United States Books

Wow! What an awesome book. My 10-yr-old son had to pick a book of Historical Fiction for a book report for school. We chose this one because it seemed familiar to me, then came to realize that I read it when I was a kid under the title "I am David". We took turns reading the book aloud, my son was so into it. Every boy, actually every kid, should read this book, if only to appreciate freedom and opportunity and the love of family.

a very poignant story of a boy who 'escaped' from a concentration camp. His trip to where, he doesn't know, gives so much insight to what would be going through a child during this era of time. He doesn't know anything about the outside world. This is often times humorous and then sad at others. It is a powerful story that should be read by all. There aren't really any EXCITING parts but plenty of in depth story. Mrs. Holm brings a story to paper that will not be quickly forgotten.

When freedom is near,all, young David has to think about is how to get away without being caught. I will encourage the young people to read this book because it is a really good and easy book. In this book you will find out what David had to go through in order to get his freedom, and what dangers he had to confront on the way.

This book is about a twelve-year old boy named David. For all his life he was in prison and did not know what the outside world looked like. When David finds a great opportunity to escape many problems occur and needs to find a way to be free and safe from his old life.The title of my book was North to Freedom by Anne Holm. This book will catch your attention and will end you up with a thought of children all over the world,
and how they are being abused and kept in prison.

Some good facts about this book were, how David had help
from the guards. " You must get away tonight", the man had told
him" (Holm 1). I liked the fact that David wasn't alone in prison that there were people that cared for him, this shows that not all men that keep children in prison are bad. In David's way to freedom, he found many honorable men that helped him reach his goal. " ...I'll give you a lifebelt, and you must try to drift ashore.." (Holm 25). Here David was found by and Italian man that was headin to Italy, but the kind man left
him on board and gave him a lifebelt were he could reach Italy without being caught.

There were also many bad sides to this book. Some facts I did not like were that it ended to fast and not to much detail was given. The end of the book was kind of "weird", I would have not expect it to end the way it did. There were some points of the book that I did not like, for example, when David was suffering on his way and the fact that he was scared of people. Also that David was a chicken in some parts of the book, he was scared to help other and was a little selfish.

In conclusion, the book was interesting to read. It had many ideas that shows the world about how little kids like David suffer because of mothers errors. I would give this book an eight, form a scale of 10. It is a really good book, I liked the way it was explained even though details were needed it was very good explained and there were a lot of interesting parts. I liked this book because it caught my attention and wasn't hard to read. I learned that David fought for his freedom and this story makes me think about the American dream, freedom.

This is an engaging historical fiction novel. Set in post World War II Europe, it is also published under the titles David, and I Am David. With the help of one of the prison gaurds, 12 year old David escapes from a communist labor camp in Bulgaria with no idea what to do other than go to Denmark. The story weaves in many important themes, such as freedom, beauty, truth, and love. There are many intriguing characters, like Johannes his fellow prisoner, the family of Maria, a Danish lady in Switzerland, and a dog named King. As David crosses countries and borders, his understanding of life, God, and the aforementioned themes grows as his journey progresses. Through it all he is determined to remain true to himself. Truly an engaging read, and a good study on physical and cultural geography for kids.

I have a copy of this book from the UK that is called I Am David. It starts with a man telling David, "You must get away tonight. Stay awake so that you're ready just before the guard is changed. When you see me strike a match, the current will be cut off and you can climb over -- you'll have half a minute, no more." This starts David's journey not just to freedom and home, but also to learning how to live as a regular kid after only living in a concentration camp. It's a serious book but one that should be read.

Sam is a basketball hero. He is from a small Maine town, and he dominates his high school team. After winning the championship, he makes a statement that the next year it will be not only the boys' team but also the girls' team bringing home a trophy. It is a bold statement, although the girls' team is also very good, but Sam is determined to make it a reality.

The key element in Sam's plan is Deanie, most often called The Mutant by the student body. She shaves her head, has tattoos, and wears chains through the rings in her face. Despite her weird appearance and antisocial behavior, Deanie is a powerhouse on the basketball court and pushes her team to win.

Sam finds himself intrigued by Deanie, especially by the fact that she seems to hate his guts and repels any advances by him. He continues to try to find ways to become her friend.

