripples of Battle" the ramifications of lives lost in wartime and the ripple effects, we almost never consider, on the surviving families. His theory is spot on in "Wings of Morning." It is a moving story of a nephew,Childers,who, decades later and against astronomical odds finds the lone survivor of the Black Cat and persuades him to return to England to a quiet deserted, unused airfield, where machines of war once roared and hundreds of men lived and worked. You will thrill as they find the cement pad where the Black Cat crew hut once stood and where Childer's uncle may have even had his bunk. You will become emotional when the surviving crewmember, now a senior citizen, while on the commercial flight into Germany to find the crash site of the Black Cat,tells Childers, "The last time I flew here was that day, with your uncle." The fatal flight was only two weeks before the war in Europe ended. This is a human history, a detailed incisive aviation history and a truly American family story. After reading this book I was so moved, unlike any book I have read of this period, that I drove to Cleveland, Tennessee with a colleague who also had read the book. We went to "Find" Howard Goodner. We saw all the surprisingly surviving places that Howard knew and that Prof. Childers describes in the book. The old hotel, the soda shop and even the old train platform where he said good-bye. Finally, we found Sgt. Howard Goodner. Or rather, he found us. Why we turned into that particular cemetery of the three that serviced the area we didn't know, and although we searched for his grave, after three hours searching in the hot sun we were ready to give up and drive the three hours home. We had ranged far from where we parked our car on the top of a hill and were heading back up to retrieve it, when just five feet from the car, we "accidentally" found the grave of SGT. Howard Goodner. Or, did we? We thanked him for his service and his sacrifice and we thanked Prof. Childers for writing such a vivid, moving and accurately engaging account of the short life of an average American hero.

Through the years, I've read a number of histories and memoirs on the Eighth Air Force in World War II. Many of those volumes, published over 6 decades, were more authoritative, complete, wide-ranging, and fact-filled than this volume.

Yet if I had to recommend a SINGLE book to give someone the flavor of all of those experiences represented by all those many books, this would be the one.

WINGS OF MORNING is an exceptional effort. The writing is wonderful; the information and tales presented colorful and telling. The author has a level of talent given only to a handful of non-fiction writers - the ability of a poet, to flash insights of feeling while describing facts. It's in the class of Bruce Catton and David McCullough.

In a plain and straight-forward manner, and without resorting to any plot gimmicks or other devices, this book wrings the reader through an emotional journey that doesn't start or stop around VE-Day. It is a *wise* book; informed by age and living.

I recommend it to everyone.

This is a collection of essays about the first twelve rulers to bear the name Caesar. It is the definitive collection of eyewitness stories about the early emperors as they were seen by their contemporaries.

The rulers covered by this book include Julius Caesar, his adopted son Augustus and his descendents, the warlords who contended for power in the "Year of Four Caesars" after Nero was overthrown, and the Flavians.

In other words, the full list of twelve is:

Julius Caesar
Augustus
Tiberius
Gaius Caligula
Claudius
Nero
Galba
Otho
Vitellius
Vespasian
Titus
Domitian.

If you want to understand the early Roman Empire, you need to read this book. If you are a budding novelist and want to write about the early Empire, you need to read this book.

Robert Graves, author of "I Claudius" and "Claudius the God" translated this version: not surprisingly many of the snippets of gossip and fascinating little stories from Suetonius find their way into his novels. They also find their way into every good novel about first century Rome that I have ever read, absolutely without exception.

You should not take for granted that every word of Suetonius's account is accurate. For example, he supports the story that Nero set fire to the city of Rome, and then sang an aria as he watched the city burn. (This is story is often misquoted as Nero having fiddled while Rome burned - an impossibility since the violin had not been invented.)

Some modern historians have made a strong case that this was a clever libel spread by Nero's contemporary opponents, that Nero was actually away from the city when the fire broke out and hurried back to Rome to personally lead the fire-fighting efforts.

