I agree with the previous reviewer. This book is one of the more reasonable of those arguing for pardons. It is certainly superior to "Shot at Dawn" which is a polemic that has unfortunately become the bible for the pardons movement in spite of numerous factual erros.

Regarding the previous reviewers comments regarding other armies and the death penalty.

NUMBER OF SOLDIERS EXECUTED BY OTHER EUROPEAN ARMIES:

ITALY: 750
FRANCE: 133
GERMANY: 48

The French and German statistics are not considered reliable, they merely represent the number of people we KNOW were shot. French and German records are not so complete as those available for the British and summary execution in the field was not so heavily frowned on. It should also be noted that French and German discipline and morale collapsed far more significantly that British.

In WW2 the Germans executed around 15,000 of their own men for desertion. The british did not maintain the death penalty for desertion and over 100,000 men deserted and by 1942 officers at all levels were calling for the death penalty's reinstatement. In addition, the Australian force in WW1 was not covered under the Army Act and so no Australians were executed. The desertion and indiscipline rates in the Australian Corps were well above those of British and Canadian formations. Almost 6 million men passed through the british Army in the course of WW1. Of these, 346 were executed, 37 of whom were executed for murder and 18 for cowardice. Of those shot for desertion, 40% had serious previous charges on a variety of offences and many had deserted either in 1914, before the war stagnated into trench battle or before the even got to the front for the first time. The image of a brave young conscript (the average age of those executed was 26 and the overwhelming majority were over 21) finally cracking psychologically after weeks spent under constant bombardment may be accurate in a tiny minority of cases but it is certainly not the general picture. There are cases where a pardon is definitely arguable but there simply is no case whatsoever for a blanket pardon. The idea that in shooting deserters (the vast majority of whom were not shot) the British Army was operating a policy of "legalised murder" is ludicrous.

In this book Babington tells the story of the many young soldiers executed by the British army during the First World War. The facts and stories behind each case are provided, as well as background information about the war. Many of the cases are chilling and tragic, and leave the reader wondering how he would have behaved in the circumstances. Overall, I feel this book has only two significant drawbacks. While interesting and informative, this book fails to put the debate about military capital punishment into a proper philosophical or intellectual framework. The author seems to assume that his readers will all share his disgust with the executions. But isn't there a place for such punishments during wartime? Are not disobedience, cowardice and desertion serious offenses? The system was certainly out of hand in the WWI army, but that does not mean that capital punishment must be done away with entirely. Of course, a society that finds it innapropriate to exclude gays from the military can hardly be expected to favor executions. I was also troubled by Babington's failure to tell us more about the punishments served out in other armies. As it is, he leaves this to a paragraph or two at the end of the book. Understandably he could not have covered this mater in too much detail, but greater effort could have been made to compare and contrast the situation in France and Germany with that of Great Britain. But these are fairly minor flaws. This is a good book about those unfortunate souls who lost their lives mostly for the sake of example.

Locke has managed to overcome a lingering "Braxton-worshipping" hang up and create a livid piece of "jazz" literature.We in Taranaki look foward to the next,or for that matter, any works of post-structural-vibrational-dynamic literature.

This is the place from which one should begin their studies of Braxton. Clear, concise, and very readable, it introduces many important concepts that will enable anyone interested in Braxton to develop a greater understanding of his musical universe.

An interesting and informative reader on the works of Sigmund Freud which should assist the lay reader who does not require too much detail. For the professional reader it is a quick and handy guide/refresher on the important things that Freud wrote. Storr's approach is lively and succinct. He helps us to understand Freud and his thinking by example, illustration and critique. He also shows us the progression of Freud's work and the development of psychoanalysis as we know it today. This short introduction is an excellent achievement in condensation of the Standard Editions.

This book is a very good general view of freud's ideas, theories, and views. I would recommend it if you are just stating out. It has clear language too. However it is not terribly indepth so be forewarned that it may not meet all needs. It is a good general resource though.

Spence tells about some of the cases he worked on during his career. Some were nationally famous, others not. He offers comments about various topics, and also talks about his life. This book lacks an index and photographs. The wordiness of this book reminds me of 19th century novels. Spence tells about his career as an insurance company lawyer. In effect, he showed up after the accidents and halted compensation to the victims. Until he rejected this work and vowed never to work for a corporation again.

