I Books

I bought this copy of the book after having lost my original. I felt that I needed to read this book again, after meeting El Cordobes in Benidorm many years ago when Benidorn was still a small towm.
Well worth reading a second time.

Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins have written a great book. "Or I'll Dress You In Mourning" is a powerful account of the life and times of "El Cordobes", which I had the good fortune of watching him fight a bull in the 60's in a black and white footage. His lack of fear and proximity to the bull while making his "passes" can only be described as exceptional courage! Regardless wether a person likes or does not like bullfighting as a sport or as an art, the fact remains that these particular kind of bulls are a breed that can quite easily kill a person with just one gore of their deadly horns. These are no friendly, peaceful animals. Some of them are amazing sights. Just to imagine one charging at you knowing their split second reactions allows them to turn on a dime, sort of speak, makes a person appreciate the drama involved in a "corrida". The story of "El Cordobes" and the period of time in which it took place in Spain makes for great reading. This "Matador's" poverty and desire to become the best is nothing short of exceptional. Dominique Lapierre is a great writer. Another great book by him is "City of Joy". A book of such spiritual force that leaves the reader helpless with awareness. I like the fact that this kind of writing is non fictional. Larry Colling has collaborated with Lapierre and must take equal amounts of credit for this book. 5 stars for this great book, a proud inclusion in anyone's library.

Perhaps one of the best biographies I have ever read, this book tells the story of the fabled Spanish bullfighter Manuel Benitez "El Cordobes"!

Born in strict poverty, this youngser defied all the odds in becoming perhaps the most famous modern day "toreador"! His phenominal rise to fame is truly something out of a novel! El Cordobes, desperate, illiterate, starving had one dream, to become a bullfighter. And the odds were stacked heavily against him. This noble profession certainly had no room for such a peasant! But the heavens were looking out for him and rise he did. With the help of an influential patron, El Cordobes succeeded, and with a fervor almost unparalleled. This is no "dull biography" but a gripping one, complete with all the ingredients of a first-rate novel! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

This is my favourite book of all times. I have read it at least seven or eight times and every time, it never fails to excite me. The story is well told and animated and as well as understanding the life of El Cordobes, you also learn so much about the history of Spain, the era of Franco and the impact his tyranny had on the country. If you read this book, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

I've read this book twice now. Never fails to enthrall me. It is great on 3 levels. One, a spellbinding plot that can keep you up all night. Two, it teaches some Spanish history and bullfighting lore. Three, it makes you grateful for what you have and shows that with perseverance your dreams can come true. A good book for a teenager. One of the best I've read in a long time.

I purchased the book for my mom for her birthday. I've never been into Chinese herb myself, but she prepared a couple dishes that I thought was pretty good. My mom seems to enjoy the cook book. She contantly tells me how this one dish is good for what part of the body. A great book for moms whom cook and are interested in Asian herbs.

I purchased the book for my mom for her birthday. I've never been into Chinese herb myself, but she prepared a couple dishes that I thought was pretty good. My mom seems to enjoy the cook book. She contantly tells me how this one dish is good for what part of the body. A great book for moms whom cook and are interested in Asian herbs.

I had to purchase this book for my wife. She is a health conscious fanatic of herbs. She believes the only way to liven a dish is to use natural herbs. She does not believe in the store bought seasonings. I am the cook of the house. When, I purchased this book I thought it was just another Martha Stewart. I have learned so much from this book, it is amazing. I love the way the author put pictures into to show what the herb looks like. I love the fact that he/she showed the herb, what it does, how to use it, and generally where it is available. Cookbooks usually, show elegant and sometimes easy dishes to make, but never where to get the key ingredients. I let my friends borrow it and they have amazing stories to tell. This is a great gift for those who are health conscious and people who are blinded by fried foods.

I have a cooking class in high school. The reason I took cooking was so I wouldn't have to speak in front of the class. That is why I avoided drama. Our teacher asked us to choose any book we liked. We had to read it. Cook a meal from it , and we had to make sure we chose a book that we would want to recommend. Well, I am a fitness fanatic and I am involved in all the sports at school. A girl on my basketball team is Asian. Her mother bought this book. The reason I read it was Asians have the stereo type of being healthy and fit. Which is what I wanted my dish to portray. Other of my peers were just making the traditional vegetable platter or no meat dish. The reason I found this book a blue ribbon winner is because the author didn't write with excellency, but simplicity. She was wise to show photos of the cuisines and what they would do to strengthen your body. I like this book because any age is able to read, understand, and cook. I bought this book for my grandma for we have the same attitude toward health and food. I believe this book will be a succes for she arranged it well.

