Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Boston, Ginn andand company in 1903 in 97 pages; Subjects: Education; ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Insightful look into the life of this MS Civil War solider
This book is a wonderful read, true to the diary of William Van Davis and illustrated with well reserached side stories and photos.The author did an amazing job of research and it is a must have for any true student of the Civil War or lover of the history of Mississippi. ... Read more

Product Description
With a new foreword by William C. Davis.

A rare Sephardic Jew in the Old South and a favorite of Jefferson Davis, Judah P. Benjamin has been described as "the brains of the Confederacy." He held three successive Confederate cabinet posts--attorney general, secretary of war, and secretary of state--and was Davis's closest confidant in the government. But some have questioned Benjamin's loyalty to Davis and the extent of his influence. More than 140 years after Benjamin first appeared on the Confederate scene, historians still debate his place in the history of the Lost Cause. Originally published back in 1943 and now available for the first time in paperback, Robert Douthat Meade's JUDAH P. BENJAMIN, CONFEDERATE STATESMAN provides an absorbing account of the life of this enigmatic Civil War figure.

Meade chronicles Benjamin's birth in the Virgin Islands; his rise to power as a lawyer and politician in south Louisiana; his election to the U.S. Senate in the 1850s; his outspoken role in the secession controversy; his friendship with Davis; his prominent role in the Confederate government; his daring escape after Appomattox; and his brilliant second law career in England after the war. Still the definitive study of Benjamin after nearly sixty years, Meade's authoritative work is a classic of Civil War biography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A pearl of great price....
Judah Benjamin's story has fascinated me since I was a child. Here was a man who lived by a masterful combination of brains and charm, who overcame great adversity, and, when The Cause was lost, picked himself up and moved on. Benjamin was a biographer's nightmare...he never kept correspondence, burned all his papers before evacuating Richmond [and did the same shortly before he died], and never wrote, or spoke, of the Civil War once it was over. He became the richest lawyer in Louisiana at a young age, lost everything in the war, and, starting over in England in his 50's, became the richest lawyyer there. Who was the first Jew in the U.S. Senate? Who was the first Jew nominated to the Supreme Court? Who was the first American Jew to hold a Cabinet position. Who was the first Jew [and man born outside England] to be a Queen's Counsel in England? Benjamin is the answer to ALL those trivia questions. [David Yulee had served in the Senate earlier, but he had long since converted to Presbyterian; Benjamin turned down President Fillmore's nomination because the Court didn't pay enough] Judah Benjamin held three different jobs in President Davis' Cabinet,[despite an earlier near duel with Davis in the Senate] and was, in many ways, Davis' right hand man, accessory brain, and designated "nice guy", soothing the feathers that Davis ruffled. The story of Benjamin's escape to England at the end of the war is, alone, worth the price of the book. Benjamin's marriage gets plenty of space; in many ways, it was the match made in Hell. Natalie was a piece of work, yet the Benjamins were, on some level, quite devoted to each other, and stayed more or less together for over 50 years.

Judah Benjamin is a problem for some Jews, and northern liberals...here was a Jew, educated at Yale, who owned slaves, and was probably the most articulate defender of slavery. Then, he was one of the central figures in the Confederacy for four years. History does not always fit neatly; try making Thomas Jefferson fit anything. The number of Jews in the Confederacy was around 2000 [see Robert Rosen's "The Jewish Confederates"], and, as for slavery, not only did rich Jews own slaves, so did rich Indians, Mexicans, and free Blacks.

Dr. Robert Meade published this great masterpiece in 1943. It is one of the very finest pieces of biography about anybody, anytime. There are three other Benjamin biographies that I know about, and own. Two of them are even worth reading. But, there is no real comparison. This is up there with Dr. Freeman's "R.E. Lee". High praise, I know, and not made lightly. {If you can find Meade's two volume study of Patrick Henry, get it. Good luck} LSU press deserves a big "THANK YOU" for making this great book available.

ADDENDUM: There is now a fifth volume available...the 1933 "Judah P. Benjamin-Statesman of the Lost Cause" by Rollin Osterweis can be had from Amazon. See my review of it; this volume remains definitive.