When Deanie does start to let Sam into her life, though, he finds himself horrified by what he sees. He begins to wonder if his affection and attention will be enough to pull her out of her bad situation.

I liked Sam's family. They were down-to-earth and very solid, despite their problems. I also liked seeing Deanie's evolution from the beginning of the book to the end, when she had things much more together.

It was hard for me to understand, though, why Sam was so attracted to Deanie and why he continued to pursue her after she continually repelled his advances. It's hard to believe any high-school boy would be that persistent in the face of so much rejection.

"One on One" tells the coming-of-age story of two unique teens. Sam Styles is a popular basketball captain, aiming for the championships, who also has his own unpopular ethical code amongst his peers. Deenie Gauthier is a "townie" who is also a basketball star, but whose poverty and attitude have made her an outsider. Sam becomes intrigued by her, and they begin a mercurial relationship which eventually becomes sexual. The contrast between Sam's close-knit family is made more poignant when compared to Deanie's abusive homelife. But Sam has his own scars, and though the two are made for each other, their union will not be an easy one.

Only two things bothered me. Every few pages we get yet another description of Deanie's appearance. The reader "gets" that she's unusual looking but still beautiful without her skin being compared to a narcissus petal or fine wood constantly. If the reader doesn't like the character or feel sympathy, they'd have put the book down by now. The other was that there were an excessive amount of sex scenes. I'm not a prude, but it got a bit tiresome; there are only so many ways you can describe certain sexual acts that teens perform. I would rather have had more basketball scenes - and I'm not a jock.

Please buy this book!!! I can think of no other way to get Tabitha King to write a second piece to this tale. I am a big reader and love series books. After reading all of Jennifer Weiner's books last month I was looking for someone else, on her website or a fansite of Jennifer's it mentioned Pearl. I went to the library and picked up a copy. Read it immediately and loved it instantly. I told my husband that Tabitha King writes like her husband, always leaving you with wanting more. I went to the trusty WWW and found that there was a whole series to be read and I happened upon them in the middle with Pearl. After work I was at the library picking up the remainder of the series. I didn't read them in order, you don't have to, they work well independently. One on One was the last for me to pick up. I read it in no time and lost much sleep because of it. I took it to work with me and was HAPPY to be in a 1 hour traffic jam so I could have more time to read it. I was captivated by Sam and Deanie, and hungry to know more about Pearl and Reuben. I did something I have never done. I did't put it down. Upon finishing it I started back on the first page again. She writes sex scenes like they should be written, raw, real, and not perfect. I want more from her...that is why you have to buy this book. Hopefully she will see there is a surge in her sales and decide to feed her fans with MORE. I am just upset I didn't know her work until now. She is just amazing. Buy it.

I'm a novelist myself, and began reading Stephen King at the age of ten. About seven years ago, I was browsing through the S. Kings at the library looking for something that I hadn't read fifteen times when I ran across One on One completely by accident. Because the particular S. King that I was looking for wasn't on the shelf, I decided to "broaden my horizons" and take it for a "test drive," and what a decision that was! I couldn't put it down - I read it cover to cover twice, then bought my own copy. I've since ventured into Tabby's other offerings and they're equally wonderful, but One on One will always be my favorite read - and my favorite inspiration.

Tabitha King has a wonderful talent with bending the written word in such a way that it captivates the reader to the point of not being able to put the book down until the very last page. Unfortunately, though I am a great fan of Stephen King, Tabitha gets very little of the spotlight and I am disappointed that none of her books are available to buy as new books.

This is not a 5-star book. The author must have a lot of friends who will write a review for him. Not only is the book lacking in substance, but I just read an opinion of this author about Gov. Sarah Palin where he claims she is an idiot. He doesn't mention that the other candidate for VP, Joe Biden, told Katie Couric that FDR was president during the 1929 stock market crash (sorry folks, FDR came much later) or that Biden said FDR appeared on television in 1929 (sorry folks, TV came much later). No, author Richard Reeves attacked Sarah Palin as being historically challenged when Biden is the more historically challenged. You want to trust an author like that to write a book of substance about John F. Kennedy? Don't waste your money.

This book is a well-written chronological account of Kennedy's presidency. Minimized is the personal gossip and inuendo while highlighted is the decision-making style of JFK and his entourage as events unfold. You get a sense of what it's like being thrust into the vortex of events for which no president is totally prepared. The writer attempts to reveal President Kennedy as both more and less than the Camelot charisma would have you believe. Thoroughly enjoyable and informative must-read addition.

