California Books

Coming from New England I needed a lot of advice on what to do with the clay soil and arid climate in Southern California. The Sunset Western Garden Book along with this selection is a great combination for those new to gardening in Southern California. (Try the soil amendment recipe, it worked wonders form me!)

The combination of this book plus Sunset's Western Garden Book will arm the southern California garden enthusiast with all the tools and experience necessary to give a green thumb's up. A true plant geek will find validation and a friend in Smaus' and will read the book saying "been there, loved that". Activities like hoarding plants bought from the Huntington Garden's May plant sale struck a familiar chord.

A transplant to Southern Cal. will quickly gain the inside track to where to go and what to plant to make the best of this unique climate.

Thank You Mr. Smaus ! Finally a book that talks directly to the Southern California gardener. If you live and garden in the So. CA area this is the book you need. Maybe I won't have so many failures in the coming year. This book opened my eyes wide.

If you live in Los Angeles, you need this book. Smaus is the garden writer for the excretal Los Angeles Times and one of its sole redeeming virtues. Smaus covers a range of topics, including plantings suggested for our area and timing of various tasks. Unlike most gardening books, which are written for East Coast or Mid-West audiences, and which are generally unhelpful for our unique climate, Smaus' advice has proven consistently accurate. The book's sole flaw is the lack of an index. Because the articles are short and there is a detailed table of contents, this is not a major problem. Highly recommended.

If you are tired of gardening advice that's good on the East Coast, but doesn't work in Southern California, this is the book for you. It provides real solutions for our unique climate, advice from local professionals, and a reliable planting schedule. This book and Sunset Magazine's Western Garden Book are all you need for successful gardening in Southern California. And in spite of the tone of this review, I have no affiliation whatsoever with the author or publisher :)

I'm glad I bought this book, it is very informative and it applies to anyone. The web links on the sides of the pages are very useful and can be put to good use. Searching for a job can be daunting and overwhelming, but with the advice and the skills learned in this book you can persevere and be successful. This book is very well thought out and gets right to the point, I would recommend this to anyone who is searching for a job, including skeptical people.

The Internet and Web keep changing, and as [...] Job Search editor since 1998, Alison Doyle knows what is going on and she shares her knowledge in this book. This book is up-to-date and extensive, and Alison's advice is straight-forward and practical (just like her section of About).

The book is an easy read - points and additional resources are highlighted in the outer margins, chapters and sections are clear and logical. It covers everything from "Choosing Career and Job Options" (Chapter 1) through resumes and cover letters to interviews and evaluating offers (Chapter 14) and more.

This is an excellent book!

I am about to leave a career that I've worked at for 38 years. This wonderful book arrived just in time for my second career search. When you only know one job it can be hard to know how to find a new career. I can honestly say that now I have several opportunities that I'm ready to explore. This book offers help and advice for everyone, no matter what their age or work situation. I am going to purchase several copies for my friends, some want to work for the first time, and others would like to start new careers. This is the book for all of us!!! Sandy ( a retired teacher from NJ )

The author expertly integrates a solid print presentation of job search strategies with specific references to helpful online resources which will support job searchers those various phases in the process.

The book is clearly written in simple, jargon free language yet it reflects the sophisticated perspective on an experienced professional in the career devlopment field.

The About.com Guide to Job Searching should be an instant classic in the world of job searching books. What makes the book special is that the writer, Alison Doyle combines her years of experience as a career services professional with current, solid Information Technology knowledge. That's a winning combination for today's job searcher who is Internet savvy and technology-oriented. Unlike some of the long selling job search manuals that seem to have added online job searching as an afterthought, Doyle's book makes online tools, job boards, e-mail, and cell phones an integral part of every aspect of job searching.

I write the Human Resources site at About.com so I have first hand experience of the job searching site which is fully integrated with this job search guidebook. The book really does cover everything you need to know to conduct a successful job search - quickly. And, as an added advantage for the reader, it provides links to all of the rest of the best online resources for job searching.

As an employer, I'd advise job searchers to follow the book's advice. It's on target, demonstrates common sense, and will get your resume and application looked at by potential employers. Written in an engaging style, job search advice is offered with lots of stories from Doyle's years of helping people job search. Doyle's been covering job searching online since 1998 and job searching, in general, for over fifteen years. After reading Doyle's guide, I'd highly recommend it as your one stop guide for job searching.

Absolutely the best book written on Thelema, that I have read. Gives modern and updated material which is of great need in this system.

Rodney Orpheus is the singer from The Cassandra Complex and it turns out that he's good at explaining Crowley's magickal system to modern readers. Hard to think of any other recent books which successfully tackle this material. I understand that the O.T.O. (or one them anyway) recommends the book.

