California Books

The book covers important aspects of Uraban Education, and the theorectical information that apply to education.


Special Education Teacher

This book explores the urban school system in a very up-close and personal way. The author has first-hand knowledge of not only the Oakland, CA school system, but also how urban schools have been adversely impacted throughout the US. She gets underneath the issue and explains in very clear terms how and why the public education system is in the state it is today.

This remarkable book evokes many emotions thanks to the way Dr. Epstein poignantly describes the people, places, events, mindsets,dedication, and determination of those, ON BOTH SIDES, who are addressing issues related to urban school reform, in general, and related to the Oakland School Board, in particular. Without unnecessary "researchese," the author discusses theories, strategies, programs, and proposals which offer possible solutions to many of the problems facing today's urban school districts.
The title of Dr. Epstein's book says it all and I commend her for providing this alternative view of American schools, especially those located in large urban cities. This is a "must-read" for parents, teachers, school administrators, and business/community leaders.

The No Child Left Behind law originated in a desire to help "at risk" kids, and, by extension, kids in urban schools, but it was applied, with disastrous results, to all public schools.
"A Different View of Urban Education" analyzes the problems of a real urban school system showing why urban schools lack teachers, how and why politicians prevent efforts to remediate problems in these schools, and when and how testing, tracking and textbooks create unnecessary difficulties.

Written in a clear and powerful style, this text goes beyond analysis to suggest "a way out" and ends with an inspiring ten point "People's Program." Those interested in the success of American public education need this book.

This is the most unique book I have ever read on gardening/landscaping. I was overwhelmed by the thought of landscaping a .44 acre lot, but she breaks the whole thing down into very manageable pieces and carefully outlines the RIGHT ORDER of doing things. Her writing style and sense of humor make this fun to read and not a CHORE like some of the others. This is one of two books I recently bought on landscaping: the other one I will likely shelve or sell!

If you are looking for a book with lush color photographs of breathtaking gardens, this book is not for you. If you are looking for good solid practical advice regarding building the structural bones of your garden, you will hit the jackpot with this engaging little book. Written in an breezy style by a person who obviously has a sense of humor, you will learn how to properly grade your dirt, design your garden, plan your irrigation system and avoid making your yard into a swamp with small patches of the Sahara here and there. She even gives advice on defeating the wiliest of deer (deer can jump high, or jump wide, but not both). What's not to love about someone who describes juniper bushes as "the vermin of the plant world"? I also particularly liked her diagram on how to properly dig a pond and put in the liner so it doesn't just look like a plastic tarp-lined hole with rocks around the rim. I sat down and read it cover to cover, and felt empowered to go out and tackle what needed to be done.

Kate does an amazing job of sharing the hard lessons she's learned doing landscaping over the years. She also writes in a style that is very enjoyable to read. Even if you aren't in Northern California there are lots of great tips related to design, drainage, irrigation and planting. I found this book a real gold mine of tips and tricks, guaranteed to make any landscaping project go easier.

If you're embarking on your own northern California landscape installation project, this book will pay for itself very quickly. Author Kate Anchordoguy shares time- and money-saving landscaping advice in a casual and often opinionated manner. Having landscaped hundreds of yards, Kate reveals herself to be a seasoned pro who's learned...often the hard way...what to do and what not to do. She says, "If wisdom is measured by the mistakes we've made, I am very wise." Chapter 1 focuses on planning, shopping, and working efficiently (i.e. how to save time and money). Chapter 2 covers basic landscape design. Chapter 3 discusses construction projects and their timing. Chapter 4 addresses the all-important (and often ignored) subject of drainage. Chapter 5 teaches you how to prep and improve your soil. Chapter 6 covers irrigation. Chapter 7 teaches you how to "plant like a pro". The final chapter tackles lawn installation and renovation. Also tells you when it makes sense to hire out!

