California Books

Having read a number of books in recent months on Egpyt, Canaan, and Israel, I decided that I needed to go to the source to see for myself what the many partially quoted Egyptian texts actually say. Miriam Lichtheim's "Ancient Egyptian Literature - Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms" was my starting point.

The customer reviews recommended it - and what other customers have to say about a book is usually an important factor as to whether I will buy it. In this case, I was cautious and only bought the first volume. I enjoyed it immensely.

Professor Lichtheim's aim was to provide an up-to-date translation of a representative selection of Egyptian Literature, and in preparing these she states that she has made full use of existing translations and studies. I found her introductory survey on the development of Egyptian literature and her detailed explanation and notes of each text to be most useful in helping me understand what I was reading.

This first volume includes translations of about 50 texts dating from the 5th dynasty of the Old Kingdom to the 14th Dynasty of the Middle kingdom - which covers the period c 2450BCE to c 1650BCE. The texts include tomb inscriptions, selected "Utterances" from the Pyramid texts, Didactic Instructions, Songs and Hymns, as well as three amusing and interesting prose tales - The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, ThreeTales of Wonder, and The Story of Sinuhe.

The Didactic literature is also very interesting, generally being instructions from kings to sons on how to properly rule the kingdom after his death. But they also include such texts as "The Dispute between a Man and his Ba", "The Eloquent Peasant", "The Satire of the Trades", and the much (partially) quoted and often misquoted "Admonitions of Ipuwer".

The book was worth buying for the this last item alone, since this text has often been described as providing textual evidence of events leading up to the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. According to Professor Lichtheim, the only surviving text is on a 19th Dynasty Payprus comprising 17 pages of about 14 lines with lacunae in various places, and she provides the complete translation of all that is still legible. In her explanation of the text, she discusses at some length whether the text is "a direct response to a calamity" or an "historical romance". Her conclusion is that "The Admonitions of Ipuwer has not only no bearing whatever on the long past First Intermediate Period, it also does not derive from any other historical situation" She believes it to be "the last, fullest, most exaggerated, and hence least successful composition of the theme 'order versus chaos'" Even if you have already decided that Ipuwer IS describing events leading to the Exodus, it is worth buying this book to read the translation of the full text by a scholar who has provided a most cogent explanation of its provenance

I know this is going to be one of those books which I shall read time and time again. I thoroughly recommend it to other readers, and I certainly intend to obtain Volumes II and III.

This is an excellent corpus of translations from an authoritative hand, including from simple "funeral" and "biographical" inscriptions from the Old Kingdom upto nice and good renderings of all the major "tales" and "stories" from the MIddle Kingdom: The Tale of Sinuhe, The Dialogue between a Man and His Soul, the Tale of Kheops and the magicians, and many other paramount titles of the ancient Egyptian literature dated to the aforesaid periods. Each piece contains an introductory notes with the "history" of the documents and end-notes full of interesting comments as for the translation's details and plenty of bilbiography. Most recommended, both for the beginners and the trained readers.

Miriam Lichtheim's "Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol. 1" is a very good translation of a wide range of texts from Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt. It contains a representative sampling of Pyramid and Coffin texts, monumental inscriptions, didactic and wisdom literature,including the famous "Dispute Between a Man and His Ba", a few hymns, and prose selections, including "The Story of Sinuhe", "Three Wonder Tales", and "The Shipwrecked Sailor". For me the clincher in deciding to purchase this particular volume over its competitors was Ms. Lichtheim's decision to leave the words "ka", "ba", and selected other terms untranslated rather than giving anachronistic, supposed modern equivalents, to these complex words, as other recent translators have done. There are, additionally, excellent introductions and notes.

When I was learning to read Middle Egyptian, it was Lichtheim who kept me on track. She has a wonderful gift for translation. Her translations, while very close to literal, somehow manage to carry the atmosphere of the original without sounding as bizarre as a literal translation would.

I would recommend this gem of a book to American Anglophiles.

I found this wonderful volume when I was shuffling through a used bookstore in Raleigh, NC, while my soon to be ex was pouring over the gardening section. I came upon "The Annals of London: A Year-by-Year Record of a Thousand Years of History" just by chance. I sat down and opened it up. I was transfixed for the next two hours. It is very compelling.

This book reads like a slow-motion history of English civilization: Every page (it's organized like a newspaper) has a tidbit.

It is a gripping tale. The inevitability of freedom is striking. The people of London ignore their leaders with a very satisfying frequency.

