United Kingdom Books

Fabulous book in its research and real life adventures. Amazing that some of these places where various events took place, I've actually been there, 450 years later. Awesome. P. Almeidinha

I got this book because of my interest in stories about people surviving shipwrecks. The Padre, the subject of the book, survived THREE shipwrecks -- that alone makes the book worth reading. But the book is about a lot more than that.
Through it I learned about the beginnings of the world economy, monetary systems and even the development of Western political/ governing systems. All of that is provided as background to why things happened as they did during this remarkable saga. But even without that breadth of view, the story is astonishing and gripping. The primary source for the story is the diaries of the Padre and the author does such a great job, I really felt like I was reading a book BY the Padre.
I read the book a couple years ago and have read others because of the interests it ignited. But nothing has come close to being as interesting, as gripping or as broad in world view. Even after three or four years, it's still vivid and I actively recommend it to friends. To me, it is an unheralded masterpiece.

Set in Virginia, Florida, Ecuador and the Bahamas, there are no clear winners in this story, and Horner aptly entitles one of his chapters "Treasure is Trouble", something befitting the 17th-century Spaniards who met a tragic fate on the waters of Ecuador and the Bahamas, as well as the modern-day treasure hunters whose greed has brought them nothing but "trouble". The exception remains Dave Horner whose goal was clearly the quest for historical truth and the dissemination of valuable historical and archaeological data, something he achieved with eloquence. A captivating book and a lesson to be learned... again

Mr Horner does a good job of describing the attempts of a Spanish monk to get back to his homeland and the ememy attacks that he is forced to endure on his voyage. The descriptions that he gives of his modern day salvage adventures is also very interesting. A good read.

Immaculate research and superb translations from Spanish archive material turn this into both a scholarly research vehicle and a concise history of the Spanish colonies and the Treasure Fleets.
A good part of the narrative is in the words of a Spanish Padre sent out to Chile to minister to the colonists; this tells us first-hand of the vast mountains of silver that were being exported from South America, and of the nepotism, greed, dishonesty and cowardice that seems to be the product of any get-rich-quick scheme - and Spain had more than its fair share in the 16th & 17th Centuries. The rest of the story is supported by quotes from sailors and court officials, while Mr.Horner fleshes out the story with historical facts and some surmise - the many notes are detailed as appendix and are not intrusive, while there is other useful information contained in other appendices.

Our Padre seems unusually unlucky in being shipwrecked twice, and on the way home the fleet is ambushed in sight of Cadiz and he, along with two ships and 4 million pesos (38 cartloads!) are captured in a brilliantly described battle that Hornblower would be proud of.

However, he lives to tell the tale; his memoirs are so detailed that we have a better idea of the actual wealth contained in the treasure fleet than the manifests admit - also the position of the wrecks is so well decribed that Mr.Horner was able to locate the sites and recover valuable artifacts (and of course, silver).

As a bonus, we are treated to a superb description of the daringly successful 1657 British attack on the treasure fleet holed-up in Santa Cruz, in which the whole Spanish fleet was destroyed, with the loss of no ships and only 60 men on the British side. This effectively crippled Spanish hopes of sea-rule and bankrupted Seville.

The final chapter warns us of the perils of dealing with the red-tape and gung-ho journalism that inevitably accompanies any salvage, not to mention the thievery when there is treasure involved.

A very worthwhile read. ****

Definitive hardly does this book justice. Authoritative, doesn't do it. The sheer amount of research author Hjort did on this labor of love really is mind boggling. He probably knows what each of these guys had for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day from '67 to '70. Being a Mick Taylor fanatic with my love for Peter Green running just shy of that, I was so delighted to find a book devoted to them and Clapton it was days before I realized what you learn reading this book. There's tech stuff for us players, lists of gigs, record sessions and tv appearances for the completists and a bit of gossip here and there for all of us. But his finest feat is making the reader feel he is there at the beginning of a blues scene made up of skinny white Brit kids that 3 years later was the basis for much of the most vital rock music ever made. This time telling the story as it went through Mayall's Bluesbreakers and those 3 incredible guitar players he hired in a row. I'm not sure who came after these 3 but I'm glad it wasn't me. I still consider Taylor and Green to be deities, way too overlooked and underappreciated, but Taylor especially enhances every project he's been a part of and I can listen to him play slide all day long. This is an incredible look at what it must be like to be a child prodigy, playing world class blues at 15, in arguably the best blues band in England at 17 and asked to join the Stones at 20. And there's just as much or more on Clapton and Green; looking back it seems incredible that these 3 virtuoso musicians emerged in a country with no blues tradition or players to look up to or learn from in their early guitar years. If you're a fan of blues, guitar,the 60s, London or any of the 4 principles of this story, I urge you to treat yourself to this book. You won't be sorry.

