Division 1 Books

The WW II 8th Air Force was made up of Air Divisions, Ron Mackay's book being a chronicle of the 1st Air Division formed in 1942. 1st AD bomb groups flew the first strategic bombing missions launched by U.S. aircraft from England, pioneering the tactics and formations that turned the 8th AF into the 'Mighty Eighth.' Those very same bomb groups, later bolstered by newly arriving groups, also flew some of the roughest missions of the war, turning in a combat record second to none as related in FIRST IN THE FIELD.

Pre-war stateside Air Forces planners thought precision daylight bombing could have a decisive effect on the European war. Once based in the U.K., B-17 crews from the 91st, 92nd, 303rd, 305th and 306th Bomb Groups were the first to put the theory into practice. As more units were assigned in the coming months - the 351st, 379th, 457th, etc. - the missions grew longer and losses mounted. But, by war's end, 'Mighty Eighth' B-17s and B-24s protected by P-47s and P-51s owned the skies over Germany.

Author Mackay does a good job of chronicling the first, faltering steps of the 8th AF bombing campaign followed by the continuing buildup with its successes and bloody setbacks over targets like Schweinfurt, the turning of the tide with the arrival of escort fighters and then ultimate victory wherein 1,000-plane raids pummeled German targets. Along with a blow-by-blow summary of missions flown Mackay details the behind-the-scenes developments as regards experimentation with different formations and tactics, YB-40 escorts, morale, etc.

The book is illustrated with hundreds of black & white and color photographs of aircraft, aircrews, commanders, ground scenes, etc.

Since FIRST IN THE FIELD is a history of an Air Division the book would have benefitted from the inclusion of organization charts listing the units assigned to the 1st AD at different periods as well as a map showing the locations of the different 1st AD bomb groups. Likewise, given the important role the 1st AD played in 8th AF ops, the book really needs a final summation of the Division's war record - number of missions flow, tonnage dropped, losses, etc. (As a personal preference, I also wish Mackay would provide full names for the men he writes about; most individuals being listed only as "Lt. Smith," "Lt. Martin," etc).

In any case, FIRST IN THE FIELD is a comprehensive, well-written and well-illustrated tribute to some pioneering 8th Air Force airmen. All 'Mighty Eighth' enthusiasts will want to add this book to their collection.

There is a reason this book has remained in print all of these years. This work is just staggering in its detail. The author has sorted through, mastered and logically arranged an enormous amount of information.

Alcee Fortier was head of the Romance Languages dept. at Tulane and dean of the college. He is probably the only scholar in New Orleans to have a Tulane building, a high school, a road, and a park all named after him.

Anyone interested in Louisiana history must read this important classic.

Gold Mining in North Carolina? The very thought of this pales by comparison to the gold rushes seen in California in the 19th century, but there was indeed gold found in North Carolina as well.

The authors have done a nice job of introducing the reader to the history of gold mining in the state of North Carolina. The book provides the reader with a quality study of the personas and events that triggered the gold rush in the south, as well as the struggles faced in trying to recover gold in this region.

The book starts with a rather dry chapter on the geologic activity in the region, including where the gold was found. From there, however, the book picks up pace nicely and becomes a great narrative story of mining and recovery of gold nuggets and flakes in this American state.

In my opinion, the strongest features of the book are the introductions to the characters (quite literally, some of these folks were indeed characters) that were involved in the mining experiences in North Carolina starting as early as 1799. The authors have also done a splendid job in describing the meteoric rise and similarly rapid fall of the mines themselves, including the many times that mining properties were sold at auction or purchased by new gold-hungry entrepeneurs.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an introduction to gold mining in North Carolina, but be warned that the first chapter can be tough sledding. I can only hope that there are further books written by this team detailing out the lives of the people that made these events so interesting.

This is a good practice book for grammar review. It offers practice on several different areas. I would like to see more variety in the exercises, but it's good for a broad understanding.

It's a shame that this book is out of print. It's an excellent book by an excellent author. This book contains all of the things you would expect from a biography of Stalin, including all of the stories of his childhood, etc. What makes this book interesting and controversial, however, is that Tucker dares to explore what effect his childhood might have had on his future personality (always dangerous ground for a historian) and detail his motives as well as his tactics in the struggle for power in the post-Lenin Soviet Union.

That said, it should be noted that, as is common with Tucker's books, this is the middle book in Tucker's biography of Stalin. It's focus is on his rise to power and the consolidation of that power in the Soviet Union, although it does deal slightly with other periods. Also useful is the chapter on Lenin. A very useful book for anyone interested in Russian studies, as Stalin was one of the shaping figures of the Soviet Union.

This book is well suited for anyone interested in forestry history, the history of Japan's imperial household, and may even hold some value to those looking at property rights in Japan. Although not as accessible to the non-specialist as The Green Archipelago and The Lumber Industry in Early Modern Japan, it is still a wonderful scholarly work.

I first encountered this book when I was in High School, as a Year 11 textbook. Having bought myself a copy, I have found it to be amazingly helpful, right through until the end of my second year of learning Japanese at University. Although at first it may seem intimidating, the pace at which this book is set is challenging, yet entirely achievable. It begins with very simple conversations, such as introductions and directions, and moves through to discuss modern Japanese literature, in Japanese. Each chapter is clearly set out, featuring sections of Japanese text, its English translation, new vocabulary and a section upon the grammar used in that chapter. It also has teaching and learning exercises at the end of each chapter. If you want a Japanese text to take you past the mere basics, this is a brilliant purchase.

I'm getting why 2000 AD and Judge Dredd are so popular. The stories aren't spectacularly original. But they are well-plotted, well-characterized, and are always just a blast to read.

Case in point: "Judge Anderson: Anderson-Psi Division", which collects three story arcs from Judge Anderson's solo adventures. Judge Casandra Anderson is a denzien of a distant post-apocalyptic future, wherein the surviving population has been jammed into Mega cities. These cities are patrolled by judges, the best and the brightest the city has to offer. These judges are given the power to enforce the law, convict felons, and execute sentences, all on the spot. Some judges have various psionic abilites, which are useful to solving and preventing crime. Unlike Judge Dredd, Anderson is a character with a sense of humor, and certain warmth. That doesn't stop her from being a tough-as-nails badass when the situation calls for it.

In the first story, "Four Dark Judges", Anderson becomes increasingly concerned that Judge Death and his cronyies are attempting to return. Her efforts to prevent that make matters worse. In "The Sacrifice", Anderson attempts to save a boy from demonic possession, but must face a no-win situation. And in "Hour of the Wolf", Anderson keeps getting images of a giant wolf attacking Mega-City 1, as a conspiracy of revenge is set in motion with her as a primary target.

Despite the elaborate background of these stories, they're self-contained. If this is your first experience with the "Dreddverse", you won't be overwhelmed by continutiy or backstory. They're also actioned-packed hoots, with a solid ammount of satire and violence built in.

Unfortunately, since DC is no longer publishing 2000 AD material, I have no idea when a volume two might be published, or by who. Still, it's worth your while to have the first one.

This is a wonderful book for use with first or second graders. It covers 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4 in an engaging way that demonstrates realistic everyday uses for fractions that young children can relate to. Animals devide into two groups for a tug of war, three groups for a swimming race and four groups for a canoe race. A great introduction to fractions!

I read this book because a friend of mine was a "shirt tail" relation to the Principal in the book. If you like 1st Person accounts of WW II by the guys/gals who lived it, you'll like this. It's a tough read for a person who isn't a big time reader but it's a fast read. I enjoyed it and thought it was worth the time.