A little on the slow and dry side. A short novel that doesn't really allow one to get to know or like any of the characters. In short a rather unremarkable book.

Having really knocked Dudley Pope's "The Black Ship" I feel compelled to review another book that shows how it is possible to make history thrilling without seriously departing from historical fact. Edith Pargetter wrote the "Brother Cadfael" series of medieval whodunnits under the pseudonym "Ellis Peters," and in "A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury" turned her talent to the story of Harry Hotspur's unsuccessful rebellion against Henry IV "Bolingbroke." Instead of trying to play psycologist (as Pope did in Pigot's case), Pargetter beautifully lays out the characters of Henry IV, Henry V and Hotspur by their interactions. Prince Henry had been a hostage of Richard II, but their relationship was such that Richard was more a father to the prince than was Bolingbroke (contrast how Pargetter carries this off with Pope's stolid comparison of Pigot's father and uncle). When the prince is called home from Ireland by Richard's impending ouster (and probable murder), Hal is very ambivalent towards his father, and needs reassurance (from Hotspur) that Bolingbroke's claim that Richard suicided is credible. He is placed under the guardianship of Hotspur, who becomes another father figure to him, and when, in the end, knowing that his father did starve his beloved Richard to death, but also knowing that his father's survival on the throne meant he would one day be king, and having to choose between Bolingbroke and Hotspur,
he chooses to be king. The psychology Pargetter develops through the relationships in her "fiction" is far more valid than was Pope's stumbling attempt at explicit analysis. This bit of English history was high drama in and of itself, and Pargetter gives it the dramatic tensions its narration deserves. Pigot's mutiny was also high drama, which Pope utterly failed to bring to life. This is not Pargetter's only serious historical fiction, and I'm eager to get more of it. Oh by the way, for the historically uneducated: Richard II was a "bad" king -- might have been manic-depressive -- and there was a wide concensus that he had to be go rid of. Hotspur's father and uncle, Warwick and Northumberland, led the junta that brought Bolingbroke in to take over. Bolingbroke himself got "out of control" once he got to the throne, probably really did do Richard in, and, from the northern and marcher barons' point of view, had to be replaced in his turn. Hotspur (Sir Henry Percy) was married to a sister of Edmund de Mortimer whose claim to the throne, based on the strictest application of the rules of primogeniture, was a better claim to suceed Richard II than Bolingbroke's. It was the competing claims of the Lancastrian and Yorkist houses that fuelled the "Wars of the Roses" beginning, arguably, with Hotspur's rebellion.

I'll start with this disclaimer: I am a loyal fan of the Brother Cadfael novels, written by the author under the pen name Ellis Peters. This novel explores the complex relationship among 3 men (all named Henry, interestingly enough): Henry IV, his son Henry the Prince of Wales, and Henry Percy, known as "hotspur," against the background of the deposing of King Richard II. Readers expecting lots of medieval carnage, promised by the picture on the cover, may be disappointed. Rather, the novel examines the character and psychology of the subjects, and how their relationships lead to the events that culminate in the "bloody field" of the title. I found it to be fascinating and thoroughly engrossing. As in the Cadfael series, Pargeter brings another age to life for the reader. You may even learn a little bit of history along the way.

The editor combed through Thoreau's journals, found the naturalist's written observations of birds, and compiled them into this compact volume. The words can be insightful and melodious. Canada geese "migrate, not flitting from hedge to hedge, but from latitude to latitude, from State to State, steering boldly out into the ocean of air." Perhaps the most interesting passages are those of additional historic importance: his dated sightings of the passenger pigeons (or as Thoreau calls them, "wild pigeons") that were plentiful in New England in the mid-1800s but are now extinct. "I frequently see pigeons dashing about in small flocks, or three or four at a time, over the woods here," he wrote on May 7, 1859. Details are not for the squeamish, however. Henry lived in a time when hunting was not limited to game animals, and dead bodies were often brought to him for identification or examination. And he wrote about what he saw. Nevertheless, if you like Thoreau, or if you're a birder with a life list, you'll appreciate this book.

"There are little strains of poetry in our animals," Thoreau observed. "What we call wildness is a civilization other than our own." It is fitting that this volume, out of print since 1910, be brought back to life. Nineteen reduced-scale illustrations by Louis Agassiz Fuertes resonate off Thoreau's own descriptions and affections.

The book is divided into twenty-three categories of birds, and within each section the diary entries are arranged chronologically. The index is useful and, like Thoreau himself, a blend of the downright and the unaccountable; for example, among all those birds one can find "Blueberry trees," "Frog, dreaming," and "Suckers, dead." Thoreau's purposes and results, as John Hay points out in the introduction by quoting Thoreau himself, remind us that "there is a world in which owls live."

This book hit all the aspects of lawn care. The best part about this book was it gave good instrucitons on how to cure disease, weeds, and fungus problems without chemicals. I highly recommend this book for lawn care professionals interested in learning about the industry. This book is well worth the money.