Judah P. Benjamin: Confederate Statesman
Excellent perspective of history without the northern or PC agenda. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether called a riverboat, paddleboat, sternwheeler, or showboat, the steamboat revolutionized river travel between 1810 and the Civil War. Greatly advancing commerce and travel, these floating mansions provided a romanticism and color which has long since disappeared. This superb volume describes a worldin which every boy along the Mississippi yearned to become a river pilot, and every levee was crowded with goods waiting to be loaded onto steamboats, a world in which the elite of society rubbed shoulders with gamblers in the luxury of mighty river cruises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Breathtaking photography
The potraits of the riverboats are phenominal. A great work of history to go with the wonderful black and white photos of some of the giants in the history of river traffic. You will not be disappointed in your purchase of this wonderful book. More than a coffee table book it is an adventure into one of the most fascinatiing eras of history ... Read more

Product Description
An Unabridged, Digitally Enlarged Edition: A Day In Old Athens - A Picture Of Athenian Life, With Comprehensive Index And All Original Illustrations. ... Read more

Product Description
Diaries by Kentucky Rebels are a rarity; the soldiers, cut off from their homes and families in the Union Bluegrass, were themselves atypical.In this massive and eloquent journal, Captain Edward O. Guerrant evocatively portrays his unusual wartime experiences attached to the headquarters of Confederate generals Humphrey Marshall, William Preston, George Cosby, and, most notably, John Hunt Morgan.Able to see the inner workings of campaigns in the little-known Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia, and east Tennessee, where some of the most vicious small-scale fighting occurred, Guerrant made scrupulous daily entries remarking upon virtually everything around him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Information from the INSIDE
I currently have 15 books that I use in researching information about Morgan's Raiders.While this book touches on part of those events, it is hard to find a book that gives better description of the day to day boredom and survival of the Confederate forces in western Virginia and eastern Tennessee during that time.It also helps reinforce the unending confusion among the officers and the struggles of vanity that were taking place.There is MUCH information here that is missing from any of the other books.

I found Guerrant a likeable young man whose concerns for his appearance, young ladies and a good horse not so different than the standard concerns of young men today.At one point he commented that he had written a thought with the idea that no young woman would ever be reading it.I considered that this older woman was reading it, but then realized that he had died long before I was born.It really puts life cycles and our communications by writing into perspective.

I am not a scholar, but have enjoyed this book tremendously.When it ended, I felt I had lost a friend.I often go back and read about his life afterwards that is in the introduction.I have been to his area of Kentucky to visit.There is a display about him, his father, son and grandson in the Bluegrass Heritage Museum in Winchester.

A Very Long and Dry Read
As has been stated by another reviewer, there is little here for the general Civil War buff. I've had this book for years and and have finally forced myself to wade through to the end.Guerrant was in a backwater of the war the whole time and was assigned to headquarters, so he didn't see much action.Sometimes this book seems like 700 pages of poetic descriptions of how hard it was raining at the time.

Bluegrass Confederate
This is the best day to day reading of everyday life in the CSA stationed in SW Virgina by people from Kentucky.I have read and re-reading it and use it for a reference all the time.I cannot say that I have read any better book of the everyday life of a conman solider as well as with decisions made by generals.Great book.

History is in the Details
This amounts to nearly 700 pages of transcribed diaries from an officer who saw very little action except in Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee and two campaigns in Kentucky. I echo the previous review by saying that this book is more for a specialist in those campaigns rather than for the general reader of the Civil War.What is as interesting is Guerrant's retelling of all the rumors he hears about the conduct of the war.He keeps hope alive that the Confederacy is winning until he learns of the surrender of Lee's army, in fact does not believe any northern sources and tries to accept every southern source. He also wears religious blinders, feeling that the South will win because God is on it's side. As a good Christian he is fignting for freedom and Southern rights (whatever they are, he doesn't say), but is not troubled by fellow Confederates murdering Black soldiers over a two day period after the first battle of Saltville. His enemies are Yankee Vandals and Niggers, not human beings and certainly not people like himself.