Finally! Wow this book is the clearest, easiest to understand book on Magick I have ever read. Now if only the author would write 12 more.
I am often left scratching my head when reading Crowley or books about Magick. If you dont have the IQ of a rocket scientist or an extensive education in every area of everything this book is for you. Thank you Rodney!

This is arguably the best introduction to Thelemic Magick ever printed. I've been recommending this book for years to anyone interested in learning more about Thelema, so I'm glad to see that it's finally back in print.

This book was given me by a magician who adores Crowley. I must state right away that I do not. However, this book is certainly the best introduction to the magic of Crowley, and his universe, that I have ever read. Crowley himself said that Magic Without Tears was the only book he ever wrote that truly described his art. That being the case, this book, and its excellent exercises, are a guide to the otherwise confusing world of Crowleys Thelmatic magic.
Aside from those interested in Thelmatic magic, this book is a good introduction to formal ceremonial magic in general. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in that field.

John's ADVENTURING IN ARIZONA has always been a favorite on our bookshelf.

"A superb new guidebook called ADVENTURING IS ARIZONA is a fast-moving blend of history and trekking advice for canyoneers, climbers and river rafters. Author John Annerino even can tell you, mile by mile, how to see the Grand Canyon in virtual solitude.

Of all the general guidebooks I know on the Arizona outdoors, the best for hard-won information is John Annerino's ADVENTURING IN ARIZONA. A longtime resident of Prescott and Tucson, Annerino has been tooling about on the state's dirt roads and hiking trails for a couple of decades now, and he's covered a huge swath of territory firsthand. He takes in well-known destinations, from the Grand Canyon to South Mountain, but, more to the point here, he offers mile-by-mile instructions for more remote places like the Superstition Mountains and the Lechuguilla Desert. One of the treks he proposes, not for the faint of heart or easily sun-stroked, retraces Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino's route across southern Arizona's Camino del Diablo - a fitting name meaning "Devil's Highway," a route that comes the closest Arizona has to compete with Death Valley for sheer hellishness. Water is nearly non-existent along the route, and those attempting it should bring along at least four gallons per person per day, a luxury Kino could not enjoy. Many available guidebooks uncritically repeat long-obsolete information on the location of the Camino's few watering holes. Annerino went out to the place himself - in summer, no less - to map them on foot, an act that may well save a few lives some day. -New Times

I found John Annerino's ADVENTURING IN ARIZONA a great source of information.

ADVENTURING IN ARIZONA by John Annerino [is] one of my bibles

A very good read. And what makes it fascinating is the fact that they are all actual events. It vividly illustrates what lengths the locals went to to help these airmen. Literally putting their lives at stake to help strangers for a common cause.

Fast paced and very hard to put down, this book really gets you into the WWII evasion experience. The sense of urgency and suspense really comes through...my heart was racing as I read about downed airmen stealing clothes to blend in with the locals and racing away from the scene of the crash, sometimes right through German troops. This book really highlights the efforts and risk of the collaborators, and just how dedicated they were to doing their part in the war effort. A very highly recommended read!

I found this book gives a lot of insight to evaders and some of the less well known facts of the war. The book has a fairly fast pace but also has a lot of detail. The first three stories deal with downed flyers in France and Belgium who eventually made it to Spain and then British held Gibraltar. Spain was sympathetic to Germany, and treated evaders harshly until 1943 when it became politically necessary for them to develop a better relationship with the Allies.

The fourth story is of a later evader in Belgium who was able to meet the oncoming Allies in 1944 instead of going to Spain. The fifth story details the evasion of an entire bomber crew from the island of Corfu over to Albania. They stayed at a guerilla camp in the mountains and eventually escaped by ship to Italy after much hardship. The final story is of of a flyer who evaded through Italy. Originally captured by the Germans upon landing, he was released from jail with many others when Italy signed an armistice with the allies. He spent the rest of his time evading the Germans and travelling around Italy (with much help from Italian partisans) and finally escaping to the Allied lines after many setbacks.

One of the central themes of the book is the sacrifice made by the occupied population to feed and help the Allied fliers escape. Every story has a follow-up at the end about the later life of the evader and what happened to the people that helped them evade (if known).

Do not start reding this book if you have important things to do because you will not be able to put it down. The book chronicles the evasion of several downed airmen in WWII Europe, how they evaded, the people that helped them and the trials and risks they endured. It is well written and informative and will make you glad that you never had to fly in combat, bail out of a plane or crash land and find yourself in a lonely and hostile land.