If they are right it does not cast doubt on Suetonius's integrity as a reporter of what was said about the emperor, because there is no dispute that the story of Nero singing while Rome burned was widely believed at the time. As the saying goes, "Si non e vero, e ben trovato" - if it's not true, it's well invented. Aspects of the story certainly seem in character with many of Nero's other proclivities including his love of art, enormous vanity, and complete ruthlessness. However, it illustrates that Suetonius does seem to have a propensity to repeat every snippet of gossip he heard about the early emperors, with rather less selectivity and critical judgement than the other great ancient historians, Herodotus and Thucydides.

However, for this very reason, though perhaps he is a whisker behind Herodotus and Thucydides as a historian, Suetonius is far and away the most entertaining of the three.

The translation by Graves is very easy to read. This is one of the most important, fascinating, and informative works of ancient history which was ever written.

That question can be solved by me by choosing the former simply because of what survives of his work and here it is: The Twelve Caesars. Tacitus is the other great Roman historian but what survives of his two masterpieces: The Annals and The Histories, is not as comprehensive as what is found in The Twelve Caesars.

The Twelve Caesars is definatley my favorite historical work of the Roman Empire. In it, Suetonious goes over the actions and character of not only the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty but the Flavian as well, making The Twelve Caesars cover roughly 138 years.

This is probably the best historical account of the emperors of the Roman Empire and is the best introduction to other works such as the great works of Tacitus.

lunatics that ruled Rome in the first century, & told very well in the audio cassette format. As history it is not much but as biography it is informative & entertaining. Apparently the mores & standards of decency were much diiferent than they are today. Most of these 12 Caesars did not not rule very long but they impacted the Empire probably for a long time after. I'd like to read more about the individuals that followed Domitian & before Julius thus supplementing other well known works such as the Fall of the Roman Empire. This book however, is a good start.

Suetonius grew up in the years following Nero's reign and wrote these histories while he was the secretary of the emperor Hadrian in the early second century A.D. His book covers the successive reigns of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.

The stories focus on the emperors themselves more than the events which took place under their reigns and, although there's certainly some truth to those emperors, many of Suetonius' facts are anecdotal stories and rumors. Suetonius has therefore been called one of the first tabloid writers. Nevertheless, his biographies are rather concise and systematic; touching upon the physical attributes of the ruler, his background, the good deeds (if any) in his reign and then, of course, the bad deeds.

Robert Graves' translation is superb and carries the jovial mood of the writings quite well. I can't help but be amused at some of the stories Suetonius recites on Nero and Caligula as they are definitely two of the most eccentric emperors (to put it lightly)that ever ruled the Principate. For example, when Nero first inaugurated his new gigantic Golden House with a mile-long corridor and a 130' statue of himself at the entrance, he was said to have exclaimed, "At last! I can live like a human being!"

The Twelve Caesars is the first classical book I ever read, and it fascinated me to no end. I'd recommend this is a starter book for anyone interested in the History of Political Power. Gore Vidal reviewed this book years ago, and he wrote an excellent piece about it--the nature of power, the perversions it causes, and the absurd humanity of it All. Hopefully there won't be another Tiberius as President of the USA (we only have our cheap Clintonius) but it's fun to wonder what may become of our American Empire. Please, please buy this book.

This is an autobiographic look at the war experience of a lieutenant of paratroopers serving in World War II in the famed 82d Airborne Division. In this book, author James Megellas (a/k/a "Maggie") tells us the story of intense and almost continuous combat beginning in North Africa, continuing in Italy, and finally D-Day and the invasion of Western Europe. The author explains that his "MOS" (Military Occupational Specialty) was simply to "Kill Germans" and that this was the real, if unofficial, job description of himself and his men. The author makes no bones about the merciless nature of the war. Prisoners were sometimes shot by both sides, and to say that there were hard feelings is an understatement. This was a rough war against a competent enemy who inflicted terrible casualties on allied soldiers, who in turn gave even better than they got.