Hodagneu-Sotelo's poignant look at the lives of Latina immigrants in Domestica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence, can be a source of enlightenment as well as a sort of "how-to" manual for any employer or employee in the nanny/housekeeper and house cleaning fields. The author argues that the women in these types of work continually battle for basic employee rights: adequate pay and set hours free from discrimination, harassment, and substandard working conditions. She addresses issues of long hours, unreasonable demands, alienation, and the reasons that the workers stay in these situations; fear of retaliation from employers and deportation.
Although a bit verbose, this book is packed with valuable information and resources that the reader is sure to use or be able to pass along to someone else. It is a meritable attempt at expressing the angst felt by Latina immigrants and the unresponsive attitude of the employer. It does tend to come across as a bit one-sided, due partly because not many employers or employees were willing to participate in her research efforts, but is still a great and easy read.

In Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo's Doméstica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadow of Affluence, readers explore, along with the researcher, an oft overlooked element of domestic labour in America. In examining this particular manifestation between the haves and have little, Hondagneu-Sotelo has provided a "scholarly" treatment where Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed fell short. This is by no means an indictment of Ehrenreich's work, quite the contrary. Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed is approachable by the many levels of readers that seek to understand the phenomenon of the working poor and their interaction with affluent Americans (here, I speak specifically of Ehrenreich's chapter two titled "Scrubbing in Maine"). However, in Doméstica, Hondagneu-Sotelo has opted to focus her research on immigrant domestic workers, specifically Mexican and Central American women in Los Angeles. In so doing, her research provides insight into the minds and worlds of both parties who engage in what can easily be termed a "love hate" relationship; one where, out of necessity, both the employer and employees are in need of one another. In addition, Doméstica serves to highlight some of the struggles of members of America's largest "minority" population (be they documented or otherwise). While Hondagneu-Sotelo relegates her analysis and interviews to women in the Los Angeles area, this reviewer is of the opinion that her research may well be duplicated in other cities with similar populations and yield like outcomes.

Reading this work, I began pondering the future of work and workers and four questions came to mind: (1) As America becomes more diverse, will the question of immigrants holding less than desirable positions along the socio-economic margins become of increasing interest to researchers and politicians such that worker-friendly policies emerge? (2) If so, what forms will later policy manifestations assume? (3) What will such a shift mean for the future of economic relations between these two disparate groups? (4) Also, will America continue to marginalize employees that hold the critical job of caring for our young such that we ensure a future of troubled youth due to attachments to caregivers and the familial realities of economic and social stratification? History has shown if we ignore questions not unlike these, problems are sure to result.

Historically, "love labor" had been performed, initially, by captive African American women and later those under strict laws (Jim Crow) of mobility, both physical and social. With the relative ascension of African Americans into the socio-economic sphere of marginal acceptance in America, certain forms of work are left to the cheaper, and sometimes unpaid, labor force of immigrant women. Increasingly, such workers are admitted into affluent homes in America through informal networks. For this brief iteration, we consider Hondagneu-Sotelo's Part Two titled "Finding Hard Work Isn't Easy." Here, Hondagneu-Sotelo discusses the other worldly process where women in need of domestic workers and the women in need of domestic work come in contact with one another.

This "whole other world" is highlighted when Hondagneu-Sotelo writes, "most prospective employers looking for paid domestic workers in Los Angeles bypass employment agencies, newspaper ads, or other formal job announcements, which they find expensive, slow, and unreliable. Instead the majority rely on their co-workers, neighbors, friends, and relatives when they seek domestic help" (63). This in itself is telling in that it pulls from Granovetter's theory of the strength of weak ties as mentioned in Deirdre Royster's Race and the Invisible Hand. Applied to Hondagneu-Sotelo's work, there exist, in the domestic worker community, ties that allow for a potential employer in need of workers to gain access to a network of domestic workers with the ability to refer friends and/or family members to employers in need of domestic assistance. Additionally, such a process not only allows for a socially and economically unequal relationship to ensue and continue for years in some cases, it also provides the foundation for further entrenchment of unequal employee and employer relations rooted in economic exploitation.