I am troubled about the quality of the editing. William C. Davis gets top billing, but there are so many errors in the footnotes, plus trivia footnoted and important information left unfootnoted, that I wonder how much of this Davis really read. Much of the editing is frankly done by an amateur and is not corrected.This is not what I expect from LSU Press for my fifty bucks. In the chapter notes for early 1863 the editor says Guerrant was looking forward to seeing his friends and family because he had not been home in a year. Yet,he had returned as part of the Confederate invasion in the fall of 1862 and did see friends and some family (he had failed to see his father.) Makes me wonder who really read the material. How about Grant's victory at Missionnary Ridge allowing the Federals to occupy Chattanooga? I thought that they were there already. Several footnotes refer to Federal soldiers as Yankees (I guess the 21st century still needs to catch up in some areas: this on a day when several "Yankee" soldiers have died in Iraq.) Given the competence of the editors and the price I say caveat emptor.

Bluegrass Confederate
Though not devoid of some human interest value, this is not an especially useful source for the historian. Guerrant saw little action, and writes scantily about what he did see. I can't imagine that most of his sojourns in West Virginia and Kentucky will be of interest to most scholars; there is an account of the Battle of Saltville, but that's about it. Eloquent, not to say melodramatic, jeremiads on the weather make up a good deal of the text.

On the other hand, Guerrant was the kind of diarist who thinks that posterity may read his diary someday, and he writes with verve and emotion -- multiple exclamation points, parenthetical clever remarks, and so on. After hundreds of pages -- for a Civil War diary this is exceedingly long -- that gets old, but he undeniably has his moments. ... Read more

Product Description

Fundamental to understanding human sexual expression is reliable and valid measurement and assessment. The instruments that have been developed are not easily accessible and the information is limited concerning appropriate use and psychometric properties. In this volume more than 200 instruments are reproduced, accompanied by the necessary information for their use in research.

Customer Reviews (6)

Research-friendly
It's very hard to find useful measurements that can be used in researching the behavioural sciences, especially in fields where previous research is scant, such as sexual psychology.More books like this need to be made available, as this is a fantastic resource.Includes useful information for various measurements, including reliability and validity as well as the original context in which the measurement was intended.

A Sex Researcher's Dream Come True...
The Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures is the definitive, mammoth book of sex surveys and questionnaires.

This book is a wonderful resource for social scientists and clinicians interested in assessing various aspects of sexuality using quantitative measures.The editors have done an excellent job compiling a wealth of instruments and have reported important information such as the reliability and validity of each measure, as well as copyrights and contact information of the authors/publishers of each measure.An incredibly broad range of areas of study is covered, often with more than one measure for each topic area.Greatly expanded and improved from the previous edition, it's an essential addition to any sexologist's library.

Of great utility for research in sexology
This book covers a large variety of subjects and is extremely helpful for sexological research, regarding both the general population and specific sub-populations.

Excellent tool for Social Scientists
Anyone with a comprehensive understanding of social sciences and anyone who is interested in doing research on human sexuality-this is an excellenttool. This book contains important and valid measures that do NOT in anywaysupport, condone, or justify sexual deviance like sex with animals orchildren. The tests in this book aim to measure aspects of sexuality.

Excellent tool for Social Scientists
Anyone with a comprehensive understanding of social sciences and anyone who is interested in doing research on human sexuality-this is an excellent tool. This book contains important and valid measures that do NOT in anywaysupport, condone, or justify sexual deviance like sex with animals orchildren. The tests in this book aim to measure aspects of sexuality. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
A critical introduction to the life and work of author William Sleator, who has written for both children and young adults and specializes in the field of science fiction. ... Read more

