United Kingdom Books

Neil White and Chris Hawksley are the masters in conveying the understanding of the much feared assembly language. I defy anyone not to understand and follow the progression of the book, which is a brilliant development from basic CPU architecture to the revealation of the instructions which allow you, not windows, to truely have control of you're PC. Don't take my word for it; Voted Book of the Year by Times Literary Review (acad.cat)'87,'88, and the Best Independant Manual appointed by Intel Corp. 1987.

An amazing book highlighting a typical year 2 (ages 6-7)classroom. The teacher, obviously showing a love and enthusiasm for what he does, shows how an educator can teach more then just reading, writing and math. He shows how he acknowledges the childrens' feelings and this in turn helps encourage and excite them as human beings. His obvious joy of teaching shows, and the assistants and specialty teachers seem equally in love with their profession. A beautiful book indeed!

Ahead of its time when first published 10 years ago, this dazzling off-beat collection has at last come to be recognized as a milestone in Romantic studies. It's worth buying for the contemporary cartoon of Byron posing as a ghost alone.

Atlas of Magical Britain is a fascinating book, which explores in depth the origins and myths surrounding various locations in Britain. The authors divide the atlas into sections such as: "Cornwall and Devon," or "South Wales," and then discusses the sites of supernatural importance in each section.

I was fascinated to learn of the re-occurring theme in British folklore of the large 'black dog," which seems to haunt every county in England! I also enjoyed the fact that this atlas explores both secular and religious myths. It has a little for everyone! Each site is discussed including the modern and (usually) Judeo-Christian myth, what the researcher has been able to dig up, as well as the possible pagan or prehistoric origin. (For instance monoliths inscribed with Christian symbols which may be in fact stone age temples or burial grounds). Also, I found it helpful that under each heading was a brief summary such as: Petrification legend, Ancient custom, Giant, etc. This made it easy to see what each section was going to be about.

Highly recommend to those visitors intending to travel to Britain, or those who are interested in folklore. A five star book!

As a novice to the English Civil War I found this book very easy to
read & grasp. I really appreciated the military situation maps listed
by year, it helped put the battles & campaigns into a logical framework.
Buying this book is money well spent!

"This convoy must not get through-U-boats pursue, attack and sink."

This was the signal that Admiral Dönitz sent to the commanders of the 21 U-boats of the Markgraf wolf-pack on September 9, 1941 just before the US entered the war. Sixty-three merchant ships; a number old and dilapidated and all slow and heavy-laden with vital supplies from the United States for the United Kingdom, were strung out in 12 columns abreast, covering 25 miles of inhospitable ocean. They set sail from Nova Scotia at a time when the German U-boats were sinking more than one hundred ships a month and the US Navy could do nothing but stand-by and watch (at least officially). The convoy's escort of one destroyer and three corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy, all untried in combat, was hopelessly outclassed when the battle for SC42 commenced. The battle lasted for seven days and covered 1,200 miles of ocean.

First hand accounts by participants on both sides add interest and drama.

Brian Vale has produced a much needed `semi-revisionist' account of the life of Lord Cochrane. I say `much needed' because most previous works have, as the author argues, more or less uncritically used as their sources the accounts left behind by the intrepid sailor or his partisans. Thus the version of history propounded by Cochrane has become the orthodoxy.

I use the phrase `semi-revisionist' because whilst Brian Vale has, through painstaking scholarship, set the record straight on several issues, he has in no way undertaken an exercise in `debunking.' In fact, I would argue, the subject emerges from this piece of work a much more rounded character than is the case with many previous exercises.

One aspect that is investigated in some depth is the Gambier Court Martial, brought about by Cochrane's reluctance to see the admiral thanked by parliament for his part in the Battle of Basque/Aix Roads on 12 April 1809. To Cochrane, Gambier was guilty of the gravest dereliction of duty and worthy only of censure, not thanks. Gambier was acquitted of all wrongdoing, and to the end of his life Cochrane was bitter about what he considered to be the rigging of the Court Martial. Indeed his autobiography, published half a century later, contains thousands of words of analysis of the evidence, and it is upon this partisan interpretation that most subsequent accounts have been based and from which the orthodox view has arisen.

This view has now been challenged, and the evidence presented to the Court Martial sifted by Vale's critical mind, leading to a more balanced conclusion. For example, as he points out, of the seventeen commanders of individual vessels present at the scene only six, including Cochrane, were of the view that Gambier was wrong in not sending heavy ships into the restricted waters of Aix Roads. Thus: `the majority of senior British professionals who were on the spot [. . .] backed Gambier's refusal to take risks.'