Whereas many of these workers are not earning a living wage, some employers exercise great pains not to flaunt their affluence. In one telling moment, Hondagneu-Sotelo writes, "some employers try to snip off the price tags on new clothing and home furnishings before the Latina domestic workers read them because they fear the women will compare the prices of those items with their wages - which they invariably do. While some employers often feel guilty about 'having so much' around someone who 'has so little,' the women who do the work resent not their affluence but the job arrangements, which generally afford the workers little in the way of respect and living wages" (xi-xii). In this instance, we witness the uneasy but, to the employer, necessary relationship between the affluent employer and the unaffluent worker. Additionally, we note how workers, through Hondagneu-Sotelo's in-depth interviews, indicate that they would rather that requests come not "as a symbol of servitude and a humiliating affront" to one's dignity, but that their work is seen for what it is, essential to the functioning of the household in which they are employed (145).

In producing a work with statistical data on domestic labor in Los Angeles, coupled with the voices of women on both sides of the issue, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo has done an admirable job of broaching the subject of the uneasy relationship between affluent women who require domestic assistance and unaffluent immigrant employees that work and, in some cases, live among them. Of the many good points in this work, her in-depth interviews with employees and employers are most revealing. Not unlike the work of Ehrenreich in Nickel and Dimed and Katherine S. Newman in No Shame in My Game, Hondagneu-Sotelo allows readers to, as Newman suggested, gain a clearer understanding of the interconnections between people and networks that a purely quantitative work would not permit. That being said, this reviewer applauds Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and her effort to provide a clearer understanding of the women we see on train platforms and in bus terminals that dot American cities and suburbs of affluence.

First let me begin by saying that this is an interesting read. You basically learn about domestic workers (live in nannies, home cleaners). The author gives you alot of information, in fact I would say that she gives you a plethora of information. As such it took me over a month to finish this book, and the fact.

Basically, the two problems I have with this book are 1. The author's monolithically leftist viewpoint (which seems to be common in books like this), 2. The hard time she has getting to the point. In particular comments like "Some feminist theorists, especially those influenced by Marxist thought, have used the term "social reproduction" or "reproductive labor"..." (Page 23) or "The United States has a long history of incorporating people of color through coercive systems of labor...slavery and contract labor systems...today, international labor migration and the job characteristics of paid domestic work" (Page 51)

Again the biggest problem I have with this book/writer is the use of a marxist/conflict theory filter in regards to analyzing domestic worker (as in us [domestic workers and their allies] vs them [middle class homeowners who employ domestic workers]). When if you actually take a moment, breath and impartially assess the facts the relationship is more of a symbiotic/functionalist/"we need each other" type deal in which two autonomous human beings are simply trying to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Now what I do like... There is some great information presented in this book. 1. Domestic workers are entitled to minimum wage like normal employees and can sue for backwages. 2 Live-in housekeeper is a common first job of immigrants to the United States and as such is very important to economic integration of immigrants (legal and illegal alike).

Basically, you learn all about domestic work in all it's most interesting facets. An example being spoiled children who are hell for their domestic workers, and the situation is compounded because consciquences for bad behavior are underminded by the parents. Or usage of prozac and ritalin by parents for behavior modification of children and the avoidance of direct confrontation between domestic workers and their employees and many other interesting facts concerning the profession.

Because of how interesting this book is I'm giving it 4/5 stars (although I'm tempted to give it 3/5 because of the marxist rhetoric).

Dr. Hondagneu-Sotelo's beautifully written work takes the reader into the world of Latina nannies and housekeepers, showcasing the women's own voices and perspectives while maintaining an academic's sharp-eyed analysis. She chronicles the difficulties of domestic workers while still acknowledging their ability to impact their own work environments. One of the strengths of Hondagneu-Sotelo's book is the analysis of class inequality, particularly the ways that employers awkwardly handle their own discomfort with their priviledge. Her conclusions, rather than knee-jerk dismissals of domestic labor, suggest ways that domestic employment can be viewed as the job it is. The author's thoughts on her own position to her research subject in the preface is worth the price of the book. This book recently won five awards from different sociological organizations, and deservedly so.