Jackie Kennedy is said to have given copies of this book to her children with the advice, "If you want to know your father, he is in this book." Reeves was said to be surprised at her endorsement and commented. "I wasn't terribly flattering to Jackie in the book."
Well worth the read.

As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service (and President Kennedy's interaction with the agency), I was much interested in this book by Richard Reeves. I am a big fan of Mr. Reeves---in addition to a great book on Richard Nixon, he is a great writer and speaker. You can't go wrong in purchasing this fine book. vince palamara

After reading this book, I feel that I come out understanding the Kennedy presidency in better terms. While Sorenson and Schlesinger wrote impeccable accounts on the admininstration, they are somewhat distorted, and make Kennedy out to be a hero. This well-written and higly researched account, I feel to be the definintive account of the administration. It shows the flaws of President Kennedy, and the true personality of the man in the White House, his battle with Addison's disease. Kennedy was a very inexperienced leader at the beginning of his presidency, and I don't feel that it really dawned on him until the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

This detailed account covers his meetings with Premier Krushchev, how he dealt with South Vietnam, and the apparent sickness that came upon him after learning of the death of Ngo Din Diem. You also see that Kennedy was very much a womanizer, almost to the point of obsession it seems. This book deserves much attention, and for anybody who has never read about President Kennedy, an excellent start.

I love these books. I bought the President's Daughter back in middle school and many years later decided to complete the collection. Like someone else said, it is my go to book. I can read it over and over and still find new things in it. It is actually also how I learned how the election worked!! The first is the best in the series, but anyone who reads this will not be disappointed by the quality of writing, depth of the characters and knowledge gained about a presidential family. Meg is a delight!

Most teens are embarrassed by the things their parents do. But in Meg Powers' case, she and her family are under constant national scrutiny, for her senator mother has just announced her candidacy for president.

Although dealing with the issues surrounding Katharine Powers' campaigning and frequent travels, the Powers family is still refreshingly normal. Meg and her younger brothers regularly compete with dinnertime witticisms, and she and her best friend Beth spend embarrassingly long hours dreaming about the day that handsome and popular Rick will ask one of them out.

Firmly entrenched within '80s pop culture (references to things like Tab and Joan Jett are sprinkled throughout the book rather liberally), this story is simultaneously set in a time that has yet to come -- making it something of an anachronism, but a fun and quirky one.

This book is a sooooooooo cool! Sixteen year old Meg has two brothers. Her mom is a senetor.One day her mom decided to run for president. Meg is than thrown into getting used to everyday life being the presidents daughter while still juggling homework,friends,boys and family life. This isn's a book you will soon forget.

I have read and reread (and loved, especially the first one) all three Meghan Powers books in their original editions. I am grateful to Hawk Publishing for reprinting these three books (now called the "President's Daughter" series) so that more people can enjoy them, but I do feel that people should know that these reprints are not high quality. They are trade paperbacks with bindings that seem sturdy enough, but the text is not at all crisp -- in fact, it looks like the publisher may have enlarged the pages from the original mass market editions on a Xerox machine and then reprinted these new editions from those copies. I am basing this guess on the fact that the text looks enlarged and somewhat blurry.

The covers of all three of the reprint editions are hideous; the first one shows a girl who looks to be about 8 or 10 years old instead of a teenager. ...

If you can get past all that, these books are marvelous to read. The first book in particular was very entertaining and educational to boot. I learned a lot about the nomination process used at the Democratic National Convention. Meg's "voice" is unique and distinctive, and a lot of the book is laugh-out-loud funny. Again, I am grateful to Hawk for reprinting these, even if the quality is a little disappointing.

I first read the first two books when I was in high school...in the 80s. I enjoyed them then, and sorely regret loaning them to a younger cousin when I got to college and was ostensibly 'too old' for them. My local bookstore didn't carry "God Save the Queen," so I've never read that one.

I'm 36 now, and I've read one heckuva lot of books. But two of that stay with me are "The President's Daughter" and "White House Autumn." Like the very best in young adult fiction (Harry Potter, etc.), the themes are universal, the characterization is excellent, and the glimpse into another world is fascinating.