Interesting tidbits: Henry VIII's coffin exploded while laying in Westminster, and his remains were eaten by dogs; an article on the demolition of the Globe and a less than popular playwright; lots of flatulent monarchs and mayors; and the origins of an English socialist movment that is still very influential today. This book is an incredible archive, and I would recommend it to any fellow American who has a fascination for mother England.

A bit wordy and condescending in that British sort of way, but like any good newspaper, you can skip the parts that don't interest you.

This is the perfect bathroom book. Short, concise vignettes. Pick it up. Put it down. Never lose your place. I'm mere pages from finishing, and I've been reading it for 2 1/2 years.

If you're interested in London history, this book is a great way to strengthen your understanding of that great city without burying yourself in a huge tome.

So why only 4 stars? (I'd have done 3.5 if it was an option.) The author slants very heavily toward two subjects. London theatrical history and architectural history. The former is mind-numbingly ubiquitous. The latter is much more integral to understanding London as it stands today. Both subjects are important and relevant, but in some parts of the book they seem to be the only topics covered at all.

Have this book on hand anytime you are reading history of London or books set in London. I have just read London: the Biography by Peter Ackroyd and London: the Novel by Edward Rutherford and am tempted to re-read both 1000 page books so that I can follow along in The Annals. Fascinating material!

At first glance, this book with its lists of events might appear a little dry, but as you begin reading the events' descriptions, you'll soon discover pages filled with interesting historical anecdotes.

Among the events covered are institutional foundings (such as churches, hospitals, schools, theatres and newspapers), technical and medical achievements, the various floodings and freezings of the Thames, bridge and tunnel collapses, executions, assassinations, hangings, murders, fires, and more.

Even the smallest events have interesting details... such as the blowing down of Fairlop Oak in Hainault Forest in 1820. The tree is described as having branches that spread 116 ft and it is noted: "Around it took place the annual Fairlop Fair -- an event which helped to shorten the tree's life, because visitors would use the inside of the trunk to light fires for cooking."

Another entry that appears earlier in 1741 mentions the opening of St. George's Chapel in Curzon Street by a Reverend Alexander Keith who "scandalized the clergy by his readiness to perform marriages without too many questions."

Many event descriptions run for a few paragraphs and some have illustrations. My only gripe with this book is that the font size for the print is very small. (The print would be much easier to read if it was just another 2 points larger.) Aside from that, I'm sure this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in London history.

This book provides a wonderful doorway into the art of ant identification. The keys are well tested and current. The photographs of a representative ant from each genus are stunning. The lists of North American genera and species are very useful as is the list of literature for identifying species. I wish I had had this book 30 years ago when I first started learning to identify ants! This is a must have book for everyone who studies North American ants. It should also be in the libraries of all field stations and any institution of higher learning that teaches classes in the natural sciences.

I am a myrmecologist, and this is definitely the most helpful (and portable) ant key I have come across.

It is full of excellent illustrations and intuitive couplets, but aving said that, this book deals only with genera found in the USA, not whole North America.

The first part of the book is the dichotomous key, whereas the second part describes each genus in detail (ecology, morphological characteristics, the most recent literature dealing with that genus, etc.)

The authors have even managed to squeeze in a couple of (ant) jokes and funny anecdotes into this part of the text.
The last part of the book contains the list of all known species in North America.

The authors have made one mistake that I am aware of, and that is on page 111, where they state that genus Monomorium has 11 antennal segmnents while they actually have 12.

Ants are one of the groups of organisms that I found fascinating from an early age. I finally settled on spiders, but ants were always in the back of my mind on the numerous field trips on which I went to pursue my eight-legged quarry. However, guides to ants were few and far between and when I was given a copy of Creighton's "The Ants of North America" I was almost as confused as I was before. While the illustrations were good, the descriptions and keys were a bit difficult and of course even by the time I was given the book, it was quite dated.

We have long needed a book such as Brian Fisher and Stefan Cover have produced in "Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera". Among other things the photos of actual specimens are a great help in determining the genera (and in some cases sub-genera) that anyone might encounter in a backyard or in the wild. The keys are both very good and well illustrated. A good hand lens will be sufficient with many, but the size of some requires a good binocular dissecting microscope (one reason that ants are less popular than butterflies, dragonflies or even moths). Still both professional entomologists and serious amateurs will find this book very useful as a first step in the identification of the ant fauna.

Because I am a professional biologist and an entomologist I found that, although I do not know the authors, I do know at least six of the people listed in the acknowledgements - such is the small size of the entomological community.

