I purchased this book following a visit to the Marshall Museum at VMI. I opened it this past autumn and began to read. As some other reviewers have indicated, 700+ pages is a daunting read. I am very glad that I sat down to read it. I didn't know very much about Marshall prior to my visit to VMI. I knew about the European Recovery Program that bore his name; I knew about his remaking of the Infantry School, and his elimination of the seniority system in promotions. That's about it.

This book is far more than a biography; it's an excellent study of the make-over of the US Army's personnel and educational system, under Marshall's guidance at the Infantry School. It's a study of the interplay between Churchill and Roosevelt. It's a study in the subbordination of the military to civil rule in America. It's a fine summary of "how we lost China," as if anything could have saved the Nationalists from their own venality and ineptitude.

It's a study in how a man of personal fortitude, rectitude, and character made such a contribution in service to his nation. We are blessed to have such figures on occasion in American life. Marshall goes into my personal list of heroes in American public-life alongside George Washington, George Mason, and Robert E. Lee.

This book is excellent in every way. The prose is well-written, and the compelling narrative keeps things moving along at a brisk pace.

This book rested on my bookshelf for about two months after I received it from Amazon. Frankly, I found 700-plus pages a little daunting. But having read The Supreme Commander - Stephen Ambrose's masterful book on Ike's war years, this seemed a natural follow-up. It was especially alluring because Ike so admired Marshall. As I deem Ike a genuine hero, it was natural to be interested in his hero.

Well, I'm glad I tackled it! I rank it alongside biographical masterpieces like Edmund Morris's two-volume biography of Teddy Roosevelt and Ron Chernow's biography of Rockefeller. Simply put, this is one of the best books I've ever read.

For anyone interested in the WWII era, or generally the history of America in the first half of the 20th century, this is MUST reading.

James B. Hagerty
Cincinnati Ohio

This is a fine companion piece to Leonard Mosley's "Marshall: Hero For Our Times." Together, the two volumes provide a managable portrait of a man who conceivably can be considered the most influential American of the 20th Century. Forrest Pogue's volumes are far more comprehensive, though not from a human-interest standpoint. Cray's and Mosley's works explore Marshall's more sensitive facets.

Marshall's towering integrity (he wrote no memoirs because he wanted no one profiting from them) has kept him in history's shadow, though he wasn't exactly cloaked in anonymity during WWII (since he reported to Roosevelt, and gave orders to MacArthur and Eisenhower). I hope more young people will read about him, and emulate his character.

Marshall is the last of the great Americans that the Clinton Democrats have not trashed in some fashion, denigrating generally accepted history in furtherance of their own self-serving, power-seeking, heck-with-our-nation political agenda. That's probably because the Democrats just haven't yet discovered Marshall... since they've never been too keen about reading serious history, and there's never any material about Marshall on MTV, CNN or the Spice Channel.

I am so happy I found a book with plentiful Glamour photos. I especially love the Norma Shearer pics and the Rosalind Russell pics (especially the rather gothic cloak pic.) This book is not only insightful about how the pics were done but who Hurrell was. Truly beautiful and a must for any coffee table and/or collector.

Once upon a time, I was reading Empire magazine and suddenly I saw a promotion of The book Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits. The cover picture was very impressive. I didn't know George Hurrell before. As soon as I saw the picture, I decided to buy this book. So, after buying it and see the pictures inside, I just said: Wow! What a photographer he was. He's a genius. His works are magnificent. Great use of light and remarkable composition are the typical of his works. Definitly he's a master in the art of photography. You can find many fabulouse black & white photoes of your beloved actors and actresses in 30s and 40s as well as an interesting and useful biography of Hurrell. If you love cinema you won't regret after buying it. Your library misses this book.

This book is just filled with gorgeous photographs, in a beautifully dramatic and romantic style that is often missing in the photographs taken in more recent times. A wonderful book for photographers looking for a little inspiration, or those who have had a surfeit of the modern, photojournalistic approach to portraiture. Look at the light, the composition, and the drama! As photographers, we've shown these images to prospective bridal clients, who thought they only wanted "candids" taken at their wedding - "very few posed images" - who summarily changed their minds about "stuffy posed photography." Many of our portrait clients, who came to sessions loathing the idea of having to pose for the camera have found themselves having so much fun they don't want to stop when we've introduced some of the more dramatic poses similar to those used by Hurrell in a session. This book is also a bonanza for movie buffs - to see images of a young Joan Crawford, BEFORE retouching, freckles and all, and then to see the results of Hurrell's handiwork, is fun for fans -and his techniques impress those of us who do this for a living.