Product Description
William of Poitiers became a chaplain in the household of William the Conqueror, and was able to give a first-hand account of theevents of 1066-7.The Gesta Guillelmi, his unfinished biography of the king, is particularly important for its detailed description of William's campaigns in Normandy, the careful preparations he made for the invasion of England, the battle of Hastings, and the establishment of Norman power after the Conquest.It is a mine of information of military tactics and the conduct of war in the eleventh century. Though written from the point of view of the Norman court, it gives what is probably the most authentic account of these momentous events. This edition, by the late R. H. C. Davis and Marjorie Chibnall, with facing-page English translation of the Latin text, provides the first complete English translation, as well as a full historical introduction and detailed notes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Chronicle And Biography Of King William I
This is the the one and only living memoir of William The Conqueror. Although laden with some historical inaccuracies of pre-Norman England, this chronicle is perhaps the only memoir of William I during his lifetime. It was written by William I's own chaplain, William Of Poitiers(WP) who knew him personally. WP was a knight before becoming a priest in his king's court. His descriptions of the Battle of Hastings is perhaps the most valuable historical information about battle tactics in the eleventh century. Unfortunately WP was unable to finish his chronicle for unknown reasons. Speculations indicated that he fell out of favor in William I's court. This text in its original Medieval Latin was unfortunately preserved in only one manuscript. This original manuscript is now lost, probably disintegrated by a fire. Fortunately it was edited once by Duchesne in the 17th century. The edited text is used as a basis for the present edition we have today. ... Read more

Product Description
Written and compiled by the nation's leading authorities on the war between the states, these books contain nearly 4,000 photographs, many published only in these volumes--now reformatted to a compact and convenient new 5" X 61/2" trim size.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Wonderful Mini History Bok
Truly a picture-packed book on the Civil War...and one that isn't heavy to carry around.

Where's Grant?
I found this book and was ready to purchase it when I realized there were no photos of Ulysses Grant in it. I couldn't believe it, so I checked the index. I was stunned. He is not even listed in the index! Can someoneplease explain to me what is going on here?Otherwise, the photos areamazing....

the story told thru its pictures
This two-volume work is the monumental collection of pictures of the american civil war. In total approx. 1800 pages shows us the soldiers from privates to generals and pictures from the battlefield, taken just a few hours after bitter fighting took place. The pictures also covers the citysand houses as well as other important place like rivers, harbours ormountains. The pictural record is accompaigned by text, written byimportant scholars. Originally six parts, the editors made two volumes ofthis work, which is highly recommended for any civil war buff, who wishesto see, what he's reading about. ... Read more

Product Description

All Americans, not just Texans, remember the Alamo. But the siege and brief battle at that abandoned church in February and March 1836 were just one chapter in a much larger story -- larger even than the seven months of armed struggle that surrounded it. Indeed, three separate revolutionary traditions stretching back nearly a century came together in Texas in the 1830s in one of the great struggles of American history and the last great revolution of the hemisphere. Anglos steeped in 1776 fervor and the American revolution came seeking land, Hispanic and native Americans joined the explosion of republican uprisings in Mexico and Latin America, and the native tejanos seized on a chance for independence. As William C. Davis brilliantly depicts in Lone Star Rising, the result was an epic clash filled not just with heroism but also with ignominy, greed, and petty and grand politics.

In Lone Star Rising, Davis deftly combines the latest scholarship on the military battles of the revolution, including research in seldom used Mexican archives, with an absorbing examination of the politics on all sides. His stirring narrative features a rich cast of characters that includes such familiar names as Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, and Antonio Santa Anna, along with tejano leader Juan Seguín and behind-the-scenes players like Andrew Jackson. From the earliest adventures of freebooters, who stirred up trouble for Spain, Mexico, and the United States, to the crucial showdown at the San Jacinto River between Houston and Santa Anna there were massacres, misunderstandings, miscalculations, and many heroic men.

The rules of war are rarely stable and they were in danger of complete disintegration at times in Texas. The Mexican army often massacred its Anglo prisoners, and the Anglos retaliated when they had the chance after the battle of San Jacinto. The rules of politics, however, proved remarkably stable: The American soldiers were democrats who had a hard time sustaining campaigns if they didn't agree to them, and their leaders were as given to maneuvering and infighting as they were to the larger struggle. Yet in the end Lone Star Rising is not a myth-destroying history as much as an enlarging one, the full story behind the slogans of the Alamo and of Texas lore, a human drama in which the forces of independence, republicanism, and economics were made manifest in an unforgettable group of men and women. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Pretty Good
This book provides for a good general history on the construction of
The Republic of Texas.The read is definitely worth it, even if you're a native Texan and think you know it all.