I recommend this book highly and only wish that something like it was available when I was becoming interested in the tiny life around us.

"Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera" by Brian Fisher and Stefan Cover is quite simply the best identification guide (down to the genus level) available for these fascinating insects.

Combining straightforward identification keys that contain excellent line drawings of pertinent ant features with April Nobile's detailed automontage pictures, this publication functions both as a "working book" and a page-by-page display of the true beauty and diversity of these ants.

The alphabetical method of ordering the genera descriptions is also to be saluted. As the subfamily level gets re-shuffled over the years, the alphabet stays the same, and so provides a user-friendly way to thumb through the genera.

All of the genus listings contain both a head-on and lateral picture of the ant, along with diagnostic remarks and brief distribution and ecological information.

This book belongs on the bookshelf and lab workbench of every myrmecologist, and certainly any ecologist that works within the conservation field performing biodiversity surveys. It has been said that you cannot begin to understand the species you are trying to preserve if you cannot identify them, and so this book will allow any ecologist with basic entomology skills the ability to identify, as E.O. Wilson describes ants, the "little things that run the world."

When I first started to explore Anza-Borrego, it was with obscure stories that were loosely related to even more obscure maps. It was extremely difficult to find a book with good and concise information about this wonderful place without having to read a novel-like book. This book has cross-referencing so you will never miss a thing. Places, people and occurrences are listed alphabetically and contain great stories along with location information. Definitely a must if you are exploring Anza-Borrego and care to do more than simply rip around in the dust.

This book is exceptional! It is so clearly written and interesting. I didn't realize there was soooo much I didn't know about Borrego! I just love it!

Anyone who has ever had any contact with the Anza-Borrego region, or anyone who might even have an interest in going there someday, will enjoy Anza-Borrego A to Z. Diana Lindsay has compiled an encyclopedia of information on the area that will be the standard reference work for many years to come. Only through years of contact and relationship building with a region can someone produce a book like this.

Lindsay has arranged her book alphabetically in the form of an encyclopedia. To look up information, turn to the subject and there it is. Cross-references at the end of each entry direct the reader to other related entries and an extensive index also aids in the discovery process.

However, the book is more than just an encyclopedia. Lindsay's prose makes the history of the desert come to life. As in her 1973 book "Our Historic Desert", hard to find facts and local historical gems are interwoven to form an intimate look at one of the most historically significant regions of the Southwest. Written as a companion to the guidebook "The Anza-Borrego Desert Region", co-authored with her husband Lowell, the Lindsay's now have compiled the most up to date information on the Colorado Desert regions of eastern San Diego County. When you hold these books in your hand, you're actually holding a historian and knowledgeable tour guide wrapped up in between the covers.

I had anticipated the publication of this book for quite a while, and when I finally had my copy, I came home and sat on the couch, planning to simply skim the book and get a feel for it. Several hours later, I discovered that I'd simply been reading through the book, page by page. This is definitely not your average compendium of encyclopedic facts!

Anza-Borrego A to Z is both an interesting and informative book on the Anza-Borrego desert area. I especially liked the organizational format used by the author. Lindsay's Introduction gives an overall historic summary of the area followed by an alphabetically listing of people, places and things relevant to the Anza-Borrego Desert. The author's encyclopedic entries with links to related entries will meet the needs of both the average reader and those interested in a more "in depth" study of the area.

Anza-Borrego A to Z contains a wealth of information and will be especially helpful for: readers who would like more in-depth information about the area, guides who lead hikes in the Anza-Borrego Desert, people who love the desert environment and those who have just been introduced to the beauty and wonders of Anza-Borrego.

Lindsay substantiates her dedication to Anza-Borrego by her pledge to donate all author royalties to the Anza-Borrego Foundation!

I live in the town of Borrego in the Anza Borrego desert. This book shows exactly what we see all the time. It is beautiful!!! I have a friend that had to move away for medical reasons and this book is a gift for her Birthday and a "get well" present. I hope it will make her happy.