"Aircraft down" by Philip D. Caine, sub-titled: "Evading Capture In WWII Europe". Brassey's, Dulles, Virginia, 1997

The author is a retired Brigadier General, United States Air Force, where he was once responsible for training at the Air Force Academy for "SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, escape). This gave him a professional interest in the history of evaders in Nazi occupied Europe. Philip D. Caine has also written books on Americans serving in in the Royal Air Force, (e.g. in the "Eagle Squadron") including "American Pilots In The RAF".

In this book, "Aircraft Down", he has drawn on his training and experience to write six separate stories, of individuals and crews, shot down behind the lines in enemy held Europe. The first three stories deal with Americans who were flying in the RAF. These three were fighter pilots, who came down alone. They were not alone on the ground, however, as they all needed the help of the local populace to escape Nazi searchers.

The fifth story is different: the entire crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress comes down on the island of Corfu, off the coast of Albania/Greece. Here, again, the common thread is that he local populace has to work together to first provide refuge for the evaders and then to provide a means of escape.

In all of the stories in this book, the author has worked to put a human face on the evaders. His research has been sufficient to give a personal memoir flavor to each story, and his follow-up on post war meetings, provides a sense of closure to the story. He relates the excitement when an evader meets the same woman working in the same field as on the day he was shot down, some 40+ years ago.

The book is concluded with a very short chapter entitled, "The Art Of Evasion And Survival", which points up that the personal resourcefulness of the downed pilot is often the key to a successful escape. General Caine has avoided the usual impersonal book, often written by General Officers, dealing with statistics numbers and unit identification, all at the "higher" strategic level. Instead, happily, he has used personal interviews and much research to provide a fine book telling the stories almost as if they were all personal memoirs.

Quite simply, one of the most important books I have read in the last 15 years (and I read a LOT of them, trust me).
As an exercise in biography, it is riveting: Schwaller/Aor is painted by Vandenbroeck's skillful hand in all his multifarious sides, even the more untasteful ones.
As a glimpse into the practical side of the Hermetic Work, it is matched only by Fragments of an Unknown Teaching, by P.D. Ouspensky.

CAVEAT: This book is most definitely not for everybody. Only thirsty Seekers of Truth need to apply.

Andre VandenBroeck's "Al-Kemi" is much more significant than a memoir (as described by the author), and far beyond a simple collection of biographical data pertaining to the life of Rene Schwaller de Lubicz. Not that these points are absent. To the contrary, VandenBroeck depicts with great lucidity his understanding of the events and personalities involved his relationship with "Aor" late into the 1950's. Al-Kemi's more vital value however, resides in the fact that reads as a microcosmic course in Hermetic Philosopy, challenging the readers established ways of thinking (even reading!), and offering alternative perspectives. Despite VandenBroeck's knack of utilizing the printed word economically (or, perhaps due to this talent), he effectively communicates profundity through brevity. Hence, the reader will note two predominent ideological threads woven into the memoir: Rene Schwaller's metaphysics of perception (derived mostly from his interpretation of Pythagorean and Pharaonic geometry, or "symbolique", and ultimately spurring all modern philosophical controversies. The battle of "Archemides vs. Pythagoras", the question of two as the result of increase, or as the result of division of the one thing). Secondly, de Lubicz's stress placed on the role of Alchemical Salt. Thus, Rene Schwaller's extention of the Hermetic doctrine of Salt as the matrix of manifestation sends the reader on a mysterious and alluring journey. Absent of any chronology in this Hermetic adventure, back, forward, and simultaneously the trek visits the Parisian Alchemical world of the 1900's, complete with Fulcanelli, whose relationship with Schwaller often reminds one of John Dee and Edward Kelly's work together. This "fixing" of Salt moves behind the temple walls of Pharonic Egypt, finds testimony in the Gothic Cathedrals, presents us with the stormy climate of right-wing, monarchist, and elitist brotherhoods of post World War I France and Germany. And it is this Salt, that our perception inscribes experience upon, circulating eternally throughout nature, more critical, stable, and reliable than DNA in the course of esoteric "evolution" (if such a word can be used without detracting from Schawller's arguement), and providing the key to the Adepts' secret of Palingenesis.

Two of the century's most amazing minds met & interacted in an initiatic/alchemic/esoteric give & take for 18 months some 40 years ago in France...these men were De Lubicz, the cautious, controversial, mind-bogglingly brilliant Egypt-inspired theorist/Adept, and Vandenbroeck, the 'burning', younger, bounteously-gifted apprentice. Their time spent together has been revivified masterfully, the conversations recreated compellingly, and the overall effect achieved in this portrait/memoir/esoteric 'thriller' is revelatory...I'll be re-reading these authors & passing copies to friends the rest of my life! (PS: WHO was Fulcanelli?)

