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The book drags a bit during the f! ! irst 80 or so pages, mainly because of the endlessly repetitive scenes of Cooper and Josh partying and getting high. (This is an MTV Book, let's not forget.) But the authors compensate by creating a series of marvelously funny vignettes depicting the past history and inner life of each of the characters. And the story really kicks into gear once the Dead Man's Clause is introduced, and our "heroes" begin their quest.
The legendary David St. Hubbins once said, "There's a fine line between Stupid and Clever." In the course of its 215 pages, "Dead Man on Campus" jumps back and forth across that line more often than you can count. The set pieces range from the painfully obvious (a misunderstanding causes the other guys in the dorm to think Cooper and Josh are gay) to the genuinely inspired (a depressed poet hurls invective at his adoring groupies during a coffeehouse reading, to no discernible effect; Cooper gives outrageously inappropriate adv! ! ice to a bulimia sufferer who's contemplating suicide; a mo! ving van driver delivers a profane and hilarious monologue about the best customer he ever had). One suspects that the novel's funniest bits -- a stand-alone prologue that combines the sensibilities of O. Henry and Howard Stern, and a surreal chapter detailing the bizarre family history of Buckley, one of Cooper and Josh's potential roomies -- probably aren't even in the movie (which is as yet unreleased). No matter. In the duel between Stupid and Clever, Clever manages to win more often than not, allowing "Dead Man on Campus," the novel, to stand on its own as a lighthearted, enjoyably crass, and raucously un-PC entertainment.
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This small volume provides the answers and it is a gem to read. It follows the British Expeditionary Force of the Great War during the months of October and November, 1914 - the battle known as First Ypres to the British.
This was a critical (and ultimately fatal) time for the BEF. The war was still one of movement and this period saw both the Allies and the Germans attempting to flank each other while closing the lines of battle towards the coast.
The book goes a long way towards explaining the "why" behind the eventually static positions of the trench warfare in Flanders. It's interesting to read about topographical features such as chateaus and woods which still stood in their original form when the opposing armies first arrived and came into contact. The remains of these same features would become famous as points of reference on the barren hell-scape of the trenches in just a few months time.
The book does assume that the reader has knowledge about the course of the war up to October of 1914. The retreat from Mons, the Marne, and the BEF's position on the Aisne are touched on only in a cursory manner. For the prelimiaries to First Ypres, see Barbara Tuchman's general introduction "The Guns of August" or more specifically Richard Holmes' "Riding the Retreat: Mons to the Marne 1914 Revisited".
Written in the mid-1960s by a British author, the book is not overly jingoistic. It does a fair and scholarly job of viewing the action from the German point-of-view. The author's criticisms of the BEF's leadership is present yet understated.
Perhaps the author's only (understandable) fault is his lionization of 'Tommy Atkins' - the British common soldier. That they were a completely professional army with more than their share of courage is unquestionable but the author tends to focus on the saints rather than the sinners in the Old Contemptibles' abilities to withstand superior numbers (often at 7-to-1), disaster, confusion, and poor leadership.
My great great uncle soldiered with the 3rd Cavalry division of the BEF and was wounded in October, 1914. This book gave me a clear idea what he had been up against. The BEF was bled dry at First Ypres and ceased to exist as a fighting force due to their exertions. They had bought time for Lord Kitchner to train and equip his "citizen-army" to fight in 1915, but Britain had forever lost its small professional army.
Before someone really starts to dive into the science of decided what is healthy and unhealthy for a Democracy, they should take a day out to read this book, so they really know what they're talking about.
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The translation is among the very best, with the consistent use of nouns and verbs and direct objects throughout the various texts. The book is accompanied by an excellent index, and an occasional note only when absolutely necessary. The text is allowed to speak for itself, and this it does with aplomb.
My only regret is my copy is not printed on acid-free paper, and after a decade is already beginning to age prematurely. This one complaint aside, this volume is both well written and covers Descartes' best ideas. This particular volume belongs in all serious students' and collegiate libraries.