Really great SF! Accurate historical context and well written. One of the best SF books I have read, and I have read hundreds.

I don't know why I haven't heard more about this book. I stumbled across it purely by accident but have been surprised to find it is one of the best reads I've had in this genre this year. Glad I found it.

For a very long time, this book was "Unavailable" or "Out of Print". Naturally, I found that intriguing. When this book became available to order, I wasted no time. I feel my wait was certainly rewarded.

Michael's prose is magnetic. It's as if I'm drawn to read faster and faster. These types of reads are rare, to me. Character development was effective, and the storyline is wonderful, even if controversial.

To anyone who likes Cold War books, this is a must-read. For those who want a good story to read, pick this up. I know your money will be well spent!

If you like Historic Fiction, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Spy novels, Cold War Political Intrique, or even action works (to a lesser extent) then this book is for you! It welds the aforementioned genre's together and is a perfect rainy sunday afternoon read. Hard to put down, and a fascinating scenario! I had to read it two times to be sure I didn't miss any details. Totally believable plot line and excellent characterizations, as well as interesting details on the space programs of the era from both the US and Soviet perspectives. I heartily recommend Red Moon.

So far I am about half way through the novel and it is a good read.

This is another book I read cover to cover in one sitting. I'm sad that it's over. The thoughtfulness and ethics and, well, honor of the writer touched me. Lots of cool insider info without compromising security. No bitchy backstabbing. No gratuitous back-slapping either. A very easy read that I couldn't tear myself away from. A couple months back, the current president was in my city for a couple of hours and the amount of disruption to traffic was startling. I now have far more appreciation for how difficult these visits are and how much orchestration they involve.

I wanted to get a little more background on the life of a Secret Service Agent. I found this book filled with interesting tidbits of information. It was an easy read that I found entertaining, as well. His recounts of what it was like working around the Reagan administration, the Pope's US visit, etc. kept me interested for several hours worth of reading. It personalized some of the details that the public often may not realize.

This book is well written with just enough detail to keep you in every scene. It hooked me from page 1 and kept me interested all along.

If you have any interest in the presidency of Ronald Reagan or the Secret Service, I highly recommend this book. The tone is very matter-of-fact, but what comes through is what an honorable person Joseph Petro is. He lost out on a possible N.F.L career when he was drafted for the Viet Nam War, but our country, and especially its elected officials during the time of his service, gained a great deal.

A very engaging book.

I found this book extremely enlightening as to what life as an Agent in the USSS will be like. Petro does a wonderful job at writing about what he is allowed to disclose yet still keeping the reader engaged. If you are interested in the USSS, you should read this book during your application process since little is know about the Service.

Ivan Doig is one of the leading writers of the modern American West. I have read, and thoroughly enjoyed, at least four of his novels. THIS HOUSE OF SKY is a memoir of Doig's youth in the hard-scrabble high-country of central Montana in the 1940s and '50s. Despite the hardships Doig's parents encounter, the book is a heart-warming story of decent, hard-working people who personify the pioneer spirt and work ethic so central to our myth of the American West. THIS HOUSE OF SKY shows that in large measure that myth is grounded in reality, although it also betokens some of the places where reality trumps the myth.

As grand as Doig's story is, the telling of it is less so. THIS HOUSE OF SKY was one or Doig's first published works; so far as I can tell, it was his first book-length work other than edited anthologies. For my taste, in THIS HOUSE OF SKY Doig is too idiosyncratic in language, style, and syntax; ultimately, the book seems overly contrived. Especially grating is the frequent use of nouns in various verb forms: for example, "epitaphed", "prowing", "monumented", "embered", "croupiered", and those few are just the tip of the iceberg.

After reading THIS HOUSE OF SKY, I read "Heart Earth", which Doig wrote 15 years later as a sort of continuation of his memoir, a kind of appendix to THIS HOUSE OF SKY. "Heart Earth", too, has a distinctive style, but it is much more accomplished and less mannered. Likewise, Doig's novels, for the most part, are better written than SKY. So, to demark SKY as a less mature work of Doig's, I have given it but four stars, despite the richness and wonder of the story itself. But having said that, if you love the West and treasure stories (especially true stories) of plain, straightforward, hard-working folks who just lower their heads and do what has to be done, with wry humor and gumption, you undoubtedly will enjoy THIS HOUSE OF SKY.