Oriental Herbal Cook Book For Good Health is the best cook book I have read, as far as the cooking category for the books. I enjoy books that I can be able to get something out of. This book was informative, useful, and shocking. The author had years of study on his topic. That was able to give me confidence to try some of the recipes, because I know that he knew his research. I've read cook book where you would cook the recipe and not know what you would be getting out of your meal. This book was informative in the sense that the author was able to give me reasons on why not to use herbs, where I could find them, and showed illustrations on some of the herbs to give me a better aspect of the ingredient. I found it shocking that you were able to use all these ingredients that would help you with your body and taste shockingly amazing!!!! There is a difference between a good cook book and a great cook book. A good cook book is one where the dishes are delicous and easy to make. A great cook book is one where the ingredients are researched to benefit your health and still delicously delictable. I enjoy the fact that I am able to eat my meats and still know that I am doing something healthy for my body. I was also able to educate myself even more on Chinese culture. This book satisfyed my appetite. It educated my mind, soul, and body.

This is the kind of book that makes you appreciate all animals and humans as friends. I felt like this is how life should be. No harm, no hate,only LOVE.

Loved this book beautiful expression of love . Anyone with any pet will appreciate and love this book . A GREAT gift book ! Bonus. Mark from Peaceful Valley Donkeys has a wonderful picture of him lying with donkeys, the most amazing animals ever !!

Jill is a photographer who truly understands the importance and therapeutic value of a person's closeness with their pet(s). It shows in her work and in her writing. Bonding with another living creature, not a human, is something really special. Thanks, Jill, a beautifully illustrated and sensitive book.

Jill Fineberg, a successful professional photographer recently retired to New Mexico, assembled this collection of portraits that illustrate the unique bond people can have with the animals that share their lives. Not all of the subjects by any means are actually asleep with their pets (I don't really see how one could sleep with a gecko or scorpion anyway) but many of the shots display a no less remarkable level of intimacy and trust, for example the dust jacket illustration of a man balancing bareback on his horse, or the couple posing with their lion and tiger. The pictures are followed by the frequently touching stories of their subjects and an afterword about the proven health benefits of having animals around. Fineberg shows us that in reaching out to creatures not like ourselves we can only become more human. The only regret one can feel perusing this charming collection is that the book as a whole could not have been larger, to present the frequently beautiful photos in more detail.

PEOPLE I SLEEP WITH?! The title and an eye-catching dust jacket cover should make you stop and look at this book at least twice. when you pick it up and turn the pages, you'll discover that photographer and writer Jill Fineberg loves animals. Hers sleep on her bed. So she took her camera and pen and went looking for other folks who loved their four-legged and feathered friends as much as she did. Then she photographed the people and their animals-or maybe the animals and their people, judging from the book's title--at their most intimate and vulnerable moments-sound asleep together. The result? A tender, funny, warm, and loving set of essays and absolutely stunning black-and-white photos called PEOPLE I SLEEP WITH. I don't want to describe too much for you--except to say that in this tender document of peoples' relationships to their animals, each photo has an essay telling something about the person and the animal in the picture. Many make you laugh. Others make you think. Some wrench your gut. But if you're an animal lover like me, or a photographer, or both, Man (Woman) or (Child), you gotta have this one. PEOPLE I SLEEP WITH is a teriffic coffee table book.

I bought the book in 1989 in a Californian bookshop and ever since I read parts of it, must have read it 50 times together with Jack Broughtons books. Some years ago I had contacts with John and he told me about his flights in a MIG21 and how tricky that plane was on landing (like an F100 or F104)and always wondered what has become of him. I was in the Dutch airforce myself and am still shocked how politicians till this day destroy professional soldiers with their stupid rules of engagement.
This book is a must for all people interested what really goes on in
an airwar and the aftermaths of it. Thank you John !

A straight-forward memoir that should be enjoyed by all fans of the Phabulous Phantom. You can almost feel the heat of the flightline and smell the hyd fluid again. ahhhh....

Phantom Over Vietnam is the story of a Marine fighter pilot in Vietnam; his two tours, the time he spent in the USA between the tours and his thoughts about the war which are changing as he logs missions. It is a very good book for the military aviation enthusiast. I gave it 4 stars because the numerous flashbacks and various other explanations present all over the book sometimes makes it hard to follow. Moreover, I think that the author could have concentrated more on the " cockpit stuff ". The epilogue, in which he evaluates his performance as a fighter pilot on a cost effective basis, is unique and quite interesting. I reccomend reading this book to anyone interested in military aviation or curious about what it was like to be a fighter pilot in Vietnam.

