Although I found the book insightful and rather stimulating, there was a large lack of precise detail regarding the mindset of the Emperor himself and just why he would attempt such a foolhardy invasion. Along with the maps and depictions, it was totally enjoyable, one of the few books I have not been able to put down.

My daughter was given this gift by her Hebrew School teacher. We read the book together and enjoyed the tales very much. I think I liked the illustrations more than she did though. Still, it's a nice batch of Jewish folklore for kids.

This reference book has proven to be invaluable to me. The ease of use of this reference tool has proven itself time and time again. I would highly recommend utilizing this tool whenever on-line data or software is not available for CAS number searches, nomenclature searches, or chemical structures.

I have long been a fan of Howard J. Wiarda. This was the second book about the Dominican Republic that I ever read. By far this is the best introductory book (200 pages or less) on Dominican history and society in my collection. Given his extraordinary depth of knowledge of the DR he has delivered a very concise and well thought out piece. The only problem with it is the fact that it is now almost 10 years old.

Table of Contents:

1. INTRODUCTION.

2. THE LAND, THE PEOPLE, THE CULTURE.

2a. The Land. 2b. Life in the Dominican City. 2c. The Dominican People and Their Culture.

3. THE PATTERN OF HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT.

3a. The Colonial Era. 3b. The Independence Era. 3c. The Trujillo Era.

4. CONTEMPORARY DOMINICAN HISTORY.

4a. After Trujillo. 4b. Democracy and Revolution. 4c. The Unfinished Revolution.

5. SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL GROUPS.

5a. Social Structure. 5b. Urban and Rural Poverty. 5c. The Emerging Middle Class: Agent of Change? 5d. Class and Class Conflict. 5e. Group Dynamics and the Dominican Social System.

6. THE ECONOMY.

6a. From Politics to the Political Economy. 6b. The Export Sector: The Old and the New. 6c. The Impact of Trade Imbalances: Debt and Devaluation. 6d. Roadblocks to a Sound Economy: Inflation and Unemployment. 6e. Government Programs to Strengthen the Economy. 6f. The Future of the Dominican Economy.

7. POLITICAL INSTITUTION AND PROCESSES.

7a. The Tension of Competing Political Philosophies. 7b. The Rules of the Game. 7c. The Character of Leadership. 7d. The Contest of Power. 7e. The Decisionmaking Process.

8. PUBLIC POLICY AND POLICYMAKING.

8a. The Public Policy Environment. 8b. Agricultural Versus Industrial Development. 8c. The Place of Social Welfare Programs in a Modernizing Economy. 8d. Austerity and the Quality of Economic Growth. 8e. Four Policies: Population, Energy, Education, and Taxation. 8f. Public Policy and the Future of Dominican Development.

9. THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA.

9a. Dominican-US Relations. 9b. The Dominican Republic's Relations with Its Closest Neighbors. 9c. The Dominican Republic in Relation to the Caribbean and the World. 9d. Recent Trends in Dominican Foreign Policy.

10. CONCLUSION.

London, 1992, Greenhill, lst UK ed thus w/DJ, , limited r/p of 1907 ed, 6x9, 447 pp. appendice lists detailed German & French orders of Battle down to reguiment., 1 MAP.
Helmuth von Moltke was promoted to Field Marshal and created Graf von Moltke by the ambitious William I of Prussia and his Chancellor Bismarck on the consolidation of the German empire in 1871, after his triumphs in the Franco-German War. A brilliant intellectual, his strategy and generalship had prevailed against the apparently mighty military power of Napoleon III of France. Napoleon had thought to bolster popular support for his rule by extending his territory to the Rhine. Instead he lost his throne and France was humiliatingly forced to cede Alsace and Lorraine.

By the time this war broke out, von Moltke had already achieved outstanding and surprising successes against Austria in the Six Weeks' War in 1866, and, a perfectionist in organisation, was the creator of the General Staff system of today. Rapidity of attack by the use of railway transport was as successful in France as in his earlier victories, but in France defeat of the army was followed by a people's war before final victory was achieved, exemplified most vividly by the long and horrific siege of Paris.

Against military autobiography in principle, von Moltke was nevertheless prevailed upon to write the history of this war, thus achieving for the reader the best of both worlds - a careful and accurate description of events, combined with insights into strategy which as commander only he could authoritatively give. From the preparations for war and the combat of Weissenburg on 4th August 1870, von Moltke sweeps the reader through his carefully planned campaign including every stage of the war up to the armistice and the homeward march of the victorious German army. Von Moltke is considered by many the most able mind in military matters since Napoleon, and in this unimpeachable work has left for posterity the rare legacy of a complete war recorded from the viewpoint of its commander-in-chief.

The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond
By Elizabeth Howard

I read The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond, by Elizabeth Howard. I enjoyed the book mainly because it was right to the point. It wouldn't try to throw out metaphors and stuff like that to confuse me. For example, on page 73, "Perhaps she was thinking about the fist or plotting her next crime. Whatever the reason, she was deeply and unmistakably absorbed in her own thoughts." That section told me exactly (and clearly) what she was doing. The book also made it obvious that Marcel loved and cared for Paris deeply. Simply stated on page 125, "I was worried about you because I love you Paris."\

The theme is how Paris Mackenzie tries to find out why a missing diamond relates to her and her family. Also, things are rarely what they seem to be. I definitely agree with that statement. In life, you may think you know something, but it turns out it's the total opposite.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. It's a fast read that makes you keep turning pages. The print is also large enough so that people with poor eyesight can read it no hastle. It was also somewhat short which is normally good. If your looking for a good book that doesn't beat around the bush, it's a must read. This is the best mystery I have ever read. I think a mystery needs the following components to make it good: an interesting plot, a brave hero or heroine, and a surprise ending. The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond has all of those qualities. I think anyone who's looking for a fun and exciting mystery, look no further than The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond.