Southern California private investigator Delilah West would rather confront a serial killer holding a weapon to her head than the emotional problems caused by her falling in love with developer Erik Lundstrom. Even the attack at the mall by a maniac shooting people does not affect Delilah (who anonymously took out the crazed killer) as much as her heart beating for the wealthy Orange County businessman.

Erik desperately wants to get closer to Delilah, but realizes that before that can happen two barriers must be torn down. First, his teenage daughter Nikki must accept the new woman in his life. Second, his beloved must listen to her heart. To that end, Nikki and Delilah go out together, but soon are embroiled in a kidnapping in which they are the abductees. It is up to the hard boiled detective to find a way to save not only her life, but the life of the daughter of her beloved.

Though this reviewer has not had the opportunity to read all six Delilah West mysteries (having read four of them), the series remaisn one of the better female private investigative collections on the market today. In her latest entry, DOWN FOR THE COUNT, Delilah is a beautiful conflicting mix of emotions that makes her seem so poignantly human and thereby, stir readers' interest. The story line is at time humorous and at other times very hard-boiled. The dichotomy not only works well, it adds to the humanization of all the characters. Maxine O'Callaghan continues to provide strong detective fiction that feel so real.

Harriet Klausner

"Down for the Count" is fast-paced and exciting, the kind of book that you literally won't want to put down. Delilah seems so real that you will feel as though you are experiencing her misadventures right along with her.

The book is wonderfully plotted and filled with interesting (and, in some cases,menacing)supporting characters. Men and women will enjoy this book!

I encourage readers to look for the other books in the Delilah West series, as well as the two books about Anne Menlo.

Delilah West is a PI in Santa Ana, California. She's single but involved with Erik Lundstrom, a rich, sexy man who wants her to get to know Nicky, his teenage daughter better. They take an instant dislike to each other but are forced into a lunch date.

On the way to the restaurant, Nicky and Delilah are kidnapped and they have to learn how to trust each other and work together to survive. Delilah is eventually let free but Nicky is held for ransom. Delilah knows that Nicky was left with neough food for only a few more days.

The second part of the book is about her struggle to figure out who has kidnapped Nicky and why so she can be rescued.

Delilah is a very likable character. She is honest about her shortcomings and has a sense of humor. But she is also able to be tough when she has to be and to accept the consequences.

There is very good character development between Delilah, Nicky and Erik. It has a twist at the end which makes you wish there was at least one more chapter.

This is the 6th in the series and there definitely will be a 7th.

This book is one of the best. A real page turner. Impossible to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I don't usually read P.I. mysteries. Plot driver, centered in Orange County, California, it is superb! Don't miss this one!

I loved this novel. Miller tells a poignant tale of a city and its drifting people; it's a wonderful mixture of philosophy, musings interwoven wth fascinating bits of little known San Diego history. Poetic, passionate, and transcendant, Drift is a truly unique, beautifully written book that includes art and photography--a rare, literary find.

I found this to be a lively and engaging read. The city of San Diego (sometimes viewed as America's blandest city) is as much a character in the novel as are the various people wandering through the city and through their lives - trying to make sense of the world. Various characters are always seraching for something - whether it is beauty or another fix or the capacity to forget. One of the strongest aspects of this novel is the way that it reaches out beyond the two central characters to tell of a multitude of stories - of the cities new immigrants, homeless people, suburbanites, academics. In that sense, the novel reflects that which is best about cities in general - the way different types of people are always rubbing up against each other.

I had the pleasure of seeing Jim Miller read from Drift accompanied by a jazz trumpet one night. Imagining a slow-tempo jazzy soundtrack, kind of moody and introspective, is almost impossible not to do while reading Drift. It is meditative and insightful, yet there is something on every page that makes you chuckle.

Drift is fascinating because of its expirimentation with perspective; we get to see a lot of what Joe Blake and Theresa Sanchez are thinking, stream-of-conscience-like (and without an overly self-conscious narrator that sometimes "invades" S-of-C-like books) but also other characters that subliminally inter-twine with each other throughout the narrative as well.