This book has an amazing amount of information but I find it hard to read straight through and instead wind up jumping from artist to artist and such.What I do love is the photos of my heroes in action,my favorites being a complete picture of Peter Green with the Orange amps behind him(a cropped version is used for Gary Moores "Blues For Greeny" cd),the Cafe Au Go Go shot of BB King,Clapton and Elvin Bishop jamming(a cropped version leaving out Elvin was used for "Riding With The King") and an alternate angle shot of Cream at Madison Square Garden(this date is used for the cover of "Live Cream") with a nice view of Cream's weaponry behind them(man,I love gear).That all being said its hard to imagine a more complete source of information on what is probably my favorite style of music,British Blues.

Full disclosure: I am a guitar geek. I was the guy at sock hops who'd sit by the record player, not dancing, reading the liner notes (remember those?), and dreaming of stardom.
What Christopher Hjort has accomplished with this volume is nothing less than amazing - a day-by-day accounting of concerts, club gigs, recording sessions, photo sessions, BBC broadcasts and even informal rehearsals by the movers and shakers of the blossoming British Blues scene. For the five years covered in this book, the careers of John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor (and pretty much anyone who came within five feet of an amplifier or microphone stand) are tracked in exquisite detail. The painstaking research is rewarding to anyone interested in the early days of groups like Fleetwood Mac, Cream and The Rolling Stones, and the cameos by Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix are the icing on the cake.
Great rare photos, detailed equipment lists, and Mr. Hjort's own recommendations for those wishing to hear the music described therein, this book is a keeper. I may have to get another one for lending out.

This is a great collection of tour dates and band interviews of all the bands that were emerging in London during the early sixties. The author does a great job of weaving it all together and this is a great edition to anyone's library of this period. Some great photos of the Bluesbreakers and all London players and club scene.

"Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & The British Blues Bloom" by rock historian Christopher Hjort is a history of the 1960s British blues music boom in general, and Eric Clapton's stellar music career from 1965 to 1970 in particular. "Strange Brew covers hundreds of gigs, radio and television appearances, recording sessions, discographical information, trivia, contemporary reviews, and first-hand accounts and recollections from ex-band members and fans. Some of the stories will be new information for even the most dedicated Clapton fan, such as the comprehensive account of Clapton's Greek odyssey in 1965 (including the true story of The Glands and Greek band The Juniors, as well as fresh information about John Mayall's recording with Bob Dylan). Here presented in a day-by-day format laced with photographs and memorabilia, the way the musicians behind the British Blues worked together, influenced each other, and helped each other to ever greater musical accomplishments. "Strange Brew" is essential reading for Clapton fans, British Blues music enthusiasts, and academic library 20th Century Music History reference collections.

One of the best David Hockney books.
A must have if you are interested in his photo montage method aka joiner method.

i had read it before and i just had to have it, its an amazing book even if you dont know david hockneys work, the book will make you fall in love with him and his art

This is an interesting book because it explains the discovery of ways of seeing, and in the process of explaining alters the way the reader sees art.

The challenge of pop art or abstract art is that to the uninitiated it seems gimmicky, and one often goes 'you've got to be kidding?' But with this wonderful exploration of the different ways that art and photography are ways of capturing a point of view, not a reproduction of a point of view. And more importantly, how Mr. Hockney comes to these expressions of point of view you get a glimpse of not only an interpretation of art, but the process of art. I love words and the essays are as magnificent as his art in their clarity and honesty. The section on his photo montages are amazing.