Magellas' observations and opinions about rear-echelon soldiers, and the psychology of the higher-ups who did little or no actual fighting, ring true. He notes that it was the captains and lieutenants who really functioned as "leaders" of combat troops, and it was pretty obvious that Magellas was less than impressed with much of the upper brass. The British brass comes in for particularly harsh criticism in the context of the failure of Montgomery's Operation Market-Garden. Magellas also relates an astonishing incident in which British armor refused to advance to relieve besieged units of British paratroopers, which shirking allowed the Germans to massacre them. The author takes the trouble to say that he "personally witnessed this incident...."

Books like this remind us in this time of relative peace (notwithstanding the very real fighting that goes on in the present day) the tremendous debt that all of us owe to those who endured unspeakable danger and hardships to bring down Nazi Germany. Need I add that it is a reminder of the debt that we all owe to the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who are serving America in the present day. This is a well-written and lucid account of combat by an intelligent and brilliant soldier.

It's a bit troubling to see a couple of reviewers here complaining about Jim "Maggie" Megellas being "self-serving" and a "blowhard" because he's honest about the 82nd Airborne Division's WWII mission. That mission was to kill Germans and win the war. Maggie was very good at this as was his platoon, the 504 PIR and the 82nd, the greatest Airborne division of all. How else were we to win the war?

"All the Way to Berlin" is the best Airborne book I've read and I've read a lot of them including S. Ambrose's "Band of Brothers". I've never understood why Ambrose, who taught at the University of Wisconsin passed up Wisconsin's greatest Airborne hero, Jim Megellas.

Not to take anything away from the 101st Airborne, another bunch of terrific, fighting paratroopers, but no one fought harder and longer with less against formidable opposition than the 82nd. And within the 82nd, the 504PIR, 3rd BN, H Company was one of the best.

My friend Bill Hannigan from St. Paul went all the way from Africa to Berlin with the 82nd. He became a squad leader in Maggie's platoon and is one of those paratroopers who knows Maggie best. Bill says Maggie was not only the best and bravest at killing Germans. "He cared about all of us. He did things for us. He's been a good man all his life."

Bill is one of the dwindling numbers of Maggie's platoon who continues to work for the Medal of Honor which Maggie was originally put in for after his heroism at Herresbach. The platoon killed and captured 100's of Germans during that battle and as they moved into the town, Maggie single-handedly attacked and took out a Mark IV tank that threatened his platoon. This part of the action was somehow deleted from the paperwork as it moved through channels. Maggie then received the Silver Star instead of the requested MOH. Several years ago, Maggie's platoon friends resurrected the original MOH request and it is now the subject of a bill in the House of Representatives.

Next month, Maggie - who is now 90 - starts a tour in Iraq where he will begin to deliver thousands of his books to the troops. Last year he visited his beloved 504 in Afghanistan where the troopers gave him and AR and 50 rounds of ammo and took him on patrol.

You will see in this great book how Maggie holds paratroopers in special regard. And if you understand paratroopers and the famed 82nd Airborne Division you will know why we love Maggie and this book about our WWII Brothers.

Tom Laney, Editor
Badger Airborne News
Badger State Chapter
82nd Airborne Division Assoc.

After reading several reviews about this book, I felt compelled to comment.

I read Mr. Megellas' book after having the pleasure and honor of meeting him in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. It was a real treat for me to have the opportunity shake his hand and talk with him for a few minutes. As time rolls on, opportunities to meet a veteran, much less a hero of World War II are few and far between. We talked a bit about Operation Market Garden and his plans to go to Holland. I can tell you that in my brief encounter with him that he was very proud, humble and personable.

With that said, I think that the critic's who accuse Mr. Megellas of being self-serving are very wrong in their assessment. This book is written in a style that is very direct, blunt, straight forward and "matter of fact". There are no words wasted beating around the bush or attempts at being politically correct. By his own accord, the author admits to us that it has taken him years to write these words because they are so painful to repeat. I do not get the sense that he is bragging. I get the sense that he is sharing his pain with the reader and giving us his impression of the unbelievable experience he lived through. It goes without saying this man is a hero.