Take it from a true and truthful native Texan, read the book.It'll give you much more than a college class on the History of Texas ever could.

Beneath the Sugarcoating and Between the Facts
It's interesting to observe how seldom story tellers trust their audience to draw their own conclusions.This is starkly obvious when you consider how the Texas Revolution has been depicted in film and legend.The tendency to paint it as heroic movement of courageous men overcoming a formidable foe to win freedom from repression is a powerful one and fits neatly with the overarching mythology of the American experience.The truth is so vastly different and so disagreeably at odds with the sugarcoating that it can be like biting into a chocolate covered rat.

Yet at the heart of the impulse to glorify something that wasn't in fact very glorious is the need to declare roundly, We Were Good People and We Deserved This.Interestingly, however, a frank and honest reading of the events surrounding the Texas Revolution of 1836 will bring you to the same conclusion, albeit by a different route.Such a straightforward chronicling is provided in Lone Star Rising, The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic, by William C. Davis.Ironically, however, the book's strength is also its weakness.

Davis's workmanlike compilation of the documented facts while thorough, and ultimately sufficient to provide a complete picture of people and events, lacks flavor.It reads like the boiled down product of a shelf load of monographs, dry, often plodding, but unassailable when it comes to the facts.An attentive reading will bring you to some interesting conclusions about the Texas Revolution all on your own, but you'll find yourself wishing the author had spiced the broth, added a dash of poetry.Indeed, you'll find yourself wishing for a dash of sweetener, even if you object to sugarcoating in general.Put another way, you'll wish there was a middle road between a bald-faced glorification of events and a deadpan piling up of facts. The Texas Revolution deserves as much, because it is so interesting, and so telling.

If one has a sense of providence, an inkling about the workings of faith, the story of the Texas Revolution speaks volumes about a Good People Who Deserved Something.But it wasn't the buffoons, opportunists, cowards and drunks of Texas in 1836 that are the good people in this particular story.To try to exalt them, as so many story tellers do, misses the point.From Bowie, to Travis, to Crockett, to Houston, these clowns did almost nothing to deserve victory over Mexico short of painting themselves into corners and endangering their lives and that of their cause.The fact that they eventually triumphed was such a stroke of dumb luck one has to wonder if the United States itself was not blessed, even if the United States was not a participant.

Arguably, the real hero in the Texas Revolution was the country to the east, the United States, who stayed out of the fracas and ultimately benefited, increasing the size of its territory dramatically when the voters of Texas wisely recognized that they probably wouldn't be any better at running a government than they were at prosecuting a war and applied for statehood.

From the 1820's on, it was claimed that the United States was destined to inhabit the continent, to grow in size and power until it became a formidable player on the world stage.When you observe how a handful of ill-disciplined rabble defeated the vaunted Mexican army and handed over the enormous territory of Texas to the United States on a silver platter you can believe it.The Good People in this case were the people to the east, who stayed out of it and What They Deserved was the continent that lay stretched before them, from sea to shining sea so that one day they could do great things in Europe and elsewhere and shape the world as we know it today.Ultimately, this is the epic tale of heroic expansionism that lies beneath the sordid tale of the Texas Revolution, and you can find it, but you will have to find it on your own, in the spaces between the facts of a book like Lone Star Rising and underneath the sugarcoating of story tellers who don't trust their audience to get it.

Interested in Texan history? Read this first!
In "Lone Star Rising," William C. Davis has produced a comprehensive and thoroughly readable history of the Texas Revolution of 1836.Most history buffs will be familiar with Davis from his numerous appearances in cable television historical specials, including the A&E series "Civil War Journal." However, he should be equally well known from his vast body of work as a popular historian. This latest work is another strong demonstration of the prolific Davis's talent for producing readable, approachable works of insightful history.

