Virginia Books

Philip Bigler's IN HONORED GLORY: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY: THE FINAL POST (0918339677, $16.95) comes from a historian and educator who covers the history and future of the Arlington National Cemetery in a new updated fourth edition survey. What is contained here is expanded coverage of ceremonial units, and the impact of modern war outcomes - including the war on terrorism - on the cemetery's institution. IN HONORED GLORY, as an insider's view and survey, makes for an important historical guide to internment and honor alike.

Arlington National Cemetery has long been a subject of interest to countless Americans. However, there has been a lack of solid information about the cemetery and its place in American history.

With this book, Mr. Bigler (a high school teacher and a former National Teacher of the Year awardee), has done justice to this fascinating subject. He has captured both the history and the spirit of this hallowed ground. He takes us from the original owners of the land and the pre-Revolutionary era through the Civil War and its transformation from a private estate, owned by Mrs. Mary Lee (the wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee), to a national cemetery, through every conflict that American has fought in since that time right up to the modern era.

Anyone with even a casual interest in American History will find this book to be one that they simply cannot put down.

Michael Robert Patterson Webmaster, Arlington National Cemetery Website http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com

Great book about the history of Arlington National Cemetery. It's a history of Arlington as well as devoting one to two pages to stories about some of the individuals that are buried there. Interesting little-known facts are in the book throughout. Truly pays respect those that rest at Arlington. Anyone going to Arlington should have this book, indispensable. RECOMMENDED.

Whether you are a history buff or looking for information on Arlington National Cemetery, this book has everything you need. From how the land was acquired to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, its hard to put the book down. You don't have to be a military veteran to enjoy this book. I am on an Honor Guard and was looking for some history...I found it in this book. It makes you realize how others paid the ultimate sacrafice for the freedom you enjoy today.

This book is great for teaching moral values through an interesting story. It keeps the reader particularly engrossed in the character detail as forces of good against evil engage on a level that is all too real. You will find Keeping Promises hard to put down.

This book is great for teaching moral values through an interesting story. It keeps the reader particularly engrossed in the character detail as forces of good against evil combat one another on a level all too real. You will find Keeping Promises hard to put down.

This is a story of a family that is torn apart by infidelity. The characters jump to life on page one and will not let you leave their world until you are finished. An incredibly super Christian fiction that shares the gospel within its storyline. A great evangelical tool for you Christians who are not as easily able to share your faith but who would like to store up "treasures in Heaven" as Jesus advised us to do. This is a great book to recommend to someone having difficulties in their marriage. The characters are so believable, you'll think the book is really written about you with the names changed to "protect the guilty"!!!

I recommend this book for any person who has marital problems, and for those who don't!
This book has it all....
Spiritual Warfare, drama, shocking twists and turns, comedy, etc.
Will make you laugh, cry and will provoke all kinds of emotions.
You will feel like you personally know the characters.
And it gives a great outline of the gospel.
Get this book for all your friends for Christmas....
I give this book a TOTAL THUMBS UP!

The book is an interesting account of the struggle for western Virginia in 1861. It follows that year's rolls of Generals McClellan and Lee; the former using the successes of the campaign to further his reputation and career, and the latter struggling to straighten out a quagmire and failing to do so.

Newell covers some of the same territory as The Glories of War: Small Battle and Early Heroes of 1861 by Charles P. Poland, Jr., a longer book which discusses the 1861 actions in eastern Virginia as well.

The counties of Virginia between Ohio and the Allegheny Mountains are the scene for the action in Newell's book. They would eventually become the state of West Virginia, one of the results of Union victories there.

The campaign for West Virginia is little-known today, eclipsed by First Manassas and subsequent battles. This book tells you how it was important and takes you to the scenes of the interesting events that happened there in 1861.

Don't let the above fool you.

For as author Newell points out so clearly and so accurately in this captivating account of the little-known Fall 1861 campaign in West Virginia, McClellan had much going for him as Lee had much against him.

For McClellan and the Union, it was McClellan's devout yet crusty subordinate, General William S. Rosecrans who deserves much of the credit for the Union victory. Rosecrans was aggressive, and he didn't hesitate whereas his boss did. Indeed, Rosecrans own career skyrocketed after his success in West Virginia, only to nose dive so quickly two years later at Chickamauga.

McClellan also had the services of General Jacob Cox of Ohio, who would later distinguish himself in Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, and of the famed explorer Frederic West Lander, who at one time rivalled Fremont in his Westward explorations, but who died so suddenly after the West Virginia campaign.

