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"John Ringo: The Final Hours" is yet another superb volume on Earpiana from Michael M. Hickey and a must for all true enthusiasts. Like his earlier book which delved into the mystery surrounding the killing of Warren Earp, this work centres on another controversial death, that of John Ringo. Also, like the other book, it is as big as the great outdoors, exhibiting a remarkable generosity in the vast amount of information it has to offer pertaining to the Earp saga. In fact, basically, here is yet another Hickey treasure chest of Earp lore for those of us who just cannot get enough of the doings of Wyatt and Co.
The book is well written and immensely readable. Hickey has the knack of keeping the reader enthralled, never quite sure along which trail he is going to be taken next. His writing style reminds me of the classic whodunit crime writers who always loved to surprise their readers. Such a style is particularly appropriate here for Mr. Hickey is, as he says, telling a "Tale of the Old West", and the first third of the book is a vivid dramatisation of the events immediately leading up to Ringo's assassination as the author sees it.
Michael Hickey has not been afraid to use contemporary hearsay and local legend as a starting point for his theories but he is always determined to find documentary evidence to back it up if at all possible. This is clearly proved by reading the final two thirds of the book which is described as the "Author's Working Notes and Documentation". Here the reader will revel in a veritable cornucopia of reference material: maps (including Wyatt's own map of the Ringo killing), documents of all kinds, letters, newspaper reports, excerpts from other authors' work and, of course, a myriad of photos, each with a detailed caption. Even here, in the "documentary" part of the book, Hickey keeps us guessing, keeps the tension going for the reader as, little by little, he feeds us more and more information about that time and that place.
For this book is far more than just the story of how one notorious outlaw came to meet his end. It is a detailed analysis, told with extraordinary insight, of how Wyatt Earp and his posse put an end to the Cowboy depredations in Cochise County with the backing of Wells Fargo, the Pinkertons, various national and local government agencies and even the U.S. and Mexican governments.
As an author, Michael M. Hickey combines an imaginative and intellectual grasp of the Arizona milieu of the late nineteenth century, the intellectual fervour of a detective determined to ferret out the truth, together with a vivid and most entertaining writing style. Long may he continue to give us these treasures of Earpiana.
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...The contents of the book are what's really amusing. This is, as the title suggests, a collection of prayers for tough situations. What's amusing is how specific the authors seem to think we need to be with out prayers. There are prayers intended for every type of politician, including separate prayers for the president, cabinet members, senators, representatives, and local officials, and at least four for different officers of the military. I imagine God getting a little impatient: "Lady, just say bless the Army and I would've gotten the idea, alright?"
The rest of the book offers up a host of gems; this would make a perfect irony-laden gift for your local super-Christian. "Oh God, It's a Heart Attack", "Save Our Homosexual Child", "Bless the Couples Living Out Of Wedlock", and the absolute side-splitting king of prayers, "Lord, My Children Have Been Wrongly Taken By The Authorities," will not soon be forgotten. I am absolutely not kidding about that last title.
Some people may actually think this book is useful, but as far as I can tell, it's a manual for people with no creative ability to form complete sentences or express their wishes in spoken or written form. So, it's a perfect gift for your favorite subliterate fundamentalist.
The length of each prayer varies from one-half to one whole page.
They are not filled with fluff or flowery language, but state the need and express trust in God to help with the need.
The nearly 200 prayers are divided into 3 sections: Praying for Myself, Praying for Others, and Praying Together. Subjects for prayer are diverse, including, A New Parent's Prayer, Prayer for Fear of Flying, Help Me Find A Job, When A Wife Dies, Prayer for A Foster Parent, Prayer As An Ambulance Passes, Prayer for An Unsaved Friend, Help With A Difficult Roommate, A Prayer for Headache Sufferers, A Prayer for People Dragged into Court, and about 180 others.
Biblical, doctrinally solid, sensitive but not highly emotional--
-this is a tremendous prayer book. Although Jeannie St. John Taylor edited the work, over 25 individuals contributed prayers.
Top notch. Go for it!
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Leaving the Sumter at Gibraltar, Semmes and his officers traveled to Britain. Taylor's account of the Confederate agent in Britain, James Bulloch contracting for, equipping and arming the Alabama is fascinating and reads like a Cold War espionage novel including a mole in the Prime Minister's office. Semmes commissioned and took command of the Alabama in the Azores then set sail and captured the whaling ship, Ocmulgee, on 5 Sept. 1862. By the end of October 1862 the Alabama had ravaged the New England whaling fleet plus dealt a blow to the grain trade between New York and Britain.
The author notes that at this time, Semmes conceived a bold plan to take the Alabama into New York harbor and fire the ships there. It is interesting to speculate on possible responses to a raid on New York harbor as 9 months later the city experienced draft riots which had ethnic, racial overtones in a northern city with some southern sympathies. The plan was canceled after the hurricane of October 16,1862.