The PILLARS OF TUBAL-CAIN by Jackson and Howard is a collection of related essays on the Luciferian tradition and Angelic Magic. By drawing on ideas from a variety of traditions, from Persian and Canaanite Mythology to Christian Gnosticism and Freemasonry to Modern Witchcraft and Goddess Worship, the authors provide a convincing case for the persistent guidance of mankind by celestial beings from ancient times even unto the present day. Far from the sterilized and emasculated New Age idealization of Angels, this is a serious look at a challenging subject. The book sometimes skirts dangerously close to the pseudo-history of authors such as Baigent & Leigh and Hancock and can sometimes lose focus, but it nonetheless manages to maintain its integrity, providing thought-provoking analysis of complex esoteric ideas. My biggest criticism is that the book is poorly edited and contains a number of typographical errors and even some missing words. This is not an easy book to read, but patient study of the text will reward the reader with a rich tapestry of occult ideas that are at once both familiar and new. I highly recommend this book.

This is a handy if somewhat eclectic little collection, with works by some poets who are hard to find elsewhere, such as Henry Howard. If you don't have a copy of the long-out-of-print Hebel and Hudson anthology of English Renaissance Poetry, pick up this.

The Way of The Warrior series was first shown on BBC2 in the UK. This is the book of the series, a very good accompanyment is more of a synopsis that an in depth study of each art.

If you are interested in Martial Arts the book gives you a broad picture of what arts there are and how they became what they are today.

A must for the bookshelf.

Bobbitt's book, with its repetitive, self-referential structure and elegant literary ornamentation, resembles another Baroque production, the New Science of Vico. Maybe that's why the author's analysis is most convincing when he's talking about the 17th Century. The dish beneath the garnish is quite another meat, however; for the book's center is a hypertrophied version of a business strategy paperback like Reinventing the Corporation or Positioning. When discoursing about the history of the relationship between the nature of the state and the practice of war and diplomacy, Bobbitt sounds like an academic. When he plumps for his view of the present and heralds the somewhat anticlimactic wonders and challenges of what he calls the Market State, he sounds like a flack for the Chamber of Commerce struggling to generate some enthusiasm for the free enterprise system.

The Shield of Achilles is a very worthwhile read, but not because its conclusions wash. Reading a book like this, which, sarcasm aside, is a very intelligent production, is valuable more as an occasion for thought than as a historical TOE. What's vividly missing from the book is finally more important than what is in it. Bobbitt managed to write a 900-page book about the state, warfare, and politics without saying anything about who benefits and who loses. He is often very good about the what and the how of history but the question of who is absent without leave. Thus he manages to write about the contemporary situation at great length without noting that in America, at least, the disparity of wealth between the rich and poor is increasing markedly so that a regime supposedly dedicated to increasing opportunity is actually reducing opportunity for most people. He claims that the media are becoming more democratic when, in fact, five corporations control something like 80% of airtime. There is also no mention of the enormous growth of prisons in the U.S., a social fact that must have some relation to the author's thesis. More generally, Bobbitt writes about tendencies like deregulation or privatization as if the intentions of their promoters were irrelevant. It is also puzzling that Bobbitt seems to think that the transition from what he calls the nation state to the market state continues the Cold War triumph of democratic institutions when political participation rates and even the 2000 American election suggest that democracy is in general retreat.

This book postulates alternative scenarios for world order/disorder as we begin the 21st century. It draws on an insightful analysis of the evolutionary history of feudal-states, to imperial nation-states, to the struggle between communist/fascist/parliamentary nation-states whose objective was to "better material welfare of its citizens." It shows how the parliamentary-state form of government emerged triumphant in 1990 with the collapse of communism and how it is now transforming itself into a market-state structure whose objective is to "maximize the opportunity of its people."

Focusing on military strategy and technology, and international law and politics, considered by Bobbitt as "the makers of history", he reviews the major European wars from 1494 to 1990 and the major peace agreements that ended them. He also devotes a chapter to the recent war in Bosnia.

His insight into the methods, motivations, skillfulness, and ineptitude of the major players gives us new perceptions on the use of geopolitical power. He uses all this background to consider our current and probable world problems and then, using methods pioneered by Royal Dutch/Shell Group Planning, relates them to three alternative scenarios of how these new market-states may evolve and deal with these issues.

At 827 pages plus notes it is not short, nor is it light reading, but it's lessons are imperative for people involved in government, the military, foreign relations, and global strategic thinking. I also highly recommended it for anyone who desires a thoughtful analysis of what is likely to be in store for our civilization in the days ahead.

Those who take the time to wade through this book are in for quite a learning experience. Bobbitt's unique melding of strategy and constitutionalism offers deep insights into the nature of the international system and the future of American power. The chapter on the War in Bosnia - comparing the reaction of the great powers to that of Kitty Genovese's neighbors as she was being murdered in Queens, NY - is gut-wrenching and thought-provoking, and constitutes one of the most engrossing 50 pages that I have ever read. The choices that Bobbitt offers policy-makers are stark and of fundamental importantce - it is a shame that few will take the time to consider the long-term implications of their often hasty short-term decision-making.