Also involved was a then little-known NCO named Ambrose Bierce, whose own macabre writings, including "A Horse-Man in the Sky" and "The Mocking Bird" came directly out of his experiences serving in an Indiana regiment during the fighting in West Virginia. If you like the twist and turns of Bierce's fiction, then this non-fiction work is a must.

Also going for McClellan was the key factor of a mountain populace that was on his side.

In contrast Lee suffered from poor generals - one of them, John B. Floyd, bicked constantly with his fellow generals. Floyd, the treasonous Secretary of War in the pre-Lincoln Buchanan Administration, was in constant fear of being captured and hanged. One of the more gifted Generals, Robert Garnett, was killed early on in the retreat from Rich Mountain. Garnett's cousin, Richard, would die in Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg almost two years later.

Lee's troops suffered from poor morale - a fact not lost on the future Confederate commander, who learned from his lessons here, whereas McClellan quickly forgot his.

Of additional note is the fact that two future Presidents - Rutherford Hayes and William McKinley, served in the 24th Ohio during the West Virginia battles, while the Grandfather of George S. Patton fought with the Confederate forces.

Not only does Newell cover fresh ground, but the illustrations, particularly those at the beginning of each chapter, give the reader a "you are there" feel.

Western Virginia in 1861 was a Union dream come true and a Confederate nightmare. As both sides struggle to lean how make war, Western Virginia succeeded from the Confederate States of America. This is the story of the first campaign of the Civil War, the foundation of George B. McClellan's reputation. Facing a divided Confederate command structure, aided by William Rosecrans and operating in friendly territory Mac had all the trumps. Robert E. Lee, unable to grasp the idea that any Virginian would not follow the state's lead was slow to react. When he finally was forced to take command, it was to late and his reputation suffers for it. Granny Lee the King of spades was one of the nicer things said about him.

This well written book has maps in the right place and illustrations of the main players. An Epilogue covers how many of the characters fared during and after the war. Over all, this is an above average account of a small but important campaign.

After listening to Clayton Newell during one of his many speaking engagements I went out and purchased this book. The anaylsis of General Robert E. Lee vs. George B. McClellan is both riviting and thought provoking - cover to cover. In 1861 both sides had little in the way of experienced officers who commanded higher than the regimental level, yet these two men took up that challenge and the end results are still being debated to this day.

The author does an outstanding job in analyzing their strength's and weaknesses, along with their usage of junior officers. This analysis along with snippets of little known historical facts make this a most enjoyable book to read. Coming from a state born of this conflict, the studies within these pages hits real close to home!

Part literary criticism, part poetry, part memoir, Letters To Virginia Woolf is associate professor of literature Lisa Williams' deeply personal examination of Woolf's writings. Presented in the format of letters that Williams wrote to Woolf about modern issues and the September 11th attacks, Letters To Virginia Woolf tells of the sad end to the author's pregnancy, reflects on how Woolf's ideas of war, memory and childhood reverberate through time, and strive to know how Woolf herself must have felt. A handful of poems intersperse the brief text passages, adding their own poignant touch to the quest for understanding. Miscarriage: You must be / covered now / by moonlight, / and sleeping, / sleeping so peacefully / in starlight / sleeping / in a place where the dead / wait patiently / to become what is alive / once again.

Through letters to Virginia Woolf, whose work
she has specialized in over the last decade, Williams
discovers her own perspectives on 9/11, motherhood,
her parents' divorce, among other things. An
insightful book, where she explores the relevance of
Woolf's nonviolent philosophy, and in fact all her
beliefs, through her own life as a mother of a small
child. A very good, fast read--even if you don't know
Virginia Woolf from Tom Wolfe.

Lisa Williams is an eloquent writer whose writing style makes you want to finish the book in one sitting. I got caught up in the complicated mind of a teenager and I shared the anxiety of the same woman's desire to become a mother later in life. Ms. Williams' book is a collection of the character's life events that provoked me to reexamine my own life and emotions, especially post 9/11. It is creatively written as letters to the writer, Virginia Woolf. Even those whose are not very familiar with Woolf's work could enjoy Ms. Williams' writing. I would highly recommend this amazing piece of writing.