This is the only biography of R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz available in English and as such would be an absolute necessity even if it did not contain rare insights and information regarding the man. Unfortunately the book is a little inaccessible upon the first reading, as the prose is highly compressed. But it gets better each time you read it, as most true spiritual classics do. And this is indeed a classic.

Dispersed among pages devoted to small-minded pettines and pendantic diction there is enough rarefied subject matter to warrant reading and re-reading this fascinating exposé of the hermetical mind of Schwaller de Lubicz. One cannot ignore the rare biographical information imparted on the Fulcanelli milieu. Well worth a place in your library. Silvio Pan

My neighbor told me about this book and I was so intrigued I bought it the same day. I was not disappointed. Mr. Shipe writes in a conversational tone that makes you feel like you are sitting on a porch listening to your father tell stories. A good mix of humor and hard truths that paints a vivid picture of life in the early 20th century. I would recommend this book to any person who learned a lesson while they were growing up; you can be sure that Mr. Shipe learned the same lesson and included it in this book.

I read this book after a co-worker told me my grandfather is mentioned in it. After I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. I was hooked not because my grandfather was mentioned, but because it was such an enjoyable read. The details Mr. Shipe remembers are incredible, I feel like I was there. I, too, can't wait for a sequel. I am going to buy copies for my cousins. If Mr. Shipe reads this, I would love to be contacted by him for more information about "the Orchard" I heard so much about in my childhood, but never saw.

Virginia "Millholland" Schry

First of all, I really enjoyed reading this book. I wanted to know what it was like growing up on a farm in the West Virginia/Maryland area. The author gave me a good picture of it. As an adolescent I had worked a couple of summers on a farm in New England and the author is only 4 years older than I am so I could identify to some extent with his life and the times. The book was well-written and easy to follow. Just to mention two things which interested me: 1) what it was like for him witnessing his pet calf killed for beef, and 2) eating every part of the pig they butchered. I'll quote about 2): "We ... loved brains mixed in fried eggs. Most people gag when they hear that we ate this, but we loved it. We didn't waste any parts of the hog". That's farm life - close to the realities of nature. The first reviewer mentioned something about reference to religion. Fortunately for me, I didn't feel there was enough talk about God and religion to mention. They were good people - I particularly appreciated the anecdote about how his father refused to attend church once he heard the minister speak badly of the blacks - and the religious feeling emanating made me think of Frank Lloyd Wright's saying, "I believe in God only I spell it N-A-T-U-R-E".

Book Review: ALL MY BORN DAYS, Stories by a Sharecropper's Son
Historical Autobiography by Kenneth R. Shipe

The late Senate Chaplain, Dr. Richard Halverson, always ended his sermons by saying: You go no place by accident this week. Wherever you go, Christ is sending you. You are no place by accident this week.Wherever you are, Christ has placed you, has planted you. And so we believe that in September 2003, through several campground evacuations in the wake of "Hurricane Isabel" we were `hand-picked' to meet this burgeoning Christian writer, Kenneth Shipe at the Forest Lake campground in North Carolina. Which one of us was responding to God's whisper? We may never know, but our lives are changed because of this chance meeting, and their (Ken and his wife, Dottie) persuasive discussion of combining Christian service to Habitat for Humanity with retirement. They also showed us the fruits of their labor: the self-published historical autobiography, ALL MY BORN DAYS, Stories by a Sharecropper's Son.

Shipe's crisp writing style, punctuated with descriptions of the stark poverty of his childhood, brings the reader directly into the day-to-day life of a sharecropper-in ways that you would not learn in any school textbook. It's one thing to know, intellectually, that a sharecropper owns nothing: the entire family is beholden to the landlord; the rhythms of the seasons determine good or bad crop years. The other side is revealed in his carefully researched narrative of how they eked out an existence in the 1930's and 40's -- a sharp contrast to the lifestyle in 2004. Today's high-tech families can choose instant gratification in news or entertainment with the simple click of the remote control or a computer mouse. When Shipe was in elementary school, the family had no electricity, so their primary news source was his weekly reader subscription and the portable radio, if they had fresh batteries. Doing farm chores before and after school, Shipe always found time to read whatever he could, consumed as he was with an inner passion for learning, while still following his mother's example of knowing the things that pleased God.

Shipe weaves his Christian testimony through countless vignettes describing his parents' dependence on God and the power of prayer as they survive the Great Depression, and a flood that forces them to flee their home, to mention just a few examples.

