the conquering family is the first book in the four book series on the 14 men who became kings of england in the plantagenet line. this first book covers the reigns of henry ii and his two sons richard i and john as well as the influence of his wife eleanor of acquitaine. thomas costain has a breezy style and bring these people to life as few authors can or have. excellent reading and a good introduction to the other three books.

THE CONQUERING FAMILY is the first book of four by Thomas Costain on the Plantagenet kings of England. In my opinion, this set, and the 3-volume masterpiece by Shelby Foote on the U.S. Civil War, are the best historical series I've ever read. (The last three volumes in the Costain quartet are: THE MAGNIFICENT CENTURY, THE THREE EDWARDS, and THE LAST PLANTAGENETS.)

THE CONQUERING FAMILY chronicles the reigns of Henry II (1154-1189), and his sons Richard I "the Lionhearted" (1189-1199) and John (1199-1216). Henry II, in my opinion the greatest of English monarchs, created an empire that included not only Britain, but perhaps as much as two-thirds of present day France (thanks, in great part, to his marriage to the dynamic Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Duchess of that province and the former Queen of France.) By the end of John's reign, virtually all French possessions were lost and England was racked by civil war. No chip off the old block was John.

The general public usually associates Henry II with his quarrel with, and eventual murder of, Archbishop Thomas Becket of Canterbury. Richard I is, of course, "the Lionhearted" king who crusaded in the Holy Land against the infidels, and who has a fictional association with Robin Hood. And, lastly, there's the misfit King John, of Magna Carta fame.

A perfect companion piece to this volume is the 1968 film THE LION IN WINTER, starring Peter O'Toole as Henry and Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor, the latter winning an Academy Award for her performance. The film's story evolves over Christmas, 1183, in the royal castle of Chinon, as Henry, Eleanor, and sons Richard, Geoffrey and John quarrel, backstab, and plot amongst themselves as to which son will inherit the thrown on Henry's death. It's my all-time favorite film for reasons given in my review of it on this website. More to the point, the book and the film are consistent in their portrayal of this royal family as dysfunctional with a capital "D". It's a quote from Hepburn's Eleanor that heads this review, and which says it all. (By comparison, the current English royal family is merely a bunch of trivial sissies.) Both the book and the film are powerful portrayals of a ruling dynasty, the likes of which the world will likely never see again. If you're at all interested in English history, you absolutely must not overlook either the Costain series or the movie.

I picked up this book and haven't been able to put it down. Mr. Costain has written a vivid and engrossing account of the lives of the Plantagenets who ruled England. He begins with Henry I (who was not a Plantagenet), whose daughter Matilda married, for her second husband, Geoffery of Anjou (who would be the first to be called by the name Plantagenet). The family is handled down to and including John, brother of the so-named Richard the Lion Heart.

His account is respendent with detail where it exsists historically or is highly suggested culturally. He notes the difference by indicating what was probable, what was possible, what is known, and what is thought to be known.

Before I click over into my dry academic language, let me say that this book rocks! It is obviously well researched. I would recommend reading this BEFORE you read Alison Weir's "The Princes in the Tower." After you read "The Conquering Family" may I suggest picking up "The Three Edwards" (also by Costain). This will give you a good portion of the background and backdrop of English History against which the tragedy of the imprisonment and subsequent disappearance of Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York (not to be confused with their uncle who would later become Richard III). THEN read "The Princes in the Tower," which of course examines, in light of ALL of the available historical evidence, the 'who-did-it,' 'when,' and 'how' of the disappearance and death of the two young princes (King and Duke actually).

Given the time period which "The Conquering Family" treats, there are next to no pictures. While I would dread to see enough pictures to warrant calling this a pictorial history, I would suggest that some portraits of the participants and such, would have helped to spark the imagination of the reader and to further engage their interest. Also, while there are maps in the book, there is no listing of the maps in the front of the book, and a map of locations such as Anjou, could only have served to enhance the readers' perspective and understanding of the subject matter.

Now if someone would only buy me "The Magnificent Century" and "The Last Plantagenets"!