This magnificent book is a must read for anyone who cares about humanity; who loves people and wants to ride with them. It is more than that. It is the feel of Montana, of the West, of the people who built this country and the hard, blistering work they did. Don't miss this book. You'll love it and hate when you must put it down.

Of the three best books I've read in 2007, this probably ranks number two. It took me a little while to get into it, but the wait was well worth it. Ivan Doig is a magnificent writer and his talents are well displayed in this book. The other two books were The Good Old Boys, by Elmer Kelton, and The Missouri Riders, by George Banks.

This book was one of the few memoirs I have read when in the end I placed the book down and sighed "wow." What a wonderful story. The author rolled experiences together in western Montana with his dad and grandmother and turned it into a lovestory for fathers and grandmothers, for people of Montana, and all that using very little dialogue. (That gave the book a sense of truthfulness, as who can recite full conversations that took place years ago?)

The constant struggle with man against nature, man against man and man against himself come alive in these pages. Despite many obstacles of every kind, his father never abandoned him and sacrificed what he had to to raise his son and to give him what he needed. Montana and its bittersweet closeness never leave the reader; its isolation and wide open sky are always in the background. Thus the title is so perfect for this beautiful memoir.

This was my first Doig book and I will definitely read more of him. I definitely consider this book one of the top ten in American 20th century writing.

This is my all time favorite book. Period. Beautifully written, thought-provoking. It will make you want to move to Montana. It will make you love open sky and a horizon that goes on forever and the importance of family.

The book was great and really gave me a breakdown of the different parts of the agency and how they work together.

Very interesting book. He is the typo of pro I admire and respect. I have been an account planner al my long adman career, 60 years. I have always been a Bernbachian monk and I see the author is a similar person.

I strongly believe that account planning exists to help create advertising - a supporting role not leading. It is an important element but is by no means a substitute for an fresh new idea beautifully executed.
Account planning should not be misused. It is a tool to help the creators.

Since I'm Brazilian and all my life worked on American accounts, I believe the author's British writing maybe is not as clear as the Americans.

Really, I suppose, the type of book a planner should write.

It is a great introduction to what a planner is and does. A good textbook for anyone involved in advertising or dealing with ad agencies. A brilliant "manual" for planners.

There is a huge shortage of good account planning books. This effort by Jon Steele makes up for it. He is a man passionate about advertising (that's evident throughout the book) and very good at it too.

Jon covers the theoretical and practical aspects of account planning thoroughly and provides insights and advice for planners at all levels, account management staff, creative staff and clients.

Reading this book will show you how to improve the quality of your advertising product. It has certainly helped me do that at the agency I work for in New Zealand. One of the best buys I've made on Amazon.

Perfect! The book is absolutely AWESOME! A nice way of teaching a lesson about advertising!

I bought this book for my dad for Christmas. He is a history nut and thought he would enjoy it. The pictures were phenomonial and eerie. He has not put it down yet. It was definately the best present he received this year. Amazon was half of what the bookstore in the mall wanted. Would definately purchase from them again.

Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive
Book received in perfect sealed condition,would use this seller again in a heartbeat

Meyerowitz his taken a step out of his usual repetoire in making these remarkable photographs. He has provided us with a devastating and incredibly imporant record of all that transpired in the Aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. We have been staurated with images of the event itself; what we see here is the heroic and painstaking recovery work that followed.

Aftermath represents the efforts of Joel Meyerowitz to document the destruction and cleanup of the World Trade Center following 9/11. This is a beefy coffee table book that is large enough to give his photos some real impact. Unlike most photo essays, however, you won't find hundreds of beautiful images. After a couple of pages show what New York's skyline once looked like, you are confronted by image after image of the horrific destruction of these huge landmarks. There are also many instances where we see the people who worked the cleanup site. Many of these are the most moving images as you can imagine the emotions that sometimes overcame these men and women who were there every day for months on end.

In addition to the photos, Mr. Meyerowitz also shares some anecdotes about what he went through to get these photos. He also talks about some of the people he met. I found these stories at least as powerful as his words. Most Americans were obviously distraught by the events of that day, but most of us were also able to start moving on with our lives and slowly put it behind us. But these people were there on the ground confronting the effects for months. Recovering bodies and personal objects, as well as being asked by survivors to put mementos on the pile of rubble as little memorials to their lost loved ones.