Fortunately for us, Chronicle Books continues to grace the art bookstores with superb and affordable monographs on art that make a difference. In this completely enchanting, richly illustrated book David Hockney conducts a conversation with us, the reader, sharing his unique and genteel ideas on how he sees and hence composes the paintings and drawings and photographic montages and sets of operas that have so enriched the art world since he first began his long career.

Hockney's writing style is quietly warm, honest, clever, whimsical and very informed. In this truly magnificent volume he is sharing not only his forays into experimental art (his influences from Picasso, Bacon, and the many MANY illustrious friends who fill his life), he also allows us to understand why he experiments with photography (his explosive yet intimate collages of Polaroid rooms of conversing friends are unique to Hockney), his manner of viewing huge spaces and then parceling them onto paper or canvas in a manner that allows us to see vistas not available to the isolated glance, his still lifes, his sketches and portraits of studio visitors - the volume of work is staggering.

Another fine discussion revolves around is spectacular sets for opera (Tristan und Isolde, Turandot, The Magic Flute, A Rake's Progress, Die Frau Ohne Schatten) - these coming from an artist who is almost completely without hearing making music visual!

For all lovers of Hockney's work as well as for those who want to understand why he so very popular, this is one of the best introductions available about the man and his work! Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, July 06

I have been a fan of David Hockney's for many many years and was delighted to find this book. He writes in an understated, easy way about his art and about modern art in general.

Two of the sections were particularly interesting: "Art versus the Art World" and "The Power of Art".

In the book, Hockney explained how places and his personal experiences have influenced his art over the years. He talks about how he is incorporating photography into his work and feels that it is an artist's responsibility to be open to new forms of expression. He says he is an "artist who is always working". I think he is always experimenting too, with different methods of expressing his artistic vision.

He said he asssumes that if he is interested in painting something, others will be interested as well. I loved this viewpoint....in other words, he creates for himself.

This was a lovely book---especially all of the GORGEOUS color reproductions which traced the Hockney's evolution and his journeys.

The author has provided an insightful and concise portrait of Amis and his work. I can't imagine that Amis himself could have done better. Diedrick really knows his subject.

Okay, so it's not enough that I maintain, repair, resurrect, and manage this board, where I'm subjected to your abuse on a regular basis; it's not enough that I fulsomely praise you for your insights about the Larkin-Amis nexus of text-checking (and direct readers to the pages and pages on the Amis web where you have your uncensored say); no, I needed to interweave your pet theory about the additional metaphorical weight Nicola carries around with her. May the ghost of Orson fall from your bedroom ceiling tonight, just as you are hatching a theory about the metaphorical significance of CigAir 101--and become incarnate just before his redoubtable rear crashes into your face.

If you are doing research on Martin Amis, this is a book you will have to consider. Terrifically written.

James Diedrick is described in the Introduction to Amis's 'The War Against Cliché' as an 'assiduous' editor. Amis, with one eye constantly on his place in history, already has many good reasons to thank Prof Diedrick, and this update of the definitive guide to Amis's work is another one.

Critical appraisals of other writers are always a balancing act: between subjective opinion and bland objectivity; between an appreciation of the subject's skills and the desire to demonstrate one's own; between academic assiduousness and an accessible message. Understanding Martin Amis gets the balance right in all areas. Any fan (or adversary) of Amis will get a great deal from the book: apercus they hadn't spotted before, confirmation of their pet theories, (relevant) biographical background, and a shared sense of the fun to be had from Amis's fiction at its peerless best. When the Amis backlash has finished its tedious course (when wasn't there one?), this book will serve as a useful reminder of why he was, and will be, so lionised as a novelist.

A contemporary review of Ian MacDonald's superb 'Revolution In The Head: The Beatles Records and the Sixties' stated that the acid test of any work of criticism is whether it makes you want to revisit the work filled with greater insight and enjoyment. I can give no higher praise than to state that Understanding Martin Amis achieves this objective every bit as successfully as MacDonald's book.