I have to admit I am biased - I flew with John Trotti on at least one flight as his RIO (backseater). And, naturally, I hoped to find someone had done a good job of describing life in a Marine Phantom, something I lived for 316 combat missions over North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. As the stars indicate, I think John did an excellent job.

True, it is not the book I would have written - aerial combat is intensely personal, always has been, and so every account, if it is honest and well written, will be different. Trotti has a little difficulty understanding why anyone would be a backseater (lack of 20/20 vision is a place to start, but being able to be in fighters is the big reason; again, my perspective rearing its head), but he has his fingers on the pulse of combat flying in Southeast Asia. The fatigue of both planes and men is seldom mentioned in most accounts of the air war and the cost was higher than most realize. The intensity of flying close air support in conditions where even seagulls preferred to walk is well described in this book.

Above all, it is a personal account, provided by a man who was a good observer of both himself and the world around him. For readers looking to make the dry accounts of the air war's political decisions and combat statistics real, then Trotti's book is the place to begin.

I read "Phantom Over Vietnam", the memoir of a Marine fighter pilot, before plunging into the mounds of similar books on the subject of the Vietnam Air War, both novel and memoir. Thus I couldn't appreciate how the book was unique. Most authors on the subject generalize the air war - the technology and tactics - while highlighting the overt civilian control of a war being fought based on political rather than military goals. While Trotti raises those issues, he never turns his book into an indictment on the Johnson administration, Rob McNamara's Defense Department "whiz-kids", or the liberals who others have blamed for undermining the war effort - concluding that the war was futile. The book follows Trotti from his arrival in Vietnam in the war's early and heady days, then notes the apparent changes when the optimism fades. After an interval spent training newer aviators stateside, Trotti returns for more. His descriptions of the flights are weighthed down by detail on such topics as the F-4 Phantom's mechanics, aero-navigation and airborne communications protocol (which is also a mystery to the author). But these burdens are probably intentional - Trotti isn't going for action. He does nothing to make himslef look heroic - what can you say about a guy who admits that his biggest fear isn't of missiles or MiG fighters, but of the power seats in his airplane (the author is not a tall man). One interesting aspect - unlike the cool and pristine airplanes in similar books, Trotti's jets are aged (and prematurely so) by the rigors of combat and flight. The most enduring images of the book, are those of a newly shipped F-4, with its fresh paint job, sharing ramp space with older jets with their paint blistered by supersonic air. It's not a book you'll read in one sitting, but it's not a book you'll read only once.

This book is good. I have read it but its hard to understand.

Inspirational - Motivational - Educational - Action Orientated - And It Works! What more can you ask for. Chapter 1 sets the stage for a book that can, and will, change your life for the better. The good news is that Ivan teaches these principles from his own life experience. From the highest high, to homeless in New Hampshire during the winter, to back on top again, Ivan has lived this incredible tale and proven that these techniques really work. If you are ready to take a chance and make a change, this is the book for you!

I have read many motivational, inspirational and success books and this is by far the best I have ever read! It puts together the final piece to the puzzle of success. He talks about Positive Thinking, Positive Talking (Affirmations/Self-Talk) and the third part that people forget or fail to do is Positive Doing! This book is great! I highly recommend it to everyone who wants more wealth, success and happiness in life. Say Yes to Life! It is written in a simple and easy to understand manner, but is immensely powerful and life transforming!

A wonderful guide book which helped turn my life around. It taught me to let go of my life of stuggle and feeling lost in the fog, and to embrace the wonderful gifts this world had prepared for me.

Ivan's simple teachings about how life works and how we can recapture the special gift we were born with to share with the world, helped me see the life I knew was there all along, but couldn't find. Thank you Ivan for opening my eyes and teaching me to see what was there waiting for me all the time. "I once was blind, but now I see." Thank you for teaching me how to be happy and successful, and to enjoy this wonderful life.

This is one of the finest book on success ever written. I keep referring to it and learn some great new insight each time.His cassettes are great too. What makes this book stand apart from all others is it's great wisdom.

I found this book to be very informative. A big part of my job is interview and interrogation. This book was able to put into context what I have already been doing for a number of years. I found that I was referencing the book in my head as I watched the people I was speaking with and knew by their actions how truthful or untruthful they were being. If this is the type of work you do the book is a very good read.

I went to the Wicklander seminar recently. The book was just as great as the class, I'm very fortunate to have been able to go and receive the book. Thanks!

This is an excellent referecne book for anyone involved in both private and public sector interviews.