The land-hungry dream of carving the Texan lands away from Mexico dated from the 1820s, but Davis begins even earlier, ably and entertainingly building up the setting for the 1830s. The attention paid to the preceding history yields significant dividends later in the book. For example, by the time Davis reaches the 1836 Revolution and the infamous massacres directed by Santa Ana, we already understand why such bloodshed was almost certain to occur. The narrative introduces us to the harsh Spanish tradition of how to deal with rebels. Also, when the narrative reaches 1836, the author has already painted decades of plotting Americans engaged in piratical-if-hapless invasions, aimed at seizing the province of Texas. To the Mexicans, the 1836 Revolution looked like just another frustrating, outrageous attempt by the gringos to steal their land.

The book's timing coincides with the summer release of Disney's "The Alamo," and it delivers on many of the points where the film fails. "The Alamo" promised us the Mexican side of the story of 1836; Davis's book actually delivers. In this, the book is superior to previous accounts. While he does not neglect the Texan pantheon: the stolid, conservative Stephen Austin; the unscrupulous Jim Bowie; Sam Houston, the scheming drunkard; and the fire-eating William Travis. Davis also calls attention to the often-neglected tejano (the Spanish-speaking Mexicans who had long lived in Texas) leader Juan Seguin. At last, the tejanos play a central role alongside with the American immigrants ("Texians"). Furthermore, the convoluted story of Mexican politics vis-à-vis the Revolution finally receive their due. Antonio Santa Anna, a fascinating character who is too often reduced to the role of a tin pot dictator and villain, also receives full attention.

Davis has penned a successful work, depicting how three very distinct groups of people struggled over both the land and the idea of what would become Texas, and how the Americans eventually triumphed. He avoids making an argument in favor of simply telling a story, and unlike his predecessors he tells a complete story. Consequently, the book reads as a new take on a very old story. It should become a major work among the popular histories of Texas.

A Worthy Companion to "Three Roads to the Alamo"
This work is an outstanding history:scholarly with extensive footnotes, but written in accessible manner for the "average person".This book is timely, with the release of the movie "Alamo" after the holidays, popular interest in this siege and the Texas Revolution as a whole is rising. The standard cast of characters is here, but Mr. Davis goes much farther than a retelling of the interaction of these American icons-for that, "Three Roads to the Alamo" is outstanding- and shows how the influence of the American and French Revolutions affected the Spanish colonists in "Tejas".As American colonists, "filibusters", moved into Texas territory, they refused to integrate into Mexican culture, and soon became a problem.With the Mexican Revolution against Spain diverting government attention, the American colonists demanded more and more autonomy.A liberal army officer, Santa Anna, managed to defeat the royalists and try to gain some control over a huge land and heterogeneous culture.Surprisingly, Stephen Austin and others recommended allying with Santa Anna, petitioning his government for said greater autonomy (leading ultimately to independence for the more radical colonists). After putting Austin in prison, combat actions begin as the colonists protest this and other actions.For his part, Santa Anna realizes that Texas is more than a threat to his power:it may be the beginning of a Mexican disintegration.

What the author reveals is something more than a revolt against "tyranny" with mythic heroes, and something considerably less than a mere Anglo land-grab as some revisionist histories claim.This book, in conjunction with his previously mentioned "Three Roads to the Alamo" gives both the average reader, and the historian a detailed discussion of this part of Texas history, and a social history of the US in the early 19th Century.Highly recommended.

Less personality, more history, make for an excellent book
I recently finished reading Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence by H.W. Brands, and then launched immediately into "Lone Star Rising" by William C. Davis. As two books published on essentially the same topic, with almost identical titles, and within a few months of one another, the two books obviously have a certain amount in common. But the differences are more significant than the similarities. And while which one you prefer will be largely a matter of taste, I personally found this book, Davis' "...Rising," a much stronger work of history.

"...Nation," by Brands, viewed the Texas Revolution largely through the biographies of some of its major players: Houston, Bowie, Crockett, Santa Anna, and so on. It was very much a personality-driven story. "...Rising," on the other hand, focuses much more on the larger historical context of the Revolution -- so much so, in fact, that the personalities sometimes seem lost amid the larger picture Davis is painting. In the early sections of the book, especially, I found it sometimes hard to keep track of all the pirates, revolutionaries, and filibusterers Davis introduced into his narrative. In his defense, if such is necessary, however, I should note that Davis covered precisely those same personalities in more detail several years ago in his Three Roads to the Alamo: The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis.