The book narrates in chronological order the capture of each ship by the Alabama and narrates her activities including a cruise to Asian waters. However, after 22 months at sea, the Alabama badly needed shipyard maintenance and refitting. Semmes put into the French port of Cherbourg . While France hesitated to allow the critical shipyard work, the U.S.S. Kearsarge arrived and took station in international water off Cherbourg. Semmes formally challenged the Kearsarge to battle and in an engagement on Sunday morning June 19, 1864 the Alabama was sunk. Semmes escaped to Britain aboard an English yacht. The book has an excellent discussion of the possible reasons for Semmes' decision to fight noting that by 1864 Confederate commerce raiding was no longer profitable. A chance for a positive international reaction to defeating a Federal warship was one consideration for making it worth putting the Alabama at risk in fighting the Kearsarge because the Alabama's days were numbered without an overhaul.
After losing his ship Semmes returned to Richmond, was promoted to rear admiral and given command of the James River Squadron. With the fall of Richmond and the James River Squadron scuttled, Semmes became a brigadier general commanding an army brigade. This interesting period in Semmes life is well covered by the text. The final chapters narrate his post war life including imprisonment, release and futile attempts to gain the right to hold the public office of probate judge to which he had been elected. Semmes was always the unreconstructed rebel and Taylor describes Semmes' memoirs as "the last shot in a war already lost".
The author notes "Part of Semmes' value to the Confederacy lay in his versatility. He was cruiser captain, diplomat, and propagandist in one." He writes that Semmes was thoroughly versed in maritime law which he used to direct his activities and further his cause. For example, the text states "Semmes might have burned Brown's ship out of contrariness, but his legal training would not permit it." On another occasion, the text notes "Once again, Semmes's seamanship and knowledge of international law stood him in good stead". The author noted Semmes would always take pride in his treatment of those whom he captured and quotes Semmes saying "We were making war upon the enemy's commerce . . . . not upon his unarmed seamen." What a contrast to W.W.II where 30,000 unarmed merchant seamen lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Admiral Semmes importance goes beyond the Civil War and his place in naval history is ensured. Taylor wrote that Raphael Semmes was well remembered by naval strategists in Europe and quoting from volume 38 of the Southern Historical Society, he narrates how Kaiser Wilhem II upon meeting a diplomat from the state of Alabama said "I reverence the name of Semmes. In my opinion, he was the greatest admiral of the nineteenth century. At every conference with my admirals I counsel them to read and study Semmes's Memoirs of Service Afloat." In WW I the Germans emulated his disguising his ships and supporting a cruiser with a tender. In the early days of WW II Admiral Semmes's tactics/strategy were used by the German warship Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. In like manner, early in the WW II other German warships such as the Hipper and the Sharnhorst conducted surface attacks on British merchant shipping . Also, during WW II, German U-boats used his tactics and strategy and copied Semmes's tender usage using submarines as tenders to supply and provision U-boats at sea.
Semmes accounted for 71 of some two-hundred-odd Northern merchant ships destroyed plus bonded and released 12 other captured Northern ships. As commander of the Alabama he sailed some 75,000 miles without touching a Confederate port. He was the only commander on either side to fight two battles at sea and the only Confederate captain to sink an enemy warship. His record as a sea raider would not be approached until the era of the submarine. As John Taylor wrote "Semmes was not the first commerce raider of the nineteenth century; he was simply the best."
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When it comes to Disney, I am not normally interested in the details of big business and high finance, but I found this book quite interesting. It's hard to believe a company that "all began with a mouse" has grown into such a massive empire of million and sometimes billion dollar deals.
I wish someone would write a comprehensive book on the deals that Roy and Walt Disney had to pull off in the early years. Although, less money was involved back then, I am sure their deals were no less heroic or risky.
If you like Disney, it's worth a read. If you're a student or professional of finance, there is much to be learned therein.
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1) Death and Resurrection in Ancient Egyptian Society 2) The Eternal Body: Mummification 3) Provisioning the Dead 4) Funerary Figurines: Servants for the Afterlife 5) The Threshold of Eternity: Tombs, Cemeteries and Morturary Cults 6) Magic and Ritual for the Dead (My favorite chapter!) 7) The Chest of Life: Coffins and Sarcophagi 8) The Burial and Mummification of Animals
Excellent book for one interested in any of the above topics, great information, great pictures and easy to read, but still scholarly in the amount and quality of the information presented.
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The first half of Hickey's book is written in what can only be called a "novelistic" form, and it seems that this really should have been published as a novel rather than history. Many of the details given have no possible real source, and the rest are built upon very shaky ground.
I cannot recommend this book to anyone who expects to learn who (if anyone rather than Ringo himself) killed John Ringo.