I have twenty years of investigation experience in both law enforcement and the private sector. Never have I seen such a well written and insightful book on the art of investigative interviewing. Drawing on sound psychological theory and good old fashion practical nous; this book fully explains and provides an investigator with a solid foundation to work with, but the flexibility to move in any type of interview or interrogation setting. Sadly, Australian courts and those in the UK would render any confessions (criminal prosecutions) using this technique inadmissible, due to what some critics say is psychological thuggery. However, the technique has seen an increasing use in the private sector with excellent results, especially in the investigation of insurance fraud. Much like the Reid Technique, but more open and flowing - learn this excellent interviewing system and benefit from reading this investigative masterpiece.

As a practitioner in the field of investigations, it has been my experience that there are two excellent choices for investigators when deciding on what type of style they will employ. W-Z (Wicklander Zulawski) and Reid. I "grew up" in the W-Z system and employed it with great success. I found it to be flexible and able to approach a wide variety of scenarios thanks to the variety of interview styles it employs. Unfortunately, I also noticed that the variety of interview styles it employs generates a steep learning curve, and an expert at one style may wander into an interview that needs to turn an unfamiliar direction and find themselves drowning as they try to keep up with the change in style. I recently attended the Reid seminar and joined their association immediately. Reid and W-Z differ in a distinct area. Reid interviews and interrogations are always the same, only the *theme* changes, whereas the entire interview or interrogation changes under W-Z. Under both systems, a mistake can be fatal, but the consistency of the Reid technique introduces fewer areas to make mistakes in, and allows quick mastery of the styles needed to successfully interview. Both systems provide good (but not perfect) methods of detecting dishonesty and between the two systems, W-Z is slightly more flexible. That said, if you want to become very good, very fast, Reid is a better choice. Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation is a good book, and serves as a great reference for those who have already attended a W-Z seminar. If you are looking to get into investigations, are newly hired into an investigations position or just want to know more about what to expect if you're ever investigated, this book is not a good choice for you. You should be familiar with phases of an investigation, interview and know the difference between an interview and an interrogation before you pick up this book or you could be easily confused. That said, if you are familiar with investigations, this is a good resource to have on hand for both review and pre-interview or interrogation preparation. 4/5 stars because Reid's Investigator Anthology provides easier to read and more concrete, repeatable insight and experience.

An excellent and very needed book in the English speaking world where so much of what we read and learn is from the British point of view with all the prejudices of the British thrown in. A valuable book for those who wish to get a more balanced view of the war by reading about both the British and the French. A caution, however, as one finds the british accounts onesided, there are moments in reading the book where i got the feeling the author was anti-British. But it doesn't detract from the overall excellence in providing a seldem heard aspect of the war.

Most histories of the First World War have focused on the British or German perspective. This is a history of the French operations, which provided the bulk of the resistance to the Germans on the western front.

Histories of the First World War suffered from partisan books written directly after the war that gave a caricatured version of operations. They suggested that French and British generals failed to appreciate the impact of modern technology and simply used men as cannon fodder. This book is one that seeks to counter that view and show how the French commanders reacted to the success and failure of operations and developed strategies which evolved during the war to lessen the loss of human life and develop more efficient methods of attack and defence. In fact the year of 1914 saw one of the French Armies considerable triumphs the defeat of the German movement through Belgium aimed at outflanking the French line. This success occurred when the Germans devoted the majority of their army to the western front in an attempt to gain an early victory. England at the time had only mobilised a small army so the defeat of the Germans was a remarkable victory.

One of the interesting points made by the book is that some 50% of the French losses occurred in the first year of the war before the development of the trench system. The reason of course was that before the development of the trenches when there was the war of movement infantry were much more vulnerable to artillery fire. In 1915 when the French attacked again and again in an attempt to aid the Russian offensives the losses were although substantial far less than in the disastrous first year. The losses suffered in resisting the German offensive at Verdun again were again less than in 1915. It was only in 1918 that France carried out the series of attacks that finally led to Germany's capitulation that the casualty figures increased to levels close to 1915.

The book is interesting as it shows how the French developed tactics over time. The rolling barrage to protect the infantry in its advance. The notion of the flexible defence so that infantry was kept away from the front line to avoid the heavy losses which resulted from opening barrages and instead using counter attacks and the holding of key points to inflict casualties on the attacker.

In fact it is clear that the French became frustrated with the English under Haig who launched his Somme offensive without using the sorts of advances in strategy that had been developed by the French and Germans thus turning that battle into a costly stalemate. One of the attractions of the book is that it shows the history of the English campaign and issues though an observers eyes.

The book also reveals how close the Germans came to victory in 1918. If Ludendorff had been able to move more quickly to separate the English and French armies in detail he could have won. Instead he relied on costly staged offensives delayed so much that the French and English were able to hang on.