George, known to me and the rest of his students as Mr.Flynn, is an amazing person and this is a wonderful book. Parts of it made me cry and others made me smile. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about true love.

I know that I cannot write a good review but I loved the book. I am not fond of reading too many books but I started to read this when I was bored and now I have read it eight times! Mr. Flynn was my English teacher and I will never forget him!

The stories in Maggie's Heart are short, but each is moving in its own way. The book can be read in sequence or kept as a quick pick-me-up for those times when you need something to read, but don't want to delve into a novel. There is a gentle love of people and goodness that comes through in each story. You are left with a catch in the throat and / or a smile on your lips. In a word the stories are wonderful.

This McManus book is one of his classic mixtures of stories about growing up poor in Blight, Idaho (really he grew up in the Idaho panhandle around Sandpoint, I believe) plus hunting and fishing stories. As always with McManus books, the book will leave you "splitting a gut" from all the laughter.
Highly recommended.

If you've read anything by Pat and laughed and would like a book or another book, trust me when I say that you'll like this. It's just more of the same kind of thing, Rancid and Crazy Eddie and Pat running around scaring his friend's Grandma. You can't read it or rememeber it without laughing or smiling, unless you're dead in which case you have no business having the nerve of reading or remembering anything. Trust me, there's nobody better than Pat out of all the humorist authors. Even Daniel Steele. You'll love it if you love anything he's done.

The book is a composite of stories of his childhood and adolescent years. He grew up in the boonies in an old run down shack. As a child he spent most of his time outside. He tells stories of tying his best friends brother up and locking him in the basement. He also gives pionters on taking fish hooks out of a buddys' ear. The book has a plot in every story; with 26 stories there are lots of plots to get burried in. The theme is pretty much the same throught out the book; Life is good if you have the right perception. I thought the book was hysterical. I actualy read the whole book. My parents almost got a divorce, because my dad would shake the room. He was laughing so hard. The book really reminded me of when I grew up; my friends and I were always outside raising cane. The way Patrick tells the story is like a joke, he lets your mind wonder before telling what happens. His choice of words really catch you, words like gunkholing or podner. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Patrick really knows how to make people laugh.

If you have never read George Herriman's masterpiece--one of the few comic strips I would label as such, and it's creator: a genius--I would NOT suggest this one. Buy "Krazy Kat: the komic art of George Herriman" instead. I say this only because Mr. Herriman's style changes so dramatically throughout his tenure on Krazy Kat, that this can only give you a very incomplete impression of his work and, truthfully, I can't say very much for this particular impression. It is not George's fault, either. At this time a certain visual structure was imposed on his work by William Randolph Hearst--a fan himself of our author/cartoonist--that limits the VISUAL creativity of the strip. Some critics have suggested that this period is where the SOUL of the Krazy Kat strip was first truly refined; where the relationship between Krazy, Ignatz, and Officer Pupp begins to be fully realized. That may be. The writing is as good as it ever was. But the uniformity of the art and visual structure--all panels are of uniform size, shape, and number (though not at the very beginning of the book)--make the material seem redundant. Especially when reading one after the other in the same sitting.
I love this strip and I respect George Herriman as an artist. If you already have a taste for Krazy Kat--and are longing for more material to be continuously reprinted (as I am)--this is a purchase you should be making without me telling you. Otherwise, you had better get a taste for this particular work before you delve into this chapter of its development. Or try back in a book or two.

Every man, woman, and child should own a complete set of George Herriman's Krazy Kat, but that's currently impossible cos so much of it is out of print (or has never been reprinted). Thanks for getting this thing started again, Fantagraphics, and hopefully you'll get the financial support to see this thing through.

If you know nothing of Krazy and Ignatz, I can only invite you to slide into their surreal world. Words won't do it justice. Krazy is yin, Ignatz is yang. You figure it out.