Diedrick has written an extremely helpful guide to the work of Martin Amis that should satisfy both academics and casual readers who are looking to deepen their understanding of Amis' often highly allusive fiction. Diedrick's writing is crisp and insightful, and the many strands of Amis' thought are followed with a thoroughness that captures the complexity of his novels without oversimplifying them. So deftly written are Diedrick's discussions of each novel that just about any of the paragraphs could easily warrant a book-length treatment on its own. Students will have much to plunder.

As a longtime reader of Amis', I enjoyed the thoughtful discussions of complex novels like "Money", "London Fields" and "The Information". The attention to the structure of these novels is a great help in unraveling their mysteries, as are the passages outlining Amis' dialogue with nineteenth century luminaries like Dickens and the Romantics. The early books are not overlooked; "The Rachel Papers", one of my favorites, turned out to be a little trickier than I'd thought, while "Other People"-- undoubtedly the most maddeningly convoluted of all the novels-- was made less obscure. (Alas, even Diedrick cannot make me a believer in the insipid "Dead Babies".)

Of special interest is the running examination of Amis' view of masculinity. Amis is often carelessly dismissed by many critics as the father of "lad lit", a smirking mysoginist beyond reconstruction, and I was pleased to see that Diedrick cut through the "bad boy controversy" to illuminate Amis' multivalenced depiction of the modern male (particularly in the new fine new chapter on "Yellow Dog"). This is one of Amis' primary subjects, and almost all of his books deal with the problem of masculinity in some form or another. Diedrick shows that on this topic Amis is hardly as simple as he seems, and certainly less risible.

Importantly, Diedrick's studies also draw on Amis' other writing, such as his journalism and criticism, which is often the best starting point for deciphering the novels, as artistic and philosophic themes move freely between his fiction and non-fiction. The comprehensive use of secondary writing to explain the novels is unsurprising, as Diedrick edited Amis' volume of criticism, the excellent but rather unfortunately titled collection "The War Against Cliche".

If Amis is truly trying to "cover the world in fiction", as one of his book jackets proclaims, Diedrick has provided a learned, engaging and, indeed, indispensible road map.

This is probably Knut Hamsun's' masterpiece when it comes to love stories, and possibly one of Europe's most beautiful love stories. The book is about the son of the old miller, and the daughter of the local "nobleman", the owner of the "Castle". From they are very small and all the way up until the very end he loves her. The parts where they are in the cave and on the island are so beautiful and melancholic. But he being the miller's son, and her being part of the "upper-class", the love is an impossible one. Various circumstances increase the distance between them, and the impossibility of their love, but I won't reveal much. The story is just so beautiful and sad, that it should be required reading for all.

Then comes the fun part, the author; Knut Hamsun, probably Norway's greatest author of all time, was a die-hard "right-wing" anti-modern conservative. This is quite amusing, because all the liberal and anti-European readers just can't wrap their mind around the fact that a person that wrote such beautiful prose was so "abhorrent" in their twisted view. One of his 5 best books and one whose story you'll carry with you forever. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition)

This is probably Knut Hamsun's' masterpiece when it comes to love stories, and possibly one of Europe's most beautiful love stories. The book is about the son of the old miller, and the daughter of the local "nobleman", the owner of the "Castle". From they are very small and all the way up until the very end he loves her. The parts where they are in the cave and on the island are so beautiful and melancholic. But he being the miller's son, and her being part of the "upper-class", the love is an impossible one. Various circumstances increase the distance between them, and the impossibility of their love, but I won't reveal much. The story is just so beautiful and sad, that it should be required reading for all.

Then comes the fun part, the author; Knut Hamsun, probably Norway's greatest author of all time, was a die-hard "right-wing" anti-modern conservative. This is quite amusing, because all the liberal and anti-European readers just can't wrap their mind around the fact that a person that wrote such beautiful prose was so "abhorrent" in their twisted view. One of his 5 best books and one whose story you'll carry with you forever. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition)