This is not the happiest book you can buy. It doesn't have the prettiest photos or the most elegant prose. But it may be the most worthwhile book I've ever purchased. I would urge everyone to buy a copy and read it cover to cover.

I first saw photographs from this collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg, Austria. Anyone who entered the gallery was immediately struck by a panorama of ground zero on one wall, each emitting an audible gasp, then standing before it for several minutes in silence. Meyerowitz is an extremely gifted photgrapher, and I recommend other of his collections for viewing. Cape Light: Color Photographs by Joel Meyerowitz, Tuscany: Inside the Light: Inside the Light (Photography). The "Aftermath" collection is the only archive of the activities following 9/11 at ground zero, and it is quite moving. Meyerowitz had access to many vantage points to capture for posterity the many facets of ground zero and this tragic event in our history. Viewing these photos takes time and thought, as Meyerowitz has also included brief descriptions and stories about each photograph. You will be struck by many emotions, sadness, anger, shock, and awe. But, there is an eeriness and a beauty, as well as hope in these photographs, inspired by the photographer's exquisite eye for detail, composition, lines, faces, and light. Photographers, professional and amateur alike, will deeply appreciate and learn from these aspects. Anyone to whom I have shown this book has been as immensely moved as I, from the UPS driver who delivered the package, to my father, a refugee of WWII, who still cannot speak easily of the events of 9/11. This book is highly recommended as an addition for one's library.

Before I picked up this book, I had no idea what a detailed and interesting history lay behind the explorations of the Arctic region. This is a truly fascinating book about man's determined quest to explore one of the last unexplored regions of the world.

This is a story of the search for the Northwest Passage, that elusive waterway that would let ships sail over the north of what is now Canada, instead of having to sail around the tip of South America. Even after the British had determined that the icy arctic conditions and the maze of islands made the Northwest Passage worthless as a commercial shipping route, they were still determined to find it anyway. Ship after ship headed to the Arctic to find the passage, sometimes spending two or three winters trapped in the ice, with only a few warm summer months each year in which to explore before the winter ice returned. Many men died, mostly because of the remarkable inability of the British Navy to learn from its mistakes, or more importantly, to learn from the natives, who had lived in the Arctic for thousands of years. The British sailors wore wool instead of fur and sealskin, refused to hunt (they didn't even know how), suffered from scurvy from their impractical diets, and hauled extremely heavy sledges over the ice with man power instead of dogs. Not only did the British fail to learn from the natives, but the natives also got less than their fair share of credit at the time for helping avert death and starvation for hundreds of expeditions over the years.

This is also a story of the quest to reach the North Pole. Early explorers held the belief that the top of the world was an open polar sea, and tried to sail all the way to the pole. Once that theory was abandoned, explorers tried other ways of getting there. One allowed his specially-designed boat to become trapped in the polar ice and then played a waiting game as the boat drifted with the ice. Another tried to float to the pole in a balloon. Many tried and failed to walk to the pole over the hundreds of miles of ice. And even when two explorers claimed to have seperately reached the pole in this fashion, their claims were dubious.

While this book is long and a bit heavy at times, it is worth it to stick with it. Pierre Berton has done his research, and he is an excellent writer. I look forward to reading more of his books.

Very rarely the reader is so moved by a book that he simply starts thinking about it around the clock. It is such a powerful book. For two weeks I couldn't think about anything else than Arctic and those people confined by and in the ice for often several years.

It is the book you will never forget. It is so powerful narrative.

Reader get accustomed with names like Lancaster Sound, Admiralty Inlet, Gulf of Boothia, King William Island etc. Reader feels urge to see those strange locations on a map.

This hefty door-stopper details the first century of Arctic exploration, from the intrepid but failed first expedition of British Navy commander Sir John Ross to the flawed triumph of America's Robert Peary, whose expedition to the North Pole made him an international hero -- though it was revealed decades later that Peary had faked his data and probably never actually reached the pole.

Berton was a great writer and historian, and he makes each of the explorers and their expeditions come alive in fascinating detail.
Tragically, most of the expeditions were failures that resulted in strandings, lost ships, horrible deaths from scurvy and starvation, and the loss of countless seasons that could have been used to further human knowledge and instead were spent waging a desperate battle just to survive. The march of human folly is on display in page after page of this book.