I've been debating whether to describe Davis as a "serious, albeit prolific," historian, or a "prolific and serious" one. While he has written an awful lot of books, I've never found him to be a hack, a poor researcher, a poor writer, or tendentious in his conclusions. As I said, part of this book was so densely populated that I found it a little hard to follow. But once we got into the central narrative of the unfolding Revolution, the story was both interesting and well-informed.

"Lone Star Rising" is not from the "when giants strode the earth" school of epic storytelling. But if you're willing to accept a little less focus on personalities in exchange for a lot more context, William C. Davis' contribution may be just the title you're looking for. Given the option, I would maybe have given this title four-and-a-half stars instead of five. But lacking the option, I'm more than happy to round up. ... Read more

Product Description
William Wykeham was an extraordinary figure whose rapid ascent from peasant to chancellor bucked contemporary trends. Wykeham's administrative talents ensured that he became bishop of Winchester, holder of one of the richest sees in Christendom and Chancellor of England under Edward III and Richard II. "Everything was done by him and nothing was done without him" wrote the contemporary chronicler, Jean Froissart.

His lasting contributions to society arose from two passions, architecture and education. He made effective use of the rich revenues of his see to indulge both. He rose in the service of King Edward III having masterminded the royal building works at Windsor Castle. His own building projects included episcopal palaces, colleges, churches and Winchester Cathedral. His interest in education resulted in the foundation oftwo iconic educational institutions - the public school Winchester College and New College OxfordMuch of this has been recognised.

Virginia Davis highlights Wykeham's extraordinarily commitment to good governance and his extensive involvement in English politics between c1360 - 1402. Wykeham has been recognised as a key government figure in Edward III's reign from c. 1360 but his contribution to politics and government throughout the turbulent reign of Richard II and beyond, has not hitherto been fully appreciated. This book offers a fascinating biography of one of the key-figures of late fourteenth-century England, an acquaintance of Chaucer and a man who wielded immense political power. It covers in detail his fall from political power in 1376-77 and his rehabilitation. Wykeham - even when not holding political office - was a figure to whom the decision-makers of late fourteenth century England listened. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Classic medieval epic!!!
This novel is a historical fiction masterpiece! A book giving a stunningly entertaining story about medieval life and the first crusade. The writing style is a little dated but the story has action, adventure, romance and stunning battle sequences. A must for fans of the genre and all epic storytelling!A classic-Five stars. ... Read more

Product Description
After spending four years in cryogenic stasis for crimes he is certain he did not commit, Jake Cardigan is mysteriously released. Finding himself lost in a world that has changed since his incarceration, Jake tries to put his life back together. His family gone, Jake fights the urge to self-medicate using a digital drug called Tek. Offered a job to locate a missing enigmatic scientist, Jake can already feel the puppet strings manipulating him to return to the life that got him jailed in the first place. This first volume, Plague of Ghosts, revisits and revitalizes the Tek universe created in William Shatner's bestselling novel series. ... Read more

Product Description

Marking the ongoing efforts to recover the 136-year-old wreck of the USS Monitor, The Mariners' Museum presents a lavishly illustrated commemorative volume of the renowned Civil War ironclad's past and present.

The short, fabled life of the USS Monitor began on January 30, 1862, at Green Point, Brooklyn, New York, and ended on December 31 of that same year, when the legendary Civil War ironclad sank in 230 feet of water off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Serving on the Monitor -- where engines and living space lay completely below the waterline and the iron deck rose a scant eighteen inches above it -- was like no other duty in the U.S. Navy.

The Monitor Chronicles brings shipboard experience to life through the words of Civil War sailor George S. Geer, whose never-before-published letters home to his beloved wife, Martha, faithfully chronicle the events of that dramatic year. Like many men of his station, George Geer had joined Abraham Lincoln's navy less to help save the Union than to earn money and learn a reliable trade, so his accounts are unflinchingly honest -- at times colored by the bravado of a man at war, at others tinged with the pathos of a man in danger and far from home.