Spence represented the Silkwood estate against the Kerr-McGee company. Karen was killed on her way to meet a reporter. Her plant manufactured plutonium for breeder reactors; this was a deadly threat to the profits and influence of Big Oil and their puppets in government. Karen allegedly fell asleep at the wheel after leaving a cafe. Didn't something like this happen to one of the witnesses at the Grassy Knoll?

Page 183 tells how support for the anti-nuclear movement came from "certain charities and funding organizations". Are these the hidden hands of Big Oil? Page 216 quotes a witness "there is no safe level for radiation". Spence argued "if the lion gets away, Kerr-McGee has to pay"; any deadly thing (like plutonium) requires absolute control by the owner. He won the case, but it was overturned by appointed judges (p.458-460). Page 328 tells of advice on cross-examination of a witness. "Don't get angry. Don't rise to the bait. Answer only when you're ready. And if you're confused, say so, and above all, tell the truth. Its easy to remember the truth."

Spence is opposed to the death penalty (like Earl Rogers). But pages 367-371 give the strongest argument that I've read for the death penalty. Not as punishment or a deterrence, but simply so society can survive without fear. Pages 379-383 gives his talk to an ABA convention on the subject of trial lawyers. They are the foot soldiers in the front trenches of the justice system. I think this is one of the most important parts of the book. Our lawyers are the virtual descendants of warriors who settled trials by combat.

One case was the murder charge against Ed Cantrell. I wonder if he was the scapegoat for the alleged corruption in Rock Springs Wyoming> TV and newspapers created something out of nothing (pp. 453-457). Anyone who believes everything the media broadcast and print must read this. You may then be able to understand the reporting on some other trials.

It really only deserves 4 stars if your a Spence fan or a hard-core true crime fan. It's the same style as all of Spences others, if that's good or bad I can't say. Find out about his Karen Silkwood radiation case along with his defending a cop that killed another cop and his prosecuting the man that blew up his lawyer buddy and his family. P.S. SOMEONE ON THIS SIGHT IS SELLING IT FOR $...!? I'VE PASSED UP MANY USED COPIES FOR $... OR LESS.

It is a wonderful idea to make available recordings of great speeches. I hope we have more of this in the future.
In the case of older speeches, the selection is very good, considering the restraints of time, and the readers are uniformly excellent.
As for the modern speeches, it is a marvel of technology that we can hear these speeches as delivered. It is incredible that we can hear the voice of William Jennings Bryan. I can listen to Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" a thousand times and never tire of it! How I wish I could listen to the voice of Patrick Henry! But this selection is too heavily weighted to the modern, and many of those do not deserve billing as the GREATEST speeches of ALL TIME. Also, some of the modern speeches which are included are abridged, e.g. Reagan is cut off in the middle of a sentence, while lengthy and undeserving speeches are played out in their entirety.
Also, with only a few exceptions, the selection is almost entirely American. It is hard to understand why Jimmy Carter's lengthy speech on energy policy is included, while Pericles' funeral oration is not; or why only a small portion of a single Winston Churchill speech is included; why while Bill Clinton's complete 1993 pulpit address, in excess of 20 minutes, is included.
It would be helpful if the complete list of speeches were available to online buyers, as it would be to shoppers in a brick and mortar store.

I have listened to this collection twice now, both times with pleasure. Hearing the acutal voices of Amelia Earhart, Rev. Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and Neil Armstrong made a deeper connection than simply reading their words. The collection showcases different subjects and many times contrasts opposing viewpoints of the ideas. This volume is a fantastic introduction to the moving ideals and sometimes sad truths that have influenced Western Civilization.

This was an interesting, if imperfect, novel of marriage. The main thrust of the novel has to do with a legal battle a COuntess and her daughter, Lady Anna, engage in to assert their legal rights after having been abused by an evil Earl, who married and abandoned the Countess. To assert these rights, a demand is made by the mother to the daughter that she wed her cousin, although no one guesses that Anna is already engaged to the poor tailor who has been her one true friend in life.

I enjoyed many aspects of the novel, primarily how the mother-daughter relationship plays out. The subplot of the book is that we all must separate from Mother, and make our own way, our own decisions. This Mother is especially hard-hearted and single-minded and acts very melodramatically in one scene to the tailor (a really weird, overblown scene I could have lived without and which was incidentally, albeit unintentionally, funny).