He tells in heartbreaking detail how long and hard he had to work, saving money for a bicycle and later a sled. And, how quickly these prized possession were nearly shredded before his eyes as he and his friend learned first-hand the laws of thermodynamics, skidding at breakneck (and unbrake-able) speed down the mountain. His other escapades remind me of the little boy who was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."

Perhaps God's master plan included `a fleet of Angels' to protect Ken Shipe. Why? Because He knew the plans He had for him in his adult life: his faithfulness would be demonstrated as a Marine fighting in the Korean War, while his intellectual abilities to safely launch spacecraft would result in the safe return of many American astronauts.

While others might rest on their proverbial laurels, spending their retirement years on the golf course or sitting around the pool, not so for Ken and Dottie. They sold their home 6 years ago, and live full time in their Recreational Vehicle (RV), and have now completed 19 builds for Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) through RV Care-A-Vanner's or the Family Motor Coach Association. "You can take the man out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the man" certainly describes Ken Shipe! His immersion in strict, God fearing family values is apparent in his family roles as husband, father, and grandfather. Yet an integral part of his life revolves around the opportunity to serve others, through local churches and by building houses.

In the Preface he gives two reasons for writing this book:

1. To preserve a written record of his personal recollections, genealogy research and family remembrances of his sharecropping lifestyle in the 20th century in the Allegheny Mountains.

2. To encourage others to record some verbal descriptions befitting their own family name and to add substance to the skeletal framework of their family tree.

I've picked up his challenge last Christmas by tape recording oral interviews with my 87-year-old Mother in Ohio. What will you do?

# # #

This book is an amazing blend of history and personal experience. I couldn't put it down! I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style, which comes across as matter of fact, and at the same time very unique and entertaining. I often laughed out loud. Mr. Shipe's memory is incredible and his descriptions bring every scene to vivid life.

When I got to the end, all I could say was, "When is the sequel coming out?"

Anyone who is interested in history from a personal point of view should read this book.

This collection of cryptic and oblique pronouncements are from a man who is someone other than the "connoisseur of despair". Cioran's erudition is vast; this is not some guy who whips off nihilism like it was some intellectual flash-in-the-pan.

These laconic and sometimes witty, sometimes caustic aphorisms alternate with terse personal essays on friends and influences: Valery, Samuel Beckett, Mircea Eliade, Henri Michaux, Borges, and Scott Fitzgerald (?!).

Some of these thoughts and fragments seem like non-sequiturs generated in the darkness of lonely insomnia plagued Parisian nights. Many are so obtuse that comprehension is left scratching its head. Still, like one who finds a gold nugget in the streambed, the rare saying makes the search all worth while. Here are a few of the nuggets I found:

"Our place is somewhere between being and nonbeing - between two fictions"

"To die is to change genre, to renew oneself . . ."

"Writing is the creature's revenge, and his answer to a botched creation"

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Compared to his early, tortured writing this collection of later pieces is warm and funny. Not to say that Cioran has dropped his nihilistic stance, but a laconic, slightly more personal and witty voice predominates. My favourite book from Cioran.

Suspicious words are necessarily those that would try to qualify Cioran's life and works. Contradiction in the act of writing and thinking is one of Cioran's accepted facts.

His name should be futility, what an elegant, lush and ethical futility.

I miss you Emil... so much!

Each has his own ratio of universal fear embodying soul and mind. We cannot escape otherwise but deepening ourselves in it as much as each of us can. Thus, the fear gets tired of itself and this is what Cioran teaches us. Never avoiding the fear. Face it!

"The principal defect of philosophy lies in the fact that academic philosophy is too bearable..." wrote Cioran (too bitterly for the general main stream); born 1911 in Romania, died 1995 in Paris: these two basic data of the CIORAN-curriculum vitae already are marking the subtle personal traumata: being divided by two very different cultural identities. Still loving Romania but emigrated and living safely in France, however not willing to integrate with French society he remained stateless not accepting any national identity. Obstinate he refused to receive the highest literary awards of his host country. Lost in exile - this was the everlasting frame of his mind. In an enthusiastic manner in his early years he engaged himself politically defending his Romania. Later on he was ashamed of such affectations and classified such poses as delirium, "kitsch", scrupulousness. High-skeptically he wrote, referring to the possibility of finding the real truth: "After all I know, that all these ideas and dogmatic thoughts are wrong and absurd. At last only human beings remain. And they are what they are. I am cured of the illness, to follow any ideology." Cioran liked characters as Nietzsche, Beethoven, Luther, Rousseau: He adored their individual strength to resist against the surrounding societies - he loved the stubbornness of these famous thinkers - though sometimes obstinacy seemed to be a subject for psychiatrists. During all his life in exile the backbone of his Romanian identity was broken and Cioran did not allow himself to use Romanian language any more (remember Elias Canetti and his metaphor of the "robbed tongue" and the phenomenon of hating fragments of the own identity and history). Cioran was attracted by the chronic despair of Soeren Kierkegaard and the nihilism of Friedrich Nietzsche. His university diploma he wrote about the thesis of the "Elan Vital" in the writings of the French existence-philosopher Henri Bergson. "Elan Vital" for Cioran indeed did not mean cheerfulness - but alike an Arthur Schopenhauer or an Ambrose Bierce, filled with a badly mixture of too much brain and bile, he enjoyed to produce cool, relaxed and slyly cynical aphorisms ...