In a set of chapters, for example, two separate people -- an older man and an older woman -- experience the same city, some of the same places, on the same day, even crossing paths -- yet they have totally different experiences and feelings.

This book is great for procrastinating during mid-terms, reading for sobriety, remembering not to take yourself too seriously...etc.

Highly recommended.

"Drift" is Jim Miller's first novel. His previous publications include "Better to Reign in Hell: Inside the Raiders Fan Empire" (with Kelly Mayhew) and "Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See" (with Mike Davis and Kelly Mayhew).

[...]

The central narrative of "Drift" concerns a romance between teacher Joe Blake and his former student, Theresa Sanchez. Many other narrative strands are introduced, serving to locate Joe and Theresa within a web of social (class, ethnicity, etc.) relations, and to generate the illusion of urban simultaneity. The central narrative is quite effective; the sense of these character's seeking a better life through mutually shared extremes of experience is skillfully drawn by Miller, without lapsing into overt sentimentality or pathos: the desperate nature of their social realities is presented as a concrete fact, yet it never overdetermines their autonomy and presence as individuals.

There is also a fairly long section concerning Joe's "drift" through urban San Diego that climaxes with a sublime appreciation of urban ambience via its architecture that is very well done, and is quite evocative of the sorts of guided experiential epiphanies that Situationist theory might indicate.

Also very skillfully handled is the inclusion of a Left social history of San Diego (this in italicized passages strategically located throughout the text), which provides a specific context of historical agency in which to locate these various narrative strands, and also in a sense accomidates Jameson's critique of the uniquely ahistorical nature of contemporary society, of which San Diego, a city sleepwalking through time, is an almost absurdly postmodern example.

Reading the novel does suggest some questions regarding intended audience; it would be far too easy, in my appreciation, to regard "Drift" as of a species of local novel, one in which the setting is so suggestive as to overwhelm the more universal aspect of its core themes and concerns. That said, there are some intensely felt pleasures to be found here for local readers: a pround sense of place generative of a way to "read," understand and act within these sometimes seemingly oblique, ephemeral and sun-dazed urban spaces.

This book shows photographic and published documents about global warming stemed from devastation, pollution, and careless attitude of humans concerning the exploitation of world natural resources. Photos and citations of data obtained from several publications make up a good source of information on this subject. Photos taken of the same natural locality aiming to compare the conditions of such areas after some period of time, should present specification of time of the year they were both taken (the reader supposes they were both taken in the same month or season!).This book would worth more in economical and ecological terms if it had come out in paperback!

Very important topic clearly presented. Photographs prove the losses the planet is suffering and man's wanton disregard for the deterioration. The photographs are extraordinarily beautiful, the yin and yang of this issue.

This book shows people being affected by climate change now, and give them a voice in both words and pictures. Scientists give reports about how climate change impacts all aspects of our survival. You will be given ideas of how to make a personal impact about climate change. Readers with prior knowledge and those just starting out will both enjoy this book.

Did you know they've moved the lighthouse on Cape Hatteras 2800 feet back from the shore due to rising sea levels? Me neither, but this is one of a myriad of telling tales Braasch brings into play to sound the alarm about global warming. He literally circled the globe--east to west and north to south--to gather information and photos for this book. He then combines these with easy-to-read narrative in a large-format work to tell the tale of a changing world.

Braasch's research is meticulous, and he goes out of his way to note dissenting views, but the conclusions are crisp and clear as a warming Arctic winter day--the planet is getting hotter and this can only mean trouble. If you have time to read one book on the current reality and looming consequences of global warming, this is it.

Sample info from Earth Under Fire: Stand-by mode of electronic gadgets consumes 6 percent of US electricity--one coal-fired electrical generation plant produces as much CO2 as 1.5 million cars--coal power plant pollutants kill 24,000-30,000 US citizens every year--and 10 times that many Chinese.