Few write with more honesty and lyricism about tough issues than Lisa Williams in _Letters to Virginia Woolf_. Williams faces the complexity of adolescence, divorce, childbirth, death and war with heartfelt intelligence, reminding us that struggle and loss often lead to an appreciation of life's wonder. Like Woolf who grappled with "the angel in the house" almost a century ago, Williams continues to wrestle with the luminous presence of the past as she peels back "layers of selves we outgrow but never discard." _Letters to Virginia Woolf_ guides us through this world of contradiction and offers hope for the dangerous time in which we live.

Chella Courington
Author of _Southern Girl Gone Wrong_

The author's self-effacing style brought a reality to the situations that made me feel like I was there experiencing the insanity, fumbling along with him in search of a valid assessment of impassioned criminal complaints. The quick pace, wit and humor kept my interest such that I didn't put it down until I was done. The book gives a base working level picture of the front end of the criminal justice system in the Commonwealth of Virginia from the perspective of an individual (The Magistrate) who is interviewing cops as well as suspects and witnesses hot from the "scene of the crime" before they have had time to reflect on and organize their stories for their own benefit. It is a great study on the devious side of human nature as it applies to suspects, witnesses and victims weaving a tangled web to try to save their hides or punish their enemies. It is a window inside a government bureaucracy as viewed candidly by a bureaucrat that is still clinging to a conscience and a heart. This book is stimulating, amusing, emotional yet easy reading. I can see it as a best seller when it is discovered.

I've already ordered them as Christmas gifts. Certainly one of the most interesting, and well written, paperbacks this year. Sure to be a best seller.

Want someone arrested? But the police won't do it? In Virginia, you go to the County Magistrate (used be called Justices of the Peace) and tell your story under oath. If you are the victim of a crime, and your sworn testimony doesn't veer too far from the truth, the magistrate will issue an arrest warrant and you will get your day in court. After 15 years as a county magistrate, and after hearing thousands of stories, John Jasper has discovered that no one tells 'the whole truth and nothing but the truth'. We all lie, some of us are damn liars, and it's his job to get behind the lies as quickly as possible and winnow the truth out of the strong emotional stew presented to him in the guise of testimony. Oh, and it's also his job to issue search and arrest warrants requested by the police, interview drunken drivers and spouse beaters and drug dealers brought in by the police to determine if they wait for trial in jail or on bail, and to also try to solve heartbreaking problems brought to him by citizens who really need the advice of Solomon and the protection of Superman. You will read stories here, first told in the basement of the county jail, which will make you laugh, make you cry, make you angry, make you smile. They will also leave you, as they have left John Jasper, very wary of the judicial process in the county, the state, and the USA.

A collection of anecdotes, told by a real magistrate in Virginia which is at times poignant, funny, and distressing. Oh, the trouble some people have just getting on in life! The author describes what he deals with day in and day out, sharing his values and conclusions. I highly recommend this book to anyone, as it is both entertaining and educational. Would be excellent gift for high school or college students thinking about careers in social services or law.

The author expended a tremendous effort in researching the Jeff Davis Legion. He has created an interesting history of this unusual cavalry unit. Any one who is interested in the Confederate Cavalry will enjoy the detail information the author has dug out of the archives.

Amazon says book has 40 pages. It has 325

The author obviously performed a great deal of research in order to extract such detailed and little known facts about the "Little Jeff". Truly a gem for all interested in the Civil War. Highly recommended.

This is the first complete history of The Jeff Davis Legion, initially designated the 2nd Mississippi Cavalry Battalion. Fighting under Jeb Stuart and Wade Hampton it later followed Hampton to Georgia and the Carolinas. Though companies from Georgia and Alabama joined the regiment, it remained officially a "Mississippi" cavalry unit. They were the only Mississippi cavalry to fight as part of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

Among the men of the "Little Jeff" were educated elite from Natchez and Savannah and rustic farmers and country tradesmen from Kemper County, Mississippi and Sumpter and Barbour Counties, Alabama. Through first hand accounts we follow these soldiers from their early enthusiasm until camp life and sickness brought war into perspective. They fought their first engagement in late 1861 and from then on fought in most of Lee's campaigns. They were at Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Seven days, Antietam, Trevilian Station, Brandy Station, Gettysburg and countless smaller engagements They sustained some of their greatest losses at lesser known places like Upperville, Funkstown, Stony Creek, and Bentonville.

Readers of this history should come away not only with an accurate characterization of the Confederate cavalryman, but also with an understanding of their place in the overall strategy of Lee's army. The related book, published simultaneously, "Horsemen of the Jeff Davis Legion" gives information taken from the individual cavalryman's service record from the National Archives as well as a wealth of information from other sources about each man. This should be useful as a geneological reference. Also contains statistics related to the Jeff Davis Legion and brief biographies of senior officers associated with it.