Reviewed by Sheryl Root

Andrea (Andi) Carter certainly didn't intend for an impromptu horse race down Main Street with her friend, Cory, to end with almost trampling their new teacher. Not the best first impression! If that wasn't bad enough, Virginia Foster, the teacher's daughter, seems to find great pleasure in tattling on Andi and getting her into further trouble any chance she can.

Andi's mother tells her she needs to treat Virginia with Christian kindness, no matter how Virginia treats her. But when an escaped prisoner comes into their classroom and takes the students hostage, Andi faces the hardest and most dangerous decision of her life. Will she have the courage to do the right thing, no matter what the cost?

Andrea Carter and the Dangerous Decision is the second book in the Circle C Adventures series by Susan K. Marlow, set in 1880s California. Readers will empathize with Andi's struggles and failures as well as her courage and spunk. Like most of us, Andi tries to do the right thing, but finds herself often falling short. I laughed and cried with Andi--she's a very likable heroine.

Armchair Interviews says: This was a page-turning read and a satisfying continuation to the series.

Andi and Taffy are back in this sequel to "The Long Ride Home", and they are up to no good from the get-go, leaving the new schoolmaster in the dust and getting off to a bad start for the school year. The schoolmaster's spoiled daughter, Virginia, makes life miserable for Andi, and we accompany our young friend on her journey of accepting and even learning to love as God loves us...even people who seem to want to make our lives miserable.

I love the Circle K Adventure books, and I left my 'tween days behind a very long time ago. Without being "preachy", Mrs. Marlow incorporates the Lord's directive to "love one another as I have loved you", something that we can all use a reminder of, no matter our age!

Hurry back, Andi. I'm dying to know what you're up to now!!

Susan Marlow's latest book is packed with even more fun and adventure for her main character, Andi. The story is set in the old west with plenty of horses and activities that will appeal to young girls. Along with all of this Andi has to make some hard life decisions that reinforce good moral qualities. This is a book I would recommend to any parent or young girl.

There's action on every page of "Andres Carter and the Dangerous Decision" by Susan K. Marlow. Readers will cheer Andi through one adventure after another. Will Andi decide to walk into a life-threatening situation to save a mean-spirited schoolmate? This will be the hardest decsion in her twelve years of life.

Well, I'm jealous! I wish Susan Marlow had written about Andi Carter and her palomino Taffy a lot sooner. ANDREA CARTER AND THE DANGEROUS DECISION takes us back to the heyday of children's books. The setting lets you take an authentic look at frontier California in the 1880's. Andi lives on the Circle C ranch, and there are plenty of horses (even wild ones) to hold the reader's attention. The promise of more Circle C Adventures to come in this series takes me back to when I could hardly wait to see what happened to my book friends in the next installment.

Many series have come down the pike since I was a kid. Marlow's mixes all the elements that I found so enticing, but thank goodness ANDREA CARTER doesn't stop there. There are genuine plot twists, and Andi and her friends are so real that you can see them talking. The bonus is that Andi knows the Lord and depends on Him when she volunteers to go with an escaped convict as a hostage. No easy answers mar the story. Andi is a real girl with real problems, one that readers will welcome as a friend. And yes, I'm looking forward to the next book! Hurry, Andi!

Gary Gallagher has written/edited a number of books on the Civil War. This book is an edited volume, focusing on several aspects of the sanguinary battle at Antietam, fought in 1962. All told, there are ten essays in this volume, with Gallagher contributing the lead essay. As with all edited volumes, some of the works may not be up to the same standards as others. But, overall, this is a useful volume. It might best be used by reading it alongside one of the better histories of the battler, such as Stephen Sears' "Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam." Let's take a look at some of the essays to illustrate what the book is about. . . .

