This is a small book containing 329 facts about the Civil War. The reason that I rate it so low is that when I think of a trivia book, I think of questions and answers, which this book is not.

I bought this little trivia book and was very pleased with the thoroughness of the information presented and the depth of the factoids. There is particularly a lot of trivia about Nathan Bedford Forrest--things I simply had not read in any other books. For $6.95 it is well worth the cost. My son and I both learned a lot about the Civil War when we got it from Amazon and made a trip from Paris, TN to Shiloh Battlefield a few hours away. Thanks, Mr. Williams for a great little book.

Eventhough this is an abridgement of Gibbon's
great treatise it is a shame that the subject is treated in such a cursory fashion. Little attention is given to one emperor before the reader is pushed on to the next one.

Hadas' edition does give us some of the early history of growth of Christianity, one of the underlying causes of the downfall.

All in all, I found myself wanting more detail. After reading this book I felt like a had read the equivalent of a Chinese meal. It was OK but I soon found myself wanting more

I think the other reviewer misunderstands Hadas's intention. As Hadas states in his introduction, this book is intended as digest and, hopefully, a guide to the fuller work. Hadas pragmatically realizes that most readers are unlikely to undertake a multi-volume book that totals literally thousands of pages; but his abridgement -- rendered with admirable coherence for such an undertaking -- provides both a taste of the fuller work and hopefully a temptation to read it. If more scholars like Hadas existed, the great works of literature and antquity might have a broader readership today.

I really enjoy the main characters in this series, but the stories are so similar that I can simply scan the book and get enough of the plot to have my fill. Gervase and Ralph make a great team.

"The Serpents of Harbledown" is Volume V of the Domesday Books, and author A.E. Marston continues his Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret series in a convincing manner!

Ralph and Gervase are dispatched to Canterbury to help solve a dispute between the cathedral and St. Augustine's Abbey involving some land, not to mention liturgical authority. This complementary duo are royal officials commissioned by King William to see that justice is meted out and the issue settled. The entourage includes Ralph's new bride (Golde), Canon Hubert, Brother Simon (all whom we've met in previous episodes) and their military retainers. They are eager to dispense their judicial findings.

Alas, a young girl is found dead and at first she is assumed to have died from a poisonous snake, as the teeth marks are readily seen. However, we soon begin to suspect more than accidental death and, true to Marston's nature, we have a full-blown mysstery on our hands. It will take all the logical skill Gervase has, the military bearing of Ralph, and the religious observances of the Canon and Brother Simon to unravel this conundrum. Before its solution, however, we find that, indeed, a serpent has invaded the community, in the form of heresy, and the story takes on even greater meaning.

Marston's fifth tale begins rather slowly, but with patience the reader will find that the narrative begins to jell and the desire to find out the solutions to all the problems compels one to complete the book. Marston seems to have some trouble with his dialogue, especially the passages involving Delchard and his new bride. These conversations borders readily on the stilted, as of course, even in 11th century England meaningful conversation between husband and wife would not be this formal! But that aside--and do push it aside--the book is worth reading through. Marston writes with a social conscience, especially as he deals with the leper issue, and, quite importantly, the relationship of the church with its dissident priests (who seem fully justified in their dissidence!). The author has also spent some time in the presentation of his characters, all the while trying to keep in mind that this is England just after the Norman conquest.

"The Serpents of Harbledown" ends another episode in the King's commissioners' efforts at demonstrating the king's justice, to Norman, Saxon, and Church member alike. Marston seems fully in command of his characters, his plot, and his themes.

(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

... fraught with utterly stiff, pretentious, unnatural dialogue, even for the 19th Century. A disappointment.

I was very skeptical about this book, but the first few chapters pleasantly surprised me. The author seemed to perfectly capture Wilde's unmistakable and eloquent wit, something I thought would be impossible. I thought the concept was wonderful as well. However, the book quickly loses steam as it focuses more on the valet, who's far less interesting than Wilde. But then again, who isn't?

This book is a step back in history narrated in the language of the times, which is quite realistic. It is told from a quite different viewpoint, not of Oscar Wilde, but beautifully described by his black valet who accompanied Oscar on his nationwide American tour. The book starts out in January 1882, as Oscar arrives in New York to begin his tour. At the time no mention was made in the press of his black valet named William Traquair, who accompanied him. As Wilde entertains the New World with his lectures and humor, Traquair enjoys what he will always remember as the best year in his life.

This is an engrossing and intriguing story that certainly gives us a much clearer perspective on what it must have been like in America at the turn of the century and especially what impact this time period had on black men.

A story that's both fact and fiction, and one that will make you fantasize that you are right there on tour with Wilde and Traquair traveling across America at a time when life on this continent was so young and open to suggestion. I enjoyed this story and I feel the author has accomplished what he intended to do by taking us clearly back in time!

Joe Hanssen

This work is so alarming and so disturbing that the only consolation is hoping wide spread dissemination of its revelations equally upsets the imperial Chinese leadership.

Learning the lucid facts of just how ruthless and dangerous the military threat of the totalitarian Chinese Communist government is to world safety and American security is both sobering and enraging. The documented appeasement of China by the Clinton administration and their sell-out of US national interest for short-term profit and their own political gains are unforgivable.

The book's only real weakness is lack of presenting an overview of Chinese history and an estimate of China's geo-political grand strategy, which would have provided a good background and a stronger closing. Hopefully this will be soon adressed in future works.

America and the free-world should read this book to prepare for a hostile leadership already targeting us as it's number one enemy and rival.