When, on the morning of March 9, 1862, the Monitor and the CSS Virginia fought the first battle between ironclad warships, Geer recalled,"I often thought of you and the little darlings when the fight was going on and what should become of you should I be killed....But I should have no more such fears as our ship resisted everything they could fire at her as though they were spit balls." Whether he sweated in the searing heat or simply waited while the Monitor danced a strategic minuet with the enemy, his words confirm and amplify the proud legacy of the vessel whose very existence brought an end to the era of wooden warships.

On January 2, 1863, Geer reported, "I am sorry to have to write you that we have lost the Monitor." He survived, but sixteen men were lost in a raging sea that seemed to have claimed the ship for eternity. But the story told in The Monitor Chronicles doesn't end there. The book captures a piece of living history, as men and machines attempt to recover the wreck even as it begins to succumb to the elements after 136 years on the ocean floor. Because The Mariners' Museum serves as the official repository of the USS Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, readers will be treated to spectacular underwater views of the Monitor, as well as to an unprecedented look at the salvage efforts. Although more than a century has passed since the ship itself sailed into history, The Monitor Chronicles provides not only a fresh, uniquely intimate view of the Monitor's fateful year as the world's first iron warship but also a provocative glimpse of her uncertain future.Amazon.com Review
Though her career was brief, the legendary Civil War ironcladthe U.S.S.Monitor helped change the face of navalwarfare. The Monitor Chronicles tells the story of the "180feet of iron"--and some of the great battles of the Civil War--throughthe eyes of one of her seamen, George Geer.

Geer first stepped aboard the Monitor in February 1862, as anewly minted first-class fireman. Like many Northerners, Geer joinedthe army less out of a desire to preserve the Union--or free theslaves--than to learn a reliable trade. That said, he performed hisduties admirably, earning two promotions in under a year. He alsoproved an admirable correspondent, sending dozens of letters to hisbeloved wife, Martha, during the ten and a half months theMonitor was afloat. These letters describe in detail what lifewas like aboard the ironclad--from poor rations to poor ventilation,and from the excitement of battle to the boredom when the shipremained still. In a letter written aboard a rescue vessel, Geer alsodescribed the final hours of the ironclad as she sank in stormy season December 30, 1862. Combined with dozens of evocative illustrations,Geer's letters provide historians with a fascinating glimpse insidethe Monitor. The Monitor Chronicles also containsinformation on the fate of the ship in the 140 years since she sankand the ongoing campaign to recover her. Essential reading for CivilWar buffs.--Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An O.K. book
The biggest disapointment is that Greer does not write about the most interesting parts of the Monitor's history: the trip down to Hampton roads and the battle with the Virginia. It is about his shipboard life which details his illnesses and money making schemes to augment his pay which was not paid out to him in full causing financial hardship at home. Mostly of interest for its insights into a sailor's life, less so for info on the Monitor. It's a decent book to supplement other info on the Monitor but not the book to get if you get only one.

Almost a Great Book
The Mariner's Museum has done a commendable job in putting together such an attractive collection of letters from Monitor sailor George Geer to his wife.Through his eyes, we see a more human perspective on the Civil War and the famous battle between the Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia than is available through most other sources.However, at times this perspective is altogether too human, as Geer devotes page after page of his letters to more mundane esoterica such as selling merchandise to his fellow crew members.The Mariner's Museum also used the needlessly repetitive and districting format style of putting some of the very same passages from Geer's letters in text, in bold, oversize text, and/or in actual illustrations of Geer's letters -- as a result, the reader constantly finds himself/herself reading duplicate passages.I also felt a little short-changed by the brevity of the discussion on the current state of the Monitor wreck and the plans for its future recovery and conservation.A few more illustrations of the wreck itself, and a few less of Geer's letters, would have been welcome.Other than these quibbles, it was a very enjoyable and informative look at a revolutionary ship through the eyes of someone who was there when history was made at Hampton Roads.

Great Book
An interesting information source for life aboard the Monitor. There aren't alot of books out there about the ship, and I think this book was very interesting and needed. Also George Geer's actual letters are veryinteresting to read, as he tells everything that happened aboard the ship. ... Read more