This book is an excellent read and I would recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in World War 2 or combat. It's so packed full of action I can't believe they haven't made a movie about it.

One of the best combat narratives I have ever read. Engrossing, and compelling in its brutaly honest depiction of total warfare. Highly recomended.

If anyone has read Band of Brothers as well as other war books, you will notice that James Megellas has been a resource for many. This book is a must read for anyone that enjoys War books. The book might not be elegantly written but you have to remember that this was written by a person that was there and not by some author embellishing the facts trying to make it a sexy book. Every once in a while I find myself picking the book up to re-read it.

This is a good reference book for identifying caterpillars with lots of information, I'll be taking it to the garden.

This book is a wonderful addition to the nature library. It has so many crisp, detailed pictures. It would be helpful if the caterpillars we catergorized by features instead of by family, but this is still a wonderful book to have.

I have been looking for a book exactly like this for many years. There are pictures of a vast number of caterpillars (often complete sets of from a family rather than "representatives"). There are also several general sections in the beginning of the book, some of which are tactics for collecting, etc. and also solid entomology written in real English. The best part, though, was the field identification guide with wonderful photographs. It made me wonder how they could get such an enormous collection of photos without consuming a lifetime doing it.

This book was nothing like I expected. I found it very unorganized. Tried to find a catarpillar I found in my yard, and it took forever, there was no simple way to find it without searching thru hundreds of pages. Didn't work for me.

With an ever increasing interest in butterflies I recently purchased an excellent book that had outstanding photos of butterflies.....but not of the caterpillars that produced the butterflies. This was a huge disappointment because very often you find the caterpillar but have no idea what it will grow up to be. Caterpillars of Eastern North America completes "the story". In addition to excellent close up photos of each species, the book supplies comprehensive information about the identification, foodplants, and occurrences in an easy to read format. Closing the circle, they provide a photo of the adult butterfly or moth. This is a must have for anyone interested in the life cycle of of these beautiful creatures.

This book provides excellent explanations of the knowledge of the Toltecs. Dr. Rosenthal definitely knows what she is talking about. I've studied Toltec knowledge for about 13 years and her insights are helpful in providing different ways to approach this art. Thank you Dr. Rosenthal.

I bought this book because I absolutely love The Four AgreementsThe Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book and thought it would be a great and simple reference for Don Miguel Ruiz's teachings. This book is confusing, rambling and boring! I didn't get past the first couple of chapters....it just isn't worth buying.

A wonderful, wise book brimming with Toltec wisdom and practical examples. I have read it more than once and given it as a gift to friends (who always borrow my copy).

This was a pivotal book for me. Upon reading this clear, funny, beautifully written text, I went from being a casual "spiritual surfer" to jumping in with both feet! I literally could not put it down, and when I finally finished it, I decided to apprentice with Sheri, who is an amazing teacher. I have never looked back as my life has gotten better and better. I have immense gratitude for this book and highly recommend it to others with a wish that they might have the same experience.

Dr. Rosenthal explains the Toltec path quite eloquently and leaves little room for possible misinterpretation!

Before approaching the text of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, I had little realization as to the proper content of his prophetic work. To my former understanding, the text was merely a collection of adulation and reflections upon the American way of life by a French observer in the nineteenth century. Upon reading this abridged version of Democracy in America, I found a much more prophetic text which reflected more upon the cultural impact of democratic institutions than upon the praise which should be attributed thereto. While one may fault de Tocqueville for approaching the democratic world with the cutting eye of a small aristocracy, it is quite evident that he accepted the fact that the human spirit was led to greater democratic tendencies and that such was to be taken almost a priori as the state of the world in his era.