Anna herself is a character with many virtues. She Almost gives in but does not do so because she is guided by an internal voice of loyalty. Her love on the other hand is drawn realistically if not in a flattering way. Daniel is almost an anti-hero. Not entirely sympathetic, you learn to like him because he seems real. The 'triangle' between those two and Lord Lovel is well-depicted, and no character comes off as 'the baddie.'

Another aspect I respected was the depiction of law, and how society restrains its denizens into conventional and superficial marriages. I disagree with the previous reviewer who said this was a light novel. I think there are very dark moments and a suspicion about the characters' motives at every turn. Yet, there is decency in many characters: Anna herself and the Solicitor-General being the obvious ones.

I liked this immensely, despite it being overlong and having some over-the-top moments that did not 'go' with the rest of the novel. Still, the novel has great style.

Anthony Trollope declared once that "Lady Anna" was "the best novel I ever wrote". Readers did not agree. Appearing between the masterpieces "Phineas Redux" and "The Way We Live Now", it sold poorly and has been neglected ever since. Trollope blamed this failure on his audience's objections to the heroine's choice of a husband, though similar complaints, much more vehemently expressed, had not sunk "The Small House at Allington". (There Lily Dale remains faithful to the memory of a cad, scorning the devoted attentions of a worthy suitor. Anna's wooers, by contrast, are both good men, though vastly different in rank and personality.)

"Lady Anna" is, in fact, a well-knit narrative with more suspense than is usual for Trollope. Will the courts declare Anna to be Lady Anna Lovel, heiress to 35,000 pounds a year, or merely Anna Murray, a pauper? Which of her suitors, the sometimes surly tailor Daniel Thwaite or her handsome, good-natured cousin Lord Lovel, will Anna prefer? Will Daniel's political principles lead to a breach with his childhood sweetheart? Will the impoverished Lord Lovel find honorable means to support his noble rank? The plot takes surprising, if not astonishing, turns; the characterization is as deft as ever; and there is a leavening of subtle humor, such as Daniel's cross-purposes consultation with a quondam radical poet (a thinly disguised Robert Southey) who has evolved into an intractable Tory.

The book's weakness is that the leading characters are, by and large, decent folk at the beginning and, except for one who falls into a state akin to madness, remain decent, if not unchanged, to the end. Conflicts end in rational compromises. Everybody eventually sees everybody else's point of view. Even the lawyers on opposite sides of Lady Anna's case get along amicably. (One solicitor does have the sense to grumble that such harmony is unprofessional.)

Trollope's liking for this novel may have arisen from the fact that it is light, sunny and fresh. There may be an evil earl in the first chapter and a mad countess in the last, but how pleasant for the writer to be free for a time from the political intrigues, financial manipulations and cynical worldliness of the Palliser saga and "The Way We Live Now"! Moreover, "Lady Anna" was, in its creator's mind, only a prologue. The last paragraph promises a (never written) sequel, where the characters doubtless were intended to meet sterner challenges. There are hints that the scene would have shifted to Australia and America and that the hero's and heroine's homegrown principles were to be put to the test in those lands. Thus the author had much in view that he never disclosed to his readers, perhaps accounting for part of the discrepancy between his opinion and theirs.

No one who has not read all of the Palliser and Barset novels, not to mention "The Way We Live Now", should pick up "Lady Anna". I recommend it immediately after the last-named. It will cleanse the palate and leave a lingering regret that the rest of Anna's and Daniel's and Lord Lovel's adventures will never be known.

Incidental note: The introduction to the Oxford World's Classics edition, the one that I am reviewing, is an extraordinarily silly example of lit crit bafflegab. Don't read it before reading the novel. Read afterwards, its wrong-headed ideological interpretations may prove amusing.

In looking at race it's necessary to get perspective. Travel opens up new vistas. We perceive ourselves one way, others around the world see things differently. What countries come to mind when you think about racism? South Africa definitely; but now that the country has majority rule, it's immediately less racist. Austria, Japan and Yugoslavia also come to mind, but they're not multiracial societies. That Anthony Marx has chosen to compare racial policy in Brazil, South Africa and the US, seems to confirm the widely held world view that the US is one of the most racist nations in the world. Is this true? What do these three nations have in common in their history of segregation?