"Victoria" is the tormented story of Johannes Moller, the miller's son, and Victoria, a Chamberlain's daughter living at an unnamed Castle. Although they have known each other since their childhood, their love is bound to fail, mainly for social reasons. Victoria's family want her to marry Lieutenant Otto because they need the son-in-law's money to restore their former glory, a marriage of convenience in other words.
Johannes is deeply in love with Victoria, musing about the fragrance emanating from her body, the shape of her shoulders and body. He is driven to despair by Victoria, her shifting mood, saying she loves him but very often refusing to meet him, avoiding him. Johannes has moments of hallucinatory nightmares, seeing strange figures, human heads rolling on the pavement in front of him, voices shouting at him. He is seized by icy fears and sees barking fish...
Johannes also feels that he doesn't fit in Victoria's world and the society of the castle remains distant to him. "My dear young lady, the place is yours, not mine" he tells her. When Johannes meets Lieutenant Otto, Victoria's fiance, a feeling of utter despair descends on him because the reason for Victoria's attachment to Otto is solely due to the fact that he is "well-bred".
A novel of unhappiness, missed opportunities and loneliness occasioned by greed, social pressure and indecisiveness.

When people ask me who my favorite writers are, I am increasingly beginning my response with the name of "Knut Hamsun". This book is one of the reasons why. It is truly one of the most moving stories I've ever encountered. "Romeo and Juliet" turned backwards and without the release of actual declarations of love. Victoria's final letter to Johannes would make the hardest hearted tyrant break into tears. It's really one of the great injustices of modern literary culture that stagnant, unrealistic, hackneyed, preachy prose like John Steinbeck and empty glitz like F. Scott Fitzgerald is celebrated in the USA while Hamsun is forgotten. There was a reason why he won the Nobel Prize. I strongly recommend this (and all his books)to anyone interested in excellent free flowing prose with a psychological bent.

"Victoria" is an archetypal love story for young people, one might say. Devoid of carnal connotations, the novel is an eerie, poetic portrayal of the complicated feelings of youth. The desire is never matched by the corresponding action; the lovers confused, unsure, uncertain, longing for explanation that is never offered. Torn apart by contradictory sentiments, they attract their loved ones only to push them apart when they come. "Victoria" is an astonighingly accurate account of budding sensuality and the torment of first love. So many of us have no clue how to tame the soul gone wild; whether to let oneself flow with the current, or swim backwards, against all odds - and more to the point - so many of us have no idea how to react to equally wild and incomprehensible behavior of the loved ones.

"Victoria" is only a minor work of Knut Hamsun, overshadowed by other novels and novellas, but after over a century, it's still fresh enough to charm the young, sensitive people. For me, the experience of rereading this novel after fourteen years feels like a postcard sent from my own self; to be read when I am old and wrinkled. Indeed, I feel like the eldest mushroom in the world, one who has forgotten the first love and how different the air smelled back then...

A historic tract that lives up to its reputation.

It's hard to think that one would read any regency romances without also reading this book.

It is interesting to teach this book and track how students respond to this book, and how differently male and female students respond to the issues Wollstonecraft raises and discusses. We contextualize the book, and then extract it from its time and place and try to place the issues in our own time and place. A lot of great questions can be raised as we contemplate how far we have and have not come, and what can or should be done about that. . .and who shall do it. It is also an arresting exercise to ask students to apply different literary theories as they discuss this text. The idea is to encourage them to step out of their own shoes and into someone else's as they consider these issues. And it gives great opportunity to ask students to try to separate themselves from their own assumptions and stereotypes about gender and gender behavior, and reassess the issues in Wollstonecraft's time and place, and in light of today's assumptions and stereotypes, which can be harder to quantify than some presume.

If you need to read this for a college or high school class, or as part of a women's studies project that you are doing for some other purpose, then I'd like to assure you that it won't be all that painful. You may even enjoy it and wish that you'd found this book sooner, all on your own. I was only assigned to read parts of it, but I finished the book by choice.

It's interesting and well writen. Some of the language and nearly all of the issues that are brought up are inflamatory. In class discussions I compared the book to "Fight Club," and was nearly laughed out of the room, but I am at least partly serious. It does have the edge of a social visionary who wanted to shake things up and blow old fashioned society out of the water. No soap bombs, though, but that's only a technicality.

If you have any choice in the matter I would suggest that you choose this book over stuffier works by less forward thinkers. I swear that reading it won't hurt that badly.