Wow. There is justice in the world. After Eclipse stopped their "Kompleat Krazy Kat" series I feared that no publisher would dare take up the cause for a loooooooong time. I'm having spasms of joy over the continuation of the series. There was indeed no comic (even the best ones) that came close to the subtlety, detail, and substance of Krazy Kat. The irreconcilable love triangle between Krazy, Ignatz, and Offica Pupp provided enough material for decades of brutally good material. These volumes also carry on Eclipse's tradition of good and helpful notes at the book's end to elucidate anachronisms that will inevitably arise in nearly anything approaching a century in age.

More good news is Fantagraphic's pledge (near the end of this book) that once they complete the Krazy Kat cycle (kompleat with the kompleat Kolor Komiks in full Kolor), they will go back and republish the years covered by the Eclipse volumes! I was never able to find all 9 volumes, and those that appear on E-bay tend to get VERY pricey ...

This is good news for all of the Kat's devoted followers. May Fantagraphics march on.

This is what all popular art forms should be. A social commentary as love poem. And poem this is. There is very little that someone can write about the Krazy experience without treading in the same terran as this wonderful book. This is were your Krazy love afair begins. And unlike Ignatz you don't show your love with a brick.

fine anthologies like this will have to do.

compiled principally by patrick mcdonnell (artist and author of "mutts" -- the finest contemporary comic strip) this is a good introduction to the best comic strip of all time. for some thirty years in the first half of the american century, george herriman created one of the greatest works of american art and literature. based almost entirely on variations on a theme (cat loves mouse, dog loves cat, mouse throws brick, cat deems said abuse [rightly?] as a sign of love), herriman caught the essence of a country barely growing up, as well as love in all its potential manifestations.

"krazy kat" can be appreciated as allegory, or it can be enjoyed simply as damned funny. this volume will allow you to have a bit of both.

but oh dear, when will some brave publisher issue the entire run?

Over the past fifteen years or so, a strange new breed of art-geek has mutated in the suburbian basements (of their parents' houses) across the American landscape; they aggressivley praise every third-rate creation in comics, trying ever so hard to convince themselves that any of them could ever matter to a serious person outside their little world. On occasion one of them will pay lip service to the genius of Herriman, a ritual that is expected of them, and then go right back to buying up the kinds of pretentious or deviant efforts produced by the current so-called masters of the medium such as Spiegleman, Clowes, Ware, McCloud, Crumb, Bagge, the Hernandez brothers, Chester Brown, and so on. The terrible shame of all this is that through this overhyping of the layer of scum that has risen to the top of the commercial pond, those precious few men of genius--Jim Woodring, Joe Sacco,and a handful of others-- that have chosen to express themselves in the medium of comics are thrown out with the proverbial bathwater by those who are intrigued enough by this sort of publicity to investigate the genre, as soon as they discover that they have been had. Herriman's books, which are all surreal masterpieces of infinitely higher consciousness, poetry, originality, beauty, truth, love (and everything else good in the universe!) than 99 percent of "fine" art and certainly all of the aforementioned funnybook fishwraps, cannot even stay in print in such an environment. For this reason, and because if you have any sensitivity at all to the sublime you will wear out your first copy and will therefore need a spare to share with your children, I advise all readers to purchase two copies of everything that has Herriman's name on it. You will find it a bargain.

I have read, and read, and read this story to my class of Kindergartners so many times they can say it from memory. We all love the funny illustrations but our favorite thing about this book is the language. The dialect is so fun to read and to listen to. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a vivid repeating story that is fun to read aloud.

Over the years I have bought at least a half dozen copies of this to give as gifts. I don't even have kids, but it's one of my favorites. You have to read it aloud--and with a southern accent if you can.
I love the drawings too--kind of primitive which suits this book well. The possum has very cute and devilish expressions on his face.
I stick up for poor misunderstood possums anyway and was happen to have one star in such a cool book.

I love this book. We read this book to our children when they were younger. It was my husbands favorite to read. Somehow the book was given to charity. I have been looking for it at book stores , because I really wanted to replace it. I'm so glad you have the book and I will order a couple. We'll be reading it to our grandchildren someday. The book rhymes bueatifully and just flows when you read it. It's a great read out loud book.