Certainly Gambier was cautious, and whether or not he was correct in his conduct is certainly debatable. However, he had been in ultimate command during an operation that eliminated the threat from an enemy `fleet in being', and he had preserved his own fleet and freedom of action. He was then unquestionably the victor, but it was not a smashing victory such as Nelson might have achieved, and which Cochrane wanted.

Brian Vale is the first authority, to my knowledge, that has come down on Gambier's side in this argument after employing detailed scrutiny; he is almost certainly correct.

Gambier's Court Martial, despite being intimately related to the battle, seems however less susceptible to revision. The weight of witness opinion, as expressed in numbers holding `for' and `against' views, did not of itself make a decision inevitable one way or the other. However, given that, as Vale himself puts it, there were `undercurrents' at the trial because `the idea that a commander-in-chief could be court-martialled because a junior officer disagreed with his actions was anathema', it seems probable that there was, at least, a predisposition amongst the panel towards upholding the authority of Gambier, and thus established authority in general.

This was, it may be recalled, a time when criticism of the political and social status quo resulted in prosecution and imprisonment. It is therefore legitimate to conclude that established authority, in pronouncing judgement on a matter of authority, would have been most unlikely to come to a decision, whatever the evidence, that would support subversion of authority. It is almost certain that Cochrane could never have been allowed to discredit Gambier, not because of who he was or what he had done, or not done, but because of what he represented.

Already believing that he was the victim of persecution, the Gambier Court Martial drove Cochrane to an occasional state of near paranoia; a state he laboured under for almost the rest of his life. Brian Vale concludes that in many cases this state of mind led Cochrane to erroneous conclusions, inasmuch as he tended to take disagreement with his views as evidence of personal animus.

Whilst there is evidence that this was indeed the case on occasion, unfortunately the author does not give us his analysis of one particular episode that Cochrane used as an example of the `authorities' persecution of him; the case of the convoy lamp. Having been assigned to convoy duty Cochrane had applied his mind to the difficulties of keeping a convoy in some kind of order at night. He devised a powerful lamp that would act as a beacon on the leading ship, a device he offered to the Admiralty but which was rejected. The same Admiralty shortly afterwards offered a prize of £50 for the design of such a light. Cochrane submitted his invention under a false name and it won the competition. However when the true designer became known `not a lamp was ever ordered.'

The episode, given that the above is a correct account, is perhaps evidence that not all Cochrane's fears were imaginary.

Cochrane was undoubtedly a maverick whose qualities were enormous, with the almost inevitable corollary that so were his faults. His genius, which is not too strong a term, for making war was counterbalanced by his utter failure to exhibit even a modicum of discretion when dealing with his superiors, and, predictably, the latter defect often led to the negation of the former quality.

Brain Vale brings formidable scholarship to bear on his subject and has produced a book that is essential, and excellent, reading for anyone with an interest in the `The Audacious Admiral Cochrane.' I say this despite having one minor quibble; though grateful to be cited in such an impressive work, I would have been even more grateful if the author had spelled my name correctly!

This book provides valuable foreshadowing and insight into the changing landscape of the world of public accounting. A must read!

I like this book very much, I am reading it for the second time. It has a well constructed, thematic approach that takes you from pre-European Aboriginal society to late 20th century attempts to be an 'all encompassing' society. It explains how the physical environment shaped the Australian character together with the cultural and historical pull towards Britain and Europe competing with the pull towards America and Asia as it still tries to define itself in the world. One is left feeling that Australia is a rather unique combination of hedonism, tolerance, stability, blandness and infinite possibility.

Easy to read and a treasure chest of delights, 'The Avalonians' is a must read for lovers of Glastonbury the world over.
As a clairvoyant working in the wonderful Isle of Avalon that is Glastonbury, it is lovely reading about past Avalonians who have made a huge impact on the area and on our studies of the spiritual, esoteric world.
Of course one hears about such people from friends, especially friends met at the Chalice Well, which is so much linked with the Avalonians mentioned in the book. Until reading 'The Avalonians', I had not realised how little I knew about recent history of the area I live in.
This is an important book for anyone interested in Avalon, Glastonbury and all its heritage. Most people want to know about King Arthur and his enigmatic wife. Reading about Glastonbury's recent past is just as important if a visitor, or resident, is to truly know Glastonbury.