Donald A. Hopkins

Len Wood presents Dollars and Sense in a practical manner enabling readers to absorb its content. A must read book for those that "watch" their local governments, school districts and elected officials. Written for fast reading,yet covers the subject matter extensively. If you want to be certain your local government is working at its fullest potential, Dollars & Sense can be a great help to you.

Here is a "no holds barred" approach to describing "real life" shortcomings in handling public finances, and then providing tips to local government policy makers and managers on how to avoid a similiar circumstance.

Len Wood writes from first hand knowledge and experience. He describes the situation; outlines the facts; details the results; and provides the reader with suggestions to lessen financial risk and/or failure in the expenditure of public funds.

While the author's primary target is the newly elected official, the importance of this work to experienced elected and appointed public officals cannot be overstated. No one who has worked in the public sector can peruse this book without saying, "There, but for the grace of God, go I!"

As an elected Treasurer and local government finance director for the past several years, I found this book to be an excellent primer for all elected and appointed officials. The practical advice offered by Mr. Wood is based on his experience and input from his peers and is extremely valuable. The book is written in a very informal and concise way and should be required reading for all elected officials. In fact, I gave this book to each City Council member and they have all indicated that this book provided excellent financial advice.

What a delightful book. The author has presented his subject in an understandable and capitivating manner. He does this by using lots of real life vignettes to make his points. People who want to know what their local officials should and should not be doing will want to read this book.

Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning, 2nd Edition, by Donald Kalish, Richard Montague, and Gary Mar 1980 (1964)

I was originally introduced to the 1964 edition of Kalish and Montague's Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning in early 1970. As an undergraduate taking elementary logic for the first time, needless to say I found the demands of sentential and predicate calculus and theorem-proving in general to be daunting and not a little painful. It was many years later after receiving advanced degrees and teaching logic courses myself, along with researching some of the theoretical horizons in artificial intelligence, that I turned back to this most precious of textbooks. Finding that a second edition had been published, I eagerly bought a copy and set out to re-prove all those theorems.

Sharpening one's logic skills can be a struggle, but it is one well worth undergoing especially with the demands for reasoned discipline imposed by Kalish, Montague, and Mar. Every so often, I go back to this text to prove the theorems once again (though I occasionally skip over a few in the first three chapters). I've found just a few suggestions I would make to the authors, if they were still around, or to whoever may edit it in the future. These pertain only to the first 5 chapters.

The transition from the 125 theorems of the sentential calculus to those of the predicate calculus is a bit rough-going. Almost immediately, one is expected to engage in abbreviated theorem-proving which certainly assumes a command of all those theorems that came before. It would seem that a few more exercises would help students acquire more familiarity with those theorems and with abbreviated proofs. Moreover, one is introduced to more complex inference rules, such as separation of cases, for which few exercises have prepared one, at least up to that point. These may be minor quibbles, but they can cause a lot of confusion, especially to students introduced to logic for the first time.

Additionally, well into Chapter III, it is possible to construct a proof of one of the advanced theorems with the use of hypothetical syllogism. In theorem T235 (corresponding to the Aristotelian syllogism Barbara), one can derive two pure hypothetical statements permitting the application of hypothetical syllogism (the law of transitivity) to deduce a third. Yet neither hypothetical syllogism as a specific rule of inference nor the concept of transitivity has been introduced in previous pages. In fact, hypothetical syllogism as such (including explanations of pure and mixed syllogisms) is never introduced, though principles of syllogism are. The law of transitivity is not introduced until late in Chapter V. Of course, one can derive them, but this can cause confusion for a beginner.

I highly recommend this text over all others that are commonly used in basic undergraduate or even graduate courses. Though Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning is more demanding than, say, any of the Copi books, those demands result in more disciplined reasoning, proofs, and a broader understanding of logic and its relation to mathematics.

Myrna L. Estep, Ph.D.

If taught by the right person, this book will reveal all of the issues of contemporary logic. It is best supplemented on first reading with Schuman's "logic" guide. As Kalish was influenced by Russell, I found the Theorems in the Principia matched perfectly those found in this book. The latest edition of this book is much improved, in my opinion. It offers more guidance to understanding how to solve problems, and offers a great many useful hints and tips. Kalish is/was (?) the Chair of the department of UCLA. He is a modern master and authority on this subject. In my opinion, if you wish to spend time on understanding the strengths of contemporary symbolic logic, there is no better book to buy.