Despite the loss of the major industrial section of their country the French were able to turn their country into an arsenal producing ¾ of the weapons that were used by the Americans. Huge numbers of tanks aircraft and heavy artillery.

The book also shows clearly the importance of the operations in Macedonian in hastening the end of the war. The attack on this front in `1918 led to Bulgaria being forced out of the war. This broke the German supply line to Turkey which meant that the British under Allenby were able to advance from Egypt easily also defeating that country. Lastly the surrender of Bulgaria opened up yet another front that the weakened Austro-Hungarian Empire could not hold. One of the more interesting books on the First World War which is valuable in giving another perspective on the conflict.

Robert Doughty's 2005 "Pyrrhic Victory" may be the most extensive English-language account available of Franch strategy and operations during the First World War. Doughty has combed a variety of archives to document that, contrary to popular myth, France sought throughout 1914-1918 to execute a coherent strategy of fighting a multi-front war in order to maintain pressure on Germany. Moreover, France executed this strategy despite increasing shortages of manpower, a ferocious battlefield learning curve for its general officers, and several crises of confidence.

France understood itself in 1914 to be at a distinct disadvantage in population and industrial base with respect to Germany. This disadvantage drove France to seek out allies throughout the war. France would rely on the huge but unsophisticated Russian Army to force Germany to fight a two-front war and on a reluctant Great Britain to help defend France itself.

In 1914, France and Britain narrowly avoided defeat in a war of movement that culminated in the miracle victory at the Battle of the Marne. As the Western Front stabilized into hundreds of kilometers of opposing trenches, France and its allies would spend the next four years trying to break the stalemate in France while applying pressure on German and its allies through operations in Turkey, the Balkans, Italy and Eastern Europe.

Doughty recounts the tense struggles between French civilian and military leaders over the best way to identify and carry out a winning strategy. The inability to impose a decisive battle on the Western Front in 1914 led to experimentation with siege tactics, renewed offensives in 1915, and a reluctant acceptance of a strategy of attrition by 1916. A premature return to a strategy of decisive battle in early 1917 nearly broke the French Army. France leaned heavily on the British Army to carry the load during much of 1917 while suppressing mutinies and scraping the bottom of its manpower barrel. Key changes in leadership, especially the elevation of Generals Petain and Foch, enabled France to ride out the supreme crisis of renewed German offensives in early 1918. The arrival in numbers of trained U.S. troops on the front lines by summer 1918 enabled the Allies to go over to the offensive and finally defeat an exhausted German Army.

Doughty's narrative makes clear what a close-run thing the Allied victory was. Despite a total nation effort to field and equip an enormous Army, France had been bled white by 1917 and was completely exhausted in the military sense by 1918. The maturation of a mass British Army on the continent, and the creation of a mass American Army in France, both events fostered by French leadership, enabled France to persevere to a pyrrhic victory that may have gutted its national resources and will for a generation.

"Pyrrhic Victory" is a scholarly work written perhaps as much for other scholars as for the general reader, who may find it a long dry effort at over 500 pages. Doughty has included some good maps; this reviewer wishes he had included a few more. Doughty's discussion of French strategy and operations might have included more commentary on corresponding German actions, making the external context of French actions a little clearer.

These minor criticisms aside, this is an exceptional work of military history, very highly recommended to students of the First World War, especially those seeking insight to evolving French strategy.

As has been noted there are a rash of english language books on the Anglo and American participation of the war. The battle of the Somme and the 1918 offensive are covered in detail in most books on the war. Anyone with a serious interest knows about the destruction of the British regular army and England's officer class. We read about the war at sea because of England's involvement.

Few books have concentrated on the French aspect except to mention the Mutiny's, the miracle of 1914 and of course the mention the damage done to the French nation by the death of so many Frenchmen.

THis book is parhaps one of a kind then because it gives the English language reader insight into the French strategy. Mostly a strategy that hs been mocked or passed over. Most have viewed the 1917 offensive as one more ill-concevied blood bath leading directly to mutiny. Many know about Verdun, however the rest of the front, some 70% of it was manned by Frenchmen. The French army shared the burden of the war on the western front. Here we are given a fuller picture of the french general staff, of Foch and Petain and of the french strategy in more minute detail. Keegan and others have done wonderful books on WWI, the more specific study will sppeal to those with a genuine interest in the period. A worthwhile read.

Seth J. Frantzman

Despite the fact that the French Army carried the bulk of the Allied war effort on the Western Front in 1914-18, it has rarely received its due in First World War historiography. Brigadier General (ret.) Robert A. Doughty, head of West Point's history department for twenty years, seeks to correct that omission in his Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War. Overall, this is an erudite, well-written book for professional military officers and historians and an essential addition to any serious library on the First World War.