Faith in a Seed, a collection of Henry David Thoreau's late nature writings, deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the plant sciences or Thoreau's life and work. This volume consists of four previously-unpublished manuscripts, which the author left uncompleted when he died in 1862. Although compiled of rough drafts, Faith in a Seed is still very readable and enjoyable. Thoreau's last major project, The Dispersion of Seeds, fills most of this book. In it, he describes the seeds of various New England plants, as well as how they are disseminated by way of animals and the elements. The philosopher of Walden Pond roams the woods, fields, and swamps of "a world that is already planted, but is also still being planted as at first." Although this is a scientific work, Thoreau's wonderful voice and way with metaphor permeates every page, making for a very pleasurable read. Of historical interest, Thoreau was one of the first American scientists to embrace Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The idea of an ever-changing earth coincided with Thoreau's own beliefs. He felt that "the development theory implies a greater vital force in Nature, because it is more flexible and accommodating, and equivalent to a sort of constant new creation." In addition to the cornerstone of this book, The Dispersion of Seeds, three shorter selections are included. In Wild Fruits, Thoreau writes about the joys of hunting for wild berries, and teaches that "the value of any experience is measured, not by the amount of money, but the amount of development we get out of it." Weeds and Grasses and Forest Trees elaborate on the ideas of plant propagation and forest succession illustrated in The Dispersion of Seeds. On the whole, I found this book to be a welcome addition to my Thoreau collection. Even in his late years, as he became more and more interested in the technicalities of nature, he still dearly loved the wild; and this comes through in Faith in a Seed. Come, saunter with Henry through dark pitch-pine groves, the huckleberry fields of Fair Haven Hill, and the seedling-lined banks of the Concord River. Discover that "the very earth itself is a granary and a seminary."

very descriptive and informative book a must-have for all dinosaur fans

The bible of Sri Lanka birders; the recent and thoroughly welcome appearance of bird guides to this area notwithstanding. It is a shame, though, that the quality of the colour plates have deteriorated somewhat in the latest edition. A few new spp. have been seen in Sri Lanka in recent years that are missing in Henry, but the other volumes cannot touch this book's thoroughness of description and style. As for the competition: Kotagama - inexpensive and light in weight but the colour plates are wanting; Grimmett et al. - Excellent and comprehensive but heavy and expensive; Harrison and Worfolk - Excellent plates and individual local distribution maps combined with light weight, but expensive. Ali and Ripley's volumes are outstanding but they are not for the field and some vols. are out of print. Legge's venerable work was reprinted in 3 vols. by Tisara Press and may hold some interest to the dedicated enthusiast.

Dr.Regal's work is an important book in the study of the Eugenics movement and all of the explosive matters on the politics of race and genocide. If you want a basic grounding in the mindset of those people seeking human "perfectibility", start here.

This book should be in every library and on the shelf of every professor of history.

Not only are the author's descriptions of shells up to museum-catalog quality (he is apparently an experienced shell collector), but Nicholls' illustrations are among the best I have ever seen in a natural history book. They are absolutely stunning in both their accuracy and their artfulness. This is reason alone to buy the book. My only complaint is that I wish there had been more descriptions of the species and their characteristics, instead of focusing on the shells alone.

Anyone familiar with Gericault's painting "The Raft of the Medusa" will know immediately that this is not going to be a pretty story. "Narrative of a Voyage to Senegal," written in 1816, is by two of the survivors from the raft. They tell a frightening tale of abandonment, starvation, mutiny, murder, and cannibalism, the horrors of which are surpassed by their treatment by the French government once they've been rescued. Despite the dreadful consequences of the rampant incompetence and indecision that led to their fate, ultimately it's the misguided faith the authors have in their mother country that sees them through.

The Medusa set sail in 1816 to reclaim Senegal, on the west coast of Africa, from England. Despite France's loss in the Napoleonic Wars, England had conceded France's former colonies in the wars' aftermath. The ship was carrying the governor who was to take over the reclaimed territory, as well as several hundred soldiers who were to be stationed there. After the Medusa wrecks, due to the incompetence of the captain (who relied on the advice of a passenger rather than pay attention to what his own navigators were telling him), bedlam breaks loose. Plans are made only to be tossed aside, no one is in charge, and people are scrambling to save themselves without a care for anyone else on board. As there is not enough room in the boats for the approximately 400 sailors and passengers, the survivors build a raft to carry away those who won't fit. The raft, approximately 85' x 25', is quickly lashed together from intersecting masts and spars, but it doesn't have a solid floor. (Later, people's feet and legs get caught in the holes, and they drown, unable to free themselves.)

One hundred and fifty people are put on the raft, with the idea that the boats will tow it behind them to safety. That many people, however, are too much for the small raft, and they are crowded together so tightly they stand side by side, with no room to sit down. They couldn't have sat anyway - the raft is so overloaded that the people are up to their waists in water. That is only one of the many difficulties they face.

First, the boat towing the raft deliberately loosens the tow rope, casting the raft adrift with no oars, no rudder, and no charts or navigation equipment. Then there is a gale, and many of the victims are swept overboard to their deaths. The second and third nights see a mutiny of the soldiers against the officers; many on both sides are killed and almost all are wounded. Food and water are scarce, and all are suffering from sunburn and exposure. Soon, sharks appear alongside the raft.

By the time the raft is sighted and the people on it are rescued after 13 days at sea, only 15 people of the original 150 are still alive. Of those, five die soon thereafter. The remaining 10 are put in a filthy hospital, with little food and no clothes. The governor and his cohorts leave them behind, escaping to Dakar in hopes of avoiding a scandal by spreading their own version of how the raft came to be on its own. The authors appeal to the French government for help and are spurned, again in an attempt to avoid scandal. Despite their trials, they remain loyal French citizens, with an undying hope that their country will give them at least some sort of pension after all they have been through. They are to be sorely disappointed.

It is only because of Savigny and Correard's rather florid writing style that I give this book four stars instead of five. Nevertheless, they write with an emotional candor that is heartwrenching, and I would recommend this narrative to anyone who is interested in adventure tales, sea stories, or history. The book is well worth-while, and for those of you who aren't used to reading early 19th Century literature, I recommend sticking with the story through to the end. This terrible event is rendered more awful by the knowledge that the authors really experienced it.

I tried to read this late at night in a guest room in Palo Alto (while I was still on Eastern time), at a house where I was also urged to read _Up and down California_, the narrative based on Brewer's own letters, still in print (first edition 1930). I got the latter via interlibrary loan but the memory of Alsup's vistas of rock has brought me to Amazon to buy my own copies of both.