IN the April 6th Sunday LA TImes Vani Rongachar reviewed the book. Rongachar writes: "No question, Anza Borrego is glorious in wildflower season, but true desert rats such as Ernie Cowan see the glory of the 600,000-plus-acre state park in all its seasonal moods. Cowan's new book "Anza Borrego: A Photographic Journey," celebrates the Southern California desert park in images - through close-ups of mating beetles, the patterned geologic oddities in Tule Wash and of course blossoms, brittlebush and ocotillo among others. The photos are evidence of a labor of love by Cowan, a photojournalist, former mayor of Escondido and a founder of the Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association. At the end of its 96 pages, I found myself wishing for trail maps to go see for myself." Another book reviewer in the San Diego Tribune wrote that it should be a book kept permanently on the back seat of your car along with a map. The pictures and information found inside will never be outdated. A true classic! The San Diego North County Times also gave rave reviews. If you like me thought that the desert is nothing but sand, rocks and dried up old vegetation, think again. This phenomenal book filled with breathtakingly beautiful pictures will show you a side of the desert you never knew was there.

As a person fortunate to live in San Diego County and to have camped often at Bow Willow, in the southern part of Anza-Borrego State Park, I approached this book with eager anticipation, and found rewards greater than I had imagined. The book is a beautiful evocation of the immense pleasures of this very special park, in its various moods, and the text is appropriately complementary and reverent. I would anticipate this book to be a classic on this area.

It is wonderful in this critical time of enviromental concern to have photographer, Ernie Cowan, remind us this
beautiful area does still exist. The photos are truly
breathtaking. In the desert night sky you feel you could
almost reach out and touch those glowing stars and put one in your pocket. It is an outstanding work of art -- well
worth the read for every nature lover.

I had to read and review this book for a class, and I thought it was great. I had not read any of the books referenced by Ms. Marcus, so it was difficult to tell how sucessfully she represented the authors, but thats really my problem, not hers. I would say that I don't like such heavy use of literary sources in these types of books, but it is usually because I haven't read the books.

I'm happy I chose this book to review, between the nasty review and its mention on the board, (and Ms. Marcus's rebuttal) this will be an easy book review to write.

In Apartment Stories, Sharon Marcus takes the reader on a stunning tour of the interior spaces of the nineteenth century novel. The views that Marcus offers are always exciting. Following her from behind as she weaves her way through dark regions of apartment houses is often exhilirating. Particularly pleasurable is the way she bounces around London. And although sometimes she seems to bend over to make her point, even this rewarding

In an elegantly written and persuasively argued volume, Sharon Marcus uses the idea of the apartment building as a tool to comb out two sets of terms that tend to clump together in discussions about the 19th century: man=city=public, woman=home=private. In a work made pleasurable to the general reader through her clear and careful writing and her judicious use of footnotes, Marcus proposes a world of 19th century men, women, homes, and cities, that interact in more messy and interesting ways than we've learned to expect. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

There has been a recent interest in theories that undermine the undertakings of the Enlightenment and Modernism toward presenting a world made up of clear definitions and distinctions. This trend has thrown light upon those cultures and periods of history previously dismissed as irrational, decadent, or retrogressive. Further, owing to Post-Structuralist interests in language, scholars have increasingly turned towards realist novels and literature from the period being studied to unearth peculiar social environments that have remained concealed in the purely formal analyses of historical accounts.

Sharon Marcus in Apartment Stories identifies the novel as a significant mirror of everyday life. Literary criticism and cultural history, for Marcus, are intertwined disciplines that feed on each other. In Apartment Stories she uses an analysis of the nineteenth-century realist novel to illuminate a discourse about (not `on') apartment houses of the time. Employing texts that she calls `atypical', as a heuristic device for exploring the range and complexity of nineteenth century debates on domesticity and urbanism, Marcus sets herself the ambitious task of questioning conventional conceptions of the distinctions of private and public, interior and exterior, as well as masculine and feminine. She probes the text not only in terms of seeking social and physical implications of the described spaces but also in terms of the manner in which the narration itself inscribes spatial relations and establishes zones as exterior and interior, private and public, mobile and fixed.

Apartment Stories is divided into three parts. The first part, "Open Houses", discusses the apartment house as a space that refutes readability as a private, opaque, and interior space. The second part, "The City and the Domestic Ideal", discusses the cultural preference for the single-family house over the lodging houses (that resembled apartment houses) of Londoners. The third and concluding part, "Interiorization and its Discontents", deals with Paris during the Second Empire. The author claims that Paris became interiorized after 1850 and thereby challenges the established interpretation of the Second Empire Paris as one of spectacle, flânerie, and circulation. She also questions the famous notion of the Goncourt brothers that "the interior is going to die. Life threatens to become more public". Marcus, in view of the Parisian apartment house, explicates the impossibility of ever fully interiorizing the home.