The truly important reflection of the work as a whole comes in the considerations which he places upon the consequences of equality which follows from democratic revolutions. The phenomena of hardy individualism and its potential devolvement into individualism were not lost in his reflections. From this hardy individualism, de Tocqueville feared that humanity in democratic times may tend more toward equality and stability than toward liberty. In this, he not only foresaw the simple tendencies of utilitarian artwork and literature but also the potential destruction of civil associations and the devaluation of individual accomplishment and differentiation. It is this latter point, which seems somewhat paradoxical at first glance, which is perhaps the most prophetic of his reflections. In the process of cultural homogenization and individuation, de Tocqueville foresees that centralization of power will become much more likely as the populace views itself to be nothing more than an accumulation of nearly-identical citizens. Beyond this, his fears of the tyranny which could result by the abandonment of liberties by the people are well founded, for a society which wholly forgets the fact that some human beings can stand out is one which can easily allow itself to be subjected to the capricious desires of a powerful state as liberty is wholly forgotten.

These prophetic words should be read by all reflective Americans as we continue to move toward a larger centralized state and clamor with greater intensity for security in all forms (be it physical or social), for such equalizing security can only come at the cost of the liberties which allow the individual to actually have the worth which we intellectually affirm that he or she has.

As an American living in Europe, I read with great interest Alexis de Tocqueville's book about a European experiencing America.

Like most people, Mr. de Tocqueville started out with a characterization of the United States, believing that the country's early 19th century prosperity was a function of its distance from rivals in Europe. But after his famous trip, he concludes that the real difference comes from each side's view of risk taking. It's an insight as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Mr. de Tocqueville predicted that the growing issue of state's rights would lead to bloodshed (it led to the Civil War -- though he wrongly predicted it would eventually lead to a breakup of the union, he was very nearly right on that point as well); he predicts the fledgling country's industrial rise and its emergence as a true world power; he recognized the symbiotic role between industry and democracy at a time when they were believed to be unrelated. His insights into the American psyche, optimism, and ambition at times seem timelier than most op-ed pieces.

More than a century and a half after it was written, I am hard pressed to conjure the name of a better commentary about America and Americans. It is an astonishing feat considering the brevity of Mr. de Tocqueville's four-month visit, his youth (he was in his early 20s), and early stage of development the country was in. But the result is something that shouldn't be skipped by any serious student of the political and social essence of the United States.

Praising this book is a bit like saying Huckleberry Finn was one of the great American novels - it's a profound statement of the obvious. Even so, it must be said: Alexis de Tocqueville's magnum opus is a brilliant sociological analysis of America, with his genius made all the more evident by how applicable his observations about 1830s America are to its twenty-first century counterpart. Everything from the solidity of America's political infrastructure to the disquieting trend toward anti-intellectualism are explored in this massive work, and his gift of analysis is matched only by his gift for prophecy (can you believe that he predicted a conflict between America and Russia before the rise of Communism?). An amazing book, and necessary reading for anyone who wishes to understand America, rather than merely talk about it.

I have three complaints about this edition of Tocqueville:
1) Nowhere in the book is the translator credited. This violates basic principles of publication and scholarship.
2) This is in fact an abridged version of the original English-language translation by Henry Reeve, dating from sometime before 1862. Unless you want to re-create the experience of a modern Frenchman confronted with de Tocqueville's somewhat archaic French by reading the text in somewhat archaic English, I would seek out any of the more recent translations: there are at least three.
3) The ellipses, that is, the abridgements, have sometimes been made to conceal some of the author's less flattering views America. In fact I suspect this is a "patriotic" abridgement. For example, in the second chapter of part one, Heffner has omitted references to some of the excesses of Puritan law in New England which the notoriously even-handed Tocqueville had cited.

As a former reviewer has stated this edition takes quite a bit of liberty in excising the less flattering aspects of Tocqueville's views of America. In fact the entire section on race-relations has been excised --perhaps it was deemed too controversial? This kind of editing is even more unacceptable in our age of open communications and hopefully open minds. Find another edition.