This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities. Wollstonecraft is not easy to read however, she makes a compelling argument. Mary Wollstonecraft viewed the institution of marriage simply as legal prostitution. She believed this to be the case for several reasons. First, the marriage laws in Britain at the time gave men legal rights over their wives including their property. The law also gave men custody of their children in event of divorce, and a woman could not even obtain a divorce without their husband's consent. For women divorce meant having to leave everything of importance in their lives behind. Thus, Wollstonecraft observed that Britain's laws left women in the unenviable position of being treated as mere chattel by their husbands. Second, Wollstonecraft argued that women's downtrodden position in society was not the cause of religious or moral teachings. She was emphatic in her assessment that it was women's denial of the same educational opportunities that men received that made them seem weak and inferior to men. Finally, she believed marriage only chained women to a life of drudgery in the home.

Armed with this information, Wollstonecraft set out to propose in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Women the idea, that equal education for women was the only remedy for this grave injustice perpetrated against them, and education for women would actually strengthen the institution of marriage. She made several prescient arguments to support this idea. First, Wollstonecraft believed schoolchildren needed the contact and interaction with other schoolchildren to develop properly. So, she argued against Britain's system of elitist education, especially its private schools and boarding schools. She advocated for the creation of national public schools, funded by the state, and attended by children from the entire socio-economic strata. Second, she thought it was imperative that both boys and girls must be educated together. The reason Wollstonecraft believed in coeducation, was that when both boys and girls get to know one another from an early age they would in turn, build friendships, and learn to respect one another. Therefore, when women get married, they will be able to serve as companions to their husbands and not just as trophy wives or sexual objects. "Nay, marriage will never be held sacred till women, by being brought up with men, are prepared to be their companions rather than their mistresses." Third, Wollstonecraft asked the question, how society could expect mothers to rear healthy boys capable of functioning as confident and productive men in society if their mothers, who raised them, were uneducated. She was horrified to think of the damage already done to children by uneducated, weak-minded mothers. Wollstonecraft articulates in beautiful fashion her argument for the need to educate women in the following quote. "If marriage be the cement of society, mankind should all be educated after the same model, or the intercourse of the sexes will never deserve the name of fellowship, nor will women ever fulfill the peculiar duties of their sex." This argument only enhances women's roles as wives and mothers. Finally, Wollstonecraft argued that the implementation of her educational reforms would prove to be a key element leading to the improvement of the institution of marriage in particular, and for family life in general. "Contending for the rights of women, my main argument is built on this simple principle, that if she be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge and virtue."

Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy, and feminism.

As I read this book, I find myself comparing the authors examples of the treatment of women by their fathers/husbands with the way women are today treated by the media.

Mary discusses how women are to be kept ignorant of all knowledge and only to be valued for their physical charms (almost every ad on TV/in print). The examples of her contemporaries that she quotes are frighteningly familiar.

Why is this so? Who determines that the education of females is not relevant to society. Sure they are allowed to go to school now, but they are still treated with amazing patronization and condescenscion? The amount of my (intelligent) female friends that insist they are dumb/ignorant/stupid/an idiot is disturbing. Maybe now females are allowed to learn, they should also be allowed self esteem.

I think I got sidetracked. This book is a complex and well written argument for the emancipation and education of women. It is as true today as much as it was 200 years ago. It is, however a slow read as the language is couched in the vocabulary of the late eighteenth century and many of the terms are unfamiliar.

I bought this for a friend. He's a train enthusiast and always wanted this book. But it was so hard to find--and usually cost an arm and a leg. This is going to make for a great Christmas gift. Amazon is a great place for those hard to find items. And quick shipping as well.

I consider myself an expert on Disneyland; I'm a former Imagineer and a collector of Disneyland information. Michael Broggie is not exaggerating his father's importance to the realization of Walt's dream. This book goes slightly beyond the sanitized "official" version that the Disney company promulgates and includes some stories and details that haven't been widely known. It's a beautiful coffee table book, complete and accurate (except for one or two nits someone like me might pick). I love it particularly for all the never-before published photos--you get so tired of seeing the same old approved shots when you collect Disneylandiana.