Gallagher begins the book with an essay on how the south saw the aftermath of the battle. He notes that, in the final analysis, southerners were more likely than not to see Antietam as a plus for the cause. In the aftermath of the Peninsula successes of General Robert E. Lee and the remarkable victory by the Confederate forces at Second Manassas, this was seen as the denouement of a stretch of marvelous fighting by the Army of Northern Virginia.

Brooks Simpson authored a more positive than usual account of Union General George McClellan's leadership at Antietam. McClellan was often accused of "the slows," because of his seeming inability to fight aggressively. Simpson argues that some of McClellan's arguments made sense, such as logistical problems associated with the movement of the Army of the Potomac toward Antietam.

The last chapter is a nice counterpoint, examining how Antietam was used by the Army for training/education before World War I. This battle was one example used at the Army War College to prepare officers for command. They would go over maps and scenarios (e.g., what if McClellan had hurried toward Antietam after finding Lee's orders as opposed to his rather movements). The students and teachers were pretty much unanimous in concluding that McClellan had not generaled his forces very well--up to Antietam and at the battle site itself.

Other chapters speak to addition key issues, such as: how poorly supplied Confederate forces were, the Confederate cavalry's and artillery's role in protecting the Confederate flank, the action at Bloody Lane, and the ineptitude of Confederate artillery chief William Pendleton.

For those interested generally in Civil War history and, specifically, the battle at Antietam, this will be a welcome volume. While there is some unevenness across the chapters, all in all this is a solid volume.

Early in September, 1862, Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River into Maryland in what became the Confederacy's first invasion of the North. General McClellan received command of the Union troops following the disaster of Second Manassas. In a daring move, Lee divided his army in an attempt to capture Harpers Ferry, and McClellan had the good fortune to recover Special Order No 191 detailing the movements of the Confederate units. McClellan pressed forward, albeit cautiously, and the result was the Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg) on September 17, 1862, the bloodiest single day in American history. Following the battle, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam, rather than the more famous Battle of Gettysburg, is increasingly regarded as the pivotal moment of the Civil War.

The Maryland Campaign and the Battle of Antietam have provoked no end of controversy. This excellent collection, "The Antietam Campaign", edited by Gary Gallagher, consists of ten essays by as many different students of the Civil War examining in detail various aspects of the Antietam campaign. The essays are thoughtful and provocative and will cause the reader to rethink commonly held assumptions about Lee's first invasion. The book is part of a series edited by Gallagher titled "Military Campaigns of the Civil War".

Various aspects of the Battle itself are examined in three essays in the volume. Robert E.L. Krick's article, "Defending Lee's Flank" explores the role of Confederate artillery in holding off the initial Union attacks early in the morning on the Confederate left in the vicinity of Dunkers' Church and the infamous Cornfield. Robert K. Krick's essay takes a close look at the Union's attack on the center of the Confederate line on what has become known as the Bloody Lane. Lesley Gordon's "All Who Went into that Battle were Heroes" is an essay in history and memory. It examines the fate of the 16th Connecticut, a unit of green volunteers, which had the unenviable task late in the battle of meeting a counter-attack by A.P. Hill's troops, after Union General Burnside had finally crossed "Burnside's Bridge" and was pressing the Confederate Army to cut-off its line of retreat.

An additional essay in the collection, "We didn't know what on Earth to do with him" by Peter Carmichael covers a little-known aspect of the Maryland campaign. A small component of Union troops attacked the rear of the Confederate Army of September 19, 1862 in an attempt to harass the retreat. Confederate artillerist "Parson" Pendelton failed to hold the line, but the small Union force was, even so, rebuffed with great loss. Carmichael, as are most scholars, is highly critical of Pendelton's role at Antietam and in the War.

The remaining six essays in the collection offer broader views of matters related to the Maryland campaign. Three essays focus on the Confederacy. Gallager's own essay, "The Net Result of the Campaign was in our Favor" explores Confederate reactions immediately after the battle. Confederates looked to the capture of Harpers Ferry, the victory at Shepherdstown, and the hard draw at Antietam as evidence of their Army's prowess, and were motivated to continue the long, hard fighting of the Civil War. Keith Bohannon's essay, "Dirty Ragged, and Ill-Provided for is, together with the essay by Carol Reardon, the finest in the collection as it explores the difficulties faced by Lee's Army resulting from lack of supplies of basics, such as shoes, rations, and ammunition, as a result of the South's inadequate logistical system. In "Maryland, Our Maryland", Brooks Simpson examines Confederate hopes that the Maryland campaign would bring the Bay State into the Confederacy. It examines the strong efforts President Lincoln made to hold Maryland for the Union. Simpson concludes that the Confederate failure to rally Maryland to its cause worked as a defining moment for Southern identity in the conflict.