This three-volume set is an excellent reference of Catholic Doctrines, as written about by the early Church Fathers. In the back of each volume is a list of each tenet of Catholic doctrine, with the index numbers showing which of the Fathers quoted in the three volumes addressed that issue. This list also includes a few heresies, which are thoroughly addressed by footnotes in the text. For anyone who wishes to study the development of Catholic Doctrine, this is a must-have resource.

I teach adult education at our parish and this set of books is a "must have" for my research. I never walk away saying I could not find what I needed. Any Christian who wants to understand the Church from the beginning needs this set. You cannot walk away from these books and still hold to erroneous notions like "the Eucharist was a 12th century invention", or "Jesus did not become God until after the Resurrection", or "it doesn't matter which Church you go to." All of the doctrine and sacraments of the Catholic Church are found in the historical Church from the beginning, and Jurgens has compiled a marvelous compendium of the teachings, from the words of the Early Fathers themselves, to confirm this. This had to be a labor of love for Jurgens because it is done with such care and scholarship. He clearly had the intended audience in mind by the way he cross-referenced and indexed everything. The ease with which one can use this set is a marvel. No Christian, and certainly no Catholic, home should be without it. If you are trying to decide on which books you should have in your library, do not hesitate over this set. Just get it. You will not be dissapointed. And if you are a seminarian, or thinking of becoming a priest or professed religious, you need this set.

Without exception the best collection of early church teachers. In addition to the writings of the early church is a thorough general index but more than that an invaluable doctrinal index to find the seeds of virtually every doctrine imaginable. Do not presume to understand early church history without this reference. All three volumes are ideal but, at the very least, get volume 1. Do not learn church history by other sources, return to the original documents and rediscover the church that Jesus Christ founded. You will be richly rewarded in what you find.

This is the best--the very best--of all the collections of the sayings of the early fathers. The choices are superb. The explanations of the translations are direct and clear and the short biographies that introduce each author include every drop of information you need.

Want to look up 1 Clement? Jurgens includes a biography with all the facts listed, plus speculative information: "Whether or not he was Peter's convert, as the Pseudo-Clementines would have it..." p 8). And in the footnotes: "This is the first time the word 'layman' was used in Christian literature" p 13).

The depth of the information, the perfect choices are remarkable. You might be able to live without these three volumes, but studying the early fathers without them would be much, much more difficult.

The writings of the early church fathers leave no doubt that they are linked directly to the 12 apostles and that their beliefs in dogma which go back 1500 -2000 years ago are consistent with the teachings of the catholic church to-day.The catechism of the catholic church which sets forth what catholics are required to believe to-day is consistent with the teachings of the early fathers.Is would be impossible for this consistency to last 2000 year if the catholic church were not the church founded by Jesus Christ.This volume of books proves this beyond any doubt.Excellent reading for any Christian!

The author's use of carefully crafted dialogue pulled me into the pre-Civil War era (1860) rapidly. The descriptive action and richly developed characters easily conjured up mental images of that place and time. I felt myself being transported back and I definitely want to know much more about Isaac and Henry's lives. What happens next?!

This novel is set in one of the most exciting periods of American history and has focused squarely on the issue of slavery and the lives of slaves in the American South, which is a subject long neglected and worthy of exploration. The author has done solid research and has created sympathetic characters in Isaac and his family. He's jumped right into the action.

As a Southerner sensitive to the nuances, variations and music of "my native language" I appreciate that the author has made an attempt to represent the spoken language of the time in his dialog. He makes appropriate distinctions in the speech of the slaves and of the Confederate cadets. Unfortunately, both seem a little stilted and off to my ear and I found this a barrier to becoming fully immersed in the story. Any kind of spoken dialect is hard to represent on the printed page. Generally, it is better to represent the dialect with a word or two and to let the dialog flow in a fashion that the modern reader will accept.

Otherwise, the author has a pleasant and readable prose style.