In case Amazon doesn't provide links, I would also recommend "Walt Disney Imagineering" by David Mumford, et.al. and "Inside Story" by the late Randy Bright. Both are "official," but just as authoritative as Broggie's.

Having been a "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour guide at Disneyland AND an engineer on the Steam Trains, I can say with full confidence that this is THE best book written about Walt Disney and his vision of Disneyland, and his love of trains.

The photographs are outstanding, the writing is wonderful, interesting, and easy to read, and the the stories, history, and facts are amazing.

Buy this book for yourself, and get an extra copy to give to someone who likes Disney - they'll be very thankful!

I have always loved the trains at Disneyland more than any other attraction. I always had dozens of questons about the trains that I wished I could get answers to. When I found out about this book I ordered it immediately. (My first experince with "one-click" ordering by the way, and WOW how easy!!) The book arrived on a Friday and I sat down to read it as soon as I got home from work. I could not put it down! I read straight through until 4am the next morning and finished it. It answered all the questions I ever had about the trains at Disneyland. It is a wonderful glimpse into the life of Walt Disney, and the group of incredibly talented people who worked for him. If you love trains, this book is a must. If you love Disneyland, this book is a must. If you could care less about trains and Disneyland, but you love a good story, this book is a must. Thank you Michael Broggie, for sharing this wonderful story.

I normally only read technical books. I picked this book up just to look at the pictures. Then I started to read the short articles within the chapters. I found them so fasinating that I found myself reading the main articles. My son asked my wife "what is Dad doing reading?". Walt Disney said that it all started with a mouse, but after reading this book you will realize that it all started with a train.

Grit and determination against the odds shines through in this woman with tremendous endurance to the point of inflicting self-suffering. A frank, open account of how she undertook her epic walk around the world - even to the point of admitting where she cheated and had to return to satisify her guilt.

Its been tough work looking for this book . After picking up after much work, i guess its well paid. Her strong charater , honesty and bravery definetly inspire me. As a vivid traveller myself, i must say frankly say, i doubt if I would have that kind of determination like Ffyona's. Though bitchy and spoilt at times ( which is quite a while, i think ) she manages to get her way through each and every tough times. Lucky. Her effort to bond backs with her family paid off with her will to prove herself. The reasn she gave for waking was " To prove to my dad " or something like that..! Ffyona, AWESOME!! A hi 5 to you!

Through her journey, Ffyona learned and shows us what it is and what it takes to be "human",what true courage is, as she bares her soul. Without embellishing anything,the author faces her demons and finds herself, she speaks about the process of growing:the pain,the lessons and joys of life...How she became who she is,why... As the aboriginals she admired, she made her journey...it's pure and beautiful.

I have just finished reading Ffyona Campbells brilliant new book "The Whole Story " and for the first time i have been unable to put the book down like no other . I bought this book for £1 in my local bargain bookshop and I consider it to be the best £1 i have or ever will spend .The journey Ffyona takes is truly epic in milage and emotional terms as she walks and confronts her true inner self along the route . Ffyona finds herself sitting next to a person she once was on a flight to America and for any one to admit their personal failings must be saluted .I have read before that in order to tell a true autobiography /travel account then the author must be truthful and when you finally find the inner truth then the telling of the story must be easy .A truly well writen book from start to end from a truly couragous person .My ambition now would be to srtive to be like Ffyona and meet such agreat person of the 20th century . bravo Ffyona !

In its simplicity the book is invincibly entering into something deeply philosophical. Very plaintively a finger has been laid on all the maladies of the earth. The sick earth, or sickened. Man stopped long time ago. Why? We don't know. May be he was insecure, may be greedy, may be ... but none is an excuse befitting to exonerate him. But perhaps not everybody stopped. Some refused. They understood the true, or more true nature of life. That it flows. As long as it's alive it flows. Or as long as it flows, is alive. When it stops starts the permeation of death. Ugliness and disease. Stench, scum... There is no end.

Speaking broadly, there were, are, people called tribals, aboriginals. The man who stopped, permeated by death devoured these people, tried to devour them all, in the name of civilisation, in the disguised name of sickness. Strangely as the common logic doesn't operate here, contrary to the man who devoured last, the man who got devoured, won. The sensible in the devouring man appears to be begging.

