For wargamers, modellers and historians keen on the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763) this volume and its sister volume on cavalry should not be missed. Every infantry regiment is beautifully illustrated with the regimental standard also shown. The text (mine's in German) gives a regimental history and a comprehensive list of battle honours. Just buy it and enjoy the best source of colour pictures in print today.

Too often local history is limited history: it is so concerned with the details of a particular time and place its fails to contextualise, to analysis, to grasp the bigger picture. Good local historians ought to "see the world in a grain of sand", as William Blake would have it. The Little General and the Rousay Crofter is my history book of the moment because it suceeds wonderfully in linking the local with capital 'H' History. Okay, I'm basis - I come from Orkney and am interested in the place. But I am sure that folk with no Orkney connection would find the story of the debt-ridden General with an empire career behind him and his struggle with the crofters and Free Kirk Minister on the Orkney island of Rousay compelling. Thomson never falls back on stereotypes of the bad landlord exploiting poor crofters, but instead picks through the evidence with great care. The result is a detailed and (I think) gripping study of the break-down of old bonds of patronage between the land-owning class and crofters, of the complex allegiances and tensions across a whole community this breakdown suddenly throws into sharp relief, of the politicisation of ordinary people such as the remarkable James Leonard, leader of the crofters. And there are one or two remarkable twists in the tale. Highly recommended, and I've never met William Thomson.

O.K. O.K. Marryat's books tend to be full of unlikely circumstances and coincidences and sappy, happy endings. On the other hand, his novels are naval action adventures of the Napoleanic age written by a man who was actually a captain in the nineteenth century British navy, albeit somewhat after the Napoleanic Wars. As long as you sit back and enjoy the story, the adventures and misadventures of Newton Forster are just plain fun. And, remember, this book was written more than a century before Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey had even been thought of.

As I was only a pre-teen when Ronald Reagan first took office in January 1981, his is the first administration, that I took an active interest in.This, along with the birth of cable news and I was hooked on current events and politics The Reagan era was filled with many highs and its share of lows, both inside and outside the White House. One of the things that was so remarkable about Reagan, to this young person at least, was the fact that no matter what was going in the world (good or bad), he always seemed to have the right words to say. Of course, he had a solid speechwriting staff behind him, but it was more than that though. His delivery, conviction, and passion concerning his core beliefs, and his love for America, played a huge part in him being called "the great communicator"

This book collects Reagan's keynote phrases and speeches throughout his political life and later as a statesmen. Edited by Frederick Ryan Jr, I would think that this book would have appeal to anyone who is into political histoy--and no matter what side of the aisle you are on. Personal highlights in the book for me include the famous "tear down this wall" speech to Gorbachev. As well as the address that he gave to the nation following the Challanger shuttle explosion in 1986. Reading those words again, following the Columbia shuttle disaster, I was struck how comforted I felt by those same words. Reagan was known as an optimistic President. The book illustrates that key element. A fine read for these troubled times

The book has dozens of color and black and white photos. This 160 page book has a forward from the editor. I recommend it those who lived through the Reagan years, and to those who want to know more. You don't have to agree with everything he did or said to get something from this book

I recently got this book out of the library in order to teach a poem on Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of the writers Buechner discusses in the text. I was astonished at Buechner's incredible diction, phrasing, and word pictures. I had not read anything else of his before, but now I want to buy this book! His writing has an incredibly mysitcal quality, which he uses to broaden our knowledge of ability to enjoy four notable authors, while showcasing his own unique vision and humility. The book is moving and gritty - it put me in tears on several occasions, and I do not cry easily. If you are at all a fan of Hopkins, Twain, Chesterton, or Shakeapeare you must read this book!

Captain Marryat's "THE CHILDREN OF THE NEW FOREST" is a wonderful tale in narrative, historically rich and quite fascinating. This story of adventure, treachery, and love takes place during the English Civil War, when fellow countrymen are found enemies, and are set against each other, Roundhead and Cavalier, Parliament and the King. Many hoped for the same thing: justice. But, for a long time, neither could find it. In the midst of all were the Beverlies, the family of a faithful Cavalier, who died in service of the king. His four children were left orphaned when their mother died of grief. Then, word came to them that the Roundheads were going to burn down their estate, Arnwood. Fate sent them into the hands of an old forester, Jacob Armitage, and they escaped to his cottage. From there, the story unfolds. It is a classic worthy of shelving in libraries, in private or in public collections, recommended by many educators, and by me, with all due praise.

The Children of the new forest is a brilliant insight into what england was like in the 15th century. It tells how four wealthy children are without warning suddenly plunged into poverty, when the roundheads fire their house looking for the king. It tells how the heir of the burnt house and his brother and sisters strive to become what they should have been without the roundheads. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get hooked on something, but is not too hard. It is an excellent book to learn from and look at carefully, and is gripping to the very end.

This is a unique book with a quality and style that is timeless. True classic that every child would greatly benefit from reading.