I was immediately intrigued by the title of this story and when I started reading this download I was hooked. Mr. Andrews does a fantastic job of connecting the reader to the characters. His writing style is very descriptive and easy to follow and I was able to imagine the story in my mind...a must for any good book in my opinion! He definitely left me wanting more- not just from this story, but from this author. GREAT JOB.

I thought this was great. Jeff's got all the essential ingredients: a hook that draws you in, characters that you care about from the start, a beautiful writing style and a richly developed setting. He's got a knack for description and a flow that is easy to follow and leaves you wanting more. This book should be published.

I was engaged from the start. I want to know more about the characters. This book should be published!

Gincy Self Bucklin is the trainer I wish I had had all these years I've spent riding! I have been training with qualified instructors for 18 years, and I have still learned SO much from this book. I cannot say enough about this book and its sequel. This book is wonderful and it FAR exeeded my expectations. I only wish I had these books when I first began riding - I could have saved so much time, trouble and bad habits!

I reccommend this book to everyone who rides and loves horses, whatever level, whatever style. I first bought it because, in my youth having ridden wonderfully kind horses that pretended like I knew how to ride, I wanted to get back into riding when I was in my late fifties. After a year of lessons with a well-qualified instructor, the school horse I was riding got fed up with my mistakes and sent me sailing. Two operations and two years of physiotherapy later, I went back, just to make a point. It took me a year to get back to about where I was before the accident. Then I hit a block. I didn't seem to be making any progress, in spite of two or three lessons a week. That is when i read this book and a lot of lights came on. Gincy's "active hand" transformed an irritated,head-tossing horse to a calm, attentive partner. Once I grasped her explanation of lateral centering, the horses I rode stopped cutting corners. My instructor and the people I ride with started paying me compliments on my position and my progress. I continue to read and reread her books, and the lights are still coming on. Some people may complain about the detail, but if that's the particular problem you're working on, you want all that detail. Someone commented that Gincy writes for instructors, to help them be better teachers, but if you don't have an instructor, or if he knows it all and doesn't think he has to read books, students can learn directly from the book. As Gincy mentions, many instructors know what you should be doing, but don't know how to explain to a student how to do what is an automatic reflex for an advanced rider. It's certainly helped me to understand why my instructor was always saying "shoulders back, heels down!" etc. I reccommend it to my friends, but as someone else mentioned, it's not a book you can lend, because it doesn't come back. And perhaps the best thing about the book is Gincy's wonderful attitude towards horses and understanding their behavior. I found that Gincy accomplishes everything she set out to do in her introduction.

This book has inspired me to work on bareback exercises this summer to retrain my balance. I'm sure my horse will thank me. Having ridden with the author when I was a teenager (40 years ago), I remember the value of the bareback riding after this book reminded me. I have tried to read Sally Swift's "Centered Riding" but just didn't engage me. This book has and I will be applying the lessons to myself.

How Your Horse Wants You to Ride: Starting Out, Starting Over

If our horses could have a verbal conversation with us, it would be about how they want us to ride on their backs. So, if that is the information you are looking for, this book will do that for you. Coming to horses late in life, with only weekend trail riding and no ownership in my background, learning to train my horse and ride her has, at times, been overwhelming. All bad habits that horses have are from bad training, not from stubbornness or naturally occurring mean spiritedness. Every interaction we have with our horses teaches them something, good or bad. Gincy is a patient person, I know from interacting with her on her Riding with Confidence list group on Yahoo. She has great insights into muscle memory, fear, breathing, etc. and the way those things cause horses to react in one way or another. How Your Horse wants you to ride is not a quick fix answer. It is deep and thoughtful requiring work on the part of the owner/rider. The reward is as great and worth striving for. After all, if you have a horse, you want to have fun with it, not be fearful of it.

I started riding quite late in my life and this book has been a great help to me. Whenever I encounter a problem I consult it again and it always gives me new ideas which work. I like especially the mixture of at home, on the ground and on the horse exercises. You can try basics safely first before you mount your horse. I am a Western rider and although its focus is English riding I was able to use it.