With some saddness, I noted the death of Dr Kalish this month. As an undergrad at UCLA during the mid 60's, I was fortunate to take Dr Kalish's class in Symbolic Logic. Over the years, I realized that his course using this textbook was the most valuable class I took, either as an undergrad or a graduate student. The text offers disciplined procedural logic that clarifies thought processes. At various times, I worked as a mathematical programmer in several higher level languages without ever taking a formal course in any of them. I attribute my success in this area to the Techniques of Formal Reasoning.

The first edition of this book was the textbook for my first formal logic course at UCLA in 1967, taught by Donald Kalish. Because of it, I changed my major from Physics to Mathematics with a specialty in Logic and Set Theory. Forty years later, I still pull the book out and do exercises from the later chapters, certain that such mental exercise sharpens my decision-making skills. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to improve their deductive reasoning.

I really enjoy this author's writing style. Unlike most fantasy, it's not filled with the verbose paragraphs of description and the characters don't all speak 100% proper English. Thank you! This is a great, exciting, fast moving read with wonderful, lovable characters. I look forward to the sequel!

The title says it all. First, the characters, by whom I judge a book. They are unique individuals. One cannot help but like them, sometimes in spite of themselves. They are real. The heroine may be a mage and have to rescue queen and crown, but she is a school teacher and wants to go on being a teacher. There is humor, spirit, and refreshing (even annoying) imperfections. Above all, there is courage, loyalty, love, and a driving sense of right and wrong.

The fantasy. Here is a well-crafted, fascinating society with a logical explanation for mage power, natural laws and restraints on its use, a completely believable integration with the 'normal' segments of society and life.

The adventure. Excellent, carefully directed building of tension and danger (emotional and physical both) until the final duel, the Mage Challenge. That is almost more experienced than read.

A good book. Good fun. Buy it and read it, preferably more than once. I did.

This has been the best book I have read in a long time! The reader is instantly swept into the story line and these characters will remain in your heart forever. I strongly encourage everyone with a love of great books to read "Mage Confusion."
A really good book is often thought of as buried treasure, and Mrs. McMorrow has struck gold! Can't wait for books 2 & 3!!!!

I hate to admit this but it has been years since I have been interested enough in a book to get past the first chapter. This book not only got me through the first chapter but I had the book done in two and a half days. For most that may not seem like much but if you had my schedule.....I honestly think this book along with the other two to come would make a great motion picture. You can picture so well in your mind the characters, events, places, ect. like you were there. I was so surprised to find that everything I thought was going to happen was wrong which is the kind of book people like to read. Mrs. McMorrow has done a wonderful job on her first book and I'm sure the sequels will be even better. Kudos to her and I hope more people will read this book and I'm so excited about getting the next installment. Thanks Mrs. McMorrow for a great book!!!!!

Clear and concise, this book has taken me from knowing nothing about web design to publishing a site of my own in 3 weeks. While there is much more to learn, my site is running smoothly and 100% W3C Strict compliant.

this book is the greatest that i have read ever.
though that i have a little expiriance with HTML and CSS , but this book give you the actually way to write your code only at XHTML and CSS , with a great way of explaining .

Virginia DeBolt's newest book is an excellent resource for modern, standards based design. It combines the depth of a well qualified instruction with lively, real world examples of practical web applications. This book will save you so many hours of work and research by showing you how techniques have evolved and how each application meets the various standards. Webpage structure (including columns), various navigation methods, working with images and picture galleries, banners, links, blogs, and much more are all discussed. Also included (in color) are inspirational website designs showing these modern CSS based techniques.

In the course of designing our numerous large websites for parent support I have read over a dozen design and coding books on html and css, and this is one book I return to over and over again.

I've been studying at web design and construction for over 10 years. Since I'm both dyslexic and limited in my short-term memory, I've had problems with doing more than just the basics. Understanding XHTML and CSS have been problematic for me, and I've had to rely on programs like Dreamweaver and Front Page to write my pages. This book is finally bringing home how web pages are constructed, and how CSS is used for both styling and positioning things. Virginia has put together the best method of presenting the material in a manner that I can comprehend, and hopefully retain. I've purchased a lot of books on web construction, but none have helped me as much as this one has, and continues to do. I'll keep it over all the others as a reference in the future.