Have you ever wanted to explore an isolated beach, or walk among towering redwoods, or experience a close encounter with wild tule elk? These things are within the realm of just about any fit person, and with far less effort than one might imagine. Ann Marie Brown's 'Easy Hiking in Northern California' is just that; a guide to fabulous wilderness experiences with minimal effort.

This book has a lot to recommend it. Ms. Brown divides Northern California into 8 separate sections and describes numerous hikes in each area. In addition to local history and natural features, Brown also provides careful directions to each trailhead and a detailed description of the route. Lots of black and white photographs accentuate the text and give the reader an idea of what to expect. An "options" heading describes how readers can further explore the trailhead area.

I just love this approach to hiking. The vast majority of trails in this guide are one to three miles long. If you want more of a workout, you can usually combine two or more of the 111 trips listed in a day. On a recent visit to Point Reyes National Seashore, I planned my day around this book. I have no regrets. My vacation was wonderful and this book will be my first resource on other trips to Northern California.

We love to hike and found this book to be fun and easy to read. The directions to the hikes are very precise and clear. We just bought the book and have already gone on three of the hikes.

Me and my family love to hike and evey weekend we are always trying out new places. When trying out new trails we had no idea what to expect. But now with this book we are able to find great trails with beautiful backdrops, and have a good idea of whats instore for us. We always have a good idea where we are going for the weekend and we know what to expect. I hope this book will help you as much as it has helped me and my family.

I bought this book after our daughter was born, to serve as a guide to the great outdoors. The book delivered on its promise, we went on two or three hikes in Yosemite valley with our 3 year old daughter. The descriptions in the book helped us pick the hikes and the directions to the trailhead were very helpful. I have also tried several hikes in the San Franciso bay area and always found the directions to reach the trailhead very helpful.

Finally - a beautifully illustrated and easy to follow guide toward even better health with weight management and corrective health measures. Everything is here, including food suggestions and even grocery lists!
Congratulations on a wonderful presentation!
MJ Franklin

All of us that want to live a healthy lifestyle are always in search of something or someone that can help us to achieve our goals.This book can really help you achieve your goals to eating and living well. I believe you will be motivated by the wealth of information that is contained in this book so you can take the necessary steps to become a more vibrant and healthy individual.

This book is a very helpful tool to use to get your body in to the best health. After incorporating Coreen's wealth of knowledge in to my daily routine, my test results have shown that my body is well on its way to the best health. Eat Right - Your Life Depends On It will become a reference book not far from your daily reach.

This book is full of great suggestions and recipes for eating healthy. It acts a lot like a "workbook" and gives you a place to enter in your daily food intake, along with new recipes for each day. The Grocery List is very helpful, as well. We have incorporated a lot of Coreen's healthy eating habits into our daily lifestyle. My favorite is a quick and delicious smoothie to start the day off right!

Eccentric California is a wonderful travel guide for those visiting California! It is full of great leads and information about the quirky and fun places and events California has to offer! I highly recommend bringing this book with you on your next visit to the Golden State!

As a native Californian (who ran away from San Francisco because it was getting too mainstream and conservative) I am very familiar with many of the things reviewed in this book, most particularly in the Central and Northern coastal areas. But, much to my surprize, areas that I thought I knew well house many previously unknown and interesting places to visit and things to do. Cool!

Definitely worth dropping a few bucks for if you are planning on discovering what makes Californians tick. (Just remember, Northern and Southern California really are two different states, lol.)

The author Jan Friedman has touched base on so many eccentric places, things and events in California.
Her detailed explanation of each place makes me want to pack my bags and go see them all.
Coming from Phoenix, AZ I have not seen or been too much in the Golden State, but with 2006 around the corner and a great book. My News Year's resolution is to travel and get coffee stains all over this fantastic read.

And to all you want to be PRICE IS RIGHT CONTESTANTS.
This author has hit the nail on it's head.
Not only did I stay at the Farmer's Daughter Hotel and was prepped with the best insiders information. I also started milking the cows about 4:00am just to become the:
Showcase Showdown Winner.
Yes, I said WINNER!!!!!!