This book consists of ten chapters, with one on pre-war doctrine, eight that each cover about six months of the war and a conclusion. The initial chapter on transformation examines pre-war doctrine and strategic planning. Despite first-rate intelligence on German order of battle, the author notes that the French expected an invasion of Belgium but thought that the Germans lacked the reserves to make a deep penetration. The French Army was also fairly well equipped for war, but the neglect of heavy artillery was a serious omission. Furthermore, the author notes that initial combat on the borders indicated "the bankruptcy of French tactical doctrine and the inadequacy of their artillery," although these flaws were not immediately apparent to General Joffre, the French commander-in-chief. Indeed, the author paints a poor picture of Joffre in August 1914, as a commander who blamed others for his faulty operational plan, failed to concentrate his forces and ignored intelligence about enemy intentions. On the other hand, Joffre showed marked improvement in September 1914 by effectively utilizing France's railroads to mass forces for the Battle of the Marne - a victory which the author notes to Joffre's credit.

Once the war shifted to a static phase in 1915, the author notes that the French failure to defend vital coal and steel regions at the start of the war hindered their long-term war industrial potential. It is not uncommon that military men ignore economic factors until they are faced with shortages. As the French Army gradually shifted to an offensive strategy in 1915, the author describes how Joffre succeeded in creating a substantial reserve force but that the early attacks were costly failures due to limited artillery support. Two competing offensive doctrines emerged: Joffre's "continuous battle," which envisaged a massive `big push' style attack, and the "methodical battle" advocated by younger generals such as Foch and Petain. While Joffre believed that a decisive breakthrough on the Western Front was possible, more realistic officers such as Petain realized that it was no longer possible and that the conflict had become a war of attrition. However, Joffre set the strategic agenda well into 1916 and he adamantly opposed diversions such as operations in the Mediterranean that took troops away from his `big push' offensives on the Western Front. It was not until near-disaster at Verdun that Joffre realized the demands of attrition warfare and promoted defense-in-depth against German counterattacks. Also, by 1916 the French Army had finally corrected its deficiencies in heavy artillery, which transformed its operational potential. Yet unlike Germany, France did not opt for total war as Germany did, with its political leaders placing limits on bombing German cities and the use of chemical warfare.

By the end of 1916, French officers such as Nivelle, Petain and Foch had developed new methods of infantry-artillery coordination that enabled the French Army to launch short, but effective attacks. Nivelle became a little too enamored of these new tactics and when he replaced Joffre, he attempted to use them to achieve a major breakthrough in the ill-fated Nivelle offensive. The mutiny that resulted from Nivelle's poor judgment nearly broke the French Army, but it was Petain that saved it from dissolution. Petain adopted a new program for the army that emphasized material over haphazard use of infantry and this program emphasized aircraft, heavy artillery, tanks and chemicals. Ultimately, Petain found the material key to victory but it was Foch - who finally became the unified commander of Allied forces in the desperate days of 1918 - who found the morale key to victory.
Pyrrhic Victory also offers readers a very different perspective on British actions. From the French perspective, the BEF was not pulling its fair share of the load in 1914-15 and British offensives were rather puny. While the author does not denigrate the British, Belgian or American contributions to victory, this book helps to illuminate the major role played by the French in achieving that victory. Although starting out wrong-footed, the French Army survived a major offensive by one of the best armies in the world, adapted and eventually developed the means to push that enemy off its soil. While the price of victory was crippling, there is no doubt that the French Army in the First World did far more than merely `survive' until the Americans came to `rescue them.'

Absolutely hilarious. I enjoyed this book immensely. Milt Pupique has truly revolutionized humor as we know it. I even bought copies for my family.

This book makes you expand your mind and think in directions that you may have never gone. Very humorous and enjoyable.

One truly incredible book, a major tour de force in humor.

Simply put, the creation of this book lies well beyond the capabilities of the human mind as we know it.

Ergo, Mr. Pupique must be an extraterrestrial... and a mutant one at that.

I bought REVELATIONS thinking that it was a good religious book. In this day in age of uncertainty, I was looking for some answers. But it seems that this book is not religious; it is not even serious.

I gave it to a friend in the hopes that someone might enjoy it. She seems to love it, and keeps quoting me passages. The 4-stars above are an average of my review and hers.

This book gives no answers, only jokes: humor-jokes.

One truly incredible book, a major tour de force in humor.

Simply put, the creation of this book lies well beyond the capabilities of the human mind as we know it.

Ergo, Mr. Pupique must be an extraterrestrial and a mutant one at that.