If you like history and are interested in explorers and what makes them tick, you will enjoy this book.

Reviewers: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"

I bought and read this book just out of curiosity about arctic exploration and the men behind the quests...I was very much awed at this spellbinding tale of adventure,loneliness,deprivation,life,death and above all the courage and determination of the individuals involved in the Artic explorations....I had no idea at all what to expect and after the first chapter was hooked till the very end...I recommend this book to anyone interested in history,explorers,'firsts'...I gave it 5 stars on everything...I wish there were more photos but the drawings were good and the maps explained a lot....READ IT !!!

This excellent book, first published in 1988, stands as a fitting memorial to the prolific and accomplished writer Pierre Berton, who passed away at age 84 as recently as November 31, 2004. It details the events and personalities of Arctic exploration over nearly a century, beginning in 1818 with the first British naval expedition of John Ross and Edward Parry, and the related disastrous first naval land expedition led by the oddly ineffectual John Franklin. It concludes with the strange twentieth century tales of Robert Peary and Frederick Cook, both of whom claimed to have reached the North Pole, though neither could prove actually to have done so (nor had they). Along the way we meet a host of players, including the indomitable Lady Jane Franklin, Admiralty puppeteer John Barrow, the underestimated arctic masters Edward Penny and John Rae; Robert McClure, M'Clintock, Charles Francis Hall, Sabine, Nares, Greely, Elisha Kent Kane, Nansen, Amundsen, a number of memorable Inuit personalities and a host of others.

The great strength of this account is the repeated demonstration that the outcome of almost every event in the drama depended ultimately on the characters and personalities of the major players, their strengths, weaknesses, flaws and ambitions, and their capacities to learn from the experiences of their predecessors and their Inuit contacts. This gives a Shakespearian, if not biblical, dimension to the history, which is ably exploited by Berton. The book is as much about explorers as exploration.

Berton's well-detailed sources include the numerous accounts of the explorers themselves, their biographers and ghost writers, and much archival material - letters, original field notes, official reports etc, all woven together in a skilful and compelling synopsis. The book can be heartily recommended!

A few matters are missed among the vast number of items covered, for example James Cook in HMS Discovery, shortly before his death in Hawaii, reached Barrow Point, Alaska, from Bering Strait in 1780, setting the target for Franklin and others exploring from the east. One would like to have read the story of the Oval Office "Resolute desk", donated to the American Presidency by Queen Victoria in 1880, and constructed from timber salvaged from HMS Resolute, a ship mentioned frequently by Berton. The icebound Resolute was abandoned at Bathurst Island, Melville Sound by the British in 1854. She released the following summer and was later found adrift in Baffin Bay by a US whaler, sold on to the US government, refitted and returned to the British with a gorgeously attired naval band, much panoply and splendid one-upmanship. Also that Amundsen eventually disappeared in the arctic in 1928 while on an aerial search for the wonderfully zany General Umberto Nobile and his downed dirigible Italia (watch those late-night movie listings for the excellent film Red Tent (Krashnaya palatka), in which Peter Finch plays Nobile and Sean Connery Amundsen). Most of all perhaps, that the first expatriate to fully traverse the north west passage (on McClure's Investigator to Banks Island in the west and Intrepid from Barrow Strait in the east, with much walking and sledging between the two) was Lieut. Samuel Gurney Cresswell, in 1853 (he departed for Britain ahead of the other former Investigator crewmen with the news that McClure and his men had traversed the elusive passage).

Many original works of relevance have appeared in recent years. Notable are the excellent commentaries and reprints of the first Franklin expedition journals and paintings of John Richardson, George Back and Robert Hood edited by C. Stuart Houston (Arctic Ordeal, Arctic Artist and To the Arctic by Canoe), and David C. Woodman's studies on the Inuit memories of Franklin and his lost crews (Unravelling the Franklin Mystery - Inuit Testimony and Strangers Among Us ( all published by McGill Queens UP). Also the hard-to-find and indispensable arctic chronology of Alan Cooke and Clive Holland (The Exploration of Northern Canada - Arctic History Press), a first version of which was used by Berton. Many others are well covered in Amazon.com documentation.