"Culture Clash" is an outstanding book for anybody interested in the challenges of cross-cultural encounters, and, more importantly, for anybody who realizes that cultural issues are crucial determinants in business decisions. Too often underestimated, cultural issues are certainly key variables in the business decision-making process. The book is extremely rich in case studies, making it a comprehensive textbook for scholars and professors alike. Professor Zweifel's study is therefore a must for people operating in between or on the fault lines of cultures.
I would like to add that the book also enriches the current debate on improving the "Triple Bottom Line," which deals with socially-responsible investment strategies and sustainable entrepreneurship issues of multinational corporations and multilateral development agencies. Cross-cultural corporate interaction has too often led to corporate failures (in the North) or developmental disasters (in the South). The book is a powerful attempt to bridge that cultural gap of ignorance.
In sum, Professor Zweifel's book provides practical insights in avoiding cultural loopholes and pitfalls, which are more pronounced than most of us admit.
Regards,
Drs. Johannes van de Ven, M.A.
University of Louvain, Belgium

Easy to read, funny and informative. Great book - you find yourself laughing out aloud and relating to the stories...I highly recommend this book. Anyone interested in learning about the do's and dont's of cultural integration will find this book very useful.

I really found this book is doing a excellent job in combing the subtle threads of cultural differences hence the clashes in nowsdays international settings. What I am more deeply impressed is that the book not only provides a tool for people in business, political sector in understanding the generally underestimated factor of culture clash in real world communication, but how to successfully manage the various problems arousing from this issue as well. Plus, the language itself in the book is amazingly vivid.

This was my very first book. I was about five when my mom got it for me and read it to me. I was so impressed with how this little boy went to all the trouble to see that the little boy Jesus had the best of everything when He came for a visit. It was a great lesson in reminding children how important it is to not only share when other kids come for a visit, but to treat them as if Jesus Himself had come to visit. It teaches children how to treat others with respect, courtesy, kindness and love. It's a wonderful little book and I wholeheartedly recommend that it find a home in every child's library. It's theme has stayed with me all of my life and it is the single most influential book, aside from the Bible, that I have ever read!

I always imagined myself what it would be like if Jesus did come to my house. What were some of the things I'd do, how would I act and what would I say? Then this little book came along. The little boy in this book imagines what it would be like if Jesus spent a day with him. If Jesus were a little boy like him he thought, he would share with him the best toys he had. By lending them to the poorest boys and girls. Even though Jesus maybe not have visited, the little boy hoped that He would bless his house for all the kindness and goodness he gave to those less fortunate. It teaches young children the Christian Golden Rule of sharing with one another. And, caring for your fellow friends that brings joy to everyone's heart. The gentle message tells children how to treat others with the love of giving. This should be a classic of children's books. It teaches a valuable lesson.

I have my original copy given to me when I was child in Sunday School on a military base in Germany. This little book was my precious treasure that made the presence of Christ meaningful and gave me courage to reach out and do the things that needed to be done to help others. What good pictures and what a message of hope for us all at all ages !Marilyn Hunt

Congratulations to Michael-Anne Johns! He has written a fantastic fun and fact-filled book on the life of Jonathan Taylor Thomas on and off-screen. Unlike some biographies, Johns uses more words than pictures, so you learn a lot more about what they're like, rather than what they look like. He has done a lot of research and included a nice review at the back of Thomas's favorites and quick facts. Every Jonathan Taylor Thomas lover should read this great book. Hopefully Johns will come up with a new JTT book to talk about Wild America and his new roles. Congrats again Johns

It gave me lots of information on JTT.
I learned so much about him!
If only I was able to meet him!
:-)
Everyone should read it!

I am a total JTT fan, and when I read this book, it really informed me evern more! I loved how it was so complete with stats, quotes, color pics, and everything from a-z! I couldn't put it down until I was done

I wish this book had been put together a long time ago. It's a very useful service to researchers. When doing research for my own book "Mr Jefferson's Academy, The Real Story Behind West Point" (now, "West Point"), I went through the books available on John Adams/Thomas Jefferson, but found I had to resort to the original documents. It took a massive amount of time. That's one of the reasons my book took several years to complete. This book could have saved a lot of time, and can do the same for any reader or researcher. It's not only comprehensive, but also, well written. If you're interested in an in-depth read on Thomas Jefferson, I recommend this book. (To get a closely packed distillation of Thomas Jefferson, my own book has a biographical chapter that has been distilled from what could easily have been hundreds of pages of opinion, interpretation, and speculation to 40 pages of facts. The rest of the book is gleaned from what he, himself, read!)

I agree with the reviewer who wrote the book about West Point who said this book is a service to researchers. Why it's a magnificent research tool. I'm using it copiously at this time for a scholarly work I'm on sabbatical to work on.