If you can only get one book on rabbits, this is the book to get! Considered by many rabbit breeders, exhibitors, owners to be 'THE' book on rabbits. The authors are rabbit owners/breeders themselves and they know whereof they speak. Easy to read and understand, it includes a history of rabbits, genetics, feeding, housing, breeding, medical care, the merits of rabbits as pets, rabbits in therapy, just about anything you would ever need or want to know about rabbits. This book is well worth every penny of the cost. It's a very modest investment when you want to provide the very best for your rabbit, or rabbits, no matter why you have them.

I just checked this book out from the local library and after skimming through it, marking what I want to go back and read in detail, I am convinced that this is a book that I can't be without! This book has TONS of detailed information, including several chapters on the genetics of rabbits. It is the first book that I have found that just doesn't gloss over rabbits as a whole, but actually gets down to the nitty gritty. There's a lot of detailed information about the diseases, how to have a successful rabbitry (if that is your goal), food guidelines, the importance of vitamins, etc. Do yourself a favor: get ahold of this book!

This reference is an excellent source of information in regards to management systems, feeds & feeding, breeding, production, etc. What I find lacking is how little effort seemed to go into the breed illustrations. Rabbits depicted are poorly posed and therefore make a very unsatisfactory representation of the breeds' description. If you can get past that little bump, the book - for its wealth of knowledge is an excellent resource for rabbit breeders or those considering embarking on that adventure.

This reference (notice I didn't say "book") is incredibly valuable for first timers with no animal experience through long time, large scale producers. When I started out with my first pet rabbit, I used the '96 edition all the time for freak-out moments like a crusty ear or just to satisfy my curiosity. Now that I'm almost done with college and ready to start up my own herd again, the 2000 edition proves twice as useful. Make sure you put your name and address on the inside cover!

This is a classic in raising rabbits commercially. Not the latest edition (the 8th edition is the newest), but still very useable. The main difference between this edition and the newest is that there are no color photos. This book contains practical important information on raising rabbits commercially that simply cannot be found elsewhere. Not a how-to book for pet rabbit owners, but a serious manual for producing high quality healthy rabbits in an economical manner. I would not attempt to raise rabbits commercially without this "bible" on the bookshelf.

Baxter's time was not too unlike our own. Despite there being a large theological agreement that there must be discipline within the Church, very few leaders in the church are willing to carry it out. Baxter reminds us, and convincingly so, that we must do so for not only the good of the soul of the individual, but for the rest of the Church, and even ourselves. Most of the book rotates around the subject of discipline in the pastoral ministry. It also contains many other details concerning the ministry that would be good for any aspiring, or current pastor to read.

The only reason I give the book 4 stars instead of 5 is because this version is the abridged version of what Baxter wrote years ago. However, there is nothing that would tell you this unless you read the preface. I was a little disturbed upon originally reading the preface that this was the case, and that the original work is closer to 700 pages (depending on margins and type settings). This book has a rather tiny font size, and very little margin, so even though it is only over 100 pages, if it were in the typical type setting you see in most books, it would probably be closer to 3-400 pages.

Also, the ancient Elizabethean english has been revised for the modern reader, which probably accounts for the shorter number of pages.

Don't let any of this distract you from getting this book though, there are still many redeeming qualities to it.

The Reformed Pastor was actually very different than I anticipated, being nothing about reformed theology or even theology at all. "Reformed Pastor" actually means reforming pastors, using the word the same way we would say "reformed hardened criminal." Hmmm. I guess that already tells you this book isn't one of those "feel-good" books.

Richard Baxter was famous for two things: being a tremendous pastor to a town in England, and getting constantly into trouble for being so blunt that he would make enemies of his friends. This book is about being a tremendous pastor, and it is very very blunt.

It is an extended lecture he proposed to give to a local ministerial association in 1656. The book uses as its foundation and framework Acts 20:28: "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." The book first deals with pastors "taking heed" to their own spiritual state and life, and then turns its attention to taking heed to all the flock.

As to the topic of taking heed to their own spiritual lives, Baxter starts at the beginning, with making sure the reader is truly a Christian, and progresses through disciplines, qualifications, and indwelling sin. He next emphasizes the reasons why a pastor must be rigorous in his own spiritual life. He expounds reasons such as how many eyes are on the man of God, how difficult the work is, and how the honor of Christ depends on it. He reminds his reader of many practical insights, such as "all that a minister does is a kind of preaching" and to avoid the error of men who "study hard to preach exactly, and study little or not at all to live exactly."

After dealing with the pastor's personal life, he tackles the pastor's responsibility to shepherd his congregation. His most radical recommendation, radical back then and almost unthinkable to American churches today, is for a pastor to personally visit and catechize people (for those unfamiliar with the term, it means to teach a list of several hundred questions and answers of basic theology). Specifically, he says a pastor should catechize each and every family, in the pastor's entire town, each and every year. In Baxter's town that meant 2000 people in 800 families, that he and his associate pastor took two full days every week to go through the whole town every year.