Marx states that the US and South Africa practiced policies of segregation principally for the purpose of "state and nation building". He argues that in both cases the ruling white elite were faced with crises; problems of prosperity and national order. In South Africa, following the Boer War of 1899-1902 there was no chance of unity among Afrikaners and British settlers. In the US, the experience of Radical Reconstruction following the Civil War, was, for some, akin to rubbing salt into fresh wounds. Marx states that in order to achieve accomodation among whites, blacks were made scapegoats. It's not surprising then to learn that the 1870's were when the first Jim Crow laws were passed in the US and the early 1900's saw the first South African Apartheid acts.

Where does Brazil fit in? Marx says that racism is as prevalent there as it is here but it's characteristics are different. There is a pervasive preferrence for 'whiteness', seen in attempts to 'Europeanize' the country through encouragement of immigration from the continent. Brazil however did not institutionalize racism as South Africa and the US did; interracial marriages were never illegal in Brazil. Also, because of multiple color categories of Brazilian citizens there was no possibility of the emergence of rigid, 'caste-like', color classifications that developed here. South Africa had 'coloreds' but they were caught in political 'no-mans-land' in the battle between the bantu majority and white minority.

It's an interesting and thoroughly reasoned proposition that Marx developes and expounds on in his book. The comparisons between the US and South Africa are nothing new, but the addition of Brazil as a counterpoint to the others is rather unique.

Anthony Marx's comparative study on the construction of race in the United States, Brazil and South Africa is promising if one wants a general historical overview about how race was constructed in each setting. Marx emphasizes how each state, in its own process of state building, constructed racial/racist ideologies to unify the white power structure at the expense of Blacks. He explores the institutions of colonialism, slavery and apartheid to make his case. He also explores how the ideology of black nationalism emerged as unifying response among Blacks to resist white domination. The book is a good read, however his historical account is completely male biased. Marx fails to consider the role gender played in the construction of these racial ideologies. His account is state-centered, which effectively excludes other important social and political factors in the formation of race identity. This becomes painfully clear in the chapter on Black racial identity, mobilization and reform in the U.S. Also, Marx relies too heavily on secondary sources, which dampens the reliability of his analysis.

An excellent reference work for the devotee of paleontology. Should be read with your biology/botany/geology reference books in hand. Definitely a research work and at times, too scientific. Lacked continuity in some chapters (not surprising since the geological record is hazy at best) and could've been enhanced by chapter and overall summaries in layman's terms. If one's looking for an read along the lines of "Discovery Channel's" Age of the Dinosaurs, this is not the book to purchase. Well written, yes; as a good read, fair.

'Mass Extinctions and Their Aftermath' by A. Hallam and P. B. Wignall is a good overview of the episodes of mass extinctions in the history of life. Beginning with a brief primer on the 'anatomy' and significance of mass extinctions, the book covers both major and minor mass extinction events chronologically and succintly, with plenty of references. It summarizes the plausible cause (or causes) of these extinctions, as well as post-extinction recoveries. All-in-all, a slim volume which, through its compartmentalized structure and excellent reference database, provides a stepping stone to more specialized work.

This book takes an unusual path to the usual results in optimization. Though refreshing in some ways, the standard results--Kuhn-Tucker conditions for non-convex programs--are not achieved until the last chapter. Little of the preceeding six chapters can be skipped without ruining this development! D.M. Greig, by comparison, develops this result in her first chapter, in a book at a comparable level. With Peressini et al, you sink weeks into learning restricted convex programs; an interesting niche, but one best studied once the main results are in hand.

I am a graduate student, working on a PhD in Optimization (nonlinear programming). This book provides an excellent first exposure to the field of nonlinear programming. It is full of "easily visualizable" 2 or 3 dimensional examples, which greatly aid in the development of strong intuition. Although the intended level of this book is the advanced undergraduate level, it serves as a very thorough and useful companion to any graduate text. This book almost single-handedly helped me pass my qualifying exam in optimization, mostly because it "made all of the pieces fit together."

I heartily recommend it to _anyone_ interested in learning about nonlinear programming.

I'm sure the book "Monet: the ultimate impressionist" is quite good, but when you click on "look inside" it takes you to look inside a "Homeric Questions" book and not the one about Monet.

When ordering I thought that this was a large format book, and was a bit disappointed when I got it and saw that it is pocket-size format. But it turned out to be such a pleasure to read, that I recently ordered a similar book on Van Gogh.