Two essays take a close look at the Union side of the line. Brooks Simpson's "General McClellan's Bodyguard" challenges the view held by many students of the battle that McClellan was at fault for not pressing the attack on September 18. Simpson maintains that McClellan did about as well as could have been expected under the circumstances. Scott Hartwig's essay, "Who would not be a Soldier" compliments Simpson's in that Hartwig looks closely at the composition of the Union Army that McClellan led to meet Lee. Much of this Army consisted of raw recruits who had not had basic training, learned to march, or even to fire a weapon. These troops swelled the size of McClellan's Army but proved a liability in the heat of battle.

The final essay in the volume, "From Antietam to Argonne" by Carol Reardon takes a close look at Antietam from the standpoint of the United States War College and its studies of the battle prior to WW I. Students were given detailed summaries of the actions in the Antietam campaign and, in addition, toured the battlefield. They were asked to comment on the command decisions of Lee and McClellan, as well as subordinate officers, and on the performance of the troops on both sides. The results, as Reardon explains them, were fascinating and provide a searching look at the campaign and its leaders. For me, Reardon's essay was the highlight of an excellent volume.

This collection illuminates greatly the Antietam Campaign and shows how much can be gained by careful scholarship and the willingness to rethink received opinions. Readers coming to this book will benefit by a strong prior background in the Civil War and by a basic familiarity with the Battle of Antietam, as can be gained in works by James McPherson, Steven Sears, or James Murfin.

Robin Friedman

Just like previous reviewers, I agree that this book is a fine addition to the on-going series about the Military Campaigns of the Civil War. This installment about the Battle of Antietam is particularly strong because of the quality of scholarship included and the distinguished group of historians that Gallagher gathered for this edition.

Each author includes an interesting essay that details a specific aspect of the battle. Some examples of topics that are covered include: the supply challenge the Confederacy faced, how new Union recruits reacted to the carnage of Antietam, the role Confederate artillery played, and why McClellan failed to pursue Lee after the battle. I found that every essay presented a compelling argument and really offer the reader a detailed analysis that you will not find in other books about the battle.

As always, this type of book is not aimed at telling the history of what happened at Antietam. If you are looking for a general narrative of the battle - this is not the right book. On the other hand, it is designed for those who are somewhat familiar with the battle and are looking for the most current research from a find group of historians. I highly recommend the book for people who fall into this category. It will greatly enhance your understanding of key aspects that affected the battle which has been the bloodiest day in US military history.

Similar to past works of Gallagher's, this book contains invididual chapters written by popular Civil War historians keying in on battle concerns, myths, strategies and political concepts during the campaign. I really enjoyed reading William Blair's chapter on how Marylanders caught in the middle of political unrest viewed the campaign and Lee's invasion. Brooks Simpson's chapter on how the Army of the Potomac was McClellan's bodyguard according to Lincoln really made me understand the political frustrations the Lincoln party had in regards to McClellan's slow moving and cautious approach to battle. Keith Bohannon's view on Confederate logistical problems was very informative and really brought forth information as to Lee's reasons for invading the north and also his retreat.

These chapters are just some of the great amount of information brought together in a very fine book. I would recommend this book to someone who has already read a book on the battle itself before reading this one. This book contains some fighting information but isn't one for coverage on the entire battle. It is one for understanding political unrest, commander motivations, strategies and little unknown and sometimes unclear myths that surround the entire campaign in September 1862. 5 STARS!!!

Once again, Gary W. Gallagher has compiled a wonderful collection of essays in this latest volume of the Military Campaigns of the Civil War Series. Each chapter or essay focuses on a different aspect of the campaign and is written by a different author. This allows for a new perspective on the campaign with each chapter. Among the topics covered by the various essayists are Confederate perception of Antietam as a victory or defeat, Confederate logistics, Confederate artillery, the use of the Antietam battlefield as a classroom for military leaders in the 20th century, the impact of new recruits on the Army of Potomac's effectiveness, and the experiences of individual units.

All of the essays are well-written and contain wonderful insights into their selected aspects of the campaign. Due to the focus of the series on military events, other important issues related to Antietam are only briefly mentioned. Most notably, issues related to emancipation and foreign intervention are mentioned in passing. This, however, is a result of the decision by the editor and the press (University of North Carolina Press) to focus on military aspects. Despite this weakness, I would highly recommend this and all other books in the Military Campaigns of the Civil War series to anyone with an interest in the Civil War.