What a joy it is to read the correspondence between two of America's greatest founding fathers. Through this collection of letters we begin to get into the minds of men who created and shaped this nation. We read of their dreams, expectations and fears for this new nation as well as typical correspondence between friends. That is when they were talking to each other. When the two men weren't, Abigail continued to write Jefferson to try and heal the breach. My favorite letter is from John Adams to Jefferson to tell him to stop writing his wife. This is a book for anyone who loves the human side of history and enjoys getting to know the real people behind the legends. I first read it in college, and then spent ten years trying to find it again. Now that I have, it will never leave my bookshelf.

I have read this book and find that it is very helpful. It is very simple and easy to understand, whether for students or experienced engineers. The step by step exercises helped me with the trial software that came along with the book. The book has definetely helped me get a better approach towards applying computers in my work.

This book is simply amazing. Evaluation software has been extremely useful. A must have for professionals and students alike. The CEUs are a great bonus!!

The book is fantastic. It develops the concept and demonstrates a much broader application. Very well written and compiled. It is probably one of the best books I have read in the field of computer applications in hydraulic engineering. The bundled software is fantastic.

Every serious reader has his own list of the most influential books in his life. This spectacular, monumental volume is second only to "Atlas Shrugged" on mine. "Knowledge and Decisions" has focused my thinking on human social and economic behavior in a way few works before or since have, giving me a clearer outlook and new insight into how societies and economies function. Closely reasoned and meticulously argued, it still finds room for countless small gems of Sowell's ironic wit, making it entertaining as well as enlightening.

The free-market, libertarian conservative viewpoint has found such an eloquent voice in Thomas Sowell that Steve Forbes would do well to choose Sowell (a Forbes columnist) as his running mate in his next stab at the Presidency.

If you like to think, buy this book.

Seen through the clarity of Sowell's empirical analyses, the modern liberal politician and her/his totalitarian leaning institutions are both rendered nakedly self-serving. The rise of the unaccountable, omnipotent government agency and the willingness of the Supreme Court to make policy rather than protect the Constitution degrade the principles of democratic representation in America. Individual freedom is reduced as established authorities succeed in expanding their grip on the free market process in economic, political and social venues. Sowell believes in the efficiency of private self interest rather than the articulated, unverifiable product of "intellectuals" to deliver us into a future where individual liberty is paramount. I agree. Please read this book.

Sowell, an economist by training, assumes the economist's standard definition of a scarce resource: "At zero price, there is greater demand than supply." Nothing special here. Then he applies this axiomatic principle to knowledge and decisions based on knowledge. The fun begins. Page after page, he uses this intellectual insight to shoot sacred cows. I have never read any book that offers a greater number of fascinating insights, page for page, based on a seemingly noncontroversial axiom. Modern social policy and far too much of modern social theory are based on this premise: "Accurate knowledge is, or at least should be, a free good. When it is not, the civil government should coerce people to provide it." It is a false premise, and it produces costly errors -- another implication of his premise that accurate knowledge is not a free resource. Buy this book. Read it. Twice. Maybe more. (As an author, I will say this: Sowell makes brilliant writing look too easy and the rest of us look too lazy.)

This book has been too long coming. I have been using PI 4.2 for over a year, & had this book been available when I got the software, I would have saved myself quite alot of unnecessary time trying to work it all out. Being such a remarkable piece of software I am amazed a book about it wasn't written a long time ago. About the book Fun with Photoimpact 4.2, I find it very professionally written, & written with easy and straight forward directions. I am not too fond of instructional books & find them very complicated, but this book is written so well, even my young children could understand it. It covers everything I wanted to learn & more,& the vast index makes traking down something very easy. My thanks & gratitude go out to the author of the book Stephanie Baker-Thomas, you have made using Photoimpact much easier & enjoyable for me & I am sure thousands of others. This book is a definate must for Photoimpact users.

At first I was hesitant to purchace Fun with PhotoImpact 4.2 because I had just upgraded to 5.0, but there was so much I didn't know I ordered it anyway. I have never been so happy with a graphics book. Features and tools of the program that seemed so complicated were explained in plain english and Stephanie Baker-Thomas guides you each step of the way. I had no idea PhotoImpact had so many "hidden" goodies. The mini tutorials are wonderful and the lessons learned in each give you the understanding needed to apply them to any other PhotoImpact project. This book is a must have and I am eagerly awaiting the release of Fun with PhotoImpact 5.0. Stephani Baker-Thomas is a true Diva of PhotoImpact.