Being a student of the People's Liberation Army, I must commend Timperlake and Triplett for a long overdue effort to present the painful truth about the key enforcing pilar of power in the PRC today. As did the Cox Report earlier this year, RED DRAGON RISING presents a wake-up call for a country who's gaze has been averted by a corrupt administration and a national security bureaucracy that would rather salute and ignore a growing threat to America. They present for the first time in greater detail than anywhere else: the PLA export of nuclear and missile technology to Pakistan; how the PLA has long used North Korea as a front for proliferation; how the PLA CAN win the future war for Taiwan and begin to chase the US out of Asia; and how the PLA's investment in asymetrical warfare, namely information warfare, could lay low the United States.

Read this book for your kids. Really. You need to be informed about the wars we are blundering into, so that you can choose leaders today who can try to ensure that your kids don't have to march off to that awful future conflict.

In their first book, 'Year of the Rat,' the authors uncovered the ugly truth about illegal Chinese campaign contributions to Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Now in "Red Dragon Rising' they have exposed in frightening and pain-staking detail how the Clinton-Gore administration has helped Communist China achieve its military ambitions. By putting dollars before national security, they have assisted an emerging superpower in becoming a future deadly threat to our national security. To hell with the 'Lewinsky Affair,' China-Gate is the most outrageous scandal of this 'the most ethical administration in history.'

Though not devoid of some human interest value, this is not an especially useful source for the historian. Guerrant saw little action, and writes scantily about what he did see. I can't imagine that most of his sojourns in West Virginia and Kentucky will be of interest to most scholars; there is an account of the Battle of Saltville, but that's about it. Eloquent, not to say melodramatic, jeremiads on the weather make up a good deal of the text.

On the other hand, Guerrant was the kind of diarist who thinks that posterity may read his diary someday, and he writes with verve and emotion -- multiple exclamation points, parenthetical clever remarks, and so on. After hundreds of pages -- for a Civil War diary this is exceedingly long -- that gets old, but he undeniably has his moments.

Excellent diary with lots of good information. Editors did a poor job as town names such as Jonesburg Tennessee should be Jonesbough, and a couple others that never existed or are badly mis-spelled. It is sad these errors had to get into the book. Otherwise an excellent read.

I would love to give you a review of this book, but it's been four months and I still have not received this book. I really want this book, I'm a lifelong Monkees Fan, and I'v been looking for this book a long time now. When I saw it listed on this site, I jumped on this chance and ordered it. But still no luck. If anyone could tell how I could get this book I would really appreciate it. I don't want my money back, I just want this book.
Very unhappy Customer

If you are looking for the DEFINITIVE reference book on everyone's favorite TV show ABOUT a rock and roll group...this is the one. I thought I knew a lot about the show and the guys, but thanks to Bill Chadwick (who was almost a Monkee, and was there for it all!), Maggie McManus (Monkees fan extrodinaire), and Ed Reilly (whose memorabilia collection I REALLY wish I had! ), this publication is the most comprehensive, detailed book regarding The Monkees ANYWHERE! In "A Manufactured Image", you will discover the day to day occurances and situations that took place from the very beginnings of Monkeemania, following the guys through the height of their popularity, through the dissolution of the cast and group, including Head and 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee, and throughout their respective solo careers, up through their triumphant return in 1986. It was great to be able to follow Micky, Davy, Peter, and Mike through their trials and tribulations after the project ended, and it tied up a lot of loose ends to questions I had about where they were, and what they did between 1970 and 1986. As a fan of the music, I especially enjoyed the complete list of recordings, seeing the titles of the unreleased stuff up to the date of publication. You will also see a section on some of the hundreds of Monkee Collectables from throughout the years, hundreds and hundreds of wonderful pictures, a great number of them previously unreleased. Want to know how the TV show fared against Gilligan's Island and Gunsmoke? Want to know how long The Monkees had SEVEN albums on the charts at one time in 1986? It's all here! In addition, pictures of the 45's by the guys, both solo and with the group, along with LP covers from around the world, which was a real treat! I highly recommend this book as an excellent way to introduce new fans to the Monkees, as well as fans who want to learn more about their favorite "Pre-Fab" Four! You cannot go wrong with "A Manufactured Image"

The author has attempted to use concepts from sociobiology to provide a way to evaluate business ethics and practice. It is badly flawed because he does not understand some of the basic sociobiological principles he needs to accomplish his goal.

Don't be put off by the title, the bland cover, or that it's part of a series in business ethics. This is a terrific and provocative book! Frederick offers a compelling framework for understanding the conflicts among the values centered on the essential economizing function of business; ecology; and the inherent power-aggrandizement of the corporation. The thesis presented here challanges both anti-business environmental elites as well as corporate apologists.

This book provided some helpful hints and useful lists. But, the practice tests were extremely difficult and somewhat arcane. I used it as a backup book to help me prepare.

Although I'm pretty sure the author was serious when he wrote it, this book is filled with factual errors and bizarre logic which had me howling with laughter. All theories of alternate "Shakespeares" which I've seen rely on factual distortions and arbitrary assertions, but this book is worse than most. Read it for its entertainment value, but for God's sake don't start to take it seriously! For a lot of facts about Shakespeare, and refutations of the most common Oxfordian claims, visit the Shakespeare Authorship page on the Web.

Dave Kathman djk1@ix.netcom.com

I love the way these people take this twaddle seriously. It's priceless fun.

Disappointing. Mr. Allen starts by positing a collaboration between the man from Stratford and Edward, the 17th Earl of Oxford. By the end of the book, it's no longer a possibility but definite -- and without supporting evidence. Frankly, I can't imagine a more unlikely collaboration. I think the author is influenced by the thought that "Shakespeare" is a group effort, possibly headed by Edward Oxford. He struggles with it, as all of us interested in the controversy do. But as far as I can see, his case is unproven.