He bluntly states, "If the pastoral office consists of overseeing all the flock, then surely the number of souls under the care of each pastor must not be greater than he is able to take such heed as to here is required." Yea, and I'm sure the pastoral staff of most churches personally know every member of their flock. And yes, I know that we consider Sunday School teachers or small group leaders to be "overseeing the flock"- but how many of those leaders in our churches see themselves as shepherds, have been theologically trained and commissioned as overseers, one-on-one ask them regularly about their spiritual life, and are seen by the members of their class or group as having spiritual responsibility over them?

But it was a radical idea even back then, so much so that Baxter takes dozens of pages to specifically give all the reasons why every pastor should devote himself to this universal visitation and dozens more pages to specifically answer a whole series of objections to the work. In short, he says that he had found that an hour of focused questions concerning a person's spiritual state was often more helpful than years of listening to sermons for their spiritual growth. It's hard to argue with that conclusion, and harder to argue with the marked growth (in both numbers and spiritual maturity) that history shows that his church had under his pastorship.

As to objections to why not do it, he says that they all are variations on the theme of "I'm too lazy or greedy" which he viciously attacks as unworthy of any follower of Christ, let alone a pastor. To laziness, he asks "Are these works to be done with a careless mind, or a lazy hand? O see, then, that this work be done with all your might!"

To greed, he states that if a pastor has too many families in his church for him to visit individually, then he should hire another pastor out of his own salary to help him. He challenges, "What! Do you call yourselves ministers of the gospel, and yet are the souls of men so base in your eyes, that you had rather they eternally perish, than that you and your family should live in a low and poor condition?" Whoa there, Baxter must have never read Your Best Life Now!

The book is chock full with other helpful insights and wry comments, such as "All our teaching must be as plain and simple as possible." "Is it not a pity, then, that our hearts are not as orthodox as our heads?" "It is a contradiction in terms, to be a Christian, and not humble." "We must study how to convince and get within men, and how to bring each truth to the quick." "In the name of God, brethren, labour to awaken your own hearts, before you go to the pulpit, that you may be fit to awaken the hearts of sinners." And my list could go on and on and on. I have already discussed his specific instructions on personal evangelism in another article.

After reading The Reformed Pastor, I have to agree with Spurgeon, Packer, Dever and all the other big kahunas- this is absolutely essential reading for any man called to the ministry, to pin him against the wall and make him take stock of his ministry, his priorities, and his life before God, and to make him deeply consider about how best to "take heed over" himself and all his flock.

It would be silly to say that you NEED to read this book before entering into the ministry. God has used many a man who have probably never even heard of Baxter or "the reformed christian."
However, if you are considering purchasing this book, then I would say dont even think twice. Besides the "pastoral epistles" of Paul (1st & 2nd Timothy, and Titus) I know of no other piece of work that will prepare you and teach you the way that those who lead the church ought to be. I would recommend it to anyone who has a heart for the Lords work, not just pastors.
Richard Baxter was a man full of the Holy Spirit. The words in this book will illuminate your soul, and convict you to the point of crying out to God and running to the cross of Christ. It can be a very painful book in many areas because it will cause you to look at yourself and wonder if you are really walking the life that The Lord wants from those who lead his people.
Its very difficult to find the words to describe how incredible this book is. I have to read it in tiny little sections instead of by chapters because there is so much depth to it. and each small section will bring me to tears.
Physically, this book weighs about as much as any other paper back. Spiritualy, you wont be able to lift it off the ground, much less turn a page

This is no candy or soup for the soul, its solid and challenging real world meat for the work of the ministry. Baxter challenges us to a kind of ministry that exceeds human ability alone. Such a ministry drives us to our only hope for that ability and keeps us returning to the everlasting arms of our heavenly father.

I read this book because so many people have spoken of it as a classic. Having now finished it, I must say I am a little disappointed with the content. I expected profound and striking ideas. In these pages however, were no new principles I have not already learned.

The smallness of Baxter's content however, is far exceeded by the substance of his character. It is his character, his pastoral passion for ministry that makes this book the classic it has become. His single-minded devotion to God and his tender, shepherd's heart for his flock have inspired pastors for over 300 years.

This book is not an easy read. The English language has changed substantially over 300 years, and as a result the essence of Baxter's pastoral passion is undoubtedly distorted. Still, this volume IS a classic, and is a must-read for any pastor wanting to refine and/or restore his motivation for ministry.