I derived great amusement from the book's cover being that atrocious shade of hot pink. Perhaps red was too provocative for them?
Moving on to the contents itself, this books shows Marx's interesting interpretation of economics and its histroy. For such a dry topic, I found Marx's prose entertaining. He's not a skillful writer, such as Nietzsche or Wittgenstein, some of his sentences are long and torturous. But when his prose is overheated it is quite amusing. "Money is the pimp and whore of all nations."
His idea of alienation is not perhaps fully accurate psychologically, but it is a profound insight into our modern condition. Looking at the entertainment and advertising super-structure of Western society, you cannot help but be sickened by the objectification of man.
Class struggle is also interesting. That often seems to be true. The point is illustrated when higher tax breaks are given to the rich apposed to the poor.
I find it doubtful that all of history is subservient to an abstract economic movement though. This reduces man to a wholly material being as much as the machinery of capitalism does. Not that his cry to change the structure of society should go unheard. The most disturbing aspect is the way that Marx's ideas were implemented. The fact that the people in power are corrupt and pervert ideas to their own end says nothing about the idea itself. A highly readable introduction to Marx.

The Paris manuscripts go back to a young and idealist Marx - perhaps one which few would bother to read, as today the concentration (and much contempt of Marxian theory) is based on his contributons to the understandings of a communist state. All that can be said is that Marx was trying not only to understand man as "homo economicus" (as seen clearly in Capital) but also as "homo sociologicus"...a fact which students of sociology should not forget.

With the crumbling of the Berlin Wall--symbolizing for many the end of the relevance of Marx's political theory--and the veering toward a "third way" (read, neo-liberal way) in various Western European countries by formerly avowed socialist parties, Marxism, and its brand of socialism, is now universally assumed to be an historical artifact, and maybe neither a very interesting nor productive one at that.

"The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844" offers a point of rebuttal to those neo-liberals and their quick-handed assumptions that the totality of Marx's theory can be gleaned from The Communist Manifesto, a work written with the intention of motivating political action.

The "Manuscripts" is an essential read for those seeking Marx's revlevancy in the 21st century.

After some preliminaries about the main character's childhood, the novel covers a time period from roughly 1805 to 1816. This corresponds to the time period when the author was a midshipman and lieutenant in the Royal Navy. The story is told in a narrative fashion by the main character, Frank Mildmay, and draws on the author's own experiences.

Readers looking for lots of naval action will be disappointed. Much of the story is on land and deals with Mildmay's romantic involvements. A large part of the "at sea" portion of the story concerns relationships between Mildmay and other individuals. The story often digresses into philosophical thoughts. It is apparent that the author was from an upper class family, and that he looked down on people from the "lower classes" who he considered poorly educated and not up to par, i.e., his social inferiors. The rapid rise of Mildmay from lieutenant to commander was due to influence, which undoubtedly accounted for the author's own rapid promotion.

There is little naval action in the latter part of the novel as Mildmay becomes involved in a triangle between himself, his former mistress, and his future bride. He heads downhill towards self-destruction, and the story becomes a tragedy, but Mildmay is redeemed at the end.

A fascinating book that is hard to set down. Even though written almost 200 years ago, Marryat sets a standard for nautical fiction which others can only attempt to emulate and never surpass.

If you loved the Aubrey/Maturin novels, the Hornblower novels, and the Flashman books, you should read Frederick Marryat. He wrote his seafaring adventure boooks in the 1830's and they are as readable and enjoyable and understandable as if they were written in the 1990's.

Marryat who actually was a hero in the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars spins a great yarn. Great adventures and funny as hell.

I recommend them highly.

This book has some stories about bomber crews but not as many as I would like.

Excellent book on all the big bombers,it's all here,excellent photos. Very nice.

This book is full of excellent photos of three of the main bombers in World War II. It is set up so that each plane has its own section with a seperate author. The text is good as an introduction but what really makes this a good book are the photos. It's hard to find such a nice book at such a reasonable price and I recommend it.

As I read more and more about old jazzmen, it is striking just how many died early or unnecessary deaths. "Jazz and Death"
fills an unusual and worthwhile niche.

The only complaint I have is that Dr. Spencer tends to editorialize at length on the justifications for marijuana laws, etc. Not that I don't agree completely. He also (in the introduction -and- the conclusion) draws attention to the very tenuous links between the history of jazz and the history of medicine.

A wonderful and engrossing read.

This is an excellent reference work which should be on the shelf of most serious jazz collectors and anyone who writes about jazz or does discographical work in this field. Dr. Spencer very clearly explains numerous medical conditions and provides death certificates and other pertinent illustrations. He also clears up a number of mistakes/misunderstandings which have appeared in the literature. The references are annoying (the superscripts are tiny for my ancient eyes) and you must look in the back of the book to find the reference. The illustrations could have been sharper. Lastly, I understand that Dr. Spencer submitted a 660 page manuscript and only then was told that 300 pages was the goal. Thus, a great deal has been cut. He did a remarkable job but no doubt a lot of information got left on the cutting room floor!

... Dr. Spencer, who is no spring chicken, really knows his jazz. His book is part biography, part history, part sociology; it is also an excellent primer on pathology for non-medical people. His book is spiced with glimpses into the lifestyles of jazz greats. There's even a bit of ... humor here and there. Dr. Spencer has real affection for these haunted geniuses, and he shows us why early death was epidemic in their world.