Sharon Marcus's Apartment Stories provides interesting insights into the world of the bourgeois in nineteenth century Paris- though her ideas are not always convincing and not always substantiated with documentation. Her elaborate endnotes that occupy 81 pages at the rear of the book fail to provide the convincing evidence that more architectural drawings and photographs might. The book leaves the readers constantly searching through the text for `real' images of the physical character of the apartment houses to which they may correspond the analysis of the novel. In the absence of such documentation, the author herself feels the need to stop every now and then in order to summarize and locate within the overall scheme of the book what she had just written (which is also what makes the writing of the book-review easier). These impediments that occlude the understanding of her new insights are further assisted by what could be considered a methodological oversight. Her structure of discussions of the interior and exterior space rest upon the individual descriptions of interior and exterior space. The discussion does not flow from one to the other and that, I feel, strengthens the distinction between the two. A discussion of the in-between transition spaces, apart from perhaps the character of the portière, between the street and the house, that one would expect in a discussion of interior and exterior spaces, is also absent.

Marcus works from an impressive bibliography, one that partially compensates for her deficiencies in documentation and illustration. Apart from a slight error in quoting the publication date of James Stevens Curl's The Victorian Celebration of Death as 1872 instead of 1972, the bibliography, along with the book, becomes a wonderful resource for any scholarly study of nineteenth century France and England in the fields of feminist theory and criticism, geography, urban studies, architectural history, literary criticism, and interdisciplinary research on everyday life.

this is a great book. It covers in detail the jouneys of that great explorer/naturalist/thinker Alfred E. Wallace through Indonesia and addresses the current state of affairs and threats to its natural treasures.

The books goes through all the major parts of Indonesia and shows plenty of well-selected pictures of amazing flora and fauna of the archipelago. Pictures are 70% of the book, but it also provides a good scientific description of how the archipelago formed (10% of the book), explaining how so unique species developed and survived untouched. Around 10% of the book is devoted to the explorers, like Wallace, who first discovered the uniquness of the islands and tried scientifically describe what they found - some early maps of the region and pictures of explorers are presented. Last 10% expresses the concerns about the impact of the modern Indonesia on the nature of the region. Book is published by UC Berkeley/LA, which can only be a further recommendation.

Archipelago is an excellent book on several levels. First, as a photo essay of the biota of the Indonesian islands it must be beyond compare. The photos are simply awesome, leaf through it and see for yourself. Second, it tells the story of one of the worlds least known but greatest scientists, Alfred Wallace. Wallace was just as responsible for developing the theory of evolution through natural selection as Charles Darwin. If you are interested in the history of science or a biology student at any level you should be aware of Wallace's work. This is as good a book to learn about it as any. One slight complaint, in reading this book I felt that the authors felt that Wallace received a raw deal from Darwin and the rest of the scientific community. I don't know if it's true or if the truth will ever be known. I know that Wallace didn't feel that way so why include it here? Third, this book is so much a trip through time. Each chapter on Wallace in the islands is mixed with modern essays on life in the islands and what is happening to the environment there. As an environmentalist "call to arms" it is great, because it is backed by better science through a broader range of disciplines than any I have seen.

I'm not a big fan of the "Coffee Table Book" but this is an exception. While it might be tempting to only look at the pictures, the text is in such a interesting format that reading it turns out to be such a breeze that you will be done before you notice.

This beautiful coffee table book goes far beyond presenting the tropical and exotic beauty of this complex archipelago. True, outstanding photos highlight the natural splendor, rich culture and exotic architecture. But the authors also explore its historical significance, beginning with Wallace's 19th century discoveries in biogeography, continuing through the current, looming ecological crisis wrought by exploitation of the islands' natural resources. For those who have traveled to Indonesia, or have ever wished to, this book is a must.

Can't think of anything but praise for this fabulous book. The objects selected, the color photography, the insightful introduction, the artists' info in the back ‹ all top-notch. If you think the world is doomed, this will be great antidotal weekend reading!

A visit to the De Young Museum on my last day in San Francisco turned a time-filler into an experience of a lifetime. The exhibition itself was truly amazing; the collection superb. The lighting, layout and flow of the exhibition allowed me to get lost for a couple of hours. Here was true craftsmanship in its purest form from all over the world; even an Australian artist was represented in the collection!

A visit to the gallery shop was next on the agenda to see if there was a catalogue, but since I thought a lot of the presence of place would be lost I wondered how you could put that on to paper.

But there it was. A fine book with excellent production values and fine photography. It will be a great momento of my visit and comfort me to know that there are great people who support artists and help keep the barbarians from the gate.