I'm very excited to see more with this book in 2006.
Thanks for the great information on California.

There are many misconceptions about the Golden State and one of them is that California is an eccentric place. And, in truth, eccentricity there is not the same as eccentricity in, say Utah.

California is known for it's cutting edge social conventions, and admittedly, many first originated in the Golden State (from Frisbees and motels to skateboards and drive in churches).

Clearly, author Jan Friedman has her work cut out for her, but she seems up to the challenge, discussing festivals and events, peculiar pursuits, museums and collections, "quirkyvilles" (towns with a twist), offbeat tours, unusual cuisine , kitschy attractions, and anything and everything else that is different to say the least.

Excellent portrait of this facinating King. Highly recommended. Buy the paperback though....$28.00 as opposed to $60.00.

The late Charles D. Ross presents here one of the most readable and interesting presentations of of English monarch ever written. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the king or his era-I used it extensively in my senior thesis!

Edward IV is one of the great enigmas of history. Even how he was able to become King is not self-evident. His seizing the throne was then followed by government marked by occasional brilliance and great folly. For someone who at times was keenly aware of dynastic considerations, his own marriage was the height of folly compounded by giving far too much influence to the Queen's relatives. He gave far too much trust, power and wealth to a few individuals, especially the Earl of Warrick and his traitorous brother Clarence alienating in the process much of the established nobility and wrecking in his early years the King's finances. Overthrown in the course of his reign, he nevertheless succeeded in recapturing the throne in short order and then repairing his fortunes spectacularly. Even so, this was accompanied by the strangest series of preparations for invasion of France, ending in an almost farcical procession in Northern France and a pusillanimous retreat. Lazy, debauched, perceptive and effective-many such adjectives can be applied to him - and all miss the puzzling essence of the man and his reign. What a set of stories could be woven out of this material without clearly capturing the essence of the situation! One cannot help wondering why of the adult kings between Richard II and Henry VII, Edward IV alone did not attract Shakespeare's pen.

Charles Ross wrote a fascinating book on this puzzling ruler, making as clear as the scanty and somewhat unreliable records allow the course of Edward's life and reign, and the various episodes that both fascinate and puzzle. The book (with a short introduction by R.A. Grifffiths rather than a revision by him) proceeds first by laying out the story, and then returning to give separate investigation of various aspects of Edward's rule, such as governance, his relations with the community and his finances. This latter subject is particularly well handled, as is the penultimate chapter on law and order. The story is well told, without excessive pedantry and without any attempt to hide when the record is unclear or the author has had to make large interpretations. One may not really know or understand Edward by the end of the book, but one's feeling is that it is the man himself who escapes capture by the biographer's art, not any weakness of the biographer himself. For those interested in such matters - and this is not light reading - Griffith's biography should prove highly satisfying.

Charles Ross presents an unforgettable tale of the most confusing, uneven and adventurous reign of any king in the English history. Edward IV remains the only king who was able to loose a kingdom and them successfully reclaim the crown. Possessing remarkable talents in administration and warfare, he however managed to bring the treasury to almost complete ruin by the end of his term, and botch the most impressive show of force in France any English king (including Edward III and Henry V) can ever master to assemble. Edward IV lived in the extraordinary age, full with great personalities like Richard Warwick the "Kingmaker", Margaret, the queen of Henry VI, and his own kid brother Richard, future most vilified by Shakespeare king Richard the III.

It is very easy to fell victim to novelized history when relating the events as extraordinary as the events of Edward's reign. Not Charles Ross. He is extremely well researched and versed in the records of the period, and presents the somewhat dry details of the records of the Household and Exchequer, in an interesting way and extremely well cross-referenced. Internal English sources are corroborated by continental and papal records. I would recommend this book to a serious student of history.

Also see Charles Ross's "Richard III" for a mysterious, bloody, and tragically brief concluding reign of Plantagenet dynasty. This one is also highly recommended.