The other man is always walking.

It appears the sensible in the stopped man or rather the man who stopped, longs to walk now. In order to be healed. To not to contradict life anymore. To follow it, and flow.

That a girl of 16 would lead us to all this, is amazing. Salute Ffyona.

A great tool for any collector of British Army WW II military uniforms and equipment. I would be lost without it.

A great book for uniform buffs, lots of colour pictures. Plenty of equipment shown, although text is generally (as per the books title)related to uniforms. Captions are concise but to have expanded on them would have undoubtedly reduced the number of photographs in the book and as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. THE WW11 Brit uniform book.

Tremendous photographs and informative text, undoubtedly the best reference yet knocks spots of anything else on the market. Unfortunatly it is limited to Europe although this does not detract from an otherwise very good book for collectors and re-enactors. What next lads?

The work consists mostly of large format photographs of reenactors wearing original clothing and kit of the period. (Overall size of about 8 by 10 inches.) It goes much beyond anything else I have seen except the two volume set by Jean Bouchery (c.f.) and includes not just the ordinary battle dress worn by Tommy Atkins and his officers but the specialized kit of parachutists, mountain troops (cold weather gear), motorcyclists, and other unusual garb.
Many of the plates are done in the fashion of the French magazine Militaria which is a highly useful source as well.
Not only is ithis work an identification source; it also has some developmental history and organigrammes of front line tactical units.

I have literally memorized this book as I have poured over the pictures contained within attempting to gain a grasp of what items were used doing the period. The extent of detail in the pictures is astounding. My only negative critiques are that some rare items are only given a single photo (officer's valise and wire cutters/web pouch) and that the captions do not go into enough detail and background of many items. (I.E., the officer's valise, info on binoculars, and different manufacturers of clothing and web gear.) While I will DEFINATELY purchase their future volume on North Africa and SE Asia, I hope they go into more detail of non-uniform items. This book is a great gift idea and should be on the shelf of any WWII British militaria collector/historian's library.

Bill Mason and son Paul really get down to basics in canoe and paddling technique in this revised soft-cover paddling manual. This book is geared to those who want to learn everything there is about flat-water and white-water travelling. It's the most definitive guidebook on the market.

This is an almost perfect book - Bill Mason's love of the craft shines through homey but well-written prose, while his descriptions of canoe technique and rivercraft are generally clear and easy to follow. He obviously writes from a wealth of experience, which translates into solid advice without becoming needlessly dogmatic. As a technique book, I much prefer this to Jacobson's series of canoe texts (although those are reasonable in their own right); I especially appreciated his series of river scenarios and discussions of how to handle them.

I would really liked to have rated this 5-stars. However, the production could have been much improved. The b/w pictures accompanying the text are often poorly reproduced, with insufficient greyscale to allow them to be clearly interpretted. Additionally, a bit more editting might have spotted some inconsistent terms as well as other undefined terms. But all in all, this is one of my favorite canoe books. It certainly should have a place on the shelf of every serious paddler.

Path of the Paddle provides more than an instructional text, it introduces the reader to the art of canoeing. Mason infuses the practicality of the subject with a respectful dose of philosophic underpinnings that anyone who has ever slid a canoe onto the water's surface and experienced the joyful dance of boat, paddle and water will appreciate. There are many "how to" canoe books, covering the basic stokes and safety concerns, but this book conveys that information in a form that demonstrates the author's love for his craft.
If you want to become a canoeist, not only do I recommend this book, I recommend finding and getting the video of the same title.

Best canoeing book on the market. Not only is it a great how to guide on canoe handling, it is an excellent read for those long winter nights for the canoe enthusiast. The book imparts Bill Mason's love of the canoe. Written by a true legend in canoeing and wilderness film making.

I own both "Path of the Paddle" and "Song of the Paddle". These are the best books I have seen on canoeing, written by one of the best canoeists ever. They cover all facets of the canoe and how to use them properly. The "step-by-step" photos and the diagrams help teach proper techniques and the text is both informative and entertaining without becoming confusing or boring. Bill Mason and his son Paul have done a splendid piece of work and these books are a cherished addition to my personal library.