Dorothy & George Saxe are amongst the foremost collectors of art made from traditional craft materials...glass, clay, wood, fiber...art categorized as coming out of the Post WWII Arts & Crafts movement. This book beautifully documents that part of their collection now on view at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco.

Tim Burgard, Curator of American Art at the DeYoung Museum, writes accessably with the voice of a scholar. He contextualizes this art movement and documents the show from the Saxe Collection that he's recently installed at the DeYoung...THIS IS A GORGEOUS BOOK.

The Saxes have made a bequest to the DeYoung of 600 works of art from their collection. This book and exhibition documents more than 1/3 of these objects.

A MUST READ FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN CONTEMPORARY ART!!

If you are interested in glass, this book will be of particular interest. The Saxes have pieces by Chihuly, Lino, Flora Mace, Bertil, Therman Statom, William Morris, and many other well known glass artists. Also beautiful ceramics, furniture, wood bowls, sculpture.... If you can't make it to the exhibit, buy the book. You won't be disappointed.

A monumental reference book! The title of the book in French (I have it both in French and English) would roughly translate into Anthology of Strategy in World History. It puts the accent on the concept of Strategy rather than War. And that's how I use it. I would even call it the History of Strategic Thinking. I am a management and technology expert and this book is one of my reference books on Strategy and on my shelf it sits alongside books on Strategy.

What I like most about it, is its historic depth and scope. There is, to my knowledge, no other work on Strategy which has such a historic scope ranging from Ancient history to modern days with so much information and intelligence.

I strongly recommend it to all those interested in the History of Strategic Thinking.

I am a regular reader of Mr Chaliand and when I read his books I have the same experience as when I read Nietzsche: a feeling of freshness.

This anthology provides a wonderful history of the Art of War in a compact and readable format. Presented in the form of brief biographies and historical vignettes, there is literally something for everybody in this treatise. Whether you are a student, organizational leader, or military strategist, this book has information you can put to work today.

A wonderful edited volume that makes a great introduction to the subject of military strategy. Organized chronologically, the works of nearly all the major strategists in history appear including non-Europeans.

This book is an excellent compilation of the best military writers throughtout the ages. The book begins with authors from ancient Rome, Greece and China and progresses through history. It goes on to include the best works of about 100 military geniuses. Excerpts are from Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Erwin Rommel and many others. If you want a book on military history and generalship through the ages, this tome will provide it. Be forewarned though, this book is over 1000 pages and not all the early writers are easy to read. But, overall, an excellent book for anyone who loves military history.

Roger Daniels's 1962 book The Politics of Prejudice: The Anti-Japanese Movement in California and the Struggle for Japanese Exclusion is a must for all voting-age citizens. Why a must? Because at first glance this book seems like obscure, dark history of a time almost now forgotten and because of the little attention devoted to pre-Pearl Harbor treatment of Japanese immigrants (Issei)and Japanese-Americans (Nessei). More importantly, it is a book that speaks of our national character and grows timeless in its treatment of immigration which of course is hardly a new phenomenon.

It is almost like walking into a timewarp! Substitute "Japan" for "Mexico" or "Latin America" and substitute "Japanese" for "Mexican" or "illegal alien" and you'd think Professor Daniels had written this book last night! The Tancreados, the Jim Gilchrists--even the more wishy washy Schwarzenegger-types of the period are all there! (Even Fabian socialist and Lenin-admirer H.G. Wells bought into the "Yellow Peril" paranoia.) Exclusionist groups like FAIR, the Minute Men and legislation like the Sensenbrenner bill, were all present a hundred years ago! The book also covers key propagandists like the Rupert Murdoch of a century ago: William Randolph Hearst. Nothing new under the sun, eh?

This is a slight book, crammed with information. The only problems are the tiny print (for my myopic eyes) and the lengthy footnotes. Also, once in a while, Professor Daniels slips into obscure early 20th century California politics, but that said, I would purchase used copies and mail them to choice legislators. Would that work?

Trotsky was mistaken. History DOES repeat itself (for those who didn't learn from it the first time, anyway, as the ancient Greek philospher said.)

Great facts and opinions about Japanese internment in the United States; everyone should read

Nice and short (not "long and boring" like many history books!) -- a very thorough examination of the causes of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Professor Daniel's book is beautifully written and should be read by anyone who is interested in the topic!

The best part of this book is its organization. As a reader,having no background in subjects of politics nor Japanese American History, I was able to clearly understand the point of view of those people who were against Japanese immigration and how their actions effected the decisions to use internment camps for the Japanese American people during WWII.