PhotoImpact has dozens of graphic-rendering tools and this book gives clear, concise directions for using each of them. I have had PhotoImpact for almost 2 years and am still finding tools covered in this book that I did not know was there. Stephanie has written very easy-to-understand sep-by-step directions with illustrations that even the very newest and very oldest user can learn and easily put into practice. PhotoImpact is a wonderful program and this book is a wonderful accompaniment. Thank you, Stephanie!

IMPENDING CRISIS is vision founded on common sense and substaintiated by unrefutable data. It plainly defines the coming management challenge that most business leaders do not take seriously. Frankly, that's just fine with us. Competitors - please don't read this book. Our organizations are preparing based on the guidance of Herman, Olivo and Gioia. We expect it to be our greatest competitive advantage.
ROB A. CAPRETTO, Ph.D.
Owner, BayWest Business Solutions, Inc.

I've been a fan of Roger Herman and his books for many years and once again he shows us the insight of looking to the future, but acting now to make the best of that future when it arrives. During a time when many managers and business owners may be focused solely on survival, Roger and his co-authors, Tom Olivo and Joyce Gioia, show the importance of focusing on current business and management practices that can enhance employee engagement, communication, and recognition and thus improve employee relationships, tenure and recruiting as it becomes an even more significant competitive advantage in years to come. Clearly and persuasively written, I also like that this book includes useful action steps for improving any company's circumstances on its way to becoming an "employer of choice."

Finally, a book that connects the dots with all the data that supports what I've been experiencing all along as a small business owner: We're in an employee crunch that won't go away unless we as employers do some long-term planning NOW. Despite all the media hype about the highly qualified people on the street currently looking for work, I've been frustrated for the past few years in finding the qualified, productive few to fill the slots we have. Herman, Gioia, and Olivo explain why. Makes good sense!

But they don't stop with theory and statistics. (Granted, there are plenty of charts, facts, and numbers. But I liked those-adds credibility. I want authors to give me proof rather than platitudes.) They outline an action plan for employers to make sure they don't get caught in the crunch. I'm handing the book to my general manager and telling him to implement immediately.

By the way, I liked the readable style. Great pullouts of the key ideas. Easy to skim. You could even hand this book to a department supervisor or manager to cull ideas to correct department recruitment, retention, and productivity problems. Although it addresses big-picture issues of strategic planning, it certainly gets down to the details of the do-now-today stuff .

Dianna Booher, author of 40 books, including Speak with Confidence, Communicate with Confidence, and E-Writing

Like many reviewers of this book, I also read it about 20 years ago, having already fallen in love with Thomas Tryon's writing in Harvest Home. From the first page of The Other, the haunting and insistent voice of the narrator grips you, and you are ineluctably drawn into his strange, isolated world. The story of the twins Niles and Holland, with its psychologically devastating twist in the tail, has haunted me ever since I first read it, and having lost my copy some time ago, I am desperate to find another so that I can read it over and over. A real classic of the genre.

I first read this book over 20 years ago and it is a must "re-read" for me annually. Each new reading produces chills: of delight, at how Tryon weaves the story; of horror, as the mystery and tragedy unfolds. Read it closely, for clues to the mysterious horror are scattered throughout the book like the "blue paper-rose petals" which enshroud Niles' secret. Tough to put aside, perfect for those late nights when a summer breeze gives way to a rainstorm.

Actor-turned novelist Thomas Tryon's first book is one of the best out there. The technique the book uses to creep up on you if very unique. This book is very old (and very out of print..i'd sell my soul before giving up my 1971 first edition with dj) so I hope you can find yourslef a copy, because this is a book that you simply HAVE to read, if you want a good horror story.
And now the plot (don't worry, I'm not giving any spoilers):
In 1935 12-year old twin boys (Niles and Holland) live on a New England farm. The twins are both very different. Niles is more outgoing and light-hearted, while Holland is shy and hides a lot. Their Russian grandmother Ada has taught them "The Game," which allows you to be (or at least see from the POV) whatever or whoever you concentrate on. Their mother always stays inside, and their father's rcent death is probably the reason for it. It doesn't take long before a series of murders take place in the peacful town, and it becomes clear that Holland is connected to each of them...to say anything else about the novel would ruin the book. Just remember:
Peregrine for Perry.
Also, check out the movie: It's excellent.