I suffered through most of my twenties with a pretty debilitating anxiety disorder, which unfortunately has recently come back to check up on me. I found Mike George's short-but-to-the-point book helpful in diffusing and alleviating many of the mental circumstances that contribute to anxiety.

With short, bite size chapters illustrated with soothing water-colors, LEARN TO RELAX touches on all of the important tools needed to unweave the warp of stress and anxiety that tends to bind us in knots. Mike George covers the principles of deep breathing, meditation, visualization techniques, and also shows how to use the formidable powers of the imagination to heal the body and mind from within.

This book isn't a comprehensive manual on relaxation, but it wasn't meant to be. Rather, it's a portable, user-friendly sampler that will help you take the first steps down the path of relaxation and healing. If you get something from this book, you'll definitely want to explore the subject further, but this is a great place to start.

I found this book to be very helpful. I have purchased five copies to pass on to friends. They have all agreed that it is a wonderful tool and easy to follow.

This is a must-have for anyone feeling stressed. By this point, just looking at the cover relaxes me. :)

Mr. Hess purports to present the first tactical history of one of the most famous military actions of the Civil War. He therefore sets high expectations for himself, perhaps too high. Mr. Hess does accomplish this forensic and encylopedic presentation, but either this approach to the subject or Hess's style is dry and emotionally unengaging. Hess does a great job in researching soldiers letters and accounts of events surrounding July 3, some of which see the light of day for the first time I have no doubt. These annecdotes are wonderful.

Mr. Hess also does a good job in rebalancing the participation of Pettigrew's and Trimble's commands in the charge. Many accounts of this engagement focus on Picketts' Virginians, partly because these men left a better aggregate written record of their impressions, and partly as a result of post-war prowess with the pen.

There are some gaps. The account of the immediate post-charge Confederate impressions is thin. Is it due to lack of data or just lack of presentation? Does Hess credit the account found in many histories that Lee lets loose his despair that night telling John Imboden "Too bad, too bad, Oh too bad." Did that happen? Is it post-war hyperbole? The account is extant but Hess is silent about what he knows about it. You are begging for a glimpse of Longstreet's post-charge movements that night or over the next few days. Who did he talk to? Did Lee and Longstreet meet within the days following the attack? If Hess doesn't report it you are left to conclude it didn't happen, but is that an accurate conclusion? The Imboden encounter leaves doubt about how thorough the author has been.

Hess explained the storied background of the officers and men who participated in the charge. He mentions Waller Tazwell Patton, colonel of the 7th Virginia, but says nothing about his relationship to WWII's George Patton. Perhaps these ommission's are minor. If Hess sets himself such high expectations, however, the reader has the obligation to call him on it if he fails to deliver.

As a Civil War historian myself, I'm only to pleases to recommend this and all of Earl Hess' other fine works. One of the best tactical studies to appear in a long while

I have thought Stewart's "Pickets Charge" to be the best source for the past 40 years. Hess has written a book that will replace Stewart for more than 40 years. While a master of the sources, Hess is a thoughtful military historian and a writer of a judicious narrative. I have been reading, writing and teaching about the Civil War since 1960 (and graduated from Gettysburg College) and Hess tells me things that I never knew or failed to consider. This is an essential book on the Battle of Gettysburg and one of the better military history works at the beginning of the new century.

I wanted to read the novel soul food to see if it included anything that was left out on the movie, I was surprised to see that the book, and movie was pretty much the same with only a few small differences. I didn't realize Terri was so jealous of Maxine. I liked knowing what the characthers were thinking.

Soul Food was a heart felt movie and it was like real people really living that particular life that was in the movie. And the characters were great especially Nia, Mekhi, Brandon, and Vivica. The book was just like the movie and had a couple parts added which is always cool.

THE NOVEL, SOUL FOOD, WAS AN EXCELLENT COMPANION TO THE MOVIE. THE READER COULD REALLY FEEL THE EMOTIONS OF THE CHARACTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE WISDOM OF MAMA JOE REMINDS US OF OUR OWN PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS WHO STRUGGLE TO KEEP THE BLACK FAMILY TOGETHER THROUGHOUT HISTORY. ACCOLADES TO THE AUTHOR, LAJOYCE BROOKSHIRE ON A THOUGHT-PROVOKING BOOK.